“Say whatever you like. If you don’t wish to accept, then stay here as long as you want,” the Old Man of the Abyss replied.

“I used to have that Evil Spirit for company. Now that you’re here, I won’t be lonely.”

“Let’s go,” Xu Zimo said to Xie Changliu.

He turned, stepping into the air and flying back toward the valley they’d come from.

Xie Changliu hesitated briefly before following behind.

“You’ve thought of a way out?” he asked.

Xu Zimo smiled. “As long as there is a way out, that’s enough. It’s far better than a dead end.”

“Then why didn’t you agree just now?” Xie Changliu asked in confusion.

“I still have something to do,” Xu Zimo replied. “Once that’s taken care of, we can leave.”

Inside the God World, the fusion of the Grand Pivot God-Sword and the Shadow Tyrant had already finished, much faster than Xu Zimo had expected.

The last time he checked, they had only fused halfway, but afterward, the process had accelerated, as though the two weapons had found perfect harmony.

Their laws, their souls, all had merged into one.

Xu Zimo wanted to see just what this new weapon had become.

As for the Old Man of the Abyss, he was not worth worrying about.

When Xu Zimo returned to the valley, Jiang Mozhi was searching around. He immediately came forward and asked, “How did it go?”

“Chancellor, have you ever heard of the Old Man of the Abyss?” Xie Changliu asked.

“The Old Man of the Abyss?” Jiang Mozhi frowned and thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t. But when I first took charge of the Celestial Sage Academy, I did hear that there was something terrifying sealed beneath the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss. We were warned never to provoke it.”

“And what’s that old man’s intent?”

“He says he can send us out, but only if he devours half of our God Souls,” Xie Changliu answered.

“This…” Jiang Mozhi hesitated.

It didn’t matter much to him; he was already crippled, his meridians destroyed, he no longer had a God Soul to lose.

But when it came to Xu Zimo and Xie Changliu, he couldn’t make that decision for them.

“Chancellor, don’t worry,” Xie Changliu said reassuringly. “We have our own plan.”

Xu Zimo then found a quiet spot, sat cross-legged, and returned to the God World.

The moment he entered, he saw the Dragon Maiden examining a curved blade in her hand.

“How is it?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Try it yourself,” she said, tossing the newly forged weapon, now the completed Shadow Tyrant, toward him.

“At first, the fusion resisted strongly. But once they were halfway merged, it was as if the two weapons resonated with each other. Even without my help, they fused on their own.”

Xu Zimo held the blade, one hand on the sheath and the other on the hilt. With a metallic clang, he drew it.

Even without using any spirit power, waves of blade aura filled the air, cutting through the void.

He studied the weapon closely.

Black demonic energy and violet blade light intertwined, laced with streaks of gold from the Grand Pivot God-Sword.

The entire blade gleamed with a dark purple-bronze hue. The body was shaped like bleached bone, and its sheath was engraved with strange runes no one could read.

At the hilt was carved a statue of a demonic king, and at the end, a human skull cap served as the pommel.

It seemed as though countless souls clung to the blade.

The entire weapon radiated corruption and darkness, saturated with demonic energy, and yet, within that darkness, a sovereign aura pulsed faintly, the majesty of a king.

Along the edge of the blade, a single strand of black light shimmered faintly.

“This weapon… I’ve rarely seen its like,” said the Dragon Maiden softly.

“The two weapons not only merged perfectly, but the Grand Pivot God-Sword’s power to gather the will of all living beings has been inherited as well. In its normal state, it’s already terrifyingly strong. With the power of faith added to it, its potential is limitless.”

Xu Zimo gave the blade a slight wave, and from it, a demonic figure condensed into form,

the soul of the Shadow Tyrant.

“Excellent,” Xu Zimo said, satisfied, and sheathed the weapon.

“The blade is complete. Now, when will you let me go?” the Dragon Maiden asked.

“You know too much,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. “So... not yet. But my God World is vast beyond measure. Spending a lifetime here isn’t such a bad fate.”

“I’d actually like to walk this land myself,” she said with a faint, knowing smile. “Would you allow that?”

“When the time is right, you will,” Xu Zimo replied.

The Dragon Maiden said no more. She knew she had no choice here, her fate was already sealed.

After parting ways with her, Xu Zimo sought out Paimon and the others.

By now, the Myriad Beast Realm had grown immensely powerful.

Not only did it include countless dragons, but also the ten God Beast races of the Primordial Heartlands and many rare monsters.

Xu Zimo had kept the Myriad Beast Realm hidden from the world.

It was now located deep within the most dangerous forbidden region of the God World, a place no being, not even the strongest, could reach.

If the tribe were to suddenly appear, it would surely cause panic.

After all, this world was still too young, its people too weak, while these beasts were far too strong.

But now, the Shadow Tyrant required an endless supply of the will of all beings.

Xu Zimo planned to stage a play, and the Myriad Beast Realm would take part.

After a few whispered instructions, Paimon nodded.

“The strongest beings in this world are only at the God Meridian Realm,” he said.

“They haven’t even reached immortality, much less emperorship. Chaos should be more than enough.”

Xu Zimo nodded slightly.

The God World’s time flowed differently, its ratio to the Nine Heavens outside was ten to one.

Since its creation, thousands of years had passed. Most inhabitants weren’t particularly strong.

Only the top tier had reached the peak of the God Meridian Realm, standing on the edge of becoming emperors, a feat still immensely difficult.

The God World was divided into four massive regions.

The Northern Frontier, Southern Sea, Western Mountains, and Eastern Tombs.

In the Western Mountains, the skies were perpetually shrouded in mist. The land was filled with Forbidden Grounds and rarely trodden by humans, though rich in natural treasures.

At that moment, a small group of adventurers moved cautiously through the dark, damp forest.

“Big brother, look! A Blood Spirit Mushroom!” cried a thin-faced man with sharp eyes.

He carefully plucked a crimson fungus that looked as though it had been dipped in blood.

“Keep your voice down,” warned the middle-aged leader at the front, his expression grave. “This is the Dark Forest, don’t alert the big ones.”

“What’s there to fear?” the sharp-faced man said dismissively.

“Those fools don’t dare come here, saying it’s too dangerous. They leave all this fine treasure untouched, bunch of idiots.”

The words had barely left his mouth when everyone suddenly froze, faces tensing.

“Did you hear that?”

“Sounds like… footsteps.”

The ground began to shake.

From the far side of the forest, a colossal shadow emerged, Chaos, lumbering slowly toward them.

“By the heavens, what is that monster!?”

“Run! Run!”

The group fled in panic, crashing through the undergrowth, while Chaos followed at an unhurried pace, as though enjoying the chase.