Chapter 1 The Spirit Space Illuminated by Nether Fire

After a brief silence, Gu Shen was speechless at Shen Li's reply.

"The second one? Someone was here before me?!"

"..."

"Who is it?"

The little iron man cursed and rolled up his sleeves.

"Mu Wanqiu."

After Gu Shen uttered these three words, the little iron man cursed again and rolled his sleeves back down.

"Damn..."

He knew how formidable that lunatic Mu Wanqiu was.

The only S-level in the Northern Continent... the deputy of the First Team of the Investigation Corps, upon whom the Central City placed high hopes.

"Forget it, forget it, I won't bother with a crazy woman."

Shen Li understood the principle that a wise man submits to circumstances.

He did want to fight that person, but if that person was Mu Wanqiu, then forget it... he didn't want to get beaten for nothing.

Gu Shen shook his head and smiled silently.

The two looked at each other.

Shen Li said, "I am willing to become an 'Apostle'..."

He paused and repeated.

"I am willing to become your 'Apostle'."

Thousands of words in the world could not compare to three or two sentences of sincerity. Gu Shen had imagined many scenarios after this scene occurred, but he did not expect Shen Li to agree so readily and decisively.

Without even a trace of hesitation.

This guy wasn't smart enough to guess his identity as the Lord of the Netherworld in advance.

After his identity was revealed, Shen Li was shocked, astonished, and also bewildered.

But facing the "Apostle" position offered by Gu Shen, he didn't hesitate at all.

"In recent years, many people in Nagano have speculated that I am an 'Apostle of the Lord of the Netherworld'."

The little iron man mocked himself and smiled, "Even I myself sometimes wonder if I have already become an 'Apostle'. If that's really the case, then why hasn't the legendary Lord of the Netherworld come looking for me?"

"Now I know that the Lord of the Netherworld has been here all along."

He looked at Gu Shen with a complex expression, "So... all of this started after the Divine War in the Cemetery?"

"Yes."

Gu Shen no longer concealed anything.

He said softly, "There has never been a Lord of the Netherworld. The previous Lord of the Netherworld... died twenty years ago. After the Divine War in the Cemetery, I took over the Nether Fire and, together with Mr. Bai Shu, wove this deception, deceiving the Tower of Origin and the City of Light."

"No wonder..."

Shen Li murmured, "That's why there was peace in the Eastern Continent later on."

He smiled freely, closed his eyes, opened his arms, and released all the defenses in his mental sea. This meant that he would not hinder any action Gu Shen took against him—

"Chi."

The Nether Fire burned and rolled, making a slight sound of breaking through the air, like a candle flame that could be extinguished at any time.

There wasn't much of this flame to begin with.

Gu Shen had previously given half of it to the Crown Bearer, Mu Wanqiu... now, only a thin wisp remained.

"Sorry..."

He said softly, "I have not yet become a true 'God'. Currently, I can only give you a small wisp of Nether Fire to prove your identity as an Apostle. This wisp of Nether Fire is very small and can't do much. You can't even use the 'Authority' of the Apostle of the Lord of the Netherworld... but this wisp of Nether Fire is my promise. There will be a place for you in the Pure Land world in the future."

Shen Li laughed and cursed, "Am I someone who cares about those things? Hurry up and do it!"

Gu Shen also smiled.

He redistributed a wisp of the already meager Nether Fire...

The Fire Seed Master of the Third Stage of the Deep Sea had chosen two Apostles. This was unprecedented—

Moreover, the "Nether Fire" that Gu Shen had given away was more than what he currently possessed!

He gave 50% to Mu Wanqiu and 10% to Shen Li, leaving him with only 40% of the original Nether Fire.

Before inheriting greater power from the "Nether Fire," he would no longer choose Apostles.

Because he really had no more "Nether Fire" to give away.

Looking at the history of the Five Continents, this should be the most...

That tiny wisp of black flame was embedded in the center of Shen Li's brow, forming a tangled eye pupil. The little iron man frowned, his hair fluttering in the strong wind, the black flame at the center of his brow constantly struggling to engrave itself.

He had obtained the approval of the "Lord of the Netherworld"!

The surrounding mental space began to change. The wind howled. Shen Li felt a trace of coldness. After he opened his eyes, what he saw... was an extremely majestic and magnificent world of ice and snow. Towering ancient trees draped down hundreds of millions of green shadows. In all directions were wildernesses, one of which had already been repaired.

In the flowerbeds, moths and butterflies fluttered, emitting waves of Source Energy fragrance.

He arrived in the Pure Land as an Apostle of the Lord of the Netherworld, attracting the attention of many souls. Li Qingci, Tie Wu, and others all saw Shen Li's descent, but what they saw... was a blurred figure shrouded in ice and snow.

"Did the Divine Seat bring someone else here for a visit again?"

Tie Wu stroked his chin, a smile in his eyes.

Actually, in terms of chronological order, he was the first "Apostle" accepted by Gu Shen.

Tie Wu remembered very clearly that back then, he habitually called Gu Shen "Divine Seat," while Gu Shen insisted that he call him "Mister" to his face.

Now, he no longer cared about being an "Apostle" or not. These were all false names...

After "dying" in the Divine Advent of the Dionysus Seat, Tie Wu gradually became enlightened in the Pure Land.

Now, he only had an empty soul left... the only thing he could do was to make the Pure Land world more magnificent and complete.

As for venturing outside to share the Divine Seat's worries and solve his problems, he couldn't do it.

Therefore, he couldn't bear the name of "Apostle" either.

However, in the Pure Land world, every time Gu Shen's spirit descended, Tie Wu would call him "Divine Seat" in his heart. This was something that couldn't be corrected no matter how many times Gu Shen corrected him...

Back then, Di Jiu had saved his physical body.

And now, Gu Shen had saved his spirit.

Among these two Divine Seats, the one who truly made him feel "alive" was not the God of Wine... but Gu Shen.

Therefore, this call of "Divine Seat" was Tie Wu's heartfelt address.

……

……

Above the wilderness, there was a patch of land untouched by ice and snow.

This was the undefiled domain where the soul of the Apostle met the Lord of the Netherworld. At the far end of the wilderness, where the grass and leaves fluttered, Shen Li saw a slender figure wearing red armor.

"Gu Shen."

Mu Wanqiu did not call Gu Shen "Divine Seat." She called him by his name directly.

Gu Shen nodded with a smile.

The two were friends to begin with, and Gu Shen himself didn't like the superior-subordinate "Apostle" relationship of the Tower of Origin.

"This is Shen Li, now the Second Apostle in the Pure Land."

Gu Shen introduced Mu Wanqiu.

The latter glanced at the little iron man and hummed softly, "I've heard of him."

"It's an honor."

Shen Li concealed his previous sleeve-rolling behavior very well, and he smiled and extended a hand.

Seemingly cold as an iceberg, Mu Wanqiu did not reject people from a thousand miles away.

She generously extended her hand, shook hands with Shen Li, and looked at Gu Shen at the same time.

"You seem to be in a hurry to 'summon' Apostles... After dividing out all this Nether Fire, will you have enough left for yourself?"

Mu Wanqiu's words reminded Gu Shen a little.

"It's enough."

He said with a smile, "It's strange... I know I shouldn't be conducting 'Apostle Summons' at this stage, but there's always a bad premonition in the dark, that I should do this."

Mu Wanqiu raised an eyebrow: "Sounds ominous."

Gu Shen laughed at himself: "The Lord of the Netherworld never encounters auspicious things."

"If the 'Nether Fire' isn't enough, I have more here."

Mu Wanqiu glanced at Shen Li, then looked back at Gu Shen, and said calmly, "At least... more than you. If you need it, I can return it all to you."

"What are you talking about? The 'Nether Fire' that's been given away is like water that's been spilled. How can I take it back?"

Gu Shen smiled slightly: "Of course, if I really need it, I won't be polite with you."

"Very good."

Mu Wanqiu never liked to beat around the bush when she spoke: "I didn't come here to see the 'Second Apostle'. Besides the 'Nether Fire' matter, there's also another thing."

"Beast tides have suddenly erupted in all directions of the Sangzhou Cave, and the Deep Sea has given it an A+ danger rating."

The red-armored woman waved her hand, and a series of mental images were displayed.

Due to the diffusion of the ash from Mount Tanyao.

The Deep Sea's visual reconnaissance of the Sangzhou Cave is gradually shrinking, and the Sky Eye is largely malfunctioning... The information data that can be provided at this moment is also very limited.

"The number of these beast spirits far exceeds the previous estimates of the underground research institute. In the North Cave Forest alone, there are nearly 30,000 beast spirits rushing south."

Mu Wanqiu said solemnly, "The annual reports of Sangzhou Cave have not found so many beast spirits living there... Even if it's 'supernatural mutation,' these guys are breeding too fast. It's not reasonable."

"It's unreasonable."

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes: "Just now, the South Cave was also attacked by a beast tide..."

"..."

Shen Li thought of what he had done after becoming gluttonous, and chose to remain silent on this topic.

"They seem to have been stimulated by something."

Mu Wanqiu said, "Such a large-scale beast tide erupting in all directions... it's hard to explain it as a 'coincidence'."

"There is no such thing as coincidence in this world."

Gu Shen lowered his eyes and said, "Do you remember the 'infant' that Gu Xiaoman picked up?"

"The Divine Infant?"

Mu Wanqiu had been to the S12 district once.

That time, she came to deliver a "Sixth-Order Source Armor" to Gu Shen, and stayed in the district for half an hour.

Gu Shen took his Crown Bearer to visit the Neutralist Mansion, as well as that perfect infant whose "head" was empty.

"This time when the beast tide broke out, spiritual fluctuations appeared in the Divine Infant's mind, going from zero to one."

The S12 district had been observing the Divine Infant.

As soon as this phenomenon occurred, Qi Mo immediately contacted Gu Shen, and also mentioned the matter of Adam in passing... That's why Gu Shen rushed to the forest and narrowly stopped the Iron Apostle.

Gu Shen guided him step by step: "What does it mean that spiritual fluctuations have appeared in the Divine Infant?"

Mu Wanqiu murmured, "This 'infant' doesn't really have a spirit sea... it possesses some kind of special ability, perhaps to summon 'Tanyao,' perhaps to attract 'beast tides'..."

Whether it was either of those things, it required "spirit."

Gu Shen nodded: "Yes, the manifestation of the ability being activated is 'spirit' fluctuations."

"Sorry to interrupt..."

Just then, Shen Li, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke very softly.

His task this time was to guard Adam.

To some extent, his mission had failed. Even though the gluttony had killed the Great Winged Sparrow King, Adam had disappeared.

But he had heard Adam's conversation with Qi Mo in its entirety.

Including some information about the "Divine Infant."

Shen Li knew everything he needed to know.

Gu Shen and Mu Wanqiu both looked at the little iron man. The latter scratched his head and slowly asked, "Don't you think... that infant who looks so smart yet so foolish, is like an empty shell?"

As soon as these words came out, the wilderness became quiet.

An empty shell.

It was a very apt and spiritual adjective.

Could eat, could sleep, could blink its eyes.

Could not speak, could not act, could not grow up.

All the data of the Divine Infant's body tended towards perfection. It was simply a "God's container" created by heaven.

Because this infant had been adopted by Gu Xiaoman a long time ago and treated like family... So everyone who saw him subconsciously treated him like a normal "living person."

At this moment, Shen Li's words awakened Gu Shen.

Was there a possibility that the Divine Infant might not be him, but it.

That it was just an empty shell, a container.

……

……

Inside Mount Tanyao.

"Crackling!"

The hot wind billowed, and a scarlet figure landed inside the volcano, stepping on the hard, scalding solidified lava, splashing out a cluster of brilliant blood-red light and fire—

The Vermilion Bird Envoy's "Lihuo" domain that he had propped up now only had a very weak layer left, tightly clinging to his body.

Normally, his domain could spread for a hundred meters!

After comprehending two layers of domain, he could superimpose and spread it, doubling it again!

But now, he could only cover a thin layer even with all his might.

On the one hand, it was due to his injuries.

On the other hand, there was too much "ash" inside Mount Tanyao.

It had been burning here for years, like a copper furnace. In the eyes of the outside world, Tanyao had "maintained its silence" for more than a hundred years, but the mountain ash inside had never really gone out.

Some fires only needed a little wind to burn.

"Could it be that I guessed wrong... the Red Dragon isn't here?"

The Vermilion Bird frowned. He had completely given up on using his mental power to find his way.

As for relying on his "naked eyes," he didn't even think about it.

There was simply too much mountain ash inside Tanyao.

The only thing he could rely on was his innate "telepathy." In the scorching environment inside Tanyao, the Vermilion Bird looked around... In reality, he could only see very limited things:

Tens of thousands of layers of constantly rising ash were piled up on the ground.

As well as the volcano's inner walls, extinguishing and reigniting, repeating this process.

This ghostly place really resembled a copper furnace. Fire tongues would flare up from who knew where.

Every second he stayed here was a huge drain on the Lihuo domain!

Fortunately, the Vermilion Bird hadn't come away empty-handed.

He vaguely sensed a slight sound...

"Dong."

"Dong."

The sound was very slight, like a drumbeat, more like a beating heart, throbbing pulse, in the noisy volcano, it seemed to be the only clear guiding direction.

There were living beings here.

The Vermilion Bird took a deep breath, clutching the Lihuo Token tightly, and walked in the direction where the sound was drumming.

The sound was so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

Once he didn't concentrate, he would immediately lose it...

The Vermilion Bird walked quickly. He didn't know how long he had walked. He suddenly felt that this road was unprecedentedly long, but looking back, the retreat behind him had been submerged by fire tongues.

For a moment, he felt that the inside of Tanyao was actually an unpredictable "calamity realm," easy to enter but difficult to exit.

Until he looked back again.

The ash path had reached its end...

He looked at the scene in front of him with a stunned expression.

"Dong..."

"Dong..."

"Dong..."

The Vermilion Bird had arrived at the end point, but he didn't see the Red Dragon he wanted to see.

On the volcanic rock wall inside Tanyao, there really was a heart embedded in it, a scarlet heart, covered in blood-colored flames, blooming like a night-blooming cereus, scarlet and eerie.

Powerful drumbeats echoed all around.

Mountain ash fluttered, and ash reignited.