Blood mist filled the sky.
The earth was pitch-black.
Inside that sky-piercing cage, a white-robed man actually looked somewhat dazed.
From what Ye Qiubai had said.
His master should not have been someone from ancient times, and he was also an extremely lazy man.
The man thought.
Someone who could extrapolate the final five swords of the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon and remedy all its flaws.
Shouldn't he have been a sword saint who slew immortals and demons above, and ghosts of hell below?
And another thing.
What did he mean, too lazy to cook for himself?
At this realm, one could already abstain from food. Even going a thousand years without eating would not cause hunger!
The white-robed man could not help shaking his head helplessly. "With you like this, I don't even know what inheritance to pass on to you."
All the swordsmanship the man had pondered throughout his life was contained within the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon.
Now someone else had already extrapolated all of it.
And made it even more complete!
What was he supposed to pass on?
"That's right!"
The white-robed man seemed to remember something and raised the pitch-black longsword in his hand.
"Since you no longer need the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon, I'll give you this sword."
Ye Qiubai looked at the pitch-black longsword in the man's hand.
The longsword had no edge, but a barely perceptible dark demonic Qi lingered around it!
An edgeless blade surpassed an edged one!
It was a sword filled with demonic nature!
If an ordinary sword cultivator were to wield it, they would probably be dominated by that demonic nature in an instant...
Affection appeared in the white-robed man's eyes. As though regarding a lover, he gently stroked the pitch-black longsword in his hand and said, "This sword is named Dark Demon. Its grade should be a peak heaven-grade treasure artifact. Unfortunately, Dark Demon has no sword spirit. If it had one, it could become a spirit artifact."
Treasure artifacts, as the name suggested, were exceedingly precious.
But they had no spirit.
Once a weapon possessed a spirit, it would transcend the category of treasure artifacts!
It would be a spirit artifact!
"Your master shouldn't be able to produce a sword like this, should he?"
The white-robed man's expression was proud.
This was a sword he had nurtured with his own body for thousands of years.
It had already reached the pinnacle of treasure artifacts!
Ye Qiubai accepted Dark Demon. It was indeed a fine sword!
Most importantly, Dark Demon was a sword he could currently control, and it perfectly suited the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon.
Using Dark Demon to unleash the Nine Swords of the Heavenly Demon would increase their power by thirty to forty percent!
But compared to the Azure Cloud Sword, it was probably still a long way behind...
Seemingly noticing Ye Qiubai's troubled expression.
The white-robed man's face stiffened despite himself, and he asked cautiously, "Your master didn't give you something better than Dark Demon, did he?"
Hearing this.
Ye Qiubai hesitated briefly, then took out the Azure Cloud Sword...
The white-robed man: "..."
He could sense that this sword was probably even more terrifying than the spirit artifacts of legend!
Because even he could not fathom the presence it carried!
The white-robed man drew a deep breath. "All right, take this sword and go."
Just what sort of person could extrapolate his swordsmanship and also produce a treasure of this level?
His strength probably far surpassed his own...
Ye Qiubai bowed deeply to the white-robed man, then turned and left with the sword.
Watching Ye Qiubai's retreating figure, the white-robed man said regretfully, "What a pity, to be born in an age when the Heavenly Dao has collapsed..."
No sooner had his words fallen.
The black mist surrounding the man dissipated.
He turned back into a pile of withered bones, seated in death at the center of the cage...
Elsewhere.
Hong Ying had already ventured deep into Blood Prison.
Here, the ground had returned to its normal color.
But cages filled the surroundings!
Every one of those cages towered into the sky, encircled by countless golden chains!
The presences within the cages were all extraordinarily terrifying!
As a result, pressure filled every corner of this space, as though it had taken solid form!
Anyone whose strength was inadequate would probably be crushed directly into fragments!
Yet Hong Ying ignored the pressure here and kept walking forward.
Until she reached a certain place.
The cage here was different from the previous ones.
The cage was no longer the color of black iron, but instead shone golden!
The chains did not encircle the outside, but wound around and around within!
Moreover, those chains were covered in talisman papers!
Inscribed on the talisman papers was the character for "suppress"!
This was the Soul-Locking Chain!
It was a supreme magical treasure used to suppress souls!
Even if the imprisoned person's physical body was destroyed, it would still suppress their soul for eternity!
Anger appeared on Hong Ying's face.
"How dare they imprison you in this manner!"
As though sensing Hong Ying's presence, the Soul-Locking Chain stirred slightly. From within came a faint, ethereal voice, like a candle guttering in the wind that would vanish at the slightest touch.
"Your... Majesty, is that you?"
Hearing this voice, Hong Ying nodded. "It's me."
The voice carried wild joy, yet remained weak. "In that case, Your Majesty has successfully cultivated the Nine Revolutions of Reincarnation."
"I had help from a benefactor."
Hong Ying thought of Lu Changsheng.
Without Lu Changsheng's help, her Nine Revolutions Samsara Art would probably have ended in failure.
Then, her subordinates' desperate efforts to protect her and allow her to enter reincarnation safely.
All those efforts would have flowed away down the river!
"Oh? There is someone in this world who could help Your Majesty? Could it be that old bald donkey in the west?"
Hong Ying shook her head.
"No? Then could it be that madman in the Demon Realm?"
Hong Ying shook her head again.
"They couldn't help me. That person is now my master."
As soon as her words fell.
The Soul-Locking Chain immediately fell silent.
Only after a long while did an incredulous voice emerge.
"After the collapse of the Heavenly Dao, there is still someone qualified to become Your Majesty's master?"
Hong Ying shook her head, thinking of how Lu Changsheng usually behaved without any seriousness.
Yet he possessed heaven-reaching abilities.
Even in ancient times, he would probably have stood at the pinnacle.
"All right, let's set that aside for now. I came here this time to ascertain something."
At this point, Hong Ying's expression grew solemn, and a chilling intent to kill appeared in her eyes!
"Once you're out, I will reconstruct your physical body. You may choose to live the life you want. I will return your freedom to you."
After all, these subordinates had followed her into battle for years.
Now that thousands upon thousands of years had passed, she did not know whether they were still willing to follow her.
At this moment, however, the Soul-Locking Chain began trembling violently.
The weak voice within also seemed to flare like the final glow before death.
"Back then, our Nine Heavens Division followed Your Majesty into battle against the heavens, seeking to break through this world's barrier and step beyond this space!"
"But things went against our wishes. We failed!"
"Yet we have always believed that Your Majesty would return once more and lead our Nine Heavens Division, lead the Cloud Phoenix Empire, into battle against the heavens again!"
"Yun Ce of the Nine Heavens Division pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
Hearing this, Hong Ying already understood the intentions of the soul within the cage.
"Good. This time, when we battle the heavens again, I will surely succeed!"
"My glory shall be your glory!"
"Once my strength recovers, I will free you from this place, so you will need to endure a little longer."
Hearty laughter rang out from within the chains!
"I have already endured so many years. Yun Ce will once again await Your Majesty's return!"
"On the day of your return, the Nine Heavens Division shall battle the heavens alongside Your Majesty once more!"