If you were asked to identify an item, would you choose to extract magical powers?

A faint sense of crisis suddenly gripped Shen Bai's mind.

Shen Bai suddenly looked up and saw something unusual in the sky.

A sense of death churned in the sky.

Immediately afterwards, they surged towards Shen Bai.

The aura of death was extremely terrifying, like a towering wave.

Emperor Xuanwu and Eunuch Chen immediately felt this and their faces turned extremely pale.

Even a master like Eunuch Chen, who had reached the pinnacle of his cultivation, felt a profound sense of powerlessness when faced with this overwhelming aura of death.

At this moment, Shen Bai suddenly drew the Cold Moon sword from his waist and thrust out a blood-red sword aura.

The blood-red sword energy was dense and numerous, and in an instant, it covered everything in sight.

Then, it coalesced into a gigantic sword aura that stretched from the sky to the earth, and pierced straight towards the terrifying aura of death.

But the next moment, a miraculous scene unfolded.

The aura of death vanished rapidly.

Shen Bai sensed something was amiss and looked down at his entire body.

He dispersed the crimson sword energy, narrowed his eyes, and thought to himself.

"I'm locked in."

The aura of death just now wasn't attacking him, but rather it transformed into a coordinate, locking him in layer by layer.

The purpose of locking on is simple: to find out his location.

Upon encountering this anomaly, Shen Bai immediately sensed something amiss.

He knew the reason; perhaps the people from the forbidden land of death were finally going to make their move against him.

By locking down his location in this way, they can eliminate him completely if they find an opportunity.

"interesting."

Shen Bai sheathed Han Yue: "It seems to have locked onto me, but hasn't launched an attack yet. It probably doesn't have the means to attack yet and needs more time."

If the other party really wanted to launch an attack to eliminate him, they would never suddenly lock him in with the aura of death.

This must imply something else, suggesting that the other party likely doesn't have the means to get close to him, but only knows his location beforehand.

At this moment, after feeling the aura of death disappear, Eunuch Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, a look of relief appearing in his eyes.

"Your Highness Shen, what was that just now?"

Shen Bai turned around and said, "The aura of the Forbidden Land of Death has locked onto me. It seems they want to know my location so they can precisely eliminate me in their subsequent plans."

Eunuch Chen's face showed horror: "The Death Forbidden Zone, one of the Ten Forbidden Zones, has finally lost its patience and wants to make a move against you?"

Beside him, Emperor Xuanwu's eyes held a hint of worry.

"If the people from the Forbidden Land of Death make a move, I'm afraid things will get complicated."

That aura was too powerful; even Eunuch Chen felt a pressure as heavy as a mountain.

He knew that if he really wanted to take action against Shen Bai, Shen Bai would likely find it extremely difficult to cope.

Shen Bai shook his head and said, "You two don't need to worry. Since the other party has only locked onto my location and hasn't made a move, it will definitely give me some time. This time will be just enough for me to think about how to resist its attack."

He didn't care at all, because he was already overwhelmed with problems, and the ultimate enemy was even this world itself.

In that case, what harm is there in having one more enemy?
Instead of worrying about these things, it's better to seize the time, handle all the matters that need to be dealt with, and then think about how to improve your abilities to cope with what comes next.

Having said all that, both Emperor Xuanwu and Eunuch Chen understood what Shen Bai meant, so they said no more.

But the worry in their eyes never diminished.

Shen Bai didn't say much. He turned around and used his Divine Speed ​​Technique, transforming into a blur as he flew towards the city where Zhou Qing was.

After finding out about Zhou Qing's situation, he will head to the border to inquire about Qin Shuang's situation. After that, he will focus on improving his proficiency.

If there are supernatural objects, he can use them to quickly improve his abilities.

Emperor Xuanwu and Eunuch Chen looked up together, watching Shen Bai's figure gradually fly away.

Only after he disappeared from sight did Emperor Xuanwu turn his head to look at Eunuch Chen and say something.

"Eunuch Chen, prepare pen, ink, paper and inkstone. I want to write a secret letter. Eunuch Chen, please deliver it to the high-ranking officials of the Great Zhou Kingdom and the Great Southern Kingdom."

"What follows will be a world-shaking war."

Knowing the urgency of the matter, Eunuch Chen nodded, said no more, and turned to prepare the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

……

The royal palace of the king, with a single character side by side.

At this moment, Zhou Qing was sitting at his desk, looking at the various memorials.

He was assigned here by Shen Bai to manage the city on Shen Bai's behalf, and he has been here for quite some time now.

Recently, Zhou Qing has been making daily adjustments to ensure that the entire city remains in a stable environment.

Although he is just a clone, he can do things that normal people can do, just like a normal person.

Some time ago, after Shen Bai had his accident, Zhou Qing was worried for a while, but put that worry aside and continued to deal with his official duties.

He had complete confidence in Shen Bai.

As Shen Bai's good brother, he couldn't believe that Shen Bai would suddenly die on the way.

Now, he knows that all he needs to do is to do his job well and ensure that Shen Bai doesn't return to a chaotic city; that would be the best answer he can give Shen Bai.

So he temporarily put aside his worries about Shen Bai and devoted himself to governing the city, which could be considered as fulfilling an earlier dream of his: to use all his knowledge to benefit the people.

Today, just like always, the sky was a clear blue, and everything looked peaceful and stable.

The Golden Dragon Guards patrolled the palace of the King of the First Rank, ensuring that there were no loopholes.

Zhou Qing walked in the courtyard, taking a stroll.

At this time, when he had no official duties to attend to, he unconsciously thought of Shen Bai's situation.

"I wonder how Old Shen is doing now, and whether he has resolved the crisis."

"It's been so long since I've seen Lao Shen. I really hope he can come back soon."

As Zhou Qing thought about this, her longing for Shen Bai intensified.

Just then, a terrifying howling sound suddenly rang out.

Zhou Qing subconsciously stopped and then looked up at the sky.

A blurry figure was seen rapidly descending from the sky.

Upon seeing this, the Golden Dragon Guards beside him immediately drew their weapons and surrounded Zhou Qing.

Before leaving, Prince Shen said that Zhou Qing represented Prince Shen, so the Golden Dragon Guards all treated Zhou Qing as Prince Shen and protected him.

At this moment, the sky suddenly became abnormal, which must mean that an enemy is coming to attack.

The leader of the Golden Dragon Guards looked tense.

Just then, an arm suddenly landed on his shoulder. The Golden Dragon Guard turned around and saw Zhou Qing patting his shoulder and gently shaking his head, saying, "Put down your weapons."

Upon hearing this, all the Golden Dragon Guards present looked puzzled, not understanding why Zhou Qing would say such a thing.

It wasn't until Zhou Qing said his next sentence that they finally understood.

"Your Prince Shen has returned, so why are you turning against him with swords?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell into silence.

Then everyone could see clearly who the figure descending from the sky was.

In the sky, Shen Bai, dressed in black robes with a cold moon hanging from his waist, landed in the courtyard with a face as clear as autumn water.

There was no sound, nor any earth-shattering sight; it was just like an ordinary landing.

Even so, the Golden Dragon Guards around them were stunned by what they saw.

Then, the Golden Dragon Guards reacted and knelt down in unison, shouting, "Greetings, Your Highness! Your Highness's timely return is a blessing for the Great Zhou Kingdom."

Not a single Golden Dragon Guard showed the slightest disrespect; every Golden Dragon Guard looked excited, as if they had finally welcomed their leader.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing ignored the Golden Dragon Guards and quickly walked up to Shen Bai, giving him a big hug: "Old Shen, I knew you were alright, it's just that you came back a little late, leaving me all alone in this city feeling so bored."

Shen Bai smiled slightly and said, "Although it was boring, it fulfilled one of your dreams, didn't it?"

He didn't have many friends in the Great Zhou Kingdom. Apart from Qin Shuang, Zhou Qing was his closest friend.

The two of them can be said to have come all the way from Shengyun County.

Furthermore, since Shen Bai and Zhou Qing had already become close friends in Shengyun County, there was no awkwardness between them at this moment.

When Shen Bai arrived from Xuanjing City, he had already taken in the entire city through the eyes of the Void-Breaking Golden Eye.

Now that the Golden Eye of Breaking the Void has reached the Golden Eye of Breaking the Void of All Beings, its range has doubled, and it can now cover the entire city.

He knew that the city's prosperity and stability were also inseparable from Zhou Qing's governance.

Shen Bai turned to the group of Golden Dragon Guards and said, "Go ahead and do what you need to do. Don't make a fuss."

The Golden Dragon Guards then stood up, bowed their heads in agreement, and quietly left the courtyard.

They naturally had to do the guard duty, but they all knew that if anyone could actually hurt Shen Bai, no matter how tightly they guarded him, it would be useless.

So they didn't disturb Shen Bai, leaving them enough space.

Shen Bai pointed to the nearest house and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

Zhou Qing nodded in agreement and went into the house with Shen Bai.

……

Inside the room, the air was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood incense. Two pots of tea were placed on the table before Jinlongwei took his leave.

Shen Bai poured the tea, took a sip, and then recounted his experiences and the truth of this world.

Just as he had thought, there was no need to hide anything now.

After all, the final battle is imminent, and Zhou Qing holds the key to life and death, so letting Zhou Qing know more secrets will have a better effect.

After hearing Shen Bai's story, Zhou Qing showed the same shocked expression as Emperor Xuanwu.

Fortunately, he had experienced more than Emperor Xuanwu and had seen many amazing things on his journey through life and death, so his ability to accept things was much better.

The time required for relief is also much shorter.

After Zhou Qing calmed down, he showed a wry smile.

"Old Shen, I really didn't expect that you were actually the will of all living beings. This identity is simply too powerful."

At this point, only Zhou Qing could joke with Shen Bai.

Shen Bai shook his head and said, "I would like to live an ordinary life, but in this world, there will always be people who make your life extraordinary. Now they seem like saviors, adding too many burdens to me everywhere."

That being said, that's just how Shen Bai is; when something actually happens to him, he's not afraid at all.

Zhou Qing patted Shen Bai on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, Lao Zhou, I'm here with you. We brothers will face any difficulties together."

"Even if we die, we have to die together."

Shen Bai said helplessly, "Say something auspicious, don't keep talking about dying. The reason I came to you this time is to ask about the river in the Path of Life and Death, how well it's merging."

This was Shen Bai's primary purpose for this trip.

If Zhou Qing can be integrated into this river, it will be considered as fulfilling one of the conditions required by the clan chief of the desolate forbidden land.

Now, Qin Shuang is in the forbidden land of literati, while Zhou Qing is merging with the river.

If both options succeed, then only the destruction of the forbidden zone of death remains.

Zhou Qing smiled and said, "The fusion was completed not long ago."

"By the way, Lao Shen, I found some good stuff at the bottom of that river. Do you want to come with me to take a look?"

Shen Bai breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the news that the fusion was complete.

Later, when he heard Zhou Qing say that there were good things inside, he couldn't help but be curious about what those good things were.

Zhou Qing revealed a mysterious smile, then raised his hand and opened up space.

Once the space was opened up, the aura of the path between life and death surged forth.

"Let's go, let's go take a look. Once we see it, everything will be clear."

Seeing Zhou Qing become mysterious, Shen Bai knew there must be a big secret, so he didn't say anything more.

Then, the two followed the crack and stepped onto a path of life and death.

……

A path of life and death.

The aura of life and death constantly intertwined, filled with mystery and danger.

But at this moment, when Zhou Qing was with Shen Bai, that trace of danger disappeared after encountering them.

Clearly, this is why Zhou Qing controlled the Path of Life and Death.

Shen Bai looked around and asked, "Which way should we go?"

The road to life and death is too vast; even Shen Bai would have gotten lost here if Zhou Qing hadn't led the way.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing shook his head and said, "I control the rivers; you can see rivers everywhere."

At this point, Zhou Qing lowered his head and placed his hand on the ground.

Then, the ground began to tremble violently.

In just a few breaths, a huge crack appeared in front of the two of them.

Suddenly, a torrent of river water poured into the crack.

In just a few breaths, the cracks were completely filled.

Then, one by one, items appeared before Shen Bai's eyes from Hanoi. (End of Chapter)