"This is the true terror of the Ghost Legion Script, hahaha." Gui Yin chuckled, and it wasn't just the one beneath Ye Xiu's blade; all the surrounding Gui Yin laughed too. Each of them moved, looked, and stood with identical expressions.

Enraged by the cacophony of laughter coming from both sides, Ye Xiu didn't hesitate. He swung his demon blade in a fluid motion, severing the Gui Yin's head. Endless black blood flooded his face, hot and acrid. If these figures were mere illusions, he knew that killing this one would make the rest vanish.

"You think that will be the end of me?" A nearby Gui Yin slowly approached the corpse, picked up the severed head, and laughed, "Every one of me is a real entity, and every one of me possesses the same strength."

"What!" Ye Xiu found it hard to believe, yet his body was already seized from behind and kicked away. The demon blade, sent flying by the momentum, was snatched mid-air by the Gui Yin in front. At this moment, even Ye Xiu felt a sliver of fear. If what Gui Yin said was true, facing dozens of opponents of his own strength simultaneously was unthinkable. He flipped and landed lightly, then surged forward with a burst of speed, snatching up the Tianyi that had also fallen. But as he turned back, he froze in astonishment.

Every shadow in that line now clutched a demon blade. It wasn't just the men; there were now dozens of demon blades as well.

The Gui Yin offered no more words. Instead, every one of them sheathed their blades simultaneously and assumed the previous Bato (Drawing the Sword) posture.

Ye Xiu rose one-handed, bracing himself. The instant he fully gripped Tianyi again, his entire body vibrated. A flood of scenes—mountains of corpses and seas of blood—erupted in his mind. What were those? In his memory, he saw Gui Yin training the Ghost Legion Script beneath molten lava and atop sheer cliffs, raising the demon blade while standing solitary over thousands of bodies. In that moment, every technique, every experience, every surge of malevolence belonging to Gui Yin flooded into Ye Xiu’s body. Tianyi and the Purple Smoke Chain ignited once more with blazing purple flames. Ye Xiu closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, raising his sword with his right hand while lightly tracing the edge with the index finger of his left. A single drop of blood bloomed upon the blade, reflecting a sunset's glow onto Tianyi.

“Ghost Legion Script • Bato • Ten Thousand Slashes.” This phrase issued simultaneously from the mouths of dozens of Gui Yin. The reverberation was enough to move all living things. They tilted their bodies, all hands resting on their scabbards, their speed and power perfectly matched. Their target was as intense as the killing intent in their eyes. In that moment, it seemed that everything under heaven and earth that passed through the Gui Yin’s killing formation was destined only for annihilation.

Ye Xiu kept his eyes closed. The precious sword Tianyi, having tasted the blood of both Ye Xiu and Gui Yin, had fused with an even more bizarre killing technique. Ye Xiu ascended into the air with his sword held in one hand. Under the illumination of the setting sun's glow, nothing living possessed any chance of survival. After he quietly uttered, "Tianyi • Fading Light Shines Upon Evening," the entire world was enveloped in a sickly, deathly yellow hue.

In an instant, a purple silhouette cut through the countless black shadows at high speed within the lingering light. Now, there was no sound of clashing blades to be heard, nor any trace of vendetta or hatred. Between heaven and earth, there was only one outcome: a single power had claimed dominion over the entire world.

Ye Xiu turned and thrust Tianyi into the stone slab where his body struggled to kneel. Blood still streamed ceaselessly from his form. All the techniques and power had vanished from his mind. His memories were suddenly chaotic, as if every soul slain by the Tianyi sword had surged into his body at the same time. Those vicious sword moves and footwork had imprinted themselves onto him—a habit, a habit of killing.

"As expected, resistance is futile..." The throats of all the Gui Yin were sliced open, their black blood spraying out and polluting the once pristine Bamboo Grove Hermitage. "To be utilized by the Sect Master was worth it."

"What did you say?" Ye Xiu glared at the remaining Gui Yin with a hint of hatred. "What is this utilization by the Sect Master, what is the blood of the Four Underworlds, and what is the reopening of the Sword Eye?"

Chuff... With a sound, most of the Gui Yin forms collapsed to the ground. Only the one before Ye Xiu, along with his demon blade, remained standing.

The Gui Yin stumbled toward Ye Xiu, raising the demon blade high with both hands as he looked down at him.

The gleam of the demon blade shot directly across Ye Xiu’s face, and he felt an inexpressible killing intent. Had Gui Yin not given up yet?

Thud... The Gui Yin slammed the demon blade deeply into a thick stone slab beside him, then knelt before Ye Xiu. He smirked, saying, "I trust that the memories of my Ghost Legion Script, related through that bloodthirsty sword, have now merged into your being. So, please, preserve this demon blade for me now."

"Memories! Demon Blade." Ye Xiu suddenly recalled the visions of Gui Yin he had seen in his mind. So, his ability to grow stronger step by step relied entirely on Tianyi absorbing the killing techniques of those departed souls. He couldn't accept it at once—he had truly been controlled by a sword all along.

Pfft... After speaking these final words, the Gui Yin exploded, his entire body disintegrating. His unique black blood soaked Ye Xiu completely. The Dark Helmsman, Gui Yin, had also died by the hand of Ye Xiu’s Tianyi.

Ye Xiu's body could no longer sustain itself. The harder he tried to rationalize things, the more blank his mind became. He suddenly felt an intense headache and overwhelming heaviness. Finally, at that moment, he collapsed, falling directly into a soft, fragrant embrace as gentle and warm as a hot spring.

Xue Nu looked at Ye Xiu with heartbreak. During that recent battle, no one dared to intervene. The killing intent in the bamboo grove was so potent that even the novice assassins engaging in the slaughter across the outer island dared not approach. She herself only dared to come forward after the murderous aura had receded. She gently helped Ye Xiu back into the small hermitage, removing his upper garments to tend to his wounds.

"Ji Jiang, Xu'er... don't leave me!" Ye Xiu cried out two names in his pained sleep. He desperately wanted to hold Ji Jiang’s and Xu’er’s hands and never let go. At that moment, the warmth in his palm felt so real; he truly felt he was grasping them.

Xue Nu's hand was held fast by Ye Xiu. Her tender eyes shimmered with faint tears—tears that held both happiness and bitterness. She felt as if she could no longer forget this man before her. She smoothed the long folds of her blue skirt and leaned down to look closely at the man who had somehow changed her.

"Xue'er, leave this place with me, let's go together, together." Ye Xiu's dream had not ended. He cried out, and with surprising force, pulled Xue Nu into his embrace. "Come away with me, Xue'er."

Xue Nu offered a faint smile. She nestled against Ye Xiu, feeling the warmth of his skin. She hadn't expected to feature in a man's dream. For the first time, she experienced the tenderness of human affection. She could no longer restrain herself, gently pressing her icy-thin lips against Ye Xiu's chest. Time stopped.