Chapter 984: I Go to Seek the Empress of Earth

Xiao Jiu knows Tang Xun's thought process best.

In the past, Tang Xun had a lot on her mind, thinking about this and that, and she had been estranged from the Seven Halls Yama for so many years; when the Seven Halls Yama once took her away, she should have figured things out by then, right?

But fate plays tricks—Tang Xun finally understood and wanted to marry, yet the Seven Halls Yama collapsed.

Over these years, the Seven Halls Yama's desire to marry Tang Xun is known to heaven and earth.

Who would have thought… sigh!

"Later, the Seven Halls Yama finally woke up with great difficulty, but his health began to deteriorate." Dong Dan said sorrowfully, "He started handling many things, including rejecting Tang Xun's goodwill and sending her away; including talking with me, handing over all his authority to me; and also proactively resigning to his superiors, wanting to pass the position of the Seven Halls Yama to me…"

So, later it wasn't the Seven Halls Yama trapping Tang Xun and not letting her leave; it was Tang Xun herself refusing to go.

On the day Shan Shan gave birth, Tang Xun's condition was terribly bad, and Xiao Jiu only hated herself for not being ruthless enough back then, directly forcing Tang Xun to stay in the Feng Clan.

But upon second thought, they love each other deeply; even if Tang Xun's body were kept, her heart could not be retained.

Forcibly keeping her would make her worries turn into illness, further damaging her meridians; it would be better to let go and let her do what she wants.

Xiao Jiu asked, "How is my aunt doing now?"

Dong Dan shook his head: "She has been trying to find a way to prolong the Seven Halls Yama's life, severely draining herself; three days ago, they both fell into a coma and have not awakened since."

Xiao Jiu instantly panicked and grew angry: "Then just now, who stopped us from going up the mountain—was that your order?"

Dong Dan hastily waved his hands in denial: "Not me! It was Tang Xun's order! She… she…"

"No need to say more; take me to see them."

Dong Dan didn't speak, but Xiao Jiu could also guess what Tang Xun's order was.

At this point, Tang Xun ordered the entire Hu Shan sealed off, forbidding outsiders from entering, even including us close relatives; she simply wanted to go together with the Seven Halls Yama.

An existence like the Seven Halls Yama, once dead, is tantamount to body and spirit destroyed.

Xiao Jiu cannot accept this outcome.

Dong Dan hesitated not at all, directly leading Liu Junyan and Xiao Jiu deeper into Hu Shan.

From the moment he let the two of them enter the mountain, he had already committed himself fully.

Every word he said to Xiao Jiu and Liu Junyan was sincere.

He could not hold onto the position of the Seven Halls Yama, and he did not want to give it away for free to someone else.

Having struggled alongside the Seven Halls Yama all the way, they have weathered countless trials and achieved much; no one should think they can easily take it away!

Hu Shan is a treasure land that can nurture corpses and grow medicinal herbs; deep within its interior lies a Cave Heaven Blessed Land that ordinary people are not allowed to enter.

Dong Dan had entered there twice before, both times when he was at a cultivation bottleneck, and the Seven Halls Yama had let him go in to seclude himself.

That cave is huge; most of it Dong Dan cannot reach at all, and during his two seclusions inside, he only stayed near the Warm Pool.

The second time he soaked in the Warm Pool, he clearly felt that beyond the pool's far end, which sank underground, there might be another region connected, possibly the Medicinal Field, for he smelled a faint medicinal fragrance.

But he could not find the entrance, so he had to give up.

Dong Dan brought Xiao Jiu and Liu Junyan into that interior region of Hu Shan.

At this moment, looking that way, everywhere was a blank white expanse, feeling as if there was nothing.

Dong Dan apologized: "This Cave Heaven Blessed Land is sealed by a barrier; I cannot enter, but they are inside. Please think of a way, I beg you—I will temporarily help guard the Seven Halls Yama's hall until you return."

After saying that, he also gave Liu Junyan a meaningful glance.

Then he turned back the way he came.

Liu Junyan said, "Xiao Jiu, wait here for me; I'll go scout the path first."

Xiao Jiu nodded.

Liu Junyan immediately transformed into his dragon form and, in the next moment, sank into the depths of the earth's veins.

As he said before, he is the Earth Vein Dragon God; theoretically he has the right to investigate any region of this land of China.

Of course, for a place like Hu Shan that has an owner, they also have protections; if you want to investigate, you either follow procedure or rely on strength.

Following procedure, as Liu Junyan mentioned earlier, would mean going upward to file a report and obtain an imperial order or the like, but there's no time for that now, so he can only try to break the seal on Hu Shan's interior from the earth veins himself.

Not long after Liu Junyan left, Dong Dan returned.

"I almost forgot something very important." Dong Dan looked at Xiao Jiu and said, "Before Tang Xun last entered this interior region, she had instructed me to, within half a month, recall all the yin soldiers and yin generals, as well as all other personnel, from Hu Shan back to the Nether Realm."

Xiao Jiu's heart sank instantly, a buzzing filled her ears; she did not know when Dong Dan had left, nor whether he had said anything else.

Half a month…

No wonder Dong Dan had left, then suddenly came back specially for a trip.

Tang Xun intends to stay with the Seven Halls Yama forever, never parting in life or death—that is certain.

But at this moment, Xiao Jiu still harbors a sliver of hope.

Once Liu Junyan opens the seal of the Cave Heaven Blessed Land, she will be able to see her aunt; then, after clarifying the exact situation, they can think of a way to save people.

She has such wide connections, and everyone she knows is impressive; there will surely be a way to rescue them.

But looking at it now, the problem is even more severe than she imagined.

It's not just the Seven Halls Yama that met with disaster; possibly the entire Hu Shan will suffer as well.

In other words, in half a month, the whole of Hu Shan will become a veritable grave.

And it will be the kind where the living are forbidden to enter.

"Xiao Jiu…"

Just as she was thinking, Liu Junyan's voice suddenly sounded in her ear, pulling her thoughts back; her eyes looking at Liu Junyan were slightly red-rimmed.

Liu Junyan's complexion wasn't great either, but he still asked first: "What happened? Xiao Jiu, how are you?"

Xiao Jiu grabbed Liu Junyan's sleeve in a hurry and asked urgently: "How did you come back so fast? Have you already found a breakthrough? Do you need my help?"

As long as a breakthrough can be found, there is still hope.

But Liu Junyan's answer utterly crushed the hope that had just risen in Xiao Jiu's heart.

"I can't get in." Liu Junyan said, "The interior of Hu Shan is not merely sealed by a simple barrier and formation; it seems the Cave Heaven Blessed Land itself has gone wrong, and it is continually spreading a backlash outward, possibly affecting the Medicinal Field direction as well. I preliminarily estimate that in the near future, possibly all of Hu Shan…"

Dong Dan's reminder, Xiao Jiu's speculation, were verified in Liu Junyan's words.

Xiao Jiu staggered two steps.

What is Tang Xun to Xiao Jiu? What kind of presence is she?

That's a close relative!

Xiao Jiu could hardly accept it; usually calm when faced with things, she now had a blank mind, unconsciously walked a few steps forward, then stopped, turned another direction and walked a few steps…

She wanted to do something, but didn't know what she could do now, like a headless fly buzzing aimlessly.

But soon she forced herself to calm down, stopped her steps, took a deep breath, and said to Liu Junyan: "I will go beg the Goddess Hou Tu; I must save my little aunt…"