"Click," the tiger-head tally fit perfectly into the rectangular groove. Lines of white light appeared on the stone tablet, slowly traversing and connecting all the grooves until they formed the exact pattern of the Big Dipper.

"Hey, watch your step!" Old Liu's voice was urgent as he pulled Ye Xiu to look down. The entire drilling ground had unconsciously transformed. The original sandy floor was gone, replaced by a dense expanse of black shadows. The world beneath their feet was dark, like the void. Around them, however, an impossible array of long staircases extended in various directions and orientations, some connecting, others crisscrossing in a chaos that defied imagination.

"Wow, this is making me dizzy!" Le’er happened to be standing on a staircase stretching vertically toward the sky. She was at a 90-degree angle to Ye Xiu, yet she hadn't moved an inch. "What's going on? Death God, why are you lying down flat? And Taoist Priest, you're upside down?"

Ye Xiu glanced at Old Liu behind him; the man was indeed inverted. He quickly looked back at Le’er. "Princess Le, you're the one lying flat, and Old Liu is upside down. I must be the only one normal. What are these staircases? Where exactly are we?"

"Stop talking. I think everyone, except for us standing on this central tablet, is in a space that isn't normal. This must be the Dao Realm!" Old Liu had already put on his sunglasses, having discerned some hints within the profound mystery here. "Forget who is upside down or lying flat; everyone is normal on their own section of the staircase. Do you see those twisted orbs of light connecting each segment?"

Ye Xiu looked ahead and indeed saw several objects emitting electrical sparks, connecting these staircases in all directions. This space resembled a circuit board of interlocking stairs, possessing neither start nor end. What were they to do?

"There's spiritual energy inside the orbs; I can feel it." Le’er calmly walked toward an orb near her. Although her temper was fierce, she didn't panic at this critical moment. She tentatively placed one hand into the orb before her, but it sucked her in like a black hole. "This is a door leading to another space."

"Le’er... don't..." Old Liu wanted to observe further, but Le’er had already entered. He looked down at Ye Xiu. "I counted seven orbs of light, perfectly corresponding to the Big Dipper on the stone tablet. If I’m not mistaken, we must traverse seven different realms to unlock the full power of the Soul Weapon Talisman."

"Then two of us go in, and one waits for us all together?" Ye Xiu reluctantly walked toward the orb closest to him, glancing at Old Liu, who was making a similar move. "Hey, you pseudo-Taoist, I don't know what's in there, so don't die on me!"

Old Liu understood Ye Xiu's meaning. Though the other two were unrelated—from different clans, perhaps even hostile ones—after surviving life-or-death situations together, bonds had formed. However, two men couldn't express such camaraderie with too much delicacy. He struck a cool pose in response. "Relax. I won't die before you do. I’m waiting for your cultivation to advance so I can challenge you again!"

Ye Xiu chuckled softly and stepped into the orb. Electrical sparks began to flash around it, and a white mist rapidly filled his vision. When he could finally see clearly, he realized he was standing precisely on the banks of the Wujiang River where they had started—the surging water and steep cliffs were vividly etched in his memory.

"Susu, don't you find this place familiar?" Ye Xiu summoned Susu, spinning around to survey his surroundings. There were mountains, water, a river, and a forest. This was exactly the riverbank.

"Retreat quickly... Flee for your lives..." At that moment, deep roars erupted from the riverbank, mixed with the grinding sound of chariot wheels and the mournful cries of people—sounds of struggle, despair, anger, and weeping. It was a scene bathed in blood-red light; this was a battlefield.

Ye Xiu sucked in a sharp breath, for thousands upon thousands of soldiers materialized around him. They held banners and short swords; most were utterly exhausted, and some were even using their own blades to end their lives. The banner they carried bore a single character: Chu...

Susu’s eyes, devoid of emotion, drifted near Ye Xiu. She understood the situation within her consciousness. "This is where I teleported Master before. Didn't you say this place was called Gaixia in ancient times?"

"The Siege of Gaixia, suicide by Wujiang River?" Ye Xiu held his breath, as some men, their faces drenched in blood, passed right through his body. He knew this wasn't an illusion; he had traveled through time. When he saw a burly man clad in mottled white armor inlaid with dragon motifs, he understood everything had crystallized. "This is the Hegemon-King of Western Chu from back then, Xiang Yu... Wait... How could a legendary hero look so utterly terrified?"

"General Xiang, we cannot fight anymore, just run..." A subordinate-looking figure helped the kneeling Xiang Yu up, but he himself stumbled in panic, tumbling down a low slope with Xiang Yu, his staggering gait proving this was indeed the Hegemon-King of that era.

"Wait, there's an aura of Soul Energy!" At this moment, Susu seemed to sense something and nervously retreated behind Ye Xiu. "Master, I think something terrifying is chasing them from behind. Look at these people; they have completely lost their will to fight. No, they are even delirious."

"Awooo... awooo..." Suddenly, horrifying beast howls echoed from beyond the high slope in the distance. Skeletons and remains of various soldiers shot out from behind the slope, accompanied by sprays of blood that struck the fleeing soldiers in the front lines. Some collapsed onto their knees, too terrified to move, while others were scared senseless and died right there on the shore.

Ye Xiu had seen dead people before, but he couldn't begin to imagine the horror of thousands upon thousands facing imminent death. Waiting for death was often more torturous than death itself.

"General Xiang, hurry and go..." The former subordinate, still helping Xiang Yu, climbed toward Ye Xiu’s feet, jostling along the uneven ground. His legs were visibly trembling, and his body was somewhat rigid.

"Hah! Han Xin, Han Xin is a devil!" Xiang Yu rolled over, trembling as he looked toward the distant high slope, his spirit pushed to the absolute limit by the sight of various remains. He shrieked incessantly, "Han Xin is a devil! Han Xin is a ghost! A ghost!"