Returned Alive, Leaving Everyone Stunned!

Spirit City

The atmosphere inside Pope Palace had grown oppressive to the extreme.

Yan Xiu knelt in the center of the hall, his robe stained with dust and his forehead pressed tightly against the floor. His voice was filled with grief.

"Your Holiness the Pope, this subordinate failed in his duty to protect them."

"A Mist Tide suddenly erupted in Maze Ancient Forest. Miss Nana and Gu Changsheng were swept into it, and their whereabouts remain unknown. This subordinate deserves death!"

At that moment, the Spirit Deacons standing on both sides of the hall wore grave expressions. No one dared to make another sound. Even the two High Priests standing beside Bibi Dong felt as if they were dreaming.

Hu Liena was Bibi Dong's personal disciple, while Gu Changsheng was also a genius personally brought back to Pope Palace by the Pontifex. The disappearance of both of them was absolutely no small matter.

Bibi Dong sat upon the Pontifex's throne, the Purple Gold Scepter standing at her side.

Her imposing presence inspired fear in everyone present. As she rose to her feet, she slowly spoke.

"Are you certain they are missing?"

Her voice was not loud, yet it sent a chill through everyone's bones.

"Yes! They are missing..."

Yan Xiu's body trembled slightly before he continued.

"At the time, the Phantom Bookworm's aura suddenly split apart. This subordinate made an error in judgment and was lured away by a false aura. By the time I realized it, the Mist Tide had already erupted."

"When this subordinate led people back to search again, Miss Nana and Gu Changsheng had already vanished without a trace. We could not find even the slightest clue..."

"This subordinate is incompetent!"

As he spoke, Yan Xiu displayed the guilt in his heart to the fullest. He lowered his head, looking as though he wished he could smash it against the floor and die at once.

Bibi Dong merely watched him quietly, a faint anger showing in her eyes.

She stepped forward, gripping the Purple Gold Scepter tightly as she spoke coldly.

"You are a Spirit Saint, and two Spirit Kings accompanied you. Yet you could not even keep watch over two children?"

"This subordinate is willing to accept punishment. It was all my responsibility. Your Holiness need only punish me."

As Yan Xiu spoke, cold sweat seeped from his forehead. He was gambling on a chance to survive.

Bibi Dong's gaze turned even sharper.

"Punishment? You make it sound so easy. If Nana and Gu Changsheng are dead, would that make any difference?"

At that moment, Yan Xiu bowed even lower, nearly pressing his entire body against the ground.

Yue Guan's expression darkened as he watched the scene, and he could not help asking.

"Maze Ancient Forest may be dangerous, but before a Mist Tide erupts, there will surely be abnormal Mental Power fluctuations. You are a Spirit Saint. Did you not notice anything at all?"

Yan Xiu could only continue down this path to the bitter end. Gritting his teeth, he said.

"Chrysanthemum Elder, this subordinate was indeed disturbed by the Phantom Bookworm's false aura. I was also anxious to obtain a Soul Ring for Gu Changsheng, which led to my mistaken judgment."

"Hehe~ Interesting. Was it truly a misjudgment?"

Guimei's voice came from the shadows, and those words plunged the hall into silence once more.

The cold sweat on Yan Xiu's forehead grew denser. He looked up, still forcing himself to remain calm.

"Ghost Elder, what do you mean by that?"

Guimei said coldly.

"I simply find it all too coincidental. The moment you were lured away, the two children disappeared. Then when you returned, the Mist Tide erupted. Was Heaven determined to take the lives of those two children?"

"No, that is absolutely impossible! I have no motive whatsoever to harm either child. This subordinate is utterly loyal to Spirit Hall and has never harbored a second thought! Miss Nana is the Pontifex's personal disciple. Even if I wished to kill Gu Changsheng, how could I possibly kill Miss Nana as well?"

To be honest, those words were indeed reasonable. Bibi Dong said nothing, but her gaze alone made Yan Xiu feel as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.

"Guimei, do not speak nonsense! However, as for This Emperor's disciples, dead or alive, I must see them!"

Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes slightly, and the aura of her Martial Soul burst forth instantly. A powerful pressure crashed down from above.

"This subordinate is willing to lead a team into Maze Ancient Forest once more. If we fail to find them, I... I will kill myself to atone!"

Seeing this, Bibi Dong's expression softened somewhat.

"You are quite loyal. Sigh..."

Bibi Dong let out a long sigh, as though this was the outcome she least wished to see.

Just as she gripped her Scepter and was about to strike the floor to make her decision, a Spirit Master responsible for relaying messages in Spirit Hall came stumbling in.

"Your Holiness the Pope, Your Holiness the Pope! Miss Nana and Gu Changsheng... have... have returned!"

By the time that Spirit Master fell flat on the ground, those words had already thrown everyone in the hall into shock.

Several deacons standing nearby abruptly raised their heads.

A trace of excitement flashed in Yue Guan's eyes.

The shadows around Guimei also rippled faintly.

Only Yan Xiu, still pressed against the floor, suddenly went rigid and could no longer move.

"Impossible... How could they have returned? How... how could they possibly have walked out of the Mist Tide alive?"

Yan Xiu's state could no longer be described merely as terror. His entire body had gone weak, while the stormy waves in his heart seemed ready to swallow him whole.

At that moment, a wicked smile suddenly appeared at the corner of Bibi Dong's lips. Her beautiful face turned slightly as she gazed ahead.

She said domineeringly.

"Let them enter!"

The main Gate of the hall slowly opened, and two figures appeared outside. Gu Changsheng walked in front, his face still somewhat pale. Cloth strips were wrapped around his shoulder, his clothes were disheveled, and his upper body was partly torn.

There were dried bloodstains on his clothes and at his temples.

Yet his back remained straight. Hu Liena stood beside him, red marks visible around her wrists as her eyes appeared somewhat unfocused.

However, Hu Liena's gaze was as cold as an unsheathed blade. The two of them walked forward step by step.

When they reached the center of Pope Palace, everyone's eyes fell upon them.

"Disciple Gu Changsheng, disciple Hu Liena, greetings to Your Holiness the Pope."

The two lowered their heads in salute. Bibi Dong stood on the raised platform, and as she looked at the injuries on them, a deep chill flashed through her eyes.

Yet she did not fly into a rage immediately. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the bright yellow Soul Ring around Gu Changsheng.

The Soul Ring's color was extremely deep, with a faint trace of purple at its edges. At the sight of it, she actually felt a surge of excitement.

Yue Guan, standing nearby, saw it as well.

"First Spirit Ring? He succeeded..."

"The age of that Soul Ring is no small matter, especially for a first Soul Ring."

Guimei spoke softly, his eyes fixed intently upon it.

Bibi Dong slowly sat back down upon her throne. As she looked at Gu Changsheng, a trace of indulgence unexpectedly appeared in her expression.

"At such a young age, you dared to take such a great risk. This First Spirit Ring must have caused you considerable suffering."

"Reporting to Your Holiness the Pope, this disciple has successfully absorbed the First Spirit Ring. My Soul Power is level fifteen!"

A strange light flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes upon hearing this. She had thought he was merely a rare genius, but this result still exceeded her expectations.

His first Soul Ring was not an ordinary hundred-year ring, but an eight-hundred-and-forty-year one. He was simply a genius among geniuses!

"Not bad. As expected of the disciple This Emperor has taken a liking to. Since that is the case, Dean Yan, do you have anything else to say?"

The moment the Scepter struck the floor, the fluctuations of Soul Power and the Mental Power fluctuations beside it seemed to converge.

In an instant, everyone present felt that towering pressure.

Yan Xiu could only lower his head in silence, but faced with such pressure, he could only force himself to respond.

"This subordinate... has nothing to say. It is best that Miss Nana and Gu Changsheng are unharmed. I am willing to accept any punishment. I failed in my duty to watch over them! I have nothing to say!"

At that moment, Gu Changsheng slowly turned his head to look at Yan Xiu. He lit up the Soul Ring around his body, revealed the Myriad Heaven Book, and shouted loudly from the center of the hall.

"I have something to say!"