"You ungrateful wretch!" Wang Qing shrieked. "I told you everything! And now you want to kill me?"

Lao Liu approached, fanning himself. "Did my lord promise not to kill you?"

Wang Qing finally understood and began to tremble in terror.

Lao Liu said, "Actually, you're quite clever, but you're a bit too clever for your own good. If you hadn't implanted the memory of Wang Qing into Wang Qiu, we might not have discovered you."

"Alright! It's time for you to go!"

Wang Qing screamed, "Wait… I'm still useful! I can still help you!"

Lao Liu chuckled. "Tell me, what can you offer in exchange for your life?"

"I… I…" Wang Qing stammered for a long time, unable to come up with anything.

Lao Liu said, "I heard you possess a Da Meng Shi (Great Dream Stone)?"

"I…" Wang Qing hesitated before finally saying, "I don't! But I can help you…"

Before Wang Qing could finish, Lao Liu's folding fan swept across her neck, completely obliterating her soul.

I turned to Xiang Kai and said, "Brother Xiang, what should we do next? You decide!"

"I came to Da Meng Xiang (Great Dream Village) to find the Da Meng Shi (Great Dream Stone). The rumor about Wang Qing possessing it was just a false lead. Everything in Da Meng Xiang (Great Dream Village) is meaningless to me now."

"If you need any help, I can stay and lend a hand. If there's anything you'd rather keep private, we can part ways here!"

Xiang Kai pondered for a moment. "Hall Master Li, please allow me to discuss this with Lao Bu."

"We came to Da Meng Xiang (Great Dream Village) to find the traitor under the Emperor and to seek the inheritance of Di Xiansheng (Earth Master). To be honest, I don't know what to do about the situation here."

"Xiao Tian, I'll discuss this with Lao Bu. You explain the matters of the Eight Guardians to Hall Master Li."

Xiang Kai pulled Bu Youming aside and began to discuss something in hushed tones.

I knew that their conversation involved secrets of the Xiang and Bu families, and I had no desire to pry into them. Instead, I was quite interested in the past of the Hou Tu (Loess Earth) Eight Guardians.

Xia Xiaotian told me: The Left Four Guardians of the Hou Tu (Loess Earth) Eight Guardians, the four families of Di Xiansheng (Earth Master), had suffered varying degrees of losses in their inheritance process. The most severe case was Gou Chen, whose entire clan was wiped out.

Xia Xiaotian even doubted whether Gou Chen had ever existed.

Gou Chen is actually the image of the Qilin.

The Left Four Guardians, Huang Long (Yellow Dragon) Xiang Kai, Teng She (Soaring Serpent) Bu Youming, and Qilin Yan Junyi, were all once prominent figures in the martial world, but Gou Chen had never emerged. Xia Xiaotian's arrival filled the position of Gou Chen.

However, Xia Xiaotian didn't inherit the lineage of Gou Chen. The secret arts of Di Xiansheng (Earth Master) that she learned were just a portion of what was divided among the three families.

Xiang Kai and Bu Youming had similar experiences. Xiang Kai's third uncle, Xiang Zhennan, had disappeared, taking the secrets of Huang Long (Yellow Dragon) with him. Bu's ancestor had also suddenly vanished, losing the Teng She (Soaring Serpent) totem as well.

Xiang Kai wandered the martial world to find Xiang Zhennan's whereabouts and to retrieve the core secrets of the Huang Long (Yellow Dragon) lineage.

Although Bu Youming had regained the Teng She (Soaring Serpent) totem by chance, when the Teng She (Soaring Serpent) possessed him, the secret of Bu's ancestor's disappearance remained unsolved.

They had always suspected that the Left Four Guardians were the key to welcoming back the Emperor and had become lost in a certain secret realm while searching for the Emperor's true body.

To find the truth, Xiang Kai and Bu Youming had even ventured into the Shan Hai (Mountains and Seas) secret realm guarded by the Fox King Chen Ye. However, they had concluded that the Emperor's tomb was not in Shan Hai (Mountains and Seas).

They could only return to the mortal world to continue searching for the truth about the Emperor's tomb.

The reason why Xiang Kai and Bu Youming were investigating the Four Great Zombies was because they suspected that there was a traitor among the Hou Tu (Loess Earth) Eight Guardians. Otherwise, the Eight Guardians wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses.

Therefore, they were also tracking the news of the Right Four Guardians.

Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but ask, "Since you're looking for information, why are you still hesitating about whether to unlock the Nine-Man Prison?"

Xia Xiaotian said, "I don't know. Perhaps they have their own concerns?"

As we were talking, Xiang Kai and Bu Youming approached. "Hall Master Li, we've decided to open the secret burial ground of Da Meng Xiang (Great Dream Village). However, we brothers promised Xie Bangui (Half-Ghost Xie) not to kill any subordinates of the Emperor. So…"

"So, I hope that if they don't offend you, you won't kill them."

I glanced at Hei Ye Xiao (Black Night Owl), who was nodding slightly.

I could tell that Hei Ye Xiao (Black Night Owl) and Ying Gou had a mutual dislike for each other. If they were to fight, it might not be easy to stop them.

Hei Ye Xiao (Black Night Owl) said, "I'll help you get Pang Gufang out, but I won't interfere with anything else."

I pondered. "That's fine. We'll find Pang Gufang and leave Da Meng Xiang (Great Dream Village) immediately."

Xiang Kai said with delight, "Then thank you very much."

Lao Liu said, "Mr. Xiang, I'd like to ask, have those hundred or so corpses you received all turned into Chang Sheng Shi (Undying Corpses)?"

Xiang Kai said, "Indeed, otherwise they wouldn't be able to enter the Corpse Qi Underground Cave."

Lao Liu fanned himself and said, "That's perfect. I want to take all those corpses away."

I instantly understood Lao Liu's intention and almost widened my eyes in shock. "Are you crazy!"