"Hong Ling." Ye Xiu looked up at the crimson rhombus in the sky with utter helplessness. To him, this felt like an inescapable cycle; everything before him—the cliff, the white egg that had clearly hatched the three-headed vulture—suggested they were trapped in a loop they couldn't break.

Hong Ling, positioned outside the mirror, witnessed all of this. But at that moment, the mirror’s prompt flashed: Crimson Lotus of Karma: Life exchanged for Death. Hong Ling scratched her head before shouting back to them, "The mirror says, 'Crimson Lotus of Karma, Life exchanged for Death.' I have no idea what that means!"

"What? It wants us to die!" Old Liu was naturally unwilling, as anyone hearing such a decree would feel an overwhelming urge to resist. "Isn't there any other way out?"

"Or perhaps this is all an illusion," Ye Xiu stepped back a few paces, examining the sky. Hong Ling was close enough to the structure that perhaps a touch could grant them freedom. He sighed and asked Old Liu, "Hey, try using your Thin-Wisp Blade to slice open the sky."

"What? Are you crazy? Can that even be done?" Old Liu initially objected but, seeing Ye Xiu's serious demeanor, said nothing more, merely raising the Thin-Wisp Blade and throwing it toward the sky with all his might.

Clang... A crisp resonance erupted as the Thin-Wisp Blade made contact. The previously placid sky rippled with faint, water-like patterns.

"This sky is fake. We are definitely imprisoned somewhere," Old Liu felt a surge of excitement. He retrieved his Thin-Wisp Blade, muttering incessantly, "Ancient records mention the Mirror Flower Water Moon Palace, created by Fuxi. The conditions inside can be entirely altered by the creator's consciousness. That means these mountains, rivers, fire seas, and cliffs are all manifestations of some mysterious mind."

"You mean there’s another person inside this mirror palace with us?" Thinking of this, Ye Xiu grew worried about Hong Ling outside. He looked up and roared, "Hong Ling, Old Liu just struck the mirror surface with the Thin-Wisp Blade—what did you see on your side?"

"Nothing changed. I just saw the Thin-Wisp Blade fly toward me, and then it fell back down, either because it didn't have enough height or something." Hong Ling had heard Old Liu’s words and instinctively focused on any changes around her. Strangely, all the reflective mirrors in the room had suddenly turned into bare, smooth walls. Panic seized her. "Old Liu, what exactly is this Mirror Flower Water Moon Palace you speak of? In this room, it seems this is the only mirror left."

Old Liu gave Ye Xiu a suspicious look, a hint of concern in his voice. "No, no. This mirror palace must be generated by someone's consciousness. In ancient times, when Fuxi became the Heavenly Emperor of the East, he had a subordinate named Gou Mang. Gou Mang was a vassal god to Fuxi, and it was he who created the Mirror Flower Water Moon Palace. This person could be considered the only representative of the Fuxi clan who did not have a human head and a serpent's body."

"Not a human head and serpent body, then what form did he have?" Ye Xiu never imagined that this Nine Paths of Poisonous Fierceness Formation could be linked, however tenuously, to Fuxi.

Old Liu concentrated, recalling details. "Gou Mang had the body of a bird and the face of a human. Legend says he could command two celestial dragons, but a bird's body and human head is certain. Combining this with Hong Ling's description, could it be that this mirror palace was actually constructed by the descendants of Esoteric Buddhism?"

"Ah..." Just as Ye Xiu and Old Liu struggled with their thoughts, a cry suddenly rang out from Hong Ling high above. After that single sound, Hong Ling’s massive head never reappeared.

"Hong Ling! Are you out there? Hong Ling!" Ye Xiu strained his voice, but no matter how loudly he called, there was no reply.

Old Liu grew anxious too. "It seems all three of us have been tricked. Originally, the entire mirror palace was Mirror Flower Water Moon, and we only thought this specific mirror held the truth. It seems the creator intended to separate us from Hong Ling to capture her."

"Could the descendants of Esoteric Buddhism also be within this Poisonous Fierceness Formation?" Ye Xiu advanced a few steps, starting to feel the pressure. The shell of the egg ahead had begun to stir. If they didn't figure out a solution quickly, the three-headed vulture would soon emerge to cause trouble again. "We can't worry about that now. Do you remember what Hong Ling said? Crimson Lotus of Karma, Life exchanged for Death."

"Since this is all illusory, we have no choice but to risk it," Having grasped the creator's intent, Old Liu became considerably calmer. Saying this, he already broke into a run toward the edge of the cliff.

Indeed, Crimson Lotus of Karma, Life exchanged for Death in this context meant nothing more than for the two of them to jump off the cliff, plunging into the sea of fire. Although Ye Xiu strongly believed the reality was false, the moment he leaped with force from the precipice, his body distinctly registered the threat of death. He roared back at Old Liu, "Hey, is this really going to work?"

Old Liu offered no reply, his head held back coldly as he plunged into the sea of fire. The molten lava that erupted at that instant would have been enough to reduce everything to ash.

"You..." In the instant he fell into the inferno, Ye Xiu saw Old Liu's expression—a darkness and depression he hadn't seen before. What was he thinking? This man seemed intimately familiar with the history of the Fuxi clan and its descendants. Did the one who took Hong Ling have some connection to him?

With a tremendous impact, Ye Xiu’s body sank heavily into the sea of fire. After a searing, heart-wrenching pain, a sliver of white spring water appeared before his eyes. As he descended, the area covered by the white spring water continuously expanded until it enveloped his entire form. Ye Xiu stretched out in the soothing spring water, swimming until he spotted a bright spot ahead, the size of a cave entrance.

As he neared the opening, a sudden, powerful current rushed in from behind him. Before he could react, the water stream dragged him forcefully through the opening. Instantly, the world went dark, and he lost all ability to breathe.

While unconscious, Ye Xiu felt as if he were walking through a dark underground space. Before him stood a massive gate, adorned with two skull figures he knew intimately. He remembered entering through this very gate; when he emerged, he began the work of the Death God, facing mortality year after year, day after day, encountering the High Gods. Was this a dream?

On a cold slab of ice, Ye Xiu’s body lay suspended in endless mist. A pair of hands pierced through the fog and lifted him. A voice, source unknown, echoed its command to Ye Xiu: "Come to the Gate of the Dead Kingdom."