The "Beast Flame Heavenly Key" is the key to unlocking the hidden realm of the Savage Beast Gate." Jiaye stared coldly at a plain, long key on the field, etched with rolling flames upon which tormented ghosts wailed in tragic scenes. "What exactly is contained within the Boiling Beast Flame?"

Garuda did not conceal anything. "The Death Gods have entered. One contingent of Death Gods went into the Boiling Beast Flame and never returned. It can be said that the specter of a Death God might appear in the Infinite Realm at any moment."

"Nonsense, haven't the Death Gods all been slain?" Jianan rose to his feet, looking down upon the small key with contempt. "What does a mere secret realm amount to? To block the Death Gods, one must possess the courage to confront the universally devastating Kill-Lord."

Jiaye nodded, dismissing the notion of Death Gods lingering in the Infinite Realm with disdain. "Let us observe the next treasured artifact: the Heavenly Punishment Bow!"

"Wow, that bow is beautiful; I wish I could have it." The Heavenly Punishment Bow radiated an emerald green light, its two limbs curving and soaring as if a phoenix were spreading its wings. This bow required no string to draw; at rest, it glided silently in the air, but in motion, it could strike an enemy from a thousand miles away.

Yexiu quickly restrained Qi'er, for as soon as the Heavenly Punishment Bow manifested, beings from the Sun-Blind Clan were already descending from the sky. Such a divine artifact was a boon to the Sun-Blind people, capable of elevating them to the ranks of masters with ease if obtained.

"If the Limitless Dao Master had not used his own power to confine the Kill-Lord, the Armory Platform today would likely be awash in blood. The Heavenly Punishment Bow draws upon the power of Heaven and punishes the Earth. Could a single arrow pierce the ice layer and end the Kill-Lord's life?" Jiaye felt a pang of regret for the Limitless Dao Master, but as the Kill-Lord's return was still some time away, perhaps the hero destined to save the Infinite Realm was somewhere among the spectators below.

Garuda explained in detail, "The Heavenly Punishment Bow was once a potent weapon against the passage of the Death Gods. This bow could command the world, and even the Death Gods could not escape its might. Who knew that this bow was later shattered by a palm strike of blazing flame from the Pluto King? That is why the scorched marks remain on the bow's surface. Who summoned this bow?"

Jianan's expression grew solemn as he stated firmly, "Third Brother's martial arts may be lacking, but he speaks eloquently about things found in books. This Heavenly Punishment Bow originates from a masked figure whose details remain unknown."

"We must find out who this person is," Jiaye said, deeply concerned. He waved toward the official beneath the Heavenly Ladder Pavilion. "With the Kill-Lord's arrival, the world's chaos is sealed. I do not want the Desolate Bone City to face trouble at this time."

In the plaza, the various factions had already taken complex positions behind the weapons of their choice. Yexiu, constrained by the influence of the Three Sect Masters, had no choice but to select the Celestial Abode. Beside him, Jiu Liansheng, the Blue-Robed Youth, and Abi were already exerting their full strength.

As the alignments were set, the entire plaza was instantly segmented into three zones. Few chose the Beast Flame Heavenly Key. Behind the Heavenly Punishment Bow stood only members of the Sun-Blind Clan and the Demonic Peak Sect. Only at the location of the famous sword, the Celestial Abode, did the figures line up like a dragon, lacking any discernible pattern.

"I must go try the Heavenly Punishment Bow!" Seeing the large number of people choosing the Celestial Abode, Qi'er leaped directly to the side of the Heavenly Punishment Bow. The plaza was now a cauldron of noise, and the battle was about to erupt.

"The Heavenly Bone Armory Platform Melee officially begins. The final four individuals standing in each sub-area will advance to the next round of secret trials. Everything is to stop at the appropriate point," the official shouted, his voice booming before he retreated behind a protective wall of bone shields.

"Kill!" The wind howled, and the men roared, a sound so earth-shattering it threatened to crack the very ground of the plaza. Before divine weapons, no one could truly stop at an appropriate point; all one could do was slaughter, for this was a stage built upon the corpses of others to reach a higher ground.

Yexiu coldly hid in the rear, watching a disciple of the Savage Beast Gate charge toward the Celestial Abode. Unexpectedly, a row of bones flashed past, piercing the attacker's palm. Looking to the other side, the Sun-Blind Clan and the Insect Emperor's faction were locked in a fierce, chaotic struggle.

"Ya-oh..." At this moment, Jiu Liansheng tossed aside his wine gourd and instantly teleported behind Yexiu, forming a seal pattern around him with astonishing speed. "Standing still is not wise."

Yexiu knew that Jiu Liansheng's greatest skill was not bone manipulation. He jumped back and asked in a low voice, "Did the Third Sect Master ask you to do this?"

Jiu Liansheng smiled, took a sip from his inverted wine gourd, and replied, "Who do you think the final four remaining on the field will be?"

While parrying Jiu Liansheng's moves, Yexiu observed the surroundings. Most people were still brawling in the center of the plaza. Abi seemed to hold a significant advantage with her long arms weaving through the fray, but in the other two corners, the Blue-Robed Youth and the White-Clad Attendant remained motionless. "It's enough if you and I can remain!"

"Incompetent fools, daring to covet the Celestial Abode!" Abi lunged into the crowd. As her whip lashed out, surrounding combatants tumbled to the ground. Her strike was aimed precisely at the Celestial Abode, but suddenly, a long white bone spike shot up from the plaza, ensnaring her whip. "You are..."

The Attendant, Bai Cheng, hadn't moved his body, but his bone manipulation was already active. Clusters of long spikes erupted from the ground, slaughtering the fighters in the center and causing chaos. "No one is taking the Celestial Abode!"

Abi, restrained by Bai Cheng, refused to yield. Her whip coiled and shot directly toward Bai Cheng's body, but a forest of bone walls instantly materialized, rendering any attack futile.

A cold wind swept past. Bai Cheng's eyes flickered, and a streak of sword light flashed by. He was now positioned behind Abi, and the sword had grazed past the side of her throat. "Fox spirit, retreat now."

Witnessing this move, sweat beaded on Abi's forehead, and her limbs froze, her hands still trembling. "That sword strike..."

"Abi!" Yexiu and Jiu Liansheng, parrying each other's attacks nearby, had their attention focused on Abi. Seeing her frustrated, Yexiu immediately went to help her up. "Are you alright?"

Abi shook her head and, supported by the Fox Spirit Attendant, stepped out of the light zone. The sensation of that sword strike wasn't about speed; it was the distinct feeling that the opponent had been right beside her.

"Good! Attendant Bai Cheng lives up to his name!" Jianan exclaimed with excitement, clapping his desk. "That sword strike rose with the force of the wind, possessing the strength of the fifth level of the Heavenly Bone Sword Art."

"Why is Second Brother so agitated?" Jiaye remained composed. He flipped his palm, and a pure white jade sword materialized from his palm, standing proudly. This sword was named the 'Heavenly Chasm' and symbolized the status of the Desolate Bone City's Sect Master. Jiaye himself was a sword enthusiast, and seeing such a powerful swordsman before him, he felt compelled to test his skills.

Yun Xin did not understand sword techniques. He watched Yexiu engage in a drawn-out struggle with a drunken man and found it amusing. "Third Brother, what do you think of the skill level of those two? They've been trading blows for a long time."

"They are both peak experts, I suppose," said Garuda. He had expected Jiu Liansheng and Yexiu to cooperate to move to the next phase, but these two were only going through the motions. Even Yun Xin noticed something was amiss.

"There are indeed four masters on the Celestial Abode battlefield. Have you noticed them?" Jiaye was fully confident, his gaze sweeping across all corners.

Jianan nodded, but worry clouded his eyes. The situation on the field shifted rapidly; would it develop in the way he hoped? "The two martial artists locked in a struggle, Attendant Bai Cheng, and the Blue-Robed Youth who hasn't made a move yet."

"Hah!" In a flash of lightning, the Blue-Robed Youth let out a sharp cry. He ran forward rapidly, his single hand held downward as if gripping a blade. Not far from the crowd, he flicked his wrist upward, and a swirling vortex of quicksand abruptly rose, causing the minor soldiers around the Celestial Abode to vanish into nothingness. "Boring!"

Yexiu evaded a strike from Jiu Liansheng and landed right beside the Blue-Robed Youth. He saw that the youth's eyes were vacant, and beneath his blue hair was a sinister face. "Hey, do you have to be so ruthless?"

"Die!" The Blue-Robed Youth swung his hand like a blade. A torrent of violent sand swept toward Yexiu, threatening to engulf him entirely. Fortunately, the Soul of a Hundred Insects helped him float down gracefully, but the Blue-Robed Youth did not relent. Seeing Yexiu on the ground, he lunged forward with another hard strike, stirring up quicksand even in the wind.

"Clang!" Yexiu blocked the long blade with his Heavenly Scorn Sword. Upon closer inspection, he realized the long blade had no solid body or hilt; it was entirely formed by condensed wind and sand. "Who exactly are you?"

"This looks like a blade technique from the Savage Beast Gate," Jiaye said, having seen much. However, he was more interested in the crimson sword in Yexiu's hand. "That kid with the red sword is also quite skilled. If only we could recruit them all."

Jianan snorted, interrupting Jiaye. "Big Brother, are you planning to select these people to fight against the Kill-Lord once again? But what is there to fear from just the Kill-Lord?"

Garuda, deeply aware of the prophecy in the Heavenly Bone Records, explained, "The Kill-Lord's strength has not yet recovered to eighty percent after his rebirth, and the passage between the Demon Realm and the Mortal Realm has not fully formed. Therefore, the Kill-Lord can only enter freely by relying on the Death Gods who partially hold the secret to the Heavenly Revelation passage. If arranged properly, our Infinite Realm can shatter the myth of the Kill-Lord."

Jiaye took a sip of tea. In his view, the Kill-Lord's entry was merely a test—a test of the unity of the entire Infinite Realm, a test of the Desolate Bone City's might, and of course, a test of his own governance. "The four contenders on the Celestial Abode battlefield have been selected. Please proceed to the Heavenly Ladder Tower."

"Big Brother, but the other two battlefields haven't finished yet?" Yun Xin kept his attention on the ongoing fights in the other two arenas, where a chaotic melee raged, and black and white feathers danced everywhere.

"It matters not; the rest will resolve itself," Jianan said, rising as his elder brother departed. Out of boredom, he glanced at Garuda. "Third Brother, what level have you cultivated your Heavenly Bone Sword Art to?"

"Level five, perhaps level six now. Who knows?" Garuda turned awkwardly and resumed bantering playfully with Yun Xin.

"Sigh..." Jianan let out a long sigh and walked toward the rear hall with firm steps.

The official tentatively stepped out and roared, "The battle in the Celestial Abode sector is decided; four figures have emerged."

"Clang! Clang!" In the plaza, the Blue-Robed Youth was slashing at Yexiu with his strange sand blade. Yexiu's movements were agile enough to evade, and the two had completely forgotten the competition was over.

"Can you be more interesting?" The Blue-Robed Youth sidestepped, his hand once again forming the gesture of gripping a blade. He held no physical weapon, yet the blade existed in the surrounding space. "Kill!"

"Heavenly Scorn Divine Sense!" Yexiu's fighting spirit was ignited by the Blue-Robed Youth. Now holding the Heavenly Scorn in hand, a dazzling red light erupted, shocking even Jiaye and Jianan, who were already turning to leave. "Come on!"

"Whoosh, clang!" A fierce wind swept by, and the earth shook. At the moment their blade and sword met, Bai Cheng entered the fray with a swift sword strike, creating a three-way standoff of weapons.

"Did that burst of red light come from that red precious sword?" Jiaye was deeply shaken. A Death God wielding a long sword had unexpectedly caused the qi that had been dormant in his palm for many days to surge.

Garuda suppressed a breath. This fellow Yexiu was too presumptuous, revealing the power of his Heavenly Scorn Sword in the very first round. Was he forcing Garuda to teach him all the Heavenly Scorn Sword techniques? "Heh, it is indeed that sword. However, there is no record of it in the Heavenly Bone Records."

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