The brilliant light rendered his snow-white beard nearly transparent, making even his divine soul appear as though it might melt away.

Taihe smiled serenely, answering without turning his head: “Who isn’t afraid of death? The longer one lives, the more afraid they become. Tens of thousands of years of cultivation, tens of thousands of years of toil—who could be willing to see it all reduced to ashes in an instant?”

“Then why?” The Heavenly Diviner narrowed his eyes.

“At this point, don’t you understand, Diviner? It’s unavoidable.” Taihe chuckled softly. “You’ve calculated this as well, haven’t you?”

“…” The Heavenly Diviner’s face darkened as he swept his sleeve in frustration.

The Heavenly Mechanism Lock had been broken. They no longer had a hiding place. The Heavenly Diviner had even prepared himself to face Li Ye’s killing blow the moment they emerged.

However, after the intense flash of light, when he and Taihe tumbled into the Thorny Forest, there were no magical devices or spell-light around them. They landed in an open space where, even as souls, they splashed into something wet.

Taihe froze, slowly lowering his gaze.

Crimson blood had pooled in the uneven ground. The air held a metallic stench that even the strong wind couldn’t disperse. The ancient trees around them had lost their leaves, leaving only blackened, withered branches from which hung scattered arms and heads of unknown origin. Broken magical artifacts mixed with mud, humming with residual energy.

In the distance came the sound of spiritual energy explosions, like heavenly thunder, carrying a piercing wind that swept past their robes.

The Heavenly Diviner silently surveyed the scene for a moment, then turned and retreated in another direction.

“Won’t you take another look?” Taihe asked hoarsely. “Those losing their lives over there have been your subjects for many years.”

The Heavenly Diviner sneered coldly: “Do you want me to join them in death?”

Taihe fell silent.

The surrounding wind grew stronger, chilling even their souls. He looked up at the darkened sky and sighed deeply.

Er’er moved with extreme haste.

As soon as she left the Heavenly Mechanism Lock, she rushed toward the loudest sounds. Everything she saw along the way had lost any semblance of an immortal realm. The resentful spirits in the wind made breathing difficult, and her heart sank further with each explosive burst of spiritual energy.

Why did he need to harbor such murderous intent?

If he only wanted to kill the Heavenly Diviner, it wouldn’t have come to this. After all, Li Ye had already consumed two of his souls and seven spirits, leaving just one soul—and that was only out of respect for Master Taihe.

But when he finished here and turned around, Zhu Yan had brought back a corpse.

A cold corpse, devoid of warmth, without a trace of soul remaining. That face which had smiled so foolishly at him earlier had turned rigid and pale.

At first, Li Ye didn’t believe it. Even if Er’er were foolish, she possessed half of his cultivation. Which immortal in the heavens could easily take her life?

But after searching for three days, he had turned the entire Nine Heavens upside down and found nothing but this lifeless body.

He hadn’t wanted to kill, but he couldn’t control himself, especially when Tai Shang Lao Jun told him “the dead cannot be revived.”

Who decided they couldn’t be revived? Why couldn’t they be revived?

After killing some people, he had calmed down, thinking that if he could recover the Heavenly Mechanism Lock, everything could still be salvaged. However, to protect the Heavenly Diviner’s last wisp of soul, these people had hidden the Heavenly Mechanism Lock.

Very well, then none would live.

Divine fire overflowed from his body, engulfing the entire Thorny Forest. Some wailed, some begged for mercy. Li Ye stood on the highest branch, watching quietly, cruel and indifferent.

“Supreme God,” Zhu Yan stood not far behind him and said softly, “Please take care of yourself.”

Despite his words, his face clearly showed excitement. The more relentlessly Li Ye killed, the more pleased he became. It didn’t matter that the Heavenly Diviner had escaped with one soul—they would catch him eventually. And these immortals who usually flaunted their power had, in just a few days, formed piles of corpses higher than the lookout tower.

His eyes gleamed with light.

As divine fire consumed the withered trees of the Thorny Forest, Li Ye suddenly spoke: “Does this fire look familiar to you?”

The God of Fire—when angered, his flames could spread for a thousand miles. Many years ago, he had also set such a fire, which had engulfed a household.

His heart skipped a beat. Zhu Yan knelt halfway, but then froze.

When had the Supreme God learned of this matter?

Were these words meant to remind him of past events, or was it merely reminiscing?

His mind exploded in confusion. Zhu Yan’s eyes darted around, momentarily speechless.

Fortunately, another group of reckless immortals approached from the southwest, timely diverting Li Ye’s attention.

They hadn’t come to fight—after three days and nights of battle, everyone knew they were no match for Li Ye, even if they banded together. These people had merely caught the Heavenly Diviner’s scent and wanted to pursue in that direction.

Little did they expect to find Li Ye blocking their path.

At the front, Chu Yuan froze when he spotted the divine fire from afar. By the time he realized he should flee, it was too late. Li Ye appeared before him like a specter in the blink of an eye, reaching out a hand, and Chu Yuan felt a chill throughout his body.

His soul torn away, Chu Yuan’s physical body collapsed to the ground.

The gods were terrified, turning to scatter in all directions. However, Li Ye moved like lightning, not even using immortal techniques anymore—simply reaching out to grip their throats one by one, his cloudy eyes downcast, filled with bloodthirsty excitement.

It’s over. Chu Yuan’s soul hovered above, shaking his head heavily.

Developing a taste for killing was the most terrifying thing. No longer even using spells, Li Ye was enjoying the sensation of killing. Now, truly, no one could stop him.

One after another, the physical bodies of immortals fell from his hands. Li Ye licked his lips and grabbed the next immortal.

His unfocused pupils met the face of the immortal in his grasp, and he suddenly paused. His pupils slowly contracted, and his eyebrows twitched.

“It’s you,” he said hoarsely.

Meng Wan frowned as he looked at Li Ye, saying nothing, appearing resigned to whatever Li Ye might do.

But a weary emotion surfaced in Li Ye’s eyes, as if deeply displeased. Instead of taking his soul, Li Ye simply tossed him aside and went for the next victim.

“What do you mean by this?” After being thrown to the ground, Meng Wan flew back indignantly. “Kill me! Since none of the immortals here can escape anyway, why spare me?”

A hint of blood surged in Li Ye’s eyes. He pressed his lips together and swept his sleeve, full of killing intent.

Meng Wan was thrown far away.

Chu Yuan’s soul watched from the side, his eyes suddenly brightening.

He quickly found a young woman in the crowd and asked softly: “Are you perhaps Senior Sister to the immortal Er’er?”

Yan Cha had been staring blankly at Chu Yuan’s physical body on the ground when she suddenly heard these words. Her body stiffened, her eyelashes trembled violently, and her hands clenched.

This was the first thing Supreme God Chu Yuan had ever said to her, and unexpectedly, it was about this.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Cha managed a stiff “Mmm.”

“That’s excellent,” Chu Yuan said. “Move to the front.”

With a rigid neck, Yan Cha finally faced his soul directly.

Familiar features, familiar temperament—even in such a tense situation, Chu Yuan’s pupils contracted at the sight.

This young woman…