The crimson robes, the untamed spirit, the fierce gaze, the air of mystery—who else could it be but Jun Bugu?

"Ye Xiu, you’re moving entirely too slowly," Jun Bugu remained the same bloodthirsty version of himself, though this time, a delicate rapier rested in his hand.

"You are truly a persistent nuisance," Ye Xiu felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach, unsure of what this man intended.

Jun Bugu stood up, offering a mocking smile, and pointed to his own head. "Of course I knew you’d come here. And I know that in the Feitian Cave dwells a special figure from the Sunblind Clan, Tianyueshanren, rumored to be a cultivator of considerable strength. So..."

"So what?" Ye Xiu scanned the surroundings; they were utterly empty of any other figure. Was the Tianyueshanren not here after all? Or perhaps...

"No need to search. That old fool already met his end by my sword. He was brittle," Jun Bugu swept the bloodied sword, spilling gore across the floor. "For this old man to force me to draw steel, he certainly earned the title of master."

"You killed Tianyueshanren!" Ye Xiu had never intended to resolve this with brute force. This damnable Jun Bugu was obstinate; now, wouldn't this create enmity with the Sunblind Clan? "What about the Myriad Poison Stones? Where are the Myriad Poison Stones that Tianyueshanren held? Did you find them?"

"Myriad Poison Stones?" Jun Bugu casually swung his sword, unleashing a streak of crimson light that cleaved the entire small cabin in two. He then abruptly pulled a string of Myriad Poison Stones from his embrace and shook them. "That old man Tianyueshanren only carried this single string of trinkets. If you want them, then draw your sword."

Ye Xiu took a deep, steadying breath, secretly analyzing Jun Bugu's sword movements. This Jun Bugu was pushing him step by step; it seemed this battle was inevitable. "If that is your wish, then so be it."

Upon hearing this, Jun Bugu’s spirit soared. He drew his hand across his chest, and his blood-sword followed the trajectory, illuminating a beautiful arc. "I finally waited for this moment. Do not disappoint me."

Ye Xiu’s Soul of the Demon Worm surged instantly, darting behind Jun Bugu. He raised his Tianmiao Sword, aiming a strike intended to wound his foe.

Jun Bugu managed a thin, fearful laugh, his form flickering. A single maple leaf detached and drifted down, silently positioning itself over his back. The intent of the Tianmiao Sword clashed against the edge of the leaf, instantly sparking violently. Jun Bugu did not turn his head. "Is this all you have, Ye Xiu? You truly dishonor the sword in your hand."

"Since you wish to see, I shall show you," Ye Xiu declared with newfound confidence. In the close proximity, he had already concentrated Black Flame in his grasp. At that very moment, the Black Flame burst forth like a swarm of dragons, splitting into multiple streams that converged upon Jun Bugu in an overwhelming tide.

Jun Bugu remained unperturbed, though a faint blue-green light flickered in his eyes. With a fierce glare, maple petals erupted from the ground, swirling up to envelop and tightly restrain the deadly Black Flame. "Decent combat experience, but useless against me."

Ye Xiu felt the invisible pressure exerted by the maple leaves surrounding Jun Bugu. He gathered his Black Flame again, preparing to launch the Nine Dragon Bombardment stance. Unexpectedly, Jun Bugu surged upward, meeting the Nine Black Flame Dragons with his own body. In that instant, Black Flame intertwined with maple leaves, and where they met, the darkness was agitated by dazzling light.

"Tianmiao Divine Sense." Seeing that the ordinary Black Flame attacks were futile, the image of Garuda wielding the Tianmiao flashed across Ye Xiu's mind. He closed his eyes, sword position ready at his chest. A wave of crimson, malevolent energy instantly wrapped around the Tianmiao. "Let me show you the might of the Tianmiao Killing Sword—drawing blood, leaving no one alive."

Jun Bugu, caught off guard, was captivated by Ye Xiu's fighting intent. Growing anxious, he retreated several paces before finally gripping his blood-sword. "It seems your strength is enough to pique my interest. Then let us test the sharpness of the Blood Maple Autumn Separation."

As the words fell, the fallen maple leaves on the ground instantly turned a ghastly red. In mere moments, a sea of crimson leaves had formed on the earth. This blood-water whipped up, following Jun Bugu’s gesture, coalescing into a wall of blood rushing toward Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu snapped his eyes open and struck with his sword. At this moment, the Tianmiao Sword was entwined with the power of the Nine Black Flame Dragons, moving like the wind, appearing divine—a sight that astonished heaven and earth, piercing the veil of ghosts and gods.

"Swish-thud..." Where the sharp sounds met, the various flames, the sea brine, and the winds emanating from the Tianmiao Sword were all swallowed by the Sea of Blood, seemingly losing all their power.

Jun Bugu’s gaze sharpened, locking directly onto Ye Xiu. He moved his hand, causing a splash of blood to fly out and wrap around Ye Xiu's body. "You have surely never seen this technique—Soul Locking Blood Sword."

Suddenly, the circle of blood transformed into vicious claws emerging from the blood wall, lunging for Ye Xiu's body. Though Ye Xiu's Tianmiao Sword had already pierced through the Sea of Blood, the blood claws pursued him. His feet were immobilized, causing him to plummet from the sky.

"Ye Xiu, what other tricks do you have?" Seeing Ye Xiu pinned by the blood claws, Jun Bugu descended with a smug flip. "Hurry up and use them, or I fear you won't get another chance to show me."

"Did I succeed?" Ye Xiu stood rooted, his gaze fixed fiercely on the Tianmiao. In the last critical moment, he had not aimed his sword at Jun Bugu, but insisted on piercing through the Sea of Blood. Now, the Tianmiao Sword hung mid-air, and at its tip rested a single drop of the maple leaf blood sea. "I did it. Is this the Tianmiao Divine Sense?"

"What..." Jun Bugu lowered his head, peering closely at the ground. When he saw the single drop of blood on the Tianmiao Sword, he was incredulous. "What is this? A single drop of blood taken from my Maple Leaf Sea of Blood? How did I not sense it?"

"Tianmiao Divine Sense—drawing blood, leaving no one alive." Ye Xiu raised the Tianmiao Sword. At this moment, the sword radiated a strange, vibrant red light, seemingly proud of this awakened technique. "The first true move of the Tianmiao Sword has finally been achieved."

Seeing that Ye Xiu's focus was no longer on the fight, Jun Bugu became enraged with shame. He stirred the maple leaves again. "Damn you! You dare to scorn my very existence? I will kill you!"

As the words left his lips, Jun Bugu lunged forward rapidly. The maple leaves that had been floating near his right hand formed into a bundle of blood-tipped spikes, which then branched out, densely covering the area and stabbing toward Ye Xiu. "You're trapped by my Soul Lock; how can you evade this?"

Only then did Ye Xiu snap out of the excitement of mastering the Tianmiao technique. Seeing the blood spikes closing in, he couldn't move to dodge. The blood sea flowing beneath his feet was clearly not something an ordinary person could control. "What is this thing?"

"Die!" Jun Bugu brought his sword down, commanding ten thousand maple leaves to move. With a single strike, he generated an endless aura of killing intent across the surroundings.

Ye Xiu refused to yield. He swept his Tianmiao Sword intent outward, managing to barely shatter the surrounding long spikes. However, the force of Jun Bugu's blood-sword strike was immense; Ye Xiu’s defense with the Tianmiao was immediately suppressed, causing his entire body to collapse onto the ground.

"I don't know why, but letting my blood-sword taste your blood should still be a fine flavor," Jun Bugu brought his sword down, aimed directly at the prone Ye Xiu. "No wonder I felt something was off."

"Ye Xiu, what's wrong with you?" Suddenly, a clear, gentle voice drifted into his ears. Answering the sound was Jun Bugu's calm demeanor, accompanied by a beautiful spectacle of maple leaves drifting down. "Ye Xiu, why are you lying on the ground in such a state?"

Ye Xiu's heart leaped to his throat, but hearing that familiar voice brought an unexpected wave of relief. It seemed the kind Jun Bugu had awakened at the crucial moment, saving his life. "Jun Bugu, you arrived just in time. Seeing you is the luck of eight lifetimes!"

"Who made you look so disheveled? Get up quickly." Jun Bugu helped Ye Xiu to his feet, glancing around curiously. "Isn't this Feitian Cave? Did Tianyueshanren injure you?"

Ye Xiu shook his head, unwilling to recount the details to this version of Jun Bugu. "It has nothing to do with Tianyueshanren. I just accidentally slipped and fell from the mountain. That's how I got hurt."

"I see." Jun Bugu seemed quite surprised that this simple-minded fellow would believe such a lie. "Then where is Tianyueshanren? Weren't you looking for his Myriad Poison Stones? Did you get them?"

"They are on you," Ye Xiu regained a bit of strength and pointed lightly at Jun Bugu's clothing as he explained. "I put them in your care earlier. Give them to me."

Jun Bugu felt his clothes and, sure enough, pulled out a long string of stones. He looked at the hundreds of green stones with delight. "I can't believe the Myriad Poison Stones were already secured. This is great; we can finally return to the Demon Worm Sect to report success."

Ye Xiu rolled his eyes at Jun Bugu. They say one doesn't fear a godlike enemy so much as a pig-like teammate, but this Jun Bugu was both—a pig-like teammate and a godlike enemy, playing both roles. He walked ahead, asking curiously, "By the way, Jun Bugu, I had some sparring regarding cultivation levels with another version of you earlier. When you were fighting, your eyes flashed with a blue-green light. Why is that?"

"A blue-green light? How could I see that myself?" Jun Bugu sounded anxious, searching for a water source to check a mirror but finding none. "Never mind the light; let's hurry back to the Demon Worm Sect to report."

"Who exactly are you? We've known each other for a while, and there are only so many clans in the Boundless Realm. Which one do you belong to?" Ye Xiu felt that if he didn't clarify things, the violent version might actually kill him next time.

Jun Bugu scratched his head, murmuring to himself. "I don't remember anything. Who am I? I've never considered this question before. Why am I human? What do I even do all day?"

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Ye Xiu looked bewildered as Jun Bugu paced back and forth, deep in thought. He quickly interjected, "Or perhaps, who is he? That other one inside your body!"

"Who is he?" Jun Bugu instantly fell into confusion. "Who is he? Who am I? I don't even know who I am, so why should I care who he is? Maybe I should let him come out and tell me who he is?"

"Hoo... No! Stop!" Ye Xiu stomped his foot anxiously, quickly stopping Jun Bugu. "Alright, let's not think about this anymore. For now, we don't need to think about anything. How about we just go back and report our findings?"

"I also think reporting back is more important than worrying about all this. As long as you know where our next stop is, it won't be boring," Jun Bugu’s smile returned, like that of an optimistic child. However, as he walked, a beam of light caught his eye.

"What is it?" Ye Xiu was like a startled bird; if the other Jun Bugu reappeared, he felt he wouldn't be able to handle it.

Jun Bugu’s form flickered, and he instantly returned beside Ye Xiu, holding a long saber. "Whose saber is this? Why is it here!"

Ye Xiu focused his vision and finally remembered this was the saber the other Jun Bugu had set aside. "Who knows? It's just an ordinary blade. Let's just leave it and return to the Demon Worm Sect."

"An ordinary blade?" Jun Bugu looked displeased upon hearing this. "Ye Xiu, you truly lack discernment. Isn't this the famous Jue Tian Saber?"

"Jue Tian Saber?" Ye Xiu shook his head, taking the long saber to examine it closely. "Besides some strange patterns etched on it, there's nothing special. What even is the Jue Tian Saber?"

Jun Bugu immediately assumed the posture of a seasoned expert, launching into an explanation. "A Jue Tian Saber by itself is indeed unremarkable. However, it has another identity—it is a component part of the Boundless Realm's legendary Celestial Sword, the Jue Dao."