Solving the Holy Spirit Branch

Ye Guyi did not waste words. She stepped forward, pointed her sword tip at the opening, and gathered her holy power once more.

She thrust the sword inside.

The sword radiance exploded within the pyramid. Trapped within the layers of metal, the black skeleton let out one final, muffled hiss. The black flames sizzled and burned away in the holy light, the skeleton shattered, and Soul Power surged out, flowing along the blade toward Ye Guyi.

The interior of the pyramid fell completely silent.

Xiao Hongchen retracted all his iron sand, and the pyramid collapsed with a crash, leaving nothing behind but a pile of bone ash.

He clapped his hands and turned to Ye Guyi.

"How much did you improve?"

Ye Guyi sensed the surging Soul Power within her and replied calmly, "Four levels. I'm at level forty-six now."

"Huh?"

Meng Hongchen whipped her head around, her face full of disbelief. "Four levels?!"

"Yes."

"Doesn't that mean you're almost catching up to me?!"

Having reduced her reliance on medication over the past few months, Meng Hongchen's cultivation had progressed slowly; she had only gained one level, putting her at level forty-seven. Her expression was quite a sight as she stared at Ye Guyi.

"That's a trait of the Angel Martial Soul," Xiao Hongchen glanced at Meng Hongchen. "I can also increase my cultivation by absorbing rare metals. Are you annoyed?"

"..."

Meng Hongchen's expression turned complex, and she swallowed back the words she had been about to say.

Ye Guyi looked at Xiao Hongchen and said softly, "Thank you."

"It was no trouble."

Xiao Hongchen waved a hand and turned toward Nana, who had been standing to the side with almost zero presence.

"Nana, there isn't much time left." His voice softened, his tone more serious than usual. "Once the controller dies, those souls will dissipate quickly. Go and see your parents one last time."

Nana froze for a moment, as if she had been drifting away and had only just snapped back to reality.

She gave Xiao Hongchen a long look, said nothing, and turned to run toward the small door in the depths of the hall.

The hall fell quiet.

Watching Nana's retreating figure, Meng Hongchen put away her playful demeanor and whispered, "Should we go over?"

"Give her some space."

The three of them exited the underground hall. Meng Hongchen helped detoxify the White-Clad Holy Servants scattered about, and they soon began to stir.

"The Great Holy Spirit and the Second Holy Spirit are dead. Hurry down and see your loved ones one last time."

The Holy Servants had just woken up and were still dazed, unable to grasp the situation.

It was only when Ye Guyi's holy light shone upon them that they fully awakened, rushing into the underground hall one by one.

Wailing sounds drifted faintly from the tunnel inside the room; clearly, the Holy Servants had found the souls of their kin.

Nana was the first to emerge from the tunnel, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She approached Xiao Hongchen, her knees buckling as she prepared to kneel, but he was prepared and caught her before she could.

"Nana, my condolences."

Nana nodded gently. "Thank you, Master. You helped me fulfill my greatest wish."

"What 'Master'?" Xiao Hongchen asked deliberately.

"I said," Nana did not avoid his gaze, her voice steady, "that as long as you could help me save my parents' souls, I would serve you as a beast of burden. This debt of rebirth can only be repaid with a lifetime of service."

"Fine, but from now on, you must call me Goshujin-sama, understand?"

Nana blinked, stunned. "What does that mean?"

"You don't need to know the meaning," Xiao Hongchen said. "Just call me that."

"So disgusting."

Meng Hongchen, standing to the side, interjected bluntly, turning her head to look at Xiao Hongchen. "Brother, what kind of weird hobby is this again?"

Xiao Hongchen ignored her, continuing to look at Nana with an expectant expression.

Nana's expression was conflicted yet earnest.

Although she didn't know what the term meant, she felt a profound sense of shame, as if she were being cornered with nowhere left to retreat.

Finally, her face flushed red. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and spoke in a voice as thin as a mosquito's hum:

"...Go, Goshujin-sama."

The courtyard was silent for a full three seconds.

"Hmm," Xiao Hongchen nodded, his expression strange. "Forget it, forget it. You can just call me Master as usual from now on."

He only felt a wave of goosebumps, his skin crawling; it seemed he truly lacked the constitution to enjoy such treatment.

At this moment, more footsteps echoed from the tunnel entrance.

One by one, figures with pale faces and eyes swollen from crying emerged. Their clothes were disheveled, their expressions a mix of profound grief and the dazed look of those who had survived a catastrophe. They arrived before Xiao Hongchen and his group, stood still, and exchanged glances.

Then, they knelt down in unison.

"We have no way to repay the grace of our rebirth. We are willing to follow you for life and serve you with our souls."

Xiao Hongchen stood where he was, looking down at the people kneeling before him, and remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his tone brooking no argument:

"Stand up!"

A strange power rippled out with his words. The Holy Servants were pulled to their feet involuntarily. They looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what had happened, but they all stood straight and obediently.

Xiao Hongchen watched this scene and sighed inwardly.

He was speechless.

The Hongchen Family was not a mess like the Tang Sect; he didn't know how many people outside were breaking their heads trying to squeeze their way in.

He had heard people say, "Being a dog for the Hongchen Family is the greatest honor," more than once. Now, he had gone out to handle a task and ended up bringing back a whole bunch more.

"Fine, you will come back with me later."

The eight Holy Servants looked delighted and said respectfully, "Thank you, Master."

Xu Haolong, standing in the crowd, had remained silent the whole time. At this moment, he nervously took a few steps toward Xiao Hongchen and lowered his voice:

"Master, about that... the antidote?"

"I never poisoned you in the first place." Xiao Hongchen glanced at him. "That was just a piece of bitter chocolate; there was no poison."

Xu Haolong froze, his mouth agape, but he couldn't find the words to respond, so he could only offer an awkward, apologetic smile.

Finally, Xiao Hongchen planted several Level 6 timed high-explosive Soul Tools inside the black building. In about an hour, this place would be razed to the ground, completely erasing any traces left behind.

The group quickly departed from this place of sorrow.

Hongchen Mansion.

The steward, Pin Hongchen, heard the commotion and came out to greet them. Seeing the string of people following behind Xiao Hongchen, he paused for a moment before quickly returning to his composed self, stepping forward to bow:

"Young Master, these are..."

"Arrange a place for them," Xiao Hongchen said indifferently.

"The Hongchen Family has plenty of properties in the Ming Capital. Pick a few that are outside the reach of the Xishui Alliance, have them change their names, and let them work for us."

The steward glanced at the eight people and nodded calmly:

"This subordinate understands. I will go arrange it immediately."

"Thank you for your hard work."

The steward bowed and retreated, leading the eight Holy Servants out of their sight.

The courtyard grew quieter.

They walked into the living room.

Xiao Hongchen slumped onto the sofa in a very unrefined manner, waiting for the three women to take their seats.

"Now that the matter has been successfully resolved, let us discuss Nana's future arrangements."