He had been forced to use the "Ruler of Truth" in this battle with Shi Li.

This secret needed to be kept hidden as much as possible for now.

Hu Danian was a good man.

Last time something happened at the Jiangtan, he was the one who sent him to Cui Zhongcheng's office.

But... Gu Shen still chose to use Fiery Blaze Hypnosis to make Brother Danian forget about it, for his sake and for his own.

"Now... it's your turn."

After settling Hu Danian, Gu Shen slowly turned around.

Shi Li stood there blankly, a trickle of blood flowing from between his eyebrows... Today's battle was several times more dangerous than the surprise attack at Qu River. If any link in the chain had failed, the outcome would have been both of them dying in Yuandan Street.

Shi Li's true strength should be at the peak of the Fifth Layer of the Deep Sea.

The mental hypnosis launched by surprise... almost failed. But the most dangerous thing was the "mental explosion" contained in Shi Li's mind.

At the moment of successful hypnosis, Gu Shen's mind captured a grand roar.

Just as Cui Zhongcheng said, the followers of the Evergreen Foundation would plant a safeguard in their minds. Once they lost control of their bodies, or were about to face the worst outcome... this safeguard would trigger.

At the instant the roar sounded, Gu Shen captured a familiar aura hidden between Shi Li's eyebrows. He had seen the exact same fine thread when he removed the mental brand for his wife, Lu Nanzhi. It was hidden in Shi Li's forehead.

The microscopic Fiery Blaze sensed this thread at the first possible moment, and identified it as the source of the "explosion."

However, the current Fiery Blaze could not stop this explosion.

But... something could.

That E-grade sealed item.

The tiny hand of a clock, only capable of freezing time for a fraction of a millimeter.

...

...

"Just as I guessed, if the strength is great enough, there is still a way to stop the explosion before it starts..."

At this moment, Gu Shen's mental power easily seeped into Shi Li's mind.

It was certainly the act of a madman to come up with a mental explosion... but there were always geniuses in this world who could come up with countermeasures.

Gu Shen was certain that if Shi Li had encountered Senior Sister Luo, who held the Heavenly Eye title, this explosion could never have happened.

A mental power expert with a Deep Sea Twelfth Layer title could definitely instantly infiltrate the mind of a low-level extraordinary and eliminate all unfavorable factors... but could this also mean that the actual strength of that E-grade sealed item was actually quite terrifying?

Cui Zhongcheng also had times when he misjudged things.

Gu Shen began to search Shi Li's mind for memories of the "sealed item."

Unlike the previous few dream invasions, this time Gu Shen's methods were extremely crude, directly searching Shi Li's brain for memories, because he simply didn't consider how Shi Li would feel after waking up from the mental hypnosis...

Unfortunately, this Yuandan Street case was destined to be reported to the high-level officials of the capital.

He could only watch helplessly as the vast extraordinary source quality on this Fifth Layer Deep Sea strong attacking-type expert slipped through his fingers.

"This compass... can sense mental fluctuations within a certain range."

Gu Shen found a small, ancient compass in Shi Li's arms.

In this era... compasses had long been eliminated. They were rarely seen nowadays. The edges of this sealed item were plated with a layer of gold and silver to disguise it as a new item, which now seemed rather ironic.

This was precisely the style of those Evergreen Foundation fellows. No matter how much they disguised it on the surface, they couldn't hide the heart that loved relics of the old era.

"Good stuff... it should be a C-grade sealed item." Gu Shen took it out, examined it for a moment, and shook his head. "However, it's of limited use to me. It's a bit of a waste."

When Shi Li used the compass at the entrance of the Yulan Lane, the compass didn't detect the Fiery Blaze's mental fluctuations.

Perhaps it was because the Fiery Blaze's characteristics were special, and it was good at concealing its aura.

But this also meant that... this low-grade compass might give a misjudgment at a critical moment.

If it had sensed Gu Shen at that time, then today's story would probably have had a different ending...

"The top priority is to resolve this fog... turn off the sealed item in the factory so that we can get out of Yuandan Street." Gu Shen frowned. "Do the people of the Evergreen Foundation have a special breathing technique that allows them to come and go freely in the fog?"

His mental power, like a swimming fish, searched Shi Li's mind.

Before long, Gu Shen's eyes lit up.

"Entering the fog requires a protective item... is it this compass?"

He weighed the compass in his hand, somewhat surprised.

This was beyond his expectations.

Today's fog in Yuandan Street was enough to confirm Cui Zhongcheng's suspicions. The Evergreen Foundation had hidden a big fish in the capital, a big fish that looked down on everything from above, scheming something... But the compass on Shi Li could not have been his own "fog-dispelling" method. It must have been a gift from a big shot.

Then, this compass could not be a crudely made low-level sealed item.

Did his Fiery Blaze... evade the sensing methods of that big shot?

Before Gu Shen could think further, the compass trembled slightly, as if something was awakening within it... The shallow plating around the compass cracked under the trembling, revealing bronze inscriptions.

Gu Shen's expression became serious. He quickly squatted down and placed the compass in the pool of red silver that had gathered on the ground, ready to respond to any changes!

He didn't know what other methods the Evergreen Foundation had...

The Fiery Blaze hovered between his eyebrows, as if facing a great enemy.

"...Buzz..."

With the last light tremor, the surface of the compass, covered in dirt as if shrouded in a layer of fog, gradually became clear.

Then, a strand of blood-colored fire flowed across the clear mirror surface of the compass.

"Truly amazing methods... to stop a mental explosion..."

Someone spoke softly, full of praise: "Wonderful, wonderful."

Then, he said with some regret, "Young man, this compass is a good thing. Don't put it on the ground... it's too dirty there..."

Had the big fish revealed itself?

Gu Shen frowned. He only saw blood and fire in the compass, and nothing else. At most, he could vaguely see a blurred face. It was a man talking to him from another world.

Why was this blood-colored fire somewhat similar to the explosion in Zhou Yexin's dream?

Logically speaking, this big shot from the Evergreen Foundation should continue to hide behind the scenes.

In any case, Gu Shen didn't want to talk to the other party.

He gathered the red silver, preparing to cover the compass and stop this conversation.

"It's useless..." The man saw through his intentions and said with a faint smile, "How can inferior materials like red silver corrode the compass... What's more, you still want to stop this fog, don't you?"

Gu Shen continued to act. All the remaining red silver in his helmet was gathered by the Ruler of Truth, the ground sunken in, and the red silver buried everything. But that small compass still transmitted sound.

"It doesn't matter if you don't believe me."

"But this game has already begun, from... the moment the Su Mu stone sculpture met you..."

"Gu Shen... you've been targeted by me."

Gu Shen paused slightly as the other party spoke his name.

Had his information been exposed?

The red silver had completely buried the small pit, but the man was right. The red silver was useless, and the compass had not been affected in the slightest.

Gu Shen simply took out the compass, looked directly at the world on the other side of the mirror, and said calmly, "What do you want to say?"

The face in the blood and fire smiled with satisfaction.

"The fog in Yuandan Street... is just the beginning."

The man said softly, "I... or rather, we, have long been prepared. As long as that damned law proposal is not withdrawn, this game will never end."

"Is this a declaration of war?" Gu Shen said coldly, "You should declare war on the council."

"Of course... I will."

The man smiled slightly. "The Arbitration Court, the Prison, the Command, the entire East Continent... are all crumbling old buildings. Why are you still willing to live in the decaying nests?"

"Perhaps there's something wrong with your thinking." Gu Shen said calmly, "Want to know what's really causing unrest in East Continent? Take a look in the mirror."

"Interesting... really interesting."

The man wasn't angry, but laughed appreciatively.

In the ocean of blood and fire, a pair of eyes with a compassionate color slowly appeared.

"One day you will find these words... so laughable."

The man paused.

"Compared to you, Cui Zhongcheng is really a boring fellow. He only sees rules... Originally, I thought this compass could only be given to him. But fortunately, you appeared."

Gu Shen was silent.

"Dare to accept this compass... the future savior of the capital, the great hero."

The man said softly, "This compass is a gift I give to my opponents. Of course, there's another way to end all of this, which is to find me... and kill me."

"If you know my profile well," Gu Shen said expressionlessly, "then you should know very well... this compass, you should give to Cui Zhongcheng."

"You saved the civilians who hadn't been burned to death in the Dateng fire, saved the insomniacs of Lipu Street, saved the innocent old city people in the Yuandan Street fog. No matter how much you deny your sense of responsibility... you can't change one fact. When those lives, as cheap as ants, are about to disappear in front of you, you can't stop saving them."

Even though he was saying solemn and serious words, the man's voice still carried a frivolous smile. "The saviors of this world are often not those who are determined to die. If there is a sea of fire ahead, they will jump down without hesitation, but unfortunately, that kind of dedication cannot save all living beings."

Gu Shen stared at the eyes in the blood and fire. Now he hoped that this conversation would last longer so that he could remember the other party's pupils.

He said casually, "I'm a selfish person. I can't even save myself, how can I save the world."

"You're right... if you can't even save yourself, how can you save the world?"

The man laughed from the bottom of his heart, the blood and fire curved into a moon.

"Only those who survive are qualified to become saviors."