Chapter 186 Starlight

Starlight fell upon the streets and alleys of Guang Ming Bi Lei (City of Light).

The parading crowds looked up to admire the rare starry night. Su Ye's forehead was covered with sweat as he dashed across the rooftops of Guang Ming Bi Lei, rushing towards the "Secret Prison" at top speed.

The moment the conversation ended in the south of the city, Gu Nanfeng had vanished without a trace.

When he arrived at the Secret Prison, the [Holy Light Barrier] had already been cut open by Lanqie (Storm Cut) with a narrow gap... The heavily armored guards at the entrance to the Secret Prison alley had been knocked down.

The two heavy doors of the Secret Prison were shattered.

Su Ye stood silently in front of the Secret Prison, knowing there was no need to investigate further...

A moment later, he arrived at a dark alley.

A fishy wind blew past.

A thin body lay in a wheelchair, clothes torn, flesh beneath mangled.

Yao Jin was dead.

On either side of the alley's stone walls, scalding blood had been cooled by the wind.

Su Ye felt a chill down his spine.

He had no sympathy or pity for this "colleague" he had grown up with.

But what truly terrified him...

Was the extreme speed displayed by Gu Nanfeng!

In the West Continent, he had encountered several extraordinary individuals with the Lanqie ability, and he knew that the speed boost it provided was considerable... But he never imagined that Gu Nanfeng would be so much faster than him.

"You're late, and more than a step behind."

A leisurely voice sounded from the end of the alley.

Someone had been waiting here for a long time.

Su Ye suddenly looked up, his expression grim as he stared into the depths of the darkness.

A wind blew through, carrying scattered fallen leaves, slapping against the dry alley walls. A man carrying a wooden sword slowly emerged from the darkness.

Su Ye was certain that there had been no one at the end of this alley before.

But after the wind came, so did the man.

Gu Nanfeng said indifferently, "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you... I just hope you don't return to Red Lake so quickly. If you're willing to chat with me here for a while, then I won't draw my sword."

Su Ye gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "You raided the prison in Guang Ming Bi Lei. Have you thought about the consequences?"

"Consequences? Are you referring to the wrath of the Light God Seat? That is indeed a very serious consequence..."

Gu Nanfeng thought for a moment and asked, "But if he doesn't want me to rescue Meng Xizhou, then how can I rescue her?"

Su Ye was stunned.

"Everything that happens in the divine realm is tacitly approved by the God Seat."

Gu Nanfeng said calmly, "If he doesn't want it, I can't do it. The worst consequence in my mind is nothing more than a failed prison break... But from the looks of it, he doesn't seem to care about the Secret Prison."

"And he doesn't seem to care about Yao Jin either."

Gu Nanfeng glanced at the solitary, blood-stained wheelchair at the entrance of the alley.

He held the wooden sword and asked with a smile, "Perhaps... he doesn't care about you either?"

Su Ye felt even colder.

The Secret Prison had already been raided, and Meng Xizhou was likely already on her way to Red Lake. That was why Gu Nanfeng was blocking him here...

With such a commotion in the Secret Prison, Jia Wei and the Great Elder had not sent any message.

Clearly, something unexpected had happened at Red Lake.

He turned to leave, but a long wind carrying lingering leaves swept through the streets. Gu Nanfeng, holding the wooden sword, appeared in front of Su Ye.

A blazing golden light ignited in Su Ye's eyes.

He unleashed his domain and flew away at top speed.

But no matter where he went, there was always a wind, haunting him, departing a step later than him, arriving a step earlier.

Wherever he landed, Gu Nanfeng landed.

Wherever he went, Gu Nanfeng blocked him.

……

……

The surface of Red Lake rippled with light, and stars twinkled in the sky above.

Gu Shen stood on the starlight-filled lake surface, pointed a finger, and gestured towards the deep mist in the depths of Red Lake.

"I want to go there and take a look."

These words were, of course, directed to Batu.

Now, only Batu could speak in the temple.

"What happened in Guang Ming Bi Lei tonight should be worth more than the sum of the past few years..."

Gu Shen said seriously, "So many people have gathered before the Guang Ming Bi Lei. Isn't the Light God Seat ready to show up? Everyone should want to see the real 'light'. If the God Seat is unharmed, even if he doesn't show his face, saying a few words and conveying a few wisps of will should be possible, right?"

This scene was quite "familiar."

The Gu family delegation, the night watchers, and the extraordinary individuals from East Continent standing on the shores of Red Lake felt a little dazed.

During the time when Mr. Gu Changzhi was asleep.

East Continent had also suffered such criticism... The words Gu Shen said at this moment were often heard in East Continent back then.

"..."

Cold sweat poured from Batu's forehead. These short minutes felt like an eternity. He had sent countless messages to the Great Elder and Su Ye, but had not received a single reply.

The current image of Red Lake could be seen all over the world.

He had never experienced such an occasion, and he had no way to handle it.

After thinking it over, he could only give a vague response: "Sorry, you can't go."

"Why?"

Gu Shen was not angry or anxious. He just stood on the surface of Red Lake and said with a chuckle, "I remember the temple said earlier that standing on the surface of Red Lake meant that you had been recognized by the will of light. I can now stand on Red Lake, which means that the 'Light Faith' recognizes me. Is it because I killed Jia Wei that I can't step on the lake?"

Of course it is!

The veins on Batu's forehead bulged.

If it weren't for [Deep Sea]'s recording, if he could beat Gu Shen, he would have liked to tear him into eight pieces.

But there were not so many ifs in the real world.

"Of course not..."

Batu gritted his teeth and said, "The end of Red Lake is the place where the Light God Seat cultivates in seclusion. If you want to step on the lake, you must follow the rules. You have not passed the 'Purification Pool Trial' or the 'Dream of the Tinder' of the West Continent... According to this rule, you must not enter Red Lake."

He paused.

"The previous battle was an exception."

Batu said, "Now, the grudges between you and Lord Jia Wei have been cleared, and this battle is over! Gu Shen, according to the rules of the temple, without the will of the Light God Seat, you must not enter the second half of Red Lake and disturb the tranquility of the God Seat!"

After saying this, the string that was taut in Batu's heart loosened slightly.

He knew Gu Shen wanted to go, and he couldn't stop him...

But at this moment, there were millions of eyes staring here, so he brought out the rules of Guang Ming Bi Lei.

Reasonable.

If Gu Shen wanted to break into Red Lake, then he would be violating the rules first, and the "justice" represented by those millions of eyes would stand on the side of Guang Ming Bi Lei.

"I see."

Gu Shen nodded and continued to ask, "So, as long as you comply with the rules of the temple, you can step on the lake, right?"

"……Of course."

Batu frowned and replied subconsciously.

There was no problem with this response.

But the next second, at the very back of the crowd at Red Lake, a very light and gentle voice sounded.

"In that case..."

"Should I be able to step on this Red Lake?"

The crowd turned around in surprise, starlight lingering and falling on the mortal world, all falling on a woman.

There was still fatigue lingering between her expressions, her face was dusty, and her body was stained with some dark and humid muddy气息 (qìxī - aura).

But that didn't prevent her, as soon as she appeared, from being the gathering of all the brilliance in the world.

"The Saintess!"

A Sanctioner exclaimed and bowed in worship.

"The Saintess!"

One after another, exclamations sounded. The Sanctioners behind Red Lake saluted one after another. They had always thought that the Saintess was at the end of Red Lake, serving the Light God Seat...

After all, only a few people in the temple knew the true whereabouts of the Secret Prison and Meng Xizhou.

In the outside world, it was also the same.

After Meng Xizhou appeared, the crowd let out a road.

The Gu family delegation and the night watchers were first surprised, then delighted... Luo Yu and Zhong Fan looked at each other, their hearts gripped by a cold sweat, and they finally relaxed.

The young master had successfully raided the prison!

Batu looked at the place where the bright starlight fell, his mind was blank, and finally he could only squeeze out a stiff greeting: "Saintess... why are you here?"

Batu regretted it after speaking.

This greeting was actually terrible.

The Saintess had always been imprisoned in the Secret Prison, a secret only known to the high-level members of the temple... Of course, Batu also knew it.

Seeing Meng Xizhou, he understood why Su Ye didn't reply to his messages.

Obviously, the Secret Prison had fallen, and both Yao Jin and Su Ye had miscalculated.

What Batu was most worried about now was that the Guang Ming Bi Lei's actions against the Saintess would be exposed tonight.

But fortunately.

Meng Xizhou just said four words lightly.

"Jing Ji Si Dong (restless from prolonged inactivity)."

These four words were the last face she left for this Guang Ming Bi Lei, this temple.

Batu's eyes were complicated. He saluted slowly and said, "You... also want to step on the lake?"

Meng Xizhou moved forward slowly and came to the shore of Red Lake.

She looked at Gu Shen and expressed her gratitude with a slight nod. Gu Nanfeng rescued her from the Secret Prison, and she already knew what happened before and after this "prison break"...

Gu Shen just smiled faintly.

Everything was self-explanatory.

He had met the Light Saintess once. At that time, his mental realm was still weak. With just one glance, the Hades Fire Seed almost escaped his control.

But now, it was different.

Gu Shen re-examined the Light Saintess in front of him. After being imprisoned in the deep prison for six years, the aura of light on Meng Xizhou's body had weakened a lot—

Obviously, the divine scroll on her body had disappeared.

"When I was six years old, I passed the 'Purification Pool Trial'. At the age of fifteen, I successfully fused the 'Dream of the Tinder'."

Meng Xizhou's voice echoed on the shore of Red Lake.

These words were said to Batu, and to everyone.

The temple could list countless rules that those who stepped on Red Lake must have.

But Meng Xizhou met every one of them.

Because she was the Saintess appointed by the God Seat, and was born infinitely compatible with "light". If she was not qualified to step on this Red Lake, then who was?

"Now... I want to step on this Red Lake."

Meng Xizhou said very seriously, her tone was not asking for opinions, but announcing a statement: "I want to see the God Seat."

"..."

Batu really wanted to refuse, but couldn't think of a reason to continue refusing.

Moreover, he had no time to refuse.

Because after Meng Xizhou finished speaking, she stepped out and stepped onto the surface of Red Lake.

"Buzz!"

The moment her toes touched the lake water, the lake water, which seemed dim and dull under the starry night, instantly lit up. Thousands of brilliance flew out from the bottom of the lake and swept into her snow-white skin. She seemed to be wearing a divine dress woven from bright ribbons, and the entire Red Lake became bright because of her appearance.

Her complexion was no longer pale, and her eyes became solemn and sacred.

Even without the divine scroll.

She was still the darling of light.