My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

"Old lady," Gu Xiaoqi asked, puzzled, "Where is your child? We don't see anyone else around."

The old woman in front of them seemed to be just a frail elderly person, but Gu Xiaoqi sensed that things were not as simple as they appeared. The deserted city was already eerie enough, and the sudden appearance of this beggar woman made her even more vigilant.

Beside them, Zhe Liang had his right hand concealed behind him, with the Black Abyss flames beginning to burn. He couldn't discern the old woman's origins, but if she showed any signs of abnormal behavior, he would be ready to act. In the Mandala Arena, dangers were often more than one could imagine. Even in Underworld legends, records about Mandala Arena were from ancient times.

Back then, Underworld was far more prosperous, even rivaling the Immortal Realm. As a result, the restrictions here were a headache for the major forces. With more dangers than opportunities, no major force was willing to invest time and resources to develop the Mandala Arena.

"Child? Yes! Where did my child go? I hope he hasn't starved to death!" The beggar woman began to search anxiously, placing her broken bowl on the ground and rummaging through her filthy clothes.

After a while, she stopped. Her old eyes suddenly gleamed with a strange light, and a bizarre smile appeared on her face. "Found it! I found my child. He is here!" She smiled as she carefully pulled out a small pinky finger from her ragged pocket and held it up, mumbling, "Poor child, only this tiny bit left. Not even enough to fill a gap between teeth, and not enough to satisfy hunger."

She caressed the tiny finger tenderly, as if it were her child.

Suddenly, the beggar woman raised her head abruptly, lifting the tiny finger and staring intensely at Gu Xiaoqi with murky, deep eyes. "Child! You must be hungry too! Would you like a bite?"

As her words fell, a chilling aura enveloped the three of them. Under this aura, they found themselves unable to mobilize the power within their bodies. Only Zhe Liang's hidden right hand continued to burn with Black Abyss flames, though he couldn't lift it or launch an attack.

What was this? What kind of sinister technique had such a powerful restraining effect?

The restraint seemed to last only a moment, yet it was enough to make Zhe Liang's expression serious. He prepared to forcibly activate his innate abilities, covering himself with Black Abyss flames to resolve the crisis. However, doing so would result in backlash, making it difficult to use his innate abilities for a while.

Just as Zhe Liang was about to act, Gu Simu, standing still beside them, suddenly had a golden light appear before her. It was a talisman covered in symbols. As the talisman glowed with golden light, Gu Simu immediately regained her ability to move. Holding the talisman, she chanted, "The heavens and earth are calm, my path is prosperous... swift and true as the law commands!"

"Seal!"

This chant was something Gu Simu had learned from her father's stories. She didn't know if it was effective, but the chant itself was not important. What mattered was that the talisman her father had given her was the real key to countering these things. After chanting, she threw the talisman forcefully towards the beggar woman.

The talisman glowed with golden light in the air and then exploded.

"Child! Don't harm my child!" In the second before the explosion, the beggar woman's expression softened again as she clutched the tiny finger, protecting it with her body.

Boom!

A huge explosion ensued, and the golden light dispersed. The talisman turned to ashes in mid-air, and the beggar woman's location was left empty, as if nothing had ever happened. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire

"What was that just now?" Gu Xiaoqi was still filled with confusion. She had never encountered such a strange scene or such a bizarre restraining technique. Even though it lasted only a moment, it left her shaken. She turned to Zhe Liang, hoping to get answers from him. After all, Mandala Arena was part of the Underworld, and Zhe Liang had spent many years cultivating here, so he should know more.

"I don't know either. The Mandala Arena is a perilous place passed down from ancient times. Even in the Underworld, clues related to it are extremely scarce. Generally, Underworld forces only use its special restrictions for disciple assessments and trials. As for what lies deeper within the Mandala Arena, few forces know or investigate," Zhe Liang shook his head.

He wasn't sure about the origins of the beggar woman either, only sensing a presence similar to underworld energy within her.

Both of them were left without answers and turned their gaze to Gu Simu. At this moment, Gu Simu was taking out a stack of talismans from her Storage Ring, identical to the one used earlier. She handed half of the stack to Gu Xiaoqi and Zhe Liang respectively.

"Qiqi, here's yours. Uncle Zhe Liang, this is yours."

Zhe Liang was a bit stunned by the weighty talismans. These talismans were clearly not ordinary items and must have been crafted by their master himself. Was it really necessary to carry so many high-quality talismans while traveling?

"Uncle Zhe Liang, is there a shortage?" Seeing Zhe Liang's silence, Gu Simu thought she had given too few and pulled out another stack of talismans from her Storage Ring.

"That's enough! Enough!" Zhe Liang quickly took the talismans and put them away. After receiving them, he and Gu Xiaoqi seriously inquired about the talismans and the beggar woman's origins from Gu Simu. Judging by Gu Simu's actions, she seemed quite familiar with these matters.

"These talismans are called Exorcism Talisman! Although their highest quality is only at the Saint Stage, they are personally refined by my father. Exorcism Talismans are not very effective in combat, but they are very useful against some strange things.

My father said that since we are going to the Underworld, we should prepare some Exorcism Talismans," Gu Simu explained happily, holding up the thick stack of Exorcism Talismans.

Gu Xiaoqi was unfazed. Before their departure, Gu Lan had also given her a ring. However, she found it cumbersome and preferred to hone her skills, using only phoenix flames against enemies, so she didn't take it. With little Mumu, a mobile treasure trove, always with her, it didn't matter much whether she carried extra talismans or not.

Zhe Liang, on the other hand, felt his worldview had been shaken. He had seen the top disciples of various major forces in the Underworld, such as Holy Sons and Imperial Realm heirs, but in terms of wealth, those people were on a completely different level compared to their Little Princess.

After explaining the Exorcism Talismans, Gu Simu began to describe the beggar woman's background. "The old lady just now should be the legendary Nether Phantom! Nether Phantom, born from the Netherworld and the Phantom Realm, with unending obsessions, eternally unable to find release..."