Chapter 7: The Death of Zhu Juan (Part 1)

The man cried out, “Twelve? Eagle Demon? Is it really you guys? Where is your master?”
Guo Twelve smiled bitterly. “Uncle Zhu… you…” The person pouring wine across from him was none other than Zhu Juan. The once plump man had now become emaciated, like a bamboo pole, with skin stretched taut over his bones. His originally squinting eyes were now much larger, but devoid of any luster.
Eagle Demon was surprised. “You’re still alive… Ah, at least I’ve found someone familiar.”
Guo Twelve sat down in front of Zhu Juan and examined him carefully. “Uncle Zhu, how did you escape? Hey, are you injured?”
Zhu Juan, who used to be plump, was now gaunt, with completely gray hair, looking on the verge of death. A sad expression appeared on his face as he said, “I was almost able to reach the Virtual Altar level… Hehe, I was almost beaten to death with a slap. If it weren’t for the help of a few friends, I might have died long ago…”
“…I can never become an altar-level expert again. Hehe… This world is truly insane!”
Luo Jie, Qi Nanshan, and the others stood by, listening quietly to Zhu Juan’s account.
Guo Twelve asked, “Uncle Zhu, who did this? Can we find the continent where they are?”
A faint blush appeared on Zhu Juan’s pale face. He coughed once and said, “I know… I know everything… But what’s the use of knowing? They have countless altar-level experts. Ha… They were truly terrifying, driving us into chaos, causing countless deaths. Whether it’s a Holy Master or a Great Holy Master, they all die as soon as they go there… Ah, the gap in strength is too huge.”
Guo Twelve didn’t dare ask about his own family. He asked indirectly, “How many people managed to escape?”
Zhu Juan shook his head. “Escape? Where to escape? Well, a few did manage to escape… Those were the very few who reached mid-to-high-level Great Holy Master status. The rest… either died in battle or were captured.”
Guo Twelve’s heart felt icy one moment and scorching the next. He couldn’t help asking, “What about my family?”
Zhu Juan’s eyes were filled with sorrow as he slowly shook his head. “They’re gone… All the families connected to us no longer exist. They were either killed or captured… No one survived.”
Guo Twelve’s face turned pale. He asked, “Are they… all dead?”
Zhu Juan shook his head. “It’s not necessarily that they were killed. I wasn’t at your family at that time… It’s more likely they were captured.”

Luo Jie stepped forward slowly and said calmly, “Which continent are they on? Are they from the Gu Mi family? We need the coordinates of the continent where that family is!”
Zhu Juan looked up at Luo Jie and said, “I know the coordinates of their continent, but what’s the use of going there? It’s just asking for death!”
Qi Nan Shan snorted coldly, “Death? Not necessarily!”
Zhu Juan said, “All the sects and families on our continent have fallen, and countless professionals have died. With just a few of you, what’s the point of going?” He couldn’t believe that Guo Shier and the others would dare to take revenge.
In a dazed state, he murmured, “Countless disciples died right before my eyes… I hate that I lack the strength to do anything as I watch them die. I… I hate it so much…”
Without saying a word, Luo Jie suddenly summoned his altar. The altar spun slightly in front of him before rising to his head. The palm-sized altar had seven distinct layers, and its oppressive aura nearly made Zhu Juan spit blood. Then, Qi Nan Shan also summoned his altar—a six-layered one—that floated above his head and rotated slowly.
Guo Shier understood what his master meant: it was to show off their strength. He too summoned his altar and placed it on his head. Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan also did the same. Only Nan You remained motionless, standing aside with his arms crossed, watching the scene. For him, whether it was the Chen Xiao Sect or the Bei Fu Gate, it had nothing to do with him. If Guo Shier and the others wanted to fight, he would definitely help, but there was no need to show off by summoning altars.
Zhu Juan stared at everyone in shock, his mouth growing wider and wider. After a long while, he murmured, “Good heavens, they’re all altar-level experts… How is that possible?” When he parted ways with Guo Shier, he remembered the kid seemed to be just a Saint Master or a Mad Master? Anyway, his strength was inferior to Zhu Juan’s. Yet now he had reached the third-layer altar—what kind of progression speed was this?
Guo Shier said, “Uncle Zhu, we have this strength!”
Zhu Juan stood up abruptly and said, “I’ll take you there! That’s right, they are the Gu Mi family, an ancient family that came through the Tongyou Secret Realm!”
Tongyou Secret Realm!
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “We’ve been to the Tongyou Secret Realm. Apart from some ruins, we didn’t find anything.”
Zhu Juan said, “It’s normal not to find anything. You don’t have the coordinates of that continent. Finding the entrance is extremely difficult… This disaster was caused by the Fu Ye family. They set up a training ground in the Tongyou Secret Realm and suffered devastating losses. Using the coordinates controlled by the Fu Ye family, they invaded our continent…”

Guo Shier didn’t help but curse, “It’s that damned Fuye Clan again…”
Zhu Juan said, “There’s nothing to complain about. The Fuye Clan has been destroyed, and their continent is no exception.”
Qi Nanshan asked, “How did you get the coordinates of their continent?”
Zhu Juan replied, “After being severely injured, I almost lost my abilities as a professional. Still, I could still use the talismans in my life talisman book. I mixed in with ordinary people and entered their continent. It took me several years to find an opportunity to secretly open the talisman gate and escape.”
“…I don’t know if I can take revenge, but I must know where my enemies are!”
Luo Jie praised, “Not bad. You’re quite good!”
Zhu Juan sighed and said, “I hope someone will return… Those great masters who went to other continents—once they reach the Altar level, they’re likely to come back. Then I can give them the coordinates… Over the years, countless great masters from the Chenxiao Sect have left the continent. I can’t believe… there isn’t even one among them who hasn’t reached the Altar level.”
Guo Shier asked, “So you just waited here? What if you never got a chance?”
Zhu Juan shook his head. “I’ll keep waiting. As long as I’m alive, there’s always a chance. If I die… my responsibility will vanish with my soul.”
Guo Shier nodded slightly. While alive, one has responsibilities; once dead, they vanish. He hadn’t expected Zhu Juan to be so open-minded. He said, “Uncle Zhu, give me the coordinates.”
Zhu Juan tossed a jade talisman to Guo Shier, then burst into laughter. “Haha! I never thought that in less than a year since I returned, I’d fulfill my wish. Even if I die… it’ll be worth it!” His eyes slowly closed, a tear rolling down from the corner of his eye as his spiritual energy faded away.
Guo Shier rushed over and quickly took out a soul pearl, trying to put it in his mouth. Zhu Juan barely opened his eyes and shook his head slightly, signaling not to try to save him. He uttered his last two words: “Revenge…” A faint smile appeared on his face as his soul completely disappeared.
Luo Jie calmly praised, “What a brave man!”
Guo Shier sat frozen on the ground, his face turning pale and red alternately. Luo Jie stepped forward and gently patted his shoulder, saying, “Don’t be sad. He had already resolved to die. Let’s bury him.”
It took some time before Guo Shier calmed down. He said, “Master, I’m fine.” He stood up, picked up Zhu Juan’s body, and said, “He used to be a big fat man, but now he’s lighter than a leaf!” Then he flew out of the window. Luo Jie said, “Let’s go together. This man was a true hero!”

A single punch created a huge pit, hundreds of meters deep. Guo Shierou carried Zhu Juan down to the bottom of the pit slowly. He quickly crafted a coffin and carefully placed Zhu Juan inside. He said, “Uncle, rest assured. I will definitely find that Gu Mi family and make them understand… what they must not do!”
Guo Shierou sat cross-legged and began to recite scriptures silently. It was the first time he had recited soul scriptures beside a dead person. Ripples spread out, as Luo Jie and the others stood by, waiting quietly.
As Guo Shierou continued to recite, a faint white light appeared around Zhu Juan, fluctuating with the rhythm of her soul. After a moment, it disappeared into the air. Guo Shierou prayed silently, “Uncle, I hope you can be reborn successfully… As long as your soul endures, your world will not perish!”
Everyone could see the faint white light, but they did not understand its mystery.
Guo Shierou closed the coffin lid. Following the habits from his first life, he clasped his hands together and recited a few words silently before saying, “Uncle, go in peace.” Then he said to the others, “Let’s go up.” They flew out of the pit. Guo Shierou waved his sleeves, and a strong wind spun along the edge of the pit, sweeping soil from the surroundings into it.
After a while, a large mound of earth formed. Guo Shierou placed his hand on it, and with a loud noise, the ground became flat again. He said, “Let’s head to that continent right now. Master, should we get ready?”
Luo Jie laughed. “Do we need to prepare?” His smile was somewhat ferocious.
Guo Shierou nodded. He entered the coordinates he had obtained into the Great Cross-Realm Talisman and quickly determined their location. He exclaimed, “Damn it! This continent is actually very close to the Baqi Da Mi Tian! Nanyou—that place is near your family’s region…”
Nanyou shook his head. “It probably has nothing to do with our continent. I’ve never heard of the Gu Mi family!”
The coordinates in the Great Cross-Realm Talisman had connected to form a three-dimensional network. Guo Shierou began to grasp some of the structure of this world, though it was still difficult for him to understand. Although he had obtained many coordinates, from this interconnected pattern, it seemed the continents he had visited were just a small corner of this vast world.
These thoughts flashed through his mind briefly before he stopped pondering further. Guo Shierou said, “Let’s go. Get ready for battle!” He activated the Great Cross-Realm Talisman.
It took a full five minutes before the portal opened. Guo Shierou cursed, “Damn it! They blocked the portal to the continent. Luckily, I used the Great Cross-Realm Talisman… If it were just a regular cross-Realm talisman, we wouldn’t be able to get in. Let’s go!”

They quickly passed through the magic gate and arrived on a strange continent. Guo Shier looked at the coordinates and found an annotation: “Guangfu Continent, Gu Mi Family.” When he checked the coordinates of other continents, he saw no such annotations. It seemed this annotation had been added deliberately. It was a continent with fertile land, and just by taking a glance, Guo Shier knew it was highly suitable for human settlement. Not far away were vast fields, with many people cutting down trees and clearing land. Guo Shier and his group appeared above a low jungle, below which forests and fields intertwined. Large areas of forest had been cut down, and many people were working on the ground like ants. Guo Shier said, “Let’s go down and find out what’s going on.” Nan You asked, “Are we going to start killing right away?” Guo Shier replied, “I only kill high-level professionals; I don’t kill ordinary people.” Luo Jie nodded and said, “All we need to do is destroy the Gu Mi Family. Hmph, I guess I’ll level up again this time!” Nan You shuddered. Of course he understood what Luo Jie meant. For the Black Symbol people, leveling up meant killing, and killing meant leveling up. Guo Shier flew down among a group of loggers, with Luo Jie and the others following. Those loggers were ordinary people. Seeing six people descend from the sky, they were so scared that they dropped their tools and lay on the ground, not daring to move. Soon, a furious shout came from not far away: “Hey, get to work! Do you want to die?” A professional rushed over from afar. Everyone immediately recognized that it was a Master of Symbolic Martial Arts.