"Hold it right there!" Old Liu suddenly roared. The locator mirror in his hand began to emit a sharp, crackling sound, like an electric shock. He drew the long sword from his back and swept it horizontally across the vast expanse of bamboo forest ahead. "It's here! The core of the formation is underneath!"

Ye Xiu didn't have time to see the flash of the Demon-Slaying Seven Swords, but the massive bamboo forest instantly vanished into nothingness. It turned out the bamboo was merely a camouflage; before them lay a sinkhole—a massive depression caused by the collapsing earth. In truth, the scale of this sinkhole now far surpassed any famous scenic spot nearby.

Old Liu sheathed his sword and raised his lantern to look down, marveling, "How deep is this sinkhole? I can't see the bottom at all!"

"We need to get down there first..." Ye Xiu touched the jade ring on his finger, addressing Su Su. "Teleport us straight down, you should be able to manage that, right?"

Hearing her master’s summons, Su Su lazily poked her head out. "Sorry, Master, the miasma here is too thick. My meager abilities won't be able to break through. You two will have to figure out another way."

"Hmph..." Ye Xiu sighed helplessly. He looked at Old Liu. "Last time it was flying up; this time it's burrowing down. Are there no normal cursed places among these?"

"Don't look at me, it's my first time here too." Old Liu instantly drew his Thin Face Blade and tied a thread from his pocket onto it. He stood at the edge of the cliff, turning back to give Ye Xiu a meaningful look. "No choice, brother. Looks like we're doing the perfect collaboration between the Thin Face Blade and the Scythe again."

"Let's go!" Ye Xiu nodded and plunged over the cliff edge ahead of Old Liu.

Swish... The wind around them was icy, and the humidity was stifling. Ye Xiu caught the Thin Face Blade shot out by Old Liu and quickly looped the line around his hand. His descent was so rapid that just as the biting cold became unbearable, he drove his Scythe deep into the adjacent cliff face. At that moment, Old Liu on the clifftop felt the tension on the line and swung down into the pit. Through this reciprocal maneuvering, the two landed safely at the bottom.

A heavy gust of wind roared down from above. In the jumble of rocks at the bottom of the sinkhole, there was indeed a structure resembling a pile of bones, arranged in a sequence. Only when standing among them did the pair realize the sheer size of these remains.

"It seems this Dragon Bone has been hidden here for ages," Old Liu tapped a nearby bone casually. Based on the geological texture and sound, he could judge the timeframe. "We found the right place. The next step is entering the formation."

"Will the formation core be beneath these Dragon Bones?" Ye Xiu crouched down to examine the soil. The Nine Venomous Fiend Formation back then required entry beneath an elm tree root; perhaps the same principle applied here.

Without a word, Old Liu stepped onto a large stone and leaped into the air. He donned his magic goggles and scanned the Dragon Bones from above. He finally tumbled down with an undignified crash. "Damn it, I ate too much and haven't digested it—I almost smashed myself to death."

Ye Xiu noted Old Liu's expression and knew the core had been located. He yawned. "Hurry up and sort this out so I can get back to sleep."

Old Liu shot Ye Xiu a look and walked toward a specific direction, explaining as he went: "This place is called the Seven Stars Dragon Binding Malevolence Ground. It doesn't refer to the Big Dipper; it means the formation core lies at the seventh inch of the Dragon Bone! We only need to use immense spiritual power to break the seal at that spot to find the entrance to the array."

Ye Xiu followed closely behind Old Liu. The ancient Dao Arts were truly admirable; apart from his lecherous nature and cowardice, Old Liu's abilities were beyond doubt.

"It’s here." Old Liu stopped after every few steps, pointing at the Dragon Bone covered by several massive stones. "This is the sealed spot at the Dragon Bone's seventh inch. We need a way to shatter these rocks pinning it down."

"That's simple enough." Ye Xiu barely spared the stones a glance, cupping his hands and blasting them with purple flames. Fueled by the power of the jade ring, the flames were certainly thicker than before. However, the moment the powerful purple flame contacted the colossal stones, it was violently repelled, scattering across the ground. "How is this possible?"

Old Liu was also shocked. A thought struck him. "These stones can hold down a Celestial Dragon, meaning they are divine artifacts themselves. I truly wonder what happened here for a Celestial Dragon to die so tragically in this deep pit. What a sin."

"Stop lamenting. Do you expect me to use the Scythe to hack them apart again?" Ye Xiu had already summoned his Scythe. The purple aura around it was heavier than usual, indicating that the presence of the jade ring had invisibly boosted Ye Xiu's soul power.

"It looks like we have to use the Underworld Twin Saint Swords!" Old Liu noticed a clue. He tossed the long sword from his back into the air. The sword burst from its scabbard, cutting a beautiful arc across the night sky, within which appeared seven identical projections. "Demon-Slaying Seven Swords, emerge!"

"Hya!" Ye Xiu charged forward, swinging his Scythe. He was flanked by Old Liu's Demon-Slaying Seven Swords. Instantly, the sky blazed with light, and amidst the clash of lightning and flint, a deep rumbling sound echoed. The divine stones sealing the Dragon Bone instantly dissolved into nothingness.

At that moment, a vortex opened at the fracture point of the Dragon Bone's seventh inch. Sand and stones from all directions rushed toward that spot, where light and smoke swirled violently, threatening to consume everything nearby.

"Hahahaha, long time no see, you pitiful insect!" Suddenly, a shadow enveloped the area. A rapidly moving figure leaped and darted before settling steadily in front of Ye Xiu. That black cowl, that cold, sharp face, that bizarre silhouette—the Dark Reaper, Shun Yi, had reappeared.

"It seems you truly aren't capable of entering this place yet..." Old Liu seemed to have expected this. He licked his lips disdainfully. "The Dragon Bone's seventh inch remains intact; I guessed that you scoundrel couldn't get in on your own. Why would I be foolish enough to let a low-level Daoist like you track me here? If I hadn't deliberately set things up this way, how could you two fools open the door for me?"

Ye Xiu glared fiercely at Shun Yi, gritting his teeth. "You killed the High God; your target should be me. Direct your aggression at me."

"You and the High God are both remnants of the Flame lineage; you should have died long ago." Shun Yi stuck out his tongue. "Today, I'm here to eliminate you, then go in and claim my Soul Command Token to report back. The future era belongs to us, the Dark Lineage, ushering in a glorious moment of dominion and slaughter. You all will be relegated to history."

"That depends on whether you have the ability!" Old Liu spoke as he gripped the Demon-Slaying Seven Swords, moving to stand beside Ye Xiu. His seven swords radiated a cold white chill, perfectly complementing Ye Xiu's Scythe, the killing intent palpable.