Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The wind in the canyon picked up a bit more.

The snowflakes swirling on the ground stung my face.

Gu Xiang held the shriveled Tu Ling in his arms, his hands trembling slightly.

This little thing is too light.

It's as light as a handful of dry grass, and can be crushed with the slightest force.

Su Qing floated in mid-air.

Her figure was ethereal, somewhat scattered by the wind, as if she might melt into the swirling snow at any moment.

She looked down at Tu Ling.

That once round and comical face was now covered with deep wrinkles, its beady eyes were tightly closed, its mouth was slightly open, and it was twitching unconsciously.

That is a sign of the depletion of the source.

Su Qing reached out, wanting to touch Tu Ling's few dry, yellow hairs.

The fingertips pierced through the earth spirit's head, only catching a few wisps of cold wind.

She froze for a moment, then casually withdrew her hand.

"So ugly."

Su Qing curled her lips in disgust, her voice trembling slightly.

"It already looked like a big radish, and now it's a dried-up, rotten radish."

"It would be embarrassing for me to take you out in the future."

She spoke harshly, but her eyes were terribly red.

Souls do not inherently possess tears.

But Gu Xiang could clearly see that the red light in the corner of her eyes was flashing, as if it was about to bleed.

Gu Xiang didn't say anything.

He placed the earth spirit behind a large, sheltered rock, took off his cloak, and covered the small body with it.

The thick cloak pressed down on the earth spirit, making it appear even smaller.

Gu Xiang stood up.

He looked north.

That's the direction of the Burial Abyss.

That was also the direction in which the remnants of the Mountain Moving Sect fled.

An indescribable sense of malevolence surged through his chest.

That was his suppressed killing intent.

It was also his tyranny, which had long been worn down as the prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but which resurfaced at this moment.

"Bang!"

Gu Xiang slammed his palm down on the black rock beside him.

No spiritual power was used.

Pure physical strength.

The hard black rock shattered instantly, sending fragments flying everywhere.

Gu Xiang's palm was a bloody mess, with fresh blood dripping down between his fingers.

It fell on the pristine white snow, and it was dazzlingly bright.

He couldn't feel any pain.

He felt a tightness in his chest, as if a fire was burning inside him, causing pain in his internal organs.

Is that a tree?

That was Su Qing's fate!

That was the wife he had finally managed to find!

Now, the tree is gone.

In his search for the tree, this timid, cowardly, yet loyal earth spirit nearly lost his life.

Gu Xiang's aura changed.

The originally upright and peaceful aura suddenly surged.

A faint hint of scarlet shimmered within the white shockwave.

That was murderous intent.

It is also a demonic thought.

Confucianism and Taoism have become demonic.

He entered the ancestral hall in Gujia Village once.

Today, he wanted to kill someone again.

"Gu Xiang".

Su Qing floated in front of him.

She looked into Gu Xiang's bloodshot eyes and her heart tightened.

That idiot is going to do something stupid again.

"I'm fine."

Su Qing smiled, feigning ease, though the smile appeared somewhat desolate on her illusory face.

"I'm just a little sleepy, I'll feel better after a nap."

"But this little radish, if you don't save him soon, he'll really become dried radish."

Gu Xiang took a deep breath.

He forcibly suppressed the rage in his heart, turned around, and took out a jade bottle from his bosom.

Remove the cork.

A rich aroma of medicine instantly filled the air.

That is the "Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill".

The Great Zhou royal family only has three secret medicines in total.

When Li Yu gave it to him, he repeatedly told him that it was to save his life.

Gu Xiang did not hesitate at all.

He pried open Tu Ling's mouth and stuffed the pill inside.

He then inhaled another breath of righteous energy to help dissolve the medicinal effects.

The elixir entered the stomach.

A trace of color finally returned to Tu Ling's ashen face.

My breathing has become more stable.

But there was still no sign of him waking up.

A loss of one's fundamental essence cannot be replenished by a single elixir.

Gu Xiang looked at the unconscious Tu Ling, his voice low but each word resounding.

"Radish, you listen to me."

"I didn't kill you, and even the King of Hell wouldn't dare take you."

He reached out and touched Tu Ling's forehead.

A golden mark slowly emerged.

That was the aura of the official seal of the Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It is also a blessing from the nation's destiny.

"Didn't you want to be a god?"

"As soon as you wake up, I will ask for permission as soon as I come to my senses."

"I hereby bestow upon you the title of 'True Lord of Earth Virtue' of the Great Zhou Dynasty, granting you the honor of receiving incense offerings from countless families, and bestowing upon you a golden body and Dharma image."

"From now on, the local deities of this Great Zhou will all be under your jurisdiction."

"You can have as many earth elves as you want."

Gu Xiang's words were resounding and powerful.

This is a promise.

It is also a cause and effect.

As the prime minister of a nation, he promised to deify a spirit.

This has never happened before in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

But Gu Xiang didn't care.

rule?

His adherence to local customs is a matter of principle.

Su Qing watched from the side.

She looked at Gu Xiang's domineering and protective demeanor, and a smile appeared on her lips.

That idiot.

Still so naive.

However, it's adorably silly.

She wanted to reach out and touch Gu Xiang's face.

He reached out halfway, but then stopped.

Her soul was fading more and more.

The emotional turmoil she had just experienced, coupled with the severe injury caused by the loss of her main body, made it difficult for her to maintain this wisp of her soul.

A gust of wind blew by.

Su Qing's figure swayed, like a candle flame in the wind, flickering on and off.

"Gu Xiang..."

She called out.

The sound was very soft, as if it were drifting from a very far place.

Gu Xiang suddenly turned around.

He saw Su Qing's almost transparent body.

fear.

Overwhelmed by immense fear, he lost all reason.

It was a million times more terrifying than seeing the Earth Spirit on the verge of death.

"Qing'er!"

Gu Xiang rushed over.

He opened his arms, wanting to hug her.

but.

I got nothing in return.

His hand passed through Su Qing's body, only to embrace a gust of cold wind.

Gu Xiang stood frozen in place.

He stared blankly at his hands.

I can't hold on to it anymore.

Am I going to lose it all again?

That excruciating pain struck again.

"Don't be afraid."

Su Qing felt a pang of heartache seeing his distraught appearance.

She tried hard to condense her soul, but found that she couldn't do it at all.

"I'm just a little tired..."

"I might need to sleep a little longer..."

"Don't cry, you look awful..."

Su Qing's voice trailed off as she spoke.

Her vision began to blur.

Even Gu Xiang's face was no longer clearly visible.

Gu Xiang did not cry.

His eyes became fiercer than ever before at that moment.

sleep?

He won't allow it!

No one can sleep without his permission!

Gu Xiang suddenly ripped open his shirt.

The cold wind blew into his chest, but he didn't feel cold.

He drew the dagger from his waist.

It was a magical weapon engraved with runes, and it was incredibly sharp.

"puff!"

The dagger pierced his chest.

Not somewhere else.

It is precisely the heart.

There, a heart is pounding wildly.

A mind with seven orifices, exquisite and ingenious.

That was Su Qing's heart.

It is also the purest and most powerful source of life in this world.

"Gu Xiang! You've gone mad!"

Su Qing exclaimed in surprise.

She tried to stop him, but she couldn't touch him at all.

Gu Xiang remained expressionless.

With a flick of his wrist, he drew his dagger.

A stream of golden-red blood gushed out instantly.

That wasn't ordinary blood.

That was blood from my heart.

It contains the essence of phoenix fire and righteous energy.

Every drop is incredibly precious.

Gu Xiang did not waste a single drop.

He ripped off the dragon-patterned jade pendant from his waist.

That is where Su Qing's divided soul resides.

He pressed the jade pendant onto his wound.

"drink."

Gu Xiang's voice was a little hoarse.

"Once you've had your fill, you're not allowed to sleep."

The scalding hot blood instantly dyed the jade pendant blood red.

The jade pendant emitted a clear, ringing sound.

It greedily absorbed this enormous power.

With the injection of essence and blood.

Su Qing's soul, which was about to dissipate, solidified instantly, like a withered tree that had been nourished.

Her originally pale face gained a touch of color.

That feeling that it could disappear at any moment is gone.

Su Qing stared blankly at Gu Xiang.

Watching the blood gushing from his chest.

Looking at his face, which had turned deathly pale from blood loss.

"You're a madman..."

Su Qing cursed.

Tears finally streamed down my face.

Although it was still a spirit, this time, when the tear fell to the ground, it actually created a small crater.

Gu Xiang smiled.

He was pale and his lips were purple, but he was smiling happily.

"I'm crazy."

"You're an idiot."

"They make a perfect pair."

He let go.

The jade pendant, now saturated with blood, emitted an eerie red light and hovered in mid-air.

Gu Xiang casually patted the wound a few times to stop the bleeding.

This injury won't kill you.

As long as she's still alive, what does a little bloodshed matter?

He reached out and gently grasped the jade pendant.

It's warm.

It felt like I was holding her hand.

"Qing'er."

Gu Xiang looked north.

The sky there was overcast with dark clouds.

Thick clouds hung down, like a giant sack with its opening wide, waiting for them to crawl inside.

That is the land forsaken by God.

It is a forbidden zone of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It's also a place they have to go to.

"Those bastards moved our home away."

Gu Xiang's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

"Let's go and take our home back."

Su Qing floated beside him.

Her red dress fluttered in the wind.

Although she was only a soul, she was emanating an astonishing aura of malevolence.

That was the ferocious power of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.

"it is good."

Su Qing nodded.

"Take it back."

"If anyone dares to touch my tree, I'll dig up their ancestral grave."

The wind and snow intensified.

Gu Xiang picked up Tu Ling and carefully placed her in the carriage.

then.

He jumped onto the carriage shaft and raised his whip.

"drive!"

The black carriage left two deep ruts in the snow.

Facing north.

Towards that all-consuming darkness.

They rushed forward without hesitation.

Su Mu Zhe - Journey North

The snow is like a knife, the wind like scissors.

Clouds press down on the desolate plains, the road is cut off, and travelers are far away.

With unwavering loyalty and courage, they wrote their story.

With sword pointed to the heavens, we vow to change the very fabric of the sky.

Hatred is hard to quell, love is not yet severed.

Withered bones and beautiful face, both life and death are viewed with indifference.

There is no other shore beyond the Yellow Springs.

He slayed all the demons, all for the sake of that one woman.