Life or death, that is the question.

This is a question that lies before all people in the world, a question that requires a lifetime of exploration.

But at this moment, Meng Xiao did not think it was a question... He was a transcendent who had completed the tenth level mental test in the deep-water area, advanced to the fourth order, and controlled his domain.

And Gu Shen was only at the early third order.

The huge gap between the two made him not need to consider the result of this battle at all. Victory or defeat, life or death, these were things that only the weak needed to consider.

"The place you want to escape to doesn't seem to be here, does it?"

Zhen Yue raised his head.

Although the bottom of the River Styx was very dark, some scenes could still be seen under the illumination of the blazing light... This great river had not been set foot on by living beings for countless years, and the large rocks at the bottom of the river showed a withered and decaying appearance under the dim light.

For ordinary people, such a scene did not have much to remember.

But for transcendents...

It was different.

Every section of the River Styx's bottom was different.

During the previous pursuit, Gu Shen seemed to have a very "clear" destination. However, after chasing him here, all directions were dark and silent. It was obvious that this Eastern Continent native was afraid of finding something in the River Styx, so he chose to change his route.

Gu Shen, of course, would not answer Meng Xiao's question.

He grinned, took out the Ruler of Truth, and under the envelopment of the blazing fire spiritual power, a wisp of dark black light permeated from the silver-white ruler, gathering in his palm and turning into a slender, curved object.

It was a longbow covered in silver dragon scales.

From afar...

This longbow exuded the same aura of silent destruction as the Black River water, making people's hearts palpitate.

The Ruler of Truth could freely create any form.

All of this was constructed according to the master's spiritual power.

Theoretically... as long as the spiritual power was strong enough, the Ruler of Truth could unleash the maximum destructive power of any weapon within the rules!

It would take a lot of spiritual power to condense such a large bow.

However, the truth was not so.

Gu Shen simply visualized a "bow shape" in his mind and left it to the Ruler of Truth to transform on its own. He then began to conceive his next attack. He didn't have much energy to outline the details of this longbow. The dragon scales and the intense killing intent emanating from its surface were all the work of that boring devil inside the Ruler.

After the deal was reached, this guy had made up his mind not to interfere anymore. Now that the good show was finally here, he very considerately carved lifelike dragon scales for Gu Shen. ノ亅丶說壹2З

After the light condensed, Gu Shen raised an eyebrow.

The devil explained indifferently, "This great bow is called 'Extinguished Candle.' It was the beloved item of some incredible fellow. According to your current grading standards, it's a definite 'S-level' sealed item. Of course, what you're holding now is a fake. It would be great if it could unleash one-tenth or one-twelfth of its destructive power."

A fake?

Just a fake was enough to make one feel its weight!

Gu Shen rubbed the weight of the Dragonscale Bow in disbelief. He muttered, "...I didn't agree to any other deals." After a pause, Gu Shen asked warily, "There won't be any other 'charges,' will there?"

"Free," the devil said, amused and annoyed. "With such a powerful enemy in front of you, do you still need to be so wary of me?"

Gu Shen was still wary. "Why would you be so kind as to provide this kind of special service?"

"Don't get me wrong, I just simply hate the 'aura of light'," the devil said gloomily. "The taste of running for my life on the mountain just now was very unpleasant, wasn't it? Since the Light Divine Seat didn't descend successfully... then I can't just let this Child of Blessing shit and piss on my head, can I?"

The language was crude.

But the reasoning was very real.

Gu Shen smiled softly. "Very good... you've finally seen the light."

"Take it, devils can be generous from time to time."

The black shadow on the throne waved his hand leisurely, extremely generous. He picked up the blood-colored goblet again, composed and at ease. "What's more, the things that are free are the most expensive... aren't they?"

Gu Shen was stunned for a moment.

The next moment.

The sound of the River Styx water shattering entered his spiritual sea.

The blazing flames that were floating in all directions immediately captured the anomaly.

A beam of light shot out, piercing through the River Styx water, and blasted directly towards Gu Shen's location—

On Black Snow Mountain, at their first encounter, Meng Xiao used this move.

The Light Blessing on his chest could be amplified and condensed through his robes, turning into extremely pure energy and blasting out!

This was a heavy blow with great power.

Normally, one should retreat.

But at this moment, Gu Shen inexplicably raised the Dragonscale Bow.

Empty draw!

The fake [Extinguished Candle], condensed from spiritual power, its bowstring also forged from the silver light of the Ruler of Truth, was instantly drawn to its fullest by Gu Shen. The silver-white dragon scales instantly became scorching hot, and agitated a burning golden color!

Gu Shen released his fingers. Because there was no arrow nocked, [Extinguished Candle] only shot out an invisible sonic wave.

"Rumble—"

The black water shattered.

A wisp of strange light bloomed from Gu Shen's fingertips as he released the bowstring!

This silent [Extinguished Candle] sonic wave directly met the countless beams of light and crashed into the Light Blessing's eruption!

The next moment, Meng Xiao, who had struck first, abruptly constricted his pupils. The area in front of him had originally been enveloped by extreme light, but now a small wisp of darkness appeared!

The Blessing Power roared out, enveloping Gu Shen. The surging and boundless flames of light should have directly drowned that Eastern Continent youth... however, a wisp of silent rhythm swept past, and his Blessing light pillar actually shattered from the middle!

That wisp of darkness was the color of the River Styx water!

"Swish!"

An extremely light sound swept past.

Meng Xiao was slightly stunned. He reached out his palm, stroking his cheek, feeling warmth and moisture... Countless lights enveloped him, and the surrounding Black River water was blocked. At this moment, the moisture on his cheek could only be the sensation of blood flowing down.

He looked at the scarlet red in his palm.

His expression became solemn.

The arrow just now was too fast, so fast that he couldn't see it clearly, and he didn't even have time to dodge...

It actually broke through [Obscured Moon]? He looked at Gu Shen again, his eyes narrowed slightly. No, there wasn't even an arrow on the bowstring just now.

An empty draw had such power?

Was that Dragonscale Bow the sealed item that Gu Shen had been concealing and hiding all along?

At this moment, Meng Xiao also realized something, and that was that he was wearing robes, wristbands, and blessed, which could be said to be the chosen one... However, Gu Shen on the other side was also an S-class from the Eastern Continent, a chosen one in another sense.

There was never just one monster or genius in this world.

Even the Divine Seats numbered seven.

And creation and opportunity would naturally not be seized by just one person.

He gently exhaled a breath.

From their initial encounter at the banquet, to his unsuccessful challenge at the training ground later, and finally their meeting at Black Snow Mountain... His attitude towards Gu Shen was the same as towards those "followers." In the transcendent world where the strong were respected, the weak were like this, and they were not worth a second glance.

As long as there was an opportunity.

He would crush Gu Shen.

However... he had never had the opportunity.

But now, he had completely changed his previous thinking.

Gu Shen was not someone who could be easily crushed.

He was stronger and more resilient than he had imagined...

If he wanted to crush him, he had to give it his all.

……

……

This was the first time Gu Shen had heard of the existence of [Extinguished Candle].

Unfortunately, the latter half of the River Styx was a completely disconnected zone, and he could not connect spiritually with Chu Ling... Otherwise, he would definitely try to find relevant information about this "S-class sealed item" from the database at this moment.

Just a fake was so powerful?

The power of that shot just now completely exceeded Gu Shen's expectations. The arc of truth ruthlessly pierced through the Light Blessing's pillar of light... Of course, this did not mean that the power of this shot was stronger than the Light Blessing.

It was just that the attributes attached to [Extinguished Candle] itself were too powerful.

Sharp!

The attribute it carried was sharpness, extreme sharpness!

Even the sonic wave that erupted from the empty string could still pierce through the Blessing light pillar... Meng Xiao's proud crushing method was completely restrained in front of [Extinguished Candle].

Needle against a wheat awn, the outcome of the confrontation would be the same a hundred times over.

Thinking of this, Gu Shen suddenly understood the meaning of what the devil had said earlier... The shaping of [Extinguished Candle] was definitely not a random gift of generosity, but a carefully selected gift of temptation. He didn't know how many mental imitations of legendary items the devil had stored in his mind, but [Extinguished Candle] was definitely one of the best choices when facing Meng Xiao and the Light Blessing.

The things that were free were indeed the most expensive.

He had always refused to make deals with the devil... But at this moment, Gu Shen couldn't refuse this "timely rain" that solved his urgent need.

The devil smiled and asked, "How does it feel?"

"Not bad."

Gu Shen said indifferently, "It's a pity that the lethality is still a little small. It would be best if that shot just now could directly blow Meng Xiao's head off."

"..."

The devil was speechless for a moment. He shook his wine glass and joked, "Even if the real thing was delivered to your hands, could you draw it?"

This was not mockery.

Because the recoil of [Extinguished Candle] was really too great.

Just drawing it once in a temporary state, Gu Shen's right hand was already trembling badly. At this moment, it was shrinking in his sleeve, seemingly calm and still had energy, but in reality, it was already faintly exhausted.

Even shallow blood had seeped out from the tiger's mouth.

Although his physique could not be compared with those perverts from the Northern Continent, he had never stopped tempering it, and he was also one of the best among transcendents of the same realm, but he needed to rest after just drawing the bow once?

More than his body.

What was consumed more was his spirit.

The Ruler of Truth was a purely "spiritual divine object". Every use, even every second of maintaining the shape of an item, was mainly paid for by spiritual power.

"Isn't there you?"

Gu Shen smiled faintly, resting while teasing the devil. "Haven't you always wanted to trade? If you deliver the real thing to my hands, and I can't draw it, wouldn't the trade come then?"

The devil rolled his eyes.

Because his whole body was covered in black mist, his face was also pitch black, so naturally there would be no such thing as "whites of the eyes"...

"Hey Gu, don't push your luck..."

The devil asked unhappily, "Do you believe I'll cancel the special service?"

Gu Shen rarely did not retort strongly.

He silently clenched the great bow, feeling a sense of security and some unease... He had to say that the devil's understanding of the "Ruler of Truth" was much stronger than his own. Once the "gift" was cancelled, the difficulty of his battle with Meng Xiao would suddenly increase.

Because all he could do now was to condense the bow form. Even if he remembered the appearance and details of [Extinguished Candle] at this moment, he could not make his own replica.

In other words, Gu Shen could not even condense a replica of the fake.

……

……

After a shot, the bottom of the River Styx returned to silence.

After that "arrow" just now, Meng Xiao no longer used the power of his robes.

He re-examined the young man in front of him. Gu Shen was still in the net of his "dark light", and there was no need to rush this battle.

Meng Xiao slowly retreated a distance, ensuring that he was as far away as possible from the range of that terrifying great bow.

Then, he spoke, breaking the silence at the bottom of the river. "Aren't you always curious why I'm targeting you?"

This was a question that had been troubling Gu Shen all along.

In the cemetery of Fort Gu, he was reminded by Zhong Yuan, and when he got this message...

He had never been able to understand.

Why was this Zhen Yue Duke so relentlessly pursuing him?

"We, Light City, have always been irreconcilable with the breath of darkness."

Meng Xiao slowly stretched out his palm and pressed it against his chest. The aura of blessing, which spread like seaweed in the river water, instantly gathered like smoke. As he raised his palm, this wisp of blessing actually condensed, solidified, and turned into a slender light sword, just like the arc of the Ruler of Truth, and was held in his palm.

The tip of the light sword pointed remotely at the center of Gu Shen's brow.

Meng Xiao said calmly, "You are so familiar with this Black River, you should know that this place is related to the 'Nether King'... right?"

Gu Shen was expressionless.

But in his heart... he was sinking.

This was the last thing he wanted to hear. He didn't want Meng Xiao to target him as a result of Light City's investigation into the Nether King...

What could be worse than being targeted by the Light Divine Seat?

The resurrection of the Nether King, who had fallen twenty years ago, and his return to the Eastern Continent was already an incredible piece of news.

Especially since the Nether King had disappeared again after the battle in the cemetery, making this already somewhat false piece of news seem even more "illusory".

Of course.

The whereabouts of the Nether King had always been a mystery.

The other Divine Seats could turn a blind eye, but the Light Divine Seat could not possibly remain indifferent.

"Although the Divine Seat has not descended, the light is still there, and the will of God still guides me."

"Now, as long as I see you, the killing intent in my heart rises higher than ever before..."

Meng Xiao stared at Gu Shen and spoke word by word.

Perhaps it was because of that "Ghost Veil".

Or perhaps it was because the flame on Gu Shen's brow had turned pale.

The more he looked at Gu Shen, the more he felt a natural repulsion...

Earlier on the top of Black Snow Mountain, the light dissipated too quickly.

The Divine Seat had only had time to hurriedly leave a simple guidance to enter the river.

As for what he was to do after entering the Black River... the Divine Seat had not said much.

But at this moment, Meng Xiao was already certain that this young man had inextricable connections with the Nether King, the Black River, and his mission.

His pupils burst forth with golden light, and he said in a low voice, "What is your relationship with the Nether King?"

The moment Meng Xiao spoke, the killing intent in his heart was absolute.

In fact, Gu Shen's answer was not important at all...

He already had an answer in his heart.

No matter what the real truth was, the truth in his heart would not change.

Now, he was going to erase this young man, who might pose a great threat to Light City in the future, in this silent Black River.

Gu Shen did not answer.

He just silently raised his head and looked at the Zhen Yue Duke in front of him.

Silence was better than a thousand words.

Under the illumination of countless blazing lights, the temperature of the River Styx water began to rise, and all directions seemed to have turned into a copper furnace. Gu Shen, who was being scorched by the holy light, was expressionless. He circulated [Iron Throne], and two of his fingers brushed across the nameless iron armor on his waist, and he lightly took out an iron arrow, set it on the bowstring of the Dragonscale Bow, and aimed it at Zhen Yue.

……

……

(ps: I wrote it all morning. While ensuring quality, there's probably only this much. Four thousand five hundred words, not a big chapter, so there will be another chapter before 6 pm.)

Hui Shuai Jiao De Xiong Mao reminds you: Remember to bookmark after reading