Ye Guyi didn't waste words. She stepped forward, pointed the tip of her sword at the opening, and gathered her holy power once more.
She thrust her sword inside.
The sword beam exploded within the pyramid. In the space sealed behind layers of metal, the black skeleton let out one final, muffled wail. Black flames hissed and burned away in the holy light, and the skeleton shattered. Soul Power surged out, flowing along the blade and into Ye Guyi.
The inside of the pyramid fell completely silent.
Xiao Hongchen recalled all the Sand Iron. The pyramid collapsed with a crash, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ashes.
He clapped his hands and turned to Ye Guyi.
"How much did you gain?"
Ye Guyi felt the Soul Power surging inside her and calmly replied,
"Four levels. I'm level forty-six now."
"What?"
Meng Hongchen whipped around, her face full of disbelief. "Four levels?!"
"Mm."
"That means you're almost caught up to me!"
Meng Hongchen had cut back on her medication over the past few months, slowing her cultivation. By her calculations, she'd only gained one level and was now merely level forty-seven. She stared at Ye Guyi, her expression a sight to behold.
"That's a trait of the Angel Martial Soul." Xiao Hongchen glanced at Meng Hongchen. "I can also improve my cultivation by absorbing rare metals. Does that make you mad?"
"..."
Meng Hongchen's expression grew complicated, and she swallowed all the words she'd been about to say.
Ye Guyi glanced at Xiao Hongchen and softly said,
"Thank you."
"It was nothing."
Xiao Hongchen waved it off, then turned to Nana, who had been standing to the side, barely making her presence felt.
"Nana, we don't have much time." His voice softened, and there was more seriousness in it than usual. "Now that the controller is dead, those souls will soon dissipate. Hurry and see your parents one last time."
Nana froze for a moment, as if she'd been lost in her own thoughts all this time. Then she suddenly snapped back to her senses.
She gave Xiao Hongchen a deep look but said nothing, turning and running toward the small door deeper inside.
The hall fell quiet.
Meng Hongchen watched Nana's retreating figure. All her usual playfulness had vanished as she asked softly,
"Should we go over?"
"Let's give her some space."
The three of them left the underground hall. Meng Hongchen helped detoxify the White-Clad Holy Servants sprawled all over the place, and before long, they came around.
"The Great Holy Spirit and the Second Holy Spirit are dead. Hurry downstairs and see your loved ones one last time."
The servants had only just woken up and hadn't yet figured out what was happening. One by one, they stared blankly.
Only after Ye Guyi's holy light washed over them did the servants fully come to their senses. They rushed into the underground hall.
Faint wailing drifted up from the passage in the room. It was clear the servants had found their loved ones' souls.
Nana was the first to emerge from the passage. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. When she reached Xiao Hongchen, her knees buckled and she started to kneel, but he'd been ready and caught her in his arms.
"Nana, my condolences."
Nana nodded gently. "Thank you, Master. You helped me fulfill my greatest wish."
"Master?" Xiao Hongchen asked deliberately.
"I said," Nana replied, meeting his gaze without flinching, her voice steady, "that if you helped free my parents' souls, I would serve you, even if I had to work like an ox or a horse. You gave me a new life. The only way I can repay that kindness is to serve you for the rest of my life."
"All right. But from now on, you have to call me Goshujin-sama. Understand?"
Nana paused. "What does that mean?"
"You don't need to know what it means," Xiao Hongchen said. "Just call me that."
"That's disgusting."
Meng Hongchen cut in without a hint of politeness. She turned her head toward Xiao Hongchen. "Brother, what weird hobby have you picked up now?"
Xiao Hongchen ignored her and kept looking at Nana, an expectant expression on his face.
Nana's expression was conflicted yet earnest.
She didn't know what it meant, but somehow it felt incredibly embarrassing, as if she'd been cornered with nowhere left to retreat.
At last, her face flushed. She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and spoke in a voice faint as a mosquito's buzz:
"...G-Goshujin-sama."
The courtyard fell silent for a full three seconds.
"Mm," Xiao Hongchen said, nodding with a strange expression. "Forget it. Just call me Master like you normally do."
He felt a wave of embarrassment, and goosebumps were rising all over his skin. It seemed he wasn't blessed enough to enjoy this after all.
Just then, more footsteps sounded from the passage.
One by one, people emerged, their faces pale and their eyes red and swollen from crying. Their clothes were disheveled, their expressions marked by grief and by the dazed bewilderment of those who had survived a catastrophe. They came to a stop before the four of them and exchanged glances.
Then, as one, they knelt.
"We can never repay the kindness that gave us new life. We wish to follow you for the rest of our lives and serve you with our souls."
Xiao Hongchen stood still, looking down at the people kneeling before him. He was silent for a moment.
Then he spoke, his tone brooking no argument:
"Stand up!"
A strange force spread with his words. The servants rose to their feet against their will. They looked at one another, unsure what had happened, but stood straight all the same.
Watching this, Xiao Hongchen sighed inwardly.
This was a little ridiculous.
The Hongchen Family wasn't a mess like the Tang Sect. There were countless people outside, desperate to get in.
He'd heard people say, "Being a dog for the Hongchen Family is the greatest honor." And now, after going out to take care of one little matter, he'd brought back a whole bunch of them.
"All right. You can come back with me later."
The eight servants bowed respectfully, overjoyed. "Thank you, Master."
Xu Haolong stood among the crowd, silent until now. At this point, he nervously hurried over to Xiao Hongchen with an exaggerated gait and lowered his voice.
"Master, um... about the antidote?"
"I never poisoned you in the first place." Xiao Hongchen glanced at him. "That was just ordinary Bitter Chocolate. It wasn't poisonous."
Xu Haolong froze. He opened his mouth but couldn't get any words out, so he could only manage an awkward smile.
Finally, Xiao Hongchen planted several level-six timed high-explosive Soul Tools inside the black building. In about half an hour, the place would be razed to the ground, erasing every trace of what had happened.
The group soon left this sorrowful place.
Hongchen Mansion.
The butler, Pin Hongchen, heard the commotion and came out to greet them. He saw the string of people following Xiao Hongchen and paused, but quickly recovered. He stepped forward and bowed.
"Young Master, these people are...?"
"Find them somewhere to go," Xiao Hongchen said flatly.
"The Hongchen Family has plenty of businesses in the Ming Capital. Pick a few outside the Xishui Alliance's sphere of influence and have them assume new identities and work for us."
The butler glanced at the eight people and nodded discreetly.
"Understood. I'll make the arrangements."
"Thanks for your efforts."
The butler bowed and withdrew, leading the eight Holy Servants out of sight.
The courtyard grew quieter.
They walked into the living room.
Xiao Hongchen lounged on the sofa without a care for appearances and waited for the three women to sit down.
"Now that everything's been taken care of, let's discuss what we should do with Nana from here on."
Before you continue