The Birdman saw that everyone was doing their utmost to halt the Blood Sea, so he immediately conjured his Shattered Blade, forming two tenacious gates to block the rear. He looked towards Ye Xiu and said, "You two are experts at breaking through various formations, I'm counting on you."

Ye Xiu saw that their combined efforts had temporarily alleviated the threat of the Blood Sea. He looked up at the passage, clenched his jaw, and declared, "All or nothing! Let’s just say it’s for saving our old classmate, Mei Yi!"

"You have a ready excuse. Who am I supposed to be saving? The common people of the world, perhaps?" Old Liu followed behind Ye Xiu with a mournful look. "There isn't even a magical artifact inside; this is a huge loss."

"Death God, catch the Bloodlight Brilliant Blade." Ming Luosheng spoke, and the Bloodlight Brilliant Blade from his waist shot straight toward Ye Xiu's side.

Ye Xiu, while running, sidestepped to catch it. The blade was sleeve-long and thin; as it slid down from mid-air, it cut a beautiful arc. He made a gesture behind him and charged straight into the depths of the flagstone path.

The dark flagstone path stretched upward, giving the impression of an incline. Strangely, after the Blood Sea on both sides was blocked, there appeared distinct lava flows. The lava was higher than the path's edge but did not spill over. Frankly, anyone walking this path would feel an immense pressure, as you never knew when the magma on either side might surge toward you.

"This path can claim a life at any moment. Do you know why the lava isn't surging towards the center of the path?" Cold sweat was already beading on Ye Xiu's forehead. In contrast, Old Liu behind him still looked timid and hesitant. "Hey, haven't you noticed?"

"Notice what?" Old Liu scoffed, giving Ye Xiu a look of disdain. "There's a sealing barrier above the lava, so naturally, they can't surge over. But what interests me more is the person who set up the barrier; looks like a formidable character."

"So there's a barrier here. I forgot that deciphering these things is your specialty?" Ye Xiu gasped. Back then, Old Liu's greatest skill was his mysterious waist pouch—it contained whatever you could ask for.

"Heh, there really is something!" At this moment, Old Liu’s gaze sharpened. He pointed ahead of Ye Xiu, and indeed, a massive stone gate suddenly appeared before them.

Ye Xiu slowed his steps, examining it closely. This stone gate was incredibly tall, completely blocking the passage at its end. The gate was split in two, and each half was carved with a humanoid figure. At a glance, the faces on the carvings were monstrously ferocious, like ghosts or deities, yet their bodies resembled powerful, burly men. The figure on the left held a blazing red long saber, while the one on the right held a cyan long saber. Though the secrets behind them were unknown, their sheer size was enough to cause fear. "What are those carvings about?"

"Don't worry about what's on the door first. Haven't you noticed the four statues beneath the gate?" Old Liu’s eyes were sharp; he could already sense the flow of magical power.

Ye Xiu looked down and saw four stone statues standing at the base of the stones. Each statue depicted a different creature: a soaring eagle, a fierce tiger, a centipede, and a demonic fox. Just as Ye Xiu was about to lean in for a closer look, a flash of light suddenly ignited in the eyes of the four animal statues, instantly focusing beams of light onto Ye Xiu’s feet.

"Careful!" Old Liu shoved Ye Xiu aside, and under the illumination of the light beams, a column of molten lava shot upward with momentum that could swallow the clouds.

"Hoo…" Ye Xiu was scared half to death, realizing that the Five-Pointed Funeral Mound (Wǔ Máng Zàng Fó Zhǒng) was not an empty reputation. Before he could catch his breath, the eagle suddenly spread its wings and let out a long shriek.

Old Liu drew his Thin-Faced Blade, his figure flickering as he moved toward the eagle. "Let me test this one."

The blade struck, but although the Thin-Faced Blade was sharp, it was forcefully repelled the moment it touched the eagle's wings. The eagle shrieked again, and its feathers, which were made of metal, immediately shot toward Old Liu. Old Liu tumbled down, narrowly escaping death. "This kind of thing really should be left to the Birdman to deal with."

"Try the Bloodlight Brilliant Blade." Ye Xiu pointed with one hand, controlling the Brilliant Blade to soar into the sky, enveloping the eagle entirely with blood qi. Instantly, thousands of bloody blades swept down, slashing at the eagle. A continuous sound of "clang, clang, clang" echoed as sparks flew everywhere. Each strike against the eagle felt like hitting an indestructible, solid rock. Ye Xiu activated his Soul Power again, enhancing the Brilliant Blade with Soul Speed for another attack. Unexpectedly, the eagle now spread its wings wide enough to fill the entire passage; a gentle flap sent the light of the Brilliant Blade scattering endlessly.

"Heh, it seems this fellow is covered in some kind of magical energy barrier," Old Liu retracted the Thin-Faced Blade into his waist and spread both hands, summoning the Shadow of Seven Swords. "Do you remember the barrier from the Eternal Lotus Dream Palace we experienced? The one here is much more complex than that one."

Ye Xiu nodded. This was related to Daoist magic, something he didn't quite understand.

"If you can't make your energy flow match the flow of the barrier on these things, you'll never be able to harm them." Old Liu chuckled smugly. He manifested the Shadow of Seven Swords in his hand, hummed softly, and leaped nimbly onto the eagle's back. With just one sword in his hand, the sword shadow immediately enveloped the eagle's entire body, and in a short while, it dissolved into nothingness. "Controlling your attack intensity based on the energy these things emit—that might actually be very difficult for a brutal guy like you!"

"Awoo…" Simultaneously, the other three statues seemed to sense what was happening. They all shook their heads and tails, waking up. The fierce tiger, without a word, lunged toward Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu panicked and could only roll to evade, but he found the tiger's speed and reaction time were both at their peak. The first attack missed, but the second followed immediately, pinning Ye Xiu under its claws.

Old Liu couldn't worry about that now. He charged toward the demonic fox statue, intending to shatter it with one blow. To his surprise, the fox's ethereal figure multiplied into thousands, and each phantom exuded a different energy barrier. Left with no choice, Old Liu dodged attacks while constantly altering the strength of his own magic to defeat them one by one.

"Whoosh... Bang!" A brilliant light suddenly flashed above the tiger. It pinned Ye Xiu's shoulders, and a strong beam of light erupted from its mouth. Ye Xiu immediately twisted his head to dodge, looking back to see that the area he had just vacated had turned into a pile of ash.

"Let me try adjusting the intensity of my blade!" Ye Xiu controlled the Brilliant Blade to shoot up from beneath the tiger's belly. Although he couldn't break through the energy barrier, he managed to violently push the creature away. He rolled up, intending to press the advantage, when he felt a green light flying from a distance—it was the centipede, which had reared up and shot out a stream of venom. Fearless, he met the attack head-on, controlling the black flame in his hand to be slightly weaker than usual. This precise strike hit the centipede's head dead center, blowing it to pieces.

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