Amongst the mountains, a deeply shadowed depression held a blood-stained stone tablet, upon which three characters, as if carved by a knife, read "Spirit Spring Pool." This Spirit Spring Pool was, in truth, a water basin hidden deep within the mountain structure. The area beside the pool was marked with carvings resembling dragon claws. Strangely, not a single drop of spring water filled the pool.

The Myriad Demon Empress stood coldly beneath the stone tablet. Ying Zheng followed silently behind her, eyes closed. Seeing Ye Xiu and the others pursuing them, she smiled, having anticipated it: "It seems even the Profound Mechanism Hook Worms couldn't hold you back. As you can see, the water of the Spirit Spring Pool has evaporated for some unknown reason. My plan to transform Ying Zheng into a Death God seems destined to fail. Heh."

Yan Luo was the first to land, hesitating as he surveyed the surroundings. He couldn't easily believe the Empress’s words: "The Myriad Demon Empress is such an astute individual; how could she waste effort on something like this? Given your ability to traverse realms freely, you surely knew the Spirit Spring Pool was dry long ago."

Ye Xiu helped Old Liu land afterwards. He gazed around; without the water, this area was merely a shadowy, empty space. Only Ying Zheng's docile state, being directed by the Empress with his eyes closed, made him sigh: "Yan Luo, I just want to know what this 'Heavenly Soul' you mentioned is?"

"The Heavenly Soul is inside him!" The Myriad Demon Empress guessed their thoughts immediately, pointing at the dazed Ying Zheng and chuckling, "The First Emperor Ying Zheng possesses the talent of a Son of Heaven, one chosen by the cosmos. But sadly, once the Heavenly Soul enters his body, it won't leave on its own."

"Let me kill him..." Yan Luo's yearning for the Divine Weapon was far stronger than Ye Xiu's. He immediately drew his long saber, lunging toward Ying Zheng. At that moment, the Empress flicked her sleeve, whipping up a gale that knocked him back. "You intend to obstruct me!"

The Empress circled Ying Zheng once, gently stroking his cheek as she spoke: "The Heavenly Soul has already merged with his spirit. Only the power of a Death God, working from the inside out, can force the Heavenly Soul out. In other words, only after I transform him into a Death God will you have the chance to claim the Heavenly Soul."

"Heh heh, I understand now. The Myriad Demon Empress is indeed far more calculating than I am," Yan Luo retracted his weapon upon hearing this, looking helplessly at the Empress. "Tell us, what must be done to turn Ying Zheng into a Death God!"

Old Liu's injuries had slightly improved under Su Su’s healing. Watching the two before him, he quietly warned Ye Xiu: "Neither of these two is simple. We must be careful not to be tricked by them."

Ye Xiu nodded. However, Yan Luo had previously plotted against the Empress, causing her to open the Heavenly Revelation Passage. This time, it was the Empress’s turn to scheme; this was retribution: "Empress, just say what you need. We will do it if we can."

The Empress took a light step forward, her beautiful face brushing past Ye Xiu: "To transform Ying Zheng into a Death God, one first requires the embrace of the Spirit Spring Pool water, and then the acquisition of the Profound Heaven Bone Structure. Only then can Ying Zheng become an undeniable Death God."

"Where are those things?" Yan Luo was already impatient. He was originally the Empress's servant, but his desire for the Divine Weapon had broken the Empress's control. He firmly believed that with the Divine Weapon in hand, no one under heaven could dictate his will.

"The water of the Spirit Spring Pool lies beneath this very pool, in a place that resembles the depths of hell. And the Profound Heaven Bone Structure is hidden in the mass grave behind the mountain. Bring me those two items, and I will find a way to extract the Heavenly Soul from Ying Zheng." The Empress tilted her head back, smiling proudly; her smile was breathtakingly beautiful. "Of course, if you think the domain of the Death Kingdom will be that easy, you are welcome to approach it with a playful attitude."

"If I find out you’re deceiving me, don't blame me for disrespecting you, Your Majesty!" Yan Luo finished speaking, glancing at Ye Xiu. He thrust his long saber into the earth, which began to spin like a whirlwind. In that instant, he shot into the ground like a tunneling machine. "Ye Xiu, the Profound Heaven Bone Structure is up to you. Everything is for the Divine Weapon!"

"Hey, what the hell is he doing?" Old Liu tried to grab Yan Luo, complaining indignantly, "Finding the water sounds much easier. Who knows what monsters are waiting for us in that damned mass grave."

Ye Xiu didn't dwell on it. He walked cautiously toward the Empress and whispered, "Empress, do you truly have no memory of us?"

"Oh yeah, do you know Hong Ling? What about Mo Shu?" Old Liu became interested, trying to press the Empress: "If you are as mighty as you claim, capable of traversing all temporal realms freely, you must have met us two."

The Myriad Demon Empress didn't seem particularly concerned by Ye Xiu and Old Liu's questioning. With a lazy flick of her skirt, she murmured, "The existence of the Myriad Demon Empress is far more complicated than you imagine. Even I don't know how many ages I have lived through, how many memories I possess. If you want the Heavenly Soul, hurry and find the Profound Heaven Bone Structure for me. Don't waste your energy here."

"This..." Ye Xiu became somewhat confused. If the Empress couldn't even recall her own memories and lifespan, how could she appear in so many places? What was her true objective? Who ordered her to do this? The more Ye Xiu thought, the more bewildered he became, until he noticed the Empress and Ying Zheng had vanished from his sight. "Can't worry about that now. First, we must figure out how to get that... bone thing."

"Do Death Gods even have the custom of burying the dead if they are killed?" Old Liu rose into the air upon his sword, joining Ye Xiu. In this world of Death Gods, there were only blocks of pitch-black stone, stacked into mountains. He flew ahead of Ye Xiu, intrigued by the mass grave: "What exactly is this Profound Heaven Bone Structure? Is it considered a treasure?"

Ye Xiu countered the Black Flame's thrust and ascended into the heavens. He spread his arms, gliding beside Old Liu, his mind equally hazy: "I’ve never been here either. Heaven knows what that thing will be like. I only know the Myriad Demon Empress used the Heart's Blood of the Underworld King when transforming Han Xin. Looking at it this way, this Profound Heaven Bone Structure probably serves the same purpose as the Heart's Blood of the Underworld King."

"Hasn't the Death God race already been destroyed? What is she trying to do by creating so many Death Gods?" Old Liu leaped and crossed over the mountain. The scene that met his eyes made him gasp: "Ye Xiu, look! Why are there so many bones here..."

Ye Xiu inhaled sharply. He amplified his Black Flame and descended first into this vast world. This land was clearly separate; the sky here was gray, like a massive shroud covering the entire domain. Countless bones stood rigidly upright across the ground, each adorned with strips of crimson cloth that fluttered in the wind, resembling items used for sacrifices by certain races.

"Hoo... these bones look like human leg bones," Old Liu cautiously touched the leg bones. A mournful cry echoed from a distance, and it seemed as though every bone trembled simultaneously, as if welcoming guests with unsettling enthusiasm. "Could the Profound Heaven Bone Structure the Myriad Demon Empress spoke of be these human leg bones?"

At that moment, Su Su mischievously climbed onto Ye Xiu’s arm, her entire body shaking: "Master, there are so many people here. So many Death Gods, so many different kinds of power. We should leave this place soon."

"So many Death Gods?" Ye Xiu’s heart chilled at the news. He surveyed the densely packed field of leg bones. "Did a multitude of Death Gods perish here? What force caused the Death Gods to be annihilated in their own territory?"

Hearing Su Su’s words, Old Liu defensively raised his Demon-Breaking Sword. In Taoist terms, this place was an extreme Yin territory, the very place most likely to breed demons and monsters: "So this is a mass grave for Death Gods. Who would kill so many Death Gods and then bother arranging all these leg bones so neatly?"

"Kaka-ka-ka..." With a tremor in the earth, a strange sound, like an approaching train, grew nearer until it stopped around Ye Xiu and Old Liu. Instantly, the red strips tied to the leg bones flailed wildly, and a palpable aura of killing instantly saturated the surroundings.

Ye Xiu focused on the area around them, sensing something directly beneath his feet: "Old Liu, be careful. Something is coming."

"I found them!" Old Liu reacted swiftly. He plunged his sword into the ground, unleashing his Icy Dragon's Chill, which instantly fractured the earth. "Whatever you are, get out here!"

"Kack... thud..." Suddenly, a hand made of bone emerged from the shattered earth, followed by a pure white skull that shot out of the ground. The creature repeatedly clacked its upper and lower jaws together like a starving child. "Awww-kaka-kaka."

"Skeletons..." Ye Xiu instantly felt a chill down his spine. He turned to see a massive fissure ripped across the surface around them. Countless skulls poked out from beneath the earth, and skeleton after skeleton shakily crawled out. "I get it now. Each leg bone represents another skeleton below. This really is a mass grave, but everyone was buried upside down, leaving only one leg bone exposed."

"Hurry and find a way!" In his panic, Old Liu wildly fired blasts from his Demon-Breaking Sword, shattering the skeleton before him. He dodged aside just as several long-limbed claws lunged, pinning him to the ground. "These guys are serious! What do we do?"

"Yaa... aah..." Ye Xiu was momentarily supremely confident. He fully unleashed his Soul Energy, summoning nine Black Dragons with his bare hands. In that instant, the Black Dragons coiled outwards, dominating the entire scene. With a furious roar, every skeleton instantly exploded into dust. "Such things dare try to stop me?"

"Whoa." Old Liu ducked to the side, covering his head. He saw the skeleton that had pinned him dissolve into powder, leaving behind only a hand resting lightly on his shoulder. The hand was slender and translucent like fine jade. "Do you have to go all out right away?"