"Run! Where do you think you can run to!" Elder Beast had meticulously laid his trap. Another wave of Ferocious Beast Sect members sprang out from the route the Bone Sect had retreated along, making their situation utterly desperate, "If Jianan wants you dead, I have no grounds to object. After all, he is the current Sect Master of the Bone Sect!"

"Argh..." Jalor rose in fury, his sword brandished. His body was already covered in claw marks. He soared high into the heavens, staining his Bone Sword with his own blood. This sword, named Ren, was forged from the Nine Heavens Profound Antiquity, alongside Jia Ye Tian Qian and Jianan Di Sha. At this moment, he amplified the power of the Heavenly Bone Sword Arts, charging towards the Ferocious Beast Sect in a torrent of ten thousand swords, "I will kill every last one of you!"

"Hmph, a spent force." Elder Beast recognized the formidable nature of this move. To prevent heavy casualties among the Ferocious Beast Sect, he waved his hand, ordering a retreat. This action effectively allowed Jalor and his remaining ragged troops to escape.

"Everyone, move out!" Jalor's ultimate technique shook the entire Renzi Lake, causing the water and sky to flip. Under the agitation of those myriad sword lights, the entirety of the lake water evaporated. The splashing water provided perfect cover for the remaining members to withdraw from the battlefield.

The pursuers from the Ferocious Beast Sect, their eyes red from the slaughter, still wished to give chase, but an iron staff suddenly appeared before their chests, intercepting them all: "This... Elder Beast, why didn't you just kill them all?"

"Do you wish to be led around by Jianan's nose forever?" Elder Beast remained composed, a sliver of cunning in his eyes. "Jianan has forcefully seized Desolate Bone City. Given our existing cooperative relationship, he won't move against me right now. But once he loses his constraint—once we are gone—the entire realm of sects will become his enemy. By then, he will be even more unrestrained."

"What does Elder Beast mean?" The Elephant-Man, holding axes in both hands, finally grasped a fraction of Elder Beast's plan. "Elder Beast intends to use Jalor to keep Jianan in check? But that fellow even dared to kill his own elder brother..."

Elder Beast retracted his iron staff, full of confidence. "I intend to let Jalor learn the truth of the matter. This man's strength is not as weak as it appears. One day, when he seeks vengeance for his elder brother, he will inevitably destabilize Desolate Bone City again. At that time, Jianan will have no time to spare for us, and that will be when the Ferocious Beast Sect can profit."

"As expected of Elder Beast; he truly thinks long-term." The Elephant-Man was inwardly pleased, though the shadow of the heavy blow dealt by the Venomous Insect Sect still lingered in his mind. "If it weren't for those accursed Venomous Insects, our strength would be far greater."

"That is precisely why I need to borrow Jianan's power to exact this revenge." Elder Beast's eyes sharpened. Those who achieve great things must seek retribution for every slight, and the process of that vengeance requires extraordinary patience.

Jalor shielded his remaining forces, leading them to take refuge in the Wandering Valley, much farther from Desolate Bone City. This battle had cost them grievously; their thousand-strong unit was reduced to a mere few hundred. Looking at his warriors, scarred and wounded, he sighed in frustration, "I can't believe Jianan was scheming behind all this. How could he do such a thing?"

Jiu Liansheng had never seen Jalor so dejected. After comforting the generals and soldiers, he approached Jalor to assist him, "Third Sect Master, perhaps we shouldn't trust everything Elder Beast says."

"Hoo..." Jalor drew a deep breath. Naturally, he had his own thoughts running. "Elder Beast would gain nothing by telling me a lie like that. I'm contemplating his true objective. If my second brother truly killed our eldest brother as he claims, we can't return to Desolate Bone City now anyway. Given my second brother's temperament, it won't be long before Desolate Bone City launches expeditions against various sects. We will know the truth of his words by seeing whom he attacks first."

"What does the Third Sect Master mean?" Jiu Liansheng watched as Jalor's mood calmed, feeling a deep admiration.

Jalor's insight was keen. He turned, his face stern. "The evidence that Second Brother killed Elder Brother is still unclear. If he has indeed colluded with the Ferocious Beast Sect, I believe the first sect he would eliminate would not be the Ferocious Beast Sect, but the Venomous Insect Sect that deployed the poison mist. What we must do is remain hidden and find the proof within this."

"Since the Great Sect Master ordered Elder Beast to eliminate us, where else can we hide?" Jiu Liansheng surveyed the Wandering Valley. It was terribly cold and utterly unsuitable for a long-term garrison for the Bone Sect. "We can't go back to Desolate Bone City, and we cannot operate in the open. In this situation, where does our group..."

"Desolate Bone City is filled with Second Brother's former subordinates. Regardless of the truth of Elder Beast’s words, returning will bring us no benefit. And Elder Beast clearly intended to leak this information to me; it seems his partnership with Second Brother is not as close as it appears." Jalor's mind was sharp; he had already considered everything. "You take the men and conceal yourselves here for now. I think I must travel to Sky Cloud Machine to seek sanctuary with the Sun-Blind Tribe."

Jiu Liansheng was greatly shocked. The Sun-Blind Tribe considered themselves noble and would hardly assist the Bone Sect. "Third Sect Master, the Sun-Blind Tribe also attempted to take a piece of the action during the battle at Desolate Bone City. How will they react to you approaching them?"

"The age of chaos has arrived; the Sun-Blind Tribe will not stand idly by." Jalor perceived human nature and was brimming with confidence. "Second Brother will certainly set foot across the entire Boundless Boundary; this will inevitably affect the Sun-Blind Tribe's interests. With the Dao Master of the Limitless Way dead, there is no one left capable of managing the grand scale of affairs. The only one I can rely on is the Sun-Blind Tribe. I have a way to convince the elders of Sky Cloud Machine to lend me their strength."

"Very well. Please rest assured about everything here, Third Sect Master." Jiu Liansheng was fiercely loyal, deeply believing that his master possessed strength beyond the ordinary.

...

The Void Mountain Range was studded with sharp, monstrous stones. All around, ancient statues lay submerged in foul-smelling springs, and countless filthy Corpse Worms crawled back and forth. This was the world beneath the ice layer, the second zone of the Demon Quelling Pavilion—the Demon Pool, as Long Xuan called it.

"Cough... cough..." Old Liu was coughing incessantly from the stench. He struggled to his feet and moved as far away from the spring as possible. "This is the Demon Pool?"

Ye Xiu waved his hand, dispersing the surrounding thick mist. He looked around at the statues hanging suspended in the air. There was only one pool of water here, its surface sunken and colored a murky green, its depth unknown. "So, the Ghost Executioner in your hands was nurtured here?"

Old Liu pointed the Ghost Executioner sword towards the pool. Even the slightest disturbance from the sword agitated the water, and several long, serpentine creatures leaped out, entirely covered in mud. "Whoa, I didn't expect there to be creatures in here. They smell absolutely repulsive."

"There are no paths around us. Do we have to dive into this murky pool?" Ye Xiu walked cautiously on the ground. He struck the stone walls with the Sky Gate artifact. The walls sounded hollow, ringing lightly when struck. "The ceiling here is sealed, and the surroundings seem boundless. How could this pool have formed?"

"Shhh, be careful, don't anger any mythical beasts again," Old Liu circled the pool. The space felt like a sealed triangular cone, with the pool occupying the bottom. "The walls are hollow; perhaps we need to break them and blast our way out."

"Hooowl..." At this moment, the inhabitants of the pool writhed again. The creature was thick-bodied, like a giant snake, but it seemed to have no eyes, as its body structure was balanced at both ends. On closer inspection, it was a snake without a head or tail.

Ye Xiu tilted his head, analyzing the situation. "There's something wrong with the air in here. Look at the green vapor rising from the pool; even I find it somewhat hard to bear. It seems the way out must be found through these stone walls."

Old Liu nodded, already aiming the Ghost Executioner at the monster. "Try to see if you can breach the wall in one strike; I'll watch this thing."

"Heavenly Scrutiny Sword!" Ye Xiu channeled his energy, coating the Heavenly Scrutiny Sword with black flame. He lifted the longsword and plunged it fiercely into the stone wall. With a dull thud, the entire space shuddered, and a small opening was punched through the wall. "Looks like it might work."

"Pfft..." The vibration clearly agitated the long snake in the pool. The creature suddenly surged forth, draping one end of its body onto the shore. Its body was thick, and the end touching the ground was clearly its head. That head was covered in spikes, making its entire body resemble a giant morning star mace.

"Damn it!" A blast of green liquid hit Old Liu's clothes, immediately causing white smoke to rise. He shivered and cursed, "Good thing we didn't go into that pool. It's a whole tank of sulfuric acid."

Ye Xiu raised his Heavenly Scrutiny Sword again, having no mind to listen to Old Liu's complaints. His eyes lit up as he unleashed the divine sense technique of the Heavenly Scrutiny. The flaming longsword struck the hollow stone wall, and with a loud clang, a large hole was pierced through the wall. Suddenly, a strong gale blew in from the opening, almost pushing Ye Xiu into the pool. "It's through! It really connected!"

"Aoooah!" The sudden gust of wind made the serpentine monster shudder violently. It threw its head back and began wildly striking the ground. As a result, the green pool water splashed out, rushing towards the two men like a tidal wave.

"Ice Curse!" Old Liu sprinted to Ye Xiu's side, raising one hand to try and block the green liquid with a layer of ice. But the liquid was clearly no ordinary substance; even the ice summoned by the curse dissolved instantly. Old Liu cried out, "I can't hold it! Let's go!"

"Boom!" Ye Xiu unleashed his black flame, incinerating the falling green liquid. He leaped up, standing on the stone wall, coldly observing the monster. "This thing seems terrified of the wind!"

"Aren't you going to figure out how to open that wall completely?" Old Liu thrust the Ghost Executioner into the stone, but his strength seemed insufficient. Watching the monster frolic in the pool made him uneasy. "This thing has no eyes; it can't see us at all."

Ye Xiu smiled faintly, letting his body slide down to stand right beside the draft of wind. He pointed at the monster's mace-like head. "That head looks quite hard; perfect for borrowing."

"Hoo..." The monster shook its head as if it understood Ye Xiu’s intent. It circled once and then smashed down violently towards Ye Xiu's position. The mace head struck with a deafening crash, narrowly missed by Ye Xiu. The stone wall behind him couldn't withstand the attack; the area around the small hole collapsed. Consequently, the wind poured in even more fiercely, making the monster shiver all over.

Old Liu came fighting against the wind and happened to lean over the opening. Seeing the white clouds suspended outside, he roared in astonishment, "We're in the sky! We're actually in the sky!"

"Hurry up and leave! This thing is going berserk!" The monster, agitated by the wind, plunged back into the pool, but the other end of its body leaped out entirely. It turned out the other end was also shaped like a mace. Now, its long, round body surged forward, about to crush Old Liu. Ye Xiu rushed over and kicked out, sending Old Liu and himself flying through the opening in the wall. "Why aren't you flying up on your sword? Are you trying to die with this monster?"

"Waaah-ya-ha!" Old Liu tumbled in the air, and the Ghost Executioner sword had already flown up by itself. He snatched the long sword and descended in a glide. It turned out this entire space was suspended amidst layers of white clouds. Four triangular, cone-shaped cliff faces floated at the cardinal points. Beneath them, four pipes of differently colored, viscous material swayed in the wind. In the center of the cliffs was a dry basin, and carved into the basin floor was a single, massive character: Mo (Demon).