Gu Junshi moved like lightning, her body flashing as she rose. Golden chains, swirling and coiling, appeared around her and swiftly bound the Zhan Ye Sword. With a wave of her hand, a clang echoed as the sword, twisted and contorted, finally shattered into translucent, radiant fragments that scattered across the sky.
The Xian Sword, having expended all its spiritual energy on the Zhan Ye Sword Art, clanged and fell beside Liu Jiang Fusheng, its owner, motionlessly.
"Roar—"
The Thunder-horned Ghost, its mission complete, was dragged back into the dark abyss, and the golden chains were retracted into Gu Junshi's body.
As she landed gracefully amidst the refractions of spiritual light from the fragments, the stunned and astonished Gu Er, tears streaming down his face, a mixture of shock and relief, leaped towards her.
His ashen face could barely muster any exaggerated expression, but his eyes, washed clean as if by water, shone with an astonishing brilliance.
"Sister!"
Heavens, his sister was incredibly, inhumanly powerful!
Even though he was now a zombie, he couldn't help but feel his blood surge and his heart pound at the scene he had just witnessed.
His sister was truly worthy of his utmost reverence. If she hadn't appeared in time, he would likely be reincarnating right about now.
What she said was true; this brother-in-law was truly wicked, his combat power completely disproportionate to his cultivation.
But no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't compare to his sister!
Gu Junshi, well aware of her little husband's cheat-like existence, glanced at Gu Er. His current adoring gaze was filled with a thousand words of shining praise.
Since everything had proceeded smoothly as she had anticipated and Gu Er had been obedient, her usually indifferent and detached expression softened considerably. She said, "You did well."
Suddenly receiving Gu Junshi's praise, Gu Er was momentarily stunned, but quickly, bubbles of joy began to rise in his heart.
He felt a touch of shyness and reflexively replied, "It's all... all thanks to Sister's excellent teachings."
Gu Junshi hummed, "But ultimately, you are still too weak, so you must continue to cultivate in seclusion."
Without waiting for him to reply, she waved her sleeve at the dumbfounded Gu Er and reabsorbed him into her spiritual consciousness space.
At that moment, Gu Junshi's brow furrowed slightly as a bone-piercing pain from being drained surged through her.
Summoning the abyss ghost to fight at her current cultivation level was still somewhat strenuous.
However, the Zhan Ye Sword Art was extraordinary; it could not only annihilate evil but also sever the cycle of reincarnation. If she hadn't gone all out, she might not have been able to protect Gu Er.
Casually wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she walked expressionlessly to the unconscious Liu Jiang Fusheng.
Her calm, unfathomable eyes gazed at his pale, delicate, and seemingly fragile face for a long moment.
His growth was far faster than she had imagined.
She was very much looking forward to it.
—
The commotion within the Ghost Cry Demonic Fog was too great; even the members of the Great Evolution Sect, hiding far away on the periphery, sensed the unusual activity. Without needing to pay close attention, they could feel waves of powerful energy spreading out.
Especially the potent spiritual energy that manifested as a colossal sword in the sky, and the Thunder-flashing, bull-horned ghost that appeared like the tip of an iceberg in the dense darkness—these were all astonishing sights they had never encountered before.
Tension, trembling, and fear gripped them, making them feel as though they had repeatedly walked the line between life and death, even without participating directly.
The Great Evolution Sect members waited trembling until everything had subsided for a long time before daring to peek. Only after the Ghost Cry Demonic Fog itself dissipated did they awaken as if from a dream, letting out heavy breaths.
They had thought their expedition was a gathering of weaklings fighting amongst themselves, but they hadn't expected a king-level duel right at the start.
Of course, they remained mere bronze-tier novices, but Liu Jiang Fusheng was a hidden king.
If the grand commotion just now wasn't caused by him and that flying zombie fighting, who else could it have been?
They saw Liu Jiang Fusheng lying unconscious, his Xian Sword also dulled and devoid of spiritual light, lying beside him. However, the flying zombie named Gu Chuhao was nowhere to be seen.
So... who had won?
They looked around in disbelief, confirming that the crisis was, for the moment, resolved.
Elder Jiu Li hurried over, with the others following closely behind him. Ever since entering this damned dark night barrier, they had felt an extreme lack of security, leading them to huddle together for everything they did.
Elder Jiu Li quickly squatted down, lifting his robe to check Liu Jiang Fusheng's pulse.
After a while, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Aside from a rather serious-looking injury on one of his hands, Liu Jiang Fusheng was surprisingly unharmed.
He looked at Liu Jiang Fusheng, his eyes complex and strange, and murmured, "Perhaps the Heavenly Spiritual Root is indeed called a peerless genius..."
As the mist dissipated, Tan Ya's view was no longer obstructed, and he saw Gu Yi standing in her original position at a glance.
He paused.
He immediately walked forward, "You... you've been here all along?"
Gu Junshi hadn't realized he was looking for her, but seeing where he stood, it seemed he had ventured deep into the Ghost Cry Demonic Fog. A faint pink mark on his brow indicated he had been poisoned by the demonic fog, yet his mind remained clear. He must have used some unspeakable means to suppress the toxicity.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
She replied casually, then joined the Great Evolution Sect members to check on Liu Jiang Fusheng. However, as Tan Ya watched her retreating back, his gaze gradually deepened.
As soon as she walked over, she heard Fang Rui weeping softly beside the unconscious Liu Jiang Fusheng.
"Junior Brother Fusheng... Junior Brother Fusheng, wake up..."
Her affection was profound, her heart seemingly breaking.
A circle of disciples surrounded him, including Zi Ying, who looked on with concern, at least on the surface, at the unresponsive Liu Jiang Fusheng.
Her peripheral vision caught sight of Gu Yi approaching, and for a moment, she felt an inexplicable, chilling aura emanating from her.
Perhaps it was the residual killing intent from Gu Junshi's recent battle.
In any case, Zi Ying quickly pulled Fang Rui along, embarrassedly and in a low voice reminding her, "Sis... Sister, Fusheng Senior Brother's wife is here."
Fang Rui stiffened but did not move.
Gu Yi walked over. She didn't cry or shout; since the person wasn't dead, there was no need for mournful wailing.
However, compared to Fang Rui, her composure and calmness appeared somewhat unfeeling.
Some of the elite disciples looked at her, feeling that their Uncle-Master Fusheng was being treated unfairly.
Gu Junshi knew the reason for his unconsciousness.
Firstly, it was because he had been poisoned by the Ghost Cry Demonic Fog, and during the illusions, he had experienced a surge of stimulation that restored some fragmented memories. Secondly, it was caused by her forcibly sealing his reawakened memories again.
Both of these were extremely draining to the soul, so he wouldn't wake up anytime soon, no matter how much they called out to him.
"Please make way."
Although her voice was indifferent, her tone was still polite.
They glanced at her and instinctively parted, creating an opening for her.
Firstly, they were indeed a legally married couple. Secondly... Gu Yi had helped them out before, and they felt awkward about deliberately ostracizing her further.
With the person lying on the ground partially resting, Gu Junshi squatted down, carefully adjusting Liu Jiang Fusheng's injured hand. To everyone's astonished, wide-eyed gaze, she scooped him up effortlessly, one arm supporting his back, the other lifting his legs.
Everyone was completely dumbfounded.
"You—"
Zi Ying's mouth twitched, "...You're really strong."
Wasn't she a mortal?
Did mortals nowadays commonly possess abnormal strength?
Gu Junshi ignored the stares and nonchalantly replied, "I'm used to farm work, so my strength is naturally greater than that of ordinary people."
Her explanation was quite plausible.