"No! I've never seen a Death God colleague use a scythe as a weapon; even I only just learned to use this one, the Purple Flame." With only this simple reason, Ye Xiu managed to convince himself to avoid the scythe; its purple glint sent shivers down his spine.

"What the hell, this counts as an unexpected windfall. It's a shame the person it chose wasn't me." Old Liu's eyes gleamed. He had come to this Nine Poisonous Fiend Formation specifically to acquire powerful artifacts, yet here it was, manifesting right in front of this fellow, Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu still hesitated. He feared he couldn't possibly master the renowned Ancestor of the Styx's weapon; he didn't even know what a scythe would be useful for.

"Aooo-ah!" Suddenly, black water churned anew, and a pair of pitch-dark eyes surfaced. A thin, long spike shot out from the ferryman's body, aiming directly at Ye Xiu's chest.

"Damn it!" In a moment of panic, Ye Xiu recognized the mouth of the Six-Winged Mosquito Daoist. Out of sheer necessity, he instinctively grasped the scythe before him and swung it in a reflexive arc.

"Splat!" The scythe's power was immense. With just a light sweep, Ye Xiu cleaved the giant mosquito's jaws, along with its upward-leaping body, into two segments. More than that, the tranquil black water before him was also sliced open by Ye Xiu, revealing endless remnants of flesh and blood at the bottom.

"Splash..." The disturbed black water fell in droplets. For the first time, Ye Xiu felt the black water impart a gentle coolness. At that very moment, the scythe subtly contracted, adjusting itself to Ye Xiu's physique. He gave it a flick and instantly slung it across his back. In that instant, Ye Xiu felt absolutely magnificent.

Old Liu watched everything unfold, a mixture of delight and envy churning within him. He clapped his hands and said coldly, "Death God kid, from this moment on, the brand of the Ancestor of the Styx is etched upon you."

Ye Xiu let out a long breath, attempting to retract the massive scythe in his hand. The object seemed to read his mind, dissolving into a plume of purple smoke before vanishing into his palm. He didn't know if the scythe had merged with his body, but he knew Old Liu possessed the Thin Face Blade, and now he finally had a weapon that belonged to him.

"Hurry and look at these murals here," Old Liu said unhurriedly, casting a small patch of light toward Ye Xiu. He pointed at the two swords depicted on the wall. "These murals show the Asura clan placing these two swords into a furnace. If I'm not mistaken, these two swords are the ones the Ancestor of the Styx prided himself on: Yuantu and Abi."

Ye Xiu reached out to trace the pale green mural, fully grasping what Old Liu was implying: "You mean that when the Kṣitigarbha subdued the Asura clan, the Ancestor of the Styx, to preserve his power, cast Yuantu and Abi into the furnace to be reforged, resulting in the Death God Scythe I hold now."

Old Liu nodded, his expression significantly brighter than before. He chuckled, "We had an agreement, didn't we? You obtained one of the two divine artifacts. I reckon the other artifact should also be within this Nine Poisonous Fiend Formation. Don't even think about competing with me for that one; I must have it."

Ye Xiu waved his hand, managing a strained chuckle. "You cultivate the Dao. The possessions of the Ancestor of the Styx should be the most intensely Yin and evil objects. Aren't you afraid they will corrupt your cultivation?"

"What nonsense! Only the master controls the weapon. How could my Dao arts possibly be assimilated by such vile things?" Old Liu retorted, clearly offended. He then walked briskly toward the brightly lit exit. His steps were light and quick, as if the mere thought of treasure made him forget his injuries.

Ye Xiu followed closely as they moved toward the light. The feeling emanating from the opening suggested it led toward a celestial paradise rather than the end of the Styx or the Underworld itself. Both men paused involuntarily before the threshold. As Ye Xiu looked back at the Styx, his heart swelled with emotion.

Ye Xiu pointed toward the opening. "You said the end of the Styx leads to the Underworld. If we step through this, will we truly enter the Realm of the Dead?"

Old Liu couldn't be certain. He extended his palm toward the light. "Perhaps it's the sixth realm of the Nine Poisonous Fiend Formation. But even if it is the Underworld, it doesn't matter. I'll get to broaden my horizons."

Driven by speculation, Ye Xiu strode forward, stepping through the luminous doorway first. The two worlds instantly underwent a seismic shift in his vision. The previous brightness and warmth vanished in an instant. When Ye Xiu managed to open his eyes again, familiar structures filled him with a profound sense of melancholy, for they were houses of an ancient village: black tiles, grayish-white walls, and exquisitely carved eaves, the carvings resembling dragons, or perhaps more like snakes.

"This is the village next to the old elm tree!" Old Liu probably knew this village better than Ye Xiu. Sensing the profound stillness, he spoke slowly, "We were clearly inside the Fiend Formation, how could we possibly have returned to the original village? I should have realized that village was unusual long ago; it seems to exist across two different realms."

Looking around, Ye Xiu was suddenly reminded of the child, Xiaolong, whose entire body was covered in the eggs of fierce birds. He also recalled his medical partner, Chen Nan. Chen Nan had died indirectly by Ye Xiu's hand—because Ye Xiu was a Death God—but he died directly from the curse of the fierce birds. Ye Xiu deliberately stomped hard on the dirt several times, the tangible feeling intensifying his worry. "Old Liu, when we entered the Nine Poisonous Fiend Formation, didn't we personally witness this village being destroyed by the fierce birds? Is this present scene an illusion?"

"It might not be an illusion. It could be a residual image of the past, just like before, but..."

"But what?" Ye Xiu interrupted. He could sense Old Liu was withholding something else.

Old Liu pointed toward a yellow piece of paper stuck outside the village. "I visited this village before when I was searching for the Nine Poisonous Fiend Formation. That talisman paper was affixed by me using Daoist magic. I had assumed a certain spot within the village was the formation's core, so the talisman was meant to subdue the villagers, ensuring they all fell asleep whenever I required it."

"Damn it, you call yourself an ancient master of righteous Dao, yet you use such magic on ordinary people." Although Ye Xiu couldn't claim to be a paragon of virtue, he would never deliberately harm ordinary people. Thinking of this, Ye Xiu suddenly swaggered forward, walking ahead of Old Liu to the outer wall of the village. Ye Xiu turned back with a mocking smile, "Well, I'm tearing it down now. What changes will occur?"

Old Liu didn't stop him, knowing he was in the wrong. However, when he looked up and saw an archway outside the village, he couldn't muster any enthusiasm. He muttered to himself, "Strange. There was definitely no archway like this in this village."

"What's wrong, esteemed master? Can't you read the three characters carved on the archway: Night Crow Alley?" Ye Xiu pointed upward, a flicker of triumph in his expression, but then Ye Xiu himself felt a wave of confusion. Both he and Old Liu claimed familiarity with this village; no matter how they recalled it, there was absolutely no archway there at the time, let alone a name. Furthermore, what normal village would be named 'Night Crow Alley'?