"Isn't Mount Bu Xian the same as Changbai Mountain today?" Luckily, Yexiu had some knowledge of history; Changbai Mountain is quite high, an active volcano itself, known by the name Mount Bu Xian since the Xia Dynasty, though it’s unknown if the Tianchi crater lake had formed back then.

"Meishu resurrected Xia Jie, only to discover that Xia Jie was little more than a walking corpse, his brain utterly useless. So, she sought the eggs of the Zhudichong in the volcanic ash fields of Changbai Mountain and brought them back to the dark, inky pool for incubation," Old Liu felt a pang of emotion when Yexiu mentioned Changbai Mountain and continued, "I’ve read ancient texts on esoteric arts, and they frequently mention this Mount Bu Xian. Legend says within that volcano lies an illusionary realm called the Three Abyss Snow-Melting Palace, where the secrets of one of the Eight Divisions of ancient esoteric practice are buried."

Yexiu glanced at Old Liu's eager eyes and drawled, "You aren't planning to drag me off to the Three Abyss Snow-Melting Palace again, are you? We still have the Five-Pointed Buddha Burial Mound to deal with first. Let's worry about that after we manage to get out of here alive."

Old Liu snapped back to reality after Yexiu’s cold splash of water and continued reading Meishu's scroll: "The Zhudichong eggs hatched in the dark pool. This creature is naturally voracious, feeding primarily on fresh flesh. In the absence of fresh meat, they will devour decaying matter in an instant. Though named Zhudichong, they are in fact Corpse-Eating Worms."

"Eating flesh…" Yexiu had assumed the creature preferred brain matter; the fact that it consumed anything was terrifying.

"Meishu used the Corpse Flower to turn her clansmen into zombies. Most of these zombies were useless, so they became a feast for the Corpse-Eating Worms. However, selecting one robust worm capable of absorbing all of Xia Jie's memories was difficult, so Meishu planned to cultivate a Worm King," Old Liu exhaled, the fear in his eyes evident as he looked at Yexiu.

Yexiu nodded, having some understanding of cultivating a king among lesser creatures. He chimed in, "It's like the Gu techniques of Xiangxi. Any creature that qualifies as Gu is the result of natural selection. You place all the poisonous insects and creatures in a confined space; when they grow hungry, they naturally turn on each other. The one that survives is the Gu."

"Exactly! This Corpse-Eating Worm King emerged as a toxic specimen, having crawled over the corpses of thousands of other Zhudichong!" Old Liu turned the scroll pages further. "Meishu obtained this Worm King and used it to drain all of Xia Jie's brain matter. And this Worm King has resided within Xia Jie’s body ever since!"

"She succeeded!" Yexiu snatched the scroll, his breath catching. If Meishu had truly found the secret to eternal life this way, wouldn't the alchemy and arcane arts of the later Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors be reduced to mere jokes?

Old Liu shook his head, tucking the scroll back into his waist pouch. He looked at the now-frozen Zhudichong before them. "The content on the scroll ends there, only detailing how the Worm King entered Xia Jie's body. I don't know if she succeeded, but this scroll is still worth our serious study."

Yexiu rubbed his nose in thought. "This thing was taken from the heart of the Kun. Every time it pulsed, it was after we escaped danger. It seems to be deliberately guiding us and conveying information."

"That's what worries me too. After all this effort, I feel like we are just pawns," Old Liu grew melancholic. No one in this world willingly accepts being a mere piece on someone else’s board, especially not the inheritor of such ancient esoteric arts.

"Whoosh…" At that moment, a gust of black wind surged from the depths of the bamboo grove, causing the surrounding bamboo leaves to thrash wildly. The black wind descended from a height, finally coalescing into a dark shadow that dropped before Yexiu and Old Liu.

"Is that a spell?" Old Liu’s scattered focus sharpened again. He drew his thin-bladed saber, showing no fear toward the incoming entity.

"Yexiu! Old Liu! Hurry and save me!" Hongling’s voice was sharp yet melodious, her layered skirt billowing out of the black wind. The bad news was that behind her trailed a figure clad in plain black robes.

"Hand over the scroll." The newcomer stepped out of the black wind. He was slender, his face grim. A black blindfold covered his eyes, and black feathers sprouted unnervingly from both his arms. He extended a hand with an air of absolute certainty. "Surrender the Scroll of Longevity, or I shall kill this Bone Gatherer."

"Who are you?" Yexiu stepped forward and asked coldly. Since he held Hongling captive, Yexiu could surmise this was the person who ambushed Hongling in the Mirror Palace. The palace's master must be the Sun-Blind Clan Hongling had mentioned—a group descended from Fuxi, who ultimately forsook the worship of the serpent to embrace the mighty eagle, becoming the serpent’s most formidable natural enemy, a choice that came at the heavy price of a short lifespan.

While Old Liu harbored a slight infatuation with Hongling, his passion for powerful artifacts far exceeded his feelings for women. He joked, "Brother, I think you have the wrong people. This girl has nothing to do with either of us. Go ahead and kill her if you must. I'm rather curious to see if the legendary Bone Gatherer—whose bones are immortal and life endless—can actually be killed by you!"

"Of course, I can. Just turn the bones to ash, can’t I?" The man in black licked his lips, showing no embarrassment at Old Liu’s remark. He shook his head and looked toward Yexiu’s side, acting as if he were perfectly normal.

"Wait, wait a moment." Yexiu walked toward him without malice, his gaze fixed on the blindfold. He still harbored suspicions. "Was the Mirror Palace that day your doing?"

The man in black remained motionless, offering neither confirmation nor denial.

Seeing that he was listening, Yexiu continued, "Are all members of your Sun-Blind Clan born blind? Why do you wear an eye covering? Is it an expression of faith to someone?"

"Nonsense. The Sun-Blind Clan is the tribe of the divine hawk, worshipping the dark moon. We merely discarded the lowly radiance of the sun," the man in black held deep reverence for the moon while scorning the sun. "Smartly hand over the Scroll of Eternal Life now, or don't blame Yexiu for being too cruel to this woman."

"What scroll? We stumbled into this place by accident too. We nearly died in your Mirror Palace before this," Yexiu spread his hands helplessly. This man was far more anxious than he was.

"Swoosh!" The man in black seemed to lose his temper. Following a sharp sound, one of the feathers on his arm shot outward and positioned itself like a pair of scissors against Hongling’s cheek. He chuckled, "I followed the two of you in the whole way. In fact, I should thank you. I spent years infiltrating the Ninefold Poisonous Fiend Formation and could never breach the barrier set by its master."

"The Sun-Blind Clan is truly pathetic, unable to even break through such a childish barrier!" Old Liu’s tone became sharp as he intentionally provoked the man in black. "Be smart and release the hostage. You aren't scared of us two, are you, resorting to threatening a girl? Don't worry, we won't gang up on you; pick one of us for a fair duel!"