The Divine Lord swept his gaze over Zhou Xuan's left shoulder, sensed the ancient aura of authority seeping from the Brass Key, and nodded.
Zhou Xuan said nothing.
The two stood together, their tacit understanding looking distinctly unnatural. Both knew whom they meant to kill next, and both believed they still held the other in the palm of their hand.
A muffled boom rose from the bottom of the Abyss.
Death qi erupted. A black sea of chaos mist tore straight through the Primordial Abyss's seal, sending a bloody stench rushing toward them. Countless phantoms of shattered worlds churned within the mist, every one of them shrieking.
The false Heavenly Dao had arrived.
The black mist rapidly gathered fifty zhang ahead of them, condensing into an enormous body, half solid and half ethereal. Two crimson lights flickered within its black eye sockets.
The false Heavenly Dao looked down on the two below. Its gaze passed straight over the Divine Lord and fixed firmly on Zhou Xuan.
"My warrior, beautifully done." Its laughter was piercing, its greed and excitement utterly unconcealed. "You brought that damned mark back."
An enormous black hand extended, palm up.
"Now, give me the key." The false Heavenly Dao lifted its chin, its crimson gaze sweeping over the Divine Lord with utter mockery. "Then stand aside and enjoy watching me tear this false god who stole the myriad Daos limb from limb."
Zhou Xuan's face remained expressionless. He reached back and gripped the wound in his left shoulder, then tightened all five fingers.
Squelch.
The Brass Key, drenched in black blood, was forcibly pulled free. Its metal edges scraped across bone, bringing a spray of blood with them. Zhou Xuan did not so much as twitch an eyebrow.
Clutching the key, he walked toward the false Heavenly