Chapter 165 (2/3): Star Sea Mourns, Guarding Kunlun Alone

 Everyone understood.

Tai Xuanzi had long foreseen her own end, so she had made arrangements in advance.

After her death, before Su Fu returned, she had Bai Shou and the other two suppress the Kunlun disaster as a precaution.

Bai Shou was about to say a few words of comfort, but she spoke first:

“Thank you, everyone.”

“Now, take me into the instance.”

Her voice was calm, even carrying a hint of warmth.

Qing Ling was taken aback at this, then gently shook her head at Bai Shou and Cang Yue.

At this moment, any words of comfort seemed pale and powerless.

What Su Fu needed most now was not to wallow in grief, but…

To take action.

As long as she kept moving forward, one day, she would surely meet Principal Tai Xuanzi again.

“Alright!” Bai Shou and Cang Yue exchanged a glance, hesitated, then simply nodded.

The three simultaneously activated their divine power. A flash of light appeared before everyone’s eyes, and they entered the Kunlun instance.

When Su Fu opened her eyes again, she found herself in a vast, boundless world.

Before her, the sky and earth stretched wide, cloud seas churned, and in the distance, the peak of Kunlun Mountain stood majestic, as if unchanged for eons.

Bai Shou walked at the front and explained:

“The instance sealed beneath Kunlun is [Shan Hai Jing: Kunlun Ruins].”

“This place crushes countless ferocious beasts, and is even connected to the legendary [Eye of Guixu].”

“We have already suppressed the beast riots on the outer edges.”

“But the core—the Kaiming Beast sealed atop Kunlun’s peak—is too troublesome.”

“In the past, Principal Tai Xuanzi’s Yinglong True Form kept it suppressed, so it obediently coiled on the mountaintop.”

“But now, it has clearly sensed the disappearance of the Principal’s aura. It has begun to stir, madly assailing the seal.”

“If it succeeds, the entire Kunlun Celestial Palace, and even the Lower Ring Belt, will face catastrophe.”

“Kaiming Beast?”

Su Fu’s mind instantly recalled the records of this divine beast in the Shan Hai Jing.

According to legend, the Kaiming Beast was the guardian of Kunlun’s Heavenly Gate, with a tiger’s body, a human face, and nine heads. It could see into the past and distinguish good from evil, loyalty from treachery.

Its own strength was immense, far beyond that of ordinary divine beasts.

“Although it is only a replica of the Chinese Kaiming Beast, and its strength is inferior to the original, it is still ferocious, especially adept at mental intimidation.”

Su Fu raised her eyes and looked toward the peak of Kunlun Mountain.

Amid the clouds, a pair of crimson beast eyes suddenly lit up.

Central Star System · Primordial Temple.

Above a pitch-black temple floating in the starry sky, five false gods gathered.

Amaterasu, who usually wore a cold expression, was now extremely excited:

“Tai Xuanzi… she is really dead? The news is confirmed without error?!”

Tyr, the War God, closed his eyes to sense, then opened them and said solemnly:

“No mistake!”

“I can no longer sense any aura belonging to her.”

Indra, the Thunder God, widened his eyes, still somewhat incredulous:

“Weipuer and the others actually managed to die together with Tai Xuanzi?”

“That woman’s strength was unfathomable. She died that easily?”

Tai Xuanzi was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

Constantly reminding them, making them restless.

Especially since that madwoman would enter the instances from time to time, and without a word, go on a killing spree!

She killed all those poor souls who shared their status or even surpassed them in strength.

She even scattered their ashes thoroughly.

If not for the fact that they were deeply connected to human believers and had joined forces, and under the guidance of the God of Fate, stayed in the Central Star System and never left, they would have died long ago.

That terrifying feeling of possibly facing divine justice at any moment was their nightmare.

Not to mention recently, Tai Xuanzi started going crazy again, entering instances and slaughtering wildly, scaring them so much they couldn’t eat or sleep.

But now, they were suddenly told that Tai Xuanzi was dead?

That terrifying existence that made them feel like they had thorns in their backs, dead?

And moreover, killed by the human agents they themselves had fostered, working together?!

Absolutely absurd.

“Great news!” Ra, the Sun God, divine fire burning in his eyes,

“The gods have said so, how could it be wrong?!”

“Good! Dead well! Dead too well!”

“Wait!” Amaterasu suddenly realized. “That means… Kunlun is now lordless?”

Tai Xuanzi, to protect Kunlun Academy, had once crushed her Yata no Kagami with a tail. If she hadn’t escaped quickly, she would have died and been destroyed.

She had held this grudge for several eons.

Tai Xuanzi was dead…

Now,

“Hahaha,”

Amaterasu rejoiced wildly. “Tai Xuanzi, you schemed endlessly, protected China for several eons—so what?”

“Without Tai Xuanzi, what remains of the Chinese Pantheon? An S-rank little one?”

Indra stroked his Thunder Spear and said unhurriedly:

“In my opinion, since China has been gone for a thousand years, we might as well flatten Kunlun this time.”

“Let the Chinese Pantheon vanish from now on, and from then on, there will never again be the word ‘China.’”

“Die out completely.”

Amaterasu was choked. “That’s after it becomes completely useless.”

“However, you’ve reminded me.”

“Tai Xuanzi’s disciple—this time, we’ll take care of her on the side.”

“Then I wish you an early revenge!” The other gods were carefree, not worried about failure at all.

After all, gods in the human world were… invincible beings.

Over so many years, they had only feared Tai Xuanzi alone.

How could there be an exception?

Meanwhile, at the Third Star Ring Battle Front.

Anomaly tides erupted one after another. Principal Murphis of Tianqiong Path Academy shuttled between locations, continuously leading the academy’s elites to support everywhere.

Just then, Shen Yan’s broadcast reached his ears.

“……”

He paused for a moment and murmured softly:

“…So it has come to this.”

Just then, a cry for help came:

“Principal! Requesting support! We can’t hold much longer!”

Murphis snapped back to reality, the sorrow in his eyes replaced by fierce battle intent.

“Hmph! A bunch of reckless wretches!”

His divine power suddenly erupted as he boldly faced the surging anomaly tide.

Bam bam bam!

The anomaly group fell like wheat before a scythe. Murphis’s assault became even fiercer.

He had to resolve the current battle as quickly as possible. With Tai Xuanzi fallen, the false gods would surely covet Kunlun. He needed to hurry back and support Su Fu!

A similar scene unfolded in the Dark Realm.

Master Yan stood in the endless void, facing an unprecedented devouring tide of immense scale.

That intangible yet pervasive conceptual erosion was more dangerous than any physical attack.

He sighed, then flicked his sleeve—

[Zhuang Zhou Dreaming Butterfly: Great Awakening]!

Illusion and reality, truth and fantasy.

The illusory field expanded, pulling all the guardians behind the Master into a dream immune to mental attacks.

Within the field, all conceptual attacks seemed to lose their target, becoming meaningless.

The survivors, grateful to have escaped death, bowed to Master Yan in thanks.

“Thank you, Master!”

But when they looked up, they saw that the always calm and elegant Master was now standing dazed, his eyes filled with absent-minded grief.

Master Yan’s gaze pierced the void, as if through endless darkness, reaching Kunlun.

He sighed deeply. “Tai Xuanzi…”

The next second, he abruptly raised his hand:

[Zuowang: Tianjun]!

Can remove all buffs and debuffs from enemies.

An invisible wave spread, and the surging concept monsters on the opposite side suddenly froze.

In an instant, they lost control of their own concepts.

“Now! Full counterattack!” Master Yan shouted sternly.

Seeing this, the others immediately seized the opportunity and charged forward fiercely.

Master Yan’s attacks grew even more fierce. Tai Xuanzi’s fall and the sudden eruptions on multiple battlefields—all of this was likely a scheme by the false gods.

Deliberately pinning them down on different battlefields—this was a large-scale… diversionary tactic.

Then what was their true target?

Without a doubt, the Kunlun Celestial Palace.

Paradise Pantheon · Great Light Mirror.

Pope Cecilia stood beneath the vault of the cathedral. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass, reflecting in her deep emerald eyes.

She looked up to the sky, her expression wistful.

“……”

“I didn’t expect… you would go before me.”

In her maiden days, she had secretly sneaked out of the sanctuary to travel the world.

It was then that she had met Tai Xuanzi.

They had hit it off immediately, but due to their different philosophies and faiths, they had often bickered, and even… fought spectacularly several times.

They fought so fiercely that the sky turned dark and the sun and moon lost their light.

She had always believed that an existence like Tai Xuanzi would last forever.

But she never expected…

Just then, a Temple Knight hurried over and knelt on one knee.

“Your Holiness! Eden is under large-scale attack by an unknown force!”

“Elder Olivia is putting up a fierce fight, but the enemy is strong—I’m afraid she cannot hold out for long!”

“The Elder requests your presence to take command!”

Cecilia frowned slightly. Before she could speak, Houchu, standing to the side, had already reacted.

“Your Holiness, could this be a false gods’ plot?”

“To keep you from going to Kunlun?”

The Pope was silent for a moment, then made her decision.

“Eden’s Tree of Life concerns Satan’s descent; the Twilight Judgment has long been eyeing it. We cannot gamble.”

“Houchu, take the Dawn Third Corps and go to Kunlun to support Su Fu at the fastest speed.”

“Be sure to protect her at all costs…”

Houchu accepted the order, placing his right hand over his chest:

“Yes, Your Holiness!”

“I will protect her even at the cost of my life!”

Genesis Academy.

The test takers had just come out not long ago when they heard Shen Yan’s broadcasts one after another.

They were all dumbfounded, exchanging glances, their minds blank.

“Su Fu’s master… is dead?”

“How could this happen?!”

“The Chinese Pantheon already had only a handful of people, and now Tai Xuanzi is also…”

“I hope Su Fu won’t be too devastated…”

“…How did Principal Tai Xuanzi die?”