Chapter 2436: Confession Game

Zu An shook his head slightly. "They are actually already dead. It's just that the death energy transformed their bodies, making them appear alive and retaining what you might call vitality."

Hearing his words, the Mermaid Queen's heart sank.

Seeing these brave guardians meet such a fate, her heart ached terribly.

"However, I can seal them using a secret technique," Zu An said gravely. "When they are eventually released, they can be reincarnated into the most suitable places."

"Reincarnation?" The Mermaid Queen was startled. "Does reincarnation truly exist in this world, and how can it be artificially controlled?"

"There will be a way in the future; I have seen them in later generations," Zu An replied. Naturally, he didn't want to see such valiant warriors die silently, so he wished to secure a better future for them.

Unfortunately, in this world, he had lost contact with the Underworld. If they were to die completely now, he wasn't sure where these individuals would be reborn.

Especially since the Underworld was currently occupied by the "monsters" they had suppressed for countless years, those entities would likely not grant a good resting place to their long-standing enemies.

Therefore, he could only wait until the future, when he would wield authority over the Underworld, to properly arrange their destinies.

Moreover, this would also close the loop on this segment of history.

Hearing that he had seen these guardians in later generations, the Mermaid Queen was both surprised and delighted. She no longer objected, only expressing one concern: "But how are you going to seal them?"

Zu An took out some materials from his Glazed Orb. "Help me with this..."

He had gathered some special materials from the demon world's treasury, and combined with the supplies he brought from the cultivation world before his departure, it was enough to perform the technique.

Recalling the stone statue state of these guardians in later generations, there happened to be a sealing technique in the *Baopuzi True Scripture* that could achieve a similar effect.

Previously, much of the knowledge in that book had been too profound for him, leaving him only vaguely understanding. But with the additional knowledge of formations gained in the demon world, he had now fully grasped the various formations described within it.

The Mermaid Queen moved quickly, placing the various materials and formation flags in their designated spots under his direction.

Seeing that everything was almost ready, Zu An shielded her behind him, then took out a formation plate and began setting up the array. Obscure, complex words emanated from his lips, and his hands moved deftly over the formation plate.

Every few breaths, a beam of clear light would fall upon the guardians.

The frenzied guardians gradually calmed down, and even the pain on their faces seemed to lessen.

The Mermaid Queen gazed at Zu An's focused expression as he set up the array, her eyes filled with tenderness.

A man truly looks handsome when he's serious.

It wasn't that men hadn't tried to deliberately appear serious and hardworking in front of her before, but for some reason, her heart had always remained unmoved, and she'd even felt a little like laughing.

But this man was entirely different; she felt that simply watching him was a delightful experience.

Handsome, highly cultivated, knowledgeable, humorous, righteous, and kind...

And now he even understood the world's most profound array techniques. She had never imagined that a single man could possess so many virtues.

She even felt a little jealous of her mermaid descendant; why did *she* meet this man first?

Thinking of this, her expression involuntarily darkened. *I was born before you, and when you were born, I was already old.*

After an unknown amount of time, Zu An put away the formation plate. "It's finally done."

By this time, all the previously frenzied guardians had quieted down—they had no choice but to be still. Their bodies were as if covered in layers of stone, and everyone had transformed into stone statues.

Zu An addressed the numerous stone statues: "All of you, sleep for a while. When you sense the aura of a demonic invasion in the future, you shall emerge from the earth, and then a destined person will come to save you."

As if understanding his words, the stone statues collectively knelt before him, one by one, then slowly walked into the distant darkness and completely disappeared from sight.

"Is that 'destined person' you mentioned yourself?" The Mermaid Queen smiled, noticing he was drenched in sweat. Instinctively, she took out a handkerchief and began to wipe the perspiration from his face.

Feeling his body stiffen, the Mermaid Queen realized her action seemed a little too intimate.

But she hesitated for only a second, then continued wiping.

She knew he was from the future, and every meeting could be a final farewell, so she had no time for many concerns.

Zu An also felt a bit awkward. Catching the faint fragrance from her, and seeing her stunning face so close, he felt as shy as a virgin.

He had no choice but to speak, breaking the intimate atmosphere: "Yes, in the later generations, it was indeed I who finally granted them peace."

The Mermaid Queen withdrew her handkerchief, understanding the principle of stopping when enough had been said. "Oh, why will you be able to grant them peace in later generations but not now?"

"Firstly, there's an ability I will only acquire in the future. Secondly, this also implicitly aligns with the original course of history."

Zu An also sighed with emotion. He had originally thought those stone statues were righteous warriors of the ancient sea race, but he never expected that he himself had orchestrated it all.

The Mermaid Queen, however, became pensive. If history unfolded this way, then he would subconsciously align his actions with history. In that case...

Zu An took the opportunity to create some distance between them, then once again manipulated the formation plate, causing formation flags to land near the large array in the distance.

The light of the grand array gradually brightened, no longer flickering erratically as before, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

Zu An put away the formation plate. "I've temporarily reinforced it. Once I've investigated the situation inside, I'll notify the Sea Race to fully repair these formations."

"You're going to delve deeper?" The Mermaid Queen, however, understood his unspoken meaning.

Zu An hummed in affirmation. Looking at the death energy so thick it seemed substantial beneath the grand array, he knew many of his doubts could only be resolved by going in himself.

"But it's too dangerous," the Mermaid Queen worried immensely. The death energy below was so dense it no longer seemed like a gas, but rather a viscous liquid.

"It's fine, I'm not afraid of death energy," Zu An paused. "As for you, the path ahead isn't suitable for you. Especially the true Sea Eye, it doesn't permit living beings from the outside to pass through, and I can't take you with me. So, I'll send you up first."

The Mermaid Queen shook her head. "No, I'll wait for you here. I can also guard against other entities coming to damage this grand array again."

Now that the grand array was temporarily repaired, there was no death energy approaching this vicinity, and with the former guardians nearby, she felt quite at ease.

At the same time, she was secretly surprised: it seemed he actually knew the conditions within the Sea Eye?

Zu An hesitated for a moment but agreed that she had a point. He then took out some protective talismans and a formation plate, handing them to her. "Then wait for me here. If you don't see me return after three days, activate this formation plate, and it will protect you on your way back."

"Be careful on your way!" the Mermaid Queen murmured to herself, *If you don't come back, what meaning would there be in my returning?*

Looking at her beautiful and familiar eyes, Zu An felt a sense of daze, as if recalling the scene of bidding farewell to Shang Liuyu at the Myriad Dragon Tomb.

He nodded, then waved his hand behind his back and continued walking towards the Sea Eye beneath the array.

Just then, the Mermaid Queen suddenly called out, "My name is Gong Suyin, what's yours?"

As if afraid he would refuse, she immediately added, "If, by any chance, you don't come back, I don't want to not even know who you were."

Imagining such a scenario, she felt sorrow welling up in her heart, and tiny teardrops fell from her beautiful eyes.

Although Zu An had his back to her, he could still see her tears, which turned into pearls. His heart softened. "My name is Zu An."

"Zu An..." The Mermaid Queen was both surprised and delighted, having never expected him to actually tell her his name.

She silently repeated the name in her heart, afraid she might forget it. When she looked up again, she found that he had already disappeared.