"This is..." the Watchman leaned out, his serpentine head tasting the air, astonishment etched on his face. "Master, what exactly is this mist? I can feel immense power within her."

"Mist? You call me mist, you little snake!" Su Su shot back, sharp-tongued, unable to resist surveying the Watchman with contempt. "I am perfectly aware of my own strength; I don't need you gawking at me. Ah! Master, why did you call me out?"

Ye Xiu found Su Su's pampered arrogance tiresome. He waved a hand, cutting off their bickering with weary resignation. "Enough, you two. Stop fighting. I called you out because there's something I need. Look down at that Demon Pool—can you sense anything from it?"

Su Su drifted out, circling the square pool from above, and scoffed, "Master, you call this pool of soul energy a 'Demon Pool'? Have you stayed in this realm so long you've forgotten what true Soul Essence is supposed to be?"

"Soul Essence?" Ye Xiu was thunderstruck. This was nothing like the soul energy he had previously encountered. "Whether it was the Soul Essence on Han Xin or the one inside Shun Yi, it manifested as floating clouds. This pool is filled with water—how can this be called Soul Essence?"

Old Liu sighed, acknowledging Ye Xiu’s limited understanding, even for a Death God. "Hey, Ye Xiu, stop arguing with Su Su. Your knowledge of the Death Realm probably isn't much better than mine. Just listen to her."

Su Su nodded approvingly at Old Liu. "Old Liu is more perceptive. Master, why did you want me to look at this soul energy? Do you intend to acquire it?"

Ye Xiu pointed irritably at the Watchman. "I want to know if the water in this Demon Pool has any connection to the Death Gods."

"The passage of Death Gods is ancient history in the Boundless Realm; I hadn't even been conceived then. How would I know? Besides, the Fire Purgatory is in the lower world; even the Death Gods probably don't know this place exists," the Watchman muttered somewhat aggrievedly. "However, I do know of an interface between the Fire Purgatory and the upper world. That interface lies at the bottom of the Sorrowful Water River, deep within the Desolate Abyss!"

"The Sorrowful Water River, I've been there," Ye Xiu replied, knowing the place well—the woman in the pleasure boat on that river must be the Saint Empress of Ten Thousand Demons. "The Desolate Abyss. I'll remember this place. Perhaps one day I can visit and see what relationship that unstable energy has with the Death God Soul Essence."

The Watchman shook his head in confusion. "The Desolate Abyss isn't visible to just anyone. Only those who feel absolute desolation deep in their hearts can encounter that place. There is a guardian there named the Woman-Infant Ghost, and she is not someone to be trifled with."

Old Liu chuckled upon hearing it was a woman. "A woman? What can't be handled?"

Su Su, growing impatient with their conversation, shook Ye Xiu. "Master, are you choosing me or this little blue snake? What exactly did you pull me out here for?"

Ye Xiu shot Old Liu a sidelong glance before returning to the main issue. He pointed at the Demon Pool. "Can you absorb all the soul energy in this Demon Pool? I need to open the passage to the realm beneath it."

"All the soul energy? Master, are you certain?" Su Su’s face stretched out in disbelief as she looked at Ye Xiu. "The properties of the soul energy here are varied, and the energy levels differ. The critical factor is injecting an excessive amount all at once—your body simply cannot handle it."

"Then... what if you were the one to bear this soul energy?" Ye Xiu was acutely aware of his own condition; even a slight intrusion of external energy could prove fatal now. "I recall the Jade Ring should be capable of storing Soul Essence, right?"

Su Su nodded, not showing much objection. "Absorbing all this soul energy isn't impossible, but this particular energy is somewhat abnormal. It probably won't remain stable in the Jade Ring for long. If a vessel isn't found to receive it within ten days, I might not be able to contain it either."

Ye Xiu thought it over carefully. Since he had reached the second level of the Demon Quelling Pavilion, obtaining the Great Profound Dao Incantation seemed necessary to unlock his Heavenly Dao cultivation. For now, he could only play along with the situation. "Once the soul energy enters you, I should be able to utilize it. There will be some expenditure here, certainly. Besides, once we find the Great Profound Dao Incantation formula, we can use that technique to channel the soul energy. The problem shouldn't be too great."

"That's what you say, but the risks involved..." Su Su, being the manifestation of the Soul Stone Jade Ring, reminded Ye Xiu, "If the time limit passes and the Jade Ring can no longer withstand this power, all this soul energy will automatically flood into your body, Master. I fear..."

Ye Xiu understood immediately. He waved his hand toward the Demon Pool. "Hurry up and absorb that Demon Pool water."

"Yes, Master." True to her loyalty, Su Su circled the pool a few times. A cloud of purple mist suddenly enveloped the entire body of water. From the mist, a violent tornado erupted, sucking the water from the Demon Pool upward, a spectacle as magical as a dragon drinking the sea.

Old Liu watched the situation unfold, worrying for Ye Xiu. He clapped Ye Xiu on the shoulder. "Hey, have you thought this through? Your body can't tolerate any external forces. If this batch of soul energy isn't released, I don't want to be the one burying a Death God in the Boundless Realm."

"I'm risking everything to reach the third level of the Demon Quelling Pavilion, so what you need to do is figure out what this Great Profound Dao Incantation is as quickly as possible," Ye Xiu gave Old Liu a look of trust, smiling calmly as if the danger were nothing. "Besides, I'm curious how the unstable energy of the lower world can be so similar to Soul Essence."

"Ah, they say curiosity killed the cat; now it seems curiosity might kill a Death God," Old Liu countered, rolling his eyes at Ye Xiu before squatting down to watch the spectacle. "Not just a Death God; perhaps it'll take a Daoist like me down too."

The purple mist gradually thickened, obscuring the Demon Pool from the naked eye. The tornado acted like a massive straw, draining the pool water and merging it into the smoke. At that moment, a brilliant purple light flashed, and Su Su, along with the entire pool of soul energy, contracted into the Jade Ring in Ye Xiu's hand.

"Hoo... that was taxing!" Ye Xiu lifted a finger and sighed deeply in relief. If Su Su hadn't been there, no one could have absorbed that torrent of power. He turned to the Watchman. "Alright, the Demon Pool water is dealt with. What's the next step?"

The Watchman had been paralyzed by the sight, and his gaze toward Ye Xiu was now filled with absolute reverence. "Mas... Master, your power is truly beyond my comprehension. Next, you simply need to inject the power of your Dao art into that character for 'Demon.' The door to the third level of the Demon Quelling Pavilion will open. At least, that's how the Daoist back then did it."

"Wait... wait a moment..." Old Liu interrupted the Watchman abruptly, pressing for details. "How did that Daoist back then absorb the entire contents of the Demon Pool? Can this Demon Pool water regenerate?"

The Watchman pointed to the four surrounding mountains. "As long as someone steps into the Demon Quelling Pavilion and reaches these four mountains, the Demon Pool water will refill, just as it was when you arrived. That Daoist, when first stepping onto the third level, couldn't find another way through experimentation, so he absorbed the demon water himself and fell to demonhood."

"And where is he now?" Ye Xiu still distrusted the Watchman and glared at him fiercely. "Don't tell me that fellow never came out after entering."

"Yes, you could say that," the Watchman confirmed. "Master, I have absolutely no reason to deceive you. The Daoist back then entered the third level, created the Great Profound Dao Incantation, and passed on one ten-thousandth of its mystery to another junior Daoist. He himself has never left the third level."

"That junior Daoist was?" Old Liu already had a suspicion. On the entire Myriad Dao Mountain, only one person knew the Great Profound Dao Incantation: the now-frozen Limitless Dao Master. "Was it the Lord of Myriad Daos, Limitless?"

The Watchman nodded, daring not conceal anything. "The Limitless Dao Master only got a superficial glimpse of the Great Profound Dao Incantation, so he couldn't wield the full might of the complete formula. As for the secrets within the third level of the Demon Quelling Pavilion, I truly do not know."

"In that case, we have to go down and check it out!" Ye Xiu grinned, leaping into the Demon Pool. A biting cold emanated from his steps. He looked down; the enormous character for 'Demon' was right beside him. "I thought this pool was carved from stone, but it feels soft and yielding underfoot."

Old Liu and the Watchman followed him down. Old Liu tested the ground a few times and laughed. "It requires Dao art to drive the Demon character to open the door. Shall I try first?"

Ye Xiu nodded and stepped back with the Watchman. To Ye Xiu, although the Demon character looked carved from stone, the arrangement of the black rock resembled calligraphy strokes. What mysteries lay beyond this barrier that could withstand the Ghost Mask?

"Ice Spell Break!" Old Liu specialized in ice-elemental techniques. He sent a palm strike, and ice shards immediately formed around the Demon character, rapidly encasing it. Yet, the scene remained unchanged. "Damn it, is my Dao art not strong enough?"

"Master, perhaps you need to use the power you hold," the Watchman had doubted Old Liu from the start. He watched the flow of Dao art in the pool. "It is indeed a potent Dao art, but it doesn't seem to resonate with the unstable energy."

Ye Xiu mocked Old Liu. "It seems I, the half-baked Daoist, must demonstrate for you what true Dao power looks like."

"Joking! A Death God possessing the power of an ancient, strange Dao?" Old Liu knew Ye Xiu's strength, but he found it impossible to accept—a Death God containing Dao art and Buddhist teachings. It was truly a thousand-year joke.

"This is not just Dao art; it's an integration of the strengths of the Fire Purgatory and the upper region of the Boundless Realm," the Watchman's cultivation wasn't high, but he understood the intertwining of energies in the entire realm. "It's not just powerful Dao art that opens this door. One key fits one lock; all we need is the right word!"