“My King… after all these years, I have finally awaited your arrival.”

My King?

Gu Shen paused, only then realizing that it was addressing him.

No… more accurately, it was conversing with the wisp of "Netherworld Fire" between his brows.

Since the battle at the mausoleum, that strand of Netherworld Fire Seed had fused with the "Blazing Fire" between his brows. After their fusion, although Gu Shen couldn’t refine the Fire Seed yet… he could already display a faint divine pressure with his every movement.

This was also why the Blazing Fire could directly crush Ghost Veil!

This was the Netherworld King's unlit fire—

Though currently weak,

One day… it would become a prairie fire!

After the great serpent finished speaking, it maintained its bowed, respectful posture.

Gu Shen touched his forehead.

He frowned and slowly looked toward the maze.

Twenty-one years?

Was this great serpent a "pet" left behind by the previous Netherworld King?

Lin Lin kept a dog with the ability to hypnotize, so it seemed reasonable that the Netherworld King would keep a great serpent with an awakened ability… it was just that this serpent was a bit too large.

Was it because they were in a dream?

"Dispel the dream, and let me see what you look like in the real world."

Gu Shen issued his first command.

The surrounding environment didn't change.

"My King… what you see now is my true form." The great serpent respectfully said.

Gu Shen's pupils slightly constricted.

"I walk between reality and illusion… I am the ferry spirit of the 'Pure Land.'"

The golden, slender serpentine eyes stared at Gu Shen. The great serpent slowly flicked its tongue, its voice delicate, "You were heavily injured and placed me here, saying you were waiting for the next encounter in the turning wheel of fate."

"So, all of this…"

Gu Shen looked at the blood-soaked ground.

"If you don't mind… these transcendents can all be extracted to become souls in the 'Pure Land.'" The great serpent said softly, "Over the years, I have prepared many souls for you, and beneath this canyon, there are many brilliant soul fires buried, for your Netherworld Fire to feast upon at will."

"Extract?"

Upon hearing these words, Gu Shen's Blazing Fire actually resonated.

The Blazing Fire covered his vision.

He seemed to truly see through this dream… these transcendents from the Second Team hadn't died in battle, but had fallen into this dream, their spirits entering into oblivion, while their bodies were frozen by the snow!

So… the anomaly of the Book of Life and Death came from this!

This great serpent, following the will of the previous Netherworld King, had been entrenched here, collecting the souls of "explorers…"

And the terrifying thing was.

Yuan Yuan, Li Chen, Su He… the souls of these people were like dim sparks, and with a single thought, he could decide to extinguish them or reignite them.

This reignition wasn't a direct awakening.

But in a "different" way… to ignite their souls.

These transcendents who had fallen into the great serpent's spiritual world, once summoned and "revived" in this way by the Blazing Fire, would become the Netherworld King's soldiers!

This… was extraction!

This thought… only flashed for a moment before being abandoned by Gu Shen.

"I don't want to extract."

Gu Shen coldly said, "I want them all to 'come back to life.'"

The great serpent paused slightly, softly saying, "My King… they haven't actually died, their spirits have only fallen into 'oblivion.' This was your instruction from back then, and without your token and instructions, they must never be released."

The previous Netherworld King had left such an order?

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The spirits of these transcendents can be revived, but those from before…" The great serpent coiled on the rock face.

Gu Shen looked back, and in the piercing wind, wisps of dim soul fire emanated.

Those were the souls of those who had passed.

The winding maze no longer hid itself at this moment. Countless routes stretched and spread, and the walls were like air… Within this snowy mountain maze, Gu Shen saw countless drifters.

Not just transcendents from the Investigation Corps… but also explorer teams from other continents. Many of those who had arrived at the maze earlier were buried in the snow.

The great serpent had preserved their souls, waiting for the Netherworld King's extraction.

And their bodies had already been frozen into eternal stillness.

Their bodies had suffered severe erosion… they couldn't be revived.

Gu Shen softly said, "I understand, just revive those before me."

He had to admit, seeing the large amount of soul fire that had emerged truly shocked Gu Shen.

These were all spirits that he could "extract"?

However… no matter how powerful the previous Netherworld King's methods were, it was impossible to revive a ruined body.

"As you wish."

The great serpent gently lowered its head, exhaling a fine golden mist. The eleven soul fires of the Investigation Corps Second Team dissipated in the golden mist… the previous battle had actually erupted within a dream, and the participants of the Second Team hadn't suffered any real harm.

If there was any harm,

It was some spiritual damage.

In the recent battle, the great serpent saw its "Lord" after twenty-one years of separation. It mistook Gu Shen's observation as a scrutinizing gaze, and so it displayed its strongest battle prowess without reservation…

The elite squad of the Investigation Corps Second Team had never experienced such a tragic battle.

No matter how hard they tried, with their incredibly coordinated teamwork, the entire battle was still a crushing, overwhelming defeat.

A complete rout!

Li Chen, who had "lived" to the end, even thought it was a boring game for the great serpent.

In fact,

The great serpent didn't have such a perverse interest in dragging things out. It was merely showing Gu Shen… its strength.

Watching these eleven soul fires gradually disappear into his Netherworld King perception,

Gu Shen felt much lighter.

He looked at the great serpent, frowned, and asked, "You… how many years have you followed me?"

"…"

The great serpent's golden pupils slightly constricted.

It seemed to be thinking.

And after a long silence,

It slowly spoke, "My King, we have only met once since my birth…"

This was an unexpected answer for Gu Shen.

He had been a little worried that this was a creature raised by the previous Netherworld King, and that it would recognize his true identity… From the recent perception, it seemed that it identified its master through the aura of the "Netherworld Fire Seed."

"Twenty-one years… you have only grown for twenty-one years?"

Gu Shen was somewhat horrified.

This great serpent was hundreds of meters long in the real world. From the battle prowess it had just displayed, it could probably directly destroy a city. Without two titled experts working together, it would be almost impossible to stop it…

If it were to be judged according to the Deepsea's mission danger rating,

This would be at least an "S-class" mission!

The great serpent lowered its head, closed its eyes, and revealed a tranquil, contemplative pose. From between its brows, a wisp of faint, dark flame slowly floated out.

Gu Shen's Blazing Fire once again stirred with that familiar resonance.

"I see…"

The previous Netherworld King had actually separated a wisp of the Fire Seed and left it to the young serpent twenty-one years ago.

No wonder.

It could survive in the Old World. Such a serpent spirit, devouring transcendent source matter and the spirits of the dead, growing up under the nourishment of the "Netherworld Fire Seed," it was reasonable that it would grow to such strength in twenty-one years…

Gu Shen spoke again, "About the events of twenty-one years ago, how much do you remember?"

This was a question he was very concerned about.

Mr. Gu Changzhi had told him… that after he explored the Old World, he had a great battle with the Netherworld King and finished him off.

And at that time, the Netherworld King had already gone mad.

Completely out of control!

Calculating it, twenty-one years ago was about the time the Netherworld King lost control. He set up this serpent spirit in the maze of the Old World. Perhaps it was related to the inauspicious loss of control?

The great serpent slowly shook its head.

"At that time… I was not yet sentient." It hissed, "I only remember that your wisp of fire nurtured me in the Pure Land. I will follow you until the Pure Land collapses and the world shatters."

This great serpent was born from the Pure Land of the previous Netherworld King…

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes.

Because of the same source of fire, he felt more and more kinship with this great serpent… extending a palm, the great serpent slowly brought its head closer. When he first entered the great serpent's dream, the sparks of fire that had adhered to the cold snow and rocks had made Gu Shen faintly feel an anomaly.

The body temperature of this great serpent was colder than snow.

But because of the guidance of the "Fire Seed" and the "Netherworld King's power," the cold-blooded animal had awakened human emotions.

The moment their palms touched,

Gu Shen felt a supreme rule binding between him and the great serpent.

Just like extracting the soul fire of the dead.

He could take back his "Fire Seed Power" at any time.

But after taking back the power… the great serpent's power would be greatly diminished.

If it continued to occupy the Old World, there would only be one ending, death.

Gu Shen didn't do that.

He looked at the great serpent, his gaze piercing through its soul.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Shen softly said, "Actually… I am not the one who raised you in this place twenty-one years ago."

The great serpent raised its head in bewilderment.

Its golden serpent eyes were filled with confusion.

"But I inherited his wisp of fire…"

Gu Shen calmly said, "You can choose to follow me, and I will grant you a longer life. You can also choose freedom, and I will not take back this wisp of fire."

"My King…"

The great serpent was silent for a moment, still using this title.

It softly said, "For twenty-one years, I was born from the Pure Land and placed here, my soul a chaos. I only remember a voice…"

"That voice told me to follow that wisp of fire, for the fire is my King."

And twenty-one years later,

It could see clearly.

Gu Shen… was that wisp of fire.

Gu Shen, was that King!

"Therefore…"

The great serpent respectfully said, "My King, I choose to follow you, not for a longer life, but for the freedom that I truly yearn for in my heart."

"Good."

Gu Shen nodded. He didn't say anything more, but instead asked, "Do you have a name?"

"Name…"

The great serpent's eyes were once again filled with confusion.

It shook its head.

Since its birth from the Pure Land, it had never had a name.

Gu Shen smiled and said, "Let me see your appearance… your full appearance."

As the voice landed,

The sound of shattering exploded endlessly in his ears. Within this dream, the great serpent fearlessly revealed its "power." That immense serpentine body was indeed the final exit of the maze. The rock faces collapsed, and the snow shattered.

A long body that pierced the clouds and the sky rose before him.

The great serpent vigorously shook its body, exhaling a melodious hiss.

Every black, long scale opened and closed, stirring a crisp, trembling sound!

The golden color of those serpentine eyes overflowed.

Its scales transformed from black to golden, like pieces of rhomboid petals, emitting a pleasant clashing sound.

At this moment, Gu Shen also unfolded his "dream."

The Pure Land directly descended!

The upright great serpent stared blankly at the scene before it…

The Pure Land in its memory,

Was a chaotic appearance.

But now, it was completely different. In the distant sky, there was a towering tree, casting endless green shade. Apart from that, life teemed in all directions.

Countless golden petals danced around it.

These petals and the color of its scales reflected each other.

"This is what the Pure Land looks like now."

Gu Shen casually picked a golden ear of flower, held it in front of him, and looked at the great serpent.

He slowly said, "This is the golden ear of flower in the Pure Land, symbolizing eternity, and its color is exactly the same as your scales. From now on, your name… will be Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tassel Flower)."