Trade?

Gu Shen vigilantly looked at the throne in the darkness.

He was very sensitive to this word. A "trade" was not a gift, but something that both sides had to "give" in return.

"How do we trade?"

Gu Shen didn't rush to deny it, but cautiously opened his mouth.

This was the spiritual world.

The flow of time in the outside world was greatly slowed down here. Although he didn't know how this guy in front of him did it… at least staying here was a good thing for him. He could get more time to think.

"The current time flow is ten to one."

As if seeing through Gu Shen's thoughts.

The shadow on the throne said, "According to the development of the real world, in another thirty seconds, you will be caught up by the 'Source Energy Storm'. The Domain of Truth you are currently supporting cannot resist this level of attack. At the thirty-first second, your physical body will be crushed by the storm… so in the spiritual world, this conversation can only last for a maximum of three hundred seconds."

Gu Shen understood what he meant.

Three hundred seconds was five minutes.

This conversation… no matter how it was maintained, would end in five minutes.

Because in five minutes, the storm would end everything, and this was the biggest trump card for the shadow on the throne to negotiate with him.

"What do I need to give?"

Gu Shen didn't waste any words, and the next sentence pointed directly to the essence of this trade.

He had always believed in one principle.

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

This was a life-threatening trade. If he rashly agreed, the other side of the scale might be hiding a huge price that he couldn't bear…

The face of the shadow on the throne was shrouded in gloom, and he couldn't see his true complexion. However, after hearing Gu Shen's straightforward words, he clearly laughed.

An expression of appreciation and interest seemed to rise on that dark face.

"I said… you don't need to give anything, do you believe it?"

He sat lazily, his laughter magnetic.

"You just need to nod, reach this trade with me, and then relax. There's no need to consider the rest, everything will end on its own."

This indeed didn't require giving anything.

Just a nod.

An agreement.

The trade would be reached.

But the young man standing in the light remained unmoved.

Gu Shen stared at that shadow. From the moment he entered the spiritual world, he had been silently calculating the time here… This conversation had already started for fifty seconds. That guy's reaction was very calm, unhurried, as if he had him figured out.

Gu Shen had no trust in the master of the Ruler of Truth—Hades.

In his understanding, this was an "out-of-control" monarch.

How could he trust the spirit left behind by an "out-of-control" person?

And putting aside the "out-of-control" accident.

Twenty years ago, Hades was also known for his "brutality," "indifference," "cunning," and "weirdness"… This was a God Seat with a chaotic stance and who acted without rules.

"You don't need to do anything, just nod?" Gu Shen asked again, confirming.

The shadow on the throne slowly nodded.

"Here, as long as the spirits reach a resonance, a 'trade' can be carried out."

He smiled and explained, "We are currently in a state of sincere souls. I make a request, and you express your approval, then it counts as… the trade being established."

A sincere soul, Gu Shen wasn't doing this for the first time… In the "spiritual world," every time he met Chu Ling could be considered a "sincere soul."

But this time, it was completely different!

He was making a deal with the devil, facing the devil face to face, "nakedly meeting" without reservation.

Beneath the human exterior, what truly couldn't be hidden was not the "skin," but the "spirit."

The shadow sitting on the throne saw his soul clearly, understanding everything, anger, joy, pain, happiness, all couldn't be hidden in this space…

Gu Shen met the shadow's gaze.

One hundred and thirty-one seconds.

One hundred and thirty-two seconds.

He seemed to be hesitating, but his eyes were calm.

Soon Gu Shen spoke.

"I don't want it."

The three clean and neat words almost made the originally lazy, leaning figure on the throne fall down. His elbow slipped past the throne's armrest, and he quickly straightened his body, raising his voice to suppress his surprise: "Are you crazy? Don't you want to live?"

He was very confident in the trade he proposed, but he never expected Gu Shen to give such a direct response.

"In thirty seconds, the storm will crush you, by that time…"

"No need to repeat it." Gu Shen interrupted him and said calmly, "I don't want to have this kind of trade with you."

The shadow on the throne was stunned.

He narrowed his eyes, carefully chewing over what Gu Shen had just said.

Not "I don't want to trade with you."

But "I don't want to have this kind of trade with you."

This kid didn't not want to trade, he just wasn't satisfied with the current situation and wanted to propose additional conditions?

"You don't have much time left."

He calmed down and said coldly, "There are still…"

"One hundred and fifty seconds. In two and a half minutes, I will leave this spiritual space." Gu Shen said calmly, "Um… to avoid your repetition, I should proactively say it. At that time, I will be crushed into pieces by the storm."

Without waiting for the other party to speak.

"In fact, I want to have this trade." Gu Shen took the initiative to continue the topic: "If you propose a very expensive price, such as paying a part of the 'Blazing Fire', a large amount of 'Source Energy' accumulated for a long time in the Pure Land, perhaps I would consider it, because this is a clearly marked transaction. My life is worth these things."

A slight pause.

"But… no price is the most expensive price. You don't need anything, just my nod, then that means what you want to take from me is more than these things."

"…"

The shadow on the throne fell into silence.

He propped up his chin, silently gazing at Gu Shen, a little curious about what else this kid wanted to say.

"What's a little interesting is your wording."

Gu Shen said slowly, "What you just said was, 'we' will be crushed by the storm, although I'm taking eleven people to escape together… but in the eyes of a devil like you, they shouldn't be considered things worth cherishing, right? If this is a trade, then you are very clear that the lives of these people are not worthy of occupying weight on this side of the scale."

Gu Shen was very sensitive to every word of this guy.

He vaguely had a feeling in his heart.

The "you" in the shadow on the throne's mouth did not refer to himself and this small team.

But… the distant Chu Ling who was making a spiritual link.

Then this was very terrifying.

How did he know of Chu Ling's existence?

Could it be that meeting here at this moment, all the information in his soul, couldn't be hidden from his scrutiny?

"…Continue."

The shadow on the throne didn't respond, but signaled Gu Shen to continue speaking.

Not responding was a default.

Gu Shen glanced at the dark, tall shadow and continued, "Of course, these details are not that important. The most important thing is the 'trade' itself… You took the initiative to find me, and made your identity clear, wanting to carry out this trade…"

Gu Shen stopped there.

The shadow on the throne frowned and asked, "Is there a problem with this?"

"Of course."

Gu Shen smiled, "A 'devil' who takes the initiative to come to the door is not a qualified 'devil'. You should know my personality. In extreme situations, I am a 'gambler'. I can make 'life-gambling' moves."

After discovering the "abnormal wind pressure"…

Changing the escape route, taking the shortest route directly!

Taking out the Ruler of Truth and hypnotizing the entire team!

These things were all life-gambling things that only a madman could do, but Gu Shen did them with ease, and his heart was calm, without any waves. He would rather be wrong and be swallowed by the storm than do nothing and watch himself die.

A true "gambler" not only possessed the courage to "gamble with his life."

But also had the trump card to "turn defeat into victory!"

"So you think, how could a gambler reject a trade to 'live on'?"

Gu Shen sighed, "So you appeared, in the last five minutes of my life, proposing this trade, but you were also wrong."

"You shouldn't have given me five minutes, this time is too long."

Gu Shen said quietly, "If I were you, I would only give the other party ten seconds, after hearing the content of the trade, there would be no time to think, and even less qualified to refuse… In that situation, you can get everything you want."

The shadow on the throne re-examined Gu Shen, looking like he was lost in thought.

Under the shroud of black mist, his true expression couldn't be seen.

But in fact, he was "shocked" by what Gu Shen had just said.

Although his body was shrouded in shadow, looking like a devil, if you were to talk about the degree of madness, it seemed that the young man on the opposite side was more serious.

Gu Shen was more like a real "devil" than him.

"I've decided to refuse the trade you proposed, because I think you need this trade more than I do." Gu Shen slowed down his speed, "I'll tell you why, there are ninety seconds left, don't interrupt, otherwise 'we' won't have enough time."

"You started to relax from the beginning, not caring about time… but after one hundred seconds, your sitting posture changed. I am calculating time, and you are also calculating time. Obviously, the passage of time has also put pressure on you."

"What are you afraid of? Is it the failure of the trade, or something else… A careful thought makes it not difficult to find out that the essential result of the trade's failure is that I die in the 'storm'. You know very well that I don't have any other power that can fight against the upcoming disaster, so what you are afraid of is very obvious…"

"You are afraid of me dying."

Gu Shen said, "Compared to the failure of the trade, you are more afraid of my physical body being crushed by the storm… As long as I am still alive, even if this trade has not been reached, there may be another chance, but once I die, then the trade is completely closed. You really want my 'physical body'. The ultimate purpose of this trade is to 'plunder' or 'occupy' my physical body. The premise is that this body is alive and can be used."

The person in the darkness was truly speechless.

He wanted to say something.

But he couldn't say a word.

Not because he was unable to defend himself… but because Gu Shen had grasped the time too well. At this moment, the countdown in the "spiritual world" had reached the last thirty seconds.

"Don't worry."

Gu Shen said lightly, "Here are the terms of the trade I'm proposing. You activate the 'full power' of the Ruler of Truth, helping me to fight against this storm. I will control these powers, and in return, I will thank you for your help, and I promise you that we will have another chance to talk…"

Hearing this.

The shadow on the throne was stunned and surprised. He never expected that this "trade" would turn out like this.

"You can choose to refuse, and we will die together, buried by the storm of the [Old World]. In this place, no one will pick up this ruler even after five hundred years."

"But you have no choice, because only if we live together will you have the possibility of another trade."

Gu Shen looked at him calmly.

The shadow rose angrily.

His deep voice echoed throughout the entire spiritual world.

"Are you threatening me?!"

Gu Shen didn't say anything extra.

He just maintained a calm and indifferent gaze, returning the coldness he had once felt in the darkness to the devil who had been waiting for a long time.

There were only ten seconds left.

Gu Shen spoke, counting down the last ten numbers to the shadow on the throne.

"Ten…nine…"

The storm in the real world roared, as if it had already descended into this ethereal world.

There was a vague illusion that something was being torn apart.

It seemed to be the barrier between the soul and the physical body.

Or something even stronger… Judging from the scene reflected from this Pure Land space, the "Domain of Truth" had already produced broken cracks. The violent Source Energy on the outer edge of the storm tore everything apart, and even the domain of the "Ruler of Truth" was inevitably cut open.

"Five…four…"

The shadow on the throne looked at the young man standing expressionlessly in front of him.

This was a death countdown symbolizing the end of life.

But that young man didn't seem to care at all.

If this was a gamble… then the cost of losing the gamble was truly losing everything.

Did such "humans" really exist in this world?

The shadow clenched his fists, and his body vaguely began to tremble.

"Three."

However, there wasn't even a trace of trembling in Gu Shen's countdown.

"Two."

"One…"

Before the last voice could fall.

The game ended.

"Get out!"

An angry roar in the spiritual world sounded together with "one." The darkness exploded, and large chunks of light shattered along with it. As the tall, towering silhouette of the *Su Xuan Mu* fell apart, the meeting in the entire spiritual space came to an end.

In the real world.

Gu Shen opened his eyes, and an unusually cold voice rang in his spiritual sea.

"Only this once, the trade is reached."

The Dou Zhan Golden Hoop used to restrain the ninth level of spiritual power shattered with a "clang." The power from the Ruler poured madly into the center of Gu Shen's eyebrows.

The silver-white Domain of Truth became as dazzling as the great moon at this moment.

In an instant, it devoured the destructive power on the outer edge of the storm!

Gu Shen issued his first command to the real world covered by the Domain of Truth.

"Source Energy combustion efficiency increased—"

"1000%."

……

……

(ps: The Mid-Autumn Festival is here, I wish you all a happy holiday. I will spend more time with my family these two days, and try to update more. Please vote for monthly tickets!)