Listening to You Siqi's question, Shen Muzhi shook his head with a hint of helplessness.
He certainly wasn't afraid.
But the problem was, if it truly came to that, those who wanted You Siqi would likely not be mere competitors, but rather people who would try to snatch You Siqi away from him, simply using him as a tool.
He sighed inwardly.
Shen Muzhi put his arm around You Siqi's waist and said, "Siqi, it seems your husband needs to become even stronger. Otherwise, in my current state, I'm truly worried I won't be able to protect you."
You Siqi immediately corrected him, "You can't think that way. You need to look at it from a different angle. For instance, this time we can just go straight home, and the rest of it has nothing to do with us. If you approach problems with this mindset, life will be full of hope."
Shen Muzhi blinked.
He looked at You Siqi's confident expression and didn't know what to say for a moment. He could only chuckle a couple of times, pat the other person's head, and then decisively dropped the topic, leading You Siqi to where Liu Buli and the others were. In just this short while, Liu Buli had basically finished studying the formation on the ground. Now that Lu Wuming was by his side, he naturally wouldn't settle for Li Qingcheng.
He decisively had Lu Wuming cut his finger and drip a drop of blood onto the ground. Then, he combined it with his own spiritual energy. Before long, the formation on the ground began to emit a faint glow.
Liu Buli warned everyone, "You can all step back a bit. The gate is about to open."
Before Shen Muzhi could even react to what he meant, he felt the ground beneath his feet suddenly tremble.
He didn't have time to think too much, instinctively reaching out to pull You Siqi into his embrace. Then, he formed hand seals and chanted incantations, causing his body to float in mid-air.
He watched as the ground beneath them caved in, transforming into two massive doors that opened downwards. He then looked to the side, seeing Liu Buli and Lu Wuming also suspended in the air like them. Seeing You Siqi lying in Shen Muzhi's arms, Liu Buli immediately narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile, "You Siqi, don't you already have spiritual power? Why do you still need your man to hold you when danger arises?"
The teasing in his words was far too obvious.
You Siqi had never had the thick skin of Liu Buli, so upon hearing this, his cheeks immediately turned an unbearable shade of red. Pushing Shen Muzhi away as quickly as possible, You Siqi said seriously, "I can solve problems myself now. Don't be so overprotective every time."
As he spoke, he formed hand seals and chanted incantations. Although his movements were still a little shaky and unaccustomed, he was ultimately able to suspend himself beside Shen Muzhi through his own power.
This was the first time he had attempted to suspend himself.
The feeling was somewhat terrifying, but more than that, it was a joy that ordinary people could never experience.
Humanity's yearning for the sky stemmed from an innate instinct, but without spiritual power, no matter how hard one tried, external forces would still be needed to realize the dream of embracing the sky.
But now, it was different.
You Siqi blinked and looked down at his feet.
For the first time, he felt so free, as if everything in heaven and earth belonged to him. That supreme exhilaration was truly beyond words.
Seeing his happy expression, Shen Muzhi said no more. He merely glanced in Liu Buli's direction and found the other man smiling and nodding at him. Shen Muzhi immediately understood, thanked Liu Buli, and then asked with some curiosity, "Daoist Liu, how did you know our Siqi would enjoy this feeling of suspending himself alone?"
"Because when I first realized I could fly on my sword and soar into the sky, I also tried it out with a bit of excitement," Liu Buli said with a smile. "I was the same as him, so I made a guess, thinking he might be interested. And as it turned out, my guess was right, he was indeed interested."
Having said this, Liu Buli wasted no more time and directly led Lu Wuming into the opened abyss.
The world behind the gate was much deeper than imagined.
As the two descended, Liu Buli leaned into Lu Wuming's embrace, occasionally asking with concern, "Wuming, do you feel anything uncomfortable?"
Lu Wuming thought about it seriously and then shook his head. He was initially puzzled as to why Liu Buli would ask, but as a possibility crossed his mind, his expression immediately changed. He looked at Liu Buli's face anxiously and asked urgently, "Master, why are you asking me this? Are you feeling unwell? If so, tell me, or perhaps we..."
"Don't be so anxious, I'm perfectly fine," Liu Buli interrupted Lu Wuming before he could voice any stranger speculations, chuckling helplessly. "This place was built specifically to imprison the Ghost Clan. Besides what we see on the surface, there are many artifacts and formations underground specifically designed to deal with ghosts. I'm not sure if those things will affect you, so I wanted to ask. If you feel unwell, remember to tell me, don't try to tough it out yourself."
Seeing that Liu Buli was not in any trouble himself, Lu Wuming completely relaxed. He nodded and said, "Actually, Master, I don't think you need to worry about this at all."
Liu Buli was somewhat puzzled.
Lu Wuming continued, "According to what those ghosts said before, the blood of their Ghost King flows within me. No matter how powerful this formation and layout are, they shouldn't affect the Ghost King, right? After all, as the supreme ruler of the Ghost Realm, if he could be so easily defeated, he wouldn't deserve to be called a king."
The implication was that since the surrounding arrangements would not affect the Ghost King, he, who inherited the Ghost King's bloodline, would naturally not feel much different.
Liu Buli thought about it and felt that what he said made some sense. He relaxed for a moment, a smile playing on his lips. "I didn't expect our Wuming to be so smart. To be able to understand this, you've certainly become much smarter than before."
Lu Wuming received the praise and showed a rather shy smile. Then he continued, "Actually, what I wanted to tell Master isn't this. It's about the woman who came with you. The Ghost Clan bloodline in her body is only of the lowest grade. So she definitely won't be able to come down here. Master, do you mind?"