"Run faster! I refuse to die alongside you here!" Yan Wang Suo shouted.
At that moment, Yan Wang Suo urged Tian Lang Xing beside him.
Tian Lang Xing and Yan Wang Suo, the two heirs of the God of Death, sped desperately through the forest.
"Hahaha…" The Grand Academician laughed.
Behind them echoed a tyrannical, mad, and utterly arrogant laughter.
The Grand Academician, the God of Death himself, strode leisurely yet effortlessly kept pace with the fleeing pair.
With the reappearance of *Apocalypse Myth, Yan Wang Suo and Tian Lang Xing had suffered an unexpected defeat and were now in frantic retreat—yet the Grand Academician pursued relentlessly.
[*Apocalypse Myth] - The Grand Academician's legendary blade, embodying destruction.
"Do you truly believe you can escape?" The Grand Academician taunted.
The Grand Academician's threatening voice rang clearly in their ears.
"What? A dead end?!" Yan Wang Suo exclaimed.
At the same time, Yan Wang Suo realized the path ahead was blocked.
"Since death awaits, why the haste?" The Grand Academician mocked.
The Grand Academician, wielding Apocalypse Myth, closed in with the flames of war and death at his back.
"Hmph…" Tian Lang Xing and Yan Wang Suo snorted.
Yet, faced with the Grand Academician, neither Tian Lang Xing nor Yan Wang Suo showed any intention of surrendering.
Suddenly, the dark clouds shrouding the earth dispersed, and the light of dawn broke through the heavens once more!
"Clad in Six-Silk Robes, ruling the cosmos with hidden truth. The path of gods sealed in clouds, the Purple Star heralding divine revelation." Liu Zhu Yi recited.
It was Liu Zhu Yi, descending from the skies.
"At last, you arrive—Yu Tian Huang Shen, Liu Zhu Yi." The Grand Academician remarked.
The Grand Academician showed no surprise at Liu Zhu Yi's appearance.
*The Heavenly Sword Contest had concluded, and the Grand Academician knew Liu Zhu Yi would seek him out sooner or later.
[*Heavenly Sword] - A divine weapon wielded by Ye Xiao Chai.
With Yu Tian Huang Shen's arrival, the rescued Tian Lang Xing and Yan Wang Suo wasted no time lingering.
"Go!" Liu Zhu Yi commanded.
In an instant, the two vanished from sight.
"And what of the other one?" The Grand Academician questioned.
As the Grand Academician spoke, another figure appeared behind him, gripping the Heavenly Sword.
"The Mad Blade and Silent Swordsman—Ye Xiao Chai!" The Grand Academician declared.
Ye Xiao Chai was the "other one" the Grand Academician had referred to.
"Righteous Divine Aura!" Liu Zhu Yi called.
Liu Zhu Yi channeled his inner energy, pressing a palm downward—and in an instant, a grand formation materialized upon the earth, woven from the very essence of heaven and earth's righteousness.
This formation was Liu Zhu Yi's means to suppress the Grand Academician's Death God powers. Thus, the Grand Academician found himself at the formation's center—where the righteous energy was most concentrated.
"It seems you've been waiting here for me for quite some time!" The Grand Academician realized.
Feeling the suppression weighing upon him, the Grand Academician realized this formation had been prepared long in advance.
"The Three Supreme Swords of Heaven shall end the legend of the Death God today!" Liu Zhu Yi proclaimed.
"Before Death, no exceptions exist!" The Grand Academician retorted.
"Your hands are stained with too much innocent blood!" Liu Zhu Yi accused.
"And what of it?" The Grand Academician challenged.
"I will never let you go!" Liu Zhu Yi vowed.
"Victors reign, losers perish—today, fate shall decide! This is your final chance." The Grand Academician warned.
"Even if it costs my life, Liu Zhu Yi will drag you down to hell!" Liu Zhu Yi swore.
"Hahahaha…" The Grand Academician laughed.
The Grand Academician answered Liu Zhu Yi's words with nothing but wild laughter.
"First Form of Divine Dominion—Roaring Dragon's Charge!" Liu Zhu Yi roared.
Liu Zhu Yi unleashed the Nine Forms of Divine Dominion, sending a golden dragon's phantom image hurtling toward the Grand Academician.
"Hah—!" The Grand Academician shouted.
Facing the incoming dragon phantom, the Grand Academician raised a palm—and halted its advance completely.
Yet, as he blocked the dragon's phantom, the massive boulders behind him shattered—proof of the residual power he had failed to contain.
Though the Grand Academician had stopped the dragon's charge, he had not negated all its force, leaving the two locked in a stalemate.
Seizing the moment, Ye Xiao Chai leapt into the air, brandishing the Heavenly Sword. A supreme sword beam shot forth, aimed straight at the Grand Academician.
Seeing the attack, the Grand Academician twisted, shifting his stance.
With a swing of Apocalypse Myth, the golden dragon phantom was redirected—now hurtling toward Ye Xiao Chai's sword beam.
In an instant, the Grand Academician had repurposed Liu Zhu Yi's attack to counter Ye Xiao Chai's.
Without pause, the Grand Academician's figure multiplied.
Multiple versions of him, each wielding Apocalypse Myth, flickered around Ye Xiao Chai in rapid succession.
Though Ye Xiao Chai sought to defend, he could not discern the real one.
The true Grand Academician appeared behind him.
Just as Apocalypse Myth was about to strike, a whisk swept through the air—deflecting the blade.
Liu Zhu Yi, still on the ground, had identified the real Grand Academician and intervened just in time.
"Hah—!" Liu Zhu Yi exclaimed.
With a spin, Liu Zhu Yi lashed out again with his whisk, aiming to entangle Apocalypse Myth.
The Grand Academician, aware of his intent, refused to let the whisk bind his weapon.
Thus, he mirrored Liu Zhu Yi's rotation.
The whisk's strands were resilient, and Liu Zhu Yi's soft yet unyielding technique made them impossible to sever—even for the peerlessly sharp Apocalypse Myth.
If ensnared, the weapon could be wrested from the Grand Academician's grasp.
Knowing this, the Grand Academician had no choice but to match Liu Zhu Yi's movements.
Meanwhile, Ye Xiao Chai seized the chance to retreat.
Seeing the Grand Academician's counter, Liu Zhu Yi realized his plan had failed and halted.
As he stopped, he gathered *Imperial Divine Qi into his palm and struck.
[*Imperial Divine Qi] - supreme energy, embodying cosmic righteousness.
The Grand Academician, too, ceased spinning.
Meeting Liu Zhu Yi's attack, he channeled Death God energy into his own palm and countered.
BOOM—!
The first direct clash of their palms shook the heavens, darkened the skies, and made even ghosts and gods weep.
Liu Zhu Yi stood firm in the air, while the Grand Academician was sent crashing downward.
Only after dispersing the force did the Grand Academician steady himself.
In this exchange, he had been at a disadvantage.
Mid-air, Liu Zhu Yi had held the upper hand, forcing the Grand Academician to react hastily.
For now, the Grand Academician was on the back foot—but this was only natural.
Regaining his footing, the Grand Academician swung Apocalypse Myth once more.
"Death's Symphony of Slaughter!" The Grand Academician bellowed.
A crimson blade aura surged toward Liu Zhu Yi in the sky.
Yet Liu Zhu Yi merely ascended slightly, evading with ease.
Then, he retaliated.
"Sixth Form of Divine Dominion—Azure Dragon's Descent!" Liu Zhu Yi intoned.
Channeling the Nine Forms of Divine Dominion, Liu Zhu Yi touched his brow with a sword-finger—and five stars blazed into existence.
A golden dragon phantom, carrying the force of a celestial fall, shot toward the Grand Academician.
The Grand Academician planted his feet and raised a palm, summoning Death God energy skyward.
"BOOM—!"
But this time, as he sought to block the dragon, it exploded prematurely.
A muffled grunt escaped him as his feet sank into the earth.
Liu Zhu Yi's strike had dealt him a hidden blow.
"Heavenly Path of Saints!" Liu Zhu Yi commanded.
Seizing the moment, Liu Zhu Yi signaled Ye Xiao Chai.
Understanding, Ye Xiao Chai activated the Three Supreme Swords of Heaven—beginning with its first form.
Yet, this attack was not aimed directly at the Grand Academician.
Liu Zhu Yi stood in its path, where the sword beam would pass.
As the energy surged toward him, Liu Zhu Yi swept his whisk, infusing the attack with his Imperial Divine Qi.
Facing this empowered strike, the Grand Academician hastily conjured a Death God barrier.
But the purifying sword beam tore through it effortlessly.
Multiple sword energies pierced the Grand Academician's body.
Blood sprayed as wounds riddled his form.
Liu Zhu Yi pressed the advantage, unleashing another wave of Imperial Divine Qi directly into the Grand Academician's flesh.
With Death God energy faltering, the Heavenly Sword unleashed its second form—Saint's Radiance.
Ye Xiao Chai's slash struck true, sending blood gushing from the Grand Academician's chest before the force hurled him into a cliffside.
"The final stroke—Heaven's Decree of Sacred Might!" Liu Zhu Yi declared.
Gathering World-Shaking Divine Aura, he concentrated the cosmos's boundless righteousness into himself.
Ye Xiao Chai raised the Heavenly Sword.
Man, god, and blade became one.
"Now's the chance!" Yin Shiren thought.
From afar, Yin Shiren, who had been silently observing the battle, readied himself.
Unbeknownst to the combatants, a spectator had been watching all along.
"Severing Earth with a Single Blade!" The Grand Academician roared.
At that moment, the Grand Academician shattered the cliff with Apocalypse Myth and reappeared before Liu Zhu Yi and Ye Xiao Chai.
Meanwhile, the three forces merged—Huang Shen reemerged, its sole purpose being the Death God's demise.
A golden dragon—Huang Shen—charged at the Grand Academician.
"Raaaaaah—!" The Grand Academician screamed.
Facing the assault, the Grand Academician roared, pushing his Death God energy to its limits.
"Death God Defies Heaven!" The Grand Academician bellowed.
In an unexpected turn, the Grand Academician's demonic power surged anew.
A colossal Death God phantom manifested as Apocalypse Myth unleashed its full might.
Huang Shen was annihilated—shattered from within.
Though Liu Zhu Yi, with his profound foundation, remained unharmed, Ye Xiao Chai was spent—his energy drained, his body grievously wounded.
"Die!" The Grand Academician snarled.
The Grand Academician seized the moment, lunging with Apocalypse Myth to finish them both.
At the final moment, their victory had slipped away.
Liu Zhu Yi stepped before Ye Xiao Chai, shielding him with his own body.
Yet, as swift as Liu Zhu Yi was, another was faster.
A figure wielding a great blade intercepted Apocalypse Myth head-on.