The thicket of trees stood chaotic, water hidden among the peaks. Ye Xiu zipped between the cliff faces, relying on the power of the Hundred Bug Soul. Every time he landed on an ancient pine, a mere touch was enough to spring him forward, launching him into another period of high-speed glide—how magnificent, how exhilarating.

Mid-flight, he chanced upon a cluster of massive trees encircling a small lake, its clear, rippling water emitting a sapphire-blue light. Ye Xiu looked up and saw a stone tablet standing before the water, upon which the character "Ren" seemed to have been carved with a sword.

"Swish-swish!" Suddenly, a series of white bone longswords erupted from the woods. The swords were smooth and translucent, with the only peculiar feature being their hilts—rounded and clear, resembling the joints of human bones fused together.

"Bone Sect?" Ye Xiu reacted instantly, drawing the Tianmiao Sword. He twisted his body, intending to use the Tianmiao Sword to break the encirclement of the bone swords. To his surprise, the swords merely followed him without pressing the attack. "Who are you?"

As the words fell, a figure in white cut through the trees, alighting on the tip of a treetop. His white hair was long, his gaze sharp, and his face possessed a feminine beauty overlaid with resolute strength. Holding a flask of rough wine, he was unrestrained. "You don't need to know who I am. I know you are the Death God!"

"What?" Ye Xiu was startled by the opponent's confident reply. He hadn't even activated his Death God power. To sense his strength from thin air required a level of attainment like a Thousand-Year Demon Shadow or Heavenly Dao One in the Boundless Realm. He landed on a branch, attempting to argue, "Why do you think I am the Death God? Haven't all Death Gods of this level been annihilated by the various races?"

The white-robed man with the wine gently tilted his flask and chuckled. Suddenly, the endless bone longswords gathered around him. "Based on the sword in your hand, the Tianmiao Sword, an artifact of the Death Realm Sword Devil. I am not mistaken, am I?"

Ye Xiu bit his lip, knowing the visitor meant trouble. He held the Tianmiao Sword across his chest and continued, "Since you know everything, perhaps you could state your purpose."

"Purpose? What purpose?" The white-robed man tied the wine flask to his waist, casually picking up a longsword from the cluster of blades and pointing it at Ye Xiu. "I am Jiu Liansheng, and I only wish to test the skill of the Sword Devil's successor."

Ye Xiu could only accept his bad luck. He fled from Jun Bugu precisely to avoid a massacre, only to escape the tiger's den and fall into the wolf's lair, with the opponent fully aware of his background. "I have urgent matters. I don't have time to waste on you. Please, proceed."

"Proceed!" Jiu Liansheng transformed into a streak of white light, shooting straight up into the heavens from the treetop. At that moment, dozens of bone longswords soared upward, and under his single command, they descended like a deluge toward Ye Xiu's head. "If you don't want to waste time, show me your sword techniques."

Ye Xiu activated his Hundred Bug Soul, his figure descending like a centipede wrapping around the tree trunk. However, the bone longswords were incredibly rigid; as they plummeted and struck the trees, they instantly stripped away every branch and leaf. "Do the Bone Gatherers have a habit of using bones as swords?"

Jiu Liansheng moved again, forming a long, straight snake formation, waiting beneath the tree to force Ye Xiu out with a single strike. "Why haven't you drawn your sword? Do you intend to die by my hand like this!"

"Tianmiao Sword Intent!" Ye Xiu saw the danger below. With the Tianmiao Sword in hand, it immediately emitted a crimson glow. The sword intent clashed against the white bone, sparks flying as red and white interwove constantly. He seized the opportunity and unleashed a single-handed Black Flame toward Jiu Liansheng. "Since you know I am the Death God, you should know I possess more than just one sword."

Jiu Liansheng was slightly surprised, but this degree of black flame couldn't harm him. He spread both arms, and the bone longswords flew back to his chest, spinning at high speed to form a shield that perfectly blocked the black flame's momentum. "Decent combat experience, but it seems the Tianmiao Sword in your hand is capable of more than this, isn't it?"

Ye Xiu was inherently calm and naturally wouldn't be provoked by Jiu Liansheng’s mockery. Yet, he had to admit that ever since acquiring the Tianmiao Sword, he realized it couldn't unleash its earth-shattering power. That flash of crimson sword light was clearly the result of him channeling the Black Flame.

"It seems I'll have to use a finishing move to force you to get serious." Jiu Liansheng’s eyes suddenly shifted. He spread both arms wide, and in that instant, the wind swept up, the surrounding forest erupted, and the bone longswords disassembled into countless tiny spikes. He brought his hands together before his chest, and the dense spikes rotated in unison, forming a straight, flying serpent. "Try my Myriad Bones Returning to the Origin!"

Ye Xiu felt a furious wind scattering around him. Seeing the spikes closing in, he secretly summoned Susu, using the Electro Soul absorbed within his body for protection. Simultaneously, the fierce Black Flame had already engulfed the Tianmiao Sword; this strike was meant to decide the victor.

"Jiu Liansheng…" Suddenly, from below the trees, by the edge of the lake, a voice, gentle and refined like sweet dew, fell upon the hearts of the two warriors. The voice was elegant and otherworldly, yet profoundly powerful. "Let the Death God descend first."

"Yes." Jiu Liansheng immediately reined in his anger, and the forest instantly calmed. He let out a long breath and vanished in a flash before Ye Xiu. "My master requests your descent, Death God!"

Ye Xiu’s battle intent was already roused, and he felt deeply unaccustomed to this sudden peace. He followed the sound of the voice and saw, by the curve of the lake, beneath the 'Ren' stone tablet, a person wearing a bamboo hat and a straw cape, fishing. The striking detail was that the tip of the white jade rod in his hand was not submerged in the water at all.

"Mr. Death God, please forgive Jiu Liansheng’s rudeness; he is simply too concerned with the Tianmiao Sword in your hand." The person was plainly dressed but spoke with uncommon grace. "If you don't mind, may I ask your name?"

Ye Xiu slowly descended next to the fisherman. He carefully observed the details of this person. Externally, he was of average height, slender yet capable. Beneath the bamboo hat was a handsome and refined face, though an air of heroic spirit occasionally revealed itself in his brows, clearly indicating he was no ordinary figure. "I am Ye Xiu. May I ask your distinguished name?"

"Jia Louluo is honored to meet Brother Ye Xiu. Please." Jia Louluo gently lowered his fishing rod and stood up. He carried no weapon, but a white jade waist token at his belt was inlaid with a single crimson skull.

"Jia Louluo?" Hearing this name, Ye Xiu knew most of the situation had been revealed. This person must also be from the Bone Sect. Seeing that even Jiu Liansheng called him Master suggested his status was extraordinary. His recognition of Ye Xiu as the Death God implied some connection to the Bone Sect Master, as the head of this lineage was named Jiaye.

"Insolent! Are you permitted to address the Third Master by name so casually?" Jiu Liansheng, who had been drinking nearby, stepped in front of Ye Xiu when he heard the disrespect.

"It's fine," Jia Louluo said with an air of magnanimity and kindness. "Brother Ye, do not be surprised. I am indeed the Third Master of Desolate Bone City in the Bone Sect."

"Is the Great Master of Desolate Bone City Jiaye?" Ye Xiu paid no heed to the title of Master and completely ignored Jiu Liansheng. "I met Sect Master Jiaye once in the Mortal Realm. He took the Soul Soldier Talisman from the Seven Star Trapped Dragon Fiend land."

Jia Louluo shook his head and smiled. "The Soul Soldier Talisman never belonged in the Mortal Realm. My elder brother Jiaye did what was responsible for all living beings. But, Brother Ye, don't you feel something is amiss with the Tianmiao Sword in your hand?"

Ye Xiu certainly knew the problem, but he was more concerned with Jia Louluo's intent in speaking with him. Logically, anyone from the Boundless Realm encountering a Death God would seek to eliminate them first. Why would a Bone Sect Master bother to point out an issue with his Tianmiao Sword? "Third Master, seeing me as the Death God, you don't seek to eliminate me, but rather offer guidance on my Tianmiao Sword?"

"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" Jiu Liansheng seemed displeased with Ye Xiu and was impulsive and addicted to wine. "The Third Master speaks to you out of respect. Do you think you can achieve anything here alone, charging into the Boundless Realm?"

Jia Louluo glanced at Jiu Liansheng and continued, "Brother Ye, have you ever heard of our Bone Sect's Heavenly Bone Testament?"

"The Heavenly Bone Testament?" Ye Xiu was highly attentive to this term. "A Bone Sect member named Fa Luoluo mentioned this testament to me in the First Emperor's subterranean palace in the Mortal Realm."

"I didn't realize you had met Fa Luoluo." Jia Louluo nodded. "The Heavenly Bone Testament records a coming cataclysm for our Bone Sect. That is why Fa Luoluo traversed millennia seeking the Dao and created the Dao Profound Barrier to avert this catastrophe. However, as things are unpredictable, we must be fully prepared."

"What does this have to do with me?" Ye Xiu had only two major concerns: first, to rescue Qi'er; second, to find Tianyue Shanren and seize the Myriad Poison Stone to save himself.

"The catastrophe is imminent, and naturally, I wish to gather a group of ambitious individuals to pursue this grand endeavor." As Jia Louluo spoke this sentence, the light in his eyes was extraordinary; he tilted his head back, seemingly confident. "And I believe you, Brother Ye, absolutely possess that capability."

Ye Xiu rarely heard such praise. The Death God lineage was not exactly one that others favored. However, since arriving in the Boundless Realm, he had heard many different voices. He hesitated slightly and said, "Ye Xiu entered this realm alone with low cultivation. I truly don't know what I can do for the Third Master."

"Heh heh. The Heavenly Bone Testament records the strategies of the past, present, and future. Do you know what it says about the Tianmiao Sword?" Jia Louluo spoke shrewdly, this statement designed to ensure Ye Xiu's compliance. "I can tell you everything about the Tianmiao Sword, for instance, some of its sword techniques?"

Ye Xiu hadn't initially cared about his cultivation level, but deep within the Boundless Realm, experts were numerous. If he didn't improve, survival might become difficult. "Has the Third Master researched the sword techniques of the Tianmiao Sword?"

"The Tianmiao Sword achieves the Great Perfection of Heaven and Earth, scorning the world, but it can only unleash its maximum power when driven by sword techniques, Sword Soul, and Death God power," Jia Louluo recited them as if they were old friends. "Just now, watching Brother Ye fight Jiu Liansheng, I sensed you lacked true sword intent in your heart, so the Tianmiao Sword in your hands can only be considered a superior weapon, not a divine artifact."

Ye Xiu placed the Tianmiao Sword before his chest, its blade crimson but utterly devoid of spiritual energy. Had he truly failed such a divine artifact? "I request guidance from the Third Master."

Jia Louluo looked down at the Tianmiao Sword and took out a yellowed bone tablet from his sleeve. The writing on the tablet was fluid and vigorous, legible only to him. "The Heavenly Bone Testament details: Death Demon Sword Devil enters the realm, the first sword to shake the Boundless Realm is named Tianmiao Divine Awareness, a move of fierce killing intent that leaves blood but spares no life."

"Tianmiao Divine Awareness?" Ye Xiu had witnessed Bafang Guling fight the Universe King with the Tianmiao Sword in an illusion, but he couldn't discern any sword technique in that overwhelming killing aura. Could it be that cultivation had reached the realm of 'no technique'?

Jia Louluo waved a hand, drawing Ye Xiu's starting Tianmiao Sword toward him with his energy. He closed his eyes and pressed the bone tablet against his chest. When his eyes reopened, only a single streak of crimson light spanned the space between heaven and earth, crossing the surface of the lake faster than the blink of an eye.

"This strike?" Ye Xiu was stunned by Jia Louluo's speed but didn't grasp the significance of the strike, as the lake remained perfectly calm, and Jia Louluo's figure had already reappeared before him. "Third Master, what was that..."

"Could this be a sword technique only the Tianmiao Sword can unleash?" Jiu Liansheng dropped his wine flask, having been terrified into stillness by the move. "The Third Master's cultivation is indeed unfathomable. I rarely witness such skill in my daily life."