Padah!
— The shriveled corpse that plummeted from the sky had its facial features stretched in extreme terror, its expression frozen in the moment of death.
It landed on the ground, piling up to form a small mound.
At this point, the guards of the underground palace entered without looking aside, orderly lifting and carrying away these corpses.
Before long, they returned with another batch of mentally incapacitated blood slaves whose brains had been destroyed. Within the underground palace's bath, shrouded by black veils, they treated these blood slaves as less than human, directly drawing sharp daggers to cut flesh and draw blood, then injecting it into the pool water.
Meanwhile, the Ghost King of Shuofang entered the bath. He leaned back with his arms spread on the obsidian armrests, his eyes comfortably closed, tilted backward. His body from the chest down was submerged in the bubbling blood pool.
After the guards quietly left with the blood slaves, whose blood had been drained, a gap in the solid bedstead door of the underground palace hall was blown open by the wind. The crescent-shaped, ethereal blue fire lamp suspended above flickered—
The light cast shifting and illusory shadows. The black veils, as light as nothing, floated up, touching the blood water in the pool, then settled down, sweeping across the stone platform, leaving behind a trail of blood.
At this moment, a bloodstain suddenly appeared on the Ghost King of Shuofang's forehead, as if swiftly sliced by a knife from his brow.
The thin bloodstain writhed and broke open, squeezing out an eyeball from his brow. The blood was bright red, exceptionally demonic.
The Ghost King of Shuofang then opened his eyes, his three eyes rotating with a strange appearance.
"Hahahaha... As expected of a divine art! My power has increased significantly again."
The Ghost King of Shuofang clenched his fists, feeling the abundant power within him. With a sweep of his arms, he smashed into the water pool, a loud "boom" sending up a spray of water.
At this moment, the solid bedstead door was pushed open, and Gu Yejin walked in, his robes fluttering. The heavy, lingering smell of blood in the underground palace hit him, and he unconsciously frowned, knowing that the Ghost King had summoned blood slaves again just moments ago.
His throat felt constricted. He lowered his gaze, stepped forward, and bowed, "Yejin pays his respects to the Ghost King."
Seeing Gu Yejin arrive, the Ghost King excitedly emerged from the water with a "splash." He stepped on the obsidian stones, exclaiming with fervor, "Yejin, the divine art you presented is indeed powerful. My strength has increased considerably. Given time, I will surely conquer the other three ghost cities and become the sole king of Fengdu."
Gu Yejin paused. He was blind, so sometimes blindness had its advantages; he didn't have to see a neurotic and increasingly perverted Ghost King.
He said faintly, "Congratulations, Ghost King."
The Ghost King summoned his robes and casually put them on, his feet bare. The blood water stained the ground, leaving behind bloody footprints.
"However, the blood slaves offered below are decreasing. Yejin, what do you think should be done?"
Gu Yejin recalled Mu Junshi's previous instructions to him to activate the plan he had been preparing for years. However, he felt a struggle within his heart.
Yet, his willpower clearly could not overcome the voice in his mind, and he spoke almost in a dual tone: "For the divine art to be perfected, the Ghost King must first eliminate some troublesome individuals."
"You mean, City of Compassion?"
"I heard that the City of Compassion has already informed the major immortal cultivation sects about the situation. They should be sending elite disciples to investigate soon. These years, people have gone missing from the City of Compassion, as well as from Flower City and Rong City. They will soon trace the matter of the blood slaves and find their way here. At that time, these so-called righteous cultivators will inevitably obstruct the Ghost King's grand plan. Since that is the case, it would be better to strike first while the matter has not been fully exposed—"
The Ghost King was silent for a moment before saying, "Then, Yejin, what do you suggest we do?"
At this moment, a fleeting red light flashed in Gu Yejin's eyes, and a fathomless gloom appeared on his face.
—
City of Compassion
Le Bao squatted down, hugging his knees, at the foot of a jade statue approximately three zhang high. He was tired and no longer wandered around. He decided to stay by the "Nun of Compassion" sculpture, the symbol of the City of Compassion, in a conspicuous spot, waiting for his father to find him.
While he waited boredly, a crimson light suddenly erupted in the sky. He looked up in astonishment, his vision instantly dyed blood red. The blinding light made it almost impossible to open his eyes. Startled, he curled up, burying his head, his eyes nearly blinded.
What is this?
At this moment, he heard an angry, panicked shout: "Damn Ghost King of Fengdu, what does he want to do to the City of Compassion?!"
From several densely populated Buddhist temples nearby, over a dozen old nuns in grey robes emerged. A radiant light flashed in the air among them. They stood loosely, quickly cooperated to form hand seals, creating a defensive and reflective barrier, fully resisting the crimson light pouring into the city from above.
However, it was useless. Soon, the vast City of Compassion was trapped within this crimson light.
This was a special ability of the Ghost King of Shuofang City—Red Crossing. Red Crossing could pull chosen objects into another space out of nowhere. Now, the City of Compassion had been brought into another space by the Ghost King of Shuofang.
It was placed inside his Heavenly Halberd Grand Cauldron, which could contain an entire country.
Feeling the entire City of Compassion shaking violently, as if held and shaken by a giant, it was unstable and unsteady.
"Dad—" Le Bao stood up in a panic, his small body unsteady as he clutched the sculpture.
He widened his eyes and saw the surrounding buildings tilting, the multi-story pavilions and houses collapsing. The streets were now filled with equally panicked crowds. They looked around, seeing that the sky, which should have been gray-blue, was now a turbid, hazy red.
"Le Bao."
At this moment, a man's voice finally connected with Le Bao.
They had a high-level communication artifact between father and son, unaffected by space and distance. Le Bao had been calling him before without a response, but now, at the most critical moment, they finally connected.
Le Bao said joyfully, "Dad—you finally responded to me."
Hearing the various chaotic sounds from Le Bao's side, the man asked, "Le Bao, what happened?"
"Dad, I don't know. I think the City of Compassion and I have been thrown into some unknown place. The sky is red now, and all the exit routes are spatial vortexes."
The atmosphere on the other end suddenly became solemn. The man said, "Le Bao, listen to Dad. You and Bai Luo find a safe, uninhabited place to stay. Dad will come find you immediately."
—
"The Ghost King of Shuofang City made his move so quickly?"
Gu Junshi was flying towards the City of Compassion. In her hand, she held a carved ancient mirror, its surface a silvery white, with a sapphire embedded on the back.
The "Yin Cang Mirror" could reveal some things about a person by simply dripping a drop of their blood onto it. However, the efficacy of one drop of blood was limited. If it were heart's blood, the effect would be more lasting.
After viewing some of the events surrounding Gu Yejin, she put away the "Yin Cang Mirror."
The City of Compassion could not be destroyed like this. If the flame of hope was extinguished, what would be used to fan the flames?
If they wanted to silence witnesses and destroy the city to cover their tracks, they would have to see if she agreed.
As Gu Junshi pondered, her now adorable heart-shaped face displayed a profound expression, devoid of its original innocent and carefree colors. However, this incongruity would completely change once she fully integrated into the role.
She picked up Xiao Si Jun, who was like a doll pendant, and instructed him, "Child, if anyone is around later, you must call me sister, otherwise, you might be a mute child for a very long time..."
She smiled at him, her apple cheeks full and rosy, her smile sweet and soft.
But Gu Si Jun, with his keen sense of crisis, felt goosebumps rise on his skin and immediately promised, "Okay, sister, Si Jun will definitely do as you say."
He changed his address so quickly now. The main reason was that this face, this identity, was not his mother, and Si Jun could accept a different way of addressing her.
"Good." She paused, then added, "Don't be afraid of anything you see later. I'm here."
This sentence filled Xiao Si Jun with a sense of security. Having never been cared for so comprehensively, Xiao Si Jun finally understood what it meant to have a beggar mother rather than an official father.
He curled his lips upwards and, with open hands, sweetly called out, "Mom, hug."
"Six years old and still wants a hug?" Gu Junshi teased.
"Yes, yes. I've never been hugged since I was little. When I couldn't walk, if I wanted to go anywhere, I had to crawl. When I could walk, I had to walk everywhere by myself. I've always been alone since I was little, with no one to hold me, no one to support me, and certainly no one to hug or carry me. But now I want my mother to hug me."
That person hated him, only liking the other sickly one, so he would hate them too. He would never go back!
Gu Junshi found that every time she heard Xiao Si Jun mention his lonely, desolate, and pitiable childhood, she would involuntarily soften and become indulgent towards him.
This time was no exception.
She hugged him.
"Mom, hugging you and feeling your heartbeat, Si Si feels so familiar, as if Si Si used to snuggle tightly with Mom like this." His head rested on her shoulder, his small hand cupping the position of her heart.
Gu Junshi blinked in surprise.
She slowly lowered her eyes and gently patted his back.
After a long while, she said, "Actually, I feel the same way."
"Mom, even if you have another child, can you... not hate me? Can you still like me as you do now?" His small hand gripped her clothes tightly, and he buried his face in her neck, a dampness seeping into her shoulder.
Gu Junshi's heart felt as if it were pricked by fine needles, and she felt a pang of pity for him.
She took a deep breath and then turned to the three "people" following behind her.
Currently, the human disguise illusion technique of these three "people" was at its highest level.
The Mountain Splitting Ghost had transformed into a silent, hardworking, honest strongman about two meters tall. The Jidu Demon had become a man with narrow eyes and red lips, an exotic-looking man. The Cang Yu Demon was a slightly delicate and handsome young man.
They no longer had any parts unrelated to humans. Their pupils and hair color were indistinguishable from humans.
However, some things are not just about looking like humans; they can possess normal human feelings. Judging by the greenish, chilling gaze when they looked at people, they were clearly not quite right.
"Remember, my name is Hua Mi. You are my servants, Hua Yi, Hua Er, Hua San. We are all from Flower City. We're going to the City of Compassion... let's say to visit relatives."
The three silently memorized these words and said in unison, "Your subordinates will certainly remember your words."
—
City of Compassion
"Dad, when are you coming?" Le Bao shouted with a panting, choked sob.
"Le Bao—"
"Screech—screech—"
Le Bao forced back his emotions, sniffled, and said, "Dad, there are so many monsters in the city. They're going to eat people—"
At this moment, a major chaos broke out within the City of Compassion.
The corpses of the blood slaves, which had been found and brought back to the City of Compassion after death, had all turned into rigor mortis after death. Driven by demonic energy, they had become bloodthirsty, breaking through their cages and rushing into the city. Now, the entire city had become a hell for blood slaves.
"Le Bao, Dad will find you. You wait for me."
"Dad, you must come quickly. Bai Luo doesn't seem to be able to hold on for much longer..."
—
Upon arriving at the City of Compassion, Gu Junshi set Xiao Si Jun down. Seeing him swaying precariously in the strong prairie wind, she retrieved a modified cloak from her consciousness space. With a slight adjustment, it shrank, and she then draped it over him, tied the straps, and placed a small hat on him.
The three behind them also looked on expectantly.
Gu Junshi threw three items to them as well.
The three fumbled to receive them and then happily put them on. With the five of them wearing uniform attire, they looked very much like a group from the same organization on a team-building retreat.
Just then, they heard someone approaching rapidly from behind.
They turned to look and saw several streaks of spiritual light cast onto the ground. Approaching were a monk, a masked woman, a man in a white cloak, and two men who, despite their different styles, appeared to be young talents.
These individuals were Cheng Hong, Fu Wanyan, Pingsheng, and Lu Ziyin, one of Yan Tianjiao.
Upon hearing that the City of Compassion was in trouble, they had rushed back.
After their flying artifact crashed, they were entangled by another troublesome matter. Fortunately, the seemingly frail man in the white cloak resolved the predicament, saving them twice. Knowing that the City of Compassion was in distress and that his son was trapped inside, they naturally rushed over without delay.
They ignored the few figures in black standing outside the city and stared blankly at the City of Compassion.
Where the City of Compassion should have been, there was nothing but a deep, sunken foundation.
The entire city had vanished?!
"Who did this?" Lu Ziyin murmured.
Fu Wanyan said, "Someone used a teleportation spell to move the entire city elsewhere."
"Can you track it?"
Fu Wanyan replied, "I'll try."
She took out a flying bell and tossed it into the air. It tinkled, then plummeted straight to the ground.
"How is it?"
"It's no use," Fu Wanyan said. "Either it's gone, or it simply doesn't exist within the 28 days, or... it's been placed in another sealed space."
"Then how can we enter?"
"It's impossible—"
At this moment, a clear voice said, "Is it that easy to enter the City of Compassion?"
Hearing this, they turned their heads to look.