Chapter 465 Dark Snow

　　High mountain ridges, black snow swirling.

　　In the dark sky, occasional bursts of piercing blade cries echoed. Gu Shen didn't turn his head... He knew that these were the sounds of pursuit from the Extraordinary individuals in Meng Xiao's team. The members of that squad were all very strong, almost all at the eighth or ninth level of the Deep Water Zone!

　　Throughout the Five Continents, third-tier peak Extraordinary individuals were formidable combatants wherever they went.

　　Judging by the elite combat strength of the Investigation Corps that he was familiar with—

　　These few Extraordinary individuals in Meng Xiao's team, if placed in a maze mission, should all be vice-captain level experts comparable to Su He!

　　If it were a one-on-one fight, Gu Shen would have already turned around to face them.

　　But judging from the current situation... these guys wouldn't give him a one-on-one opportunity.

　　Engaging in a head-on confrontation in this situation would be an unwise choice.

　　"Gu Shen! Dare to fight fairly!"

　　Ba Kui, who had exchanged blows with him at the banquet earlier, circulated his ability, focusing his voice in his chest, and shouted fiercely, "I want to duel you!"

　　He transformed into a giant bear, sprinting against the snow tide, stepping on the rocks, but he could only see Gu Shen's shadow... He roared angrily, his voice as deep as a bell, resonating and spreading in the snow tide!

　　"A fair duel?"

　　Gu Shen sneered. He looked back at the dense array of figures chasing him and thought that this idiot's brain was really not working well. This kind of provocation was too low-level.

　　So he also circulated his mental power, vibrating it in his chest, emitting a similar thunderous sound, his aura not at all inferior to Ba Kui.

　　On the Great Snow Mountain.

　　Gu Shen's high-pitched sneer echoed.

　　"Alright! You all stay put and wait for me, a fair duel!"

　　Ba Kui was taken aback, and then anger appeared on his face.

　　Wait for Gu Shen?

　　How was that possible!

　　This kid was as slippery as an eel, running so fast that if he didn't chase with all his might, he would lose sight of him in the next second...

　　"Gu, are you trying to play me?!"

　　The giant bear Ba Kui roared, "If I wait for you here, what if you run away!"

　　Gu Shen was truly silent when he heard this response. He thought that Ba Kui's words about a duel just now couldn't be serious, could they?

　　What a truly stupid bear...

　　Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, feeling a little regretful. After running down the mountain peak, the "Blazing Fire Link" that had finally emerged was completely broken. With black snow filling the sky, it was likely impossible for him to wait for Zhong Yuan's rescue.

　　He had talked to Zhong Yuan when they came.

　　Zhong Yuan wanted to unravel the Mirror Dream, while he wanted to find a way to recover the "spiritual toxin" of the Doluo River and investigate the truth and secrets of this Disaster Realm... So their companionship along the way was just a coincidence.

　　If there was no pursuit from Meng Xiao, they would part ways starting from Black Snow Mountain.

　　Zhong Yuan would not continue to trek with his team.

　　He was the captain of the Investigation Corps and an important figure in this reboot mission. The first thing he had to bear was the responsibility and mission entrusted to him by the Northern Continent military.

　　Of course, for Gu Shen.

　　It wasn't necessarily a bad thing that Zhong Yuan and his team didn't join the battle.

　　He vaguely had a premonition that the separation by the campfire might not be his dream.

　　This Black Snow Mountain was incredibly real.

　　His Blazing Fire had always been an invincible artifact in dreams. If he really entered a dream, even if he couldn't directly unravel it... it wouldn't be impossible to send out any warning at all.

　　Then, there was only one possibility left.

　　The one who had entered the dream was Zhong Yuan and his team!

　　Deducing from this possibility, the "Blazing Fire Link" that he sensed on the mountain peak was likely Zhong Yuan leading his team, breaking away from the nightmare... This guess could not be verified at the moment.

　　If it was true, and Zhong Yuan led his team to break through the Mirror Dream, then Gu Shen would be sincerely happy for him... When he entered the dream in the training ground, Gu Shen felt the fear in Zhong Yuan's heart. This second captain of the Investigation Corps, with a promising future, had already developed a shadow in his heart regarding the Mirror Dream of the Doluo River Disaster Realm.

　　If they encountered the Mirror Dream!

　　Then even if they successfully broke free from the dream, the consumption of the entire squad would probably be very great. Joining the battle at this moment might lead to them being mercilessly wiped out by Meng Xiao together!

　　Gu Shen did not doubt Zhong Yuan's squad's concern for his safety at all.

　　Yuan Yuan had once lived and died together with him outside the Gu Fort.

　　If he knew that he was in trouble, he would definitely rush down the snow mountain.

　　That was why he hoped that Zhong Yuan's squad would not be involved in this matter... He did not want any innocents to be implicated. The best thing to do was to return immediately and report Meng Xiao's violation of the Northern Continent laws to the Central Control Room!

　　From the moment he jumped off the snow mountain peak.

　　This matter was between him and Meng Xiao!

　　……

　　……

　　Gu Shen was not in a hurry to take out the Ghost Mask Veil to wear.

　　Although his Blazing Fire was weak, it was enough to see the surrounding environment clearly.

　　There were a total of seven auras behind him!

　　He knew that there were only seven followers in the Zhen Yue team, and now all of them were appearing behind him.

　　But there was one thing that was beyond Gu Shen's expectations.

　　As the captain, Meng Xiao did not personally lead the team to pursue him.

　　He should be on the mountain peak at this moment...

　　Was he studying the traces of the battle between himself and the copy?

　　It seemed that Meng Xiao was very confident in hunting him down. He believed that with these few followers under his command, he could win steadily. He would just keep chasing him like this, and soon he would catch up.

　　"If I just keep running like this... what will happen?"

　　Gu Shen whispered to himself while rubbing the pendant with his fingers.

　　The meaning of the inquiry was already very obvious.

　　The pendant vaguely conveyed a mental wave of "resistance."

　　It seemed that things were not good... Running like this was not a good thing. Below the snow mountain should be the second half of the end of the Doluo River, and there was likely to be an unknown risk buried there.

　　"Turning back to fight... that's probably a bad idea, right?"

　　Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, staring at the jade pendant. If this guy really had consciousness, he would see a pair of very suspicious and sharp eyes.

　　Gu Shen dared not disbelieve the "guidance" of this little thing, nor dared to believe it completely.

　　"..."

　　The pendant could only do so much.

　　If this was a person who could speak, then he would probably be the kind of living dead person who could only answer yes or no no matter what problem he encountered. Even if he knew what Gu Shen was thinking, he couldn't give a more precise answer.

　　Gu Shen smiled softly.

　　"What you're trying to say is, fight, but don't be reckless... is that what you mean?"

　　The pendant emitted a strong sense of admiration.

　　But in Gu Shen's view, this sentence was no different from nonsense.

　　He had a headache. The seven guys following his ass were not AIs in the combat cabin. Even Ba Kui, who was "brainless," was a true elite soldier who had experienced life-and-death battles!

　　"Wait a minute..."

　　Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Gu Shen's mind.

　　He thought of the characteristics of this Black Snow Mountain.

　　"Mirror Dream... Mirror Dream..."

　　Before setting off, Gu Shen had peered into the strangeness of this Mirror Dream in the building. Even Zhong Yuan, a fourth-tier peak, had become dazed after experiencing the Mirror Dream, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

　　Meng Xiao's squad climbed up the mountain, covered in blood!

　　Obviously, they had also experienced a battle, most likely the battle with the "copies"... But these few Extraordinary individuals who were chasing him didn't seem to be affected by the "Mirror Dream."

　　According to his previous guess, he hadn't entered the dream, and these people... shouldn't have entered the dream either.

　　But Zhong Yuan's squad had entered the dream. Then it should be Zhong Yuan and the others who had touched the "rules" of entering the dream on Black Snow Mountain, while he and Meng Xiao hadn't touched them.

　　As his thoughts extended to this point.

　　The pendant vibrated again with a mental wave of "agreement."

　　"What is the taboo of Black Snow Mountain? Is it black snow, a certain substantial 'rule point', a touch of a certain space... or..."

　　Gu Shen's thoughts condensed on the broken campfire.

　　"Or... light and fire?"

　　After using the Phoenix Ring to light the campfire, Zhong Yuan and his squad disappeared. Although at that time, he happened to catch a handful of black snowmelt... but on closer thought, when the black snow fell, Blazing Fire didn't sense any special anomaly.

　　Rule points and spatial touches can be ruled out.

　　Perhaps because of the protection of the Goddess of Fate, Gu Shen's thoughts became extremely clear. Among the countless possibilities, he was divinely aided and accurately grasped the key point!

　　It was light and fire...

　　Zhong Yuan's Phoenix Fire touched the taboo of Black Snow Mountain, leading to "dream entry!"

　　As for himself and the group from Light City, the reason they were safe... was not because they didn't light a fire.

　　But because his Blazing Fire and Meng Xiao's fire were both too special!

　　One was fused with the Pluto Fire Seed. This Black Snow Mountain revealed a sense of gloom and eeriness everywhere, and it was also suppressed on the Doluo River. It was likely that it had some connection with Pluto's methods... Gu Shen suspected that the "Mirror Dream" of this Black Snow Mountain would not descend on him at all.

　　As for Meng Xiao.

　　That guy was scattered with a strong aura of blessing from Light City, surrounded by divine fire. Even approaching was impossible for black snow... With this kind of "divine blessing" covering him, the Mirror Dream should not be able to descend on him.

　　Thinking of this, Gu Shen's eyes became cold.

　　Meng Xiao was indeed powerful.

　　But no matter how powerful, there was only one of him!

　　These followers... did not have the "Light City blessing" on them. Even if they had other blessings, they would not be able to compare to Zhong Yuan's "Phoenix Fire!"

　　In other words.

　　They were now disconnected from Meng Xiao... If they touched the taboo of Black Snow Mountain, it was entirely possible that they would be pulled into the Mirror Dream!

　　At this moment, Gu Shen understood the true meaning of the pendant's guidance.

　　He had to take action.

　　But... not by himself!

　　He took a deep breath.

　　The wind roared.

　　The road down this snow mountain was unexpectedly long. After running continuously for more than ten minutes, the surroundings were still boundless black snow tides and tumbling gravel.

　　If it wasn't for the mental guidance from the pendant being so firm.

　　Even Gu Shen would suspect... whether he was running in a "dream."

　　He suddenly turned around, looking at the rushing figures in the distance.

　　In the icy and snowy world.

　　Gu Shen's expression was extremely calm.

　　He just stood there quietly, with no intention of taking a step back.

　　"???"

　　Ba Kui widened his eyes, almost unable to believe what he was seeing... Gu Shen wasn't running anymore?

　　This Eastern Continent young man, although he looked handsome, was a treacherous villain with ulterior motives. The sudden Iron Peak assassination launched by Gu Shen on the mountain peak had left a deep impression on him!

　　Seeing this scene, Ba Kui's first reaction was that there was a trick!

　　"Be careful around you!"

　　All the pursuers held their breath, as if facing a great enemy.

　　The faces of some of them were still faintly aching at this moment... That was the stinging pain caused by the wounds that Gu Shen's Iron Peak had cut through, mixed with black snow!

　　But the next moment—

　　The young man standing in the black snow tide at the foot of the mountain suddenly wiped his forehead with two fingers.

　　In most cases, this action of wiping the forehead meant "shining brightly!"

　　But at this moment, it was the exact opposite.

　　The howling wind of the long night, and the dancing snowflakes in the mountains, became dense and cold at this moment—

　　Because the only "weak light" in the world was extinguished.

　　Extinguishing the light.

　　Meant that Gu Shen had lost his light.

　　They had also lost their light.

　　This strange "Black Snow Mountain" almost suppressed everyone's mental power and eyesight... Here, darkness was the most deadly danger, and no one would want to fall into eternal darkness.

　　Ba Kui sneered!

　　After leaving the top of the mountain, they had been chasing after Gu Shen's "light spot" all the way, not worrying about losing him at all... But now Gu Shen extinguished the "light source" himself, obviously wanting to cut off their vision and shake off their group.

　　Too bad!

　　They had their own means!

　　"Roar!"

　　Along with Ba Kui's roar, the standard robes with the "Zhen Yue pattern" engraved on them, worn by the seven followers, burst out with brilliant fire at the same time!

　　These clusters of light and fire looked much brighter than "Blazing Fire," not because their quality was higher than "Blazing Fire."

　　To evaluate the quality, the light and fire emitted by the Zhen Yue Robe were several levels lower than "Phoenix Flame."

　　But its special feature was that it came from the "God-given Robe" of Light City, and it had a distant and unbreakable echo with the one on Meng Xiao's body.

　　One main robe could connect many secondary robes.

　　Naturally, it would form a "mental link!"

　　As a secondary robe, lighting was certainly not a problem.

　　In an instant.

　　The Black Snow Mountain shone brightly.

　　Ba Kui saw the young figure not far away in the darkness. Gu Shen had really not moved a step after extinguishing the fire... He was just standing there!

　　The distance of a thousand meters was rapidly shortening!

　　The lights of the Zhen Yue secondary robes bloomed like a sea. A rare scene of daylight appeared before Gu Shen's eyes. He calmly looked at the magnificent silver-white panorama of the snow mountain and also watched the seven fierce figures rushing towards him with all their might.

　　He did not retreat, nor did he dodge... Because this was the moment to verify his guess.

　　In an instant.

　　Black snow surged, and the demon wind rose!

　　An unreasonable blizzard suddenly surged, as fierce as the previous campfire snow tide, directly engulfing the team of seven who were bursting out with countless lights.

　　They had touched the taboo.

　　Black Snow Mountain, the "Mirror Dream" descended!

　　……

　　……

　　(ps: Due to plot reasons, it's not good to cut the chapter here. I'll post a 4k-word chapter tonight, and there will be another chapter tomorrow morning!)