Ye Xiu had also noticed this. He angled his body to watch the Skeleton Horse leap into a space shimmering with aqueous ripples. Suddenly, the sound of splashing water carried over, and a line of lightning bolts shot forth from within, relentlessly moving toward his position: "This thing has an electrical attribute too."

Old Liu rarely saw certain substances use electricity for offense. Landing, he rolled over and vaulted clean between two intersecting lightning strikes: "What about the Skeleton Horse? I can't even see it anymore, how am I supposed to fight it?"

"Let's worry about dodging this lightning first," Ye Xiu declared, using the surrounding walls to launch himself into the air. But at that moment, another horizontal line of electric light flared out from the wall. He couldn't evade it in time, and his entire foot was instantly numbed. "Ow! That really stings!"

"Hiss, hiss!" The Skeleton Horse, hidden in the shadows, seemed to see Ye Xiu struck by the lightning. It neighed loudly and burst out from the wall. It quickened its pace, circling the arena, and the frequency of its attacks—the flying cones and sharp spikes—increased further.

"Same tricks again? Not going to try a second time?" Old Liu charged forward, bringing the power of his Demon-Breaking Sword down heavily to swat away the flying cones. But as they hit the ground, he noticed the spikes were still whirling in the center of the arena. He couldn't help but curse, "Ye Xiu, what are you doing? Figure out a way to deal with the thing below."

"My foot..." Ye Xiu remained rooted to the spot, using his Sky-Worshiping Sword merely to fend off the lunging spikes. However, the lightning strike had completely incapacitated his foot, leaving him utterly numb, as if frozen in place. "That lightning actually immobilized my leg."

"Death God, afraid of lightning!" Old Liu darted into the ground, rapidly brandishing his Demon-Breaking Sword to finally repel the spikes. Just as he was about to close in on the Skeleton Horse, the creature vanished back into the wall again. "Damn it, can you even move?"

"It's fine, I won't die!" Ye Xiu felt no real pain in his foot anymore, only numbness. He focused intently on the surrounding walls, where something else seemed to be materializing. As expected, several new bolts of lightning surged forth from within, attacking both of them.

"Here we go again!" Old Liu dodged left and right, weaving through the lightning strikes. Who knew that this time the lightning was far more concentrated than the last? He watched as a wall of electricity blasted directly towards him. With no way to dodge, he was pulled upward by the lightning’s attractive force, completely unable to move.

The Skeleton Horse’s scheme succeeded. It charged out of the wall once more—it had never stopped running. Seeing both men trapped by the electric wall, it let out a long neigh and unleashed a flurry of thousands of flying cones and sharp spikes. This strike seemed destined to be the final blow for both of them.

"Can't move me, damn it!" Old Liu felt electricity surging over his entire body. The lightning itself caused him no harm, but it acted like a net, locking down his movements. He couldn't even muster the strength to raise his sword in defense.

The cheers around the arena suddenly intensified. Ye Xiu watched helplessly as attacks rained down from above, below, left, and right. Just then, a wisp of purple smoke issued from his fingertip. Where the smoke curled, a bottomless vortex began to form, stirring violently and sucking all the electric light across the entire arena into itself.

"Master, don't forget I exist." Susu's face floated in mid-air. The original purple smoke, upon contact with the lightning, began to spark wildly. "This electrical energy can also be harnessed by you."

Ye Xiu sighed in realization, gripping the Sky-Worshiping Sword and pointing it towards the surrounding cones and spikes. Electric light flashed from his Jade Ring, transferring to the Sky-Worshiping Sword. With a swing, all the captured electrical energy blasted outwards towards the flying projectiles, pinning them immovably in mid-air. "Susu, you truly saved us this time."

"What a marvelous artifact!" Old Liu slid down and approached the electrocuted projectiles. He touched one lightly and felt a current shoot through his body. "Ye Xiu, you fellow are omnipotent! You can utilize energy of any attribute. This thing is far stronger than our Taoist arts."

"Hah!" Ye Xiu roared, the Sky-Worshiping Sword spinning wildly. In that instant, all the flying cones and spikes were flung away, embedding themselves deep into the walls of the arena. "Lightning can change the polarity of an object. Do you believe I can drag that Skeleton Horse out of the wall?"

"Kaka, boom!" The projectiles firmly lodged themselves in the walls. A track-like pattern of movement suddenly became visible through the watery mist. The Skeleton Horse, seeing its power turned against it, was naturally furious. It broke free and charged, slamming its body towards the two men.

"It's coming!" Old Liu soared into the sky on his sword, turning downwards to pierce the carriage behind the Skeleton Horse with his Cold Frost Dragon Qi. But at that moment, he saw Ye Xiu still standing motionless in the center of the arena, sword raised. "What are you doing? That Skeleton Horse looks unbreakable; don't get yourself killed by it."

Ye Xiu felt the fierce momentum of the Skeleton Horse's charge; the surrounding air currents were strong enough to lift him. However, his body was currently saturated with electrical energy. He consciously brought his sword down to trap the beast.

"Boom..." The Skeleton Horse churned up dust, its head thrown back, front hooves rearing, just inches from Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu seized the moment and brought his sword down. The sky-encompassing lightning descended from all directions, wrapping around the Skeleton Horse's body like chains, fixing it in place. Knowing his plan had succeeded, Ye Xiu signaled Old Liu with a glance: "Now! See what's inside that carriage!"

"Yee-haw!" Old Liu plunged towards the ground. The Ice Dragon roared victoriously as it shot into the carriage. Immediately, a wave of chilling cold spread in all directions, instantly turning the cheering skeleton minions into dust.

Silence. Not an absence of sound, but a profound hush. The cold suppressed the fiery atmosphere. In the arena, Ye Xiu, Old Liu, the Skeleton Horse, and the carriage faced off coldly, not a single unnecessary movement from any party.

"It didn't work?" Ye Xiu whispered to Old Liu. The Skeleton Horse was now unresponsive, standing stupidly in place, as if all agency rested with the carriage behind it and the person within.

Old Liu nodded, his hand still trembling in the cold air. "This carriage must also be made of some kind of bone, impossible to pierce. Who exactly is inside, I wonder."

"Creak..." At that moment, a door opened on the carriage. A shard of shattered bone fell away to the side, and a single foot emerged from the gap—an ancient boot embroidered with a dragon motif appeared in the center of the arena.

Ye Xiu ignited his Black Flame, and the lightning on the Sky-Worshiping Sword did not extinguish: "Old Liu, be careful."

Old Liu, closest to the carriage, tensed his own sword as he watched the foot settle onto the ground. He stared intently at every movement of that foot. But after a moment passed, the foot simply rested solidly on the ground with no further action. "Should we go take a look?"

Ye Xiu swallowed hard and slowly advanced, his eyes fixed on the foot. It was about the same size as his own, suggesting the carriage's owner was a man. But how could someone possess something embroidered with dragon patterns be ordinary?

"Whoosh..." Old Liu didn't hesitate. He lashed out with his Thin Face Blade, striking the foot directly. Upon impact, the foot was instantly retracted back into the carriage. Old Liu followed closely, peering into the compartment. A pale-faced figure in imperial robes flashed past and vanished instantly. "It's... it's the same person from the coffin earlier!"

"Impossible!" Ye Xiu lunged forward, dashing into the carriage alone. There was no one inside; instead, they saw the familiar characters of the Red Cliff Heavenly Scroll. "We're back where we started. Is that fellow taking us through the history of the Red Cliff Heavenly Scroll's creation?"

"Kaka-kaka-kaka!" The entire carriage began to collapse as the figure departed, the sound of shifting bones enough to raise the hair on one's neck.

A flash of golden light erupted, and the scene shifted once more to that magnificent grand hall. There was still Zhu Yuanzhang, and still the Myriad Demon Saint Empress, but now a graceful scholar of about ten years old stood beside them. The scholar was richly dressed but carried no hint of arrogance. He was handsome with a balanced physique, surely a great beauty in his time.

The Myriad Demon Saint Empress turned towards the young boy, sweeping her skirt with an almost otherworldly charm. "Your Majesty, is this the one you spoke of?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, his eyes half-closed. He looked upon the frail young man before him with deep affection. "Yunwen is inherently kind. I fear that after I pass, there will be no one to care for him. So, I ask that you bestow upon him the power you intended for me. I truly hope he won't end up like his father, so..."

"If you are willing to accept my power, you will be able to care for him forever, until his death." The Myriad Demon Saint Empress's first choice had always been Zhu Yuanzhang himself. He glanced at Zhu Yunwen, unimpressed by the scholar-like youth.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked to Zhu Yunwen and carefully stroked his cheek, smiling faintly. "I no longer have the courage to face the tragic sight of an elder burying a younger man. If I accept your power, this pain will torment me endlessly. I am sorry, child! Your future, your grandfather will decide."

"Grandfather, I don't want you to leave me!" Zhu Yunwen had no grasp of the situation. He threw himself into Zhu Yuanzhang's embrace. He turned his head, and at this moment, the beautiful face and elegant demeanor of the Myriad Demon Saint Empress had completely captured his heart. He fell in love with the transcendent woman with just one look.

Golden light illuminated the hall. The Myriad Demon Saint Empress finally transplanted the Heartblood of the Underworld King into Zhu Yunwen’s body. She gazed meaningfully at the handsome youth. "Nothing in this world can stop you now. Go complete your hegemony and make everyone submit to you."

Zhu Yunwen gained the power of the Death God. With a gentle wave of his hand, a blast of fierce flame crumbled a pillar in the hall. He turned back to the Myriad Demon Saint Empress. "Will you stay with me?"

"I will watch it all unfold," the Saint Empress replied, bowing slightly with a soft smile. "In your world, the Myriad Demon Saint Empress will bear witness."

The light faded, and the entire carriage vanished without a trace. Only the Skeleton Horse remained, shaking its head, breathing heavily as if in relief, perhaps thankful for the two men present.

"Zhu Yunwen has become a Death God!" Ye Xiu reflected on Zhu Yunwen’s image, finding it strange. That man’s face was peaceful, and he held a curious affection for the Myriad Demon Saint Empress. Could he really become a Death God capable of shaking the world?

Old Liu, having seen this segment, was also perplexed. "Zhu Yunwen succeeded the throne only to be driven out by Zhu Di. How could someone possessing the power of a Death God lose to an ordinary man?"

Ye Xiu looked up and saw another large door on the opposite side of the arena—the door the little skeleton had mentioned. "We have to take it one step at a time. It seems Zhu Di isn't as ordinary as history records."