Chapter 121 The End of Peace

The days of peace are coming to an end?

What does this mean?

Gu Shen paused, looking in the direction of the Inner Mausoleum, which was shrouded in golden light. Mr. Bai Shu closed the entrance to the Inner Mausoleum... The golden God Domain contracted, and layers of divine light gradually receded.

"Recently, there have been some changes in the Supreme Council. I will be in seclusion for a while."

Bai Shu said softly, "Perhaps because of the appearance of the 'Traveler,' the rate of source matter proliferation outside the Five Continents world is skyrocketing. After a while, the Supreme Council will hold a meeting... There may be gods leaving the Five Continents to see what exactly is happening outside the old world."

Gu Shen immediately became nervous.

If the Supreme Council is going to hold a meeting, wouldn't his identity as "Pluto" be exposed?

Pluto is dead, and no matter what happens, he is destined not to appear.

At such an important occasion, if Pluto does not appear... the other gods from the outer continents will definitely be suspicious.

"There are some things you don't need to worry about."

Bai Shu said gently, "If the sky falls, taller people will hold it up. The North Continent one and I have already set up the game and prepared some measures... You just need to focus on your cultivation. Do whatever you want when you encounter something, without too much consideration."

There is nothing in this world more reassuring than this sentence.

Gu Shen looked at the glittering Inner Mausoleum, his eyes somewhat complicated. He felt that the burden on his shoulders had lightened a lot, and he felt a sense of good fortune at this moment.

He was born in the worst of times.

The God of War of the Eastern Continent fell, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

But this is also the best of times.

Mr. Bai Shu refined the Fire Seed and held up this crumbling sky for him... If there was no new Fighting God, then how long could he maneuver under the covetous eyes of the outer continent gods, how long could he survive?

Gu Shen took a deep breath.

The days of peace are about to end... No matter how strong Mr. Bai Shu is, he is ultimately just one person.

He must grow up as soon as possible.

Gu Shen left the mausoleum and returned to God's Shrine Mountain.

In the days that followed, Gu Shen wholeheartedly focused all his energy on cultivation.

……

……

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these seven days, Gu Shen and Chu Ling accompanied each other on the summit of God's Shrine Mountain, watching the flowers bloom and wither, watching the intertwining of black and white.

During this time, Gu Shen concentrated on tempering the "Fire of Life."

As Bai Shu said, if you want to go further in the eighth layer of the Deep Sea, then there is no shortcut—

Accumulating "Domain Embryo" is an inevitable chore!

Fortunately, he has the Looking-On Mindset, and with his heart as still as water, his cultivation is twice as effective with half the effort. Although these small flames grow slowly, he can still see that they are gradually growing stronger every day.

And Chu Ling is cultivating "Ancient Texts."

After being born, she was not interested in transcendent cultivation, but rather had a desire to explore the lost "Forbidden Ancient Texts"... But this is also in line with common sense. The time of her birth is limited, and transcendent cultivation is destined to be a long process. If she focuses on cultivation, she may not achieve very good results, and will only waste time.

And if she studies Ancient Texts, as a super AI, her thinking ability, memory depth, and deduction speed will provide unprecedented enhancement. In this field, she is an unprecedented "Bug-level" existence.

There is no fixed direction in one's life.

Everyone has the right to choose to pursue what they "love."

Fortunately, Chu Ling found her life's direction not long after she was born.

For these seven days, she stayed with Gu Shen. She taught Li Qingci the art of divination, and began to learn the Li family's forbidden art of prayer that has been passed down for six hundred years... The study of Ancient Texts is a long process. Li Qingci is not Chiye, her learning speed is very slow, and the teaching speed is also very slow. According to this progress, one birth is far from enough to learn.

Chu Ling is not in a hurry.

She came to the world not to live for "learning."

She enjoys every breath of air and every ray of sunshine she sees in this world... Just like that, on the evening of the seventh day, as the sun set, the time of Chu Ling's "birth" reached its end.

Gu Shen and she stood on the summit of God's Shrine Mountain. The haze that had enveloped this place all year round had dissipated for the most part, revealing the dome clouds above the Mystic Realm, and a wisp of bright and pale moonlight.

The setting sun sank into the earth, and the long night ushered in its prologue.

Day after day.

Every living being on the earth will welcome this transition.

However... tonight is the last night of Chu Ling's "life." She sat on the top of the mountain, barefoot, swinging her feet like Li Qingsui. The mountain spring water flowed gurglingly, washing the tail of her red dress and white shirt. She pressed her hands between the jagged rocks, her snow-white fingers vaguely illusory, as if scattering into light.

"This is the first time I've seen such bright moonlight on God's Shrine Mountain."

Chu Ling raised her head, her voice filled with a smile.

Gu Shen sat down like her, the hem of his black trench coat fluttering in the air.

"The moonlight is indeed very beautiful tonight..."

The black flowers on the mountaintop have been mostly removed.

Although these numbers are just a drop in the bucket compared to the "pollution" of the entire God's Shrine Mountain... this is a good start. Everything in the world needs a sign before it gets better.

Even if it's just a little bit.

The waterfall gurgled, and the wind blew by, carrying snow-white petals.

Chu Ling stretched out her hand, and with two slender fingers, she picked up a petal and casually placed it between her temples. She liked white flowers very much, not only because these flowers were beautiful... but also because they heralded "life" and "hope." Most people are always full of expectations and love for things they have never truly possessed.

Chu Ling hummed a little tune.

She couldn't remember what the specific tune was... It seemed to emerge from her memory. This was not her ability, but the talent and instinct she possessed after transforming into a human.

She would be sad and shed tears when she encountered sad things.

She would be happy and jump for joy when she encountered happy things.

And at this moment, about to part, her emotions were between the two... The four bronze lanterns that bestowed life seemed to encompass all the emotions of the world in a meticulous manner.

But how could the "emotions" possessed by a living person be as simple as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness?

How could four words outline and describe everything a person experiences in their life?

She lived again.

This time, she saw the forests of Lintz, saw the sea of ​​the Rhine, she traveled with her beloved, watching the sunrise and sunset, the rising and falling tides... But now, it was time to part again.

This little tune sounded like the wind of the new night, melodious and light, but it would actually dissipate in a moment, and would never stay until the next day, and there would never be the exact same tune again.

She hummed softly.

Gu Shen also listened quietly.

"That's really strange..."

After the song ended, Chu Ling asked with a smile, "Obviously my spirit is still in the Deep Sea after my body dissipates, and obviously I know we will see each other again in the future... Why do I still feel sad in my heart at this moment?"

Gu Shen was silent for a long time.

He said softly, "Perhaps it's because you can't really be sure that we will have another meeting."

This is not a gentle love word.

But it awakened Chu Ling.

Yes... she is ultimately just a wisp of ethereal spirit, without a real physical body. To "live," she needs to rely on the "God Well" of God's Shrine Mountain to accumulate source matter and store energy.

But the "God Well" is not stable.

Even she herself doesn't know when the next birth will be.

Or... will there really be another birth?

"So that's how it is..."

Chu Ling's eyes were somewhat enlightened, she was still smiling, "So my sadness is because every parting of ours may be a farewell."

"I don't know about other things, but I know... at least this parting will not be a farewell."

Gu Shen said seriously, "I will do my best to maintain the order of God's Shrine Mountain. When I refine the Fire Seed and take charge of life and death, I will find a 'body' that will last forever in the world for you. I will let you truly... live."

Chu Ling stared blankly at Gu Shen.

She would find these words funny no matter who else in the world said them.

Even those gods of the Supreme Council are the same...

They can't do such a thing!

But if it's Gu Shen, maybe he really can do it...

"Oh... I suddenly became happy."

There was some more smile on Chu Ling's face, she asked with emotion, "I just realized that I'm the same as other women, I like to hear oaths of eternal love, I like those ethereal things. Gu Shen, are those things you just said... love words?"

"Of course not."

Gu Shen shook his head, revealing a smile, "This is not an ethereal thing, this is something I will definitely do in the future, no matter what."

"Okay. I remember, my memory is very good."

The moonlight and the waterfall flowed together, gurgling in harmony.

"Pinky promise."

Chu Ling stared at Gu Shen seriously, she stretched out her little finger.

Unfortunately, from this moment on, her body began to turn into light feathers. The process of turning into light feathers began from her fingertips. Her whole person became ethereal and illusory under the illumination of the moonlight... She actually turned into pieces of light feathers, and finally only a fluttering, thin red and white sacrificial robe remained.

Gu Shen stretched out his finger, but before he could interlock fingers.

Chu Ling beside him disappeared into the evening breeze.

He jumped forward lightly, stretched out his palm in the waterfall, grabbed the sacrificial robe that was fluttering in the wind, and finally fell into the pool at the bottom of God's Shrine Mountain... Countless broken spirits sank into the Deep Sea at the moment of falling.

The moment Chu Ling, whose consciousness returned to nothingness, opened her eyes, she saw Gu Shen who "fell" with her.

Gu Shen stretched out his finger to the illusory woman in front of him, and smiled, adding the second half of the unfinished sentence: "Well... pinky promise, never change for a hundred years."

……

……

"Whirr..."

In the pool, Gu Shen emerged from the water. Not far from him, a graceful figure in white was standing awkwardly.

Tonight is the time for the goddess to return to the God Well.

Li Qingci was very sensible and went down the mountain early, cleaning alone under God's Shrine Mountain, giving Gu Shen and Chu Ling time to be alone... But she never expected that she would still run into them.

Gu Shen carried Chu Ling's clothes and climbed out of the pool, smiling helplessly, "Miss Qingci."

"Mr. Gu... Miss Chu has gone back?"

Li Qingci looked at the clothes, her eyes somewhat regretful.

During these few days, she learned a lot by following Chu Ling to study the Forbidden Ancient Texts, but unfortunately her talent was dull and her progress was extremely slow, and she could not be compared with Chu Ling.

Chu Ling taught, and she learned, but the speed was slow.

She taught, and Chu Ling learned, and the progress was rapid.

Fortunately, Miss Chu had a gentle temperament and was not in a hurry, otherwise her heart would be filled with guilt...

"Yes. I'm afraid it will take some time before we meet again next time."

Gu Shen circulated the Fiery Fire, and a burst of hot steam emanated from his body.

The cold water of the pool on his body was evaporated in just a few seconds.

After all, his ability is "Fire." After cultivating to the eighth layer of the Deep Sea, baking clothes is a matter of a thought. After a thought, Gu Shen's trench coat returned to dryness, and he no longer looked as embarrassed as before.

"It's a pity that I didn't have time to thank Miss Chu." Li Qingci looked regretful.

"Have you forgotten? She is the goddess of God's Shrine Mountain... She is everywhere."

Gu Shen smiled and pointed to the dome clouds swirling above the sky, "She will definitely be able to hear what you really want to say."

God's Shrine Mountain is now covered by Chu Ling's "consciousness."

"Mr. Gu..."

Li Qingci climbed the mountain with Gu Shen, she hesitated for a moment, and still opened her mouth, "I want to ask some questions about 'Divination'..."

Gu Shen paused, his expression strange.

On the surface, he is a disciple of Master Chiye.

But in reality, the only person who knows the art of divination is Chu Ling.

It's not that he is afraid of paying the "price," but that the art of divination is really not suitable for him. His understanding speed is very slow, and the divination effect is very poor.

What's more, he now has two Destiny sets, the "Bracelet" and the "Pendant." Minor matters can be predicted through these two sealed items... The art of divination seems a bit useless.

"Ask." Gu Shen adjusted his tone and said, "I will tell you everything I know."

"Actually, it's not about the difficulties in cultivating 'Divination'..." Li Qingci smiled bitterly.

Hearing this, Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Because I am not qualified to say that I have encountered 'difficulties.'" Li Qingci said shamefully, "My progress is really too slow in cultivating the art of divination. It often takes a whole day to understand an Ancient Text... At this rate, even if Miss Chu is really patient, I will be too embarrassed to keep bothering her."

The learning of divination is destined to be a long process.

This is the reason why, looking at the Five Continents, only Chiye and "Mr. Yan" of the Origin Tower have mastered Forbidden Arts for so many years!

It's not that they are unwilling to teach, nor is it that other people are unwilling to learn.

It's that they can't teach, and other people can't learn!

Like Chu Ling, who was born out of nowhere and quickly mastered "Forbidden Arts," is really the only special existence in six hundred years.

Li Qingci looked at Gu Shen and said sincerely, "Mr. Gu, if you are going to seclude yourself in God's Shrine Mountain in the future, can you spare a little time in your spare time to teach me 'Divination'?"

Li Qingci's meaning is very clear... She wants to work hard secretly and cultivate diligently.

Seeing that Gu Shen didn't speak, she quickly added, "If you are always very busy, then you don't need to pay attention to me, just pretend I don't exist. I often need to study an Ancient Text for a long time, a very long time."

This request gave Gu Shen a headache.

It's not that he doesn't want to teach... but he really doesn't have the ability.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Shen asked, "Miss Qingci, are you clear... about the price that needs to be paid for divination?"

"I know."

Li Qingci's voice was very small, "To use divination, you need to offer your 'body.' Depending on the goal of 'seeing' the future, the amount of body that needs to be paid is also different... The caster will gradually disintegrate, and the whole process starts from the hands and is irreversible."

After a slight pause.

Li Qingci murmured, "Miss Chu has already told me about this price."

"Since you know..." Gu Shen said in a deep voice, "As a caster who uses 'Prayer Art' a lot, don't you know how heavy the price of this Forbidden Art is?"

She and Chu Ling are different!

Chu Ling can avoid the punishment of Forbidden Arts to a certain extent!

But she can't, a mere mortal, all prices must be borne by herself!

"Qingci is just a remnant, why is she worth cherishing?"

Li Qingci shook her head and smiled self-deprecatingly, "You know, I won't live long anyway. If death is destined to come, then whether I die from the end of my lifespan or from physical disintegration... does it matter? If I can successfully cultivate 'Divination,' then when Mr. Gu and Miss Chu are not in God's Shrine, I can also help a little. Maybe one day, I can see the sunshine outside. Qingsui is still young, she always needs someone she can trust, silently standing behind her."

Hearing this, Gu Shen was sincerely silent.

"Mr. Gu..."

Li Qingci opened her mouth again, but her voice was interrupted by Gu Shen.

"If you really want to cultivate Ancient Texts, take these things first."

Gu Shen took out a stack of drawings from his Pure Land Domain. These were the Ancient Texts of the "Art of Longevity" that were left in the small town of Lintz. The specific decryption of the Ancient Texts is still being processed by Chu Ling in the Deep Sea's background. This is a learning process that is even longer than divination... But once the "Art of Longevity" is mastered, then Li Qingci's biggest problem can be solved.

Nothing is more important than delaying her broken life.

With the Li family's vast resources, and Li Qingsui's current authority, it is not difficult to pull a few "death row inmates" out of prison from time to time to extend her sister's life.

The biggest problem encountered by the ruler of the Art of Longevity, which is circulated in the world, is often the "fear" brought about by "greed."

Yin En obtained the "Art of Longevity," deceiving the world and stealing his name, hiding from the world, for fear that others would know that he was studying such a "resurrection" Forbidden Art in the Ancient Text Laboratory.

So he can only live in the dark, he can only live alone!

"This is?"

Li Qingci was stunned.

"This is the incomplete drawing of the 'Art of Longevity.'"

Gu Shen looked directly into Li Qingci's eyes, and he said slowly, "The reason why you want to desperately cultivate 'Divination' is not because you deeply feel that you don't have much time... Now, you might as well think about whether to choose to burn desperately in a limited time, or choose to make your burning time longer. The power of these two futures is in your hands at this moment, you can choose yourself."

"The burning time... becomes longer?"

Li Qingci never expected that there was such a terrifying Forbidden Art in this world. Is longevity the longevity she understands?

"This art is a true evil art." Gu Shen said calmly, "You live, and someone has to die... It's just that there are many people in this world who deserve to die, and people die every minute and every second. With the Li family's power, you can solve the 'worries,' the only problem you have to face is to fight against the price of 'Art of Longevity.'"

"Wait, what is the price of longevity?"

Li Qingci suddenly woke up.

Every Forbidden Art requires a price to be paid!

Divination is the disintegration of the body, prayer is the burning of life... So what is the price of longevity?

What else can make the "Longevity Person" regard it as a price?

"Currently, I only know... you will absorb the spirits of the 'dead,' and your spiritual sea will be filled with the memories of scapegoats. If you live too long, then you may forget your true identity..." Gu Shen said seriously, "But I'm not sure if this is the only side effect."

Cold sweat had already oozed out of Li Qingci's back.

"Sorry, this is the only thing I can do."

Gu Shen said regretfully, "Actually, I haven't learned 'Divination,' so I can't help you with the cultivation of divination... If you want to learn divination as soon as possible, you have found the wrong person to ask. But I know that this incomplete drawing of the 'Art of Longevity' may allow you to live a little longer."

He doesn't want Li Qingci to die like this.

She is a good girl.

She should see what the outside world looks like.

"I..."

Li Qingci was a little confused, she grasped the drawing, and was a little lost.

Gu Shen asked, "Does the current Li family really need you to burn like this?"

The chaos in Nagano has been quelled.

Under the assistance of Uncle Gao, Li Qingsui is rebuilding the discipline of the Elder Council, constantly clearing out dissidents, and at the same time recovering the confidants left by the former Patriarch. The Li family may step by step show an unprecedented "glorious posture" in nearly a hundred years.

At this time, no matter how hard Li Qingci pays, it is just "icing on the cake."

Gu Shen's soul question made her fall into thinking.

Yes.

Does the current Li family really need her, the protector, to burn so much?

She has always believed in the legacy of her ancestors, and she has been conscientious and dared not relax for a moment, just because the sky above God's Shrine is still shrouded in haze, just because the Li family is the weakest among the five families...

But now, the haze has broken, and the God's Shrine has gradually recovered its light.

"It's always good to live longer."

Gu Shen patted Li Qingci on the shoulder, took out the stack of drawings from her hand, and said softly, "Perhaps, you still have a third choice... Do nothing, care about nothing, from today, whether it is divination, prayer, or longevity, forget everything."

"Then... what should I do?"

Li Qingci looked lost.

"Live."

Gu Shen said word by word, "What you have to do is live. Then do what you want to do, do what you like to do."

……

……

In the end, Gu Shen still left a few Ancient Text drawings and put them in the old house of God's Shrine.

His limit is limited.

Giving the "Art of Longevity" may not be the best policy.

But as Li Qingci said, she is already a remnant, in this case, what is more important than living?

Everyone has the right to choose their own life...

If Li Qingci really chooses the "Art of Longevity," Gu Shen will not object, and he will try his best to help Li Qingci avoid the price of the "Art of Longevity."

It's just that this art is more difficult to cultivate than divination. If Li Qingci wants to cultivate, she needs to spend a lot of time. These few drawings are enough for her to understand for a while. During this time, she can also calm down.

Whether it is cultivating divination or longevity, she has a final choice.

That is to only learn, not use.

The next days passed quickly.

Gu Shen no longer secluded himself, but walked in the mountains of God's Shrine Mountain, picking black flowers along the way, tempering and transforming them with the "Fire of Life," turning the picked black flowers into vibrant small white flowers.

This is exactly the cultivation method he has explored to expand and strengthen his Domain Embryo!

If he doesn't go out of the fortress, then the Mystic Realm of God's Shrine can be called a cultivation paradise!

There are countless "disordered source matters" here, which can allow the Fiery Fire to continuously devour and grow stronger... It can also supplement the growth required by the "Pure Land World" and complete the last wish of the Li family's ancestors. It is only a matter of time.

Gu Shen felt that the number of black flowers on God's Shrine Mountain seemed large in the early years, but as his realm rose, when he really cultivated... these black flowers might not be enough for him to devour.

The evolution of "Fiery Fire" alone may exhaust the source matter of this entire Mystic Realm!

If you want to build a "Pure Land" to accommodate an army of undead, then the source matter of God's Shrine Mountain is far from enough.

He needs to prepare in advance.

These days, Gu Shen established a spiritual link with the "Golden Grain Flower" far away in the Northern Continent and issued a new command... to explore a new "nest" in the old world of the North, and to find a gentle "source matter land" as much as possible.

If he successfully refines the Fire Seed of Pluto in the future, then the matter of drawing source matter will definitely continue.

The Golden Grain Flower is having a great time roaming in the old world of the North.

Since leaving, it has tasted the taste of freedom... No creature in this world does not yearn for freedom. Gu Shen did not restrain this big guy too much. After washing away the "spiritual brand" left by the former Pluto, he completely opened the authority of the Golden Grain Flower. Even if he saw the teacher and senior sister encountering a snowstorm in the Traveler's vision, he still believed that the three of them had hope of surviving and returning.

Among the Five Continents, what is a better exploration tool than the "Golden Grain Flower"?

Even an apostle who has obtained the "Relic" may not be able to walk faster and further than it!

The big guy does not need to be fed and will find food on its own. Every once in a while, it will transmit the route it has traveled and the scenery it has seen back with its spirit... This is a priceless map of the outside world!

Even cannot invade the internal network of the Northern Continent Investigation Corps.

It can be seen how important the Northern Continent military values the information resources of the old world—

If this exploration continues, then the value of the "Old World Map" constantly expanded by the Golden Grain Flower will not be inferior to the secret treasures of the Investigation Corps over the years.

Gu Shen's cultivation on God's Shrine Mountain was peaceful and fulfilling, and half a year passed.

Many things happened in this half year—

Chu Ling condensed her body for the third time, reunited with Gu Shen for the third time, and then parted for the third time.

Li Qingci once gave up the research on the Art of Longevity drawings, but picked them up again.

The sun rose and the moon set, the stars shifted.

This half year, it seemed like nothing had happened.

Nagano is peaceful, and Dongzhou is peaceful. Gu Shen, who walks and stops in the mountains of God's Shrine, is also in an unprecedentedly peaceful mood. He has dyed half of the cliff's black flowers white.

If possible, he hopes that this peace will continue forever...

It's just a pity.

In the early autumn of God's Shrine Mountain, this peace was broken.

……

……

(ps: This chapter is 7k words~ Double monthly pass will start on the 29th, I will update more, please ask for a monthly pass~)