In the Eastern Expanse of the Interminable Realm, the Heaven's Bone Artifact Forging Platform blazed with fierce activity; while in the frigid North, beneath the frozen Mount Sumeru, glints of dazzling light pulsed.

Amidst the swirling snow, a delicate figure moved slowly, clad entirely in white, her skirt billowing in the northern gales. Beneath a sheer, gossamer veil, her exquisite features were subtly veiled—this was the Priestess of the Crying Water River, the very woman history would call the Holy Empress of Ten Thousand Demons.

Ice crystals encased all of Mount Sumeru in a stunningly cold elegance. Halfway up the mountain, severed limbs and shattered remains littered the slopes, while at the summit, the bodies of Kill-the-Ruler and the Limitless Dao Master faced each other, locked mid-battle and perfectly encased in ice, their expressions unchanged.

"Are you the man destined to bring chaos to the Interminable Realm?" The Priestess raised an arm, gently moving her palm toward Kill-the-Ruler's face. A piercing chill shot into his heart. "The Limitless Dao Master's Grand Profound Dao Curse is indeed potent, but can this ice truly hold you for a hundred days?"

"Hoo..." The north wind roared, yet when its echoes rebounded off the ice layer, they carried a deep, resonant sound—a heartbeat, the heartbeat of Kill-the-Ruler himself.

The Priestess exerted force with one hand, and thick smoke curled upwards from the ice. Closing her eyes, she seemed to commune with the prisoner within. "Only I can help you escape this hundred-day confinement!"

"What is a hundred days of confinement? How many years was I sealed by King Ksitigarbha? A mere hundred days!" The voice resonated from within the ice. Kill-the-Ruler remained proudly unyielding, needing no one's aid. "When I break free, whosoever stands in my way, along with this realm itself, shall perish."

The Priestess curved her lips, a mere slip of a woman showing no fear of Kill-the-Ruler's majesty. "Within the Interminable Realm lie the Three Primal Needles. These needles defy fate and execute heaven. If struck by a Heaven Needle while ice-sealed, even the Lord of the Demonic Realm will find his essence utterly depleted. Do you dare take that gamble?"

Kill-the-Ruler's heartbeat quickened slightly, the rhythm conveying itself to the Priestess's mind. "If that is the case, name your terms. Do not hold back."

"This world is not yet chaotic enough; your journey must not end here." The Priestess opened one eye, and a Seal of Reincarnation manifested in her pupil. "The strength of Kill-the-Ruler still lingers in some forgotten corner of the Interminable Realm. Am I not correct?"

"I understand. Please deliver the Extinction True Essence to him." As Kill-the-Ruler finished speaking, a deep crimson halo bloomed from his chest, glowing so vividly it instantly illuminated the entire ice layer.

The Priestess cupped her hands around the halo, grasping it completely. A flicker in her eyes betrayed the greed welling up inside her. "Rest assured, I will find that person and return what belongs to him!"

...

"Hoo..." Old Liu finally concluded his day of arduous practice. Dragon Profound had long since healed his wounds; moreover, he had instructed Liu in the elemental formations within the curse techniques. Only Old Liu's Demon-Shattering Sword had been kept by Dragon Profound.

"Old Liu, the Sect Master requests your presence!" The black-faced Daoist had been demoted to a mere errand runner, unable to comprehend why Dragon Profound showed such favor to this outsider Daoist.

Old Liu rose. His attire had been changed to the same dark Daoist robe as Dragon Profound’s. Daoism represented the light of Heaven and Earth, yet Dragon Profound advocated for a dark aesthetic, a direct contradiction to the tenets of Myriad Dao Mountain.

The Daoist Hall remained devoid of light; even perched atop the ten-thousand-foot peak, not a sliver of sunlight penetrated.

"Greetings, Sect Master." Old Liu felt no genuine loyalty to Dragon Profound, viewing it merely as a convenient shelter where he could learn profound curse arts. "What business does the Sect Master have with me?"

Dragon Profound sat in the gloom, his expression heavy. The black chains behind him clinked. "The Heaven's Bone Artifact Forging Platform in Barren Bone City has opened. I require the Beast Flame Heaven Key. Go and seize it."

"The Beast Flame Heaven Key?" Old Liu was puzzled. "Is that a key? A key to where?"

"Swoosh..." Dragon Profound extended a hand, casting out a profound shadowy essence. The shadow shot forth, transforming into a bat that flew straight toward Old Liu’s face.

Old Liu could have easily dodged, yet he sensed no killing intent from Dragon Profound—this was certainly not a fatal strike. Strangely, as the dark shadow bat approached, it completely merged into his body. "Sect Master, what is this!"

"Incarnation Curse Art. If you fail to retrieve the Beast Flame Heaven Key within five days, cease being a man and dutifully become a bat." Dragon Profound stood up, shaking out his robes. A black, dragon-shaped longsword materialized instantly, coiling around itself before plunging into the floor before Old Liu. "Your Demon-Shattering Sword has been steeped in the Demon Pool of the Demon Quenching Pavilion for quite some time; the demonic energy within will aid the curse art taking hold in your body!"

Old Liu gazed at the soul-chillingly black Dragon Tooth Sword, a cold dread seeping through him. He flicked two fingers, and the Demon-Shattering Sword transformed into a wicked black light, shooting back to rest on his back. "What exactly is that Demon Quenching Pavilion?"

"The Demon Quenching Pavilion is the symbol of all accomplishments on Myriad Dao Mountain. Unfortunately, someone has cultivated an even more vicious curse art within its depths!" Dragon Profound ground his teeth as he spoke. "The Pavilion has three levels. I could only breach the second level, the Demon Pool. The water there possesses the power to erode one's cultivation."

Wasn't the Demon Quenching Pavilion the very place the Limitless Dao Master had mentioned? The vicious curse, the Grand Profound Dao Curse, resided there. Old Liu closed his eyes, quietly sensing the changes in the Demon-Shattering Sword, and was inwardly startled. "The Demon-Shattering Sword seems to be eroding the Dao arts I already possess."

"That sword is no longer your original Demon-Shattering Sword!" Dragon Profound opened his palms, raising them high. "Let the evil sword unleash its power to the fullest extent. This blade is, by bloodline, much closer to darkness and damnation. Its name is Ghost Execution!"

"Ghost Execution!" Old Liu drew the longsword. The hilt was pure black, curving upward irregularly. The blade was long, formed by a black dragon coiled from the base. This sword had no tip, nor edge; it consisted only of two strangely upright fangs beneath the dragon's head, emerging from its mouth. Its sole modification was the ability to split in two; viewed separately, the twin dragon fangs resembled the horns of a hideous demon, sharp and sorrowful.

Dragon Profound sat down slightly, half his face shadowed and weary. He coughed a few times and waved his hand, commanding, "Go now. Remember, you only have five days!"

"Mhm." With his life on the line, Old Liu shed all his previous flippancy. He turned steadily and leaped away, vanishing into a circular arcane formation.

...

Today's events at the Heaven's Bone Artifact Forging Platform concluded, and the heroes of the battlefield were once again invited to the Grand Hall of the Sky Ladder. Fine wine and delicacies were, naturally, abundant, yet Kanan was conspicuously absent from the feast.

"Where is your second brother?" Jaye asked, slightly confused, knowing how deeply the loss of White City must have struck Kanan.

Jialoulu shook his head, preoccupied with his celebratory wine. He felt immense satisfaction at Ye Xiu's victory. "Perhaps he's investigating the assassin incident, or maybe dealing with the matter of White City's Guard Captain..."

"On the Heaven's Bone Platform, life and death rest entirely in one's own hands." Jaye declared boldly, saluting Ye Xiu. "Come!"

Ye Xiu smiled and returned the salute to the three on the dais. Judging by the situation, he had unintentionally earned the trust of three of the Royal Clan members of Barren Bone City, especially Princess Jiayun. "Ye Xiu's victory was merely luck. Tomorrow's battles are the main event."

Wine Craver slapped Ye Xiu's shoulder and downed another drink himself. "Tomorrow, you just want to see me lose, don't you?"

Swallow Scar City regarded everyone with cold eyes, ignoring their words. He hadn't drunk the wine Jaye offered. The mission assigned by the Demon Face Man and the Beast Elder had to be carried out—and tonight was the night!

At the banquet, the victors rejoiced while the waiting ones wore expressions of deep worry. Below the banquet, Ye Xiu, Jialoulu, Wine Craver, and the others gathered again on the Sky Ladder platform, continuing their revelry. If life could always be this magnificent, what need was there for justice or fame?

The Lion King of the Fierce Beast Sect waited in his quarters for the duel tomorrow. He was tall and powerfully built, his head covered in thick, mane-like hair resembling a lion's, and the massive golden scimitar at his waist already shone with ravenous anticipation.

"Shhh..." Suddenly, a sound like flowing sand trickled near his cheek. A cool breeze swept past, and the next moment, a sword point was aimed squarely at his throat.

The Lion King was naturally bold. Knowing his opponent was stronger, he saw no point in struggling excessively, but death required a reason. "This ability to summon sand clearly comes from the Fierce Beast Sect! Who sent you to kill me?"

Swallow Scar City, his face veiled, kept his voice low. In his eyes, someone like the Lion King was mere riffraff; he disdained to answer. "And what if the Beast Elder decreed your death?"

The Lion King’s eyes widened, his teeth clicking fiercely. "The reason?"

Swallow Scar City drew the bone sword from his waist with his left hand and executed a strike using the Heaven's Bone Sword Art into the Lion King's abdomen, instantly cleaving him in two. "Since death was inevitable anyway, what good is knowing the details?"

The Lion King crashed heavily onto the floor, blood pooling around him. Floating in the crimson tide was a golden plaque—the very token belonging to the Great Sect Master Jaye, a killer's credential!

"Scoundrels!" In the dead of night, several key figures reappeared in Jaye’s private chambers: civil and military officials, along with Kanan and Jialoulu.

The murder of the Lion King was discovered by his attendants soon after. Because they saw the Great Sect Master's golden plaque, they kept the incident quiet, but the bizarre aspect was that this matched several other gold plaques found throughout the city—suggesting the killers acted with the Great Sect Master's permission.

Jaye stared at the crowd in agony, unable to comprehend how his plaques appeared in those locations. "Who is impersonating me, killing people everywhere? And who exactly has died?"

An attendant stammered, "Almost all the Sect Masters, save for the Bone Gatherer... and... and at every location, the Great Sect Master's gold plaque was found."

"Big Brother, could it be the assassin who tried to kill you last night!" Kanan analyzed reasonably. "Failing to kill you, they stole your gold plaque and went on a killing spree to frame you."

"Framing me is one thing, but do you understand the consequences for the sects involved if someone dies outside of the sanctioned duels during the Heaven's Bone Platform event?" Jaye lamented, heavy with worry. "It won't be long before someone comes to Barren Bone City to demand an explanation."

Jialoulu understood the gravity of the situation and stepped forward to comfort Jaye. "All of this can be resolved once we find the culprit. I wonder if the various sect masters will listen to our explanation."

Kanan, caught between sympathy and fury, roared, "What are we afraid of? Do those people dare cause trouble in Barren Bone City? If they refuse to listen, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Second Brother, stop adding fuel to the fire." Jaye was anxious and devised a stopgap measure. "Protect the safety of the remaining participants as much as possible. Second Brother, you are in charge of mobilizing all city forces to find the killer and keep a close watch on the movements surrounding Barren Bone City. I suspect the remaining days will not be peaceful. I will do my best to mediate with the sect masters."

"Yes, I will definitely track this person down." Kanan accepted the order and left, high-spirited and seemingly confident of success.

"Big Brother..." Jialoulu moved to volunteer, but Jaye, burying his head, waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave him be.