At this moment, the nine columns of water within the Eight Trigram formation surged upward together, instantly vaporizing the fish that had been circling them. The nine columns interwove and moved, effectively trapping Ye Xiu and Chang Kong in the center.

Ye Xiu attempted to break through the water columns with his black flames, but as soon as he raised his hand, Chang Kong stopped him. With a look of utter confusion, Ye Xiu asked, "Can this Nine Soul Array not be attacked either?"

Chang Kong shook his head. "We are indeed deep within an ocean, and these nine water columns are the support for the entire upper water level. If you destroy them, I estimate we'll both drown."

"This..." Ye Xiu clenched his fist and smacked the top of his head. If Old Liu were here now, that guy possessed something that allowed him to breathe underwater. He shifted slightly forward, and already three water columns sensed the direction of his movement, rapidly swirling to block his path. He forced his hand into the churning current, feeling only an intangible pulling force drawing him toward the center of the vortex.

"Careful," Chang Kong chanted, releasing his prayer beads and empowering Ye Xiu's single hand with Buddhist energy. At that instant, the water column retreated far back, as if a mouse spotting a cat.

"What's in there? I feel like someone is pulling me into the vortex!" Ye Xiu frowned, watching his hand turn slightly blue. "How do we escape this Nine Soul Water Lock Array?"

Chang Kong remained stationary, observing the trajectory of the surrounding water columns. They were arranged in an arc before him. He took a step to the left, and immediately two water columns mirrored his movement to the left. After contemplating for a long time, he stated, "If I'm not mistaken, this Nine Soul Water Lock Array is like a game of chess; every step we take, the water columns follow our step. Escaping this place without destroying the columns will likely not be easy."

Ye Xiu had suffered a setback once, but there were nine water columns and only two of them; no matter how they moved, they were at a disadvantage. How could they ever break out of this array proceeding like this?

Chang Kong calmly summoned the Vanhai Jitian Seal using his prayer beads. Golden light reappeared, and he projected an arc-shaped seal onto the ground. At that moment, all directions were marked upon it. He pointed to where Ye Xiu was standing. "The position you are currently occupying is indeed the Gate of Death. This means no matter where you move, the water columns will eventually surround you. The vortex formed by those columns is actually the abyss beneath the seabed; once sucked in, no one can emerge."

"..." Upon hearing this, Ye Xiu took a deep breath and dared not move. He looked at Chang Kong and asked humbly, "And your position? Is there a chance to exit this array from there?"

"Mine is also a Gate of Death," Chang Kong replied with an air of detached scrutiny. He calmly took a step forward, and the nine water columns automatically began to shift, three of them moving to approach him.

"What are you doing? Don't make rash moves from the Gate of Death!" Ye Xiu tried to step forward to grab Chang Kong but couldn't reach him.

Chang Kong turned back with confidence. "One person at the Gate of Death, two at the Gate of Life. Don't forget there are two of us. You touched one water column just now, and it couldn't drag you into the abyss. Why? Because the pulling force wasn't strong enough. I tested it with the Golden Lotus: as long as we are not simultaneously contacted by three water columns, there is no mortal danger."

"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier!" Ye Xiu casually took a step, looking at the Jitian Seal on the ground. Two water columns rushed over and enveloped both his hands. Prepared for this, he showed no panic. "You formation-makers are truly bored, setting up things just to have people break them."

Chang Kong took a step away from Ye Xiu. A water column that had been entwined around Ye Xiu moved toward him, while his own body happened to be enveloped by another column. Observing the flow of the water columns on the field, he suddenly noticed something was amiss: "Based on the remaining steps, unless we exit the formation, we are inevitably going to be surrounded by three water columns, unless a third person enters the array."

Ye Xiu, who was about to take another step, immediately retracted his foot upon hearing Chang Kong and cursed, "Where is a third person coming from? Knowing this whole array breaking thing, we should have let Old Liu and Birdman come together!"

Chang Kong smiled and pointed to his slightly curled finger. "I can sense another conscious entity inside you. If I'm not mistaken, it is within your jade ring."

"Susu!" Ye Xiu shook his finger and summoned Susu. A puff of purple smoke flew out, and Susu landed completely beside Ye Xiu. "Please listen to Master Chang Kong and just walk forward."

"Ah, it's that simple, Master," Susu, clad alluringly in purple, took a few steps forward in a cat-like manner without disturbing a single water column.

"The spirit energy of the Jade Ring Soul is merely spiritual power, without a physical body!" Chang Kong explained with slight impatience. "You must have a weapon, right? Bring it out and let the Jade Ring's spiritual energy enter it, then there will be no problem."

"Fine." Ye Xiu lazily pulled out the Death Scythe. The moment the scythe manifested, the entire seabed shook, and the Xian Tian River, which had vanished, reappeared.

"The Underworld Holy Sword, Yuantuan!" The river-like head of the Xian Tian River flowed next to Ye Xiu. He circled the scythe many times in astonishment. "Although the Underworld and the Land of Death both belong to the lineage of extreme Yin and evil, how can something from the Underworld recognize the God of Death as its master? Does this mean you have some deep connection with the Underworld yourself?"

"Never mind him, let the spiritual energy enter the scythe and let's keep moving," Chang Kong showed no courtesy to the Xian Tian River. He guided Ye Xiu to use the scythe to pull the formation sideways, step by step. As a result, the nine water columns were pulled into seven, and two of them stupidly deviated into the path between the three of them, nowhere near the force of three columns needed to drag someone into the abyss.

Ye Xiu stepped among them, but his gaze remained fixed on the elusive Xian Tian River. He deliberately asked, "What exactly is the relationship between the Land of Death and the Underworld? Aren't they part of the same faction?"

The Xian Tian River's voice was low, and water sputtered from his mouth with every word. "The Land of Death and the Underworld both occupy territories within the Prime Yin Realm. The Underworld lies at the end of the Styx River, while the Land of Death lies wherever the Styx River cannot flow within the Prime Yin Realm. The two are balanced against each other, separated by the Styx River."

"The Prime Yin Realm is a place filled with malevolent energy, vastly different from the Mortal Realm. What people usually call Hell is likely that place," Chang Kong added to the Xian Tian River's words while guiding Susu on how to move the scythe. "I have studied ancient texts and hypothesize that the Land of Death and the Underworld share a common ambition, which is why they have various ties."

"Ambition?" Ye Xiu looked confused. "Isn't the greatest ambition of the King of the Land of Death to unify all realms? The ruler of the Underworld should also desire this power."

"To unify all realms, the first thing to do is one specific action!" The Xian Tian River looked at Ye Xiu with a sinister smile.

"What?"

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