Chapter 1009 Brilliance Spreads

The radiance of the Golden Divine Realm slowly spread.

Those titled figures who had been brought into the mausoleum walked out again, along with Gu Shen and Chu Ling.

The people waiting outside, although they didn't see God Gu, finally felt their hearts, which had been hanging in the balance, settle down.

They knew—

The chaos in the mausoleum had now completely come to an end.

This dispute, sparked by the Tower of Origin, didn't really cause earth-shattering waves… All the losses were contained within the mausoleum. Even the most tragic battle of gods only damaged the "Land of Miracles" in East洲 (Zhou).

The shattered array patterns of Qingzhong could be repaired.

But the dead could not be brought back to life.

Even though the transcendents waiting outside knew that the "sacrifices" within the mausoleum this time had been minimized, sadness still involuntarily surfaced on their faces when they saw the bodies covered in white cloth being carried out.

The direct descendants of the five great families, according to their noble status, could be buried in the ancestral hall if they died bravely in battle, and their names would be inscribed on the tombstones.

As for the bodies from the three institutes...

Most of them were young people who had grown up here. Their teachers, comrades, and compatriots were waiting outside the mausoleum… They couldn't find peace of mind without seeing them one last time.

Bai Xiaochi looked at the bodies from the Bai clan's ancestral hall, his expression complex.

This time, in the mausoleum operation… the Bai clan suffered the least losses among the five great families and the three institutes.

The reason was simple.

One of the traitors who colluded with the Tower of Origin this time came from the Bai family. Unlike Gu Lushen's madness… Bai Zesheng at least retained a shred of humanity. He kept the direct descendants and talented members by his side and protected them with the power of the Wine God.

He was a purely bloodline-obsessed madman who wanted to take the opportunity to enter Qingzhong with the Wine God and eliminate the most promising genius of the Bai family!

Bai Xiu!

As for the others… he considered them his precious and dear family.

This was the most tragic part.

Bai Xiaochi stood in front of these corpses, pondered for a long time, and said softly, "Send them… back to Qingzhong."

"Patriarch?"

Some members of the Elder Council spoke in surprise upon hearing this.

According to clan rules, these disciples should be sent back to the ancestral hall…

"They died in battle in the mausoleum, each one a hero of the Bai clan. The Bai clan will hold a memorial service for these people, but their final resting place need not be moved to the ancestral hall. Bury them in the mausoleum, to rest alongside God Gu."

Bai Xiaochi looked at the Elder Council and said calmly, "This is a greater honor than being buried in the Bai clan."

Some members of the Elder Council were stunned.

Then.

They reacted: "Rest alongside God Gu…?"

"God Gu has already left."

Bai Xiaochi said softly, "The current Fighting God is our Bai clan's senior, Bai Shu."

The distant Golden Divine Realm had not completely dissipated but swirled and soared, vaguely revealing a blurry, upright figure. His true face was indiscernible within the layers of the Golden Divine Realm. Merely radiating divine might was enough to shake people's minds.

"Bai Shu?!"

Many members of the Elder Council were completely dumbfounded.

This sentence contained too much information for them!

For a moment, they didn't know whether to feel grief or elation.

Some of the old members of the Elder Council who had lived to this day had once chased after the glory that the "Fighting Fire Seed" could bring to the Bai clan and themselves, placing all their hopes on Bai Shu.

But later, Bai Shu "committed suicide" and vanished.

Naturally, that hope also vanished into thin air.

Now… they felt like they were living a dream, pinching their skin, unable to believe this news.

Gu Changzhi died and his Dao dissipated. Bai Shu became the Fighting God!

Wasn't this what they had dreamed of decades ago?!

But before they could rejoice.

Bai Xiaochi's cold reminder rang out again, saying, "Senior Bai Shu said that he doesn't like the Bai family of the past… Surely you all aren't clear about what exactly happened in this mausoleum incident. From today onwards, the old rules of the Bai family should be changed."

……

……

Outside the mausoleum, there was a long line of wounded.

Most of the transcendents who participated in the mausoleum mission suffered injuries to varying degrees.

The Great Cold Disaster was, after all, a suppression of the Underworld Fire Seed.

But at the moment it was released and covered the mausoleum, the chill truly descended.

Transcendents who were not strong enough in mind and body had to endure the freezing torment of wind and snow every minute and every second.

However.

Their injuries were mostly minor. The physical frostbite could be recovered after a period of rest, and the mental anomalies required some sealed objects to assist in treatment. Members of the Safety Committee patrolled among the ranks of the wounded.

Mu Ya was among them.

In fact, it could be seen from the forbidden ancient artifact, the Mirror of Zhaoxue, passed down from the Mu family that the Mu family's bloodline power did not directly increase combat power but was responsible for "healing" and "assistance" in battle.

From a young age, Mu Ya had shown a very high talent for mastering healing-type sealed objects.

She participated in this rescue mission… The Safety Committee expressed a warm welcome to Mu Ya's participation and attached great importance to it. With the special approval of Old Master Zhou Wei, a healing sealed object of considerable quality was temporarily allocated to cooperate with Mu Ya's rescue operation.

In the distance of this line of wounded, she saw those "big shots" with serious injuries. It was said that an exceptionally fierce battle had broken out in the depths of the mausoleum. Gu Lushen, the newly appointed head of the Gu family, was killed in the mausoleum.

And Old Master Gu Qilin, Gong Qing, the head of the Gong family, Mu Yi, the head of the Mu family, and Li Qingsui, the quasi-head of the Li family, had all suffered severe injuries in that battle…

They were the pillars of the five great families.

The Safety Committee's healers had relatively ordinary methods. It was not a problem to heal minor injuries, but it was difficult to help with injuries of this level, and… the other party's status was too honorable. Even if they wanted to try to help, they would not be allowed to.

Important figures from the Federation would arrive soon to provide treatment.

While waiting, Mu Zhong, the Great Elder of the Mu family, and the Fourth Elder, occasionally cast complex glances in Mu Ya's direction.

Their gazes were filled with expectation and guilt.

Mu Ya actually wanted to go over and take a look as well.

Although the Elder Council had done very excessive things to her in the recent Changjie incident, the family head had always taken extremely good care of her.

Just as she was hesitating.

She saw a familiar figure.

It was a figure covered in wind, frost, and dust, who had rushed back from the distant North洲 (Zhou). His sleeves still retained clear traces of melted ice. Gong Zi led the Gong family's transcendents and arrived in front of his father.

He had learned of the news about the mausoleum upon returning from North洲 (Zhou).

This sudden disaster had plunged the Gong family into a state of bewilderment. Fortunately, the young master returned in time to rally the people.

"His spirit is unharmed… but his physical body has been severely injured."

Gong Zi released Garouda. Accompanied by a high-pitched chirp, a wisp of Vermillion Bird's shadow swirled around his fingertips. He carefully examined his father's injuries and found them somewhat strange. He had heard something about the situation in the mausoleum. His father should have been injured by Gu Lushen.

That newly appointed head of the Gu family had terrifying killing power. Oborozuki clearly had the power to penetrate the skin, but his father's internal organs and lungs had not suffered much damage, as if they were protected by something… What was going on?

He looked to the other side, at Mu Yi, the head of the Mu family, who was lying not far from his father.

There were still signs of melting ice and snow on Mu Yi's body, similar to his father's… Was this a battle that happened simultaneously?

Did the two of them face Gu Lushen together?!

Gong Zi wanted to sense with Garouda, but that would be somewhat impolite. So he exchanged a glance with the Great Elder of the Mu family and, after receiving the latter's nod of permission, the wisp of Vermillion Bird's shadow attached itself to Mu Yi's skin.

He let out a soft exclamation.

Gong Zi's expression was complex. He slowly extended two fingers, unfastened the tightly closed collar of the Mu family head's front garment, and then took out a complete framed ancient mirror… The Mu family's transcendents beside him all changed their expressions when they saw this ancient mirror.

They became terrified, astonished, and heartbroken.

Zhaoxue, the Mu family's "Mirror of the Ages"… had cracked, with a very faint stream of purple divine radiance flowing between the cracks in the mirror.

"The Mirror of Zhaoxue… has been shattered."

Mu Zhong said palely, muttering to himself.

This wisp of purple afterglow disappeared into the world as the gentle breeze blew.

This was the power of the Wine God.

The Mirror of Zhaoxue… was shattered by the Wine God's divine power.

And at this moment, Gong Zi also understood the reason why the injuries on his father's body were so strange. Mu Yi had overdrawn the power of the Mirror of Zhaoxue, linking the two of them together and jointly withstanding the heavy blow of Oborozuki and the Wine God's divine power.

The mirror shattered.

And they… were spared from more severe concussions.

If they hadn't done so, then the severity of the injuries and the extent of the melting snow marks on their bodies would not have been so consistent.

The Mu family's transcendents also understood what their family head had done.

The Mirror of Zhaoxue resisted an attack of the power of a god.

That was why it shattered.

But even so… the two of them still suffered severe injuries enough to cause unconsciousness.

In fact, the biggest mastermind of this mausoleum anomaly was Gu Lushen. He seized the five family head tokens, wanting to create a new world for Changye. Even if he failed to refine the Fire Seed, as long as he confirmed that Gu Changzhi was dead and his Dao had dissipated, then his plan would be considered a success.

Because he would try to control the five great families.

Starting with controlling the heads of the five great families.

The power of Oborozuki was devouring Gong Qing's and Mu Yi's bodies, although subtly, but difficult to remove.

The Great Elder asked in a hoarse voice, "Young Master Gong, I'm afraid it will take some time for the Federation's physicians to arrive… I wonder if you have any way to help?"

Gong Qing thought for a moment.

"Perhaps… I can give it a try."

A very soft voice sounded from not far away.

Mu Ya came to her family head's side. She took out the healing sealed object, the Scalpel, and said softly, "If it's just to remove the remaining source matter, I should be confident."

……

……

Gu Nanfeng was very busy tonight.

Twenty-four hours ago, he was still in Dadu.

And now, he had already led hundreds of people and arrived in Changye in a mighty manner!

After painstakingly plotting this mausoleum incident, Gu Lushen at least had to ensure one thing… that was the complete merging of the Gu family.

Merging! He had to eliminate the old faction!

So after he entered the mausoleum, he made arrangements.

A large number of transcendents from the new faction of the Gu family did not enter the mausoleum. They prepared to take advantage of the manpower shortage in Changye to gather together and launch a fatal attack on the old faction of the Gu family.

This plan was indeed brilliant. After Old Master Gu disappeared in the mausoleum, a large number of transcendents from the old faction chose to gather and enter the mausoleum.

This was the best opportunity to attack.

If… Gu Nanfeng hadn't returned from Dadu.

Before entering the mausoleum, Old Master Gu told Gu Nanfeng, who was in Dadu negotiating the bill, about his greatest worry. Over the past year, Gu Nanfeng had devoted himself to the joint efforts of the Flower Banner and the old faction of the Gu family. When the mausoleum anomaly suddenly occurred, he chose to withdraw from Dadu and rush back.

And Lu Nanzhi, who was equally perceptive, sent Song Ci and the elite transcendents of the Chengxin Society of Dadu to set off with Gu Nanfeng!

This force was extremely fierce. It directly intercepted and cut off the Gu family's new faction's attack mission from the side!

Gu Lushen's mission outside the mausoleum was thus destroyed. All his confidants were arrested… Most of these people did not know Gu Lushen's true plan but were only responsible for following orders. However, the Federal Transcendent Court would not choose to forgive them because of this.

Inciting a wave of rebellion, attempting to disrupt the balance of Changye, because it did not get out of control, they would not be directly executed. Instead, they would be sent to the most severe Tundra Prison in East洲 (Zhou) for life imprisonment. Before death, they would maintain more than fifteen hours of mental connection every day until the Deep Sea Zone squeezed out the last bit of their "transcendent computing power."

Physical imprisonment, mental service.

For many transcendents, this was actually a form of torture even more terrible than death.

Zhu Wang and Han Dang, who had been arrested, would most likely be sent to Tundra Prison before the final verdict was issued. During this period, the Deep Sea Zone would constantly draw spiritual energy from them… However, because the strength of these two people was too dangerous, Tundra Prison would provide a special deep cell to detain Eleventh Layer Deep Sea and titled heavy criminals.

Gu Nanfeng would personally be responsible for all subsequent transfer procedures to ensure that no accidents occurred… Theoretically speaking, unless other gods intervened, none of these people would be able to escape.

Now that East洲 (Zhou) had a god again.

Which Outer洲 (Zhou) god would dare to interfere with the East洲 (Zhou) judgment?

After doing all this, Gu Nanfeng hurriedly rushed to the outer edge of the mausoleum. He had been worried about Old Master Gu and the little girl Qingsui.

When he arrived at his destination, Gu Nanfeng unexpectedly saw Gu Shen.

"Brother Nanfeng, don't worry. The Federation's heavyweight physicians have arrived and are treating the severely injured transcendents…"

Gu Shen pointed not far away and comforted softly, "Although Old Master Gu's injuries are severe, he has not woken up yet, but they are all flesh wounds and have not damaged his foundations."

That heavyweight physician was actually quite familiar.

Among the review team that visited Da Teng City to conduct the transcendent rating assessment for Gu Shen, there was an old man with white hair and a youthful face named Lin Beizhu, who wielded the "Sand of Time" and was the top medical expert among the transcendents in Changye.

He had revealed that someone in Changye was closely watching Gu Shen and had even extended a warm invitation.

At that time, it was the Gu family who was paying attention to Gu Shen.

However… Lin Beizhu's invitation was later shelved.

Because it was Gu Nanfeng, the young master of the Gu family, who brought Gu Shen back to Changye City.

"What about the little girl Qingsui?"

Gu Nanfeng breathed a sigh of relief and then asked.

"Qingsui suffered some mental damage. I have already treated her… She may need to sleep a little longer." Gu Shen said softly, "There, Chu Ling is with her."

Oborozuki didn't hurt Li Qingsui much.

What really made her faint was the mental impact of the Underworld Fire Seed.

The mental damage of that snow tide at the end of the mausoleum seemed invisible, but it was actually quite fierce. If one's mental strength was not strong enough, one might fall into a coma, trapped in a nightmare. Even if one woke up, it would leave a psychological shadow.

This injury might be difficult for other transcendents to remove, but for the "genuine Underworld King," erasing his own mental imprint was a simple matter.

After leaving the mausoleum, Gu Shen did not idle. He released Chi Huo to help those transcendents in the mausoleum who were trapped in the mental impact of the snow tide and dispel the nightmares.

Because he himself was a naturally gifted mental transcendent…

It was only natural that he could solve this "mental problem" that the Safety Committee could not solve.

As the two of them were talking.

A very soft moan sounded not far away.

"Mmm…"

Chu Ling, who had been by Li Qingsui's side, her eyes lit up slightly at this moment. She quickly transmitted her voice, "She's awake."

After the nightmare was dispelled.

The person being treated would fall into a peaceful sleep.

It would take some time before they woke up.

Gu Shen was a little surprised. Li Qingsui's spirit was quite tenacious, and she woke up quickly.

The little girl's face was pale, and her nose was covered with cold sweat. She seemed to have had many, many nightmares, dreaming that she was killed, that her sister was also killed, and that the mausoleum, the Li clan, and even the entire Changye were destroyed.

The pain in the nightmare was unusually real.

It seemed like it would never stop.

Until, in the dream, she saw a warm flame that dispelled, illuminated, and shattered the nightmare.

This painful feeling slowly dissipated.

Until this moment, when she opened her eyes and saw the long night with twinkling stars in front of her, she was in a daze, realizing that she seemed to have woken up.

Li Qingsui's memory was still stuck in the wind and snow that drifted in the mausoleum.

Now, she saw Sister Goddess.

And… Gu Shen, Gu Nanfeng.

Her eyes suddenly became wet, thinking that this was still a dream, until she was embraced by Chu Ling and felt the refreshing fragrance and warmth of the spring breeze, then she gradually calmed down.

"It's over…"

Chu Ling gently patted the little girl's shoulder and comforted softly, "The turmoil in the mausoleum has ended."

Li Qingsui subconsciously clenched her palm.

The token symbolizing the identity of the Li clan head had been retrieved by Gu Shen from the snow in the giant's ruins and put back into her hand.

At the moment of holding the token.

She let out a long breath, and her tense body relaxed all at once.

She was too tired.

However, the tears that had reached the edge of her eyes were tightly held back by the little girl. Li Qingsui wiped her face forcefully and held her breath again.

After her father died.

Li Qingsui told herself not to shed another tear.

She was no longer a child.

At this moment, she was holding the Li clan's head token. Every word, every action, symbolized the image of the Li clan.

"The mausoleum… was a conspiracy of the Wine God and Gu Lushen."

Of course, Gu Shen noticed this small detail.

This little girl hid the stubborn side of her heart very well, and not many people knew about it. He happened to be one of them.

Gu Shen's expression was gentle. He briefly explained what happened in Qingzhong and comforted, "Now, the Wine God and Gu Lushen have both been executed, and the turmoil in the Li clan will also dissipate. You can rest assured."

Li Qingsui nodded, then she suddenly realized something.

"Uncle Gao…"

Li Qingsui reached out, grabbed Chu Ling's arm tightly, and said with a pale face, "Sister Goddess, Uncle Gao is still in the ancestral hall."

……

……

Li Clan Ancestral Hall.

A fire had burned through this place.

At this moment, the sea of fire had been extinguished.

The six-hundred-year-old ancestral hall had been burned to charcoal. Only the dry skeletons of the wooden houses remained, teetering on the verge of collapse. If the wind were stronger, the ancient houses of the Li clan's ancestral hall would all collapse.

"This place… has been completely destroyed."

Gu Nanfeng murmured softly.

In terms of the extent of the damage, the Li clan's ancestral hall suffered even greater damage than Qingzhong.

"It can be rebuilt."

Li Qingsui looked at this scene, her eyes were calm, without the slightest heartache. The Flame Demon Umbrella that created this sea of fire lay quietly on her lap.

Only by completely burning away those old and dirty things can new life be ushered in.

If this was the price that had to be paid for victory—

Then she would be willing to burn this ancestral hall a hundred more times.

"There are traces of divine power here."

Gu Nanfeng frowned and said, "It seems like there was a great battle. My mental perception has been interfered with."

He looked at the very small wooden building in the ancestral hall.

It was the only building that had escaped the sea of fire because of the powerful mental force that was vibrating inside. Not a single flame could fall within ten meters of the wooden house. It was shattered into debris in the air.

Now that the entire ancestral hall had been burned down.

Only this small pavilion, with a patch of grassland, was still intact. Only grayish-white burn marks could be seen, and the traces of the spreading of the mental domain could be clearly seen.

"There is an aura of death."

Gu Nanfeng solemnly commented, "Very strong… Someone died."

Li Qingsui's expression turned pale. She pushed open the car door and came to the wooden door of the Li clan's ancestral hall. Her fingers trembled a little when she pushed open the dry door.

The girl's Ru skirt was stained with fire ash and snow.

A strong wind blew.

She pushed open the broken, black wooden door.

On the other side, someone also pushed open the sealed broken door of the old wooden pavilion.

Gao Tian's face was pale, his expression was not good, and he was covering his mouth with one hand, coughing in a low voice. He was stunned when he pushed open the door and saw the young lady standing not far in front of him.

Behind him.

Inside the dark pavilion, a skeleton corpse that had turned to ashes was slumped in a rattan chair.

In the battle of gods in the Qingzhong Mausoleum, the Wine God drew away all the divine power, trying to survive in Gu Changzhi's hands… At that moment, all the believers lost the faith that supported them.

Some people could survive even after losing their faith.

Some people would collapse immediately.

Gao Tian and the Great Elder of the Li clan were locked in a long mental tug-of-war… This should have been a longer-term battle.

But after the Wine God's divine power was drawn away.

The old man, who was too old to withstand even the slightest bit of tossing, just… collapsed.

He turned into a pile of complete dry ashes, maintaining a complete skeletal form when no one touched it.

At this moment.

A strong wind blew.

The pavilion that seemed the most complete was the first to collapse. The girl threw herself into the butler's arms. Behind her was the sound of the dilapidated and decaying building collapsing.

Sparks and ashes flew in the sky.