Chapter 1 The Gradually Vanishing Figure

Before Li Qingci's eyes, the figure sitting cross-legged gradually became illusory.

Her hands, which had been resting on Gu Shen's shoulders, suddenly passed through his body... everything in the Pure Land was illusory, but there was also "substance" between souls.

"This?!"

Li Qingci looked at the scene before her in astonishment.

If Gu Shen's spirit had left the Pure Land, then this shell should have dissipated and ceased to exist.

But if Gu Shen's consciousness remained, it shouldn't be like this.

At this moment, Gu Shen, sitting under the Su Xuan tree, seemed to be asleep. This soul shell became something between virtual and real... the towering giant tree behind him spread its branches at this moment, gathering towards the top of his head. The Su Xuan tree seemed to possess spirituality, enveloping and protecting Gu Shen's soul.

At the same time.

The origin substance of the Pure Land world began to flow towards the giant tree...

All the souls noticed the change. A great wind swept through the Pure Land, and the grass leaves and frost all floated in the direction of the giant tree.

Tie Wu carried his hoe, and Hong Zhong chewed on a grass root.

Adam rose from the flower garden.

While they were still confused, Li Qingci's serious voice rang in their ears.

"From this moment on... the production speed of the Pure Land must be increased. We need more origin substance. Everyone, please don't rest until the flower garden's grass leaves have fully formed."

Tie Wu narrowed his eyes and asked in confusion, "What's going on? Has something happened to Lord Shenzuo?"

He was the first to enter the Pure Land, and also the most familiar with the way this world operated.

Usually, Gu Shen didn't have a great need for the origin substance of the Pure Land.

Therefore, the origin substance cultivated in the flower garden was allowed to dissipate freely, as it would eventually return to the void anyway... the void of this entire world belonged to Gu Shen.

But at this moment, the origin substance of the entire world was flowing towards the Su Xuan tree!

This was actually a dangerous signal, because the growth of the grass and trees in the flower garden itself required "origin substance" to provide nourishment. Only taking and not returning could easily lead to "draining the pond to catch the fish"!

"No... everything is normal."

Li Qingci quickly responded.

She stood in front of Gu Shen, originally tense, not knowing what consequences the flow of origin substance would lead to.

Soon, a branch of the Su Xuan tree drooped down in front of her, swaying gently. This branch emitted a soft glow and was not covered by frost.

Li Qingci looked up at the giant tree. The branch gently swayed, clearly indicating that she should grasp it.

The moment she grasped the branch, she understood.

Gu Shen's spirit was currently in a state of flux, and his last conscious thought before wandering off was to temporarily entrust the Pure Land to Li Qingci for safekeeping... this branch was equivalent to the power to govern the world. After Li Qingci grasped the branch, her entire body seemed to become lighter. She could see the flowing origin substance, every single wisp of its pattern.

"Did Gu Shen hear my last shout?"

Li Qingci was momentarily dazed, then immediately shook her head.

Now was not the time to think about these things.

She whispered, "What I just said is very important. Everyone, start acting now."

If Gu Shen had already begun the reverse comprehension of the Breathing Technique, trying to push the Pure Land's season forward from the Great Cold Winter to the Desolate Autumn, then she might be able to help.

If she could work with Tie Wu and the others to successfully nurture the flowers in the Pure Land and grow branches and buds, perhaps that would also count as a successful reverse push?

She knew that Gu Shen and the Pure Land were mutually reinforcing!

Regardless of whether it was useful or not, pushing the Pure Land towards autumn... was all that Li Qingci could do.

...

...

In the deep sea, a figure had his eyes tightly closed, countless chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind, and finally returned to nothingness.

Gu Shen did indeed hear Li Qingci's last shout.

The four words "towards death, towards life" were deeply imprinted in his heart.

How to be born from death?

No one could give him an answer.

But Gu Changzhi's experience was a good reference.

Twenty years ago, after comprehending the first eleven volumes of the Breathing Technique in the forward direction, Mr. Gu Changzhi chose to sleep in the cemetery.

So... the answer to "towards death, towards life" was actually very simple.

Die first, then live.

Gu Shen's spirit welcomed a subtle "nirvana" on the seven hundredth day.

Because of a chance enlightenment in the Pure Land world, he entered a state of thought similar to sudden enlightenment. His spirit was originally about to enter a state of disorder, but the powerful stability inherent in Chi Huo (Scarlet Fire) prevented his consciousness from being annihilated. In the end, after a game of wits, he entered a state of "suspended animation."

At this moment, Gu Shen's "suspended animation" was extremely mysterious. The Chi Huo (Scarlet Fire) in his body was still constantly being produced and transformed into "fire of life"...

The characteristics of the fire of life exactly matched Gu Shen's current physical condition.

From nirvana to revival!

This process was very slow, and no one knew how long it would take to end.

No one could say whether the final destination of this process would be true "nirvana" or the "revival" of rebirth.

This was a tribulation.

It was also a fortune and an opportunity.

Countless undercurrents surged and rolled in the depths of the ice sea, and the majestic tide pushed Gu Shen and the Eternal Stone Wall, drifting and sinking towards the dark and mysterious unknown depths.

...

...

"Whish, whish, whish..."

The tide washed over the beach. Along the coast of Nan Zhou (Southern Continent), for hundreds of kilometers, the coastline was scenic, with few people living there. The sand here was snow-white and fine, like flour.

From here, one could see a towering and majestic statue standing on the near-sea waters.

This was the statue built by the Storm Church.

A man wearing a robe and holding a trident, his half-naked body radiated an aura of dignity and holiness like a beacon.

It was said that in the near-sea areas of the ice sea, if a night-sailing ship that had lost its way saw this statue, it only needed to pray sincerely to receive guidance from the gods... but no one had received guidance from the gods in recent years.

The god worshiped by Holy City seemed to have disappeared.

Night fell, and Yuan Ting Island in Nan Zhou (Southern Continent) was brightly lit.

After the sinking of Sang Zhou Cave, this place was the southernmost point closest to the ice sea, and also the "viewing point" from which the Storm God statue could be seen at the closest distance.

This small island was controlled by the church, and no one was allowed to land on it on weekdays.

At this moment, several figures wearing dark blue robes stood at the highest point of the island's mountain, which was roughly level with the shoulders of the statue. They still needed to look up to see the face of the statue clearly.

These priests of the Storm Church raised their arms and chanted in unison, "The Storm is above, we offer the highest salute in the name of the tide, please accept it."

In the night sky, the waves rolled, and a huge unmanned sailing ship, pulling its wooden masts, howled as it sailed towards the base of the giant statue.

Every year, the church held a similar "sacrifice ceremony." This standardized ancient ship was loaded with the tributes collected by Holy City. According to the church's tenets of faith, the people of Nan Zhou (Southern Continent) lived by the sea, and every year's harvest was actually a gift from the sea. Therefore, periodically sending these sacrifices to the Storm God Throne was a form of gratitude.

Returning the sacrifices to the sea also meant that they could coexist with the sea for a longer time.

"Rumble--"

The night sky tonight was somewhat dim, with occasional flashes of lightning, low clouds, and high tides. The huge wooden sailing ship seemed like a lonely fallen leaf, which could be overturned and submerged at any time.

Accompanied by the priests' low chanting.

The sailing ship miraculously advanced all the way through the huge waves, and finally sailed dozens of kilometers, all the way to the base of the majestic statue.

Seeing this scene, the believers of the Storm Church on Yuan Ting Island were extremely excited.

Boom!

Suddenly, a flash of lightning flashed!

The entire dark sea was rendered white. The statue, which had been silent for a long time, seemed to come alive at this moment. Its indifferent eyes suddenly lit up with light, and the huge sailing ship that had entered the base of the statue was shattered by lightning in an instant. A storm brewed and swirled under the statue. The sacrifices on the ship were swept into the vortex. The sea parted, and thunder roared.

Everyone was stunned.

The sacrificial ceremony had never stopped in recent years, but never had it been as smooth as this time!

The ship was broken, and the storm reacted, which meant that... the sea had accepted the offering? Or had the God Throne heard their call?

The priests standing on the top of the mountain were dazed.

They were the sacrificers closest to the statue. They didn't know if they were seeing things, but when the lightning flashed just now, they seemed to see a blurred figure standing on the shoulder of the Storm God Throne statue, bathed in seawater.

The next moment.

A low voice resounded in the hearts of these priests on the mountaintop.

"If I remember correctly, the one in charge of 'Yuan Ting Island'... is Holy One Julu, right?"

The voice came directly from their hearts.

But the guidance in the dark made the priests on the mountaintop turn their heads in unison. Their expressions became extremely excited, and some almost screamed.

Because they were seeing the "person" they had always wanted to see in this lifetime.

The figure was standing behind the priests on the mountaintop at this moment. He did not know when he had appeared here, silently, yet dignified and awe-inspiring.

He held a trident, and his face was no different from the statue. His deep eyes seemed to possess endless divine power, making people unable to look away with just one glance, and wanting to kneel down from the bottom of their hearts.

These priests on the mountaintop quickly bowed their heads and kowtowed desperately. They couldn't even speak at this moment.

For ardent believers, there was nothing in this world more exciting than seeing the true God of their faith.

This scene displeased the Storm God Throne.

He could understand the excitement of these fanatical believers...

However, no one had answered his question yet.

"Forget it."

The Storm God Throne frowned. He stretched out his palm and randomly made a grabbing motion at one person.

The figure who was kowtowing suddenly stiffened, fell to the ground, and remained motionless, maintaining the kneeling posture... His spirit sea was extracted, and the Storm God Throne browsed through the life of this fanatical believer in a second, and then discarded it casually. In the midst of lightning and thunder, he reappeared, and the several believers who were constantly kowtowing on the mountaintop did not notice the death of this companion.

...

...

A moment later.

Holy One Julu stood respectfully in front of that blurred figure, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Lord Shenzuo, you are finally back... we have been waiting for you for too long!"

Out of respect for the lower-ranking, he did not raise his head, nor did he directly look at the Storm God Throne.

Being able to see the true form of the God Throne, even for a Holy One, would be considered an honor.

Holy One Julu originally wanted to explain in detail what had happened in Nan Zhou (Southern Continent) in the six years since the God Throne had left.

But the other party raised a hand and stopped him.

"I know."

The Storm God Throne recalled the memory of the fanatical believer that he had just extracted, and his voice was a little hoarse: "You have waited for me for six years... many things have happened in these six years..."

Holy One Julu was somewhat at a loss: "You already know?"

"Sorry, I was abrupt." Then he smiled: "With your great power, it is reasonable to know these things."

"..."

The Storm God Throne did not answer, just sat quietly in his seat, stroking the back of the chair with his fingers, and the atmosphere became cold.

"Now that you are back, Nan Zhou (Southern Continent) will be at peace... by the way, was your trip to the ice sea smooth?" Julu handed tea to the God Throne, and asked respectfully at the same time.

It was just a casual question, but Julu never expected that the God Throne would answer seriously.

"Not smooth."

These three words made Holy One Julu's expression stiff and awkward.

The Storm God Throne, sitting in the chair, calmly looked at the Holy One under his command, and said word by word: "There really is a ruin in the depths of the ice sea... there are very strange 'things' there. I lost a part of the power of authority on this trip."

"???"

The expression on Holy One Julu's face became extraordinarily wonderful.

Lord Shenzuo went to the ice sea and lost part of the power of authority?

If this news spread to the Five Continents, it would probably cause an uproar... the appearance of a ruin in the depths of the ice sea means that the original direction of human exploration may have failed. The appearance of signs of life in an untouched place is a terrifying thing to think about!

Could it be that the real oasis is not in the north, but in the south?

"Losing authority is a minor matter."

The Storm God Throne smiled lightly, "It's funny to say... I stayed there for seven days, but after returning to Yuan Ting Island, six years had already passed."

Julu was stunned.

"In my understanding, going to the ice sea, arriving at the target sea area, and returning to Nan Zhou (Southern Continent)... took about half a month."

"But after returning, this place has changed, and six full years have passed in the Five Continents."

The Storm God Throne looked at Julu and suddenly asked, "Do you think it's funny?"

Julu couldn't laugh.

"The 'time' in that area is distorted. The power that can have this effect is definitely at the Fire Seed level."

The Storm stood up and said lightly: "During the last exploration, the return of other titled experts and apostles was not a problem, which shows that the power of the ice sea ruins probably only targets the God Throne..."

During the last exploration mission, the experts sent by the major forces all said that they felt the existence of "ruins," but no one found the real entrance.

And this time.

The Storm God Throne personally took action, so naturally he would not be unable to find the entrance.

He took out a map.

"This is the entrance to the ice sea ruins. I originally wanted to explore it myself... but the 'time' in that sea area is strange. If I insist on going my own way and continue to delve deeper, when I return to Nan Zhou (Southern Continent), it will probably be a world of change."

The Storm God Throne reacted quickly and returned immediately when he realized something was wrong.

And the reason why he returned to Nan Zhou (Southern Continent) this time and asked about the whereabouts of his subordinates was because he wanted to immediately start deploying.

Julu accepted the map with both hands, and his expression became solemn.

"There must be something extremely precious in that ruin..."

The Storm said calmly: "Take advantage of the fact that the other God Thrones have not noticed, you should set off immediately with your men and enter the sea first."