<h4>Chapter 1361: Chapter 1358: Shadow Guard (Second Update)</h4><h4></h4>


    The guest room was quite nice, both exquisite and clean, and through the window, one could see the City Lord’s Mansion in the distance. Xue An was very satisfied with it.


    It seemed that the Vermilion Pavilion wasn’t just a fa?ade of a brothel; even its amodations were remarkable.


    "Young Master, what do you think of this guest room?" Ah Qing asked softly, her eyes shimmering with a seductive charm that seemed almost liquid.


    Xue An nodded, "It’s excellent! Thank you, Miss!"


    "I’m called Ah Qing!"


    "Then thank you, Miss Ah Qing!"


    Ah Qing burst intoughter as she looked at Xue An’s serious demeanor, then gracefully stepped forward and said tenderly, "Young Master, how do you intend to thank me for it?"


    Xue An calmly stepped back half a step and said indifferently, "What do you think?"


    "What I think is..." Ah Qing reached out her hand to touch Xue An, but just at that moment, she felt her footing slip, and her whole body uncontrobly lunged out of the room, nearly falling to the ground.


    Before she could steady herself, the heavy sound of the door mming shut resonated from behind, Xue An’s indifferent voice drifting out from within.


    "It’s alreadyte. I should rest now. Miss Ah Qing, please leave."


    Ah Qing stood dumbfounded at the doorway, her face suddenly flushed with shame and anger. Raising her hand to pound on the door, she hesitated, seemingly recalling something before stomping her foot in frustration and turning away.


    Inside the room, Xue Anughed faintly and then walked over to the window.


    Having cultivated for over three thousand years and witnessed countless grand scenes, he naturally wouldn’t put such trivial matters at heart.


    He quietly gazed at the distant City Lord’s Mansion as his Divine Sense spread outward like water, slowly enveloping the entire Vermilion Pavilion.


    At the same time.


    In a room on the top floor of the Vermilion Pavilion.


    A woman stood by the window, staring dazedly at the City Lord’s Mansion in the distance.


    She wore a magnificent long dress that entuated her slender and graceful figure. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, veiling her delicate features with a hint of allure.


    In short, from any perspective, this woman could be called an extraordinary beauty.


    But at this moment, her face was ghostly pale, her captivating eyes asionally shing with pain, and her hands tightly gripped the window frame, seemingly lost in agonizing memories.


    Just then, the door behind her was gently pushed open, and Ah Qing, now dressed in a proper outfit, tiptoed in.


    Even though her footsteps were light, they startled the woman out of her trance.


    The pain in the woman’s eyes instantly faded, her clenched hands released, yet she didn’t turn around, speaking calmly, "Do you have any new information?"


    Ah Qing shook her head, replying in a low voice, "Nothing for now. It’s just that this celebration seems more grand than ever; even many sects outside the ghost realm havee to offer their congrattions!"


    The woman was silent for a moment, then let out a coldugh, "Of course, the Destined Ghost Monarch wants the scale to be as grand as possible. After all, this time he even invited people from both the Ren Family and the Tan Family!"


    Ah Qing fell silent, but eventually mustered up the courage to speak softly, "Commander, are we truly confident in carrying out our n this time?"


    "Of course we’re confident!" The woman spun around abruptly, ring coldly at Ah Qing. "What? Are you afraid?"


    Ah Qing hastily knelt down, trembling, "I wouldn’t dare! I’m just worried. This time, even aristocrats from the depths of the ghost realm have shown up. Coupled with the scale of the celebration, how can we disrupt it with our limited forces?"


    The woman stared at Ah Qing, and only after a long pause did the coldness on her face subside. She sighed softly and said, "This doubt likely isn’t yours alone, is it?"


    Ah Qing lowered her head, saying, "Many of the sisters share the same concerns."


    The woman turned back to look at the City Lord’s Mansion outside the window and said faintly, "It’s normal for you all to have such doubts, especially since neither you nor the others here have always followed me."


    Hearing this, Ah Qing’s look turned to panic. She kowtowed repeatedly, trembling as she said,


    "Commander, we and the others in this pavilion have all benefitted greatly from your kindness. If it weren’t for you, we would have long since died. We hold no ulterior motives, only worries... After all..."


    "After all, their strength is overwhelming, while on our side, there’s only me as a topbatant, right?" The woman chuckled. "Stand up. I didn’t mean to me you!"


    Ah Qing rose shakily to her feet, though her face remained full of worry.


    "I shouldn’t have involved you in this matter, but the opportunity this time is too perfect! Even the elite offspring of noble families who seldom appear in the border ghost realm havee. I simply can’t let it slip by!" As she spoke, the woman clenched her hands tightly, her eyes shing with an intense hatred.


    "At the celebration, I will do my utmost to protect you all. If I truly cannot do it, then it will count as reiming the favor I lent you!"


    Her words made Ah Qing’s face turn pale in an instant. She wanted to say something more, but the woman shook her head and softly said, "Leave. Over the next few days, pay close attention to any movements within Destiny City and report any anomalies to me immediately!"


    Ah Qing’s expression wavered, but she finally bowed deeply and whispered, "Understood!"


    She then retreated respectfully.


    When the room was left with only the woman herself,rge teardrops began to fall from the corners of her eyes, her body trembling faintly.


    Yet amidst this silent weeping, the woman’s lips slowly curled into a bright, radiant smile.


    "Nether Monarch, can you see? The heirs of those noble families who once betrayed you have already fallen into my trap. Soon, I’ll make them all pay for what they did to you!"


    She murmured softly, her hands trembling as she retrieved a ckened Jade Decree from her bosom. On the Jade Decree, three words were etched in ghostly script:


    Shadow Guard.


    Her eyes filled with deep fondness as she gently kissed the Jade Decree, "Nether Monarch, I possess no great abilities, nor can I enter the depths of the ghost realm, surviving only in its outer edges. But this time, I am willing to avenge you!"


    As she spoke, her eyes turned ferocious, her long hair rising without wind, and a cloud of dark energy encircled her, like a devil’s shadow.


    The Jade Decree in her hand trembled incessantly, faintly revealing threads that extended into the unknown void.


    Meanwhile, in the room downstairs, Xue An slowly retracted his Divine Sense and sighed lightly, "So it truly is the Shadow Guard that he founded back then. No wonder the aura feels so familiar! However..."


    His lips curled into a yful smile. "They imed he was dead? Heh. Among all beings in the ghost realm, I wouldn’t be surprised by anyone’s death — except his..."


    Xue An enunciated each word firmly, "It’s absolutely impossible!"