"A spirit soul is something that allows soul beasts and soul masters to coexist and support one another," Zhu Ziyang explained with a faint smile. "I can tell you clearly: if you become my spirit soul, you will be able to follow me to the God Realm, and there, you will live eternally as a god."
"Is that true?" The Demon Emperor's voice trembled slightly, tinged with doubt. For an existence at her level, the very notion of binding herself as a spirit soul was deeply unsettling.
"True or false—you can judge for yourself," Zhu Ziyang said calmly. "I have no need to lie to you. Your life is already in my hands. If I wanted your spirit ring and bones, I could simply kill you now. Why would I go to all this trouble to deceive you?"
"…That makes sense." The Demon Emperor gave a bitter smile at his words.
"I'll give you time to think it over," Zhu Ziyang continued. "When I return with the Scythe of the Dead, I hope you'll make the right choice."
He wasn't worried. With her trapped in the Heavenly Stems God-Sealing Formation, she was like fish on a chopping board, utterly at his mercy. He believed she would eventually yield. After all, what living being could truly resist the temptation of becoming a god?
Leaving the Snow Empress to keep watch inside the formation, Zhu Ziyang stepped out.
At once, Zhang Lexuan and the two light-born warriors hurried over. Lexuan's hands anxiously checked him from head to toe, her tense expression softening only when she confirmed he was unhurt. She exhaled deeply and asked, "Ziyang, how did it go? What about the Demon Emperor?"
"It went smoothly," Ziyang replied with a smile. "She's now sealed within the formation. As long as the array stands, she can't stir up any trouble. There's no need to worry about her. For now—Zhang Weiwei, Bemons—you two will remain here on guard. Lexuan-jie and I will descend into the valley to find the Scythe of the Dead."
"Yes, my Lord!" Zhang Weiwei and Bemons answered at once.
"Come, Lexuan-jie," Ziyang said, and together they leapt down into the Demon Emperor's Valley.
The valley was utterly barren. Aside from the majestic Demon Emperor's Palace rising at its center, not a single stone or blade of grass could be found. Their goal was clear, so they didn't hesitate. Step by step, they approached the palace.
It was vast, magnificent, more splendid even than the imperial palace of the Star Luo Empire.
"So this is the Demon Emperor's Palace? What heavy deathly energy…!" Zhang Lexuan murmured as they stopped before its towering gates. "Yet, strangely, though it feels uncomfortable, it isn't sinister or eerie. Odd."
"Haha. That's because this is the purest death aura, radiating from the Scythe of the Dead itself. Naturally, it is nothing like the twisted death energy wielded by Evil Soul Masters," Ziyang explained. To him, the aura felt invigorating. The deathly power surged toward him joyfully, rushing into his body. His Judgment Scythe in his other hand trembled with excitement, resonating as if in celebration.
"I see…" Lexuan nodded thoughtfully, then turned her gaze to the gates. "Shall we enter?"
"Yes." Ziyang nodded. The Judgment Scythe appeared in his hand, death energy swirling around its blade. He pressed it gently against the massive doors.
With a low rumble, the gates swung open.
A smile flickered across his face. Hand in hand, the two stepped into the palace.
Inside, the vast hall was bare. Only at its center stood a high platform of nine steps. Upon it rested a single scythe, thrust into the stone at a slant.
The weapon was unadorned, entirely gray, its material unknown. Its blade and shaft were the same length, joined at the center by a single brilliant white Bianhua blossom. Amidst the sea of gray, the flower shone like a beacon.
To Zhang Lexuan's eyes, the scythe seemed plain—ordinary, even—more like a farmer's tool for harvesting grain than a godly artifact.
But Zhu Ziyang knew better.
The instant his gaze fell on it, his heart lurched. The Bianhua Mark on his forehead flared uncontrollably, pulsing with ecstatic light, as if cheering and celebrating.
The Scythe of the Dead—the Death God's weapon, a true divine artifact.
"Ziyang, go. I'll guard you," Zhang Lexuan said, moved by his reaction.
"Alright!" He nodded, striding up the nine steps two at a time. He did not hesitate. Reaching out, he grasped the scythe's shaft.
The moment his hand closed around it, the entire palace trembled. The death energy filling the valley abruptly vanished.
The Bianhua Mark on his brow blazed like never before, its brilliance so intense he could barely open his eyes. Still, he endured, and with one forceful pull, he drew the scythe free, raising it high above his head in triumph.
The Scythe of the Dead erupted with power. Gray death energy poured into his body like a tidal wave, overwhelming yet divine. In his other hand, his Judgment Scythe materialized of its own accord.
A burst of pure white light exploded outward, engulfing the hall. Ziyang squeezed his eyes shut against the glare. When he opened them again, all was still.
The Scythe of the Dead was gone. The death energy had vanished. It was as if they had never been there at all. Only his Judgment Scythe remained in his grasp—yet he could sense it had changed in a way he could not yet describe.
"What happened just now?" Zhang Lexuan asked in confusion. The sudden white flash had blinded her, and she had missed the critical moment.
"It's nothing," Ziyang said, smiling faintly as he gazed at his scythe, lost in thought. Then he put it away and leapt down from the platform. "It's done. Lexuan-jie, quickly—check if your sixth test is complete."
"…It's over? Just like that?" Zhang Lexuan was dazed. They had sailed across the seas for half a year, endured countless dangers, only for the matter to end in less than three minutes. The anticlimax left her reeling.
"What else did you expect?" Ziyang teased, squeezing her hand. "It feels unreal, doesn't it? Don't worry—you'll get used to it."
He opened a spatial gate, summoning Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi back.
"Brother! Are you alright? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Nannan cried, rushing into his arms, her eyes full of worry.
"Haha, I'm fine," Ziyang laughed, pinching her cheek. "Check your God Test—see if it's complete."
"Eh? You already finished the Death God's Seventh Trial? That fast?" Nannan gasped. Though surprised, she quickly accepted it, unlike Lexuan, who was still struggling with the abrupt conclusion. "Great! Let me check my Taiyin Sixth Test now!"
"This is the Demon Emperor's Palace?" Qian Lingyi asked curiously, her wide eyes sweeping across the solemn, ancient hall.
"Yes, this is it," Ziyang confirmed with a smile. "Lingyi, I'll leave this place in your care. I need to receive the reward for the Seventh Trial and the content of the Eighth. If Nannan and Lexuan-jie finish their tests, wait for me here."
"Mm-hm!" Lingyi nodded sweetly.
Satisfied, Ziyang closed his eyes and willed himself away. Light enveloped him, and in the next instant, he was gone—arriving at the Godhood Inheritance Grounds, standing upon the seventieth step of the divine path.
"Congratulations. You have obtained the recognition of the Scythe of the Dead," came Little White's voice, brimming with an unusual joy.
"You sound pleased," Ziyang remarked with a smile. "Can you tell me why the Scythe fused with my martial soul?"
"Do you know what the Scythe of the Dead is made of?" Little White asked.
"What is it?" Ziyang frowned, curious.
"The scythe was forged from the trunk of the Death God's Ancient Tree," Little White said wistfully. "And that tree… was none other than the true body of the Death God himself."
Ziyang froze.
"So you see—the Scythe of the Dead is, in a sense, the symbol of the Law of Death itself. Only by fusing with it can your martial soul gain the qualification to bear the Law. That way, when you inherit the divine position, the process will be smoother."
Little White's voice grew solemn. "Since the First Death God has already fallen, it is time for the symbol of death to change—from the Ancient Tree… into something new."
"I understand." Zhu Ziyang bowed his head, gratitude deep in his heart.
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