Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?

Chapter 1231: Chapter 1227: The Ruined City God

Dou Dou furrowed her little face, retreated two steps, and quietly murmured, "This sound... why is it always the same, and it feels stuck, it’s not pleasant at all."

Shen Siyuan didn’t respond to her. Instead, his gaze was cold, and with a flick of his fingertip, the sharp sound of the sword instantly pierced through this false serenity.

The Five Elements Primordial Magnetic Sword shot out from his sleeve, the five-colored light booming along the blade.

The interweaving red, blue, yellow, white, and black colors wrapped in a layer of light purple primordial magnetic halo, transformed into a magnificent rainbow traversing the heavens, rising skyward.

This rainbow-like sword light instantly tore apart the leaden black clouds over the Netherworld, the dark and silent sky was entirely filled with the five-colored spiritual light, illuminating the entire Xuzhou Netherworld.

Even the dry bones, cracked earth, and wild grass on the wasteland a hundred miles away were clearly visible under this sword light, the previously surging Yin Sha Polluted Energy was suppressed and retreating.

Shen Siyuan gripped the sword hilt with one hand and slashed downward toward the false City God Mansion.

A roaring, deafening boom ensued, and the sword light fell, invincible.

The seemingly impregnable vermilion palace walls, gilded golden tiles, carved beams, and painted buildings, under this sword were split into two halves as if made of paper.

No crisp sound of bricks shattering, only sticky sharp squeals crazily erupted from the slits.

Boundless black-brown polluted fluid wrapped in numerous twisted residual souls, dry bones, and the remains of the Illusion Star Demon surged out from the crack, the stench of polluted energy instantly swept across the entire plaza.

Turns out this grand City God Mansion was formed entirely by a massive mud worm entrenched here for a millennium.

It used the remnants of the Xuzhou City God Mansion as its bones, the resentment of unjustly dead citizens and soldiers as its flesh, boundless evil as its skin, creating this seamless mansion, waiting for them to fall into the trap, swallowing their divine souls and flesh whole.

Though cut in half by the sword, the mud worm wasn’t killed, instead, it was utterly enraged.

It let out a deafening roar, its whole split body violently shattered, transforming into a huge black-gray fog, like a tsunami and landslide, surging toward them.

This fog contained thick Blood Evil Resentment, soul-corroding evil, and countless wailing dead souls; wherever it passed, the hard basalt ground eroded with sizzling sounds, emitting black smoke.

"Brother~" Duoduo immediately rotated the Qiankun Umbrella, the clear halo of the umbrella surface expanded rapidly, forming a giant light curtain, firmly protecting them within.

Xiao Yue also vigorously shook the Three Pure Ones Bell, the sharp bell sounds transformed into continuous sound waves striking the fog, but the fog was too dense and overpowering, the bell sound collided, akin to a stone sinking in the ocean, just stirring a faint ripple before being entirely engulfed.

Dou Dou was anxious too, the Lotus Lamp above her head suddenly brightened, fire dragons encircled her body for protection.

But as the fog surged forward, the fire dragons immediately dimmed, appearing ready to extinguish at any moment.

"Watch out." Shen Siyuan loudly warned, but before his words finished, the fog had already surged around him like tidal waves, filling every space.

He felt a sharp pain in his brow, the scene before him suddenly spun, the sounds of the sword, bell, and Dou Dou’s shouts vanished into nothingness.

Upon opening his eyes again, the biting chill and sticky polluted energy had completely dissipated.

Warm sunlight caressed his face, carrying Bin Hai’s unique salty sea breeze, accompanying the clear chirping of birds and the gentle, familiar laughter from Ruan Hongzhuang and Taozi in the living room.

He was leaning on the villa’s balcony deck chair, covered with a thin blanket, the midday sun shining brightly outside, the sky was purely cerulean, clouds fluffy and cottony white, and the bougainvillea seemed to bloom fiercely in the corner flowerpots of the balcony, worlds apart from the desolate Netherworld.

"Oh~"

Tang Tang’s naive voice sounded beside him, her short legs pitter-pattered out of the house, her cheeks rosy, crumbs still on the corner of her mouth, as Zhang Kai, with short arms, climbed onto him.

Instinctively, Shen Siyuan reached out to catch her, holding the little one on his lap.

"han~"

The little one flashed him a silly smile.

Watching her adorable face, he glanced toward the living room, where Ruan Hongzhuang was sitting on the sofa flipping through documents, Taozi chattering beside her, occasionally a crisp laugh ringing out.

A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, where Mao Sanmei was preparing lunch, Dou Dou, Duoduo, and Xiao Yue were building blocks on the living room carpet, Dou Dou holding a block, laughing heartily.

Everything seemed perfect.

Yet Shen Siyuan’s heart was still shrouded in an inescapable sense of dissonance.

Something isn’t right?

He looked down at Tang Tang on his lap, the little one was munching on a cookie, crumbs scattered all over him.

He lifted his gaze to the sky, the midday sun hung glaringly above, yet there wasn’t a hint of warmth reaching him.

The wind brushed past the balcony, carrying the salty and damp scent of the sea, but it couldn’t stir the thin blanket draped over him.

In the living room, the laughter of Ruan Hongzhuang and Taozi, always those two lines, repeating endlessly, just like the stuck chanting at the City God Mansion.

Dou Dou’s laughter while holding building blocks had not a trace of variation, like a pre-recorded audio, devoid of any vitality.

At that moment, Tang Tang suddenly looked up, holding a handmade sugar figurine, offering it to him.

It was an incredibly lifelike little monkey, the sugar shell gleaming amber, exactly like the sugar figurine that deceived Dou Dou in the Illusion Realm.

"Oh~"

The little one’s mouth curled into a smile, but there was no sparkle in those round eyes, hollow, like two bottomless black holes.

This is it.

Shen Siyuan’s heart suddenly chilled, all warmth dissipating in an instant.

At that moment of absolute clarity, a magnificent and vast golden light surged behind his head.

A glorious sun slowly rose from behind his head.

This sun represented the Supreme Yang and Firm force in the world, specifically breaking all Yin Sha illusions and evil delusions.

The instant the sun rose, tens of thousands of rays of golden light spread across the entire false world.

The warm sunlight, the balcony’s wicker chairs, the smiling Ruan Hongzhuang and Taozi, Tang Tang on his lap, and that little monkey sugar figurine, under the golden light, melted away inch by inch like ice meeting sunshine, turning into wisps of black smoke, completely incinerated by the golden light.

The extreme screeching arose once more in his ears, the sight before him spun wildly, as he opened his eyes again, he was back on the wasteland of the Xuzhou Netherworld.

A sky-shielding gray mist was frantically churning and dissolving under the golden light of the sun behind his head.

The countless resentful souls and evil within the mist, upon being touched by the golden light, instantly turned to ashes, leaving no trace behind.

The mud worm that had manifested the City God Mansion screeched painfully in the golden light, the gigantic mist mass frantically contracting, trying to escape underground, but the magnificent golden light trapped it like a celestial net, leaving it no escape.

"Brother~"

"Potato, you woke up..."

The voices of Duoduo, Xiao Yue, and Dou Dou sounded beside him, the three little ones gathered around him, their faces full of undeniable urgency.

Just now, Shen Siyuan had been engulfed by the mist, standing still and shutting his eyes tightly, no matter how they called, he gave no response, worrying them greatly.

"I’m fine." Shen Siyuan waved his hand, his gaze fell upon the shrinking mist mass within the golden light.

The glorious sun behind his head remained suspended in the air, the golden light growing ever fiercer.

The evil within the golden light continued to shrink, finally without even a scream, it was completely incinerated into nothingness, leaving not a trace of polluted energy.

As the evil dispersed, the scenery before him changed again.

The false City God Mansion completely vanished, replaced by an ancient and dilapidated mansion.

Among the broken walls, the aura of the City God Seal bestowed by the Underworld lingered, the mansion’s plaque had long collapsed, yet the five vigorous ancient characters "Xuzhou City God Mansion" were still discernible.

This was indeed the true Xuzhou City God Mansion. Though abandoned for a thousand years, the authentic City God aura within had never completely dispersed, preventing that mud worm from daring to truly invade or occupy even an inch inside.

Shen Siyuan withdrew the sun from behind his head, the Five Elements Primordial Magnetic Sword transformed into a stream of light, returning to his sleeve.

He looked down at Dou Dou beside him, the little one holding up a Lotus Lamp, the Divine Fire inside illuminating everything around, the newly acquired bead spinning briskly in the lamp, very extraordinary.

"Let’s go." Shen Siyuan once again led the way forward.

This City God, after so many years, had not been completely devoured by that mud worm, undoubtedly harbored something exceptional within, which held great anticipation for him.