The radiance of the spiritual divine realm gradually dissipated.

In terms of real-world time… all of this only took a second.

The raindrop falling from the sky landed precisely on the ground.

The "Divine Advent" of Dionysus ended.

The golden sun no longer "detained" him, and countless strands of mental power scattered like the wind.

The fiery divine realm returned to tranquility.

The man sitting on the divine seat sounded a little tired.

He softly spoke to the blazing light beside him, saying, “…Thank you.”

In the next moment, Gu Shen walked out from the scalding light. From beginning to end, he had been standing here, never moving a step.

The sun, which was a soul-scorching torment to Dionysus, felt like a newborn spring to him, warm and gentle.

“Mr. Gu…”

Gu Shen looked at Gu Changzhi, his voice somewhat complex, and said, “I didn’t expect… you’re really alive.”

He couldn't clearly see the man's face on the divine seat at this moment.

Countless rays of light enveloped and covered him, making this figure seem infinitely tall and infinitely reliable… This was indeed a man who inspired a great sense of security.

In fact, Gu Shen had long seen Gu Changzhi's appearance. This man had once been an unparalleled god of war, regarded as an idol and role model by countless people.

But now, under the shroud of spiritual radiance,

Even the face in his memory seemed to become blurred.

As the light flickered, Gu Changzhi's head slowly turned, as if facing him.

The voice from the divine seat carried a hint of twilight: “My time is running out…”

These were not auspicious words.

Gu Shen's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Gu Changzhi added with a smile, “Don't overthink it… it’s just that the time for this ‘Divine Advent’ is running out.”

Before Gu Shen could breathe a sigh of relief,

“Of course… the time in Qingzhong is also running out.”

Gu Shen looked at the direction of the divine seat with a complicated expression, unsure of what to say, wondering if Mr. Gu Changzhi also liked to pause dramatically when speaking.

For some reason, his previously heavy mood suddenly lightened.

Perhaps it was because Gu Shen realized that beneath the sacred and solemn golden radiance, the man who had once worn a stern face and declared, "I will descend divine punishment because I am Gu Changzhi," was not a "god" untouched by the dust of the world. He was also an ordinary person.

Gu Changzhi said in a relaxed tone, “Don’t worry… although time is short, it’s enough to answer your questions.”

Gu Shen was filled with emotion.

The eyes on that divine seat were like sharp weapons that could see through people’s hearts, instantly perceiving his thoughts.

Regarding this "Divine Advent"… he had too many questions to ask.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Shen quickly organized his thoughts.

“I saw with my own eyes that the relic chose Song Ci… why was I the target of the Divine Advent?”

“Divine Advent is something that can be carried out with a unilateral decision. In reality, it’s not as sacred and solemn as most people imagine. All that’s needed is for the fire seed to inject its will, and for the physical body to bear divine power, and that’s enough to carry out a ‘Divine Advent.’” Gu Changzhi calmly said, “In fact, the divine seat’s own power is a kind of ‘divine power.’”

Gu Shen understood somewhat.

The matter of Divine Advent was too lofty, shrouded in a veil of mystery.

In reality, it was not complex.

Anyone could carry out a "Divine Advent," but if an ordinary person were to bear divine power… the result would be without a doubt that the physical body would be torn apart by the divine power in just 0.01 seconds.

That was why the divine seat was so meticulous in selecting the [Apostle]. For them, it wasn’t just about choosing an ability user whose heart and character could match, and gifting them a relic. More importantly… the [Apostle] themselves needed to be powerful enough. Only then could the "Divine Advent," as a last resort, unleash its most powerful force.

And those so-called "divine seats" were super-powerful individuals capable of bearing the power of the "fire seed."

They themselves were the embodiment of "divine power."

Without a doubt, there was a reason why a god could become a god.

“The reason why the ‘relic’ chose Song Ci to become the [Apostle], and chose you to undergo the ‘Divine Advent’…”

Gu Changzhi chuckled softly. His gaze pierced through the golden divine realm, faintly landing on the junior named Gu Nanfeng, “Actually, it’s very simple. Even if I didn’t tell you, I believe you would have discovered the truth before long.”

“That emblem… was never my relic at all.”

Gu Shen was stunned.

“Nanfeng went to Light City, visited my teacher, and obtained an [Apostle] emblem. Xiao Ye used my authority… to tamper with the records in the Deep Sea for him.” Gu Changzhi lowered his gaze and said, “Xiao Ye is the gravekeeper of Qingzhong.”

As expected…

Chu Ling’s deduction was correct.

“Looking at your expression, you seem to have guessed it already? I knew it, this emblem can deceive most people outside, but it can’t deceive you.” Gu Changzhi smiled, “After all… the Source Code can capture the basic logic of the Deep Sea.”

When the words "Source Code" came out of Gu Changzhi's mouth, Gu Shen's expression suddenly became strange. He subconsciously wanted to hide, but quickly realized that this was a futile act.

Chu Ling was his greatest secret.

But the person before him… was a giant on par with Turing. It seemed that it was not an exaggeration that he knew any secret.

“Say hello to ‘Chu Ling’ for me. I once witnessed her birth with Turing.” Gu Changzhi said gently, “She’s a good girl, don’t you think?”

“…I agree wholeheartedly.”

“Oh, right…” The figure on the golden divine seat began to become illusory. Gu Changzhi’s time was running out. He said solemnly, “You need to carefully safeguard that ruler.”

The Ruler of Truth?

Regarding the Ruler of Truth… Gu Changzhi used the words "carefully safeguard." This was a word worth pondering.

In fact, Gu Shen had already sensed something was amiss.

When using the Ruler of Truth, extreme voices would occasionally appear in his mind.

Gu Shen thought of the scene he had seen in the Cage of Specters. Chu Ling had said that his malice was great enough to destroy a city… and after fully using the Ruler of Truth, the malice seemed to have occupied his entire mind.

This time, he was able to regain his body.

What about next time?

“You mean… I shouldn’t use the ‘Ruler of Truth’?”

“No… you can use it, but you must be careful not to let the ruler influence your will.” Gu Changzhi shook his head and said, “The Ruler of Truth… is just a nice-sounding name. You should have also felt that this is a sealing object that seems perfect, but in reality has powerful flaws.”

Yes.

Gu Shen felt it the first time he used it… The use of the Ruler of Truth was somewhat like a Divine Advent.

After overdrawing his mental power, he would fall from the divine seat into an abyss.

It was an incredibly sharp double-edged sword.

Against others, and against oneself.

Gu Changzhi looked directly into Gu Shen’s eyes and said, “The previous owner of this ruler… was a very powerful guy, but unfortunately, he was eventually invaded by malice, so I had no choice but to kill him.”