That was an entrance, the entrance to the barrier," Old Liu declared triumphantly, withdrawing the thin-bladed knife he had plunged into the giant fish's heart at the same moment. However, as the knife flew out of the organ, it pulled along something resembling a scroll clinging to its tip.

"If it's an entrance, we need to hurry," Ye Xiu didn't spare a thought for the scroll, immediately turning and swimming toward the opening of the hole. But just then, a row of teeth-like reefs materialized before them. If this structure was the giant fish's head, then this row of teeth must have been incredibly sharp.

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, thin, elongated bone spurs erupted from that neat line of teeth, shooting forward amidst the water current.

Ye Xiu, swimming ahead, narrowly avoided being struck by the long spikes. He tumbled rapidly, trying to escape the giant fish's dental trap, but numerous long spikes also burst forth from the fine sand beneath the seabed. With no time to dodge, he quickly raised his scythe to block underneath him. Unexpectedly, the sheer force of the growing spikes knocked him backward, propelling his entire body clear of the tooth formation.

Stumbling, Ye Xiu glanced back at Old Liu. Old Liu was adept in the water and agile despite the circumstances. He managed to deflect the bone spikes thrusting at him from every direction. But now, the entire body of the massive bony fish seemed to be drawn in by the massive gravitational pull of the opening. Its previously coherent form instantly dissolved into a dense swarm of shattered bones, all hurtling toward the hole.

"Old Liu, quick!" Ye Xiu flashed forward, grabbed Old Liu, and pulled him behind him. At this moment, Ye Xiu also brought his Death Scythe up, spinning it continuously. The tranquility of the river depths was broken by strange sparks generated from the collision between the scythe and the bones.

"There's no choice! I'll have to make a fool of myself..." Old Liu muttered a few words next to Ye Xiu, then pulled a talisman paper from his waist pouch. With a burst of focused energy, he manipulated the surrounding water flow. After swallowing the yellow talisman paper, just as he had done before, his entire form transformed into a slender, elongated fish.

Ye Xiu's mouth dropped open, staring at the fish before him. He was utterly shocked; this fellow Old Liu could actually perform the Seventy-Two Transformations!

"What are you waiting for, hurry up and climb onto me!" The fish glared at Ye Xiu with both eyes and emitted Old Liu's voice. "This isn't the time for you to be amazed. If we don't leave now, those bone fragments will beat you into dust."

Ye Xiu certainly understood the gravity of the situation. Just as he clutched the fin and managed to sprawl onto the fish's back, he suddenly let out a triumphant roar: "Old Liu, you have it coming! Hurry up and go!"

"Damn it!" The fish roared in anger, then shot out like a fleeing sword toward the opening. Around them, the fragments of the giant fish's skeleton accelerated their assault. A massive wave in the water swept over their bodies, propelling them forward, and Ye Xiu, clinging to the fish, was slammed into the vast, gaping entrance.

"Cough, cough!" Old Liu climbed unhappily off Ye Xiu’s [Note: In the original context, this word likely refers to Ye Xiu's back or lower body, depending on how he was holding on; I will render it neutrally here] area, sitting on a step and patting Ye Xiu. "You brat, you have guts, clinging onto me even at the brink of death."

Ye Xiu, battered by the surge of murky water, gasped while looking down at the massive opening and the drifting bone fragments below the step. "Why didn't you use such a powerful move earlier? You made us suffer so much chasing by that giant fish."

Old Liu was also exhausted. He tilted his head back to look behind them, and a cool, clear sight met his eyes: "It seems this barrier isn't a dead loop. I didn't expect that behind this first wall would be a mountain range covered in bamboo."

Ye Xiu, still lying on the steps, felt something was off. He asked, "Such a vast expanse of bamboo forest and mountains? I remember looking down from that waterfall opening before, and I could only see the palace within the three surrounding walls. There was no bamboo mountain back then."

"I'm not sure, maybe the barrier is having an effect," Old Liu sounded somewhat drained, similar to the situation after he suddenly boosted his power and speed last time.

"Speaking of which, Old Liu, what was that about turning into a fish just now? Is there talk of transformation in the Ancient Strange Path?" Ye Xiu wanted to understand Old Liu's abilities better.

Old Liu lowered his head impatiently and replied, "I told you, the Ancient Strange Path has eight sections. What I used just now was the Ancient Strange Beast Path. In specific circumstances, I can transform into a bird or beast that matches the environment. However, this section of the Path severely impacts the user's vital essence. I need to rest for a while."

Ye Xiu had already experienced the Ancient Strange Flower Path, the Strange Scripture Path, and the Strange Beast Path. He held great curiosity for this mysterious lineage and truly hoped he hadn't provoked a sect belonging to this Path while investigating the Abyss of Death.

Old Liu regained a stable breath slightly, pulled out his thin-bladed knife, and retrieved the scroll attached to it. This item had been taken from the giant fish's heart and should be quite useful for their investigation of the Nine Paths Toxic Fiend Array.

"Let me see what it is?" Ye Xiu eagerly took the scroll from Old Liu's hand, unfurling it between them. The scroll was made from a highly waterproof skin; its composition was more akin to fish scales.

"You recognize this ancient script?" Old Liu looked proudly at the opened scroll. His eyesight was sharp, and he recognized the characters immediately.

Ye Xiu examined the scroll closely. Some of the characters, like the serpentine script they had seen before, appeared fragmented, half-present on the scroll. Ye Xiu definitely did not recognize these characters, but what puzzled him was that although the scroll was clearly very long, the parts containing text were only a short page or two. Ye Xiu looked at Old Liu with confusion: "Did the people of ancient times enjoy wasting paper? Why use such a large scale for just a few words?"

Old Liu adopted the manner of a scholar, holding the scale with both hands and swaying his head up and down. Only after he finished reading did he finally sigh slowly: "This volume of notes must have been left by Mo Shu."

"Mo Shu? What exactly is written on it?" Ye Xiu was eager to know the contents.

Old Liu swallowed, signaling Ye Xiu not to interrupt. He spoke slowly: "It records the function of the Corpse Flower. In the Xia Dynasty, the Corpse Flower was used as a painkiller. However, Mo Shu transplanted the common Corpse Flower into the dark, black pool, nurturing the Corpse Flower King with the world's malevolent energy and the Black Lotus True Qi."

"The Corpse Flower King—that’s the one we just dealt with." It turned out Mo Shu was behind all this. She must have done this to resurrect Xia Jie.

"The scent of the Corpse Flower King can induce infatuation, causing one to lose the karmic cycle of aging, sickness, and death. In other words, it can grant immortality or even bring someone back from the dead." This was the first time Old Liu had seen the origin of the Corpse Flower King in a book, and he continued translating: "But the Corpse Flower King failed. It resurrected Xia Jie, but it turned Xia Jie into a human pillar that could neither speak nor think—what is now called a Jiangshi (zombie)."

Ye Xiu broke out in a cold sweat, clenching his fist. Mo Shu was indeed formidable. She conceived a way to resurrect Xia Jie and actually succeeded in bringing him back, only for the Corpse Flower King to deliver not the true Xia Jie, but merely an empty shell.