Chapter 1 Glad You Remembered My Contact

Above Mount Rintetsu's night sky, helicopters circled, their rotors stirring up rain, their bright lights tearing through the darkness.

Cui Zhongcheng, holding an umbrella, stood at the foot of the mountain.

"Long time no see, Mr. Cui."

Gu Shen greeted him with a smile.

He wasn't holding an umbrella; above his shoulders hung a blazing lantern, naturally warding off the rain.

Mu Wanqiu was the same.

She scrutinized the man in the suit, her gaze curious. She could only remember a limited number of names from East Continent.

Cui Zhongcheng's name happened to be one of them.

The well-deserved second-in-command of the Huazhi Group, also born from humble origins, had a legendary story. Twenty years ago, no one would have imagined that Cui Zhongcheng, who came from Qinghe, could rise and climb continuously with such an "unremarkable" identity, eventually becoming the group controller who had weathered two generations of Huazhi's upheavals, standing tall and unmoved.

"This must be the renowned 'Judge' from North Continent?"

Cui Zhongcheng pushed up his glasses, speaking with a smile.

"Yes," Gu Shen said calmly, "I need Huazhi's help in handling the information blockade regarding Mount Rintetsu."

"No problem."

Cui Zhongcheng extended a finger, pointing to the towering, dark mountain, and said, "I'd like to see what the situation is like inside. Is that possible?"

...

...

When Gu Shen sent the email to Cui Zhongcheng, it so happened that this Mr. Cui was in the vicinity of Qinghe on business.

So, in less than an hour, Cui Zhongcheng arrived at Mount Rintetsu.

And then the previous scene unfolded.

The mountain path of Mount Rintetsu was long. Cui Zhongcheng put away his umbrella. Due to the blazing fire suspended in the air, the rain within a radius of about ten meters was lifted and evaporated, enveloping the three of them in a layer of misty air.

"Congratulations on successfully obtaining your own title," Cui Zhongcheng said with a hint of jest. "In the middle of the night, I thought you came to Qinghe for the Five Old Mountains matter."

"I know they're doing well," Gu Shen said. "I still need to thank you for your care."

Although he had been away from Qinghe for many years, Gu Shen always cared about the small courtyard at the foot of the Five Old Mountains.

Cui Zhongcheng had been fulfilling his promise all along.

Huazhi would provide a sum of money to the small courtyard every year, in addition to appropriate humanitarian consideration.

The small courtyard was very well taken care of.

The young boys and girls who came out of the small courtyard also grew up under the care of the Huazhi Group, following Gu Shen's instructions. These people were not involved in the supernatural world. They lived in an orderly, peaceful, and stable ordinary world, and if there were no accidents, they would spend their lives in peace.

"These are nothing," Cui Zhongcheng said with a slight smile. "A long time ago, I knew you would become a very remarkable person... Any businessman who considers 'investment cost-effectiveness' wouldn't miss the opportunity to invest in you."

Gu Shen also joked, "Is it appropriate for Mr. Cui to compare himself to a businessman?"

"There's nothing shameful about being a businessman," Cui Zhongcheng said calmly. "I am originally the steward of Huazhi, and I need to produce results every year. Investing in you is the most successful 'business' I've done in recent years."

Gu Shen smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

Cui Zhongcheng seemed unwilling to accept his gratitude.

However, Cui Zhongcheng was indeed this kind of person.

From the day they first met, Gu Shen felt that this Mr. Cui was different. Back then, the Zhao family still held the reins of power, and when Zhao Xilai was nearing his end, a large amount of infighting occurred within the group.

Zhao Qi had attempted to control the "Huazhi inheritance" as an only son.

However, due to Cui Zhongcheng's strict defense, Zhao Qi's plan ended in failure.

So many years had passed, and Cui Zhongcheng seemed to have not changed much. Time had had almost zero impact on him. He was a perfect human being with no "defects" in terms of emotions.

Cui Zhongcheng would smile, and perhaps he would cry.

But in Gu Shen's perception, these seemed to be just superficial emotions.

Mr. Cui never seemed to truly express his joy, sadness, or anger.

A person who is not consumed by emotions, of course, will not change.

The three entered the disaster zone of Mount Rintetsu.

"I will include the 'Mount Rintetsu Disaster Zone' in the Grand Arbiter's case manual," Gu Shen said calmly. "There are traces of forbidden existences taking action in this disaster zone... I'm not at liberty to say who it is."

"Forbidden existences?" Cui Zhongcheng's tone didn't change much. He said indifferently, "Rest assured, I'm not interested in things I shouldn't know."

The case file on Mount Rintetsu was actually very easy to write.

Gu Shen was now the Grand Arbiter of East Continent!

With his status, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to discover any major disaster zones or dangerous events. He didn't need to explain to outsiders how "Mount Rintetsu" was discovered at all.

Calling Cui Zhongcheng over now was just a formality.

"There are a large number of life pods here," Gu Shen led Cui Zhongcheng to the front of the bronze hall. He slowly said, "What I need Huazhi to do now is... move these pods back to the group's underground."

Rumble.

The heavy giant hall opened.

Cui Zhongcheng silently looked at the incredibly shocking and spectacular scene before him.

At this moment, the netherfire inside Mount Rintetsu had been dealt with by Gu Shen.

Gu Shen gave this wisp of netherfire to Mu Wanqiu, who didn't stand on ceremony and directly took action, devouring this tiny wisp of netherfire completely.

The netherfire dissipated.

The calamity lingering in Mount Rintetsu also dissipated along with it.

There was no need to worry about supernatural events like the previous "Black Folding Knife" occurring again.

"These life pods are twice as many as those in Huazhi's underground..." After examining them for a moment, Cui Zhongcheng looked at Gu Shen and said seriously, "Taking them back will cause too much commotion. Even if it's done in batches, it will alarm many people. I need to explain to Madam Nanzhi, and I also need to report to the East Continent Council."

Obviously, he could turn a blind eye to this disaster zone and ignore it.

But this explanation needed to be given by Gu Shen.

Gu Shen heard Chu Ling's voice in his mind: "The 'Neutrals' transferred from Sang Island to the Great Capital have been raised by Huazhi and are currently conducting 'Divine Infant Research.'"

With this little information, Gu Shen understood.

"I will personally talk to Madam Nanzhi," Gu Shen said. "As for the East Continent Council... just bring out the research team that migrated from Sang Island. These are the remaining pods from the Sang Continent Cave Northward Migration Plan. They were all made by the church. East Continent is only responsible for humanitarian processing. Now that the cryopreservation technology has been upgraded, these innocent victims can have a longer period of peace."

"...You really are a genius," Cui Zhongcheng said after a few seconds of silence, giving such an evaluation.

Gu Shen certainly wouldn't think this was a compliment.

He said helplessly, "When it comes to 'forbidden existences,' explaining too much is not a good thing."

"Understood," Cui Zhongcheng said. "Rest assured, I will send people to take these pods away, but this matter is sudden, so I can only use the core members of the Great Capital Chengxin Association. It will take them at least four hours to get here. We'll have to wait until dawn at least."

"As long as it can be done," Gu Shen nodded slightly. He didn't care about the speed of these life pod transfers.

With the task assigned, he didn't need to stay in Mount Rintetsu anymore.

"By the way, you'd better destroy this half-completed wasteland domain." Cui Zhongcheng said indifferently, "There are too many pods here. Even the core members need to use several of them... Do you understand what I mean?"

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows.

That's right.

This was, after all, the domain of the former Nether King.

Cui Zhongcheng had to perfunctorily deceive the Council. If the scene here was spread out... it would always attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

He joined two fingers together and chopped at the disaster zone.

Those pillars, those half-finished carvings, and the former Nether King's sinister and dark style were all drastically modified by Chi Huo in a sweeping manner.

It was changed beyond recognition.

From half-barren to completely barren.

"Alright, now this is a purely 'natural disaster zone'," Gu Shen said. "I will solve the subsequent files and permission issues. I'll leave the rest to you."

...

...

The two got into a miniature Source Energy Craft, and the hatch closed.

The mountain rain was misty, slamming onto the Source Energy Craft's hull, splashing out a crisp sound.

Mu Wanqiu didn't rush to start the miniature craft, but said meaningfully, "A certain unknown deity, have you forgotten something?"

"Fighting, I remember it, how could I forget such a big thing?" Gu Shen laughed. "But do you want to fight in this kind of place? Qinghe District is small and has a lot of rules. The Mount Rintetsu disaster zone has just notified people to handle it, and transcendents may come over at any time."

Mu Wanqiu said calmly, "I think this place is quite good."

"It's quite good." Chu Ling's voice sounded in Gu Shen's mind. She "thoughtlessly" sent a few mental projections and corresponding coordinates.

"There are several mountain peaks in the no-man's land of Qinghe District, which are very suitable for you to fight. No one will ever set foot there on weekdays... As for the transcendents who are dealing with the disaster zone, it will take at least four hours to arrive. I can provide surveillance services for free."

After Mu Wanqiu indicated her southward journey, she had been looking forward to it.

Speaking of which.

Chu Ling was also very curious about just how much the S-rank "Judge" had grown.

With such a super Ai who would never forget to gossip and fuel the flames.

Gu Shen knew that he definitely couldn't get rid of this.

"Thank you." Gu Shen replied helplessly in his mind.

Then, returning to the real world, he sighed softly.

"...I think this place is quite good too. Start the Source Energy Craft, let's pick a good place."

The mountains across from Qinghe were very majestic. Because East Continent's development was too fast, the Council had circled this entire huge mountainous area in recent years and designated it as a "resource zone."

In the transcendent world, [Deep Sea] directly defined this place as a no-man's land.

No entry without permission.

Now, it seemed that this decision was clearly made by Mr. Gu Changzhi back then, using the authority of the highest seat to protect the former Nether King's disaster zone shrine.

The miniature craft left the Mount Rintetsu boundary and finally arrived at a deserted mountain a hundred miles away.

"Arriving at the target location: Zhaiyun Mountain."

The automatic navigation system taken over by Chu Ling announced in a gentle voice, and the miniature craft slowly docked.

"You chose a good place, with mountains and water," Mu Wanqiu praised.

Chu Ling responded in her mind, "Of course, this is the best dueling place in the no-man's land."

"You seem to want to see me and her fight?" Gu Shen laughed and cried. It had been a long time since he had seen Chu Ling so active.

"That's right. I want to see your level in a 'non-deathmatch'," Chu Ling said solemnly. "All along, I have been using the database to calculate your strength. From the day you awakened your transcendence, the database's calculations have never stopped..."

Gu Shen remembered that when his cultivation realm was still shallow, every thing he had to do, every enemy he had to fight.

Chu Ling could give a clear probability.

"But you disappeared in the Ice Sea for six years, and when you reappeared, your strength had exceeded the database's estimates," Chu Ling's voice was very regretful. "I have no way to accurately calculate your strength anymore... In the Battle of Red Lake, you successfully killed Jia Wei. After that battle, I knew that it was difficult for me to provide you with computing power support."

There was a lot of data that couldn't be calculated.

For example, potential erupting under a deathmatch.

"However, calculating your various 'probabilities' has become my... habit." After thinking for several seconds, Chu Ling thought of this relatively appropriate word.

Ai doesn't have habits.

Providing maximum help to the [Key] was her mission.

But now that it had developed to this point, Chu Ling had broken away from the limitations of the program. She was a living, breathing person.

Providing computing power support had become a matter of course.

She wanted to do some things for Gu Shen within her power.

Even if these assists now seemed meager and no longer important.

"...I understand," Gu Shen took a breath after listening. "I will fight this fight well, remember to collect all the data."

...

...

The mountain rain was swaying, cut by the blazing fire. Chu Ling drove the miniature craft away from the empty mountaintop of Zhaiyun Mountain to dock in the distance.

Gu Shen casually waved a strand of fire.

For transcendents who had reached this realm to duel, destroying mountains and breaking rivers was not a rare thing.

If he really wanted to fully engage Mu Wanqiu, this Zhaiyun Mountain would be flattened before long.

So Gu Shen set up a barrier.

He set up this barrier very large, almost encompassing the entire Zhaiyun Mountain, in order to ensure that the transcendent aura of this fight would not leak out, so as to avoid being sensed by the stationed transcendents in the Qinghe District, thereby causing unnecessary trouble.

"I really want to know, what exactly happened in that fight between you and Xiao Xiu Zi?" Gu Shen clasped his hands behind his back after finishing these.

"I lost, and I lost miserably," Mu Wanqiu stood in another place on the mountaintop. She didn't avoid the result of that battle, saying each word clearly.

"Whether it was spirit, or domain, or even body techniques, I lost."

"A comprehensive victory?" Gu Shen asked solemnly, confirming, "Xiao Xiu Zi even suppressed you in body techniques?"

Mu Wanqiu was from North Continent and joined the Legion early on.

First, she followed Lu Zhe, and after being promoted to the captain of the First Team, she must have also undergone special training with the commander of the Violet Rain Legion.

On the surface, there were only three generals in North Continent.

But Zi Yu, who controlled [Dragon Annihilation], was actually the fourth general of the future!

Zi Yu's strength was very strong, and her body techniques were among the best... Growing up in such an environment, Mu Wanqiu's body techniques should be the strongest aspect.

"That's right," Mu Wanqiu said. "However... that was before I followed Commander Zi Yu for special training. At that time, Bai Xiu had just arrived in North Continent and had not yet entered the Silver Fox Sect."

"I see," Gu Shen smiled. "Because you lost once, you are embarrassed to find Bai Xiu for another fight."

"...You can understand it that way too," Mu Wanqiu said very seriously. "Victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs. I lost to Bai Xiu once, and I may not have the chance to win back."

She was indeed an S-rank genius born for battle.

She treated victory and defeat indifferently.

Losing one game didn't matter, there were still many games in life.

Even though Bai Xiu had completely crushed her, Mu Wanqiu was not discouraged.

"I am very gratified that you can say such things..." Gu Shen extended a hand and beckoned.

"You deserve to be the [Crown Bearer] I have chosen. I will do my best."

"Heh," Mu Wanqiu raised her sword-like eyebrows. She stretched her waist, her curves swaying. This scene seemed beautiful, but it didn't give people any lewd thoughts.

Because when she stretched her waist, countless red scales flew over and enveloped the already tight-fitting combat uniform. Within seconds, they pieced together into a complete Source Armor.

"The technology of the underground research institute has improved again," Gu Shen squinted his eyes.

He had already sensed the fierce killing intent and danger.

Buzz—

A sound of sonic boom rang behind him.

Gu Shen suddenly felt a mountain-like sense of oppression behind him. He didn't need to look back to know that it was the [Judge]'s teleportation. Because the speed was too fast, the space was torn apart.

"Ora!"

The Judge in white punched out.

Behind Gu Shen, the rustling suspended tree descended, and countless long leaves flew and gathered, condensing into a solid ice shield.

With a bang, ice chips exploded everywhere!

This punch was extremely heavy, directly shattering the ice shield condensed by Pure Land. It could be seen that Mu Wanqiu had indeed been looking forward to this battle for a long time, and she didn't show any mercy.

If Gu Shen's defense was not enough, this punch would be enough to seriously injure him!

"Very good..." Gu Shen abandoned distracting thoughts and entered a flow state.

The Judge's punch shattered the elemental ice shield condensed by Pure Land, but that was all. The chill of [Nirvana] began to invade. The white-clothed ghost's arms and sleeves were entangled in pale wind and snow. The latter's pupils contracted, wanting to withdraw his hand, but it was too late. The entire arm was quickly frozen by frost!

Gu Shen turned around and grabbed this huge arm.

He was also ruthless.

His hands crossed.

Crack!

The Judge in white, sealed by ice elements, had an arm directly broken -

The [Judge]'s pupils were full of fear and pain!

It roared and punched again.

Gu Shen punched expressionlessly. This punch was still wrapped in the [Nirvana] frost of Great Accomplishment Pure Land. He didn't care about this level of domain confrontation at all.

Mu Wanqiu's S-rank ability was the highest suppression for other transcendents.

But here, he was in the suppressed downstream!

"Judge, disperse!"

The woman in red armor at the far end of the mountaintop raised her hands together. The white-clothed ghost suddenly dissipated just as his fist was about to collide with Gu Shen. He was summoned back to his master, and a black hole rotated and gathered at the severed part of his arm. This severed part was frantically absorbing the surrounding free Source Material. After a few seconds, it regrew!

The domain avatars in spirit form had infinite self-healing abilities. Injuries like severed arms were nothing.

However, the pain they suffered would be passed on to the main body.

However, Mu Wanqiu's expression was calm, and she couldn't see any pain. She didn't even have a drop of sweat.

"Is it the trait of the Second Domain? You seem to be able to ignore spiritual pain," Gu Shen said indifferently. "If you really have to endure it with willpower, even I can't do it like you..."

"It is it, I am me," Mu Wanqiu still maintained the position of clasping her hands, and said softly, "Close yet distant, similar yet not one."

As soon as the voice fell.

Gu Shen frowned.

The frost and snow of Pure Land suddenly began to tremble!

The severed arm, frozen by wind and snow, was now absorbing the Source Material in Pure Land... With this arm as the center, the vague outline of the white-clothed ghost was gradually condensing, struggling, and then recovering!

The second Judge was resurrected in Gu Shen's Pure Land!

"The so-called Judge is to control life and death, and delineate the living and the dead... First, you must decide your own life and death before you have the ability to judge other creatures."

Mu Wanqiu slowly withdrew a palm.

She said calmly.

"This is the [Judge]'s First Domain... I call it 'Addition'."

In spirit form, the [Judge]'s self-healing ability was close to infinite. As long as Mu Wanqiu's mental power was enough to support it, the [Judge] could expand endlessly.

The most terrifying thing was.

The [Judge]'s resurrection could be aided by external Source Material...

This was the domain mutation that occurred after becoming Gu Shen's Crown Bearer. Mu Wanqiu had the special authority to deal with disorderly Source Material, so she could use the Source Material of outsiders to resurrect her domain!

"...?"

It was too late when Gu Shen realized that something was wrong.

The frozen arm suddenly stretched out its five fingers and grabbed Gu Shen's wrist. The white-clothed ghost, who had grown out of Pure Land, looked ferocious and hugged Gu Shen tightly in his arms with this force!

Mu Wanqiu's fighting spirit reached its peak during these seconds of brewing!

She and the first Judge disappeared at the same time.

The next moment they reappeared, they directly arrived behind Gu Shen!

One person and one spirit punched out at the same time, extremely ruthlessly, directly hitting Gu Shen's shoulder. The second [Judge], who had split off, held the man in his arms tightly, preventing him from breaking free!

Boom!

Mu Wanqiu punched, directly piercing through the chest and abdomen of the second Judge -

However, there was no scene of blood splashing!

The second spirit painfully bent over. Its body was pierced by its master and began to divide for the second time...

As for the real target of this punch, Gu Shen, he had completed an incredible dodge while in a "tightly bound" state.

"You have also comprehended the [Perfect Flash] after the Great Accomplishment Realm?"

Mu Wanqiu moved her head to look at where she was standing. In a short moment, the two had exchanged positions.

"That's right. Some comprehension after the Ice Sea breakthrough," Gu Shen wiped the dust off his shoulders and smiled, "Also, the word 'also' is used... This should be very, very difficult, right? Did Xiao Xiu Zi comprehend it before worshiping the general?"

Gu Shen didn't expect Mu Wanqiu's First Domain to be so amazing.

Especially after getting the status of [Crown Bearer], this First Domain had mutated.

It seemed that he was not the first "victim."

After the First Number fought with Red Shadow, Gu Shen's understanding of body techniques rose again.

Now, he was no longer a "spiritual transcendent" in the secular sense.

The classification of the three systems was just to distinguish between novices.

The real top powerhouses had no weaknesses. Any one of them would be perfect.

"..."

Mu Wanqiu took a deep breath and felt a deep pressure.

She launched an attack again.

But this time, she was not alone.

Three huge ghost shadows were flying in the domain. The third Judge ghost shadow was born out of her Source Material. There were always flaws in body techniques when they were cultivated to the extreme.

In the next moment, she crashed into Gu Shen's close combat range.

At the same time, three spirit bodies also crashed into it -

This time, Gu Shen didn't dodge. He gave Mu Wanqiu a knee strike to her oncoming figure. The woman in red armor raised her hands in time and crossed them in front of her abdomen, resisting the blow. However, because the force was too heavy, she was still knocked off the ground and flew out. Gu Shen didn't take the opportunity to pursue. It wasn't because he didn't want to.

But because he couldn't.

The attacks of the three huge spirit bodies had come like a tide.

The siege after the [Judge] increased in number was not a mob attack -

Even Gu Shen needed to deal with them one by one.

And Gu Shen's method of dealing with them was very simple.

"Shua!"

Pure Land descended, only covering a radius of ten meters. The smaller the domain range, the more powerful the domain master could display.

Shrinking Pure Land in such a narrow place was to wait for these Judges to get close!

Sounds of wind and snow tearing rang out, and Gu Shen directly cut the bodies of the three spirit bodies -

He didn't care about the increase in these Judges.

As Mu Wanqiu activated the domain again.

The Source Material in his Pure Land was absorbed, and the number of spirit bodies increased again, but the fate of these Judges was still the same. They were crushed in the sound of frost and snow cutting and slashing by Nirvana.

When the strength reached a sufficient height.

Quantity could not win.

This was a battle of attrition between the two domains of [Pure Land] and [Judge]. [Pure Land] infinitely provided the Source Material for the [Judge] to parasitize and grow, but Mu Wanqiu, as the domain master of the [Judge], had to bear the mental burden brought by the constant proliferation and differentiation.

Gu Shen just stood quietly in the center of the swirling frost and snow.

He didn't take the initiative to attack Mu Wanqiu. He just quietly watched her...

After being knocked down by a knee strike, Mu Wanqiu supported a boulder. Her expression became very pale.

One divided into two, two divided into four, four divided into eight.

The Judge spirit bodies were constantly breeding under the wanton feeding of [Pure Land], and then constantly being torn apart again. Gu Shen even deliberately accelerated this process.

But... she couldn't hold on.

Powerful beings like the "God of Melting Iron and Craftsmen" were only in a flow state, splitting their minds into more than a dozen uses!

In just a few seconds, the Judge domain had reproduced dozens of spirit bodies, and the speed was still accelerating.

"Ugh..."

Mu Wanqiu's lips were pale. Her mental sea was instantly drained of a large part of her mental power under the terrifying breeding speed, and she quickly stopped the First Domain.

So on the top of the mountain, with the crisp sound of wind and snow tearing.

These [Judges] who kept falling and getting up again were all torn to pieces.

Only one spirit body was left, the initial domain of the First Judge, very weakly floating back to its master, and regrouping its form.

Mu Wanqiu's heart sea had a burst of stabbing pain.

For a moment, she recalled the psychological shadow left by the Doru River disaster zone back then.

That was a nightmare she didn't want to remember... the boundless Nether River, and she was struggling to ferry in a small boat, like a withered leaf.

And at the end of the upper reaches of the Nether River, the former Nether King was sitting on top, like a mountain reaching the sky.

Now, looking directly at Gu Shen, she had such a feeling in her heart.

She was a withered leaf, and he was a high mountain.