"Damn, that guy is completely insane!" Old Liu tumbled through the air along with that burst of sword light, his body drenched in blood. It seemed that even possessing the divine weapon Ghost Execution wasn't enough to make Old Liu a true master. "Yan Shangcheng's berserk meridian Tianshu inside him is truly formidable; even I couldn't stop him. But..."

"But what?" Ye Xiu felt fear for the first time. How many myths and legends were hidden within the Infinite Realm? Even Old Liu, usually so self-assured, was forced to flee in disarray. "Hey, where is that powerful sword you were wielding just now?"

"Yan Shangcheng is now controlled by the berserk meridian Tianshu. He has lost all his original reason. I don't know who awakened and summoned the Tianshu within him. If we don't control the growth of this Tianshu soon, it might destroy the entire Infinite Realm!"

"Ah..." A terrifying killing intent swept over them. Yan Shangcheng, with a flash of movement, appeared before the world with bared claws and teeth, and every living creature below the Sky Ladder Pavilion instantly turned to dust.

"Yan Shangcheng has gone mad, everyone run!" Old Liu shouted desperately to warn everyone. He himself adopted a defensive stance, intending to escape this futile battle. "Ye Xiu, let's run! You are no match for him right now!"

"Berserk meridian Tianshu!" Although Elder Jiaye was severely wounded, he was still terrified by the aura emanating from Yan Shangcheng. He hastily got up and ordered his guards, "Everyone leave! Go!"

Elder Tianyuan, being highly experienced, knew it was best to stay far away from someone operating at that level of corruption. The Sunblind tribesmen followed him, ascending thousands of feet into the sky. "Observe the situation before acting."

"Big Brother, is this really..." Jialouluo had certainly heard the legends of the Ancient War God. He just hadn't expected the power of the berserk meridian Tianshu to be so overwhelming.

"Ah... Aah..." At this moment, Yan Shangcheng roared in fury, his entire body suddenly shaking with a dark crimson hue. His eyes were dazed yet radiated a murderous aura that pierced the heavens. Wherever he passed, streaks of blood-light shimmered across the ground.

"Go test him!" Elder Tianyuan watched from above the void. Believing he had found a weakness, he urgently commanded the Sunblind people to simultaneously unleash their light wings, directing volleys of feathered arrows toward Yan Shangcheng.

"Hmph!" Yan Shangcheng roared open-mouthed, completely disregarding the Sunblind tribe's attack. The crystalline feathers turned to ash upon touching his body.

This chaotic assault failed to halt Yan Shangcheng's slow advance; instead, it only stoked his malevolence. He lifted his eyes and, without even brandishing the blade or sword in his hands, unleashed a wave of chilling sword energy straight toward the sky. In an instant, it struck a Sunblind tribesman, shattering him into pieces. The sword light did not stop there; it leaped from one corpse and immediately darted into another body. Repeating this movement back and forth through the crowd, it instantly caused blood rain to scatter across half the sky.

The guards of Barren Bone City scrambled to cover Jiaye's retreat, but Jiaye showed no intention of leaving. He stood up, supporting himself with his sword, and faced Yan Shangcheng. "Yan Shangcheng, I am the enemy of your Yan family. Come for me alone. Barren Bone City should not be your target."

"Big Brother, don't..." Jialouluo and Yunxin tried to pull Jiaye back, but Jiaye firmly blocked them behind him.

"Jiaye, Jiaye..." Yan Shangcheng questioned with a bizarre opening of his mouth. He had completely forgotten his original purpose; the berserk meridian Tianshu had instilled only slaughter, devoid of any human emotion. He raised his sword and unleashed another wave of sword light into the crowd.

"Pfft!" Jiaye tried to raise Heaven's Abyss to block the strike, but unexpectedly, his bone sword snapped when faced with such a strange power. The sharp sword light immediately pierced his chest, causing a mouthful of blood to erupt violently.

"Grand Sect Master, retreat quickly, Grand Sect Master!" Those behind him tried to step forward but were frozen by Jiaye's voice.

"None of you come near! All of you leave, I will lure him away!" Jiaye raised his broken sword, took a step, and shot forward, simultaneously hurling a heavy strike of the Eight Directions Sword Intent toward Yan Shangcheng. "Everyone retreat!"

"Get out of the city, everyone out of the city!" Ye Xiu was stunned by Jiaye's fearless action. At this critical moment of life and death, a sovereign stepped forward, solely to ensure the safety of his guards and loved ones as they evacuated. "Barren Bone City is definitely not safe, everyone, hurry and retreat."

Yan Shangcheng lowered his head firmly, showing no intention of dodging. As the sword light approached, he brandished his saber high, smashing the Eight Directions Sword Qi into countless fragments: "Kill... kill..."

"Ah..." Jiaye suffered another heavy blow but refused to yield. He slid forward with his sword, attempting to stab Yan Shangcheng, but was halted in mid-air by the Mad Sand Saber. He flashed quickly, seizing the momentum to leap down from the Sky Ladder Pavilion, intending to lure Yan Shangcheng away.

"All of you must die!" Yan Shangcheng grew more excited as the battle raged, wildly wielding his saber and sword with both hands. Every time the bone sword and the Mad Sand Saber collided fiercely, the heavens and earth trembled. A feeling of despair swept through the entire Barren Bone Sword City. "Die! Die!"

"The Sky Ladder Pavilion is collapsing, leave quickly!" Jialouluo forced down the fear in his heart and directed the crowd to retreat. However, Yan Shangcheng's sword energy already covered the four directions, leaving no path for retreat. "Go! All jump down!"

"We should go quickly too, Ye Xiu," Old Liu also sensed the danger and flew towards the ground. At this moment, the attendants also threw themselves from the Nine Heavens, hoping to escape Aotian Tower using their lightness skill, when Yan Shangcheng suddenly unleashed a saber move that accelerated the cracking of the ground beneath them.

"Ah!" At this moment, Yunxin felt her footing soften; the entire Sky Ladder Pavilion was tilting precariously, and no one had time to rush to protect her.

"Yunxin!" Ye Xiu, who had been preparing to fight, realized the situation was lost. With no alternative, he stepped forward to catch Yunxin. Looking back, the sky above Barren Bone City was filled with people fleeing. "Yunxin, hold onto me tight, I won't let anything happen to you."

Yunxin was naturally happy to be saved by Ye Xiu, but seeing the devastation and desolation all around, tears welled up again. This was the world she once thought was filled with peace, the people she deeply loved; yet, this world was collapsing along with the fall of the Sky Ladder Pavilion, and the people were heading towards the Yellow Springs.

"Fallen Shadow Divine Sense!" Ye Xiu knew what he had to do. He wanted to draw Yan Shangcheng's attention, at least to buy a little more time for the others to escape.

"All of you must die!" Yan Shangcheng gathered his sword moves atop the Sky Ladder Pavilion, preparing to unleash his ultimate technique on everything below. Unexpectedly, a swift beam of descending sword light precisely struck him in the heart, interrupting his internal energy flow. He felt no pain, only a surge of blood rushing up his chest.

"Hold me tight, let's go!" Ye Xiu knew he had succeeded, but what followed was only escape. He tightly hugged Yunxin, running back and forth between the white bone towers, heading towards the city gates. "Old Liu, see if that guy has arrived yet!"

Old Liu flew on his sword. Sword lights flashed in the air as he used various spells to defend himself, but at a time like this, he couldn't focus. "How should I know? Let's just escape quickly! Didn't your Insect Gate subordinates say the demonic insects outside the city are preparing to release poison?"

"Poison? Ye Xiu, what did you say!" Yunxin's heart jumped. She finally confirmed her suspicions. She had heard Ye Xiu speaking when she entered Qi'er's room, and because she had feelings for Ye Xiu, she chose not to face the truth. "I didn't expect you were truly allied with those guys from the Corpse Demon Forest. You..."

"Die, Hahahaha!" Yan Shangcheng truly acted like a crazed beast. He abandoned everyone else and now pursued only Ye Xiu's figure. He danced with his sword, wind stirring beneath his feet, chasing and leaping until he reached the edge of Barren Bone City.

Ye Xiu tried hard to hold Yunxin tight so she wouldn't break free from his embrace. "Yunxin, listen to me, things are not what you think!"

"Nonsense! So you approached my Barren Bone City only to destroy the foundation of my Bone Sect! I misjudged you completely." Yunxin struggled free and fell to the ground. "Remember this, Ye Xiu, the fate of Barren Bone City today is all because of you!"

"Yunxin!" Ye Xiu tried to descend to find Yunxin, but unexpectedly, Yan Shangcheng unleashed a sword move from behind, knocking him over beyond the city wall. "Waaah!"

"Ye Xiu!" Old Liu flew down on his sword, determined to face Yan Shangcheng alongside Ye Xiu.

...

Outside Barren Bone City, atop Falling Tower Peak, the demonic insect army of the Drought Zombie Insect Emperor was firmly positioned. A strong wind howled, blowing directly towards Barren Bone City below the peak.

The Ant Army Advisor approached with a smile to report on the situation within Barren Bone City. "Barren Bone City is now in total chaos. The members of the Fierce Beast Gate are giving the Bone Sect a terrible time, and the Sunblind tribe and the Demon Peak Gate members are fighting in secret. It's quite a spectacle."

The Drought Zombie Insect Emperor, corpulent and imposing, stood atop the peak. He gazed out with satisfaction. "Once the poison of the Myriad Poison Pearl is fully released, Barren Bone City will become a dead city. Even those from the various clans who survive will suffer heavy losses. By then, the entire Infinite Realm will belong to my Insect Gate."

"But, Insect Emperor, Hall Master Ye is still in Barren Bone City!" At this moment, Zhu Ji and Snake Beauty came to report. They were naturally concerned for their Hall Master Zhu Ji. "There is no antidote once the Myriad Poison Pearl is unleashed. Your subordinates fear..."

The Drought Zombie Insect Emperor squinted at the two, revealing a strange smile. "Of course, I know Ye Xiu is inside. Scouts reported that Ye Xiu has also obtained the Heavenly (Que). However, this chaotic opportunity is hard to come by. I believe Hall Master Ye will understand my good intentions. Servants, set up the Myriad Poison Pearl!"

"Yes..." Zhu Ji showed displeasure but dared not show anger before the Insect Emperor. She retreated and exchanged a meaningful look with Ant Da next to her. Ant Da understood and burrowed into the ground.

At this moment, the Ant Army Advisor ordered men to use tree trunks to erect a tripod. Inside the tripod, a pure white pearl shimmered with a brilliant light, alternating between pure white and dark green, giving off a gloomy feeling. "Insect Emperor, the Myriad Poison Pearl is ready."

"Mmm." The Drought Zombie Insect Emperor nodded and slowly walked over. He channeled energy with one hand, sending a stream of green palm force into the Myriad Poison Pearl. The pearl spun brilliantly and emitted a cloud of green smoke. As the strong wind picked up, the smoke traveled with it, drifting towards Barren Bone City. "The poison of the Myriad Poison Pearl cannot be cured. Those poisoned will either lose their cultivation base or die on the spot."

"Congratulations to the Drought Zombie Insect Emperor! Congratulations to the Drought Zombie Insect Emperor!" The entire Insect Gate was ecstatic. Under the arrangement of the Ant Army Advisor, they gradually hid themselves within the forest, awaiting the final outcome of the battle for Barren Bone City.

The Drought Zombie Insect Emperor, highly self-assured, waved his hand and commanded, "Kill everyone who comes out of Barren Bone City. Leave not a single one alive."