After the blinding flash subsided, the two figures drifted back down onto the plaza. The exchange of blows, strike for strike, had ended not with world-shattering effect, but with Jun Bugu and Yan Shangcheng standing back-to-back, seemingly having inflicted no harm on the other.

"So, Tian Shu is both mutually attractive and mutually repellent. Neither of these two was willing to truly wound the other?" Yan Shangcheng realized something. In his view, his sword thrust had clearly passed through Jun Bugu’s chest, yet everything that had just transpired was an illusion. "How can this be?"

Jun Bugu let out a long breath. He had anticipated a fierce battle, but the outcome was this: "Mad Pulse Tian Shu and Absolute Pulse Tian Shu inherently suppress and attract one another, so the two of us must also..."

"Enough, since we can't fight, let's figure out how to face Sha Jun Tianxia together in the final battle at Mount Sumeru!" Ye Xiu clapped Jun Bugu on the shoulder. "The righteous path in the Boundless Realm doesn't have many members, and Sha Jun Tianxia's strength is far beyond what we can imagine."

Yan Shangcheng became somewhat intrigued by Sha Jun Tianxia. He nonchalantly prepared to leap off Myriad Dao Mountain. "I will absolutely attend the final battle at Mount Sumeru. I believe the people of the Bone Sect will be there too. You must not stop what I intend to do!"

Jun Bugu glanced at Yan Shangcheng with a hint of mischief, replying lazily, "It's not even certain that I'll go to that battle. How could I stop you, honestly?"

"Hmph, that’s for the best then!" Yan Shangcheng flickered and vanished from Myriad Dao Mountain. His body had fully recovered, and his objective remained deeply mysterious.

"He must be working for the Witch Maiden!" Ye Xiu watched Yan Shangcheng's retreating figure without much suspicion. "I imagine the Witch Maiden will also be present. This promises to be a feast of the ages."

"Right, Ye Xiu, weren't you supposed to report back to the Demon Insect Gate?" Jun Bugu spread his hands, signaling for Ye Xiu to take him away. "The Drought Fiend Insect Emperor won't let this go without seeing me and Absolute Blade. Right now, we seem to still be able to rely on the strength of the Demon Insect Gate."

Ye Xiu nodded. "I heard that after completing this task, the Drought Fiend Insect Emperor will teach me the ultimate power of the Soul of a Hundred Insects. But is it truly wise to hand Absolute Blade over to him?"

"Didn't you hand over the Gate of Heaven to the Insect Emperor back then? If you take Absolute Blade back, aren't you afraid he might obtain the legendary Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade?" Old Liu was certainly not someone who would willingly suffer a loss. "In my opinion, the righteous path has already declined. I wonder what role the Bone Sect will play in this battle."

"The Bone Sect... speaking of which, Canaan’s forces are still besieging the Demon Insect Gate. I might as well head back and check it out." Ye Xiu suddenly had an idea regarding the matter of the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade; there was another angle. "We have absolutely no idea how to synthesize the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade. Why don't we just hand everything over to the Insect Emperor and let him decide? Once the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade is forged, I believe, with the current strength of Ye Xiu and Jun Bugu, we can certainly succeed in snatching it back."

Hearing Ye Xiu’s words, Old Liu burst out laughing. "Alright, Death God. After mixing around in the Boundless Realm for so long, your brain has finally become sharp. You actually know how to use others."

"There's no time to waste. I fear the Insect Emperor's Evil Eye might already have seen this place. Let's part ways here." Ye Xiu took Jun Bugu, and the two leaped off Myriad Dao Mountain. "This separation likely means we won't meet again until the battle at Mount Sumeru. Be careful then; don't die!"

"Don't worry, I'll definitely die after you. Hurry up and go," Old Liu made a gesture of invitation, watching the pair fly down the mountain. "Ye Xiu has always held a deep grudge regarding the matter of Sha Jun Tianxia. Back then, he severed one half of the Underworld's Twin Saint Swords, the Day Origin Slaughter. Just how high is Sha Jun Tianxia’s power now?"

"Reporting to the Gate Master!" At that moment, a disciple flew down from the sky, holding a message cylinder in his hand. "This is an invitation from the Bone Sect."

"A Bone Sect invitation?" Old Liu opened it and saw only script he couldn't decipher. He coughed and simply told the disciple, "My eyes have been poor lately. Read it to me."

The disciple looked doubtful but dared not disobey Old Liu. He read softly, "The Bone Sect Master, (Jialouluo), regarding the matter of Sha Jun Tianxia, invites all sects and clans of the Boundless Realm to convene at Desolate Bone City in three days to discuss the grand plan of conquest. Attendance is mandatory!"

"Sect Master Jialouluo?" Old Liu certainly knew of this Jialouluo; he had heard about this Third Sect Master from Ye Xiu long ago. "Isn't the leader of the Bone Sect that Second Sect Master, Canaan? When did the leadership change hands?"

The disciple bowed his head. "Canaan is dead. Jialouluo is now in charge of Desolate Bone City."

"Heh, the internal fighting skills of these brothers are truly fierce." Old Liu shook his head. People of royal lineage stir up trouble wherever they go; it's much easier to be a commoner.

...

Within the Thousand Cave Insect Palace, the Drought Fiend Insect Emperor had temporarily recovered from the pain of his Evil Eye affliction. He looked up and remarked, "The Evil Eye cannot be used too frequently; it needs several days of rest. Ye Xiu has been gone for so long—could it be that..."

With the Demon Ant Strategist dead, the only attendants beside the Insect Emperor were Spider Consort, Snake Beauty, and Ant One. "Hall Master Ye has been out for several days. Is the Insect Emperor worried?"

"You three have followed Ye Xiu for some time now. What kind of person is Ye Xiu?" The Insect Emperor remained uneasy. Jun Bugu and Ye Xiu were friends; if they conspired together to take Absolute Blade, he would have no recourse.

Spider Consort smiled sweetly, full of praise for Ye Xiu. "It can be said that the three of our lives were saved by Hall Master Ye. If it hadn't been for Hall Master Ye when we were pursued by men from Demon Peak Gate, we would surely have died long ago."

The Drought Fiend Insect Emperor was slightly satisfied, though his suspicion still outweighed the words of others. He was inherently someone who trusted no one. "Are you speaking the absolute truth?"

"There is not a single word of falsehood," Snake Beauty and Ant One also stepped forward to bow. "Hall Master Ye does have a flaw: he likes to work alone in everything he does; he is too individualistic."

"Hmm, individualism implies he has the strength for it!" The Drought Fiend Insect Emperor lacked formidable generals by his side now; naturally, he had to cultivate Ye Xiu into one. However, in the end, he needed to use the Evil Eye one last time. "Let me see for myself first!"

In the gloomy cavern, Ye Xiu and Jun Bugu had just burrowed underground. In a short while, they arrived inside the Thousand Cave Insect Palace.

"Ye Xiu, you have finally returned." Seeing this scene, the Drought Fiend Insect Emperor instantly regretted not restraining himself; this turned out to be a waste of one use of the Evil Eye. He also began to believe in Ye Xiu from the bottom of his heart.

Before Ye Xiu could even announce his return, the Insect Emperor realized everything, making Ye Xiu sigh at his own lapse in judgment. "Ye Xiu has returned with Jun Bugu to pay respects to the Insect Emperor."

"Insect Emperor, this is Absolute Blade!" Jun Bugu wasn't foolish; his purpose in returning was to stay with Ye Xiu to seek the method of synthesizing the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade and reclaiming them.

The Insect Emperor slowly moved before the two and raised his hand, finally grasping the peerless treasured blade. "Indeed, a fine blade. Now that the Gate of Heaven and Absolute Blade are both in hand, the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade will be fully formed after the battle at Mount Sumeru!"

Ye Xiu observed the smiling faces of the subordinates around him, guessing the Insect Emperor’s mood was good. He stepped forward and asked, "Why must the synthesis of the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade wait until the battle at Mount Sumeru?"

"Ye Xiu, you are unaware. The birth of the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade requires an extremely harsh environment filled with intense slaughter and gore." The Drought Fiend Insect Emperor also picked up the Gate of Heaven. Both peerless treasures were now in his sole possession. "Such an environment can only be found at Mount Sumeru in a few days' time."

"I see." Ye Xiu nodded and glanced at Jun Bugu; the two exchanged a silent understanding, having agreed to keep an eye on the divine weapons in the Insect Emperor's hands that day at Mount Sumeru. "The ultimate power of the Soul of a Hundred Insects that the Insect Emperor mentioned last time—your subordinate is ignorant, I truly do not know what it is?"

The Drought Fiend Insect Emperor knew Ye Xiu was concerned about this matter and was not vague. "The ultimate power of the Soul of a Hundred Insects is the miraculous method to activate the Soul of a Hundred Insects within your body, allowing you the ability to manifest a hundred insects."

"Manifest a hundred insects?" Hearing this, Ye Xiu immediately thought of Old Liu's low-tier Strange Beast Path. Now it seemed he wasn't much better than that; at least Liu was a beast, while all he could do was transform into insects.

Jun Bugu also found this magical upon hearing it. "Manifest a hundred insects? Doesn't that make escaping easier? Haha, what a cultivation!"

The Drought Fiend Insect Emperor poked Ye Xiu’s forehead with a single finger. That streak of white light traveled through Ye Xiu’s entire body, causing him to tremble violently. "You might not be used to it at first, but your limbs should now be able to transform into insect appendages."

Spider Consort approached Ye Xiu with a cheerful smile. "Congratulations, Hall Master Ye. Hall Master Ye, why don't you try quickly, see if you can utilize the strength of spider legs."

"You want me to climb the wall?" Ye Xiu looked at his hands, and fine, tiny hairs immediately sprouted. He leaped onto the wall—he could truly adhere to it. "This ability is quite useful. Are there any others?"

"I am wondering if your body can now twist as freely as we snakes," Snake Beauty materialized and coiled around Ye Xiu. "Hall Master Ye, try it."

Ye Xiu gritted his teeth and struggled to twist. Although he couldn't move like a real snake, his body's flexibility had increased significantly. "It's not a big problem, but it's certainly not as gracefully twisted as yours."

Seeing Ye Xiu’s state, the Drought Fiend Insect Emperor felt a slight sense of relief. But contemplating that the Demon Insect Gate now lacked fierce generals, if he didn't cultivate Ye Xiu to his best, how could the Demon Insect Gate rise? "We recently received an invitation from Desolate Bone City. I didn't expect the Bone Sect to undergo such a drastic change."

"Right, wasn't Canaan still besieging the Thousand Cave Insect Palace?" Ye Xiu finally remembered this matter. He looked around, "Why don't I see the Demon Ant Strategist? Has the Insect Emperor already repelled Canaan and the Bone Sect forces?"

The Insect Emperor sighed lightly and pointed to the broken walls and ruins inside the hall. "Canaan's strength was indeed formidable. Even the Demon Ant Strategist using the Myriad Toxin Pearl could only result in a routed retreat. The Myriad Toxin Pearl was destroyed, and the Strategist was killed by Canaan."