Huang Yi waved his hand and took out the artifact spirit of the Reaper’s Scythe. He slowed his steps and turned his head to watch his surroundings warily.

In the distance, a herd of skeleton horses was nibbling at the withered grass on the ground. Their bellies were devoid of flesh, just skeletons riddled with gaps, through which the grass they consumed leaked out, leaving them perpetually hungry.

"Caw caw~" A desolate caw of a bird suddenly pierced the night, as a skeleton crow flapped its tattered bone wings, swiftly flying across the sky.

The skeleton horses were startled, galloping away in a frenzy. Their tall, robust frames thundered on the ground, causing a slight tremor in the earth, like an unstoppable torrent.

Though mere skeleton horses, they appeared quite majestic, with four icy-blue hooves exuding a chilling aura. The moment they touched the ground, a layer of white frost instantly formed.

Unfortunately, their stampeding route was directly toward Huang Yi, and, as he couldn’t fly here, it seemed he was about to be trampled into a pulp by this surging force.

Suddenly, the herd of skeleton horses skidded to a halt, their bodies trembling, and they lowered their heads submissively before Huang Yi, not daring to take another step forward.

Huang Yi let out a long breath and glanced at the Reaper’s Scythe in his hand. It seemed its aura was what intimidated them.

With the Reaper’s Scythe clearing the way, every creature around automatically made way for him, allowing him to smoothly cross the plain and arrive at the lakeshore.

The lake was utterly still, devoid of even the slightest ripple, mirroring the distant giant tower’s white glow.

Upon closer inspection, Huang Yi was shocked to discover that the lake was black, like a pool of ink, reminiscent of what he’d once seen in Purgatory.

Back then, he and a group of super-first masters ventured into the 300th level of the Tower of Pantheons, encountering a black sea as soon as they entered. That sea was terrifying; merely touching it corroded one’s soul entirely. In the end, they crossed the sea aboard the ancient godship of the Thunder God.

In fact, the black seawater in Purgatory originated from the Dead Star. This water, named "death water," possesses a potent corrosive effect on most souls, with only a few special creatures immune to its touch.

Huang Yi searched along the lakeshore but found no bridges or boats. To reach the giant tower in the lake, flying was the only option.

But this area was a no-fly zone; except for the local birds, no one could fly here.

How could he cross this stretch of lake?

Huang Yi paced slowly along the lakeside, contemplating a plan, his gaze gradually losing focus.

"Thud, thud, thud~" At that moment, a skeleton horse galloped across the plain not far from Huang Yi, inadvertently capturing his scattered gaze.

Its four icy-blue hooves were exceptionally conspicuous in the darkness. As it stepped on the ground, a layer of frost instantly formed.

Huang Yi’s gaze slowly regained focus, fixed intently on the places the skeleton horse had trodden, and his eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement.

He smiled, raised the Reaper’s Scythe, and charged toward the skeleton horse.

The skeleton horse sensed the scythe’s approach, its body shuddering, trembling in fear. It dared not run, halting in place with its head hung low in submissive surrender.

Huang Yi approached it, gently patting its skull, and whispered, "Horsey, horsey, take me across the lake! To that shining giant tower!"

With that, he bounced onto its back, securely seated atop it.

The skeleton horse lifted its front hooves, making a token struggle, then calmed down, yielding to Huang Yi.

"[System Prompt]: You have acquired the mount Ice Skeleton Horse (Eighth Stage Intermediate)."

This Ice Skeleton Horse was at the eighth stage, far inferior to his Little Dragon, yet many creatures have unique abilities, capable of incredible feats under certain circumstances.

Huang Yi squeezed with his legs, urging the ice horse to dash toward the lake.

The ice horse galloped into the lake, its four icy-blue hooves releasing an extreme chill. As it touched the lake’s surface, it instantly froze into an ice sheet, strong enough to prevent sinking.

The ice horse galloped over the lake, forming a path of ice behind it, leading straight to the giant tower in the lake.

Before long, the ice horse carried Huang Yi to the front of the giant tower. The dazzling glow illuminated them, casting a long shadow over the lake’s surface.

The giant tower was windowless and lacked any openings, hiding its interior from view. Huang Yi rode the ice horse around it and finally discovered a boardwalk leading into a circular archway on the tower. Above the archway were ancient characters—Hall of Extinction.

Huang Yi jumped from the ice horse onto the boardwalk, approaching the circular archway on foot.

The inside of the entrance was shrouded in darkness, the interior of the tower hidden from view, emanating a sense of danger. This was a place only the Main God was qualified to challenge. As a player not yet divinely enthroned, attempting this was almost certain death, risking the complete destruction of his incarnation.

Suddenly, Huang Yi sniffed, and his Blood Dragon bloodline caught the scent of blood. Glancing around, he finally fixed his gaze on the ground.

On the ground at the entrance, there were faint traces of blood, leading all the way into the Hall of Extinction.

These bloodstains were scattered, implying that someone, severely injured, had struggled here, leaving a trail of blood into the Hall of Extinction. There was only one trail, indicating that the person had never emerged once inside.

Meanwhile, Huang Yi’s heartbeat accelerated, his body heating up as if something inside the hall held a close connection to him—something unrelated to the Death God or the Reaper’s Scythe in his hand, emanating a different resonance altogether.

"It doesn’t seem related to the Death God—what could possibly be connected to me?" Huang Yi tightened his grip on the Reaper’s Scythe’s artifact spirit, gazing at the pitch-black entrance with a furrowed brow of confusion.

He took a deep breath, calming his restless heart, and finally stepped inside.

As soon as he crossed into the giant tower, darkness enveloped him, the bright light outside not penetrating even slightly. Despite his Clan of Light’s absolute dark vision, he couldn’t see anything.

However, his Blood Dragon’s olfactory ability remained, allowing him to follow the faint scent of blood through the darkness.

This trace of blood would guide him to discover that mysterious connection related to him.