The Second Stage Begins!

"Thump, thump."

The sound of his heartbeat was so clear, so familiar—so familiar that it felt as though he had returned to his childhood.

Back then, in the Sin Domain where snowstorms raged all year round, he had very few ways to entertain himself. So whenever he was bored, he would count his heartbeats. Every hundred beats, he would place a stone on the ground. Once he had placed a hundred stones, he would sweep them all away in one motion.

Over and over, he repeated the process without ever growing tired of it.

That had been the happiest thing in his childhood.

He did not like dreams, because dreams were illusory things that gave people hope, only to plunge them into despair.

Things one could not grasp were always the most hateful.

But sometimes, he wondered what kind of scene he would imagine if he could choose to have a beautiful dream.

The answer to that question had always been clear.

For example, he would return to that Sin Domain. This time, there would no longer be two people and one bird in that snowy land, but three people and one bird.

His father would not have died young, and his mother would not have fallen ill from longing. He would grow up happily, blissfully, with his parents and Bing Yu by his side. Then, after his ancestral vein awakened, he would secretly leave the Sin Domain alone and embark on a romantic runaway journey worthy of a young man.

He would leave the Ice Spirit Clan and meet Aunt Jing, who was traveling the continent with her Elder Sister.

They would not have to endure separation. They would grow up safely together.

By chance, he would also arrive in Ying Longcheng, meet those three elders, meet the friends from the Colorful Clouds Chamber, and see that little rascal Ying Xue'er.

Perhaps he could even travel to the Small Western Heaven Realm, where Mother would personally take him back to the Luo God Clan so that he could meet his grandfather Luo Tianshen and his Younger Sister, Luo Li.

He would grow up ordinarily like that, marry Elder Sister, spend a lifetime with her beneath the blessings of family and friends, grow old together, and be carried away by time as his life came to an end—a plain yet warm life.

He would not need to fear the threat of the Ice Spirit Ancestral Vein, nor would he need to consider the mission of a Yan Tian Scripture cultivator.

This kind of ordinary peace was, in truth, the most beautiful dream in his heart.

If he could truly die while immersed in such a beautiful dream, perhaps that would not be such a bad ending.

"If you did not have that chain on you."

A voice both unfamiliar and familiar sounded beside his ear.

Bai Ye raised his head and looked at the graceful figure standing amid the wind and snow, smiling faintly at him.

"The greatest difference between you and me is that you still have things to long for in this world."

It had been so long that he had nearly forgotten this person's name.

"Bai Jingliu."

"It is me, but it is not me either."

With her hands behind her back, Bai Jingliu lightly skipped a few steps toward him. She stopped before Bai Ye and bent down.

"In this dream, I am another you that you imagined."

Why did Bai Ye remember someone he had gone from acquaintance to mortal enemy with, someone who had ultimately died by his hand, so clearly?

The reason was simple. Bai Jingliu was truly very much like him.

If Bai Ye had never met Ling Xi, perhaps he would have made the same choice as Bai Jingliu at this very moment.

Back then, when he saw the relief flash through Bai Jingliu's eyes, he had not been without envy.

But...

"The greatest difference between us is that you are a kite tethered by a string, while I had my string cut long ago."

Bai Jingliu straightened and smiled at Bai Ye.

"Remember your kite string."

The moment she finished speaking, Bai Jingliu's figure dissipated. Immediately afterward, the figure Bai Ye had yearned for so deeply appeared before him.

Unlike the family and friends in his beautiful dream, she did not urge him to remain here. She merely frowned at Bai Ye, her pretty face filled with displeasure.

"You should go back."

That was what Ling Xi said.

"Mm. I should go back."

That was how Bai Ye replied.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xi's furrowed brows slowly relaxed. Her red lips parted, and she spoke gently.

"Don't die. At least... not while I'm still alive."

It was like the oath they had once made.

"If your life ends tomorrow, then let mine end tomorrow as well."

"If you continue living today, then no matter what, I will accompany you through today."

Ling Xi's figure vanished before his eyes. At the same time, the snowstorm filling the heavens and earth collapsed. Bai Ye closed his eyes and felt his consciousness return.

He struggled with all his strength. Struggled, and struggled again.

At that moment, his will to live was powerful enough to suppress the poison of the Other Shore Flower Vine.

Just a little more. Push a little harder.

He was about to break through that barrier.

Within the Inheritance Space, Senluo You Mo Di turned his head and examined the figure gradually being devoured by the Other Shore Flower Vine. Once the blood-red vines completely engulfed Bai Ye's body, it would mean that Bai Ye's life had come to an end.

But just as he relaxed and prepared to turn back toward the Space Tunnel, Bai Ye's finger trembled slightly.

Then, a faint murmur rang out.

"Bing Yu..."

"Hm?"

Senluo You Mo Di looked at him in confusion. The voice was so soft that he thought he might have imagined it.

He took several steps forward, wanting to see whether Bai Ye was truly speaking.

But before he could approach, Bai Ye's voice sounded again.

"Bing Yu..."

This time, it was much louder.

"Bing Yu."

The voice grew louder and louder.

"Bing Yu."

The emptiness in Bai Ye's eyes gradually began to regain its light.

"Bing Yu."

His body trembled slightly, as if he were trying to crawl out of a mire.

"Bing Yu."

His vision returned to normal. The first thing he saw was Senluo You Mo Di staring directly at him.

That Ninth Grade Supreme aura was so terrifying that it was enough to make anyone tremble in fear.

But he had no choice. He had promised Elder Sister that he would live. That chain binding him had tied everything he had to her.

For her sake, he had to live.

So...

It was truly time to risk his life!

"Bing Yu!"

Spiritual energy suddenly erupted from Bai Ye's body, and the surrounding temperature plunged straight to absolute zero.

He stared fiercely at Senluo You Mo Di, his eyes overflowing with Killing Intent.

A body of flesh and blood was better. There was only one life to take, and cutting it down would be clean and swift.

Only by killing him could everything end.

So...

"Harmonious Fusion."

Boom—

An ice-blue phoenix tattoo rapidly spread across Bai Ye's bare upper body. The gilded gold light in his eyes became ever more dazzling, while an icy chill radiated from his entire body.

Fifth Grade Supreme. Sixth Grade Supreme. Seventh Grade Supreme.

Bai Ye's realm leapt two levels in succession. Vast Cold Attribute Spiritual Energy spread out, freezing the ground beneath his feet into ice.

"So what he showed before wasn't even everything?"

Senluo You Mo Di's expression gradually turned solemn.

He knew that he had once again, once again, once again underestimated a genius of the Great Thousand World.

Bai Ye had more trump cards than he had imagined.

But Seventh Grade was still not enough!

As Bai Ye stared at Senluo You Mo Di, this thought surfaced in his mind.

Seventh Grade was not enough.

Senluo You Mo Di was unlike every opponent he had fought before. He was an ancient powerhouse who had once stood at the Heavenly Supreme level. Though he had to recover from scratch for various reasons, his experience and foundation were beyond comparison with ordinary people.

Against him, fighting above his realm would offer no advantage whatsoever.

So Seventh Grade was not enough. He needed to reach at least Eighth Grade.

With that thought, he gritted his teeth fiercely. A familiar pearl suddenly appeared in his hand.

The Wood Erosion Pearl.

It could grant someone the strength of an Eighth Grade Supreme Realm Guardian Wood Spirit.

But Bai Ye did not need the Guardian Wood Spirit's strength right now. What he needed was the immense spiritual energy contained within the Wood Erosion Pearl.

Even if he could only draw upon it temporarily, it could still last for at least two hours.

With that thought, Bai Ye crushed it without hesitation. The Wood Erosion Pearl shattered at once, and a vast torrent of spiritual energy poured into Bai Ye's Supreme Sea.

Ice-blue vines coiled around the right side of Bai Ye's body.

The vines climbed over his cheek, covering half of his bare body. The ice-blue vines made Bai Ye's already handsome features appear even more bewitching.

At that moment, Bai Ye's Spiritual Power Realm directly broke through to Eighth Grade Supreme.

Ice Tendrils. Harmonious Fusion. Bai Ye.

Perhaps this would be a form that appeared only once in his entire life.

All these changes occurred in an instant. By the time Senluo You Mo Di reacted, Bai Ye's Spiritual Power Realm had already reached the Eighth Grade Supreme level.

For a moment, the pressure on Senluo You Mo Di increased sharply.

The second stage of the battle had begun!

"Those black spirit trees have actually withered."

Meng Youran watched the Black Wood Vine shrivel up with a stunned expression, then immediately turned her gaze toward the Space Tunnel.

Yet to their surprise, the entrance to the Space Tunnel vanished before their eyes the moment the black vines withered.

That meant they had no way to rush to Bai Ye's aid within the Inheritance Space.

"I'll split it open."

After remaining silent for a long time, Mu Youze finally spoke. He drew his weapon from his waist and looked toward where the Inheritance Space had previously been.

"It's useless. Its location has already changed."

Xue Liuli spoke.

The Winter Snow Spirit Cat's senses were extremely sharp. It could keenly detect that Bai Ye's location had vanished from the place where the Space Tunnel had been set up. This meant that the Inheritance Space had changed coordinates.

"The only way to reopen the Space Tunnel is to gather all five fragments."

But the problem was that they only had Mu Qin Yue's fragment. The other four were still in Bai Ye's hands.

This really was... a colossal blunder.

"Don't worry. We won't be sitting around doing nothing." Cai Xiao's voice rang out. She gazed into the distance across the Barren Wood Ruins. Since she had burned all the trees clean with the Seven-Colored Spirit Fire earlier, nothing obstructed her view, allowing her to see the entire Barren Wood Ruins at a glance.

"We have things we need to do."

"What things?"

Meng Youran asked curiously.

Mu Qin Yue, who had remained quiet ever since leaving the Inheritance Space, also raised her head and looked over with curiosity.

Cai Xiao rested one hand on her waist. It was clearly a lazy gesture, yet when she did it, she exuded endless charm.

It was an innate allure.

Even Mu Youze's heart could not help beating faster when he saw it. Startled, he hurriedly steadied his breathing and cautiously glanced toward Meng Youran.

Only after seeing that Meng Youran was not paying attention to him did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Cai Xiao did not immediately answer Meng Youran's question. Her beautiful eyes flickered slightly, as though she were considering something.

After several seconds of silence, she gave her answer.

"Our task is over there."

Her slender jade finger pointed into the distance, toward...

The Demon Sand Sea.

"Some little ones have entered that place."

Inside the tavern outside the Demon Sand Sea, the old man wiped the dust from a Wine Jar beside him with a rag and muttered to himself.

"Master, what exactly should I do?"

"Blackwood Raven, Purple Moon Palace, Black Heavenly Dog... the descendants of several junior brothers truly passed down your final instructions. Yet this became bait for that evil demon to recover its strength. Not a single one of the Five Great Mercenary Groups survived the ruins."

"You once told me to trust you, but looking at the outcome now, I truly can no longer trust you."

"I know that standing by and doing nothing is cold-blooded and cowardly, while taking action is disloyal and unfilial. But this disciple truly does not want to keep struggling beside the Demon Sand Sea."

"This disciple has struggled for an entire lifetime. If I continue struggling, I may cause an unimaginable disaster."

"In this regard, I am not even equal to those children who are risking their lives in the ruins right now."

The old man put down the rag. He turned and stared straight through the window at the Demon Sand Sea.

This sea of sand had trapped him for his entire life.

"No more waiting. I can't wait any longer."

The old man sighed and straightened the back that had been bent for centuries.

It was time to make a clean break with the past.

"Master, I'm here."

As soon as he spoke, an immensely powerful spiritual energy pressure erupted from his body. This energy was even stronger than that of Senluo You Mo Di, a Ninth Grade Supreme.

He took one step forward and vanished from where he stood.

He was going to do what he should have done a thousand years ago.

Within the Inheritance Space, Bai Ye and Senluo You Mo Di faced each other.

Both their auras were climbing toward their absolute peaks. In the battle to come, neither would have any room to hold back.

Just like the first stage of the battle, Killer Move after Killer Move after Killer Move!

"I'm very curious. Which race of the Great Thousand World do you come from?"

Even at a time like this, Senluo You Mo Di still felt like chatting.

It was clear that regaining a flesh-and-blood body had put him in an exceptionally good mood.

Bai Ye said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on Senluo You Mo Di as he searched for an opening.

But the result only proved that he truly was an old monster who had lived for tens of thousands of years. Simply standing there, he was flawlessly perfect, without the slightest weakness to exploit.

Since he could not find an opening, he could only force one out.

Bai Ye let out a breath and adjusted himself to his best condition.

The battle was on the verge of erupting!