"Gurgle..." The giant beetle slumped as the Tianmiao Sword pierced its soft underbelly. It wildly swept its pincers in a frenzy around it, but by now, Ye Xiu, along with his sword, was standing directly atop its body. "Aargh..."

Old Liu hung in the air, observing everything on the ground. The giant beetle's wings were now shut, and Ye Xiu and the Tianmiao Sword remained embedded in the blood-red muscle. "Ye Xiu, run! That thing is about to clamp down on you!"

"Ah... Ah!" Seeing the hard carapace descending, Ye Xiu desperately yanked out the Tianmiao Sword. He looked up to see the sky-covering iron armor slamming down toward him. Unable to evade, he instinctively raised both hands to block. Unexpectedly, a white light flashed in his hands, and the halo of a formation emerged, allowing him to take the beetle's attack head-on.

"What was that?" Old Liu stared, dumbfounded, at the scene. Several mysterious characters shot out from beyond the circle of the radiant formation. As the characters landed, the halo vanished, and Ye Xiu was flung onto the ground. "Is that a spell? How can a Death God possess Daoist powers?"

"Clang!" Ye Xiu rolled onto the ground, crashing into his surroundings. He strained his strength, managing to stabilize himself only by driving the Tian Que [Sword/Artifact Name] into the earth. "Hoo... I was almost crushed by that shell!"

"Aargh!" The giant beetle roared mournfully, clearly enraged. It turned toward Ye Xiu and began attacking the ground with its pincers. In no time, its massive body sank into the earth.

Ye Xiu struggled to his feet and looked around. The once-clamorous cave was suddenly silent. Before he could even catch his breath, a whoosh sounded from beneath his feet—a row of magnificent, sharp spikes burst forth from the ice. "Holy crap, the thing turned into a row of spikes!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..." These spikes were robust and powerful, racing toward Ye Xiu in the center from four directions. Every spike that passed kicked up ice shards, nearly turning the entire space upside down.

Old Liu had the clearest view. The giant beetle had submerged itself and transformed into long spikes. These spikes were indestructible yet gradually covered the entire cave. He snatched up his Thin Noodle Blade and sent the thread toward Ye Xiu. "Catch!"

Ye Xiu used the Tianmiao Sword to block the spikes, but the things were utterly impenetrable. Seeing Old Liu’s Thin Noodle Blade buried in the ground, he yanked it up and flipped into the air. "This isn't going to kill it."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The earth-shattering sound of piercing continued unabated. After covering the entire icy floor, the long spikes began climbing upward toward the cave walls on both sides.

Ye Xiu retreated into the black mist. Although the spikes charged ferociously, they dared not approach the mist. He coldly watched the surrounding dark cloud masses. "This thing is formidable, but it can't penetrate this black mist. I wonder what would happen if the black mist covered it?"

"Every cure has its poison. Have you ever heard of an antidote growing within a viper's territory?" Old Liu also extended a hand to feel the mist, frowning slightly. "The key is how to lure this mist over to the beetle."

"Did you forget that the two of us together can create a whirlwind?" Ye Xiu slapped his own legs and laughed. "We can use the wind to draw the black mist closer. I'm just thinking about how to get that brute back onto the surface."

"Leave that to this great master," Old Liu declared. Saying this, he descended on his sword, rushing out of the black mist. His entire body hovered in the middle of the cave. Those fierce spikes didn't seem to pose any threat to him. Old Liu grinned mischievously, "Let me provoke this big fellow a bit."

"Boom..." As soon as Old Liu finished speaking, a towering spike erupted from the ice surface. The moment it emerged, it rammed against the cave ceiling. If not for the black mist blocking the surroundings, one couldn't imagine its full impact. The ice shards kicked up by this impact struck Old Liu's face, nearly sending him plummeting to the ground.

"Hoo... I didn't think this thing could elongate itself?" Old Liu wiped the sweat from his brow. At that moment, the ground stirred, and several long spikes shot toward him. Controlling the Ghost Slaying Blade, he dodged left and right, hopping and skipping until he was forced into a corner. "Hey, Ye Xiu, come help me."

"Clang, clang..." Ye Xiu brandished his twin swords and rushed down. Every strike against the spikes sent countless sparks flying. These things were as tough as the beetle's hard shell—unbreakable. "It seems to know what we're up to. If it just stays on the ground, we can't do anything. How about we lure the mist down now?"

"Qi Jing Dao Talisman Paper!" As Old Liu nodded, he immediately summoned his superior black talisman. His entire skeleton creaked as he shot up into the air. "Come on!"

"Hmph!" Ye Xiu charged forward and grabbed Old Liu's arm. Now possessing the Soul of a Hundred Insects, his speed was exceptional. Coupled with the assistance of his Thousand Years of Phantom Shadow ability, he quickly began spinning Old Liu around. Thus, the two moved in a high-speed circle, churning up the ice shards within the cave. The corpses of small insects were ground to dust in this whirlwind. "Let the black mist get close to those spikes."

"Whoosh, whoosh..." The whirlwind, mixed with the black mist, first assaulted the cave walls. Those hard spikes clearly feared the black mist. Seeing the mist spreading, they swiftly burrowed back into the ground. Once the whirlwind had swept through all areas smoothly, all the spikes had retreated underground. A mournful howl sounded, and the giant beetle burrowed out once more, arrogantly spinning its pincers.

"Hoo... Whoosh..." In that instant, Ye Xiu, along with Old Liu and the hurricane, swooped toward the giant beetle. The gale struck its body, and the black mist immediately enveloped it, making the entire giant beetle agitated and scramble everywhere.

Old Liu's Qi Jing Dao time was up. He landed breathlessly on the ground. Watching the massive bug hopping around like a monkey, he couldn't help but laugh. "It's a divine beast, yet it's been made to look so pathetic by a bit of mist."

"You still have the mood to watch a show? Prepare for the final blow," Ye Xiu said, his feet planted on the cave ceiling. In his eyes, the beetle’s body was clearly visible through the black mist, and its translucent hard shell was starting to turn transparent. It turned out the black mist had a strong corrosive effect on the beetle's body. "See that, Old Liu? Let's see whose sword is faster!"

"Ghost Slaying Blade, Profound Ice Kill Spell!" Old Liu’s eyes sharpened. He struck first with his sword, carrying the chilling energy of ice, rushing toward the beetle. "Hmph, what kind of goddamn divine beast is this? Looks like this thing is destined to become fodder for my blade!"

"Whoosh..." Ye Xiu's eyes lit up. The Tianmiao Sword was coated with black flames. He opened his spiritual sense and sword technique once more, also attacking the beetle.

"Aargh!" The giant beetle shrieked and raised its massive pincers. Its hard shell instantly vanished. Its entire body was first assailed by a wave of freezing ice, followed immediately by a rolling torrent of flames. When Ye Xiu and Old Liu landed from both sides, the cave was silent once more, devoid of any insect roars.

Old Liu landed with a heavy sigh and flicked the sticky residue off the Ghost Slaying Blade. As the giant beetle perished, a trace of green essence from its body traveled along the blade and entered Old Liu's body. "Did the Ghost Slaying Blade absorb the power of this divine beast?"

Ye Xiu also noticed this, but just then, the entire icy floor suddenly collapsed, and the two fell down with it. "Looks like we've passed the first level of the Demon Quelling Pavilion. Your sword seems to hide some secrets; what power did it absorb?"

"I feel like my arm has become indestructible!" Old Liu exclaimed, shaking his arm vigorously. A solid, black light shimmered, and he punched the heavy ice layer beneath him as they fell—it shattered instantly. "The Ghost Slaying Sword is certainly mysterious. We might find the answer in the Demon Pool on the next level, but what truly puzzles me is your hand!"

Ye Xiu adjusted his posture for landing. He had also noticed the strange sensation in his hands—the circle of spells that had formed earlier wasn't achievable with his own abilities. "Are you sure that spell formation on me just now was a spell from the Myriad Dao Mountain? I never sensed that power before."

"Didn't you tell me you had the cultivation of Heavenly Dao One?" Old Liu alighted on his sword, deep in thought. "Heavenly Dao One is the highest cultivation level in Myriad Dao Mountain, second only to the Boundless Dao Master. Or perhaps his power has long surpassed the Boundless Dao Master. If you truly possess his power within you, maybe..."

"Maybe our journey will lead us to the Grand Profound Dao Scripture!" Ye Xiu spoke with firm resolve. If the Grand Profound Dao Scripture required the Profound Root Dao Body, could the might of Heavenly Dao One's Dao Law replace that innate Dao Body? "Heavenly Dao One's power rarely erupts within me; perhaps it's due to the environment of the Demon Quelling Pavilion. But this isn't good for me."

Old Liu, possessing some medical knowledge, knew Ye Xiu’s current constitution wasn't optimal, likely related to the conflict between the various powers within him. "Whatever the case, we’ll discuss it on the next level."

Below them, white light shimmered everywhere, and the air, cool and biting, enveloped the two. Illusions of the void flickered and vanished, making it impossible to discern what was real and what was lost.

...

Beneath the Sorrowful Water River, remnants of decayed corpses floated everywhere. The deeper the river flowed, the more perilous it became; there seemed to be no bottom.

Jia Yunxin lay quietly in the river water. Before her eyes was a scene of carnage: large fish eating small fish, small fish nibbling on human corpses. This was a river of blood, and a lesson written in blood. She felt sticky, viscous things clinging to her limbs, dragging her down, pulling her deeper, as if the Sorrowful Water River was hell itself.

Suddenly, the gates of hell seemed to open. A spectral figure stood before her across the bloody water. The person was slightly stout, with a face resembling a green insect, and several broken antennae sprouted from its head. It writhed toward her, its eyes emitting a faint, eerie glow. "Are you from the Bone Sect?"

Jia Yunxin trembled, then managed to stand up. The ground beneath her felt soft and unstable, yet she had never imagined she could speak while submerged thousands of feet deep in water. "Where... where is this place?"

The monster clearly had a female voice. It scrutinized Jia Yunxin's appearance, marveling, "Such unparalleled beauty, how could you fall into this desolate abyss? It seems the hatred in your heart is immense."

"Desolate Abyss? Who... who exactly are you?" Jia Yunxin tried to step forward but was blocked by the bloody water. She looked at the ferocious creature before her, a seed of fear taking root. "How did I get here!"

The monster shuddered as if chuckling. It raised its clawed hand and explained, "Only those filled with deep-seated hatred can reach this place. To see me, the Matron Ghost Maiden, means you possess sufficient potential to inherit the power of the Heavenly Emperor's Evil Body."

"Matron Ghost Maiden..." Jia Yunxin, secluded in the Heavenly Ladder Pavilion, knew nothing of the affairs in this Boundless Realm. Though hatred burned within her, it wasn't an excuse for her to inherit some power. "I... I want to go home!"

"Go home? Hahaha!" The Matron Ghost Maiden slowly emerged from behind the curtain of bloody water. Her face was deep green, like a demon. In her hand, she held a fishbone dagger, raised high. "I'm never quite comfortable with this beautiful face of yours. Why don't we ruin this pretty face and see if the rage in your heart is fit to accept the tempering of the Evil Body?"