As a father, I just want to quietly watch you live a long life Chapter 1776: 461: Are You Worthy to Covet the Great Saint's Remains? The Great Saint Returns Above Mo City Fengdu

"Does sacrificing your existence to defend a Qitian Temple God, who shares no connection to you, truly hold any significance?"

Lu Wenchang, the Dajing Emperor, spoke with a tone laced with thinly veiled derision.

The Black Bull Demon God Venerable brandished the Sea-crossing Purple Gold Beam, his eyes roiling with lethal intent, while the Cicada Pattern Ascetic Monk of the Western Regions Buddha Land remained detached. Zifu Zhang Wuji released a soft sigh, and Guanyin, the figure from the Purple Bamboo Forest, offered no reaction at all.

Since Fang Hanshu was resolute in blocking their path, he was effectively nullifying their chances, and they were in no mood to show mercy. Slaying Fang Hanshu would be seen as entirely justifiable in their eyes.

Watching from the shadows, Li Che, currently cloaked in the guise of the Slumbering Dragon Elephant, felt a frown crease his forehead.

Yet, Fang Hanshu let out a light laugh, and the spear in his grasp, crafted from the Vast River, began to vibrate intensely.

"In the scholarly tradition, we call it sacrificing oneself for righteousness."

"I cannot allow my naive sister to uphold the ancestral debt of this generation. That responsibility must belong to me."

Returning his gaze to the desolate Qitian Temple and the lone stone coffin within, Fang Hanshu exhaled softly.

"Qitian, you brought honor to the Fang name long ago. But now, as I fulfill this final watch... Qitian, Prison Lotus, my bloodline no longer owes you a thing."

"Chief, I leave this in your care."

As his whiskers whipped about in the gale, an intense, supernatural radiance exploded from Fang Hanshu’s eyes!

He suddenly crushed a piece of tortoiseshell he held, causing a warm luminescence to flow from his palm. Immediately, his own aura began a violent, rapid ascent.

Self-sacrifice for the sake of righteousness!

Giving one's life to uphold what is right!

...

Within the Second City of the Divine Capital, the nine-storied Octagonal Double-eave Water Tower loomed.

The Emperor appeared as a blurred entity, his form woven with divinity as golden sparks of Qi Fortune danced around him. The interior of the ninth level was vast and ethereal.

The Chief Supervisor rested upon the back of a Mystic Turtle, tightly gripping a shard of tortoiseshell.

At the threshold of this chamber, the Qintian Observatory’s Deputy Inspectors, Fang Shangzhen and Yue Taofu, kept a silent watch.

"Qitian, Prison Lotus, my Fang family... owe you nothing anymore. Chief, I entrust this to you."

The disembodied voice resonated through the entire ninth layer, seemingly projecting directly from the tortoiseshell held by the Chief Supervisor.

At the entry point, Fang Shangzhen snapped his head up, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Han Shu?"

The Chief Supervisor let out a gentle sigh. He tilted his head, his gaze swirling beneath his indistinct features as if he were reminiscing about the day a young scholar had come to him, claiming to be of the Hao Ran lineage rooted in the Qitian Temple.

"It is the Prison Lotus... it was the one that owed you."

Throughout the expansive void of the tower, the sound of soft, melancholy sighs continued to drift.

...

Boom—!!!

As Fang Hanshu’s aura pushed past its limits, the Black Bull Demon God Venerable, the Cicada Pattern Ascetic Monk, and the Witch God Priest wore expressions of sudden shift.

"Is this... the power of the Chief Supervisor? He is channeling the strength of Gongsu Gui!"

"The fool is courting death! He cannot hope to contain the earthly power of Gongsu Gui without being consumed!"

"Protecting Qitian? After all these ages, what worth remains? To lay down one's life for this? A total imbecile!"

Murmurs grew into a chorus of disdain. The powerful entities, having breached the gates, wasted no further time and surged forward in a coordinated assault to crush Fang Hanshu.

The authority of the Chief Supervisor was not something to be taken lightly. Even the Supremes of the great sects stood in wary respect of the Chief Evaluator, Gongsu Gui, for he alone could channel the very Will of Heaven and Earth.

Furthermore, time was a luxury they lacked; they were merely projecting facets of their power to hold back the growing presence of the Temple Guardian Curse Corpse King, not exerting their true selves. A swift conclusion was mandatory.

Before the Mysterious Temple, the air turned turbulent with violent, conflicting energies. Demon power, divine light, and the essence of disaster swept through like a tempest, creating deep, jagged tears in the very fabric of the void.

Li Che lifted his hand, brushing the Equal to Heaven’s Face mask. He exhaled a long, steady breath. He lacked any fanatic attachment to the ancient temple, but the thought of the Great Saint’s remains falling into these scavengers' hands was an intolerable insult. Did these beings truly dare to covet the legacy of the Great Saint?

Of course, if the odds proved impossible, he would retreat; survival and prudence were the core tenets of his path. However, now that the stage was set... it was time to intervene.

"Begin!"

With that silent command, the Equal to Heaven’s Face pulsated, and Li Che moved, his presence vanishing like a wisp of smoke.

Almost simultaneously, the four Demon Gods—Green Lion, Spirit Water, Nine-eyed, and Giant Claw—ignited their own demon energy, closing in behind the Black Bull Demon God Venerable, completely disregarding established hierarchies.

Just as the Black Bull Demon God Venerable was mid-swing with his Sea-crossing Purple Gold Beam, his momentum spent and waiting for the follow-through, he was caught off guard by the savage, sudden assault of the four subordinates.

Bang bang bang bang—!!!

Struck unexpectedly, the Black Bull Demon God Venerable bled as his flesh was rent by the sudden, betrayed violence.

"What are you fools doing?! You are courting death!"

The Demon God bellowed in a mix of shock and fury, his killing intent scorching the sky. Why had they turned on him?

Suddenly, he looked up, only to see a colossal, dark portal descending to swallow him whole. Fang Hanshu’s aura radiated brilliantly, his spear quivering as he recognized the gate.

It was the Mo City Fengdu—the very gateway to the Underworld!

Atop the Fengdu gate, a Divine Monkey stood firm. Golden Qi-blood erupted around him, and his presence surged like a cloak of shadows stretching for thousands of miles. It was as if... the Great Saint had truly returned.