At this moment, Ye Xiu was indeed quite far from the old woman. Unable to act humanely, Ye Xiu wrenched his scythe from the earth. In that instant, he bent down, slung the scythe across his back, and shot toward the old woman like an arrow loosed from a bowstring. Yet, relying solely on the lure of the flower bud wasn't enough to catch up. In desperation, Ye Xiu ignited the power of the Violet Flame and surged to the old woman’s side. By the time he seized her, they were already beneath the elm tree.

"Clang!" Ye Xiu desperately plunged the scythe into the ground, trying to stabilize their position. At that moment, shattered corpses rained down from every direction, forcing him to reignite the Violet Flame to shatter them one by one.

Time crept by. The dark-red flower bud atop the elm tree had nearly absorbed every corpse in Crow's Alley. As the violent winds abruptly ceased, Ye Xiu, having finally managed to set the old woman gently on the ground, retracted his scythe and intently watched the subsequent changes in the corpse flower.

"It has drawn back every particle of the corpse matter," Old Liu jumped to Ye Xiu's side. He appeared extremely weak; the recent exertion had clearly drained a significant amount of his strength.

Ye Xiu gazed up at the dark-red bud. It was no longer ejecting anything resembling saliva; it was simply contracting—no, it seemed to be writhing, swelling, as if something inside was about to burst forth.

"Bad news, look!" Old Liu pulled Ye Xiu back several paces, pointing toward the edge of the dark-red bud. "Look there—isn't that a toe?"

Ye Xiu stared intently. Sure enough, on one side of the dark-red bud, a massive toe poked out. As the flower bud convulsed, an entire, fully formed lower leg burst free, dangling straight out into the air. Ye Xiu gasped, "Did it mix all those corpses together? Is it going to form a giant corpse?"

Old Liu stared fixedly at the sight, not harboring a good feeling. "It seems so. Its feet are already formed. It looks like we’re about to face a giant."

"Let me chop it down now!" Ye Xiu set the old woman down, brandishing his scythe as he charged up the elm tree trunk into the mid-air. He swung down with all his might, striking the giant leg squarely.

With a "Clang!" Ye Xiu was flung backward a great distance by the immense reactionary force. When he staggered to a landing, he realized the base of that leg was impervious to blades and spears.

Seeing Ye Xiu prepare to advance again, Old Liu grabbed him. "It’s useless. The Death Scythe isn't the sharpest thing in the world; it's a tool for severing souls, but against this giant corpse, it will likely have little effect."

"Ah... woah..." Suddenly, waves of mournful sighs rose up behind them. The old woman had actually awakened. Seeing the grotesque corpse flower and the field of debris, she seemed to lose her mind, clutching her head and weeping, "What have you done? Why has it become like this? Where are the others?"

Old Liu had little sympathy. He pointed at the corpse flower. "Your clan was absorbed by this flower. The flower gave them prolonged life; now it’s time to pay the due."

"Ah!" The old woman, who called herself a priestess, seemed utterly unable to comprehend the bizarre scene. She knelt powerlessly on the ground, repeatedly murmuring one sentence: "The curse of Goddess Mo Shu has come true. She truly would not spare her own people."

Ye Xiu had heard her mention the curse of Goddess Mo Shu several times, but he couldn't understand why Mo Shu would curse her own people with such cruelty—turning them into zombies only to have them die by the hands of the corpse flower in the end. Was this a cycle of karma, or retribution? Ye Xiu helped the old woman up and asked, "Did Mo Shu also use the corpse flower on you? Why are you unharmed while everyone else changed?"

The old woman shook her head and began recalling the past, speaking wearily. "The war had already reached the royal palace by then. Goddess Mo Shu, with her trusted few, was hiding here. She was heartbroken to hear that Xia Jie was dead."

"Still in the mood for stories? That corpse flower is about to take human form," Old Liu continued to observe the flower's growth. At that moment, both hands and feet had already struggled free from the dark-red bud, clearly resembling a giant.

"Every so often, Goddess Mo Shu summoned groups of her confidants. You, Ye Xiu, were the last person she called for."

"Did this person turn into this state after being summoned?" Ye Xiu suspected Mo Shu had converted these commoners into zombies during that time, but why would she do it?

The old woman slowly continued, "None of the groups that came out afterward were willing to talk about their summoning experience, or perhaps no one cared, because being summoned by Goddess Mo Shu was considered a great blessing in our hearts."

Ye Xiu glanced at the corpse flower and felt a pang of nausea; it resembled a steamed bun that had sprouted limbs, making it repulsive to contemplate eating. However, the old woman’s story was compelling, and he pressed on, "Then what happened when you were summoned? What did Mo Shu do to you?"

"I only smelled an intensely thick floral fragrance, and then everything went dark, as if I had fainted," the old woman said, rubbing her hands with a look of helplessness. "When I awoke, I saw Goddess Xi Xi. She smiled at me, and then she, too, vanished."

"Damn it, this story is of no help to the current situation," Old Liu urged them to retreat further, as the bun-like thing with limbs seemed poised to stand up.

Ye Xiu didn't press further about Mo Shu. He pulled the old woman back as well, not knowing what this behemoth would rely on to deal with them.

"Caw... caw..." Suddenly, the sound of crows erupted again from the sky. This time, it wasn't caused by the shambling corpses. A flock of red-eyed, black-bodied crows truly flew in from a corner of the dim sky.

"Get down!" Ye Xiu quickly forced the old woman beside him down, narrowly avoiding the sweep of the crow flock.

Old Liu, crawling on the ground, patted Ye Xiu. "Their target isn't us. Look what they're doing!"

Ye Xiu shielded his eyes and looked out. The entire expanse of sky was now obscured by the dense black cloud of crows. As if obeying some silent command, the crows collectively dove toward the dark-red flower bud clinging to the elm tree. They shrieked while using their sharp beaks to peck at the bud's surface. In a short while, the once-smooth bud became riddled with holes, an utterly terrifying sight.

"So, Goddess Mo Shu never abandoned us? This monstrous flower is a disaster, yet she has always protected us." Seeing this scene, the old woman appeared to witness the fulfillment of her faith. Ignoring the mindless crows diving down, she stood up herself. At that moment, the prayer beads in her hand began to emit a black radiance. Before Ye Xiu could react, her entire body was swept into the air by the dense formation of crows.

"Hey!" Ye Xiu tried to stand up to save her, but Old Liu pulled him back, shaking his head helplessly.

In the vast sky, the black crows were endless. The hands and feet emerging from the dark-red flower bud struggled weakly a few times before becoming completely still. The crows had saved the world.