The Dragon of Martial Prowess, Hao Dong Tianye, moved, yet the heavens were not heaven, the snow was not snow; the blade was not a blade, the flame was not a flame. The Boundless Dao Master closed his hands, pitting his fierce flames against the single strike from Sha Jun Tianxia. Yet, this strike originated from the Imperial Sovereign Slash—a cut that severed past and present, a slash that sealed the cosmos. The Great Profound Dao Curse appeared utterly fragile when confronted by the blade technique that swept through like a deluge.

"Dao Master!" Ye Xiu could no longer call out with strength. In that moment, his vision blurred until he could no longer truly see the world. Suddenly, he felt the ground shake; the entire Mount Sumeru was crumbling beneath the might of Sha Jun’s strike. "Old Liu, where are you!"

"Over here!" Old Liu, seeing the danger, had already drawn his sword and fled. He swept across, pulling Ye Xiu with one hand while cradling A'Bi with the other, and flashed to the Ninth Heaven. "Mount Sumeru is likely finished."

"Pfft..." A heavy, crimson light erupted into the sky above Mount Sumeru. The figure of the Boundless Dao Master fell, nearly tumbling into the chasm that split the mountain. His face was etched with despair, yet he still clutched the Great Profound Dao Curse tightly. "If I cannot kill you, then let you be buried with this Mount Sumeru!"

"Dream on!" King Zhou sensed the sudden movement in the Dao Master's body and lashed out with a palm strike, intending to kill the Boundless Dao Master. Unexpectedly, Old Liu and Ye Xiu countered this blow with their twin swords. "You're not dead yet!"

"Senior." Ye Xiu flipped over and darted straight into the fissure, holding the Boundless Dao Master steadily. "Senior, neither of us is his match. We must go!"

"Go?" The Boundless Dao Master rose lightly, his face haggard. "The entire Boundless Realm faces a calamity descending from the heavens; where can we possibly go?"

"Whoosh..." A golden presence suddenly stirred, now standing at the highest point of Mount Sumeru. His gaze surveyed the masses below, distant and detached, but as his eyes landed on Ye Xiu, he grew alert. "You are the one from the Rushi Sect who tried to kill me that day?"

"Leave this Grim Reaper to me!" King Zhou transformed into a shadow, having already infiltrated Ye Xiu’s side. If he could retract all his shadows, he could slay his opponent unseen.

"Hmph..." Sha Jun Tianxia hesitated slightly before waving his palm. The technique that passed through looked like a monstrous wall blocking King Zhou. "This one is mine!"

"Damn it!" King Zhou was speechless before Sha Jun. If he hadn't needed to leverage Sha Jun’s power, King Zhou would never have submitted to a ruler of the Demon Realm like Sha Jun Tianxia.

Stones tumbled down. Although there was no more bloodlight on the scene, the oppressive aura of slaughter had not diminished in the slightest. Sha Jun Tianxia landed heavily beside Ye Xiu. His eyes were immediately drawn to the Heaven-Scoffing Sword in Ye Xiu’s hand. "Do you still remember the pain of a broken sword from that day?"

Ye Xiu knew he had no chance of victory against Sha Jun. He nodded fearlessly. "One of the Netherworld Twin Holy Swords, Yuantu, was defeated by the Imperial Sovereign Slash. I have nothing to say."

"Did you know that the Heaven-Scoffing Sword in your hand was also a vanquished foe under the Imperial Sovereign Slash?" Sha Jun Tianxia had held back from attacking because he sensed the Earth Store Buddha Power within Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu had witnessed firsthand the helplessness of the Heaven-Scoffing Sword when facing the Imperial Sovereign Slash. He forced his fighting spirit high, raising his voice: "The Imperial Sovereign Slash is a divine weapon of this age, but for Sha Jun to seek to conquer the Boundless Realm single-handedly—I doubt it will be that simple!"

"The Dao Master of the Boundless Realm is barely breathing before me; what hope do you have?" Sha Jun retracted the Imperial Sovereign Slash onto his back, the movement of his cloak stirring up vast snowfall. "If you are willing to kneel before me, a portion of this world shall be yours. How about it?"

"Hmph!" King Zhou clenched his fists upon hearing Sha Jun's offer. Sha Jun Tianxia's words to Ye Xiu were clearly a ploy to win loyalty, but it felt like an infringement upon King Zhou's own interests. "How can he say that!"

"Should we go down and help him..." A'Bi clung to Old Liu’s back. The two spiraled high in the Ninth Heaven, but the Demon-Breaking Sword could not accelerate at all.

Old Liu’s hair stood on end, and his palms were icy cold. "I know this is the power of Sha Jun Tianxia. This power transcends all things; perhaps tens of miles around are already suppressed by this might."

"What if I refuse?" The feud between Ye Xiu and Sha Jun rested solely on the broken sword, but a deep-seated core within him forbade such an act. In that instant, his emerald eyes flared with brilliance; under the green light, the Heaven-Scoffing Sword appeared even sharper. "I genuinely wish to align with you, but certain convictions seem beyond my personal control."

"I understand. It is the Great Vow of Ksitigarbha!" Sha Jun Tianxia clearly felt the murderous aura emanating from Ye Xiu's body. He sprang back, and the Imperial Sovereign Slash shot into the air, forming three streaks of light rushing toward Ye Xiu. "Your death is the first step toward my hegemony, Ksitigarbha!"

"Clang!" Turning and moving, he shuttled back and forth within the mountain fissure. The divine consciousness of the Heaven-Scoffing Sword repeatedly activated, blocking three strikes of blade light. However, those strikes were not simple; they slid sideways, connecting to form a fan shape. In effect, the entire area encompassed by that fan was filled with an overwhelming, absolute energy.

"Whoosh! Pff..." Ye Xiu needed to protect himself and protect the Boundless Dao Master. Because of this duality, no matter how swift his Hundred Insect Soul might be, he still sustained numerous injuries from the blade lights. Suddenly, the emerald eyes flared brilliantly; he could almost clearly perceive the trajectory of Sha Jun Tianxia’s strikes.

"This power—it's quite amusing!" Sha Jun neither dodged nor moved. He snatched up the Imperial Sovereign Slash and drove another cut into the air. Even the smallest snowflakes in the atmosphere were sliced into several pieces. "To evade the edge of the Imperial Sovereign Slash, merely seeing it clearly is not enough!"

"Waa... Crack..." Ye Xiu took several hits and was driven against the cliff face by that raw force. In an instant, the white snow turned pitch black, and the fiery red glow of the Heaven-Scoffing Sword dimmed. He felt a piercing ache in his abdomen, as if some power was about to awaken. "Ah, what is this? Is the Life-Extending Divine Needle losing control!"

Sha Jun Tianxia's assault did not cease. He flicked his fingers, causing the Imperial Sovereign Slash to spin, creating circling blade light that radiated outwards. Before long, it closed in on Ye Xiu. "Spinning Dragon Eight Directions!"

"Yawa!" Ye Xiu saw the rotating blade lights rushing toward his abdomen. The pain of each slice felt like an agonizing tearing of flesh. At that very moment, he felt a force coil around his legs. His feet instantly transformed into twin blades, joining the Imperial Sovereign Slash in a desperate fight in the vast sky.

"Body Manifested as Artifact?" The Boundless Dao Master regained a bit of composure, supporting himself slightly below Ye Xiu. He began to enact the Great Profound Dao Arts, trying to form a blue shield for himself, but his power was severely depleted. Two streams of blade light struck him, leaving him in terrible condition.

Old Liu, seeing the murderous intent surge, instantly used ice crystals to shield A'Bi. Meanwhile, on the summit, King Zhou of the Dead saved Shun Yi and Yan Ji. In the arena of Sha Jun’s battle, everyone else was reduced to mere prey.

"This isn't even the power of Ksitigarbha yet!" After several flashes of light, the ferocious mask on Sha Jun Tianxia’s face atop the peak finally shattered, revealing for the first time a heroic countenance now laced with fear. "Hahahaha! If that is the case, then you must not be allowed to live even more!"

The thousand-year power of the demonic shadow within Ye Xiu erupted, directly shattering the Life-Extending Divine Needles. Suddenly, all strength left him, and he slid toward the bottom of the fissure. The Boundless Dao Master sucked him up with one hand and tossed him into the Ninth Heaven. "Little Daoist, remember my words! Go to Myriad Dao Mountain and find the Great Profound Dao Curse!"

Old Liu struggled to reach out and caught Ye Xiu. He felt an energy rising from the mountaintop, dragging on the Demon-Breaking Sword—a faint power, clearly originating from the Boundless Dao Master. "Dao Master, but who on Myriad Dao Mountain will believe me!"

"Trying to leave!" King Zhou’s eyes were sharp, his hand swift. A cloud of black mist gathered in his hand as he tried to knock Ye Xiu down. Old Liu pivoted, taking the blow for Ye Xiu, and was then pushed by that lingering energy down toward the base of Mount Sumeru. "Damn it, not a single one of you will leave!"

"Hah!" The Boundless Dao Master roared, startling a change in the heavens. In that instant, thick clouds rushed in, engulfing the entire summit of Mount Sumeru. His power surged, melting the Great Profound Dao Scripture into his very hands. "Sha Jun Tianxia, even if I cannot kill you, you will not profit at the expense of a practitioner of the Strange Dao Sect!"

Sha Jun Tianxia greatly admired the Dao Master’s fighting spirit. He noticed that thick slabs of ice, like creeping insects, were climbing toward his feet from the ground below. He summoned all his leg strength, attempting to break free, but the Boundless Dao Master had already flown over and embraced him from behind. "Daoist, do you wish to perish with me!"

King Zhou, unable to press his pursuit, retreated urgently. Seeing that all of Mount Sumeru was about to transform into a frozen mountain, he fled as a dark shadow, darting into the green net-like structure. "Sha Jun..."

"Boundless Dao Master, I truly admire your fighting style. With your power, you can completely freeze me." Sha Jun Tianxia did not turn around, nor did he draw his blade again. At this moment, he was utterly composed. "Very well. With my strength, I can break your ice seal barrier within a hundred days. Consider it a hundred days of reprieve I grant the Boundless Realm for lingering on. Hahahaha!"

"Dragon of the Dao—Frozen Heaven!" The Boundless Dao Master shouted fiercely, and the entire Mount Sumeru instantly transformed into a colossal icicle. Within the crystalline ice, one could see the resolute gaze of the Boundless Dao Master, the composed face of Sha Jun Tianxia, and the countless corpses pushed by streaks of crimson blood.

...

Upon the Sky Ladder Stage in Barren Bone City, the Great Sect Master Jiaye watched the extremely cold northern region with deep concern. The clouds there were bleak, saturated with melancholy. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking audibly. "The strength of the Boundless Dao Master, as expected, could not halt Sha Jun Tianxia!"

At this moment, the ethereal voice of a woman in white drifted behind Jiaye. She wore a round hat, beneath which a white veil fluttered, her captivating face occasionally visible—it was the Witch from the Pleasure Boat on the Mourning Water River. "Sect Master, you clearly knew the strength of the Boundless Dao Master; why sigh over it here?"

Jiaye did not look directly at the Witch. He exhaled a warm breath and smiled wryly. "I hear a stranger has been visiting your pleasure boat recently. I truly wonder what you two have been discussing?"

The Witch flinched slightly before smiling coyly. "We have known each other for so many years, Great Sect Master. I can't believe you still don't trust me? Think of how many Bone Sect spies must be lurking around the Mourning Water River Pleasure Boat."

"In this world, aside from my brothers in the Bone Sect, who else is worthy of my trust?" Jiaye wore a troubled expression as he passed the Witch. "The chaotic times you desire will soon unfold across the Boundless Realm. Naturally, I will end it before it spreads to my Barren Bone City. Do not forget the promise between us."

"Sect Master need not worry about the promise. It seems the Great Sect Master's foresight was profound; you anticipated that Sha Jun Tianxia would enter the realm because of the Soul Weapon Talisman?" The Witch did not smile; her voice was filled with admiration. "If the Mortal Realm had a figure like you, Sect Master, why would I need to mobilize such a large contingent?"

Suddenly, a bone phoenix descended from the Ninth Heaven, landing on Jiaye's shoulder. Though composed only of bone, it moved with surprising agility. After a few gestures near Jiaye, it dissolved into bone dust. "I only knew the Boundless Dao Master would fail, but I never imagined he possessed the ability to seal Sha Jun Tianxia within the ice-bound world of Mount Sumeru. What a terrifying fellow!"

"Sha Jun Tianxia is trapped!" This news, which the entire Boundless Realm regarded as fortunate, seemed deeply disappointing to the Witch. She shook her head and walked to the edge of the Sky Ladder, then leaped down toward the city's base. "That useless fool, King Zhou of the Dead!"

"Foolish woman!" Jiaye narrowed his eyes, as if all the plans were already within his grasp. "Luring Sha Jun Tianxia in with the Soul Weapon Talisman was never going to be that simple. Sha Jun Tianxia's entry into the world will be the perfect opportunity for Barren Bone City to rise within the Boundless Realm and strike awe into the Mortal Realm! Hahahaha!"