"Well done, Little Sha!" Hong Ling and Old Liu roared in unison, both men momentarily reverting to the demeanor of excited children.

Having been pinned down, Peng Snake did not cease its struggle. It coiled its body inward, tightening the grip of its tail, attempting to subdue Little Sha through sheer force. Naturally, Little Sha howled in agony as the constriction tightened, but as a Qilin, it would not be so easily bound by a mere serpent. In an instant, it lifted one claw and drove it deep into Peng Snake's flesh. With a wet thwack, a thick splatter of blue ichor erupted, and when Little Sha’s claw reappeared before their eyes, it had dragged out a massive, pulsating orb—undeniably a gargantuan serpent's gall bladder, which continued to spasm rhythmically.

"Hah, I never thought an ancient divine beast could be felled so easily by a Qilin!" Birdman drifted lazily to the center of the plaza. Beneath him, Peng Snake lay motionless like a heap of dead meat. Little Sha, however, acted as if possessed, continuing to shred the serpent's carcass with its claws.

Ye Xiu swallowed hard, the size of the Peng Snake Gall Bladder dwarfing that of a human. The bitter organ, slick with viscous fluid, emitted a potent, (xīng - fishy/foul) odor.

"Alright, Little Sha, come back now!" Hong Ling halted Little Sha’s frenzy. With a slight wave of her hand, she retracted the Blood Control Needle from Little Sha’s brow. Simultaneously, the Qilin’s horn and claws slowly receded into its body. A cute little snake slithered back to Hong Ling’s arm, swaying gently. "You worked hard, get some rest."

Ye Xiu strolled towards Birdman, his hands tucked deep into his pockets, and inquired, "Are the Sun-Blind Clan truly the natural nemesis of the Bone Gatherers? This single Qilin is no easy foe for anyone."

"Heh, there are many things you don't understand, Death God," Birdman chuckled, pointing toward the palace in the plaza. "Just as you don't know what waits inside this palace, the Sun-Blind Clan is far more complex than what you see. The Bone Gatherers have the Qilin transformed into the Crimson Snake, but the Sun-Blind Clan has the Tianyuan, born from a divine beast."

"Oh, in that case, I am genuinely interested in learning more about your kind." Ye Xiu offered a smile, his focus naturally fixed on the final palace within these Nine Fierce Poison Formations!

"Hey, eating snake gall improves eyesight, don't waste it!" At that moment, Old Liu sauntered over to the enormous gall bladder as if nothing had happened. He retrieved his thin-bladed knife and carved off a chunk of flesh. "Anyone want some? Stuff from a divine beast can't be bad."

Birdman and Hong Ling conspicuously retreated from him with expressions of clear disdain. When Ye Xiu reached Old Liu’s side, the man had already swallowed the piece of foul-smelling meat. Ye Xiu asked out of curiosity, "How did it taste?"

Old Liu’s complexion was grim; the thing clearly hadn't been palatable. But once he had fully managed to swallow it, he grinned. "Truly a divine thing! I can already see further after just a moment. Wonderful!"

"Let's go, enough chatter!" Seeing that Old Liu was unharmed, Ye Xiu turned and followed behind Birdman. When he looked up, he realized the opulent palace at the depth of the plaza now stood right before them. The magnificent golden dais and classical wooden architecture looked nothing like a tomb; their pristine condition suggested they had been continuously inhabited.

"Strange, why is the Image Reversal Scroll showing no reaction?" Birdman stopped before a massive metal door outside the palace. He turned and gestured toward Old Liu’s pouch. "Logically, the scroll should contain records about why Peng Snake is here, yet Meishu didn't include it. What gives?"

Hearing this, Old Liu flipped open his waist pouch. The scroll showed nothing new beyond its previous entries. He tried to reassure the others. "No matter, perhaps Meishu simply chose not to record these things."

That was obviously drivel. Ye Xiu thought coldly but kept silent. Meishu had meticulously recorded the Kun, the Earth Worm Bamboo, the Ghost Lotus, and other oddities—it was impossible she would omit Peng Snake. The scroll's lack of reaction meant only one thing: Meishu had no prior knowledge of this Peng Snake’s presence. How could that be?

Ye Xiu knew that, apart from Hong Ling, the other three shared this profound doubt, for all answers lay within this final palace.

"Creak..." Ye Xiu and Birdman worked together to pry the heavy metal door open just a crack. The construction was identical to the metal doors leading into the Eternal Life Lotus Dream Palace. The difference was that this door was utterly mundane; it required none of Meishu's vital blood. As the doorway widened, a wave of chilling air wafted out, surprisingly carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.

"Little Sha!" Hong Ling was the first to slip through the gap. She called softly, and Little Sha expelled several small flames. These flames seemed to gain vision, leaping toward the inky darkness of the palace, instantly illuminating the vast hall.

"Wow!" Old Liu’s vision, improved by consuming the gall bladder, was indeed better. He was the first to gasp loudly. "So beautiful!"

Ye Xiu's scalp tingled; even he was momentarily stunned by the sight. The palace appeared to have only one level, but its depth stretched beyond the reach of his naked eye. The entire structure was a vast quadrilateral room, yet this single immense space was segmented by numerous curtains resembling silk drapes, creating several inner chambers. They stood in what seemed to be the antechamber, floored entirely with gold plating. Flanking the entrance were lamp stands that extended toward the next curtain, where two bizarre statues stood—they resembled dogs but possessed three heads. Most unsettlingly, they bore large, raised wings on their backs.

"There are murals here!" Hong Ling moved toward one side of the room, looking up. Right above her, vibrant, colored frescoes adorned the wall. "Look at these women, are they dancers from the Xia Dynasty?"

Ye Xiu instantly assessed the surroundings. It wasn't just the two statues that were strange; a quick sweep of the murals startled him. He grabbed Birdman. "Did you see these murals? Did you notice the attire of these dancers?"

Birdman took a deep, sharp breath, losing all trace of his previous nonchalance. He said hurriedly, "You noticed too. The clothing on these dancers does not belong to the Xia Dynasty—in fact, most of the styles are from completely different historical epochs. How is this possible?"

"The Xia Dynasty had such fashionable miniskirts..." At this point, Old Liu also perceived the anomaly. He pointed at a beautiful figure nestled in the farthest corner. "Isn't that a pair of hot pants? Did they have things like this way back in the Xia Dynasty?"