A red mark appeared across his neck.
Blood splattered everywhere.
After a painful cry, he collapsed to the ground.
"Tongzhu!" The Night Asura screamed in horror and grief, pushing Gu Xuanfeng’s body, trying in vain to bring him back to life.
But it was all in vain.
They all raised their eyes, staring at Chu Yan with deep resentment in their eyes.
"You killed our Hall Master, you will never have a good death!"
"We will forever serve our Hall Master, serve the Palace Master!"
"Brothers, Asura Palace will endure, Night Asura will endure!"
After swearing their loyalty, they did not hesitate for a moment, each one slitting their throats or exploding their Dantian.
Such a bloody scene made Chu Shuo’s scalp tingle.
"Are they all dead?" He didn’t even dare to go check.
It was only when he grabbed Chu Yan’s hand that he realized his brother’s hand was as cold as ice.
"Fifth Brother, you..."
Chu Yan let out a long breath, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat on his hands, saying, "Good thing they were too clever for their own good."
Although he had the aura of a ruler to protect him, if they wanted to die, there was nothing he could do to stop them.
He had accurately gauged their psychology and threatened them, not expecting it to actually work.
Because his identity had not yet been revealed to the outside world, others didn’t know it, which made them hesitant in fear.
Chu Shuo understood now and gave Chu Yan a thumbs-up.
"Great! Truly great!"
The guards were unharmed and now came to clean up the bodies.
The two brothers left the Spirit Mine cave.
Looking at the endless night sky, their mood was heavy.
The night was deeper and colder.
Chu Yan felt a slight chill and said, "I didn’t expect this day to come so soon."
People from Upper Realm had already learned that Mu Nation had the Spirit Tree and Spirit Mine and were on their way to seize it.
Although cultivators couldn’t harm him, as one person, how could he protect the entire Mu Nation?
Chu Shuo slapped him on the shoulder, grinning. "Fifth Brother, you should cheer up, or you’ll die young. I’m sure it was Sixth Sister who stirred up the Upper Realm. Don’t worry, she will definitely protect Mu Nation for you."
Ever since Chu Yan ascended to the throne, his duties were heavy, and he was always busy, not having had a peaceful moment. His brows were always furrowed.
It was only when he saw family members of the Chu family that he felt relaxed.
Chu Shuo was even more carefree. He never talked about troubling matters, only searching for interesting things to cheer him up.
He laughed and nodded. "Second Brother is right. We should all trust Sixth Sister."
As Chu Shuo said, Nanli had indeed caused a stir in the Human World’s three nations.
She was already familiar with the terrain of the three nations.
Instead of using a Transfer Talisman, which consumed too much spiritual power and was too slow, Nanli directly opened the Nether Sect.
A few days later, when the ghost envoy saw Nanli, he was quite excited and rushed to report to Qiu Hai.
"Ancestor!" Qiu Hai arrived in a flash.
He was about to rush over to hug Nanli but stopped when he saw her expression.
Nanli’s demeanor was different from before—she exuded an air of solemnity and authority.
This made Qiu Hai hesitate, his heart trembling.
He murmured, "...Death God?"
When the words left his mouth, he was even more shocked.
Could he... say that out loud?!
Could he call her by that title now?!
Qiu Hai was thrilled, mixed with some astonishment, his eyes eagerly looking at her.
"You... you... have returned?"
Under his gaze, Nanli slowly nodded.
"All these years, you’ve worked hard managing the Nether World’s Underworld."
Although it wasn’t managed well, praise was still due.
She had often wondered why Qiu Hai had been so helpful to her.
It wasn’t just helping—Qiu Hai had been loyal to her across thousands of years, in both past and future.
Qiu Hai was stunned, and tears welled up in his eyes.
He cried like a child.
Just as he was about to reminisce, Nanli spoke again.
"Stop crying. Hurry up and open the door for me."
"Huh?" Qiu Hai wiped his tear-filled eyes, realizing she wanted to open the Nether Sect, and was even more shocked.
"Didn’t you return? Why can’t you open the Nether Sect yourself?"
Nanli, with a hint of irritation, replied, "I’ve only regained a bit of my previous memory. I’m not officially back, so I can’t control the Nether Sect at will."
Qiu Hai smiled, wiping his tears, and cheerfully muttered, "Then there are still plenty of things I can help with! This is great!"
Without further delay, he focused his energy.
"Please, Death God, give me your orders!"
Nanli couldn’t be bothered to correct him. After all, important matters came first.
She said, "Start with Qi Nation, the northernmost region."
"Got it!" Qiu Hai didn’t waste a second. The Nether Sect opened swiftly and accurately.
Once they arrived, Nanli immediately drew a symbol and, using the Sky Plough Pearl as an aid, nailed the Talisman deep into the earth.
Her movements were swift and precise.
However, the amount of spiritual power it consumed was considerable.
Qiu Hai noticed the beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and his heart ached.
"Ancestor!" He blurted out, using the old form of address, "Actually, when you think about it, you’re no longer related to the Chu family by blood."
"You don’t need to push yourself so hard. You don’t need to care about the fate of the Human World’s three nations."
Nanli gave him a reproachful look.
"Remember, the bond we share as family has been accumulated over many lifetimes. As long as I haven’t vanished, the Chu family is my family, and they are my kin."
Qiu Hai didn’t understand this.
But Nanli continued, "Qiu Hai, the bond between you and me as master and servant is also a result of countless lifetimes of fate. Do you understand?"
Qiu Hai was stunned for a moment, but then he understood why Nanli was so persistent.
He sniffed, his nose sore, and nodded heavily.
Because he, too, was as devoted as she was.
He had previously been sluggish, but now, he worked with great determination, opening the Nether Sect for Nanli multiple times and nailing down the Talisman.
However, Nanli’s face grew paler, her energy waning.
Setting up such a large and sturdy barrier consumed a lot of spiritual power, and it was clear that Nanli’s current cultivation wasn’t enough to sustain it.
After she set down one Talisman, her strength gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Ancestor!" Qiu Hai was frantic, but as his foot was about to step out of the Nether Sect, thunder and lightning struck from the sky.
He quickly withdrew his foot.
Death God had only regained a bit of memory, and they hadn’t had a proper reunion yet. He didn’t want to be struck by lightning right now.
Nanli gently shook her head. "I’m fine. I’ve just exhausted too much spiritual power."
She took out her Qiankun Bag and began absorbing spiritual energy from the spirit stones.
Although she had collected quite a few spirit stones, due to the ongoing events, there weren’t many left.
The remaining spirit stones likely wouldn’t be enough.
She considered going back to the Capital to get more, but that would take too much time.
Yun Jianchu suddenly spoke up. "I really can’t take it anymore. You can just use all the spirit stones in the Vajra Umbrella!"
Nanli was startled. "What are you plotting now?"