Liu Jiang Fusheng's body grew cold in Gu Junshi's embrace.
She held him, but did not withdraw the Wuxiang, her expression devoid of joy or sorrow, possessing a numb indifference.
Amidst the falling black snow, his gaunt, sharp form, his face like a polished blade, exuded a chilling aura. A glint of cold light flowed in his eyes, his pale face solemn as autumn frost.
She released her grip, and Liu Jiang Fusheng's corpse drifted lightly in mid-air, slowly moving towards her throne of white bones, until it was seated.
Liu Jiang Fusheng's blood-stained robe spread across the throne, his head drooping, his black hair cascading down his body. Aside from the wound in his abdomen, he was otherwise unharmed.
With a wave of her hand, Gu Junshi summoned Le Bao and Gu Sijun, who had been trapped by the ink sphere, to her side.
The two children had been put to sleep by her magic; they were oblivious to the events unfolding.
They slept soundly and peacefully, their small faces flushed, as if dreaming of something beautiful.
Her hand passed through the thin membrane, gently stroking the hair of the two children.
Her gaze lingered for a long time.
"Go accompany your father."
With that, she averted her eyes, her expression like a frozen lake, revealing no further cracks.
Raising her hand, a pillar of power pierced the sky. Scale-like clouds drifted, and the "Gate of the Yellow Springs" hanging in the air rumbled open.
As the tall, black gate opened, a heavy, churning sound made the heart tremble. With a creak, the gap narrowed to a thread, the air pressure thickening, as if something unusual was about to be released from within.
When the "Gate of the Yellow Springs" opened to the width of a finger, a hollow wind blew through, and a chillingly cold breath flowed out with a "wu wu" sound. The world instantly turned somber, and the wind raged like sharp blades, turning dripping water to ice.
Black snow began to fall.
No one could remain unmoved in such a scene, but the overwhelming solemnity and terror of the pressure momentarily froze them in place.
She then sent Liu Jiang Fusheng, seated on the throne, along with the two children, into the "Gate of the Yellow Springs."
"Gu Junshi, what are you doing?!" the Human Emperor roared in disbelief.
He wished to stop her, but Gu Junshi's cold gaze and a grasping motion froze him violently in mid-air, unable to move.
"Those are your own children! Killing Liu Jiang Fusheng is one thing, but those are your children! The living cannot enter the Underworld, you must know that!"
The veins on his neck bulged, and he stared at her with a strange and uncomprehending gaze.
She said indifferently, "Why are you so angry? What business is it of yours?"
Gu Junshi acted every bit the villain who disowned her kin, her eyes merciless, her words cold.
The Human Emperor had always thought Gu Junshi to be a warlord in times of chaos, acting unconventionally, yet she was not someone without limits or prone to self-indulgence. But now, he was no longer so sure.
He felt a sense of disappointment, and even more so, an inexpressible anger. "Indeed, it has nothing to do with me. As long as you don't regret it later!"
A slight smile flickered across her face. "No choice in life is perfect. Right or wrong is not determined by others' criticism or acknowledgment, but by one's own approval. If I lose, I accept it; if I win, I gain."
The Human Emperor shook his head. "You may not care about others' criticism, but can you ignore the criticism of your own conscience?"
"Why do you look at me like that? Someone who has killed relatives and destroyed nations, someone whose body is forged from evil souls and burdened with karmic debt and emotional entanglements, yet you think my actions are improper and bring disaster to the world?" she asked with a laugh.
The Human Emperor looked at her deeply, but could not refute her words.
However, Gu Junshi's false smile vanished instantly, and she said expressionlessly, "My husband, my children, they are meant to remain in the Underworld to accompany me."
On the other side, upon seeing Gu Junshi personally kill Liu Jiang Fusheng, everyone's expression was one of shock.
Especially for those who knew of the relationship between Gu Junshi and Liu Jiang Fusheng, the entire situation felt surreal.
"Impossible! How could Gu Junshi kill Junior Brother Fusheng? She clearly liked him! How could she bear to act!" Ru Lan exclaimed.
At this moment, the grave-faced Yan Tianjiao narrowed his eyes, staring at Gu Junshi for a moment, as if understanding something. He exclaimed, "Killing her husband to achieve enlightenment!"
"What?!" Ru Lan looked at him with a dazed expression.
Lu Ziyin also suddenly realized and added, "It is said that in the Thirty-Second Heaven, there is a supreme cultivation technique called the 'Great Path of Ruthlessness Art.' However, for those who cultivate this method to reach a state of detachment from emotions and desires, they must kill all their loved ones and karmic ties to prove their resolve."
Ru Lan, her face pale, repeatedly murmured, "How can there be such a path of heartlessness and injustice in the world..."
Cheng Hong's eyelids trembled, and he slowly closed them. "Did we, in the end, still arrive too late..."
Over there, Daoist Zhiyang of the Great Evolution Sect, having witnessed Liu Jiang Fusheng's demise with his own eyes, his eyes turned red. After a moment of shock, he gritted his teeth and said, "I told you, liking this kind of woman is playing with your life, you reckless boy, you never listen—"
"The master of the Supreme Mansion has been killed by that demonic woman Gu Junshi! Are the people from all the immortal sects just going to stand by and watch?!"
Daoist Zhiyang's voice echoed through the heavens.
"This woman is an evil cultist. The Gate of the Yellow Springs falling into her hands is not a blessing but a disaster. We absolutely cannot stand idly by. By slaying this demon, we will stand in solidarity with the Supreme Mansion and also temporarily resolve this calamity for all living beings!"
"The Daoist speaks the truth!"
"Yes, we cannot allow the entrance to the Underworld to be controlled by this demonic woman! Although she is powerful, with the combined strength of everyone, we are not without a chance of victory!"
Incited by each other's words, everyone's courage surged, and their spirits were rekindled. The Immortal Sects and the Supreme Mansion had always been like lips and teeth, interdependent. With the situation laid bare, the Immortal Sect and their allies could not stand by and do nothing.
But just as the cultivators of the immortal sects united and prepared to attack, they saw Gu Junshi leisurely turn around.
"Since none of you will be leaving Fengdu City today anyway, while you still can speak, tell me more jokes to make me laugh."
Gu Junshi turned around again, and her appearance had completely changed.
She ignited herself without fire, and as the flames dissipated, she was clad in a simple, dark, and profound black robe.
Her shoulders were slender, her waist delicate, without a single ornament. Half of her body and face had turned to bone, and the skeletal spurs on her form were filled with black flames. She looked up at the vast firmament, her gaze deep.
Her inhuman, neither ghost, nor demon, nor immortal appearance made it impossible to fathom her origins, creating an immense pressure that almost crushed their spines.
At this moment, the sky seemed to split open, with dozens of purple lightning bolts rolling within the dense clouds. The purple light illuminated Fengdu City, which had been dark for years. Such a grand display of power was proof that this was no ordinary heavenly tribulation, but a heavenly tribulation for ascension.
For over a thousand years, cultivators from the Twenty-Eighth Heaven, both young and old, had never before witnessed the grandeur of an ascension heavenly tribulation with their own eyes.