Su Xi looked at the giant stone in front of her, a look of helplessness on her face.
What was she supposed to do with such a massive stone?
She couldn't move it, nor could she go around it.
Although she didn't want to cause too much of a commotion, in order to leave this accursed place as quickly as possible, Su Xi unhesitatingly chose violence.
No matter what kind of giant stone stood in her way, she would simply turn it into small stones, and then there would be no problem.
However, the Meteor God Sword in her hand landed on the stone.
Instead of the expected outcome, it was as if she had struck hardened steel. A tremendous force directly repelled her, leaving only a few faint white marks on the stone, failing to even scratch its surface.
???
The situation unfolding before her caused a series of dark lines to appear on Su Xi's forehead.
What was she to do with such an unyielding stone?
The Meteor God Sword had reached the realm of divine weapons, capable of cleaving through countless things in the world, yet against this stone, it was utterly useless.
If someone had told Su Xi this would happen before, she would never have believed them.
But now, with the facts laid out before her, she had no choice but to believe.
With this thought, Su Xi could only heave a long sigh and summon the bird within her body, preparing to try a different approach.
Since the path ahead was blocked, she would find a way to go around.
Only by bypassing this spot could she avoid expending too much energy to destroy the stone and make things easier.
But when she summoned the great bird, the once fierce creature now trembled uncontrollably before the colossal rock, refusing to budge.
It couldn't even stand, let alone fly.
"What's wrong with you?" Su Xi looked at the bird with a speechless, helpless expression.
She had intended to rely on the bird to carry her away, but to her dismay, the bird proved so useless, becoming this way. It was truly exasperating.
So what should she do now?
The great bird, aware of Su Xi's disdain, also felt a sense of helplessness. "I don't know what's wrong. I just can't move, I don't even have the courage to take flight."
Seeing the bird's state, Su Xi knew it wasn't faking.
So she didn't force it, instead retracting it back into her body.
In its current condition, she wouldn't dare ride it. If the bird were to suddenly fall into the abyss, there would be no place for her to weep.
She might not even be able to weep.
What now?
Su Xi's mind raced, seeking a solution.
As she pondered, she suddenly took out the firewood stick again.
Since the firewood stick had been so effective in that previous location, perhaps it would work now too.
As soon as Su Xi took out the firewood stick and before she could activate it, she noticed it emitting bursts of white and red light.
With the appearance of these lights, a series of luminous pillars shot up into the sky. After a wide arc, these pillars descended onto the giant stone, emitting a series of strange fluctuations.
As the light from the firewood stick struck the stone, colorful luminescence began to flow and swirl across its surface.
It was a dazzling spectacle, akin to a rainbow in the heavens.
Seeing this, Su Xi's face lit up, knowing her decision was effective.
The firewood stick truly had an effect on this giant stone.
However, she still didn't know the exact nature of its effect and needed further observation.
But at least it was effective, which was a very important matter to her right now.
Just as Su Xi was assessing what was happening, she noticed that the volume of the giant stone was constantly changing, gradually shrinking.
In a mere moment, the stone reduced to the size of a pigeon's egg, spinning on the ground.
???
What was going on?
Looking at the sparkling pigeon's egg, Su Xi's face was filled with question marks, unable to comprehend what had happened.
However, despite her confusion, Su Xi didn't hesitate and picked up the stone from the ground.
A treasure like this should not be easily missed.
The moment she picked up the pigeon's egg, the firewood stick in her hand suddenly erupted with light again and began to vibrate intensely.
The light was so brilliant that Su Xi could barely open her eyes.
As the light from the firewood stick reached its peak, it suddenly slipped from Su Xi's grasp, soaring into the sky and spinning continuously.
Before Su Xi could figure out what was happening, she felt the pigeon's egg in her hand begin to emit a scorching heat. The temperature quickly subsided, and then a tingling sensation spread.
"Whoosh!"
At this moment, the pigeon's egg detached from her hand and shot into the air, flying towards the firewood stick.
Then, with a burst of brilliant light, the pigeon's egg and the firewood stick began to merge.
"Buzz~~~"
As the two merged, a powerful, cooling aura emanated instantly.
Su Xi felt a wave of speechless awe in the face of this immense power. The situation before her had utterly stunned her.
Such power, she had only felt when the Meteor God Sword appeared.
But she never expected to feel it from the firewood stick as well. And this aura not only didn't diminish but seemed to be on the rise.
The light above her head slowly faded, revealing what was inside.
As the firewood stick combined with the gem, the originally unremarkable firewood stick had transformed into a jade-green brush, floating serenely in the air.
This brush was entirely jade-green, and the abrasions on its tip resembled an unfathomable black hole in the sky. Just a glance made one feel as if they might be sucked in.
Moreover, the aura emanating from it seemed no weaker than that of the Meteor God Sword. In fact, with the resonance of the surrounding energies, its presence was even more potent than the Meteor God Sword's.
???
What is this thing?
Su Xi reached out and took the brush, examining it carefully.
Such a miraculous item, she had to scrutinize it thoroughly.
The brush had a smooth, natural feel to it. Touching it, she felt a cool sensation, which soon turned slightly warm.
Experiencing both the gentle warmth and coolness simultaneously in her hand, Su Xi felt her spiritual energy significantly boost, her spiritual power surging.
This wondrous sensation compelled Su Xi to take the item before her seriously, realizing it was no ordinary object.
Especially upon seeing the character "判" (pàn - judge) inscribed on the brush, she instantly understood what this item in her hand was.
So, the firewood stick was, in fact, the legendary Judge's Brush.
No wonder the firewood stick possessed the ability to seize souls. It had never been a simple item, which explained its power.
Upon obtaining such a valuable treasure, excitement bloomed on Su Xi's face.
Legend had it that the Judge's Brush could pass judgment on all things in the world. Now, even if she wasn't invincible in the underworld, she at least possessed the strength to fight.
If any blind fools dared to provoke her, she wouldn't hold back.
With the giant stone no longer blocking her path, Su Xi proceeded forward.
This path, perhaps due to the obstruction of the giant stone, had not been traveled by anyone. All along, Su Xi saw was ground covered in black, withered grass.
This scenery, coupled with the increasingly chilling aura of the surroundings, made Su Xi feel a more terrifying atmosphere nearby, causing her breath to catch in her throat.
As Su Xi walked, a peculiar thought suddenly struck her.
It felt as if a pair of eyes were watching her every move from the darkness.
???
What was going on?
This feeling wouldn't arise from nothing, so Su Xi became alert.
However, Su Xi had scanned her surroundings thoroughly with her supercomputer but found no one watching her.
It was precisely because she detected no one secretly following her that Su Xi found it even more perplexing.
Having cultivated to this level, she knew this feeling was absolutely correct and not an illusion.
This sensation was far more acute than an ordinary person's.
Just as Su Xi began to suspect she was being followed, she suddenly noticed a small pool of water ahead. Not far from the pool was a stone as smooth as a mirror.
The stone was as tall as a person's waist, plunged vertically into the ground, blending seamlessly with the surrounding pool.
Beneath the stone, written in a flamboyant script, were the characters "三生石" (Sānshēng Shí - Stone of Three Lives).
Seeing this scene, Su Xi's face broke into a smile.
Although she didn't know who was watching her from the shadows, after searching for so long, she had finally found what she was looking for.
However, soon, her heart began to churn with doubt again.
While she had found the Stone of Three Lives, she had not located the teleportation array anywhere.
Everything around was ordinary, with no signs of anything unusual.
Without finding the teleportation array, she still couldn't leave this accursed place.
After another fruitless search, Su Xi turned her gaze to the Stone of Three Lives before her.
She had examined every inch of the surroundings. If there was any place that could hide a secret, this spot was her only chance.
With her guess in mind, Su Xi didn't hesitate and decisively walked forward.
No matter what, she had to investigate the situation now.
As soon as she took a step towards the pool, she felt a strange sensation, as if she had entered some kind of formation and couldn't move.
But as she concentrated, she once again found no trace of any formations in the vicinity.
After confirming several times that there were no formations, Su Xi began to meticulously examine the pool before her.
The pool was not large, only about the size of an adult's bathtub.
However, what truly captured Su Xi's attention was the scene within the bathtub.