Chapter 731 The Key

Lu Nanzhi turned her gaze toward Gu Shen.

And not just her.

Gu Shen felt more than one pair of eyes on him.

For years, the Ancient Text Society had been searching for the "key." Gu Shen's appearance gave them hope; they all believed Gu Shen was that "key."

But in truth...

The "key" wasn't a single person.

Opening the Red Gate, reaching the deepest part of the deep sea, releasing the Lion's Awakening technology, liberating humanity...

This was never something one person could accomplish alone.

A wave of warmth suddenly came from the palm of Gu Shen's hand. Although this was the sea of consciousness, he genuinely felt the "temperature."

This warmth came from Chu Ling.

The woman in the snow-white dress took his hand. Almost ten years had passed, yet Chu Ling's appearance hadn't changed at all, just like when they met on Zero Zero One, pure and holy, like the flowers on the mountain shrine.

But it would shock everyone.

Tianshui said hoarsely, "So?"

It was a cliché story described in every legendary picture book. With the establishment of the Source Tower and Qinglong's growth, Central Continent ushered in an unprecedented cleansing. Before long, the master and disciple dominated the seven continents. The disciple became the supreme god, and the master lived in seclusion behind the scenes in the Upper City.

As if master and disciple had never argued.

On this chessboard, Qinglong was the highest existence. Tianshui had to look up to meet his disciple's eyes.

Tianshui looked at his disciple, his eyes overflowing with disappointment.

Some things, you can't do; your heart can't do them.

Tianshui's voice was still calm. Even though he was interrupted, he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he said in a tone without any waves, "You forgot that there are still many people who are like you back then."

"After ascending to the throne, you stood too high, too far from the ground, so you made too many accurate choices."

The last time was on that defeated, rainy night.

And at this moment...

Favored by destiny.

Looking at Tianshui's life, it seemed to be inexplicably blessed by fate.

He knew it.

Every transcendent on the Seven Continents knows the story after that.

But it didn't prevent him from diverting a wisp of mental power to the chessboard of the Reincarnation Realm.

Sometimes childish.

Qinglong was just a thin, weak boy.

How could he forget, how could he dare forget, those days?!

"Sizzle!"

Because—

The entire boiling and clamorous sea suddenly became silent. In an instant, the sounds of the entire world seemed to be stripped away.

Qinglong stared at his teacher's face with a clear expression. His wave of his hand hadn't removed that mask.

Instead, it was Tianshui.

More like a traveler.

"Teacher, are you satisfied with the current situation?"

He could accept anything, but he couldn't accept that the throne he sat on was a fluke, a coincidence.

"Sizzle!"

But this was the mental world.

That attitude.

The [Reversal] Divine Domain was constantly activated. Just as the [Furnace] was about to melt, the timeline was pulled back to the moment when the ice seal was at its weakest, allowing the [Furnace] and [Lin Lei] to return to the starting point of this war of attrition... This approach was actually Bai Shu forcibly prolonging the battle line. He was consuming his own divine power to create longer freezing time for Gu Shen's [Furnace].

After sitting on the throne.

Tianshui was quiet from beginning to end.

No one knew.

Qinglong said coldly, "If I want to see it, there are a thousand ways to see it... I don't need you to give it to me."

At this moment, Qinglong's "spiritual body" was also reduced a hundredfold, turning into a tiny shadow. He slowly landed on the chessboard, looking at Tianshui-sensei who was sitting cross-legged.

The reason he sat on this heaven-reaching throne, still feeling it wasn't enough, was because he remembered the embarrassment in the muddy alley back then.

Down on his luck, unbearable—

Tianshui asked softly, "For so many years, you've always been curious, but you've never taken the initiative to ask."

But the truth.

Flesh torn like paper.

Qinglong took that hand.

Under the ice and frost, Wei Xiang and Bai Shu were having a mental conversation.

A hoarse laugh came from behind the mask.

What would the world be like when all the sounds of the world went out?

Tianshui's words made the last trace of false mercy in Qinglong's eyes disappear completely.

Besides Wei Xiang and Bai Shu, there were two other spirits talking.

At this moment, blood was constantly oozing from Tianshui's face, dripping down, and soon it condensed into a small pool of blood. He lowered his head and laughed softly. There was sadness, sorrow, and disappointment in his laughter.

There were countless theories about this question, but one was correct.

Words.

A clear and angry shout interrupted Tianshui. Qinglong lowered his eyes and said slowly.

That wasn't the point. The real point was that the person who advised Tianshui back then seemed to still be alive?

The person who spent the most time with Tianshui was Qinglong.

The pressure suddenly increased.

Later.

Even the most generous gift would eventually run out.

"Do you want to see the face behind your mask?"

That was such an ironic thing.

At the center of the Sky Divine Domain stood a slender piece of ice.

Tu Ling smiled and said.

The Empress's [Furnace] Domain was constantly applying wind and snow.

The void was filled with an aura of "dead silence" and "desolation."

Qinglong stretched out his palm, and countless clouds lifted Tianshui from the chessboard of the Reincarnation Realm. These clouds also formed a giant palm. Looking down from the sky, this palm looked like it was asking for something.

He was rescued by Tianshui, cultivated, grew up... When his self-confidence was at its strongest, he encountered an unprecedented defeat.

Right now, right at this moment.

"Because you changed, so you deserve to die."

The mask had already become one with Tianshui.

Even if his body shrank, Qinglong was still tall.

Qinglong suffered so much, endured so many hardships.

"You didn't forget!"

And Qinglong's [Lin Lei] was constantly colliding with it, offsetting it.

He looked at Qinglong's eyes and said sharply, "The boy who came out of the mud alley has forgotten what he looked like back then."

Tianshui continued to remain silent.

He looked at Tianshui, a faint sadness appeared in his eyes, but it was only fleeting.

But instead…

Qinglong realized his gaffe. He took a deep breath, calmed his emotions back to the original point, and looked at the teacher in front of him. He said slowly, "I know you want me to die, but you told me in the mud alley that all living beings have the right to live, even a cicada in autumn. If they want to live, they should try their best to fly out of the frost and snow to see if they can survive the winter. So no matter how many people want me to die, as long as I want to live, I should try to live."

"Give up unrealistic thoughts... I won't give you any more time."

"So, you really have a lot of time."

Lion's Awakening.

Qinglong's voice had a hint of self-deprecation.

The silent silence made the final confrontation between the master and disciple seem absurd and sad.

"It's just death."

Could anyone live as long as Tianshui?

"Key... Now it's time for you to 'open the door.'"

Compassion, charity, pity.

"Whirr..."

The silence outside the Sky Divine Domain only lasted for a few seconds.

That door was taller than the sky.

Moreover, it made his "lifespan" far ahead of other Fire Seed Leaders!

Tianshui stretched out his hand.

He wasn't begging.

This divine battle had dragged into a "tug-of-war." Everything was going smoothly, but what they had to do next was to ensure the clarity of their own minds and seal Qinglong in the [Furnace] Divine Domain as much as possible, the longer the better.

He patted Yun Jing on the shoulder, signaling the latter to set off. Wei Xiang exchanged glances with Chu Ling, and the two slowly flew forward hand in hand. The sea water spread out on its own to make way. Under the huge, heaven-reaching portal, these two white figures, one black and one white, were as small as ants.

That was when he understood that mastering the power of the God Seat didn't mean he could do anything.

Relying on the Fire Seed to extend his life? Slowing down the flow of time in the Divine Domain through sealing objects?

"No, there are thousands of down-and-out people in this world... But how can they be the same as you? How are they worthy of being placed with you?"

"Everyone will die, but you won't."

Yun Jing had seen the Red Gate in Lu Nanzhi's mind.

The moment his palm touched the Red Gate - hundreds of years, a long time.

He murmured softly, "How ironic, the person who feared death the most back then, now, in order to survive, has thrown all his beliefs and boundaries to the back of his mind. Someone advised me not to support you, but I insisted on doing my own way. Looking at it now, my vision... is indeed wonderful. Next time we meet, I will definitely laugh at you, right?"

But.

Tianshui looked up.

He wasn't trying to please.

That night, he was seriously injured by extinguished candles, on the verge of death.

The chessboard of the Reincarnation Realm was swept by a biting cold wind, the sword intent condensed from the [Furnace].

Qinglong was sealed in the [Furnace].

"Guess."

Compared to that, the teacher's secrets were unimportant.

Until he shaved off the teacher's entire head...

The Sky Divine Domain seemed quiet.

But in reality... it wasn't.

That chessboard was folded and taken back by him before the outbreak of the Divine War. Now it was frozen in the Empress Divine Domain, unable to leave. He took it out again.

He was like a spectator.

Even if he was sealed and trapped, he was still the "heaven-reaching" God Seat. He only needed to sit calmly to overlook everyone.

It was good that the battle situation was now stable. As long as Bai Shu could ensure that the [Reversal] Divine Domain was activated on time, then no matter what form he was in when it was activated, it didn't really matter.

That seemed to be the only thing he wanted to do but couldn't do in his life, or rather, when that thing was done, he would most likely be "dead" and unable to "witness" it with his own eyes.

Divine might descended.

He wanted to build the Source Tower, so it was built. He wanted to support the strongest God Seat, so it was supported.

Many years later.

The giant face condensed from clouds had a puzzled look in its eyes.

"Chuckle."

At this moment, the tip of the Source Tower was like that. Qinglong thoughtfully erected a cloud barrier for the teacher to block the cold wind.

From the very beginning, he sincerely respected Tianshui. Therefore, he didn't inquire about any of the teacher's secrets.

Tianshui didn't speak, just watched his disciple silently, his eyes stern, compassionate, and sarcastic.

Qinglong had always played the role of an excellent disciple. If there hadn't been a "miracle," Qinglong would have died.

Perhaps it was because he had been wearing it for too long.

That was why the tip of the Source Tower was so noisy.

He ascended to the God Seat. There were too many important things in this world.

"Who is that person?" There was still no answer.

[Furnace] and [Lin Lei] had a clear gap. The Empress alone couldn't seal Qinglong...

"I'm not arguing with you." Boom!

Only the dull, decaying sound of pushing the door remained. Sitting on the heaven-reaching throne, Qinglong slowly leaned down,

He looked at the mask on the teacher's face and asked softly, "All these years, I have been abiding by the promise I made back then. Even though I have fused the Fire Seed, I still regard you as my supreme teacher, promote the god system, and build the Dual God Illusion. In this heaven-reaching Source Tower, you are the second person besides me. Above one person, below ten thousand... I can understand why everyone else wants me to die, but I can't understand why only you want me to die?"

"Ha..."

Qinglong murmured, repeating that word. Extremely noisy.

"Sizzle!"

While Qinglong was still cultivating at the tip of the Source Tower, he had spent nearly a hundred years.

As long as his belief was firm enough, even an ant could shake a tree. Qinglong was stunned for a second.

At that time, that door was only slightly taller than him. "Death..."

Those words struck the most sensitive point in his heart.

Qinglong was frozen.

As far as Qinglong was concerned, the clouds were wrapping him, and the ice was wrapping the clouds.

He raised his head and continued to cast his initial gaze on his disciple.

(There is another chapter tonight. The ending seems to be a little longer than I expected. No flag. Quality first.)

All the way here, fusing the Fire Seed, ascending to the God Seat. And now, what he had to do was to kill Qinglong...

On the other side, Bai Shu's figure began to blur.

Tianshui looked up, his voice very hoarse, mixed with undisguised regret.

"You guess."

The giant face condensed from the clouds, his eyes full of confusion.

"Give me some of your time... again."

Land Nanzhi took a deep breath. She summoned the [Red Gate] left behind by her father. For the past thirty years, she had kept the secret of the [Red Gate] hidden in the deepest part of her heart. Every secret meeting of the Ancient Text Society was transferred through the [Red Gate]. She regarded this responsibility as more important than anything else.

At this moment, she finally didn't have to hide anymore.

Yun Jing slowly stretched out his palm and pressed it on the Red Gate.

A flame ignited between Yun Jing's eyebrows.

Qinglong's forehead bulged with veins. He sat firmly on the throne, grasping the handle of the throne tightly.

This was the seventh time Qinglong had lost his mind so completely.

Now that Qinglong had imprisoned Tianshui on the chessboard of the Reincarnation Realm, he only wanted to make the ending of this story a little more dignified.

He was still a messy boy struggling in a muddy alley.

The Sky Divine Domain seemed calm.

But in fact... it wasn't like that.

The chessboard, I had folded and taken it back before the outbreak of the Divine War. Now it was frozen in the Empress Divine Domain, unable to leave. I took it out again.

He was like an audience.

Even if he was frozen and trapped, he was still the "heaven-reaching" God Seat. He only needed to sit lightly to overlook everyone.

Good, because the battle situation was stable now. As long as Bai Shu could guarantee that the [Reversal] Divine Domain was activated on time, then in what form I was in when it was activated, in fact, it didn't matter.

That seemed to be the only thing I wanted to do but couldn't do in this life. Or rather, when that thing was done, I would most likely be "dead" and unable to "witness" it with my own eyes.

Divine power descended.

I wanted to build the Source Tower, so it was built. I wanted to support the strongest God Seat, so it was supported.

Many years later.

The giant face condensed from the clouds, his eyes full of confusion.

"Chi."

At this moment, the tip of the Source Tower was like that. Qinglong thoughtfully erected a cloud barrier for the teacher to block the cold wind.

From the very beginning, I sincerely respected Tianshui. So, I didn't inquire about any of the teacher's secrets.

Tianshui didn't speak, just watched his disciple silently, his eyes stern, compassionate, and sarcastic.

Qinglong had always played the role of an excellent disciple. If there hadn't been a "miracle," Qinglong would have died.

Perhaps it was because he had been wearing it for too long.

That was why the tip of the Source Tower was so noisy.

I ascended to the God Seat. There were too many important things in this world.

"Who is that person?" There was still no answer.

[Furnace] and [Lin Lei] had a clear gap. The Empress alone couldn't seal Qinglong...

"I'm not arguing with you." Boom.

Only the dull, decaying sound of pushing the door remained. Sitting on the heaven-reaching throne, Qinglong slowly leaned down.

I looked at the mask on the teacher's face and asked softly, "All these years, I have been abiding by the promise I made back then. Even though I have fused the Fire Seed, I still regard him as my supreme teacher, promote the god system, and build the Double God Illusion. In this heaven-reaching Source Tower, you are the second person besides me. One person above, ten thousand people below... I can understand why everyone else wants me to die, but I can't understand why only you want me to die?"

"Ha..."

Qinglong murmured, repeating that word. Extremely noisy.

"Sizzle!"

While Qinglong was still cultivating at the tip of the Source Tower, he had spent nearly a hundred years.

As long as the belief was firm enough, even an ant could shake a tree. Qinglong was stunned for a second.

At that time, that door was only slightly taller than me. "Death..."

Those words struck the most sensitive point in my heart.

Qinglong was frozen.

As far as Qinglong was concerned, the clouds were wrapping me, and the ice was wrapping the clouds.

I raised my head and continued to cast my initial gaze on my disciple.

(There is another chapter tonight. The ending seems to be a little longer than I expected. No flag. Quality first.)