That long, tragic cry, filled with infinite rage, shot up like a pillar of sound from the lake's surface, causing the very air around to ripple and surge outward in waves.

The Bronze Supreme felt his eardrums buzzing, as if an energy blow, heavy as a physical punch, had smashed into his mind, rendering his consciousness blank for a thousandth of a second. When he snapped back to awareness, he spun around in horror to see that Zero, who had been restrained beside him, had somehow broken free. Suspended in the air without any help, Zero’s flowing black hair was transforming, strand by strand, from the roots to a blood-red hue, as if soaked in thick gore.

His originally frail body underwent a sudden change: the bones thickened, pushing against the skin until it bulged outward, seemingly on the verge of explosion. He grew nearly two full heads taller, his frame becoming exceptionally broad and imposing. The lines of muscle across his bronze skin were beautifully sculpted, smooth and full of latent power, resembling the body of an ancient War God, radiating boundless killing intent.

His bloodshot, crimson eyes looked as if they might weep tears of blood, filled with sorrow, despair, ferocity, and rage… His gaze moved inch by painstaking inch from the spot where Sifigran’s body had shattered into dust. He stared at the Bronze Supreme with hatred and grief, taut as a steel wire pulled too tight, his contorted face twisted in agony, emitting a low, bestial growl from his throat: “You—die!”

Just two syllables, yet they were saturated with infinite anger and the intent to kill. He no longer possessed any trace of frailty. Like an enraged god of war, his colossal form lunged toward the Bronze Supreme. The skin on the back of his forearm began to writhe rapidly, pushing out a blade of bone, translucent and curved like a sickle moon, aiming directly for the Bronze Supreme’s neck.

The Bronze Supreme’s pupils contracted, and his body flipped backward with the agility of a darting fish, narrowly evading the deadly strike. He looked back, his face instantly drained of color. “Per... Perverse Beast!”

Zero attacked again, roaring like a maddened brute. Sharp blades protruded from both his arms, and a layer of fine, razor-sharp black scales erupted over his fists. In an instant, he unleashed millions of shadowy fist-images, appearing as countless afterimage clones, enveloping the Bronze Supreme’s body. The air rang with the sharp sound of metal shearing, punctuated by piercing sparks and the shrill whirring sound of insect wings beating rapidly.

“Hmph—”

A crisp, sharp sound erupted suddenly. Both the Bronze Supreme and Zero retreated several yards, their chests heaving violently, sweat pouring from their entire bodies. In the Bronze Supreme’s hand, a sharp, translucent black dagger had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Its ink-like edge seemed capable of swallowing light itself, as dark as a deep pool.

The Bronze Supreme was inwardly startled. This person is actually a clone of the [Great Dao]! Back then, the Eight Ancient Clans and the Nine Heavenly Gods joined forces to besiege that ferocious beast, the [Great Dao]. In the end, it self-destructed and perished, its essence blood scattering far and wide across the vast frontiers of the ancient world. Later, anyone infected by this essence blood either burst their body and died if their constitution was weak, or became peerless experts, leaping over the dragon gate, displaying stunning genius and unparalleled grace if they were strong.

The descendants of these individuals similarly carry the essence blood of the [Great Dao] beast within their genetic makeup. They possess exceptional aptitude, coupled with different inherent talents. Through generations of breeding, the power of this essence blood has gradually weakened, resulting in many humans being unable to awaken their innate talents, requiring them to reach a certain physical threshold to activate the ancestral essence blood power dormant in their genes.

The [Great Dao] beast possessed world-shattering might. Its strongest technique was the [Light of Eternal Civilization]. If a Heavenly God were struck by it, it meant instant death! This [Light of Eternal Civilization] was forged from the combination of three thousand distinct talents. Now, these three thousand different talents have evolved into Three Thousand Civilizations in the ancient world. In my Chaos Realm, they have proliferated into the Three Thousand Ancient Families. In other worlds, they have split into Three Thousand Sects, Three Thousand Courts, Three Thousand Divine Palaces, and so on…

Ancient memories, long buried, flooded the Bronze Supreme’s mind. In a flash, he recalled these archaic secrets. Gazing at the panting Zero before him, he mused, “It is said that the [Great Dao] possessed three thousand ‘Reverse Bones,’ and each Reverse Bone recorded an epic, magnificent secret codex—the structure and formation principles of the three thousand talents! When it died, its body exploded, and the three thousand Reverse Bones scattered like shooting stars, moving too fast even for someone of the level of the Goddess of Light to track. They could only watch helplessly as these three thousand Reverse Bones fell into the mortal realm and were reincarnated as humans.”

“As long as the three thousand Reverse Bones have not fully awakened their power, outsiders cannot detect them,” the Bronze Supreme fixed his gaze on Zero. Beneath his dagger-like, thick black eyebrows, his eyes shone like polished stars. “The reincarnations of three Reverse Bones from the three thousand I captured previously are currently confined in the [Abyssal Demon Sea]. I never expected to gain an unexpected prize here!”

He couldn't help but lick his lips excitedly.

Zero caught his breath for a moment before recovering. He raised his head, his blood-red eyes locked onto the Bronze Supreme, and roared as he charged forward once more, like a savage beast driven only by the instinct to slaughter, flailing his fists wildly.

The dagger in the Bronze Supreme’s hand spun among his fingers as deftly as a pencil, effortlessly deflecting the fierce onslaught that crashed around him like an angry, surging tide. This pitch-black dagger, wielded by his long, strong fingers, looked like an exquisite carving tool, and combined with his perfectly paced footwork, his movements were elegant and magnificent; it was impossible to tell he was struggling in a bitter fight—it looked more like a painter sketching a beautiful landscape.

“Aaaargh…” Zero roared, swinging his fists maniacally. Yet, every punch was lightly nudged aside by the minute, sharp edge of the dagger, sending a powerful jarring force back into his fist. If his stance hadn't been so stable, he would have been thrown backward onto his rear.

The more he fought, the fiercer he became, his innate malice swelling. Roaring, he pressed closer, his fists striking out with reckless, overwhelming force.

At first, the Bronze Supreme merely flicked his wrist casually, a faint smile playing on his lips. But slowly, the smile vanished, and his brow began to furrow. Judging by the progressively stronger force emanating from the dagger, he felt a vague sensation: it seemed… Zero was getting stronger!

With every punch thrown, the power increased slightly!

As this realization began to settle heavily in the Bronze Supreme’s mind, Zero suddenly roared and smashed his fist toward the Bronze Supreme’s face like a piece of black stone, the momentum fierce and unstoppable.

At the very last moment before impact, the edge of the dark dagger met the incoming fist. This dagger, barely the width of a finger, lightly blocked the blow, pushing it back a few inches, before snapping forward to parry Zero’s fist away decisively.

Zero’s entire body seemed to be burning; surging rage manifested as tangible flames swirling around him. His bones cracked audibly, and the blood-red hair on his head stood straight up. Fire seemed ready to spew from his ferocious, angry eyes. Golden mystical markings, ancient and mysterious, luminous with a bizarre allure, began to illuminate his bronze skin, inscribed deeply across every inch, like golden veins, appearing uniquely beautiful, as if from myth.

“Eeeaaaaah…” Zero threw his head back and let out a roar filled with rage, stirring the swirling winds and clouds overhead, which began to twist violently and converge toward his body, pouring into his skin. His entire aura instantly magnified by more than ten times!

Zero lowered his head to glare at the Bronze Supreme. His blood-red eyes were completely devoid of consciousness, seeing only a frenzy of killing intent, as if roaring “Kill, kill, kill, kill…” The towering killing intent nearly consumed his awareness. His fists struck the Bronze Supreme like flood-laden dragons cast from molten iron. His shoulders and upper arms blurred from the speed of his movements, leaving only a vast dance of residual, shadowy fist-images trailing behind him.

As he attacked with his fists, he relentlessly advanced step by step, muttering, “Kill, kill, kill, kill…”

He was utterly lost to the madness of slaughter.

In his heart, there was only an infinite, ocean-deep surge of murderous madness!

The Bronze Supreme was secretly shaken. Since the shining golden inscriptions appeared on Zero’s body, he found resisting the attacks increasingly strenuous; every punch felt like a massive mountain pressing down, suffocating him. His fingers could no longer casually hold the dagger between two fingers to block the heavy blows; he had to grip it tightly in his palm, lest he be knocked flying.

“It’s only a Reverse Bone. How can it be this powerful? It’s completely different from those other three individuals. They were fully awakened too, but their strength wasn't even one-tenth of his!” The Bronze Supreme was astounded, yet a blazing fire ignited in his eyes. “No matter what, this aura must be from a Reverse Bone. I refuse to believe that I, the dignified Supreme, cannot tame a mere Reverse Bone of the [Great Dao]!”

He flashed backward suddenly, breaking free of Zero’s combat range, and hovered proudly in the air, looking down upon him with cold disdain. The knuckles of his fingers cracked audibly. “Chaos, Origin!”

He raised his palm, and a massive rent tore open the sky, from which countless streams of chaotic energy poured down like a waterfall, bathing his body and causing him to radiate a divine light akin to a star.

At the base of the Divine Mountain.

Within the vast, bright crystalline wall, a gigantic, egg-shaped energy mass remained perfectly still, its soft, rounded luminescence slanting down like silk. In front of the dark reflection, Ye Zhu stepped over the corpses of eight envoys, walking toward the old man in the blue robe. His face, cold as frost, betrayed no expression. The divine sword in his hand flashed slightly, and a streak of sword light shot out.

“No, let go of…” The old man in the blue robe staggered back in terror, before finally being pierced through the forehead by the light.

Ye Zhu glanced down at the old man’s withered corpse with cold disgust. “I knew long ago that you had discovered my presence on the Ice Cliff, and you deliberately lured me here, hoping to pit that monster against me for a mutually destructive fight, allowing you to reap the benefits as the fisherman. Too bad for you, you underestimated me, and you underestimated the sword in my hand!” (To be continued)