National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

"They ravenously absorb the essence of heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers, revitalizing parts of their bodies as if reawakening a dead soul. They then transform into terrifying zombies and begin to roam the Mortal World, hunting for the vital blood of the living to sustain themselves and plague humanity."

Since returning to the Great Xia Empire, Chu He had been burning with anxiety, not daring to delay for a single moment.

He had immediately sent someone to find Xu Ping’an.

When it came to matters of corpse nurturing and funeral feng shui, Xu Ping’an was far more of an expert than Xu Fu.

While Xu Fu was learned and full of theoretical knowledge, like a library filled with ancient texts,

it was all just talk. He had never truly set foot in a strange Corpse Nurturing Land.

Xu Ping’an, on the other hand, was a true practitioner—recklessly daring.

Not only had he personally ventured into a horrifying Corpse Nurturing Land and successfully raised a zombie,

but he had even gone to the insane extreme of turning himself into a bizarre half-human, half-zombie creature.

He naturally knew all the ins and outs, all the secrets of the process, as if it were his own backyard.

"Well said."

Xu Fu stood to the side,

his eyes filled with unconcealed admiration as he stared at Xu Ping’an and sighed sincerely. "I never would have thought that after all this time,

someone could still achieve such profound mastery in the art of corpse nurturing. It’s truly been an eye-opening experience."

Looking around the Demon Cave, the scene was even more bizarre, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Gnarled, crooked trees, as if personally twisted into shape by a Demon, filled the area.

Their thick trunks resembled flood dragons emerging from the sea, yet they were covered in strange burls,

like a Demon’s eyes, coldly staring at any intruders.

They tangled and intertwined with one another like a horde of wildly dancing fiends,

their menacing branches blocking out the already faint sunlight from the sky, so densely that not a single ray could penetrate the impenetrable canopy.

As a result, the entire Demon Cave was plunged into a perpetual, night-like darkness and cold.

The chill pierced straight to the bone.

Moreover, the land was low-lying, forming a massive basin where yin energy gathered, and the soil was extremely damp.

A single step sent mud and water splashing, like treading through a swamp. Every movement required immense effort.

Just standing here for a moment,

one could clearly feel wisps of yin energy desperately drilling into their body through their pores,

threatening to suck one’s vitality dry bit by bit.

If an ordinary living person were to stay in such a perilous place for a few days, they would likely be eroded by the yin energy, fall gravely ill, and might even die.

"There’s no time to lose. Let’s begin now."

Chu He clenched his fists, his palms already slick with sweat.

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of nervousness.

After all, this matter of Reincarnation was like walking on the edge of a bottomless cliff; one misstep meant being smashed to pieces.

Not to mention the various unknown dangers one might encounter during the process,

the mere act of one’s soul separating from one’s body was terrifying enough.

No one knew if some fatal accident would suddenly occur during this process,

instantly crushing all hope and rendering all their efforts futile.

In the depths of the swamp, a continuous, nauseating stench of rot emanated.

At this moment, the Bronze Coffin lay there in plain sight.

The ancient Runes carved all over the coffin seemed alive, faintly shimmering with a deep, dark light in the gloomy environment, exuding a chilling aura of mystery and danger.

The swamp was pitch-black, deathly still, and devoid of any life.

Even just standing at its edge, one could feel a chill that seemed to freeze the very soul.

If someone were foolish enough to dip their finger into it,

in an instant, a tangible, bone-chilling cold would shoot up from their fingertip like a swift, venomous snake, heading straight for their heart.

In the blink of an eye, their blood would freeze solid, their vital signs would plummet,

and in the next second, they would be dragged into the abyss of death by the cold.

And yet, the Bronze Coffin, which carried the remains of the eternal emperor Qin Shi Huang,

lay quietly upon the swamp, exuding an endless strangeness.

It didn’t follow common sense and slowly sink into the viscous, heavy mire.

Instead, it floated steadily in the air, perfectly still,

having reached some kind of mysterious understanding with the perilous surroundings.

What was even more horrifying was that ever since the Bronze Coffin had been placed here,

the surrounding yin energy, which was already tangible and free-floating,

had instantly lost control and begun to converge madly upon it,

as if wanting to completely devour the coffin and the secrets within.

"This yin energy... it seems to have a bit of a consciousness. It knows that the corpse inside this Bronze Coffin

is a perfect specimen for corpse nurturing. If harnessed, it could surely breed an even more terrifying zombie."

Xu Ping’an muttered thoughtfully.

For some time now, he had been living in seclusion at the National Road Academy,

immersed in the world of ancient Feng Shui Secret Techniques, completely cut off from the outside world.

He was completely unaware of the tumultuous events unfolding outside.

At this moment, he was filled with confusion, unable to understand

why Chu He would suddenly take such a huge risk, insisting on changing his body and even wanting to refine himself into a zombie.

Although he himself, driven by an almost insane obsession,

had already refined his own body into a bizarre half-human, half-zombie form,

he knew with crystal clarity the risks hidden within.

One misstep, and you would fall into a state of eternal damnation, with no hope of salvation and no turning back.

"Don’t worry. I will protect you."

Amaterasu’s figure was light as she gracefully flew in from a distance, landing steadily on a thick tree trunk.

She furrowed her delicate brows, utterly disgusted by the bone-chilling, Nine Netherworld Hell-like environment.

After all, the power surging within her was of the purest Yang, a Light Attribute,

which was completely incompatible with this extremely yin atmosphere—like fire and water.

"Of course I trust you. After all, if something were to happen to me, you wouldn’t escape unscathed either."

A meaningful smile played on Chu He’s lips.

Amaterasu pouted with a look of disdain, but knowing that Chu He wasn’t bluffing, she said no more.

She just stared intently at the scene below, her eyes revealing a hint of worry and vigilance.

"Let’s begin." Chu He’s expression hardened. Without hesitation, he sat down cross-legged, firmly planting himself on the edge of the yin-filled swamp.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.

Knowing the path ahead was fraught with peril, he resolutely took the first step.

Seeing this, Xu Fu also assumed a solemn expression, strode forward, and sat cross-legged a short distance from Chu He.

He was dressed in a simple robe, his hands clasped before his chest as he chanted: "O, soul ethereal, return to the great void. With a sincere heart, I summon thy spiritual core. Heaven and Earth be my witness, the sun and moon my candles. Shed this mortal shell, and wander the vast wilderness..."

As this mysterious and profound Spell, originating from the ancient Netherworld,

echoed leisurely across the land thick with yin energy,

the surrounding yin energy, once deathly still and stagnant, began to stir rhythmically, becoming more and more active.

Meanwhile, Xia Chengli, Yumizakura, and the others nearby,

as well as Amaterasu, saw this and their expressions changed drastically.

They knew how powerful this Spell was and hurriedly raised their hands to cover their ears as quickly as possible.

The Spell possessed a soul-snatching Magic Power; if they were to hear it accidentally,

their souls would likely be uncontrollably pulled from their bodies.

And that would be a catastrophe.

After all, they lacked Chu He’s immortal soul and Spiritual Power, which allowed him to stand firm in this vortex of yin and yang. They could be capsized by the raging currents at any moment.

Chu He closed his eyes and focused, listening quietly to the incredibly profound Spell.

Gradually, he felt his consciousness become light and floaty,

yet it was completely different from the light-headedness of being sick with a fever.

It was the strange sensation of his soul slowly peeling away from his physical body.

A pair of invisible, large hands was gently yet firmly pulling his soul out of its shell, leading it toward the unknown great void.

"O, soul, leave your vessel, light as a feather. Drift with the wind, wherever it may lead. Pierce the clouds and mist, soar through the nine heavens. Gaze down upon the mortal world, with no earthly tethers..."

Xu Fu’s voice grew higher and more impassioned, echoing continuously throughout the Demon Cave, making one’s eardrums ache.

With this spirited voice, he was guiding Chu He’s soul.

At the same time, above Chu He’s head,

a ball of shimmering light, like the first rays of dawn piercing through the clouds, quietly appeared.

Within the radiance, shimmering, thread-like phantoms—the materialization of a soul—flickered and drifted.