"Hiss, hiss, hiss..." Before Dugu Bachan could react, hundreds of sword marks had already appeared on his body, and scarlet blood sprayed out incessantly. Even with his profound cultivation, for a moment he couldn't grasp what was happening.

He unleashed his entire divine sense, trying to locate Dugu Qiubai's figure, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find him anywhere.

The iron saber in his hand had already been shattered by the piercing sword qi, and not a single part of his body remained intact. Just as he was about to cast aside all concern and unleash his full strength, a translucent longsword materialized before Dugu Bachan's eyes. Only then did Dugu Bachan realize with shock that Dugu Qiubai was no longer a person, but a spirit—a Sword Spirit.

A golden figure reappeared in front of Dugu Bachan, one hand grasping the sword that Dugu Qiubai had transformed into...

Witnessing this scene, Dugu Bachan’s eyes were filled with extreme horror. He had truly never imagined this outcome: the most powerful genius in the Dugu family’s history was merely fit to serve as someone else's Sword Spirit? Who exactly was this person?

"Taiqing Talisman Seal, go!" The man uttered a soft command. Immediately, with a flick of his finger, a Tai Chi-like talisman seal shot from his hand and pressed directly into Dugu Bachan's brow.

Dugu Bachan instantly felt the power within him vanish, even losing control over his own body...

What kind of talisman seal was this? Dugu Bachan's heart was filled with terror. Was he truly going to be taken away by them just like this?

"Dugu Qiubai, your wish is fulfilled now!" After sealing Dugu Bachan’s power with the Taiqing Talisman Seal forged by Taishang Laojun, the man spoke to Dugu Qiubai.

"Thank you, Ying..." Dugu Qiubai’s voice resonated, yet it was laced with deep sorrow...

"No need to thank me. You should know what you must do now!" the man, addressed as Ying, stated expressionlessly.

"Understood..." Dugu Qiubai’s voice came again, and instantly, a massive power erupted from within the sword, transforming into a surging force. Just as it seemed about to explode, it was instantly absorbed back into the longsword.

In the blink of an eye, everything returned to calm, and in this world, there was no longer any trace of Dugu Qiubai; everything concerning him had been utterly erased.

A faint smile touched the man's lips as he gazed at the translucent longsword in his hand, his smile growing increasingly triumphant.

This was an Immortal Sword personally refined by Taishang Laojun, a longsword whose materials were no less superior than the Xuanyuan Sword, yet it had always lacked a Sword Spirit. Now, Dugu Qiubai, a master of the Way of the Sword, had willingly become the spirit of this blade, multiplying its power by hundreds of times.

This sword would become the strongest sword in the Three Realms... the Sword of Dugu...

Dugu Bachan witnessed this entire event, but under the seal of the Taiqing Divine Talisman personally forged by Taishang Laojun, he possessed absolutely no ability to resist. He could only watch helplessly as Dugu Qiubai transformed all his painstaking effort and divine sense into the spirit of that sword.

From this moment on, he would be a Sword Spirit devoid of his own consciousness, one whose sole purpose was to protect his master...

The man called Ying swiftly sheathed the longsword, but with a wave of his sleeve, he swept Dugu Bachan into his grasp. If not for Laojun's instructions, he would have truly wished to completely obliterate Dugu Bachan, using his blood to temper this mightiest of swords...

He did not want to be a shadow; he wanted to be the sovereign of the Three Realms. He, and no other, was the true ruler of the Three Realms. Xuanyuan Jing was not worthy, nor was Ye Jingyu...

The thought of Ye Jingyu brought a look of savage fury to the man's face, his eyes brimming with endless wrath, as if harboring an ancient, deep-seated hatred for Ye Jingyu...

"Ye Jingyu, I will slay everyone by your side, step by step. The humiliation you brought upon me, I will repay tenfold!" the man called Ying sneered coldly, transforming into a streak of flowing light before vanishing without a trace.

Long after Ying's figure disappeared, a streak of ashen-gray light rose from beneath the cliff. Then, Dugu Bachan’s stone saber floated up, embedding itself at the edge of the precipice. Streams of grayish-black light flickered, as if weeping or sighing in lament. The surrounding frigid Nether Qi was continuously absorbed by the stone saber, and an overwhelmingly powerful aura manifested nearby. Within a radius of several thousand miles, no wandering spirit dared approach this cliff—Juedao Ya (Cliff of the Ultimate Saber)!

At the Sky Alliance, the severe injuries sustained by Liang Xiaoke and others in the Southern Cloud Empire caused Ye Jingyu and the rest great distress. Even with Gou Mang, the God of Spring, present, fully restoring his strength in a short time was no easy task.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed. On Tongtian Mountain in the Southern Cloud Empire, although the Grandmaster of Heaven, Tongtian, was nowhere to be found, the mountain remained impregnable, secured by Ye Jingyu and his faction—not even a fly could sneak in.

Though Liang Xiaoke and Chi Yixiu's injuries were treated promptly, saving their lives, recovering their strength would require a significant amount of time.

At this moment, Ye Jingyu sat atop Tongtian Peak, quietly observing the man standing before him...

"Speak. What exactly has happened?" Over these three months, Ye Jingyu had barely left Tongtian Mountain due to his efforts to save Liang Xiaoke, Chi Yixiu, and Ying Kongshi. He knew very little about external affairs, especially concerning the Earth Alliance.

"Forgive me, Alliance Master. I... we have disappointed you..." This man was Xie Zuomiao, one of the Five Great Envoys of the Earth Alliance, an old acquaintance of Ye Jingyu.

"There's no need for such words now. Tell me everything that has transpired in the Earth Alliance!" Ye Jingyu said gently, without a hint of blame toward Zuomiao.

Xie Zuomiao dared not delay, quickly recounting every event that had unfolded in the Earth Alliance over the past few months.

Since Bing Ming was defeated by the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva that day, the Flame Extinguishing City had been left without any masters guarding it. Ksitigarbha, leading those bizarre demons, launched a counterattack. In three months, relying on his ruthless methods and the power of concentration, he had unified the entire Earth Alliance.

Those humans became his most devout followers; some directly achieved the status of Arhat, attaining true realization. Those demons, in turn, transformed into Dharma deities. The entire Earth Alliance had essentially become the domain of Buddhism. Among the Earth Alliance's high-ranking members, aside from Xie Zuomiao, the others were either killed or subdued; even Fang Tianrui had been slain.

As for the demons, the majority chose conversion, while Kuang, who had been severely wounded by Ksitigarbha, chose self-immolation, ultimately turning to ash.

After listening to Xie Zuomiao's narrative, Ye Jingyu’s brows furrowed tightly. He truly hadn't expected that everything he had built in the Earth Alliance would benefit those bald monks.

Ksitigarbha, and the one who took Bing Ming? Riding a cyan lion, said to be equal to Ksitigarbha? Could it be the legendary Manjushri?

What exactly were the figures above them planning?

With the Earth Alliance gone, the Tianyuan Empire had also launched several attacks against the Southern Cloud Empire over these three months, resulting in heavy losses for the latter. Even the Savage Forest, previously controlled by the Devouring Dragon Beast, was now seeing the emergence of several terrifying divine beasts and fierce creatures. Everything that had been planned had deviated...

Ye Jingyu felt deeply despondent. Without Liang Xiaoke and the others, he didn't even have someone to consult with. With Bing Ming captured, and Dugu Bachan and Xueling’s whereabouts unknown, he desperately wanted to investigate personally. However, the Southern Cloud Empire lacked a high-level protector; if he left now, what would become of it?

The feeling of lacking strong allies left Ye Jingyu deeply bewildered and helpless. He had achieved the Chaos Body, the most peculiar physique imaginable—could he truly not break this game? Was he really destined to be led by the nose?

No, absolutely not. He must break the game; he must shatter this entire chessboard...

"You may go down first. I need some time alone..." After hearing Xie Zuomiao's report, Ye Jingyu waved his hand lightly. He genuinely needed solitude to clear his mind.

Xie Zuomiao dared not utter another word and turned to leave, leaving behind the deeply contemplative Ye Jingyu...

Slowly, Ye Jingyu raised his head. The Samsara Eye on his forehead began to pulse with silver light, and the Primordial Force within his body circulated frantically. He had to see clearly what lay ahead; he could not remain shrouded in deception any longer. At the very least, he needed to know where Tongtian had gone...

The power within him erupted continuously, and the lunar wheel on his forehead grew brighter and brighter. That silver light swept across the entirety of Tongtian Tower...

Tracing the past...

Ye Jingyu activated this divine ability with supreme magical power, yet what he perceived remained entirely blurred...

Why? Why? Why?

Refusing to accept this outcome, Ye Jingyu channeled his power once more, but the result was the same...

His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his hair had begun to show streaks of white—the residual effect of drastically depleting his strength...

At this moment, far away in another stretch of sky, two Daoists, a monk, a man who seemed both Daoist and monk, and a figure handsome in appearance but radiating a chilling aura of bloody slaughter, surrounded Tongtian in the center...

These figures were Taishang Laojun, Yuanshi Tianzun, Amitabha, Zhunti Daoist, and the Underworld Sect Master...

In Taishang Laojun's hand, he tightly clutched a silk handkerchief—the Heaven-Shrouding Veil. However, the veil now bore several rents, as if scorched by fire...

"Taishang, how potent is that brat's Samsara Eye? Can it still endure it? Hahahaha..." Seeing the sweat beading on Taishang's brow, Tongtian Cult Master burst into laughter.

Taishang used the Heaven-Shrouding Veil to obscure the Heavenly Dao, blinding Ye Jingyu’s Samsara Eye. Yet, Ye Jingyu incessantly used the ability to trace the past, attempting to pierce through the veil. Although his own consumption was immense, this transformed divine ability was causing Taishang Laojun no small amount of difficulty...

"Little Daoist, as long as Martial Brother stays put here, he still won't cause any great waves," Laojun replied calmly, ignoring Tongtian’s slightly mocking tone.

"Little Daoist? Hahahaha, Eldest Martial Brother, even if you have bound me and captured that monkey head, have you forgotten about another individual?" The sarcasm in Tongtian's expression intensified...

"Who?" The question came from Yuanshi Tianzun...

"The true successor of the Pangu Holy Emperor... Ye Xingchen..."