Gu Lu Shen raised his head.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the giant statues, layers of fog, and finally landed on the distant wilderness.

"After touching the Tinder, I didn't become stronger, nor did I receive the favor of fate..."

"It's just that an eye seems to have grown in my heart, constantly reminding me that I am just an insignificant firefly. The real sun is Gu Changzhi, who possesses the Tinder and ascends to the Divine Seat."

"After he became the Divine Seat, no matter how far apart we were, I could feel that burning heat..."

His voice was calm as he described the subtle changes in his body.

As if he were telling the story of a stranger.

"Whether it's day or night, whether my eyes are open or closed, I can see it, I must see it... that Tinder is scorching me all the time."

"This is not a gift—"

"This is a curse!"

The Tinder constantly reminded him that he was just a failure compared to Gu Changzhi.

This torment lasted for a long, long time.

Until... Gu Changzhi returned to Changye for the last time.

Gu Lu Shen smiled and said, "And after he passed away, that burning heat disappeared... for a full twenty years."

He said indifferently, "So I knew from the beginning that the so-called faith of those old school people had long been shattered. It's just that I prepared for too long while waiting for the final moment to arrive."

To launch an internal war within the Gu family required a long period of planning.

And Gu Lu Shen began preparing twenty years ago... thus, there is today's situation.

"And not long ago, the eye in my heart that had been extinguished for twenty years reopened... I knew that Gu Changzhi's Tinder had reappeared."

Gu Lu Shen said calmly, "It's a pity that the fire of that eye is too weak, where is there even half the power of the sun from before?"

This was also the reason why he dared to enter the inner mausoleum alone.

If he had confirmed that... Gu Changzhi was still alive.

Then he would have ended the civil war with the old school at once.

But unfortunately.

The reopening of that eye reminded Gu Lu Shen that everything he had done over the years was correct.

Gu Shen could feel it.

The mist in the inner mausoleum began to flow, and a wind seemed to be gathering.

It was a sign that the array patterns were being activated.

The tomb keeper did not respond to Gu Lu Shen's words, but silently activated the great array of the Qingzhong Inner Mausoleum. Obviously, she was guarding against Gu Lu Shen's sudden attack...

"Qianye, relax, I won't attack."

Gu Lu Shen heard the rapid wind beside his ears, and he opened his mouth with a smile, in a great mood, "I'm here at Qingzhong today as a guest."

He originally thought that Gu Changzhi would become a nightmare for the rest of his life.

He would suffer the pain of the scorching sun in his heart every moment of his remaining years.

But fate had treated him well.

Twenty years of peace.

Today, he "opened his eyes" again and saw a firefly as weak as himself.

"Qianye ah... I've always been wondering."

Gu Lu Shen asked faintly, "The reason why the people of Changye regard you as a god is only because Gu Changzhi sleeps here. Your words are considered divine pronouncements, and everyone outside believes every sentence. But if Gu Changzhi is really dead, will they still think so? If they knew that you, who possess divination, had once told a monstrous lie, would they still trust you?"

A desireless and selfless oracle? A noble and selfless guardian?

No... this is just a hypocritical saint who deceives the world.

Twenty years ago.

The Divine Seat was dead.

And in these years, Qianye has concealed the truth behind the scenes and sealed the mausoleum of Qingzhong... These actions, which were originally regarded as "divine blessings," will at that time become "crimes."

Within the mist, there was a sound of extraordinary source power erupting!

With a "boom"!

A great array was activated!

"Boom boom boom boom—"

The extraordinary beings waiting outside the Qingzhong Cemetery looked at the extraordinary source power shaking in the inner mausoleum, their expressions pale... Were they fighting?

They wanted to go in to help, but they soon realized that they probably couldn't help.

One great array after another in the inner mausoleum was activated, and the soaring extraordinary source power was like fireworks, covering the sky. Grandmaster Qianye, who controlled the array patterns, condensed a body with "spiritual power" and appeared on the mountain peak several miles away.

Countless extraordinary source powers formed this large robe.

In the wild wind.

The black robe rustled.

Thousands of golden threads were entwined between the fingers of this body.

The moment Qianye appeared, a palm was already against Gu Lu Shen's forehead.

Behind her, more than a thousand array patterns were suspended, like one independent cave heaven after another, shaking out ripples that were either golden or silver...

This was the first time Gu Shen had seen such a scene.

He was deeply shocked by Grandmaster Qianye's attack. He never expected that the full activation of the array patterns in Qingzhong would have such a terrifying phenomenon. No wonder those new school extraordinary beings who attacked Qingzhong back then all failed.

If all these great arrays launched an attack...

Even a titled expert would not be able to resist it, right?

……

……

"Sa."

"Sa."

The broken leaves of the mountains were torn apart by the strong wind, but the center of the tornado was extremely silent.

The man sitting in the wheelchair still had a calm expression.

Gu Lu Shen was very satisfied with Grandmaster Qianye's "appearance," which meant that his previous words had worked.

The tomb keeper also had things she cared about.

But he never expected that.

The first sentence Qianye said after condensing her form was.

"He is not dead."

Gu Lu Shen was stunned.

He frowned, unable to understand... He originally thought that Qianye cared about the support and love of the millions of people in Changye, and that she was worried about the gap after falling from the "altar."

But now it seemed that his understanding was somewhat biased.

"Okay..." Gu Lu Shen did not argue, but shrugged in admission and said lightly, "You seem to prefer to use the word 'sleeping' to describe it. If it makes you happy, then use it."

The opening of countless array patterns behind Qianye put a lot of pressure on him.

Although eight years had passed.

But if they really fought.

Probably... he still wouldn't be able to gain an advantage.

Qianye stared at Gu Lu Shen.

"I don't care what you say outside... I just hope you remember that even if that fire has only a sliver left, it is something you cannot defile." Qianye coldly said from the spiritual illusion unfolded on the mountain peak, "Don't think that just because you have some connection with the Tinder, you have become a 'holy person.' Don't you know in your heart what you have done?"

Gu Lu Shen narrowed his eyes, "What do you want to say?!"

As an observer, Gu Shen now controlled most of the array patterns in the inner mausoleum. Although he could not summon and activate them as skillfully as Grandmaster Qianye, he could still see most of the scenes in the inner mausoleum.

Gu Shen's expression changed slightly.

He felt that some strange changes seemed to have occurred in the direction of the Seasons Wilderness.

Grandmaster Qianye's aura seemed to have weakened.

On the ancient tree that no one could see, Qianye, who was sitting upside down, slowly lifted a corner of her black robe, revealing her withered white forearm. Only the clean, dry bones remained in that section of her forearm, but as the robe was slowly lifted... the part of her upper arm where flesh and blood still remained was soon revealed.

It was hard to imagine.

Her "flesh and blood" were actually composed of circles of golden threads.

The same as those lines of fate divination woven across the wilderness sky!

It was like a disassembled sweater, starting from the finger bones, using flesh and blood as nourishment to gain the favor of the divination golden threads... Each time she performed a divination, some of her flesh would be disassembled.

"Swish swish swish—"

Inside the mausoleum, golden threads flowed and flew quickly.

Qianye's flesh was being drawn away circle by circle. She was divining Gu Lu Shen's past.

Indeed, she could not divine anything related to the Tinder, but Gu Lu Shen was not the so-called Divine Seat. As long as she was willing to pay the price, she could see his past experiences—

On the mountain peak.

Qianye sneered in a low voice, "Touching the Tinder and being cursed... it sounds so pitiful, as if Gu Changzhi has become an unforgivable villain. But some words, can you deceive others, can you deceive yourself?"

Gu Lu Shen's expression suddenly turned gloomy.

"Is your so-called 'touch' really just a 'touch'?" Qianye said expressionlessly, "As a rebel who attempted to steal the Tinder, having failed to steal the Tinder in the past, and the lesson you learned... you actually have the nerve to bring it up and say it. If your followers knew the truth, how would they view you?"

Gu Lu Shen roared, "They won't believe it..."

The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly fell silent.

The man sitting in the wheelchair instantly regained his senses.

He retracted all his words.

His followers would not believe it...

Naturally, Qianye's believers would not believe it either...

There was another reason for his silence.

That was that Grandmaster Qianye's anger was not caused by what he had just said about being abandoned by the world.

She was just angry that he slandered Gu Changzhi, angry that he trampled on the hope that Qingzhong was upholding.

Perhaps from the beginning, Qianye firmly believed that Gu Changzhi was not dead.

"I came here... not to fight with you."

Gu Lu Shen restrained all his emotions.

His face was neither sad nor happy, and he asked softly, "I came here just to tell you one sentence in person..."

"If Gu Changzhi is dead, someone must inherit the Tinder."

Qianye looked directly at Gu Lu Shen.

The great arrays slowly fell into silence.

The erupting extraordinary source power dissipated.

She only said one word.

"Get out."

Gu Lu Shen turned his wheelchair and slowly went down the mountain.

Before going down the mountain, he paused, looked back at Gu Shen, and asked a question with a smile.

"Do you know... why the new school wins the Gu family civil war?"

This was his last sentence.

After he finished speaking.

The man went down the mountain alone. Those new school extraordinary beings waited anxiously, and finally found that the family head was safe and sound, so they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Lu Shen and his party left.

Gu Shen was still standing on the hilltop in the mist.

He silently thought about the question Gu Lu Shen had asked.

Recalling the Gu family's civil war eight years ago, there was a phenomenon that many people did not understand at the time... Why did Gu Lu Shen receive such widespread support and recognition, and why did the "old school" that supported the Divine Seat fall into a disadvantageous position instead?

But in fact, the answer was not difficult to imagine.

People are willing to believe in a "god," and the prerequisite is... that the "god" is willing to be good to them.

A huge gap was created in the Gu family.

Was it because Gu Changzhi was not good to them?

No...

With Gu Changzhi's existence, the Gu family deservedly sat at the top of Changye, and every member of the Gu family received the gift of the gods in an invisible way.

But so many people were willing to join the "new school" camp when Gu Lu Shen launched the "civil war," not because Gu Changzhi was not good to them.

It was just because... Gu Changzhi was not good enough to them.

What they were getting was not worth what they were about to lose.

Since Gu Changzhi became the Divine Seat of Dongzhou, the world pattern and the federal government have undergone tremendous changes. The changes in these decades can be described as "earth-shaking."

The appearance of the Abyss.

Rapid breakthroughs in technology.

The mysterious veil of the extraordinary field was gradually being lifted.

In order to maintain the peace of the entire Dongzhou, Gu Changzhi personally established a huge organization like the "Three Bureaus" to build an absolutely fair platform for extraordinary order.

Everything Gu Changzhi did was to stabilize this world, but at the same time... it was also weakening the Gu family's influence.

The privileges enjoyed by the Gu family were becoming fewer and fewer.

As a member of the Divine Seat family.

They could have gotten more...

But because of the Divine Seat's selflessness, these benefits were becoming fewer and fewer.

There used to be such a joke.

Some people are born in the wilderness, while some are born in Changye.

Before Gu Changzhi became the Divine Seat, Changye was a holy city that countless extraordinary beings dreamed of. Snow Forbidden City had sealed objects, secret techniques, and ancient family traditions. These mysterious gimmicks attracted countless extraordinary beings to go there.

But now.

With the Abyss and the Three Bureaus, Changye... is just Changye.

An ancient city with a rich history.

Anyone can come.

Anyone can leave.

Anyone can become famous here, as long as you have enough strength, you don't have to be named Gu, nor do you have to be named Bai Gong Mu Li.

The reason why the new school was able to win was because the people who joined the new school wanted more... They wanted to gain more and greater privileges in this world, so they would definitely join Gu Lu Shen's ship.

Lord Gu Changzhi is a great Divine Seat, a selfless sun.

He would burn himself out.

Of course... he would also burn everything around him.

And those who followed the Divine Seat's will, in their willing pursuit, would only become the embers after the sun burned.

The people that Gu Lu Shen gathered were all smart people. They saw the future situation and understood the biggest predicament facing the Gu family.

They wanted to obtain light and heat.

But they didn't want to burn.

Then... let the Divine Seat die.

……

……

Qingzhong had returned to peace.

Qianye stood beside Gu Shen, and she stood side by side with Gu Shen.

This time, it was not an illusion, but her true self.

Qingzhong did not have a tomb keeper, and those array patterns could not operate naturally. Extraordinary source power began to overflow outward, and a large area of oppressive lead clouds re-condensed above the sky... However, this process was very slow.

Gu Shen just stood on the hill, watching the thousands of lead clouds surge towards him.

After more than ten years of accumulation, the entire Dongzhou's disordered source power had been intentionally collected and sent to Qingzhong. The amount of extraordinary source power here was much more than that of Divine Shrine Mountain.

He thought silently in his heart.

If one day the Qingzhong Great Array collapses and the world is destroyed, it would probably look like this?

"They all say... Qingzhong cannot be without a tomb keeper for a single day."

Qianye's voice was a little tired.

Obviously, the conversation with Gu Lu Shen just now had taken a lot of her energy.

Gu Shen knew that a large part of this energy consumption came from the final "divination"... Grandmaster Qianye forcibly looking into Gu Lu Shen's past must have paid a considerable price.

"But people always die. If the tomb keeper dies, can Qingzhong still not exist?"

From this sentence, one could hear obvious sorrow.

Seeing Gu Shen's expression change.

"Don't worry... I can still live for a long time..."

Grandmaster Qianye quickly opened her mouth, and muttered in her heart with a voice that only she could hear, "He is still alive, how can I die?"

She looked back behind her.

"I really hope that these array patterns... can operate on their own."

Qianye's voice was a little emotional, and she smiled softly, "I am not a saint, but I am not a cold person either. After guarding this place quietly for twenty years, I often think, if one day, when it really comes time to leave, what should be done with the array patterns here? Changye cannot be without Qingzhong. If I leave, this cemetery can only be abandoned."

Gu Shen was silent for a while.

He said seriously, "I have already comprehended 80% of the Qingzhong array patterns."

The meaning of this sentence was obvious.

When that time comes, I can take your place.

The look in Qianye's eyes under the mask was obviously a little relieved, but she quickly shook her head and said, "During the days of cultivation in Qingzhong, I saw you often standing on this hill, looking out into the distance."

Gu Shen cultivated array patterns in Qingzhong, forgetting to eat and sleep, sitting for a whole day.

And when he was free, he did like to look into the distance.

Because... there were still people he cared about in the distance.

He was thinking about the girl down the well in Divine Shrine Mountain.

"How can a person who yearns for the distance be trapped in a place like Qingzhong?"

Qianye said softly with a smile, "Qingzhong is a cemetery for the dead and a cage for the living. Only people like me, who have hearts as dead ashes, should stay here... After you finish learning ancient prose, you don't have to come again."

Gu Shen lowered his eyes, smiled softly, and said, "Actually... I quite like it here."

In the rumors outside.

Gu Shen and the second successor of divination, that stunning woman, lived "carefree" in Qingzhong together.

When he stood outside the mountain and looked into the distance, he often thought, how good would it be if it were really as the rumors outside said?

"Will that girl come to Qingzhong in the future?"

Grandmaster Qianye looked into Gu Shen's eyes.

She had almost never divined Gu Shen's fate... but after agreeing to Gu Shen's request to take in two disciples, out of curiosity, she used divination to listen to the voices outside.

The people in Changye must not have imagined.

Even the tomb keeper herself was very curious about the news of that "stunning woman."

Gu Shen smiled.

He smiled brightly, "Of course... I will bring her to see you. She has always been very interested in your divination."

Grandmaster Qianye also smiled.

"Okay."

She stood on the hill where Gu Shen often looked into the distance, looked into the distance, and said softly, "When that time comes, I will teach her divination."

……

……

(ps: 1. Continue to ask for monthly tickets~

2. I took a look at the book review area, and I will still say it: This plot of the Changye chapter will be very long. The detailed outline has thousands of words. I have done my best to conceive it, and because the ending was arranged in advance, I tried to be as detailed as possible when laying out the plot. If you don't have patience, it is recommended to save it for later reading. Panda still hopes that all readers can enjoy the process of following the updates. Let's take it slowly, don't be too anxious~ Compared to Xu Cang delivering the sword to Tiandu, this time I have thought more clearly and should not be affected by the comments... right?)