Chapter 262 Pluto

Pluto?

The word reverberated in Gu Shen’s mind.

Certain memories, buried in the bygone years, surged forth at this moment…

That A-009 of Division Zero-Zero-One handed him the Ruler of Truth was no coincidence.

That the Four Seasons Wilderness could accommodate Tie Wu’s spirit, achieving the ability to "shelter the dead," was no coincidence.

Slicing through billions of vengeful spirits in the Ghost Cage; comprehending the Breath of Spring in the Snowfall Forbidden City Dojo; successfully planting the seed in the Barren Pure Land until it took root and sprouted… none of these were coincidences.

If Gu Shen had been given more time, if the situation at the Mausoleum hadn't been so urgent, perhaps he would have understood everything the moment he saw that pitch-black seed of fire in the Colossus Ruins…

Both Gu Lüshen and Bai Shu looked at that Pluto Fire Seed with solemn expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy.

After all, it was a supreme artifact radiating terrifying, chaotic power.

But Gu Shen… didn’t feel threatened. Instead, he felt warmth.

If these weren't coincidences…

Then, where did it all begin?

"I am… Pluto…"

Gu Shen muttered to himself. He suddenly raised his head and asked a meaningful question: "Have I been for a long time?"

Gu Changzhi slowly shook his head.

"Regarding this question… I cannot give you an answer."

He said softly, "But one thing I can answer very clearly is that when the Golden Domain of Divine Advent saw you, I sensed a familiar aura on you."

"A familiar… aura?"

"The ruler in your hand comes from a very good friend of mine from the past." Gu Changzhi said with some melancholy.

The key point of this sentence was… the past.

Gu Shen had seen the complete form of this Ruler of Truth… the silver-white arc transformed into black, and the opposite of creation was destruction.

Once you held this ruler, as long as your mental strength was strong enough, you could achieve "omnipotence."

Becoming a god wasn’t difficult, as long as you could pay the price.

And this ruler came from Gu Changzhi's good friend of the past…

An existence whose records had been sealed by the Federation government for decades.

Pluto.

Now, he could be said to be the previous Pluto.

"So, that Divine Advent in the capital wasn't the descent of the power of the Fighting Flame Seed," Gu Shen murmured, "but Pluto…"

Gu Changzhi nodded.

Gu Shen's expression was a little complicated.

So that was it…

No wonder he felt the same alluring soul voice in his mind as when he first wielded the Ruler of Truth, and vaguely felt negative emotions such as destruction and devastation surging into his heart.

That "Divine Advent" felt exceptionally peculiar, like the feeling when he first grasped the Ruler of Truth.

He was on the verge of losing control.

But now, it was different.

Gu Shen stood under the Susu Tree, clenched his fist, and didn't feel abundant power coursing through his spirit.

The feeling at this moment… was far less intense than the last Divine Advent.

He was still himself.

It was just that the blazing fire in his mental world had completely revealed its "pitch-black" color.

This robe was also infected by his mental strength and transformed into the ancient attire of Pluto.

He murmured, "So… am I now a Divine Seat?"

Why didn't power surge forth?

"From a long-term perspective, you are the next Pluto."

Gu Changzhi said slowly, "Your unprecedented compatibility with this Fire Seed is like a match made in heaven… Millions of people in this world need to fight for a Fire Seed. But for you, the Pluto Fire Seed has actively chosen you."

"But… strictly speaking, you are not Pluto yet."

"You have not yet merged with the Fire Seed, and you don't even have the qualification to merge with it…" Gu Changzhi said gently, "You are not strong enough yet, and at most, you can only borrow a part of the Fire Seed's power."

The Federation government’s control over the qualifications of Fire Seed adapters was extremely strict.

The "Dream of the Fire Seed" left by the Divine Seats, was open for everyone to comprehend… it was just a potential test.

But if you really wanted to try to fuse with the Fire Seed, you had no chance of succeeding without a title-level power!

Bai Shu had said that only transcendents who reached the title level could tame the Fire Seed.

And that chance was only an extremely slim one in a thousand.

In order to gain the possibility of taming the Fire Seed, Gu Lüshen, who was ranked extremely high among the titled ones, was willing to endure all the torments in the world, with his mind and body suffering… but in the end, he still couldn't grasp even that one-thousandth of a chance.

At this moment, Gu Shen silently sensed his spirit.

He didn't feel that he had become much stronger, but when the blazing fire between his eyebrows turned pitch black, a wisp of perception did emerge faintly, and that perception passed through the boundaries of illusion and reality.

No matter where he was in any kind of disaster, it could point him in a direction.

That was the direction where the "Pluto Fire Seed" was located.

At this moment, he experienced firsthand the reason why Gu Lüshen had endured for more than twenty years. Having a Fire Seed constantly guiding him forward… was indeed a very wonderful feeling.

The voice in his heart was looming.

If he didn't clearly know that it was a temptation… Gu Shen would want to try to grasp that Fire Seed right now!

"The Pluto Fire Seed is the most dangerous of all known Fire Seeds."

"If the transcendent who controls the Fire Seed doesn’t have a firm enough mind or strong enough spirit… then it is very easy for them to be corroded by this Fire Seed. The ruler in your hand has the same side effect."

Gu Changzhi said seriously, "Once you lose control of your mind, there will be no chance of salvation. Therefore, its controller must have an extremely tenacious willpower."

Gu Shen took a deep breath.

He shook all the distracting thoughts out of his mind.

Did A-009… lose control because he overused the Ruler of Truth?

This ruler seemed to have caused many tragedies.

He remembered that during the Divine Advent, the Dionysus Divine Seat said that he had personally witnessed the God War of the Old World… which was the battle between Gu Changzhi and Pluto.

Now it was clear that all of this was because Pluto's spirit had "lost control!" Gu Changzhi had no choice but to kill him!

A Fire Seed and a ruler could actually cause a Divine Seat-level figure to lose control?

"The reason why I sealed this Fire Seed in the Mausoleum… is because I don't want to see the tragedy of the previous Pluto again."

Gu Changzhi said earnestly, "If one day in the future you decide to comprehend the Fire Seed, please be sure to ensure the stability of your mind, otherwise the loss of control of the Pluto Fire Seed could be a disaster for the entire Five Continents."

"Understood."

Gu Shen nodded solemnly.

But.

The biggest problem right now was the upcoming Divine War with the Dionysus Divine Seat!

He had only developed a connection with the Pluto Fire Seed. How was he going to fight this Divine War?

"Look."

Gu Changzhi put his hands on Gu Shen's shoulders and turned him around slowly.

Gu Shen saw a vast wilderness.

It was the domain of the mind created by Gu Changzhi, containing the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, coinciding with the passage of time in this world, and the prosperity and decline of life… Every transcendent who comprehended the Breath of Spring had the opportunity to condense this domain.

However.

No one had been able to condense this domain completely and perfectly.

The reason was simple.

The eight volumes of Breath Technique only remained at the creation stage… Even Gu Changzhi himself had not cultivated this domain to perfection.

He had stopped at the creation of the final volume of Breath Technique.

"Great Cold."

From life to death.

Everything frozen.

Gu Changzhi asked, "What do you see?"

Gu Shen murmured, "I see… the ‘Four Seasons Wilderness’ that you created."

This should be the Four Seasons Wilderness close to completion, right?

In the distant view, from far to near, sweeping from the horizon to his feet, were broken frost and snow, dried leaves, fresh cicada shells, and moist grass tips. The rolling wind turned from winter to spring, nourishing this huge green-leaved Susu Tree.

The Four Seasons Wilderness was a world of its own, encompassing everything.

"No…"

Gu Changzhi shook his head.

"Everyone thinks that I created the ‘Four Seasons Wilderness’ alone."

His voice was a little heavy and hoarse, "But in fact, this wasn't my creation alone…"

Gu Shen was slightly stunned.

Just as he was in a daze, the mental scene in front of him slowly switched.

In front of him was the barren "Pure Land", Tie Wu kneeling on the ground, the broken and renewed mud, a dilapidated but thriving "new world."

"A long time ago, he said that he wanted to call this world that he liked, ‘Pure Land’."

Gu Changzhi's sad eyes were full of remembrance.

He smiled softly, "That was a world without strife. After beings were buried in their graves, there was no distinction between high and low, and they were no longer treated with contempt. Every soul of the deceased in this Pure Land was equal, everyone could become spotless, see the glass, and enjoy bliss."

Every word that Gu Changzhi said was a great shock to Gu Shen.

Because…

This was exactly what he thought and wanted when he created this world.

It was exactly the same as the previous Pluto!

"He wanted to create a brand new world."

"A world where the deceased could be reborn."

Gu Changzhi looked at Gu Shen and said softly, "Take another look…"

This time, when Gu Shen looked again.

It was clearly a barren world, but after the Susu Tree grew, Gu Shen seemed to see the dream that Li Qingci had described to him.

He seemed to see a vast world, with towering trees, swaying golden ears of rice, a long river, and a ferryman in a boat.

It was indeed a dream, but it was not a vain and illusory dream.

In the future, everything was possible.

"Do you see it? That is your Pure Land world."

Gu Changzhi smiled, "This Susu Tree is the ‘Dream Come True Tree’, containing omnipotent hope. I tried to plant it, but unfortunately, I failed."

The tree in the Qingzhong Mausoleum was far less majestic than the one in front of him.

A Susu Tree that had failed to be planted.

In fact… it also meant Gu Changzhi's death.

"With the existence of the Susu Tree and the Pure Land, even just a wisp of the Fire Seed’s power is enough to deal with this Divine War…"

Gu Changzhi smiled and patted Gu Shen on the shoulder, saying, "Please find my remains and use the power of the Pure Land to ‘awaken’ me."

"I can still burn for Changye one more time."

…

…

Yuan Tong