Chapter 2435: Life Worse Than Death

"She was once my teacher..." Zu An fell into a reverie, picturing the scene when he first met her at the pavilion outside the academy.

When he had just transmigrated to that world, his status was humble, he was looked down upon, and he had various chaotic restrictions on him—truly a hellish start. Her appearance was a rare ray of sunshine.

"A teacher-student romance?" The Mermaid Queen's breath quickened. Although he hadn't said anything specific, she had already imagined an epic love story.

If they were in a teacher-student relationship, there must have been many societal obstacles.

She was also very curious about what kind of woman could have been his teacher.

After all, from their interactions these past few days, Zu An was already the most mysterious, most cultivated, and most knowledgeable man she had ever met.

She couldn't imagine any woman teaching such an outstanding disciple, especially one who was a descendant of the mermaid race.

"Are my descendants really that capable?" For a moment, the Mermaid Queen began to doubt her understanding of life.

Seeing her expression, Zu An guessed her thoughts and chuckled, "It's not what you're imagining. She mainly taught me music, and we met because of a piece of music."

Now, surrounded by endless white mist, and with this world being a temporal slice, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness and homesickness.

He then took out a xun he carried with him and softly played "Hometown Original Scenery." The pale, deathly aura around them seemed to become organized and orderly under the influence of the music, no longer a vast expanse of bleakness, but rather like white clouds drifting in the sky.

Hearing the melodious tune, imbued with a hint of sorrow, the Mermaid Queen was entranced for several minutes.

When the music ended, Zu An finally said, "We met because of this very song."

The Mermaid Queen couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder she fell for you. She probably developed a strong fondness for you the moment she heard this song."

Zu An was slightly surprised. "How did you know I played this song for her?"

The Mermaid Queen smiled faintly. "Because this song's melody and style are vastly different from our mermaid race's music, yet it's new and beautiful. It definitely couldn't have been played by a woman from the mermaid race."

"The Queen truly is skilled in music," Zu An praised, unable to resist. The mermaid race were born musicians; whether it was Shang Liuyu, Shang Hongyu, or Gong Suyin right before him, they were all absolute geniuses in this regard.

Gazing into Zu An's eyes, the Mermaid Queen suddenly asked, "Does that woman resemble me?"

Sensing the expectation in her burning gaze, Zu An couldn't bring himself to ignore her any longer. "Yes, she does look very much like you."

In truth, after spending more time with her, he slowly noticed their differences. While they looked similar at first glance, upon closer acquaintance, he could discern many subtle distinctions; each had her own unique beauty.

Although she had long suspected this answer, receiving confirmation from him filled the Mermaid Queen's heart with both joy and worry.

She was joyful that he had indeed fallen for someone who resembled her, but worried that if the woman looked so much like her, there was likely some blood relation.

No!

The thought of that possibility sent the Mermaid Queen's heart plummeting.

"What's her name—"

Just as she was about to ask, Zu An suddenly uttered an exclamation, looking downwards, clearly having discovered something.

The Mermaid Queen followed his gaze and saw a dilapidated formation below. It appeared to be one of the important formations used by the Merfolk to suppress the Sea Eye.

At this moment, the formation was about one-third damaged, emitting only a faint, almost imperceptible glow, clearly on the verge of complete collapse at any moment.

What concerned them, however, were the numerous monsters with pained expressions surrounding the formation. These monsters looked different from those they had previously fought on the surface; they resembled both dragons and lizards, clutching their heads and emitting piercing wails, many even writhing on the ground.

"What kind of monsters are these?" The Mermaid Queen was utterly shocked. The monsters suppressed beneath this Sea Eye were endless, and she had no idea what their abilities were. If they escaped, they would likely cause another bloodbath.

"They are not monsters," Zu An said, his expression complex and his tone filled with a hint of sorrow. "If my guess is correct, they should be the guards who descended earlier."

"What?!" The Mermaid Queen quickly focused her gaze and then noticed faint remnants of torn armor and clothing on some of the monsters—indeed, the attire of the guards.

"How did they become like this?" The Mermaid Queen's eyes welled up instantly. Seeing those loyal warriors reduced to such a state caused her immense pain.

"The reason this great formation is still barely holding on without completely collapsing must be due to these guards," Zu An said, quickly assessing the situation with a sweeping glance. "They burned their lives and faith to resist the death qi, attempting to repair the formation here and re-suppress the Sea Eye. Unfortunately, their life force and faith were limited, while the surrounding death qi is infinite."

"Under the continuous erosion of this death qi, they gradually lost their minds. However, since they were guards, they didn't completely die, but their bodies were transformed by the death qi, gradually turning them into these monsters."

He recognized them because he had seen them in a later era.

At the hidden temple within the Myriad Dragon Tomb, there were statues just like these lining both sides.

Later, when external enemies were detected, the statues began to crack, and these "monsters" resembling dragon-lizards emerged one after another.

At the time, he thought they were ancient dragons who had voluntarily transformed into statues through secret techniques to guard the Myriad Dragon Tomb. He never expected this to be the true reason.

"I must save them." The Mermaid Queen quickly took out her Lyre of the Deep Sea, and streams of healing musical notes swirled around them.

However, to her surprise, the guards became even more distressed, many even lunging at the Mermaid Queen with contorted faces.

Zu An shielded the Mermaid Queen behind him, pulling her back a distance to avoid the guards' attacks.

"How could this happen?" The Mermaid Queen was both shocked and confused.

"Because their bodies are now filled with death qi; they've been transformed into monsters by it. Your music, which is healing to normal beings, acts like poison to them," Zu An explained. As he spoke, he channeled his Primordial Qi, beginning to purify the nearest guards.

As the death qi was drawn from their bodies, the previously frenzied guards gradually calmed down.

However, as the death qi dissipated, their physical bodies visibly decayed.

"Stop!" Zu An quickly withdrew his Primordial Qi, saying in a low voice as he watched the scene before them, "They have been transformed by death qi, and it's practically these very death energies that sustain them, preserving their last shred of vitality. If the death qi disappears, they will completely rot away into dust."

Although it sounded convoluted, the Mermaid Queen understood his meaning.

The thought of those self-sacrificing guards becoming such living dead figures made her eyes redden. "Is there any way to save them?"