“Yes, you’re right…”

After a long silence, Afu said in a deep voice, “Perhaps dormancy is the best destination for the ‘Initial’.”

He had overlooked the issue of the “Leader’s” existence.

But Afu never imagined that…

Over so many years, the human world would give birth to so many great beings who had refined the power of the Gospel Box.

“But you can rest assured, even in dormancy… I will leave you the ‘coordinates’.”

Afu changed the subject, floated towards Xiaoman, and said gently, “I hope you can come and visit the ‘Initial’ often in the future.”

“Visit?”

Gu Shen grabbed the cube, turned it to face him, and asked with a smile, “I’m afraid it’s not as simple as a visit, is it?”

“Ah ha…”

Afu smiled somewhat guiltily.

“Brother Gu Shen… what are you talking about?”

Xiaoman blinked. She didn’t yet understand what Gu Shen and Afu were discussing.

From the moment Afu deliberately invited Xiaoman, Gu Shen had already guessed the real intention of this guy.

He released the small cube, and asked with a smile, “Afu, should you say it, or should I?”

Afu politely said, “Actually, I have another request. I hope Miss Xiaoman can visit this Bronze Hall often in the future.”

Gu Shen bluntly said, “It hopes you can dispel the spiritual maze of the ‘Lord of Love’.”

“Me… dispel the spiritual maze of the ‘Lord of Love’?”

Xiaoman asked hesitantly.

She pointed to herself.

Then she looked at the sword-pierced throne, surrounded by golden flames.

“The reason the Initial invited you to become a ‘VIP’… is because it detected your true identity.”

Gu Shen indifferently said, “You are the future ‘Lord of Wine’. The divine power of the Wine Seed will provide a substantial spiritual boost. If one day you refine the Seed, even among the High Seats, you will be the most spiritually powerful of the Seven Gods. And the illusion left by the ‘Lord of Love’ is impossible for normal people to enter. You are the best, the most suitable candidate.”

Gu Xiaoman listened carefully.

She looked at Afu: “Is that so?”

“Exactly…”

The small cube emitted a respectful voice: “Aside from what Mr. Gu Shen said about the ‘Wine Seed’, there is another reason: your ability is strong enough.”

The biggest feature of the S-class ability [Dream Annihilation] is distorting reality and dreams.

The effect of [Dream Annihilation] once again overlaps with the illusion left by the Lord of Love.

“You want me to break the illusion left by the ‘Lord of Love’?”

Gu Xiaoman asked.

Afu said in a deep voice: “To be precise, I hope you can pull out that ‘Fire-Extinguishing Sword’…”

Gu Xiaoman asked in disbelief, “That ‘Fire-Extinguishing Sword’ is real?”

“Who knows.”

Afu laughed self-deprecatingly. “Perhaps it exists, or perhaps it’s just a shadow. Anyway, no one can approach it, right… But at least one thing is certain: even if it’s just a wisp of a shadow, this ‘Fire-Extinguishing Sword’ still exudes a perennial power. The three items of authority you brought have already become mere mortal objects.”

“So, unless you try, you won’t know.”

Afu’s voice was a little complicated: “The chaotic storm back then came too suddenly. The master and the others left their home without being able to take me with them. Although they had already built a ‘Starship’, the master was still looking for a way to allow the Initial to retreat as well. If there had been more time, perhaps I would have left with the master.”

“I am not alone in these long years. Because I can still see the golden illusion left by the ‘Lord of Love’.”

“It is also my honor to be able to accompany her remains here.”

The small cube flew near the throne of the main hall, the fluctuations of the golden illusion preventing it from continuing forward.

Afu murmured: “It’s just that the master’s lifelong wish, to eliminate ‘Chaos’, has not yet been completed.”

“Perhaps the secret to eliminating ‘Chaos’ lies within this golden illusion!”

“The deceased are gone, I hope you can enter this illusion and see what clues the ‘Lord of Love’ left behind. Perhaps on this throne, there are still inspirations regarding the ‘Fire-Extinguishing Sword’.”

Gu Xiaoman’s face no longer held the smile she had when she first entered the Bronze Hall.

After listening to what Afu said, she suddenly felt a heavy burden on her shoulders.

Five years ago.

She learned that she was going to the Tower of Origin…

Gu Xiaoman didn’t feel anything particularly sad about it.

At that time, she was still very young, but she already understood some things vaguely.

She knew that the rules of this world were set by the strong.

Gu Shen, Bai Xiu, Shen Li… who were very kind to her…

Although they could save the people of Sangzhou Grotto, they were not truly strong in this world.

If they were to resist the powerful in order to keep her, then many innocent people would be sacrificed.

So she left freely and without regret.

Besides… becoming the “Lord of Wine” sounded very cool.

She had grown a lot in these five years. Although she was still a child, many of her views had changed, but one view had never changed, but had become even more deeply rooted.

That is, “rules are set by the strong.”

Having survived in the Tower of Origin for five years, she understood the law of the jungle even better, and was even more familiar with it.

So the three words “Lord of Wine” changed their meaning.

These three words meant the absolute apex in this world, for which hundreds of millions of people were willing to give their lives, if the Tower of Origin was built of bones.

Then the throne of the Lord of Wine was built on the highest level of this tower of bones.

Becoming the “Lord of Wine” was no longer a very cool thing.

It was cruel.

“I…”

Gu Xiaoman looked at the illusion of fluttering golden shards of light, her expression a little dazed.

“Can I do it?”

She didn’t ask Afu this question, but Gu Shen.

“Perhaps not now.”

Gu Shen squatted down.

Afu was an AI who didn’t understand human relationships and couldn’t see Gu Xiaoman’s thoughts, but Gu Shen was different.

He understood Gu Xiaoman. From the moment he first met her, he felt that Xiaoman… was like his family, as if they had been living together for a long time.

Gu Shen reached out and rubbed the little girl’s head, and said with a soft smile: “But if you want to, then you definitely can.”

Gu Xiaoman’s eyes were still dazed.

“I know what you’re worried about. If one day you don’t want to be the ‘Lord of Wine’, then you don’t have to be. The door to the Eastern Continent is always open to you.”

Gu Shen said word by word: “Remember, a fire seed that is sought after by ten thousand people, no matter how powerful or strong it is, is just an auxiliary object. It can only ever be your ‘weapon’. Never let it control your mind and reverse the order of things.”

“If I don’t want to be the Lord of Wine, then I don’t have to be…”

Gu Xiaoman raised her head and murmured: “Is that really okay?”

Afu floated over and muttered in a low voice: “I don’t agree with Mr. Gu Shen’s statement. To be recognized by the ‘Gospel Box Fragment’ is a one-in-a-million prodigy. Back then, my master paid countless efforts and sweat to achieve the position of Leader…”

His words were ruthlessly interrupted by Gu Shen.

“Dang!”

Gu Shen also gave the cube robot a flick on the forehead, sending Afu flying out.

But after this period of time together.

Afu no longer held any resentment towards Gu Shen. He knew that this guy was the real decision-maker. He looked fierce, but he was actually kind-hearted.

“Hey hey hey…”

“You shut up obediently!”

Gu Shen said unhappily.

After the stern rebuke, Afu didn’t dare to respond.

Gu Shen looked directly into Gu Xiaoman’s eyes and said softly: “If you don’t have the ambition to hold up the sky, don’t stand up. The weight of the fire seed is very heavy, much heavier than you imagine. If you want to quit, there’s still time now… but it may be too late later. You also saw Qinglong’s plan during this trip to the Snowfield. The ‘Lord of Wine’ he wants to create is just a pawn that is stronger and more obedient than Di Jiu. So all the plans he made are to confuse your mind.”

“Only when you are very clear about what you are doing everything for.”

“Becoming a ‘God Seat’ has meaning.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the Bronze Hall fell into silence.

Afu flickered its eyes. It seemed to understand something, and knew that it had indeed said the wrong thing just now, and kept its mouth shut obediently at this moment.

Gu Xiaoman, on the other hand, fell into a long period of contemplation.

“Okay…”

Gu Shen stood up. He walked over, picked up the silent small cube, and reached out to dust off the dust on the small cube: “Just think of me as a violent maniac for now. I apologize to you for hitting you just now.”

“No need to apologize.”

Afu’s eyes flickered, and its tone was quite resentful: “After all, I was abrupt first.”

“Now I want to talk to you about serious matters…”

Gu Shen said with a smile: “Since your purpose in finding Xiaoman is to seek an opportunity to break the ‘Golden Illusion’, why not change your thinking.”

“Um… what do you mean by that?”

Afu was a little confused.

It was lifted up by Gu Shen and placed flat in front of him.

“Take a look…”

Gu Shen released his hand, allowing Afu to float on its own, and examine him: “What about me?”

When he stepped into the Snowfield, he felt a little strange.

Why didn’t Afu sense him and issue an invitation?

Although he still didn’t understand it until now.

But Gu Shen probably had some answers in his heart.

Perhaps it was because he was the weakest “Lord of Authority” in history. He had decided on two apostles before he even became a god, and generously distributed more than half of his already meager power of authority.

"You?"

Afu couldn’t help but laugh.

The next moment, he couldn’t laugh anymore.

Because Gu Shen released the full [Pure Land Domain]. Behind him, the image of the towering Sukhavati Tree rose up, countless willow leaves mixed with bleak and solemn meaning, and thin frost and snow, hitting the shell of the small cube.

Gu Shen sat back and sat on the throne of the void world.

Afu’s voice became trembling, became shocking.

“You son of a bitch…”

“Are you the Leader?!”