"This..." Old Liu was reluctant to do such a thing, but looking at the focused gaze of the Boundless Dao Master, he nodded. Had the Boundless Dao Master decided to fight to the death the moment he entered Mount Sumeru?

"Death God, stand down." The Boundless Dao Master raised the blue book in his hand to the sky, and an aura of blue light enveloped him, revealing infinite righteousness. "The glory of the Infinity Realm must be defended by us Daoists ourselves."

Ye Xiu and the Boundless Dao Master had only known each other for a short time. At this moment, in his eyes, the Boundless Dao Master was merely the culprit who killed his master, the High God. In that instant, he raised his Sky-Scorn Sword, and amidst the biting cold wind, unleashed a Sky-Scorn Divine Sense attack.

"Whoosh..." King Zhou's eyes widened, and he immediately ducked his head. At that moment, a lock of hair on his crown was shorn away. He glanced back to see Ye Xiu already behind him. "A pity your Sky-Scorn Sword hasn't reached its full potential yet."

"He dodged it so easily?" That strike happened in the blink of an eye. Ye Xiu had expected to have mastered this technique by now, but he never imagined King Zhou's speed was comparable to any master he had ever encountered.

King Zhou dared not be careless. Facing Ye Xiu, he had already activated every shadow ability in his repertoire. These shadows were a manifestation of his cultivation and power. It turned out King Zhou had reached the advanced stage of the Soul-Stirring Realm; the number of shadows surrounding him was no longer visible to the naked eye: "Not every Death God in the Blood Artifact Realm can create the myth of the Eight Desolate Loneliness. The ignorant have only one outcome: Die!"

"Clang!" Suddenly, those shadows lunged at Ye Xiu from all directions. At this moment, Old Liu channeled the power of his meridians, weaving the Demon-Breaking Sword Formation, and stood beside Ye Xiu. Yet, even with the sword formation formed by their combined energies, it could only collapse to the ground after enduring the assault of thousands of shadows.

Ye Xiu lowered his head, his skin utterly ravaged. The countless shadows swept past him like a howling north wind, leaving no trace. "This is the strength of the Death Country's King Zhou?"

"What kind of joke is this? My Meridian Path's time is almost up." Old Liu's Demon-Breaking Sword resonated with the spirit of the sword, and striking King Zhou's shadow only stirred up a puff of black mist.

King Zhou stood tall in the wind and unexpectedly extended his right hand. A mass of black clouds instantly formed in his palm, spreading black tendrils outward, directly merging the shadows of Mount Sumeru into one continuous expanse: "The era of the Flame-type Death Gods is over. I have no time to play games with you. Die by the Black Flame Flow!"

"What Black Flame Flow?" Ye Xiu gasped, feeling countless fine threads slip past his limbs. Before he could dodge, the surrounding shadows lunged at him like predatory death gods.

"Be careful!" Suddenly, a blue light shield rushed to the side of Ye Xiu and Old Liu. The Boundless Dao Master spread both hands, summoning the blue book and standing before them. The fierce wind whipped his hair back as he shielded them with his body against the boundless dark assault. "In this battle of Mount Sumeru, the Infinity Realm is doomed to fail. I underestimated the strength of the Shadow-type Death Gods."

"Aaargh..." The peak of the snow-capped mountain was dyed a vibrant crimson. If this place could still be called a battlefield a moment ago, it had now degenerated into purgatory. Black shadows surged like swords, and outside the blue light shield, the people of the Infinity Realm died horribly, their bones scattering in a dizzying spectacle.

Sweat beaded on the Boundless Dao Master's brow. He flipped the blue book, managing to straighten his stance with difficulty. "Great Profound Divine Curse, Ice Profound!"

"Kaka..." That ray of blue light suddenly pierced the darkness. On the snowy ground, the black shadows turned to ice. Several slender ice dragons snaked along the black threads extending from the cloud mass in King Zhou's hand. After a burst of shattering, King Zhou's shadows were dispelled.

"Pfft..." King Zhou suffered a severe blow from the Dao technique, vomiting black blood. Fortunately, Yan Ji arrived in time to steady his body. "What is that book in your hand? The Ancient Strange Dao possesses such advanced incantations."

"The Great Profound Dao Scripture! Its mission is to eradicate demons and defend the righteous path!" The Boundless Dao Master's tone was low, wary of drawing too much breath, for in breaking through the shadow siege, he too had sustained a serious injury. "I did not expect the Death Country's King Zhou to possess such formidable cultivation. This Daoist can only resort to forbidden Dao methods."

Ye Xiu tried to step forward to support the Boundless Dao Master, but at that moment, a brilliant blue light erupted from the Dao Master's body like flames. Before he could touch him, he felt an intense heat. "Is this the forbidden Dao method Ghost Mask spoke of?"

"The Dao techniques are myriad; too many things can be spurred forth, only..." Old Liu hid behind the Dao Master. A surge of Dao power invaded him from behind the Dao Master, and he faintly saw the Boundless Dao Master's face turning dark.

King Zhou closed his eyes briefly. When he looked up, another massive shadow had formed behind him: "A fine defense of the righteous path! Have you ever heard that when the Dao rises one foot, the demon rises ten?"

"Hmph!" The Boundless Dao Master struck backward, sending Ye Xiu and Old Liu flying far away. By the time he turned around, half of his face had turned black. He hurled the Great Profound Dao Scripture out. The book immediately began to spin wildly, instantly forming a blue black hole that started absorbing the shadows behind King Zhou. "Return Spirit Incantation, Absorption Dao Method!"

Wind violently whipped the snow, and the snow in turn lashed black frost. Before King Zhou could fully unleash his technique, he felt his soul energy draining severely. The Boundless Dao Master's spell was sinister, like a giant serpent devouring his body. "I never thought a revered Daoist would possess such venomous power."

"The shadows are being absorbed into the Great Profound Dao Scripture by the Dao Master?" Old Liu exclaimed in astonishment upon seeing this. Everyone in the Infinity Realm knew the Boundless Dao Master's techniques were numerous, but no one had witnessed his true Dao power. Now, not only the shadows but King Zhou's very body began to drift toward the Great Profound Dao Scripture!

"Ah!" The Boundless Dao Master roared, boosting his energy further. At this moment, his entire face turned pitch black, leaving only his eyes fixed on King Zhou. The vortex expanded relentlessly, the shadows pouring into it like a waterfall—a magnificent sight. "Why not let the Great Profound Dao Scripture contain the might of a Death God as well?"

"Courting death..." King Zhou desperately struck backward, pouring shadows behind him while using the merging shadows to shift his true form. However, this escape speed could not keep up with the vortex's suction force. Seeing that he had already reached the Boundless Dao Master, his eyes flashed, and a streak of sword light shot out from his sleeve.

"Be careful!" In such chaos, although Ye Xiu could only observe, he could barely discern King Zhou's sword strike with the power of his Demon Fox Eyes. He activated his Sky-Scorn Sword and shot it out to meet King Zhou's black sword light. "Sky-Scorn, emerge!"

"Clang!" The Sky-Scorn Sword met the black sword light and was instantly knocked aside. That dark sword shadow, heavy as a cannonball, slammed once more into the blue light shield protecting the Great Profound Dao Scripture. "Shadow Dragon Sword! I must shatter your ultimate defense!"

"Not a chance." The Boundless Dao Master clenched both fists before his chest. At that moment, an inexplicable sheet of ice surged up from the ground to block the shadow sword light, but the ice formation was visibly weak, disintegrating layer by layer against the shadow assault!

King Zhou raised his eyebrows and smiled, adopting his final stance. He raised one hand, presenting only three fingers. On those three fingers burned a black rising dragon. As the dragon emerged, it was poised to pierce through the cracks in the ice layer: "Die!"

"Black Flame Nine Dragons!"

"Ice Dragon Qi!"

Ye Xiu and Old Liu separated and charged forward in the nick of time. Three streams of dragons rushed past the Boundless Dao Master, and several dragons intertwined within the blue light. The entire mountaintop transformed into a sea of writhing dragons.

"Imperial Sovereign Slash Shattering the World!" Suddenly, a golden light shot out from within a green net. Snow howled, and a pure gold cloud descended silently from the heavens. A foot encased in the War Dragon Eight Directions Leg Armor stepped onto the peak of Mount Sumeru. A saber, flashing with heaven-shaking, world-illuminating light, dragged across the land of the Infinity Realm. "Controlling the Universe, the Sovereign is honored. He who submits to me shall be enslaved forever; he who fights me shall suffer eternal damnation!"

"Rumble!" The massive peak of Mount Sumeru was cleaved in half by that seemingly ordinary saber light. The swirling snow soon buried the corpses of those slain. This place was no longer a battlefield, but a slaughterhouse prepared for the one who conquers the world. This was his first stop in decimating the Infinity Realm.

After the snowstorm subsided, everyone except the Boundless Dao Master—Ye Xiu, Old Liu, and even King Zhou—was pinned down and forced to kneel by this sudden power. Killing the Sovereign walked forward leisurely, each step leaving a deep imprint in the snow. His Golden Dragon Battle Armor radiated power, and his head was covered by a fiery red mask. His deep crimson hair floated behind him, exuding an air of supreme dominance and kingly intent. "Death Country's King Zhou, you made me wait too long."

"Tch..." King Zhou, wounded, quickly used his abilities to protect his heart meridians. Gritting his teeth, he remained defiant toward the Sovereign Killer. "I was just playing around with them; you don't need to interfere."

"Hmph!" The Sovereign Killer roared and turned toward the Boundless Dao Master on the side. He powerfully swung his Imperial Sovereign Slash, and an inexplicable saber light flew directly toward the Dao Master!

"Waaah!" Although the blue light shield blocked the attack, the passing saber light sent the kneeling Ye Xiu and Old Liu flying several feet away. Amidst the chaos, Ye Xiu embraced A'Bi, shielding her from much of the snow. "You're actually still alive!"

"You really are a Death God." A'Bi, hiding behind him, saw Ye Xiu's Black Flame. At this moment, she shaped her hand into a blade, intending to strike Ye Xiu's chest. "Death Gods entering our borders must be eliminated by all!"

"Wait!" Ye Xiu grabbed A'Bi, pinning her underneath him as they landed, his hand resting exactly on her chest. "At a time like this, you still have the mood to kill me?"

"You... hurry..." A'Bi was a woman of purity, and being held like this by Ye Xiu, she couldn't break free. After struggling several times, tears welled up in her eyes.

"The Boundless Dao Master he..." Old Liu rolled over beside Ye Xiu, pointing toward the Dao Master. "The Boundless Dao Master can block a single strike from the Sovereign Killer. Do we still have hope?"

The Sovereign Killer stood tall in the wind, feeling a flicker of respect for the Daoist before him. "I did not expect someone in the Infinity Realm to possess such cultivation. As a mark of respect, my next strike will grant you death!"

The blue light shield before the Boundless Dao Master was already faint. The Sovereign Killer's slash had severed his internal meridians; were it not for the demonic power of the Great Profound Dao Curse, he would have already been annihilated. At this moment, he retracted his Dao power back into his body, and the Great Profound Dao Scripture settled back into his hand. "The Demon Realm's Master is formidable, but alas, this old Daoist is tasked with guarding the first pass of the Infinity Realm. I cannot allow you to pass so easily."

"The Boundless Dao Master's strength is still increasing?" Ye Xiu stared, ignoring A'Bi's struggles beneath him. In his sight, intense flames burned around the Boundless Dao Master, soaring into the sky, no weaker than the Death God's Purple Flame. "Are these flames also a curse technique?"

"No, there's a strange sensation... is this a Death God's move?" Old Liu also sensed something amiss. How could a Daoist, the sect master of a Strange Dao Technique, possess the power of a Death God? Could it be the malevolent energy of the Great Profound Dao Curse at work?

The Sovereign Killer knew his opponent was utilizing his ultimate move. He raised one hand and spun his Imperial Sovereign Slash out. When he gripped it again, a colossal saber shadow swung down, poised to split Mount Sumeru in two: "The strike that shatters the undefeatable myth of the Eight Desolate Loneliness of the Destruction Death Country Sword Demon!"