73: Chapter 73: The Little Thing About My Brother Taking Me Out for the Holiday

"We're already at the door, what are you standing there for? Come in."

The voice wasn't loud, yet it was like a needle, instantly piercing the almost solidified atmosphere of tension at the scene.

Xu Mo's right foot, which was just about to step forward, hung awkwardly in mid-air, unsure whether to retract it or place it down.

Lin Sa nearly dropped the dagger in her hand.

Pei Duo shuddered. Why did this voice sound so familiar?

The three of them turned their necks stiffly, like rusted clockwork dolls.

The next second.

Xu Mo's finger, which was pushing up his glasses, froze in mid-air, and the CPU of his previously finely tuned brain instantly burned out.

Lin Sa's mouth hung slightly open; the top assassin's cool expression management completely collapsed.

In the live stream room, the online viewership, which had just broken one billion, seemed to have hit the pause button, and the barrage area fell into a strange vacuum.

Deep within the skull cave, which had previously radiated terrifying pressure and which Xu Mo had analyzed as 'nine deaths and one life,'

A figure was strolling out casually.

The person approaching wore a loose, light gray hooded sweatshirt, paired with a pair of faded jeans, and on his feet were sneakers stained with mud. His appearance was exactly like a friendly neighbor who had just gone downstairs to grab breakfast.

The most outrageous part was.

He was holding a bottle of happy water, twisting the cap open with a 'hiss,' and taking a big gulp.

"Hiccup—"

A loud soda hiccup echoed at the silent gate of the maya Underworld.

"Brother?!"

Pei Duo's eyeballs nearly popped out, and her voice cracked.

Pei Fei.

The Eastern Underworld Son of Heaven who once slew gods and demons with a single sword was now standing at the gate of the foreign Underworld, sizing up the fully armed trio with a look reserved for the village idiot of a wealthy landlord.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Two neat, dull thuds sounded, without any hesitation—it was purely muscle memory in their knees.

Before Xu Mo and Lin Sa could even process the question, 'Why is His Majesty here?', their bodies had already given the most honest response.

The underworld emissary token on their bodies sensed the superior aura originating from the very source, and an irresistible downward pull began to drag the two of them.

Their knees buckled, and they immediately performed the standard single-knee kneeling salute to Pei Fei.

Xu Mo lowered his head, staring at the dark earth before him, while a level-twelve tsunami raged in his heart.

It wasn't an illusion!

That tremor from the depths of his soul, that pressure akin to facing a vast abyss... This was the true form of the legendary His Majesty!

The real deal!

"Hey, hey, hey, alright, alright, why are you kneeling the moment you meet me?"

Pei Fei waved his hand helplessly. "This isn't Luofeng Mountain, and I'm not wearing my work uniform. This is a private gathering, so relax."

Xu Mo shakily raised his head; his usual composure had long since gone to the dogs.

His tongue was even tied: "Y-Your Majesty? Why are you here? Could it be... this is also an ambush targeting you?"

As soon as he said this, Lin Sa also tensed up, gripping her dagger tighter.

What level of trap would be capable of trapping the Underworld Son of Heaven?

"Ambush?"

Pei Fei paused for a moment, then burst out laughing as if he had heard the joke of the year.

"Hahaha! Ambush? Are you talking about those Mayans inside who are currently rehearsing a show?"

"Talented! If you people don't go write suspense novels, it would be a waste of your potential."

Pei Fei walked up to the three of them, saying with a relaxed expression:

"Didn't we just take over the Aztec territory the other day? There's an old acquaintance from the Maya Pantheon here."

"They are holding some kind of 'Carnival' these few days."

"I thought Duo Duo was bored staying cooped up in the hospital room all day, so I talked to them, brought you all over to have some fun, broaden your horizons, and take a vacation."

Saying this, Pei Fei complained somewhat disdainfully:

"Originally, I wanted them to teleport you directly to the inner arena. Who knew these barbarians have been in isolation for too long? They don't even know how to open a dungeon instance, so they dumped you at the main entrance."

"So, I just came out to meet you."

This time, the silence was so profound that not even the sound of the wind could be heard.

Xu Mo, Lin Sa, and the one billion viewers in front of the screen had their worldviews repeatedly ground into the dirt.

[ (IP: Dragon Country) 666! I'm calling it right now! What the hell is a Carnival! I thought it was a certain-death situation, but it turned out to be a subsidized tour? ]

[ (IP: Kimchi Country) Sibal... We thought Carnival was the dungeon name, but it's a real carnival? ]

[ (IP: USA) Is this what an Eastern insider connection looks like? Doesn't that maya Underworld need to save face? Did a mythical dungeon turn into a party? ]

[ (IP: Dragon Country) 'The Trivial Matter of My Brother Taking Me to the Festival'? Didn't Strategist Xu just analyze for half a day, and it was all nonsense? Feel sorry for the Strategist for a second! ]

Xu Mo felt a dizzying sensation.

The 'Trembling Canyon' and 'Labyrinth of Lies' he had analyzed for so long, the meticulously planned strategies...?

Had he been engaging in a battle of wits with thin air the entire time?

They weren't here to kill; they were here to vacation!

"Brother... you scared me to death!"

Pei Duo finally snapped back to her senses, rushed forward, and punched Pei Fei. Her eyes were red. "I thought a war was about to break out again!"

"What war? We are civilized people; we value winning people over with virtue. Stop with all the fighting and killing."

Pei Fei dotingly rubbed Pei Duo's hair, then seemed to remember something and held out his hand to her.

"Right, Duo Duo, that xuan qing daoist robe... you brought it, right?"

Pei Duo was stunned and pulled out the neatly folded black Imperial Robe from her qiankun bag. "I brought it. What's wrong? Do you want to wear it? Didn't you just say this was a private team-building event?"

Pei Fei looked at the robe and his face twisted into a mask of pain. He sighed:

"Sigh, hurry up and give it to me."

"You don't know how much Grand Tutor nags me in my ear every day."

"Saying things like 'The Imperial Robe is a vital treasure of the nation and cannot be easily lent out,' and 'Dignity cannot be abandoned; when etiquette collapses, music is ruined'... It makes my head buzz. If I don't take it back now, he'll write another ten-thousand-word memorial to annoy me."

Xu Mo: "..."

Lin Sa: "..."

Pei Fei took the robe and casually draped it over his arm. With his other hand, he magically pulled out a new can of cola from his pocket and twisted it open.

"Alright, stop standing around like statues."

He turned and walked toward the pitch-black skull cave, waving his hand back at the three.

"Let's go, the performance inside is about to start. I heard there's a 'Head Soccer Match' this time; it should be lively."

The three exchanged glances.

In the end, it was the carefree Pei Duo who followed along: "Brother, Head Soccer? Do they really kick heads? Won't that be really hard?"

"Who knows? If they get kicked broken, they can just grow another one, right?"

The siblings chatted about everyday matters as they swaggered into the 'Mouth of Terror,' which represented death.

Xu Mo and Lin Sa followed behind as if sleepwalking.

As they passed the cave entrance, Xu Mo subconsciously glanced at the S-rank guardian owl that had been ready to eat them moments ago.

The giant beast, which had previously looked majestic and imposing, was now tucking in its neck, trying its best to squeeze its massive body into the shadow of the rocks, wishing it could vanish on the spot.

The moment Pei Fei passed by, it even made a remarkably human gesture, pressing the tips of its wings together in front of it and bowing its head deeply.

The posture was exactly like a doorman at a five-star hotel bowing and shouting, "Welcome!"

Xu Mo pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath of the sulfur-smelling air.

He suddenly felt that this smell...

Didn't seem so pungent anymore.

After all, this was the entrance ticket to the 'Carnival.'