The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

Clearly, Zhang Daoxuan was worried about Gu Xu's condition again.

After all, if it were him...

He couldn't even imagine how exhausted he would be after such a high-intensity battle in such a short time.

Furthermore, this is currently Sherlock's hope.

If anything goes wrong... it would be too much for Sherlock to bear.

Li Weiguo nodded in agreement: "Yes, Lao Zhang is right. Commander Gu, it's not a big deal to wait a little longer. Let's rest first and get our energy back before we go. That way, we'll feel more at ease."

"Besides, that's Northern Alliance territory. They're the ones who should be anxious; we don't need to be the ones charging into battle!"

Clearly, under normal circumstances, Li Weiguo would never have said such selfish things.

After all, we are all neighbors and face the same invasion from other dimensions.

If I can help, I will.

The problem is that the Northern Alliance is truly inhuman, daring to lead source-level units toward the Divine Xia, which naturally extinguished Li Weiguo's desire to help each other again.

Moreover, the number of Origin-level experts in Shenxia is about to surge, and since it concerns Gu Xu, he has to be a little selfish.

Of course, Gu Xu had assumed he would agree to Li Weiguo's suggestion.

After all, he's the kind of person who would rather lie down than sit, and rather sit than stand.

Others study hard and study relentlessly, but he takes every opportunity to slack off.

"Mr. Zhang, Minister, I also want to rest, but this matter... can't wait."

But this time, Gu Xu shook his head again and refused, his tone slightly more serious than before: "Because the thing that appeared in the Northern Alliance... is very likely related to the ancient false gods."

The moment the words "old false god" landed.

Zhang Daoxuan and Li Weiguo's expressions changed from slightly serious to extremely serious.

After all, if the red light of the Northern Alliance is really related to the false god...

That would be a completely different matter.

This is not a matter of "controllable scope," it is a matter of "impending catastrophe."

With that in mind, neither Zhang Daoxuan nor Li Weiguo offered any further advice.

Because they knew that since Gu Xu said "very likely," it was probably true.

For a few seconds, the air fell silent.

"Gu boy."

It was Wang Cang who broke the silence. He took two steps to stand in front of Gu Xu, his face full of seriousness: "How about this old man accompanies you?"

"Regardless of what we're facing, every extra person means extra strength!"

"If there's anything really troublesome over there, it's better for the two of us to work together than for you to do it alone."

Looking at Wang Cang's battle-ready face, Gu Xu felt a warmth in his heart.

But he still shook his head and refused, saying, "Elder Wang, no need. You just obtained the Source of God. Your most urgent task is to break through your rank and increase your combat power."

"Senior Tang and Senior Ge are the same."

"The situation that our Divine Xia will face next will not be simpler than that in the secret realm. If the three seniors can successfully step into the Origin level, that will truly provide three layers of insurance for our Divine Xia."

At this point, Gu Xu chuckled and regained some of his usual lazy demeanor.

"Besides, don't you know me well enough?"

I don't do things that aren't sure how they'll go.

"I value my life!"

Wang Cang opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But when he got to the point of speaking, he realized that what the other person said was true.

Thinking of this, Wang Cang finally gave up and looked at Gu Xu for a long time before patting him hard on the shoulder: "Be careful."

These four words represent the greatest trust an elder can give.

"Um!"

Gu Xu nodded and responded softly.

He then turned his head and his gaze fell on Su Qiong and Jiang Shu.

Jiang Shu is still standing there.

His eyes widened in disbelief; the conversation he had just heard contained a wealth of information.

Her little brain was still working at high speed to process everything.

But when Gu Xu looked over, she reflexively straightened her back.

Su Qiong stood quietly in place, her fiery red hair lifted by the morning breeze, her eyes filled with concern.

Gu Xu didn't say anything sentimental; he simply looked at the two of them and said, "Wait for me to come back."

Just these four words.

Simple and straightforward, just like him.

Jiang Shu nodded vigorously, her lips pressed tightly together, trying to hold back from howling.

Su Qiong simply nodded slightly, her red lips moved, but she didn't utter a sound.

But her eyes said it all.

Seeing this, Gu Xu didn't linger any longer. He turned around and walked towards the Styx Ghost Carriage that was quietly parked behind him.

The sedan chair curtain was casually lifted by the ghost bride, and he easily sat inside.

The next instant, the sound of suona horns rose again, and red mist spread outwards from under the sedan chair.

The ghost sedan chair slowly rose into the air, its speed increasing until it finally transformed into a streak of black and red light, shooting towards the northern horizon.

Everyone present looked up and watched them go.

The streak of light trailed a long tail as it passed through the clouds and over the mountains.

It eventually disappeared at the edge of the horizon.

The sound of the suona gradually faded into the distance, becoming faint and eventually completely absorbed by the north wind.

Although Gu Xuren is gone.

But what he left behind is enough for everyone present to digest for a very long time.

After what seemed like an eternity, the silence was finally broken.

"cough."

Wang Cang coughed lightly, snapping out of his daze.

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Zhang Daoxuan and Li Weiguo. His expression shifted from the感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep feelings) of watching the younger generation depart, to a serious and somewhat somber one.

"It's perfect that you're both here."

Wang Cang spoke, his voice carrying an undeniable seriousness: "There are some things... we need to discuss them properly now."

……

Just as Gu Xu was riding the Styx Ghost Carriage, speeding northwards.

Large swathes of the Northern League have been completely transformed.

Not only has it lost its former glory, but it has also lost its former splendor.

To use a somewhat inappropriate and vivid analogy, it's as if someone threw the entire area into a meat grinder, churned it three times, and then poured it into a dye vat to soak overnight.

Everywhere you look, it's red, red, red everywhere.

And that red was not the festive red of the blood-stained wedding dress worn by the ghost bride.

It's not a passionate, fiery rose red either.

Instead, it was a dark, thick, blood-red color that made one's stomach churn at first glance.

The sky is red, and the ground is red.

The fog that filled the air was also red.

Everything in this area—buildings, trees, roads, even dungeons, secret realms, and monsters—was originally covered by a layer of viscous, blood-red substance.

Those things are being digested at an extremely slow but visible rate.

The edges continuously dissolve, converging towards the center.

The creatures that originally lived in this area can no longer be called "creatures" at this point. To be precise, their current state is somewhere in a gray area between being alive and dead.

The body is still there, the facial features are still there, the limbs are still there, but the eyes have lost all their sparkle.

Yes, it was just a murky, blood-red color.

They were either standing, kneeling, or lying on the ground.

Their postures varied, but their movements were perfectly synchronized.

They were all facing the same direction, the direction of the Northern Alliance's Everwinter City.