The Gu God's target

Huaiqing glanced deeply at Heaven Gu Granny, his previously relaxed and cheerful mood turning somber.

She picked up the Earth Book Fragment, privately messaged Number Three, and sent a message:

[Ningyan, return to the capital immediately.]

Huaiqing is no longer the illiterate Huaiqing she once was. Now that they have consummated their marriage, she no longer hides it. Her Silver Gong Xu seems distant, but this is definitely not to deliberately anger Flying Swallow Heroine.

[Three: What is it? I'll be in Leizhou immediately.]

[One: Heaven Gu Granny foresaw the future and insists on seeing you. Judging from her expression, this is probably not a good sign.]

Although Heaven Gu Granny didn't say anything, Huaiqing still guessed the truth.

When the Buddha attacked the Central Plains, he still had to send Xu Qi'an back to inform him in person, which shows that the seriousness of the situation was greater than the battle in Leizhou.

The method by which Heaven Gu Granny obtains "information" is self-evident.

Heaven Gu!

Although Xu Qi'an was a rough and uncouth martial artist, he was not uncouth in mind. He understood what Huaiqing was thinking in a flash.

At this time, it was no ordinary event for Heaven Gu Granny to arrive in the capital city via the town's teleportation array.

He immediately sent a reply:

[Wait for me!]

Xu Qi'an, who was less than a quarter of an hour away from Leizhou, turned around and headed back the way he came.

Under the night sky, a dark shadow flashed by, its flight creating a deafening sonic boom that led the people in the cities and towns along the way to mistake it for an approaching thunderstorm.

But when I looked up, the full moon shone brightly, the night sky was clear, and there wasn't a single rain cloud in sight.

Inside the palace, Heaven Gu Granny paced anxiously back and forth, coughing occasionally. Her face was ashen and pale, making one worry that she might fall ill at any moment.

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the Imperial Study was heavy. Chu Caiwei pursed her lips, not daring to eat anything despite being the Superintendent.

Song Qing's eyes were closing intermittently, and her body swayed slightly, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

In the past three days, he had only slept for two hours. When facing the refining equipment, he always exuded an energy that even the Holy Son envied.

But once he left the alchemy lab, he couldn't help but feel sleepy and doze off.

The eunuchs in the imperial study kept their heads down and remained silent. Even though it was past dinner time, they could only repeatedly instruct the imperial kitchen to heat up and keep the dishes warm, daring not to disturb them in the slightest.

Finally, a figure flashed inside the hall; Xu Qi'an had returned.

Heaven Gu Granny saw him return, her eyes lit up, and she visibly relaxed. Leaning on her cane, she swayed and sat down on the large chair next to her.

"Mother-in-law!"

Xu Qi'an strode over, took her hand, channeled his energy into her, and asked:

Why did you call me back?

Heaven Gu Granny glanced at Chu Caiwei, Song Qing, and Huaiqing behind the large case, her voice aged:

"The law is not to be passed on to six ears, let alone Tianji!"

Huaiqing looked at Xu Qi'an, and seeing him nod, immediately said:

"You will all come with me."

She placed her hands on her lower abdomen, took graceful steps, and led Chu Caiwei and the others away from the Star Observation Tower, her embroidered dragon-patterned hem and hair swaying slightly.

Once only Xu Qi'an and Heaven Gu Granny remained in the Imperial Study, he raised his palm high, erecting a barrier of energy to completely isolate the inside from the outside.

Heaven Gu Granny was finally relieved. She took a deep breath and said:

"I glimpsed the future, and I saw your downfall, I saw the Transcendent Rank beings devour the Fate of the Nine Provinces, and all living beings of the Nine Provinces vanish into thin air, with not even one in ten remaining."

Xu Qi'an's heart sank suddenly:

"In the future you foresee, I will not be able to advance to the Martial God?"

Heaven Gu Granny nodded.

If I can't advance to Martial God in the future, what went wrong? There are one prerequisite and two conditions: after my dual cultivation with Huaiqing, my Fate flourished, which should be enough. But I haven't gained the world's recognition? But the Carving Knife said that I have already achieved this. Xu Qi'an thought of this.

The final condition: gain the approval of Heaven and Earth!

If he truly cannot advance to the Martial God in the future, then there must be a problem in this step.

"My mother-in-law called me back, not just to tell me this terrible news, right?"

Xu Qi'an snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the old man with a face full of wrinkles.

Heaven Gu Granny nodded:

"The strangeness of the Gu God and the Buddha is like a thorn in my side, impossible to ignore. After the younger generation went to Leizhou, I took the initiative to peer into the future. I finally understand why the Gu God went to sea."

Xu Qi'an subconsciously held his breath.

Heaven Gu Granny paused for a moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was hoarse and weak:

"He is going to kill the Superintendent."

Kill the Superintendent?!

The Gu God's voyage was actually to kill the Superintendent. Now, the Superintendent is merely a mere Heavenly Mandate Master; why would the Gu God choose to go to sea to kill Superintendent at this juncture?

This answer was unbelievable to Xu Qi'an; it was something he had never expected.

He considered it carefully and said:

"As long as the Great Feng Dynasty exists, the Superintendent will never die."

The Heavenly Mandate Master is as old as the nation. As long as the Great Feng Dynasty exists, the Superintendent will not die. Even with Huang's Half-Step Transcendent Rank strength, he cannot be killed; the only option is to seal him away.

Of course, Xu Qi'an couldn't guarantee that Transcendent Rank wouldn't kill the Superintendent.

After all, the Warlock System has only existed for six hundred years, and in those six hundred years, the Transcendent Rank has never made a move against the Heavenly Mandate Master.

Heaven Gu Granny shook her head:

"My glimpse into the future is limited, so I can't give you a detailed answer, but the Superintendent indeed dead, and his death has made everything irreversible."

Xu Qi'an hummed in response, his expression grave, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

"If that's the case, then the Gu God's departure to sea, and the Buddha's restraint, can be reasonably explained."

But why would killing the Superintendent lead the situation to an irreversible abyss?

In addition, Xu Qi'an thought of another point: the Transcendent Rank Cannot Kill the Superintendent.

The reason is simple: once Huang returns to the Transcendent Rank, he will definitely not let Superintendent, so there is no need for Gu God to go to sea.

But the logical paradox here is: if the Undying Superintendent of the Wilderness returns to his peak, what's the point of the Gu God going overseas?

No one could answer these questions for him.

Heaven Gu Granny grasped Xu Qi'an's hand and said, word by word:

"You must go to sea and rescue the Superintendent, or all will be lost."

Xu Qi'an nodded silently, gazing at Heaven Gu Granny's face covered with age spots, and said softly:

"Mother-in-law, is there anything else you'd like to say to me?"

Heaven Gu Granny's gaze softened, and she smiled:

"After the great calamity, I don't know how many of the leaders will survive."

"I hope Silver Gong Xu will treat the Gu Race and Luan Yu girl kindly."

"If the Gu Race wants to break away from Great Feng and return to the Southern Frontier in the future, then let them be and don't make things difficult for them."

"If they are willing to integrate into the Great Feng, please grant them a certain degree of sovereignty and do not allow the imperial court to oppress them."

If this calamity is difficult, then let it be.

Heaven Gu Granny steadied herself, her frail body supporting her weight. She put down her cane and bowed respectfully to Xu Qi'an.

"The journey overseas is fraught with peril. On behalf of the people of Nine Provinces, I thank Silver Gong Xu."

Xu Qi'an did not dodge, but nodded silently.

After bowing, Heaven Gu Granny sat back in her chair, leaned back, and peacefully closed her eyes.

Xu Qi'an took three steps back, bowed, and made a gesture of respect.

May your mother-in-law rest in peace!

"Squeak"

The door to the Imperial Study slowly opened, and Huaiqing, who was waiting under the eaves, suddenly turned around. She first glanced at Xu Qi'an, then her gaze swept over the latter's shoulder and looked at Heaven Gu Granny, who was sitting in a chair with her head down.

The Empress, who was already prepared, felt a shadow fall over her eyes and sighed inwardly.

What did your mother-in-law say?

Because there were palace maids and eunuchs nearby, she asked telepathically.

Xu Qi'an transmitted his thoughts to Huaiqing, telling him what Heaven Gu Granny had foreseen about the future.

Those who reveal Tianji will surely suffer the wrath of Heavenly Dao.

The reason Heaven Gu Granny dismissed everyone except Xu Qi'an was because if there were too many eavesdroppers, she might die from the backlash before she could reveal the Tianji.

The Empress's pupils contracted slightly; she stood there, stunned, like a puppet.

After a dozen seconds, a strong sense of despair welled up inside her.

Xu Qi'an was no match for the Gu God, not to mention the presence of Huang. It was easy to imagine the outcome of having a Half-Step Martial God facing two Transcendent Rank.

Shenshu's past is Xu Qi'an's future.

No, with the methods of the Desolate Devouring Heaven and Earth, combined with the Gu God, Xu Qi'an wouldn't even receive Shenshu treatment.

A dead end.

Meanwhile, in the Central Plains, having lost Xu Qi'an, Shenshu was left alone and unable to withstand the pressure from the Buddha.

Moreover, the Shaman God is about to break the seal.

"Ningyan."

Huaiqing's face turned deathly pale, and he cried out in despair.

"Saving the Superintendent doesn't mean I have to fight the Gu God and Huang Jue to the death. I'll be back as soon as possible. Until then, I'm entrusting the Central Plains to you."

"Please inform the Heaven and Earth Society and Duke Wei about what has happened here."

After Xu Qi'an finished speaking, he turned around and was about to teleport away.

Suddenly, someone hugged me from behind, followed by Huaiqing's voice, trembling slightly:

You must come back.

The palace maids and eunuchs were dumbfounded, standing there speechless.

Xu Qi'an gave a soft "hmm" and disappeared from the Empress's embrace.

At that moment, Chu Caiwei saw a fleeting glimmer of tears in the Empress's eyes.

"Caiwei, Song Qing, come with me."

Huaiqing then ordered the palace maids and eunuchs to remain outside the imperial study.

She strode forward, crossing the walkway paved with expensive lichen. When she sat back down in her place, her gaze sharpened again, her expression turned cold, and the weakness she had shown in front of Xu Qi'an vanished.

She regained her status as the ruler of the country.

Do you know how an emperor gathers his Fate?

Huaiqing asked slowly.

The Xu Residence.

When Xu Qi'an returned to the mansion, the banquet had already ended, the lights in the inner hall were off, and everyone in the mansion was either talking or trying to fall asleep in their rooms.

In the bridal chamber, Lin'an, dressed in a thin nightgown, was playing Go with her personal maid, with a bowl of kidney-tonifying soup beside her.

During the early days of her marriage, her lover was insatiable, demanding things from her day and night. Lin'an had read a few medical books, fearing that he was severely depleted of energy and his health was compromised. So every night, she would have the palace maids serving her secretly brew kidney-tonifying soup.

Now she realizes that she was too young back then and had no idea how strong and terrifying First Rank Martial Warrior.

But she still had the palace maids brew kidney-tonifying soup at night, because it wasn't for Xu Qi'an, but for her own consumption.

Lin'an!

Xu Qi'an's ghostly appearance startled both master and servant.

Lin'an patted her chest, which was far smaller than her sister's, and said reproachfully:

"What are you doing? Can't you knock before you come in?"

Xu Qi'an waved his hand, dismissing the palace maid, then picked up his wife and carried her to the bedside, placing her on his lap. He buried his face in her dark hair and whispered:

"I'm going out to sea again. This time it won't be for too long, but it could also be a very, very long time."

"We're going out to sea again!" Lin'an glared at him, then suddenly noticed that her husband's eyes and expression were different from usual.

An indescribable difference.

Her absence stirred an overwhelming sense of bewilderment and confusion.

She stammered:

"Where are you going?"

Xu Qi'an did not answer. Lin'an was a heartless sparrow, only interested in pecking people. National affairs and the rise and fall of the world should not be her concern.

He held Lin'an tenderly for a moment until she fell asleep under the influence of the hypnotic gas.

Xu Qi'an then teleported to the outside of his second uncle and aunt's house, where he could hear his aunt's voice coming from inside:

"Let me tell you, I discovered a secret about Sister Mu, which the little fox told me."

Then came my second uncle's voice:

"What secret?"

"The little fox said Sister Mu is very beautiful, but the Bodhi seed bracelet on her wrist is a disguise," the aunt said confidently.

"What's so strange about that?" To my surprise, my second uncle wasn't surprised at all, saying, "She must be a beauty."

"How did you know?" The aunt's tone changed.

"But she's having an affair with Ningyan, right? How could the woman your nephew has his eye on be ugly?" Second Uncle Xu retorted confidently.

"Oh dear, I just suspect they're having an affair," the aunt said.

"If the whole family suspects it, then it must be true," Second Uncle Xu said.

"Sigh, Ningyan slept with so many women, how come he didn't give me a Sunzi?" Aunt sighed.

Outside, under the dimly lit eaves, Xu Qi'an knelt down and kowtowed towards the door.

In the Little Bean's room.

Xu Qi'an sat on the edge of the bed and patted his younger sister's head. Xu Lingyin was lying on her back, fast asleep, whimpering.

The maid who took care of her was very dutiful. Knowing that the young lady was a restless sleeper, she dressed her very warmly, leaving only her head, her two hands, and her two little feet peeking out from under her trouser legs.

Xu Qi'an pinched Xu Lingyin's chubby cheeks, put his hands under her armpits, and picked her up.

He didn't speak, nor did he make any further moves; he simply hugged her silently for a while.

Xu Lingyue hadn't rested yet; bright candlelight shone through the slightly ajar window.

At the round table, a beautiful and refined young woman bowed her head, embroidering her robe. In the candlelight, her eyes were dark and clear, and her delicate features were as gentle as jade.

After biting off the end of the thread, she felt a sense of unease and looked out the window.

It was pitch black outside the window; there was nothing there.