The Ghost Mask chuckled, a dry sound escaping from behind the porcelain, and leaped clear of the domain. His destination, naturally, was the Myriad Dao Mountain, for those already on the Dao required no tedious passage through the Red Cliff Realm. “The Extreme Curse can serve as both defense and footing, though my Dao magic is not fully restored. Once I leave this Red Cliff Tomb, the Extreme Curse will dissipate. Let’s see if it can assist you two.”

“The Extreme Curse?” Ye Xiu stared at the markings in his palm, patterns that resembled a serpent one moment and an ox the next, coiling around his lifeline as if to consume his entire hand. He pressed his palm flat against the ground, exerting force, and as he planted his foot down, a platform materialized beneath him. “It really can be used for standing?”

“Hey, Senior, what about mine? What about mine!” Old Liu scrambled after the Ghost Mask, only to find the figure completely ignoring him, vanishing instantly. “Damn it, that’s not fair! Why did he only give all the good stuff to Ye Xiu?”

“You possess residual Dao cultivation. It would conflict with the Dao Arts derived from the Book of Forbidden Curses. For your own good, farewell!” The Ghost Mask’s presence was gone, leaving behind only a voice—a sound that was distant, elongated, and saturated the entire space.

Ye Xiu paid no mind to the vanishing act. He repeatedly tested the invisible platform beneath his feet. Soon enough, the platform dissolved on its own, and he lost his footing, dropping momentarily. “It seems the platforms formed by the Extreme Curse don't last long?”

Old Liu, resigned, turned to inspect the trinket in Ye Xiu’s hand. He quickly analyzed the palm print markings. “This thing looks amusing but carries a sinister edge. It’s essentially solidifying the moisture in the air, creating an invisible layer of ice. Astonishingly, this ice platform can even withstand an attack from the Thin Blade.”

“Talking about it won’t help. We need to hurry to the next profound mechanism,” Ye Xiu declared, looking up toward the white vortex hanging in the air. The vortex was shaped like an elongated mirror, reflecting a hazy, pale light. “Is this the teleportation array?”

“Let’s go, stop the nonsense?” Old Liu, slightly peeved, leaped up and shot directly into the mirror surface. In that instant, time froze, space twisted, and he felt the entire world blur, only to find himself deposited in another Dao Realm.

Ye Xiu followed close behind, dropping into the new location. Before he could even regain his footing, the skeletal scenery rushing past on either side revealed their predicament: they had unknowingly materialized aboard a long, narrow skiff.

“Holy hell, those are bones…” Old Liu gulped, pointing toward the water beside them. They called it water only because the skiff was clearly floating upon it; the ocean was nothing but bleached bone, devoid of actual liquid—instead, it was a labyrinth of intricate skeletal remains. “This ocean… it’s a Sea of Bones!”

Ye Xiu surveyed the surroundings. A light boat had passed beyond a thousand peaks, but these peaks were constructed of stacked bones—femurs, ribs, and countless stark white skulls topping the summits. Beneath them, the ocean churned with fractured bones that, for unknown reasons, drifted and pressed against each other, emitting a continuous kaka-kaka sound that propelled the small boat and its occupants forward.

“Where is this boat heading? This Sea of Bones is far more spectacular than the Netherworld’s River of Blood,” Ye Xiu mused, never having considered how a small vessel could navigate a container overflowing with bone. “Did you see the bones down there? They grind against each other, crushing long bones into shards, and the shorter pieces are repeatedly battered into fine dust.”

Old Liu nodded, a chill creeping up his spine. “That means we absolutely cannot fall in. The sheer impact down there could grind our own bones to powder.”

CRASH! Suddenly, an explosive rupture occurred on the Sea of Bones. A colossal fish, assembled from countless interlocking bones, leaped from the depths. It soared over the skiff with the majesty of nine dragons ascending and descending, the area where it landed spraying bone fragments onto their boat.

“Whoa… ah…” Ye Xiu swayed with the movement of the skiff, struggling to maintain balance. “The thing we feared most is happening; I hope this massive bone-fish doesn't shake us off.”

Old Liu hunkered down in the skiff, gripping the gunwales. “This entire ocean is made of bone fragments; anything could surface here. It’s incredibly perilous.”

Pffft… Just as they spoke, the giant fish’s tail reappeared above the Sea of Bones. The tail was long and slender, composed entirely of bone; the bones were affixed perpendicularly, resembling long spikes. Though the head remained submerged, the tail was rapidly approaching their boat.

“It’s underneath! Right below us!” Ye Xiu fixed his gaze on the currents above the Sea of Bones. A wavy, curving line appeared on the surface; bones began to part on either side, leading directly beneath the hull. “It’s coming! It’s coming!”

THUMP-THUMP… Violent sounds erupted from the Sea of Bones. The giant fish used its back to hurl the skiff into the air. Its body was immense, shaped like a dragon, but its widely opened maw revealed a terrifying array of rotating, sharp spikes.

Old Liu felt his senses sharpen immensely. He clung tight to the gunwales as the skiff ascended, hanging suspended in the air. “This boat must be well-made; it didn’t budge under such a violent impact.”

Ye Xiu had noticed the platform beneath his feet as well. It wasn't a boat at all; it was a massive pelvis. The structure belonged to a human, but how vast must the individual have been to possess such an enormous pelvic bone?

The Giant Bone Fish submerged, and the makeshift vessel floated back down onto the Sea of Bones. The two men managed to secure their grip on the edges, swept forward rapidly by the surging current of bones.

“This must be the territory of the Bone Gatherers, right?” Ye Xiu finally calmed his thoughts, watching the bone tide recede around them. “If I guessed correctly, the Red Cliff Tomb holds four profound mechanisms: those belonging to the Ancient Strange Path, the Bone Gatherers, the Savage Beasts, and the Sun-Blind Clan. I just didn’t expect the Bone Gatherers’ section to be so treacherous.”

Old Liu paid no mind to Ye Xiu’s monologue, glancing back toward the churning Sea of Bones. A long trail of bone marks reappeared on the surface—the fish was tracking them. “Quick! Quick! It’s chasing us!”

“How fast!” Ye Xiu glared behind him in frustration. Half the head of the Giant Bone Fish was now visible above the surface, driving forward like a massive bulldozer over the bone ground, scattering debris that clattered against the surrounding bone mounds.

“Burn it with fire!”

Old Liu didn't need to say another word. Ye Xiu brought up his hands, summoning the Black Flame. The black torrent washed over the scene, successfully igniting every bone in the sea. But the problem was far from over. Seeing its own structure alight, the Giant Bone Fish leaped toward the heavens and instantly exploded. Its components scattered into the air, extinguishing Ye Xiu’s Black Flame. “Damn it, this thing seems highly experienced in combat.”

“It’s above us! Send me up!” Old Liu saw the fragmented bones coalescing in the sky. He stepped onto Ye Xiu’s back and vaulted upward, attempting to disrupt the formation. “It seems this thing can’t be killed!”

“How about one more strike?” Ye Xiu watched as the Black Flame re-formed in the Giant Bone Fish’s control. Now, the Nine Dragons danced, materializing into endless, minute attacks directed at the scattering fragments. Instantly, the sky was alight with sparks.

SWISH… Old Liu plunged his Thin Blade into the re-forming head of the Giant Bone Fish. Using the attached thread, he swung himself onto the bony skull. Yet, a single strike from the Seven Layers of Sword Shadow from his Demon-Breaking Sword failed to pierce the bone. “Ye Xiu, stop attacking the fragments! The head is this fish’s weak point!”

Ye Xiu had already seen this. He projected his Sky Gaze Sword into the air and used the Black Flame to rebound off the Sea of Bones, launching himself skyward. He caught the Sky Gaze Sword and drove it hard into the Giant Bone Fish’s head. CLANG! A sharp sound echoed, but the Sky Gaze Sword only managed to bury itself slightly into the bone, unable to shatter it. “This fish head is no ordinary material; it can’t be destroyed?”

“Yaaahoo…” Suffering a severe blow, the head tried to evade, surging forward like a rocket out of the wilderness, causing Old Liu, perched atop, to cry out in alarm. “Ye Xiu, think of something!”

“A solution? It’s taking us for a ride.” Ye Xiu managed to secure himself dangling beneath the bony head, clinging tightly to the Sky Gaze Sword as it flailed wildly. “This thing looks indestructible. What do we do? We can only dodge!”

“Dodge?” Old Liu adjusted to the head’s speed, steadying the thread attached to his Thin Blade, swaying like a rider on a wild horse. The head continued its frantic charge, and Old Liu thought he saw the end of the Sea of Bones—a waterfall made entirely of bone. “Ye Xiu! Look ahead, ahead!”

Ye Xiu managed to scramble up and grab hold of the head, climbing beside Old Liu. He too saw the magnificent sight ahead: an ocean of interwoven bone cascading a thousand feet down, forcing every fragment to collide with explosive force, the sound like the unstoppable charge of ten thousand horses. Beneath the falls, countless bones were thrown upward, clearly visible impaling the surrounding cliff faces. “We’re doomed; it’s going to charge straight down this!”

“Waaah…” Old Liu hadn’t processed the situation before the Giant Bone Fish head suddenly self-detonated at the edge of the Sea of Bones, shattering into pieces. Caught completely unawares, both men were blasted over the edge and plunged toward the waterfall.

“Yaaah… ah…” Ye Xiu felt the speed of his descent surpass any roller coaster ride he could imagine, his mouth almost unable to close.

Wind howled, and the air was thick with the scent of bone dust. The bone waterfall resembled an endless, net-like curtain of noodles, crashing down onto a churning mass of bones below, kicking up clouds of ash.

Old Liu twisted, guiding his sword downward. He weaved back and forth through the spraying bone shards, his cheek unconsciously being sliced open. “Ye Xiu, damn it, where are you!”

RUMBLE! A violent explosion erupted above the waterfall. Ye Xiu’s Black Flame Nine Dragons mercilessly bombarded the emerging bone fragments, but this action caused his body to plummet rapidly. He suddenly remembered the Extreme Curse bestowed by the Ghost Mask. Turning over, he conjured a transparent platform beneath him for protection. “Old Liu! Old Liu!”

Old Liu saw the explosion pinpointing Ye Xiu’s location and anxiously dove down. However, Ye Xiu was already lying amidst the cloud of bone powder, smiling faintly at him. “Hey, you’re quite relaxed, kid!”

“Looks like the Ghost Mask’s gift is quite useful,” Ye Xiu grinned smugly. But the platform beneath him suddenly lost control. He flailed his arms and plunged toward the waterfall. “This…”

Old Liu reacted with lightning speed, dropping low and chasing after him down the cascade. He threw his Thin Blade, which snagged tightly around Ye Xiu. With a mighty heave, he yanked Ye Xiu onto the Demon-Breaking Sword. “I didn’t realize you were this heavy!”

“Phew! The Bone Gatherers’ domain is truly perilous,” Ye Xiu gasped, looking at the long sword beneath Old Liu with reluctant admiration. “I really need to figure out a better way to fly. Learning some Dao magic is certainly beneficial.”

“Want me to teach you?” Old Liu smirked triumphantly, controlling the Demon-Breaking Sword as they plunged down the waterfall. The surrounding Sea of Bones roared upward, now transformed into the most majestic scenery imaginable. “Maybe one day you can stand upon your own Sky Gaze Sword.”