The Birdman's Celestial Eye still flickered, and he replied with focused intensity, "Beneath this pool of wine lies a graveyard. If I am not mistaken, it must be the graveyard of the Bone Pickers."

"Another Bone Picker graveyard!" Ye Xiu stared at the water surface, recalling the densely packed bone jars. "Is this entire Terrace of Embraces also the territory of the Bone Pickers? What was Mei Shu thinking? Could she have discovered the Bone Pickers?"

Old Liu, seeing his cultivation was still inferior to the Birdman's, immediately grew irritated. "Hey, Birdman! What's the point of just one person seeing it? If you have the guts, eliminate this illusion so we can all witness the Bone Picker graveyard beneath the water."

The Birdman did not speak. He simply placed both hands over his Celestial Eye. At that moment, the surroundings plunged into absolute darkness, as if all light had converged upon him. He roared, and the light beam shot directly from the Celestial Eye into the wine pool. In an instant, every spectral lotus upon the wine's surface withered and died.

"Bone jars," Ye Xiu exclaimed in surprise, looking at the now empty pool where bone jars rested. The jars were green, intricately carved with various beautiful women, so vivid they seemed to be dancing. Had he not seen these types of jars before, he would have mistaken them for works of art.

Old Liu was the first to cross the pool, leaping to the side of a bone jar. He scrutinized the carvings and chuckled, "So many beauties. It seems this bone jar must contain a beauty."

The Birdman folded his wings and jumped into the pool. He looked up at the jar and sighed, "There is only one bone jar here. I imagine Hong Ling's remains must have been taken into the jar by the spectral lotuses. It seems there really is a beauty inside."

"Hong Ling is in there—what do we do?" Ye Xiu was the last to enter the pool. The water surrounding them had been vaporized by the intense light emitted by the Birdman. The originally magnificent scene was reduced to just one exquisite bone jar. Looking at the beautiful women carved upon it, he couldn't help but think of Mei Shu. She intended to resurrect Xia Jie and restore him to normalcy; if she had already known the Bone Pickers and mastered the secret of their eternal life by then... No, that was impossible. If she possessed the power of the Bone Pickers, she wouldn't need Corpse Flowers at all.

"The entire process of the Bone Pickers' eternal life is generated within these bone jars, which is why their immortality remains an enigma," the Birdman hovered slightly, trying to see inside from the jar's top, but he gained no insight beyond emptiness. "The true mystery of these jars is still unknown to anyone."

"Let's open it!" Old Liu pointed at Ye Xiu. "Since the bone jars aren't afraid of fire, we'll use the scythe. Death God, you have to figure out how to open this thing."

"Forcefully cutting it open?" Ye Xiu immediately dismissed Old Liu's idea. "Hong Ling might be achieving eternal life inside. What if that single cut harms her? Don't you want her to live?"

Old Liu knew he was being unreasonable but had no alternative, so he slapped his leg and sat down beside the bone jar.

The Birdman circled the jar with a knowing look. "It's useless. These bone jars are what the Bone Pickers rely on for survival. I've never heard of a bone jar being destroyed by anyone. Do you even know what's contained inside these jars?"

"The Bone Pickers collect the bones of the dead..." Ye Xiu vaguely recalled legends about the Bone Pickers' jars. While he wasn't an expert, he had some understanding.

The Birdman nodded and continued, "As far as I know, the Bone Pickers search the mortal realm for dead people's bones not to usher souls to the afterlife, but for selection—choosing bones capable of granting them eternal life. As for how these specific bones are chosen, or how the process is realized, there are no records or accounts whatsoever."

"Hmph..." Ye Xiu closed his eyes, thinking of the Bone Sect Hong Ling had mentioned. "So, the Bone Pickers' entire endeavor is just for their own longevity. What kind of bone meets their standards?"

"Stop talking! This bone jar seems to be shaking!" Old Liu jumped up in alarm, his words interrupting Ye Xiu's thoughts. "Look, this thing is moving."

Ye Xiu stared coldly at the jar. It was indeed shaking rhythmically. The images of the beautiful women on the jar seemed to dance with its movement, mesmerizing them all.

"Ch-ch-ch..." Suddenly, white smoke began to pour out of the jar's opening. The smoke rose slowly and spread outwards. By the time it permeated the entire body of the jar, a snow-white arm stretched out, languidly resting on the jar's rim.

"What is that!" Old Liu stumbled and fell onto the ground, pointing at the arm. "Damn it, what dangerous thing has come out of this jar?"

Ye Xiu, having learned from the last incident, knew the bone jars were peculiar. If someone touched one, it could mimic that person's abilities and cause havoc. But now, the three of them hadn't touched it at all. What was it doing?

As the mist increased, another slender arm emerged from the top. It was pure white, looking like the arm of a young girl, exquisitely delicate.

"Is that Hong Ling?" Ye Xiu shouted, gesturing for the Birdman to fly up to the jar's top to see.

"It should be, but..." The Birdman approached the two arms. He clearly saw the situation inside the jar. He reached out and pulled forcefully on the arms. When he finally dragged the entire girl out, even he was stunned; the girl's snow-white skin was completely exposed to everyone's sight.

"This, this isn't Hong Ling..." Ye Xiu could barely contain himself from staring at the girl's sensual body. After the Birdman placed her steadily on the ground, he quickly used Hong Ling's previous clothes to wrap her, but this girl's face was clearly not Hong Ling's. It looked like...

Old Liu, usually lustful, recoiled as if seeing a ghost when he saw the girl's face, retreating behind the Birdman in terror. "This woman isn't the apparition from the bamboo forest just now? The one frolicking with Xia Jie? This woman..."

"It's Mei Shu!" Ye Xiu jumped up in fright. That soft yet enchanting face was undoubtedly the image from moments ago—the wicked instigator of this Nine Poisons Vicious Formation, Madam Mei Shu!

"What is that flashing thing..." The Birdman had never seen Madam Mei Shu. He pointed at Old Liu's waist pouch. "It seems something is guiding it. Could it be your scroll?"

"The scroll, yes! The scroll knows everything." Old Liu clung to it like a lifeline. This entire experience was too bizarre; he needed an explanation, and the scroll was the best tool for that.

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