Chapter 2199: Guarding

"It's a long story..." Gao Ying sighed, "It's because I trusted Pei You too much back then."

"Pei You?" Zu An was startled. Could it be that Pei You was responsible for his current state? How was that possible?

"Indeed," Gao Ying said through gritted teeth. "If I hadn't trusted that Pei fellow so completely back then, going to that banquet without any precautions, I wouldn't have fallen into an ambush, and control of the imperial palace wouldn't have been so easily seized by others..."

He then recounted everything that had happened that day, down to the last detail.

Zu An listened, his brows furrowed. He never imagined that such a major event would unfold so soon after he left the human realm.

Although Gao Ying had died early and didn't know many details of the incident, Zu An quickly deduced the mastermind after a moment's thought.

In the capital, who else but Bi Qi would have the motive and ability to orchestrate all this?

However, it would likely be difficult for the Bi family alone to achieve this. They must have allied with other forces. He would have to investigate further upon his return.

He wondered if Liu Ning and Ling Long were in any danger...

He composed himself and said in a deep voice, "In my opinion, Pei You was probably kept in the dark by his father. Given his character, he would never betray a friend like that."

Gao Ying sighed, "In fact, after calming down these past few days, I've come to realize that's likely the case. But ultimately, I was still a victim of the Pei family's schemes, and I can't quite swallow that. Later, it seems he even collected my corpse and burned a lot of spirit money for me, but I didn't want anything from the Pei family, so I threw it all away. That's why I ended up here in the City of the Wronged Dead."

Zu An was speechless.

This fellow was truly stubborn. If he had accepted that money and converted it into Karmic Merit Coins, he might have already crossed the river, faced judgment at the Mirror of Sin, and been reborn.

Why bother coming to the City of the Wronged Dead and enduring such countless torments?

He quickly smiled and said, "But every cloud has a silver lining. Precisely because you're so stubborn, we could reunite here. I'll take you back and see if I can bring you back to life."

"Ah, I can be brought back to life in my current state?" Gao Ying was both surprised and delighted.

Zu An smiled faintly, "Of course, ordinary people can't. Have you forgotten what I am now?"

"The Great Emperor of the Underworld!" Gao Ying chuckled.

"But you must also be mentally prepared," Zu An said gravely, a hint of worry in his heart. "The conditions required to bring you back are extremely strict, and success isn't guaranteed. Especially if your physical body is completely destroyed..."

"That's understandable," Gao Ying said solemnly. "Given my current state, even a slim chance is a wonderful surprise."

Zu An nodded and then put away Gao Ying's soul for the time being.

The *Grand Tome of Life and Death in the Underworld* could manage all affairs of the Netherworld, and naturally, it could also store souls within it.

Even after being absorbed into the keyboard system's F8 key, its functions remained unaffected.

Immediately, he used the *Grand Tome of Life and Death in the Underworld* to open a tunnel back to the Human Realm. A spatial vortex appeared before him. Just as he was about to step through, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears, and he froze instantly.

Meanwhile, above the cliff of the Myriad Dragon Tomb, Shang Liuyu was fully focused, paying close attention to her surroundings.

These past few days, she hadn't even closed her eyes to sleep, afraid that she might miss some danger.

At first, she was particularly wary of the mysterious colossal statue, always feeling that it was deliberately trying to lure her away.

So, she remained secretly on guard. At the same time, she was curious: given the terrifying pressure the statue exuded, why would it need to resort to such methods?

Unable to figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it.

After a few days, she noticed that the colossal statue suddenly fell silent.

No matter how she probed or spoke to it, it showed no response.

Only then did a deep sense of loneliness wash over Shang Liuyu.

The Myriad Dragon Tomb was originally a dragon graveyard, filled with dense Yin energy everywhere. Below the cliff, there was also a huge, terrifying black vortex. Even a distant glance felt as if it could draw away one's very soul.

The space around the cliff was vast, but all that met the eye was darkness, giving one the sensation of standing at the edge of the world.

Shang Liuyu, by nature, loved blue skies and white clouds, so she felt particularly uncomfortable in such an environment.

Fortunately, she had music for companionship. Gently playing the tunes Zu An had given her before, and observing his face up close, was not without its pleasures.

"No wonder my sister fell for him; this guy really is quite handsome," Shang Liuyu thought. As she considered the relationship between her sister and him, a hint of melancholy crept into her music.

However, she kept her mission to protect Zu An firmly in mind, confining the music to this small area to avoid attracting any unknown enemies.

Many days passed like this. Then, one day, her expression suddenly changed. She stood up directly from beside Zu An, vigilantly gazing towards the other side of the cliff.

"Hmph, we finally found it." At that moment, a burst of unbridled laughter echoed over.

The Bloodthirsty Crocodilian Ancestor and the Terrifying Shadow Demon appeared not far away. Both looked disheveled; the Bloodthirsty Crocodilian Ancestor had not only lost his tail but also seemed to have a broken arm.

The Terrifying Shadow Demon was no better off; there was a bloody, gaping hole in his chest. Normally, with an Earth Immortal's cultivation, such an injury would heal quickly.

However, the bloody hole remained, clearly indicating that some chaotic energy was still wreaking havoc within the wound. His injury wouldn't heal until he fully dispelled it.

Both were disheveled, their clothes ragged and torn, looking as if they had just emerged from the Beggars' Sect.

Shang Liuyu recognized the claw marks; they must have been left by the terrifying monsters from before.

Previously, they had a large group of demon subordinates, all top-tier experts, but now not a single one was visible. They had most likely been annihilated by those monsters earlier.

"Those monsters really do seem to fear something on this side; they didn't dare follow," the Terrifying Shadow Demon remarked, relieved.

"Damn it, this trip was a huge loss," the Bloodthirsty Crocodilian Ancestor grumbled. Then, both were quickly drawn to the strange, enormous black abyss below the cliff. "What... what exactly is that?"

Even with their vast experience, seeing the terrifyingly dark abyss below, filled with such dense death energy, made their legs feel weak and their bodies break out in a sweat.

It was a natural pressure; the higher one's cultivation, the more intensely they felt this pressure.

"Damn it, that Flayed Ghost King must have been after this," the Bloodthirsty Crocodilian Ancestor cursed angrily. He had originally intended to pursue him, but the terror emanating from the abyss stopped him in his tracks.

"The death energy down there is as thick as a substance; I don't think we can enter," the Terrifying Shadow Demon interjected, stopping him, then looked towards Shang Liuyu. "However, this trip isn't entirely without gain."

Upon seeing Shang Liuyu and Zu An, the Bloodthirsty Crocodilian Ancestor's anger turned to joy. "Excellent! You two really put us through hell just now. It's time to settle this score properly."

He was extremely frustrated. He had initially believed this expedition was a sure thing, with four Earth Immortal-level powerhouses on their side and a formidable army of demons under their command. They thought they could crush any schemes the Flayed Ghost King might have with sheer power.

Little did they know that the Lord of Myriad Transformations had been impersonated by Zu An, turning against them. Furthermore, with so many terrifying monsters in the Myriad Dragon Tomb, they had nearly been completely wiped out. They had only just managed to escape to this spot by sacrificing their last subordinates. How could they not be furious upon seeing the culprits?

As he spoke, he noticed Zu An, sitting cross-legged and motionless, and was greatly startled. "Is he dead already?"

The Terrifying Shadow Demon stared intently at Zu An. "He doesn't look like it. There's none of the typical sensation of normal death about him. Instead, there's a faint vitality, as if he's in a state of suspended animation. Hmm, could he have entered the death abyss below using some secret false death technique?"

Shang Liuyu felt a touch of admiration; although this man was an enemy, his insight was truly extraordinary.

The Bloodthirsty Crocodilian Ancestor burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Even better! Otherwise, with his strength, he'd be quite difficult to handle. This is the perfect opportunity to send him to a real death."

The Terrifying Shadow Demon also chuckled. "Precisely. First, we kill him, and then we'll use the same secret technique to descend into this death abyss and investigate."

Shang Liuyu took a deep breath. "Are you two talking as if I'm not here?"

The two exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. "Our apologies, but whether you're here or not truly makes no difference."

What formidable figures they were. If not for the suppression of this world's barrier, their cultivation would be far beyond that of Earth Immortals.

But even as Earth Immortals, dealing with this woman was more than enough.

At best, she possessed Master-level cultivation. Any of their recently perished subordinates would have been stronger than her.

The Bloodthirsty Crocodilian Ancestor, known for his volatile temper, revealed his gaping maw. Due to his severed tail and broken arm, he declared, "Then allow me to enjoy this powerhouse's flesh and blood to make up for my losses!"

Though he hated Zu An to his core, he had to admit that Zu An was the strongest in this world. Consuming his flesh and blood would not only restore him but likely provide an additional boost.

As for Shang Liuyu, the beautiful woman, her delicate skin suggested she would be a delicious meal.

No sooner had he finished speaking than he opened his colossal, dozens-of-yards-long maw and lunged to swallow both of them, seemingly afraid the Terrifying Shadow Demon would snatch them away from him.