Chapter 242: The Fate of the Gufang Dynasty's Inheritance

"How much longer do you think you can hold out?" Jiang Xun asked in response.

Gufang Chennian lowered his head and said nothing upon hearing this; it was clear he could not hold out much longer.

"Right now, Jiabuli is still in a sealed state, unable to fully exert his power. As long as I go down, there is a possibility of dealing with him. But if we leave him be, once he breaks the seal on his own and returns to his home turf, he will come out and slaughter you first, then seize the Void Refinement Supreme Position."

"Then he will go to the nearby Canghe Dynasty, seize the Integration Realm Supreme Position, then the Zanghe Holy Emperor, and then the entire Western Regions. Wouldn't that repeat the tragedy of five thousand years ago?"

"How do you know he is down there?" Gufang Chennian asked with a frown.

"I naturally made full preparations before coming," Jiang Xun laughed.

"So you knew all along..." Gufang Ninglin also looked at Jiang Xun in surprise. Because they had taken a Dao Oath, they could not speak of it, so Gufang Ninglin had only wanted Jiang Xun to see the current Gufang Dynasty and then decide to give up and head home.

But she had not expected that Jiang Xun would still come, knowing full well it was Jiabuli and knowing the terror of Jiabuli.

"Little Highness, the Integration Realm expert beside you cannot possibly be his match, let alone you, a Transformation God Realm cultivator," Gufang Chennian sighed and said. "Why must you wade into these muddy waters? Even if Jiabuli is reborn one day, he will not leave the Western Regions; he cannot harm your Nanwu."

"Do you think I do this for Nanwu? I do this for the people," Jiang Xun looked at Gufang Chennian and said solemnly.

"The world belongs to the people; without the people, there is no dynasty. The commoners push us to establish a dynasty with their blood and sweat; how can we ignore them once we live good lives? The people of Nanwu are people, and the people of the Western Regions are also people. I simply cannot bear to watch the people suffer such torment, which is why I decided to help the Gufang Dynasty."

Jiang Xun looked at Gufang Chennian with a serious and righteous expression.

Jiang Yan looked at him in surprise upon hearing these words from Jiang Xun.

Was this something Jiang Xun could actually say?

"These words sound so familiar... isn't this almost the same as what Cang Xingling said?" Si Yuyan twitched her mouth and said, "You really just took them and used them."

"Open your eyes and look at the people outside. Do they even look human anymore? Skin and bones, pale faces, trading children to eat—they have simply lost all semblance of humanity. Sealing Jiabuli was the decision of your Gufang Dynasty; why must you drag the commoners into this?"

"Now the chance to save you is right before your eyes, why not even try? As a man, an Emperor, and the ruler of a nation, even if there is only a slim, faint chance, you must seize it, right?"

"Besides, if you try and I die, it is me, not you. Could the situation of your Gufang Dynasty possibly be any worse than it is now?"

Jiang Xun's words pierced the heart, causing Gufang Chennian's head to sink lower and lower, until he finally slumped into his chair and let out a deep sigh.

That's right, even if this Tenth Prince of the Tianyu Dynasty went down there today and died at the hands of Jiabu Li, what could the Tianyu Dynasty do if they came to cause trouble later?

At worst, it would just be death.

Once dead, one would be liberated instead.

"The reason this building has been preserved is not because of my Barrier, but because this is the entrance to the seal of Jiabuli."

Gufang Chennian finally relented.

"Here?" Jiang Xun looked around upon hearing this, truly unable to tell.

"Under the bed," Gufang Chennian nodded and looked at the double bed to the side.

"Didn't you take an oath that you couldn't speak of it?" Jiang Xun glanced at the bed and then asked.

"The oath is that we cannot discuss this matter with those who do not know the truth; otherwise, we cannot even speak of it among ourselves. When we truly encounter a situation like this where something has gone wrong, we have no way to even talk about it," Gufang Chennian said.

"That makes sense," Jiang Xun nodded. "Then without further ado, let me go down now."

"Are you truly confident?" Seeing that Jiang Xun was not only unafraid but actually eager to try, Gufang Chennian was truly bewildered.

"I am," Jiang Xun nodded decisively.

"..." Gufang Chennian looked up at the Empress. The two exchanged a glance, then Gufang Chennian stood up, walked over, and pushed the double bed aside.

A black Formation appeared before Jiang Xun and the others. The Formation was carved into an iron plate, and there was a handle on the iron plate. By opening the seal and pulling the handle, one could enter the underground.

"Once the seal is opened, there is absolutely no possibility of repairing it again. If you die down there and Jiabuli rushes out from underground, the thirty million people of this Gufang Dynasty will all lose their lives."

Gufang Chennian looked at Jiang Xun and said.

"His Supreme Position was stripped back then, which proves he must have died. Why has he come back to life now?" Jiang Xun asked, looking at Gufang Chennian.

"A figure like Jiabuli had long since left himself a backup plan. The Gufang Dynasty was originally the capital when the Gabuli Dynasty existed. Jiabuli set up a Rebirth Array underground. Since his death, the array has been running, absorbing the souls of the dead to reorganize his own soul."

"To do this requires a vast number of dead people. There were no large-scale wars in the Western Regions after he died, so he could only wait for the commoners to die naturally. That is why he waited five thousand years to awaken."

"And the Gufang Dynasty, our clan's ancestors, were the very ones who built this array. They should have been completely wiped out by Jiabuli, but so that he could still set up this array as a backup after his rebirth, he made my ancestors take a Dao Oath not to reveal it. At the same time, every child born to the Gufang family must take the same Dao Oath as soon as they can speak."

"This is why our clan must remain here. We must stay here to suppress the seal, and only our bloodline can suppress the seal."

"There was no way to tell the commoners these things, nor any way to seek help from other dynasties, which is why the Gufang Dynasty has fallen to such a state, right?" Jiang Xun said upon hearing this.

"Yes," Gufang Chennian nodded.

He was truly helpless regarding this matter.

Even if they successfully dealt with Jiabuli, telling the truth to the commoners would be of no use; the fate of the Gufang Dynasty was already destined to be destruction.

"Jiabuli should be in a divine soul state now, just like I was at the Void Sect back then. If you handle it properly, you might even be able to take Jiabuli as an Artifact Spirit," Si Yuyan reminded him.

"But if you handle it improperly, your entry will be equivalent to gifting Jiabuli a physical body—and a newly replaced Ice Flame Spirit Root at that! Jiabuli will be thrilled, hahahaha."

"Still in the mood to joke? It seems you have confidence in me, then?" Jiang Xun laughed.

"Why? You want to bet with me again? I'm not betting!" Si Yuyan said vigilantly upon hearing this. She had almost lost herself to him; she dared not bet anymore! Gambling is truly harmful!

"Look at that cowardly look of yours," Jiang Xun laughed upon hearing this, feeling that he could imagine her cute, cowardly expression even without looking.

Then Jiang Xun looked at Gufang Chennian: "Open it. I have come to save the Gufang Dynasty."