The Guardian retracted the Bagua, and the dust and smoke vanished instantly upon Old Liu's Ghost Punishment blade: "The energy within the Fire Diagram Purgatory is inherently unstable and exhibits various attributes. As long as it possesses the ability to absorb True Spirits, one can claim this energy for oneself, so..."

"So that Taoist from Myriad Dao Mountain imprisoned you all to experiment with this spirit-absorbing power." Ye Xiu found the idea intriguing; such energy existing was much like the Soul Energy required by the Death God, and it too carried diverse attributes. "I just want to know if that fellow's experiment succeeded?"

Old Liu grinned triumphantly, shaking the Ghost Punishment in his hand: "That's a foolish question, Death God. Judging by the might imbued in my Ghost Punishment, it must have succeeded!"

The Guardian nodded and honestly replied, "The Taoist succeeded, which is why the Demon Pool below exists!"

"The Demon Pool..." Ye Xiu glanced down. Cracks were already appearing beneath the triangular cone mountain, and a crimson liquid was being transported through the pipes. The Demon Pool below was being filled by four pipes, almost to the point of overflowing. "So that's how it is, but this power doesn't seem to have manifested in the Immortal Realm yet."

"Because no one is willing to submit their body to the demonic transformation!" The Guardian pointed downwards. As the four colors of water in the Demon Pool mixed, they became even more turbid, and a strange, suffocating gas rose from the surface, emitting an unbearable odor. "The research of the Taoist of Myriad Dao Mountain was only half-complete. He could achieve this effect through the method of weapon-demonic transformation, but the result was far from ideal. I believe your longsword has already experienced this."

Old Liu looked at the Ghost Punishment, having sensed it during their previous battles: "Indeed, during every fight, the Ghost Punishment gradually absorbs the opponent's power, whatever that power may be, achieving a certain effect. But the effect is neither significant nor swift."

"The first reason is that the power you absorb is not as unstable as the energy within the Fire Diagram Purgatory; the second is that weapon-demonic transformation simply cannot achieve the optimal absorption effect." The Guardian sighed slightly, "It's because humans are never satisfied; they always strive for perfect power."

Ye Xiu examined the Demon Pool closely; the rolling, endless bubbles were indeed repulsive: "Why couldn't the Taoist submit his own body to the demonic transformation to obtain this power? Wouldn't that have achieved his goal?"

"Look at these..." The Guardian clapped his hands, and a yellow light illuminated the area. It turned out there were skeletons lying in the shadows—creatures that were neither human nor ghost, their bodies rotted, with organs hanging outside their skeletons. Clearly visible were the Taoist robes on their bodies. "The Taoist brought countless people for experiments, but their forms were utterly destroyed; they either turned into monsters or died from being unable to accept the power. The facts prove that an ordinary body cannot withstand this endless absorption of power."

"Hah..." Old Liu also sighed, looking at those disgusting things. "I still have one question: why do you call Ye Xiu 'Master'? By what right can he open that door just now?"

The Guardian pointed at Ye Xiu's chest: "Only those who possess Supreme Dao Methods can open the Profound Gate. Master must have considerable Dao Method within him; this complements the Great Profound Dao Curse on the third floor of the Demon Quelling Pavilion."

Hearing this, Old Liu’s eyes widened, and he laughed at Ye Xiu: "So that fellow named Tian Dao Yi indeed bestowed powerful Dao Methods upon you. I never realized they were hidden so deeply, not even noticed by someone like Ghost Mask?"

"Never mind others; even I never sensed it myself. However..." Ye Xiu suddenly recalled the white light that flashed during the battle with the giant beetle. "You mentioned this power is related to the Great Profound Dao Curse on the third floor. Do you know how to descend to the third floor of the Demon Quelling Pavilion using the Demon Pool?"

The Guardian pondered before continuing, "Here, I must explain one more thing to Master. The original Taoist abandoned the idea of submitting his physical body to the demonic transformation, but he created a Dao Method—the so-called Great Profound Dao Curse. This curse can infuse the power of the Demon Pool into the spell itself. Therefore, mastering the Great Profound Dao Curse can also achieve the goal of absorbing that unstable power."

Old Liu found it increasingly esoteric, but that only made it more interesting. He interrupted the Guardian and asked, "If that is the case, you had better tell your Master how to enter the third floor of the Demon Quelling Pavilion, and how to obtain the Great Profound Dao Curse!"

The Guardian tossed the Bagua, and a beam of yellow light shone down the mountain onto the Demon Pool, causing the disgusting water to bubble furiously: "I only know that the Great Profound Dao Curse is hidden within the third floor of the Demon Quelling Pavilion. To reach the third floor, the demonic water of the Demon Pool must be absorbed and transferred. In other words, a container capable of being completely demonized is required!"

"Completely demonized?" Ye Xiu swallowed hard. The rotting skeletons were still nearby. Submitting his flesh to the demonic transformation seemed like smashing an egg against a rock. He gripped the twin swords in his hand and asked, "What about continuing to use the weapons we have?"

"I don't know about that. I am only ordered to guard these creatures from the Fire Diagram Purgatory." The Guardian pulled up his cloak. Even though he addressed Ye Xiu as Master, his duty was merely to reveal secrets of the lower levels of the Immortal Realm to his master. "All variables are beyond the knowledge of creatures from the Fire Diagram Purgatory."

Old Liu walked toward the great door. The wind stirred his hair, and the water in the Demon Pool below rippled heavily in response: "Since my Ghost Punishment was born from the creation of the Demon Pool, absorbing a little more of it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Hurry and try!" Ye Xiu also walked to Old Liu's side. The Great Profound Dao Curse residing on the third floor of the Demon Quelling Pavilion seemed connected to the Dao Method within his body. This meant this trip to the Demon Quelling Pavilion was also a matter of his own safety.

"Ghost Punishment, go!" Old Liu nodded, summoning the Ghost Punishment to fly straight down and plunge into the Demon Pool. A dark red light slowly rose from the Ghost Punishment’s teeth. By the time it reached every part of the blade, the red light flashed brilliantly, launching the Ghost Punishment sword high into the sky. Old Liu leaped up to catch it in mid-air and exclaimed in shock, "How could this be! The Ghost Punishment bounced back on its own."

The Guardian frowned, his blue eyes looking exceptionally strange: "It seems this sword has absorbed its saturation limit of demonic energy. Enhancing its power seems unlikely."

Seeing that hope was lost, Ye Xiu raised the Sky's Citadel and the Sky Gaze Sword. He sprang into the air and, as he approached the Demon Pool, cast the twin swords down separately. The Sky's Citadel and the Sky Gaze Sword crossed paths, and as their tips touched the surface of the Demon Pool water, a flash of light erupted, bouncing both swords back as well: "How is this possible? These two swords have never absorbed any of the Demon Pool water before!"

The Guardian circled beneath the mountain and stared intently before explaining, "Master, the water of the Demon Pool seems to strongly repel the two longswords in your hands. It is said that demonic things and righteous objects fundamentally cannot pass through each other."

"Righteous objects?" It could be understood if the Sky's Citadel was considered righteous, but could the Death Realm Sword Demon's Sky Gaze Sword also be regarded as something filled with righteousness? Ye Xiu sighed deeply, feeling rather helpless. "If weapons don't work, what else is there? Must we truly submit our bodies to the demonic transformation?"

"Should I try the Thin Face Blade then?" Old Liu pulled out the Thin Face Blade. His cultivation of the blade had advanced so much that it had long lost its edge. He was about to throw it when the Guardian stopped him.

"It's useless. How much demonic energy can a single weapon absorb?" His gaze suddenly shifted to the jade ring on Ye Xiu's finger. He leaned forward and asked, "Master, this jade ring in your hand seems to emit some energy. This energy appears somewhat similar to the unstable energy of the lower world."

"Susu?" Ye Xiu almost forgot that Susu had the ability to absorb Soul Energy. However, this was not the Death God's domain, and the unstable energy the Guardian spoke of might not be Soul Energy. He shook his finger, summoning Susu, "Susu, come out quickly, it's time for you to show your skills."

"Aiya..." After a burst of purple mist, Susu appeared, wearing a sexy little skirt, stretching lazily as she floated next to Ye Xiu. She glanced at the blue-eyed Guardian and immediately jumped in fright, "Where did this little snake come from? Master, where is this place?"

《Preview: The archives are entering the Demon Realm, tracking the plot of the Demon Realm Primordial Fetus that killed Jun Tianxia. More exciting content is being compiled. Two chapters will be released this month on the 18th, at 10:18 AM and 9:18 PM. We ask readers for their understanding, and please continue to collect and slay.》