"They are both pressing the issue to the point of death!" Jaye stood atop the Sky Ladder Pavilion in the Nine Heavens, looking down upon everything below. He could distinctly feel surges of energy gathering around Ye Xiu, and Bai Cheng's Lightning Longsword had already lunged forward without hesitation.

This was the most dazzling duel of twin swords within the Boundless Realm. The mesmerizing gleam of the Lightning Longsword made it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open. Bai Cheng, with his fragile body, barely managed to sustain the sword's attack; whether this strike succeeded or failed, he had no strength left to spare.

"Still far too slow," Ye Xiu gripped his sword hilt tightly with his right hand, flicking out the Sky Scorn with his left. At this moment, his own breathing current had completely merged with the natural environment. The exterior Sky Scorn sword fused with his divine sense to cast shadows, empowered by the might of the Black Flame Nine Dragons. Under the glorious shine of his green eyes, his killing intent shook the very heavens.

"Rumble..." A tremendous shock echoed, causing the Sky Ladder Pavilion itself to tremble. The clash of the twin swords turned the black clouds into broad daylight. However, this sudden burst of white light was more than anyone could bear. The radiating streams of energy almost knocked everyone in Desolate Bone City to the ground; even Jialouluo, standing far off, couldn't help but raise a sleeve to shield his eyes.

"Where are they?" Jiayun Xin forcefully leaned over the railing, fighting the air currents, desperate to see the spectacular scene in the arena. This dangerous bout had her worried to the point of collapse.

"How is this possible..." Bai Cheng tried to articulate something, but he felt as if his mind and body had separated. His entire field of vision began to spin, drop, descending into darkness, boundless and infinite.

Ye Xiu brought his hand to his mouth and coughed heavily. His Sky Scorn sword, having pierced through Bai Cheng's body, was already plunged deep into the ground. This was a strike imbued with the power of the Death God, sufficient to awe all directions.

The power of the Death God truly knows no bounds. If he could obtain that strength to oppose Jun Tianxia, he would be unstoppable. Jaye sheathed the Heaven's Chasm Precious Sword at his waist, filled with deep appreciation.

The previous moment had passed in an instant. Bai Cheng's astonishing Lightning Longsword had vanished into nothingness the moment it contacted the Sky Scorn. As for Bai Cheng himself, trailing behind the sword, he was utterly unable to dodge and was cleaved in two by the Sky Scorn's edge. Fortunately, he and Jianan had used the Heaven Bone Sword Art to block the trajectory of the sword light; otherwise, everyone along that path would have faced only one outcome: annihilation.

"This person won? Good, how terrifying." Below the stage, life flickered back among the stunned audience, all of whom felt the sensation of surviving a catastrophe. After a long while, someone finally reacted: this was merely the first match on the Heaven Bone Weapon Assessment Stage, and the victor's triumph warranted the cheers of all, signaling another step taken toward the Celestial Gate.

Qi'er rushed to the edge of the plaza, spitting dirt from her mouth. The Seven Swords of Long Bone were utterly gone. Only Ye Xiu stood coldly on the platform, beside the fallen corpse of Bai Cheng. She was surprised, for she had learned from Master Tianzhen about the power residing within Ye Xiu. The current situation suggested Ye Xiu had only utilized half of his true strength.

"The... the victor is Ye Xiu!" An official somehow managed to crawl up, shouting while brushing off dust. His voice was still trembling, vibrating in a way that sounded almost like a man speaking.

"Bai Cheng, useless trash!" Jianan had also risen, expecting to witness the final confrontation between the two, never imagining that Bai Cheng, who held the advantage, would be instantly executed by the final blow.

"Hoo..." Jialouluo held Yunxin with both hands, comforting her distress, but even his own hands were trembling slightly now. Ye Xiu's identity was the Death God, and this battle would surely make him famous throughout the Boundless Realm. Although he was glad for his foresight, seeing Ye Xiu's terrifying power now filled him with an added measure of fear. Whether having this man ranked among the royal family of Desolate Bone City was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.

Jaye, slightly excited, turned and left the Sky Ladder Pavilion. "From this day forth, the Seven Swords of Long Bone are completely lost. Bury the Guard Captain Bai Cheng with the rites due to royalty."

Perhaps due to her initial favorable impression of Ye Xiu or his exquisite skill, the great stone of worry in Jiayun Xin's heart temporarily settled as she saw Ye Xiu was unharmed. Watching Ye Xiu stand frozen in the plaza, she realized this was truly the hero of her imagination.

The epoch-making battle concluded. Ye Xiu kissed the Soul Stone Jade Ring in his hand and whispered to Su Su, "I think the Boundless Realm is becoming increasingly interesting!"

"You won, what nonsense are you spouting now." At that moment, Jiu Liansheng phased through the crowd like a phantom, his speed not at all inferior to Ye Xiu's. "I have some advice I wish to give you; I wonder if you're willing to listen."

"Go ahead, I have nothing else to do right now anyway," Ye Xiu spread his hands, responding lackadaisically.

Jiu Liansheng clasped his hands behind his back; his wine flask was no longer in his grip. "I wonder if you have ever witnessed the higher realms of the Heaven Bone Sword Art. I have always felt that the sword techniques the Third Sect Master taught you were merely the Heaven Bone Sword Art."

"What? Are these not the Sky Scorn sword moves used by Bafang Guling?" Ye Xiu was suspicious about why Jialouluo recognized the Death God's sword maneuvers, but unexpectedly, Jiu Liansheng transitioned the discussion to martial arts, inadvertently revealing such a fact.

Jiu Liansheng squinted at Ye Xiu and continued, "Although I have never fought anyone from the Desolate Ancient City royalty, I have witnessed the Heaven Bone Sword Art beyond the sixth level. The seventh and eighth level moves bear some slight resemblance to the way you execute them, but I cannot be certain."

"Ye Xiu, Ye Xiu!" At this moment, Qi'er ran over, bubbling with joy. Cultivators from all clans swarmed toward him; it seemed a top-tier martial artist was highly sought after in the Boundless Realm. "I knew I shouldn't have doubted you."

Ye Xiu pushed aside what Jiu Liansheng had said. He raised both hands and waved to Abi beside him, then solidly clapped Jiu Liansheng on the shoulder. "I can finally rest for a day. Tomorrow is up to you; don't get yourself killed!"

Jiu Liansheng pulled out his wine flask with a single move, took a sip with a smile, and said, "How about we drink and admire the moon tonight!"

"You queer!" Ye Xiu shot him a middle finger, cursing Jiu Liansheng with a phrase from the mortal world, before plunging into the cheering crowd to enjoy the relaxed aftermath of his victory.

As for the other two matches occurring on different grounds, Jaye had lost the inclination to watch any further. He instructed a nearby attendant to summon Ye Xiu; he felt more admiration and excitement than anything else—would sparring with such a swordsman be particularly interesting?

...

While the arena buzzed with intense warfare, the quiet lanes of the inn district were steeped in bloodshed.

Yan Shangcheng, masked and moving with icy coldness, struck savagely. In just a few strikes, he had slaughtered all but one of the Sun Blind tribesmen resting in the room.

"You... who exactly are you?" The Sun Blind tribesman, though his eyes were covered with a black cloth, perceived everything around him. He knew the killer wielded a bone sword. "Are you an assassin from Desolate Ancient City?"

"Do you see this gold medallion? The Great Sect Master ordered me to kill you!" Yan Shangcheng executed a move from the Heaven Bone Sword Art, but he intentionally skewed the strike, only severing the man's single leg. "Divine weapons and famous artifacts only belong to my Desolate Bone City! Vile sects have only one fate: death!"

"Thump, thump..." The Sun Blind tribesman flapped his wings desperately and bolted from the inn. He had to escape and report this matter to the Sun Blind Elders.

"Yan Shangcheng!" At that moment, an old man wearing a bamboo hat and leaning on an iron staff stood behind Yan Shangcheng. His figure was hunched, his white hair hanging long—it was the Beast Elder, Master of the Fierce Beast Gate.

Yan Shangcheng's fierce expression softened when he turned and saw the Beast Elder. "Beast Elder, you are here too."

The Beast Elder coughed lightly and removed his bamboo hat. "Did the Demon Mask Man order you to do this?"

"Yes!"

"Don't you suspect his identity?" The Beast Elder had collaborated with the Demon Mask Man to cultivate Yan Shangcheng into a mere killing machine. Besides the Heaven Bone Sword Art and the Sandstorm Saber Technique, there was a more sinister presence within him.

Yan Shangcheng gave it no further thought, replying lazily, "As long as it means killing Jaye, I don't care who he is or what his identity is!"

The Beast Elder threw his head back and laughed a few times, giving orders. "The army of the Fierce Beast Gate is already assembled outside Desolate Bone City in the Smoky Cloud Valley. We can launch an assault on Desolate Bone City at any time!"

"Yes!"

"However, before that, you must do one thing for me." Many wrinkles creased the Beast Elder's face, making his expression slightly grotesque when he spoke. "Help me kill one person!"

"If it is detrimental to Jaye, I am willing to kill a hundred people!"

The Beast Elder twisted his neck and smiled sinisterly. "The Azure Lion King, one of the Three Generals of the Fierce Beast Gate, participated in the contention for the Heaven's Punishment Unbowed. Regardless of whether he wins or loses today, he must die tonight!"

"I understand." Yan Shangcheng accepted the mission and immediately vanished from the room. Such was his fate, a destiny entirely crafted by the Great Sect Master Jaye.

"Sigh... Azure Lion King, I apologize," the Beast Elder closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "For the rise of the entire Fierce Beast Gate, your death is worth it. Only with your demise can I pin everything on Jaye and subsequently raise the army to attack all of Desolate Bone City."

...

Before Ye Xiu could even tend to his own injuries, he was escorted out of the crowd by an attendant. The official explanation was twofold: first, Desolate Bone City would provide him with superior medical treatment; second, Jaye had summoned this prodigious youth.

"Click, click, click, click." Ye Xiu felt extremely uncomfortable inside the slowly ascending lift, watching the scene below grow ever distant. He was quite surprised by the extent of his power increase, and he wondered again if the sword techniques Jialouluo taught him were truly the moves of the Sky Scorn.

"Young Master Ye, please wait." The lift stopped at the platform of the Sky Ladder Pavilion, where a rather lavishly dressed official intercepted Ye Xiu. "I am Hou, the Left Secretary of Desolate Bone City. I have been sent by the Great Sect Master to invite you for a meeting."

Ye Xiu carefully observed the Left Secretary Hou. This man had thick brows, large eyes, a broad face, and fleshy ears. Both his temperament and conversation far surpassed that screeching official below. But why would the Great Sect Master summon him now? Could he know Ye Xiu is the Death God and intends to capture him?

"Young Master Ye, please this way." The Left Secretary Hou ordered the lift to move again, ascending with Ye Xiu toward Jaye's palace at the very top of the Sky Ladder Pavilion.

Ye Xiu involuntarily glanced downward and saw that Jialouluo and Jiayun Xin were standing at the entrance of the lift platform on the Sky Ladder, watching him from afar. Ye Xiu smiled and nodded to Jialouluo as a sign of loyalty, and this smile was taken by Jiayun Xin as a perfect return gesture, causing the noble county princess to shyly lower her head.

"Little sister, what do you think of Young Master Ye?" Jialouluo knew exactly whom the Left Secretary Hou was taking Ye Xiu to see; everything was within his expectations. Although his elder brother held the prestigious title of City Lord, deep down he was more like a straightforward, decisive swordsman. And what swordsmen should possess is the spirit of constantly challenging masters.

When Jiayun Xin heard Jialouluo ask this, she shyly lowered her head, hiding her face with her long sleeves, and smiled faintly. "Young Master Ye's cultivation is profound, and his demeanor is quite approachable..."