"Shunichi of the Shadow Reaper!" Ye Xiu certainly hadn't forgotten that name, nor the shadow behind Shunichi. Ye Xiu never imagined that the first person to truly threaten his life would be a Death God of such a high cultivation realm.

Old Liu, upon hearing Ye Xiu's words, seemed rather taken aback: "You're saying he's a Death God too? And of the Shadow type!"

Ye Xiu himself wasn't entirely clear on the specifics. He gestured with his hand, "I don't know the exact details. I only know I am of the Flame, which is why I used the Violet Flame, while that Shunichi's weapon is shadow, and his ability is definitely above yours and mine."

"Sigh, last time was truly humiliating, having to resort to using the Holy Sword just to scare off an enemy." Old Liu also felt thoroughly disgraced. As a successor of the Three Great Traditions of the Ancient Path, his own abilities were considerable, yet he'd been routed by a mere Death God. He then took a deep breath and added with a touch of smugness, "It seems his goal is to eliminate you, but I know his movements completely!"

"You know where he is?" Hearing this, Ye Xiu couldn't help but clench his fists. He needed to avenge his Master, the High God, and moreover, he wanted to use Shunichi to uncover the roots of the Shadow Death Gods. "Don't dawdle, tell me quickly."

At this moment, Old Liu mysteriously pulled a small mirror from his waist pouch. The mirror's casing resembled aged wood, with traces of verdigris along the edges. He quietly recited an incantation and proudly held it before Ye Xiu: "No matter how high that fellow's cultivation, he never would have suspected I placed some Tracking Incense on him. The Ancient Path of Strange Flowers is not just an empty boast."

Ye Xiu let out a breath, filled with admiration for Old Liu. He stared intently into the mirror and noticed that inside it, there appeared to be a massive skeleton. The bones were coiled like snakes within some perilous, deep valley. Most peculiar was that the bone was fractured at a point roughly seven inches along its length, and directly ahead of that fracture sat the skull of a dragon. This place immediately struck one as ill-fated.

"The Tracking Incense lost its effect after following Shunichi here, but it did reveal his destination to me." Old Liu licked his lips and spoke volubly, "I've been studying this place for the past few days. It's near the Wu River, southeast of Lingbi in Anhui. Do you know if this location holds any special significance historically?"

"Damn it, I remember this place being the site of Gaixia back then, the place where that so-called Overlord of Western Chu, Xiang Yu, took his own life!" Ye Xiu snapped back to awareness and waved his hand dismissively, wanting to drop the subject. "Don't tell me there's some array or some magic treasure here, or something related to the Eastern Han period again—just spare me the trouble."

Old Liu grinned, patting Ye Xiu on the shoulder. "There is indeed an array here, called the Seven Stars Trapped Dragon Malevolent Ground. If there wasn't something valuable, why would Shunichi go to all the trouble of finding it? You said a Death God of his caliber wouldn't care for ordinary magic tools—aren't you curious?"

Hearing this, Ye Xiu couldn't help but show a troubled expression. Regardless, if he wanted to unravel the secrets of the Death God lineage, Shunichi was a very good lead, not to mention he needed to avenge the High God. "Damn it, that Nine-fold Poisonous Fiend Array was enough to cost lives; this 'Seven Stars Trapped Dragon Malevolent Ground' certainly isn't anything good."

"Don't worry, don't we have the Netherworld Twin Holy Swords?" Old Liu proudly brandished his Seven Demon-Breaking Swords. "It would have been nice if that bird-man had come along too. That fellow is quite the oddity; the entire Sun-Blind Clan is busy studying the Bone Sect's art of eternal life, yet he manages to be idle all day long."

"Let's go, we two are certainly models of idleness," Ye Xiu muttered irritably, throwing on an outer garment. "Damn it, a place this far means we'll probably have to take a plane again. Let's get this straight: I have no money..."

"Holy crap, you're such a buzzkill. Don't you have any kind of teleportation ability?" Old Liu grimaced, though he admitted he didn't possess such ferocious skills either. Moreover, he was unwilling to immediately use his Beast Path Transfiguration, lest Ye Xiu end up riding him again.

"Master, please leave such matters to me." At this moment, Su Su peeked out, her voice exceedingly gentle. She glanced at Old Liu's mirror, then turned back with a smile, "This is the place, isn't it? I can send Master there directly. However, seeing how heavy the malevolent energy is here, perhaps it could even aid Master's cultivation?"

"Wow, your servant is too beautiful," Old Liu drooled upon seeing Su Su. "Su Su, why don't you fully materialize? I feel uneasy seeing you floating around like that."

"Hmph. Bring along this good-for-nothing too, while we're at it," Su Su acted with haughty disdain toward Old Liu, like a goddess showing contempt for a nobody. As soon as her words fell, the entire room was suffused with violet energy. When a faint light radiated outward, the world seemed to enter a time tunnel, with streams of light shooting through it until everything dissolved into nothingness.

Ye Xiu slowly opened his eyes. He shielded them from the intense glare. The sound of rushing water suddenly reached his ears. The scenery was one of clear streams and beautiful mountains, yet the air was piercingly cold. They had arrived atop a sheer cliff in a deep mountain range, with turbulent river water churning far below. Could this be Gaixia, near the Wu River?

Old Liu surveyed their surroundings. The place where they stood was indeed a cliff face, with the vast river before them and deep mountains behind—there was no sign of dragon bones or the Seven Stars Trapped Dragon Malevolent Ground. "How is this possible? Could this malevolent ground exist in another dimension?"

"Damn Daoist, aren't you skilled at finding Array Eyes? Just like last time, how can we enter the array without finding the Eye?" Ye Xiu, having gained some experience, turned and headed toward the mountain. "It's getting dark now; let's find something to eat first!"

"A Death God has the habit of eating? I'm truly impressed," Old Liu said, rubbing his own stomach. The air by the river was very humid, perhaps due to the malevolent ground, making him feel as though coldness permeated his very bones. "Don't walk so fast! Wait for me!"

In the deep mountains, the night was as cold as ice. Above them were the countless stars, and around them, the incessant chirping of insects. This was Ye Xiu's first time experiencing such a natural ambiance. The two of them hastily gathered some wild game to stave off hunger, then continued their journey. However, the path descended steeply, and the ground was slippery, causing Old Liu to fall many times.

"Shunichi's strength should not be underestimated. It’s remarkable that he could locate the Seven Stars Trapped Dragon Malevolent Ground here," Old Liu took out his Position-Seeking Mirror, a device similar to a compass. It could detect spiritual energy, and the place with the strongest energy was the Array Eye of the Malevolent Ground; entering the array required finding that Eye. "If the bird-man had come too, his Heavenly Eye would be useful right now."

Ye Xiu gazed at the stars overhead. He didn't dwell on the 'bird-man.' Given that the array was named the Seven Stars Trapped Dragon Malevolent Ground, it might be related to the Big Dipper in the sky. He pulled Old Liu, saying, "Stop messing with that Position-Seeking Mirror. Do you have a compass? If we find the Big Dipper, maybe we can find the Array Eye."