A massive claw swept across the sea, stirring up waves of black water before it slammed down onto the mountain of Deep Sea Black Ice.

“Ancestor!” the surrounding beings cried out in alarm.

“The ice mountain must not be destroyed!”

With a deafening boom, the peak of the mountain cracked, and a jagged shard of black ice broke off and fell downward.

The colossal claw swung again, sending that shard flying straight toward Xu Zimo.

Xu Zimo raised one hand and caught the oncoming shard directly.

In that instant, upon contact, his entire body froze solid, transformed into an ice statue.

A series of cracking sounds followed as fissures spread across the statue’s surface until it finally shattered apart.

“What a ferocious cold,” Xu Zimo muttered to himself, quickly storing away the shard of black ice.

“Thanks.”

“Remember what you promised,” the massive creature in the darkness rumbled. “You must never set foot here again for the rest of your life.”

As Xu Zimo’s figure disappeared into the distance, the silence of the deep sea erupted into noisy confusion.

“Ancestor, why would you give him the Deep Sea Black Ice? It is the foundation of our cultivation!”

“Yes! That piece alone could sustain us for tens of thousands of years!”

The one they called Ancestor was their oldest elder, said to have lived since the ancient era, a true monster of ages past.

But this time, his actions baffled them all.

The enormous being in the darkness remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

“When I was very young, my own ancestor once told me a story,” he said. “It happened long, long ago, before even the ancient age. This world once endured an age of darkness. All living things were enslaved, and those who survived that era refused to speak of it again. They would not recall that grim, shadowed time. Though the darkness was eventually vanquished,” he continued, “it is said it was never truly destroyed. Someday, it will return.”

“But what does that have to do with him?” one of the deep-sea beasts asked in confusion.

“You didn’t sense it,” the great creature replied. “When you were about to fight, aside from that young man, I felt two other presences nearby, two overwhelming auras. The demonic energy in that moment… it reminded me of the very scenes my ancestor once described.”

“Ancestor, you mean he’s the one from that time...?”

Before the voice could finish, the old one cut him off. “Let us hope not. But better to believe than to deny. We cannot afford to provoke that demon. A mere piece of black ice means nothing.”

“Wise as always, Ancestor,” the surrounding sea beasts murmured in relief.

……

“That old beast is interesting,” said Paimon with a grin from within the God World.

Xu Zimo nodded slightly. He had expected another fierce battle, but it seemed the other side had no desire to fight.

“All the better,” he said. “It saves time.”

He tossed the Deep Sea Black Ice to the Dragon Maiden.

“Will this be enough?” he asked.

“Hmph, those big brutes are only good for their size,” the Dragon Maiden said with disdain. “I expected more of them.”

“There’s something else I wanted to ask you,” Xu Zimo said.

“What is it?” she replied.

“That door, what exactly lies behind it?” Xu Zimo asked.

When he had struck that mysterious gate earlier, the Dragon Maiden had appeared. He suspected she wouldn’t have shown herself otherwise.

Her expression changed slightly.

“I advise you not to open it,” she said. “What lies beyond is pure calamity. You cannot bear the consequences.”

“More calamitous than me?” Xu Zimo countered with a faint smile. “The Pool of Demon Transformation, is it?”

“So, that girl Meng Yu told you,” the Dragon Maiden said coldly.

“Why?” Xu Zimo asked.

“I knew that girl was up to no good,” she replied indifferently.

“I heard she was your disciple. You don’t seem very pleased with her,” Xu Zimo said.

“There’s no need to bring that up again,” the Dragon Maiden said flatly. “Find the flame capable of melting the weapon, and I will forge it for you.”

Xu Zimo nodded faintly. His God Soul returned to the North Sea. Since the Dragon Maiden refused to speak further, there was no point in asking again. He would have to find the truth himself.

He stepped toward the massive gate.

The black-and-white door looked ancient, its surface worn and timeless, standing who knew how many years at the bottom of the sea.

Shadow Tyrant appeared in his hand.

With a single motion, Xu Zimo unleashed a strike of pure, cutting blade energy.

A muffled bang rang out, but the blade’s power vanished upon contact. The great door did not move an inch.

“My lord, allow me,” came Paimon’s voice.

Xu Zimo nodded.

From within the God World, two enormous hands of swirling demonic energy extended outward.

Dark power surged, tearing open the void, and struck the massive door.

The sea roared as Paimon shouted one word.

“Open!”

Wind and thunder howled as demonic energy churned across the ocean.

With a deep, grinding rumble, the gate began to open slowly.

When the two doors had parted just enough to reveal a narrow passage, Paimon stopped.

“My lord, be careful. Something isn’t right here.”

Xu Zimo nodded and stepped through the gap.

The moment he entered, a wave of scorching heat washed over him.

The flames were so intense they nearly burned him alive.

Raising his head, Xu Zimo saw that this was a world of fire, an entire realm encircled by crimson flame.

It was almost unbelievable that beneath the cold North Sea, there existed a domain of such searing fire.

The temperature was so high that even someone at Xu Zimo’s level struggled to endure it.

The ground below burned a deep red, while the flames above flickered a golden yellow. The entire world was engulfed in roaring fire.

Even the path beneath his feet was ablaze.

Ordinary clothing would have been instantly reduced to ash here.

With a wave of his hand, Xu Zimo donned his Infernal Lord Battle Robe. The deep crimson cloak billowed behind him amid the flames, protecting him from the heat.

Ancient forces stirred within the air, whoever entered this realm could not fly, only walk upon the burning ground step by step.

Xu Zimo drew out the broken ox horn he carried.

The moment he entered, the horn reacted violently, the demonic energy within it surging wildly.

Dark tendrils of energy drifted through the air, merging with the ambient magic of this world.

Before him, those black wisps converged into a long, narrow line of shadow.

“It’s guiding me?” Xu Zimo murmured.

Following the direction of the black line, he moved swiftly.

After five or six minutes, he reached the end of this fiery realm.

The space wasn’t vast, but the flames here burned even hotter.

When Xu Zimo looked ahead, he saw, towering in the distance, a colossal statue of a god.

The statue was lifelike, wearing black trousers, bare-chested.

Its upper body appeared as though it were cracking apart, streams of molten lava weaving and pulsing beneath the surface.

From its head rose a mane of fire-like hair, and from its temples, two dark crimson ox horns curved upward.

Its face was gaunt, and from its brow downward spread glowing red markings like streams of molten blood.