Old Liu was equally perplexed; everything seemed to better confirm the error in Ye Xiu and Ye Xiu’s assumption: “We must have been led step by step into the Nine Paths of Fierce Poison Formation by someone. It turns out this formation never had nine Dao Realms; it has been under someone’s control from the very beginning. This is a setup.”

“Damn it, what do we do now? Chop down this giant tree with the scythe?” Ye Xiu coldly ignited the purple flame in his left hand, while his right hand had already channeled the purple flame into the scythe. In that moment, he believed that no matter what ghoul or ghost appeared, Death’s hand would sever them all. “Whether it’s a setup or an opportunity, we must get out of here alive.”

Old Liu chuckled and took out a tiny, pale black talisman from his waist pouch. He licked the talisman with his tongue, then grabbed an ancient tinder, igniting it until it turned to ash. That ash slowly rose with the surrounding wind and was entirely inhaled into Old Liu’s nostrils.

“Hey, what is that?” Ye Xiu witnessed Old Liu’s peculiar Daoist technique once again, though this act, resembling drug use, made him somewhat uneasy.

“Ah…” Old Liu let out a long, satisfied breath. He twisted his neck and informed Ye Xiu, “Didn't I tell you the Ancient Strange Dao has eight sections, and I have some proficiency in them? That talisman just now came from the section on Ancient Strange Scriptures. This thing can temporarily push one’s physical limits. I hadn’t planned on letting you see this so soon, but it seems this is the only way now.”

“Limit capabilities!” Hearing this, Ye Xiu was instantly reminded of the bone jar from the Graveyard of Bone Gatherers. It had mimicked Old Liu’s magic power. Did that creature’s incredible strength and speed during its confrontation with him already expose the potential within Old Liu’s body?

“Alright, same old routine. I’ll draw the attention of those complicated things,” Old Liu picked up the Thin Face Blade. He was referring, of course, to the tree faces that gaped and bit from the trunk, and the dangling tentacles that swayed like steamed buns. “And your mission is to chop down this Corpse Flower once again!”

Ye Xiu didn't speak; his focus was entirely fixed on the dark red flower bud atop the elm tree. He could clearly see a substance, like saliva, oozing from the bud—a repulsive thing that certainly didn't deserve existence in any world.

“Go!” With a single shout, Old Liu used the threads of his Thin Face Blade to bind Ye Xiu securely. He himself broke into a desperate sprint towards the Corpse Flower. His speed was too great; the several zhang distance vanished in the blink of an eye. Upon reaching beneath the Corpse Flower, Old Liu suddenly released the threads and tossed Ye Xiu high into the air. “Use the purple flame to blast through! My speed plus the purple flame—this thing probably can’t withstand it.”

Ye Xiu only felt a moment of blurred vision. When his eyes cleared, he was already at the same height as the dark red flower bud. To ensure Old Liu’s plan didn't fail, Ye Xiu grit his teeth and activated the purple flame as his thruster. The crucial Death Scythe was held firmly in his hand, gripped seven inches deep, and braced behind his back.

Old Liu’s figure was now a blur; he moved so fast that the tree faces on the trunk could only collide with each other as he passed, unable to touch his footsteps in the slightest. By the time he easily approached the dark red flower bud, the surrounding tentacles didn't seem to notice him, still swaying casually in the air.

“Ah!” With a sharp cry from Ye Xiu, the scythe in his hand also erupted with swirling purple energy. He raised it high, preparing to utterly destroy this abominable thing.

“Swish, swish, swish, swish!” In an instant, the tentacles on the flower bud seemed to sense the imminent danger, clustering together and lunging towards Ye Xiu.

“Whoosh…” Old Liu instantly pushed off the tree trunk as if gracefully sliding down, and the Thin Face Blade in his hand was equally aggressive, easily slicing the tentacles shooting toward Ye Xiu into small segments.

Without obstruction, Ye Xiu pressed his attack fiercely, almost reaching the point of completely finishing off the blood-spewing, dark red flower bud.

“Caw… caw…” Just then, the elm tree was suddenly swarmed by a sky full of ferocious birds. Most conspicuous among them was the three-headed vulture Ye Xiu and Old Liu had encountered in the Mirror Palace. These flying creatures were extremely fast, gathering instantly around the dark red flower bud like a protective membrane.

“Die!” Ye Xiu’s scythe could not be retracted and slammed down heavily. Instantly, purple light and bloody feathers danced together in the air. He desperately kept his body low to generate greater swinging force, but the flying beasts behind the elm tree were endless. They came one after another, sacrificing their lives to block Ye Xiu’s strike.

“It’s time for me to handle this critical moment,” Old Liu’s voice appeared beside Ye Xiu’s ear; he couldn't even clearly discern his figure. After speaking, the man transformed into a strong gust of wind that swept into the flock of birds. Suddenly, bird carcasses began to rain down from the elm tree, the flash of the Thin Face Blade flickering rapidly within a small area. The seemingly endless swarm of birds seemed to vanish entirely.

Ye Xiu said nothing, but with a grimace, he continued to press the scythe down towards the dark red flower bud. Without the obstruction of bird flesh, the dark red flower bud was nothing more than fragile paper before him. At that moment, the tip of the scythe plunged deep into the bud.

“Rumble…” The entire world shook again. The tentacles surrounding the dark red flower bud thrashed as if driven mad, while all the branches of the elm tree below began to wither. The tree faces darted around everywhere like homeless children—a complete mess.

“Go!” Ye Xiu felt a wave of danger, shouted loudly, and activated the purple flame, retreating again and again to a safe distance. When he looked around for Old Liu, he found the man already standing beside him.

“Hoo… hoo…” Suddenly, the dark red flower bud on the rotten elm tree unfurled its petals. Streams of air were slowly drawn into it, followed by waves of traction emanating from the bud that spread throughout the world. The corpses strewn haphazardly on the ground actually began to stir and were sucked into the flower bud.

“Not good, it’s going to suck everything living here in,” Ye Xiu realized the danger and drove his scythe deep into the ground. He felt his clothes flapping, and then his entire body began to flutter like a banner held up by the scythe.

“Damn it!” At this moment, Old Liu’s earlier dominance seemed to have vanished. He was using his Thin Face Blade to desperately tether himself to a structure to keep from being sucked away. Muttering curses, he pointed behind Ye Xiu. “Quick, catch that old woman!”

“Ah! Where?!” Ye Xiu finally remembered the priestess he had knocked unconscious earlier. When he looked up, he saw that she too was soaring into the air, about to be sucked into the flower bud along with the other corpses.