Chapter 161 To Live

Within the mausoleum, divine radiance swirled.

Three layers of the [Reversed Flow] Divine Realm enveloped the Four Seasons Wilderness, making one feel as if they were in a chaotic dream.

Gu Shen didn't dare to wander around, obediently following behind Bai Shu… Golden light permeated this place, the pressure of the Ancestral Gods weighing down, but Gu Shen had been to Gu Changzhi's "Golden Divine Realm," and Bai Shu's Divine Realm was not quite the same.

It seemed that a single Fire Seed could manifest completely different powers in the hands of different masters!

The flowing clouds of the Four Seasons Wilderness were cut into countless pieces by the Divine Realm.

This Divine Realm was located in three different temporal dimensions, and these clouds drifted within those different dimensions.

"Huh… Where's Song Ci?"

The world beyond the stone gate was eerily quiet.

Gu Shen looked around, not finding Song Ci's figure.

This guy was still getting beaten up outside the stone gate half a month ago.

"He is cultivating in the [Past] Divine Realm."

Bai Shu didn't turn his head, saying calmly, "Do you want to see him?"

"There's no need for that. If I saw him, I'd probably disrupt his cultivation." Gu Shen smiled. "I was just a little curious earlier… I think with that guy's personality, if he entered the mausoleum, he'd probably make the 'Four Seasons Wilderness' restless."

"Indeed."

"So, what he needs to cultivate now is a calm mind."

Bai Shu stopped. He waved his sleeve, and his mental power projected the image of the [Past] Divine Realm onto the sky of the wilderness.

The golden light of the [Past] Divine Realm was much dimmer than that of the [Present].

In the hazy, pale golden mist, a refined figure sat cross-legged, facing the stone wall, eyes closed, hands resting on his knees. He looked very impatient, but surrounded by the golden mist, he calmed himself down.

It had been almost a year since they last met.

Song Ci's hair had grown a lot. He used to have a buzz cut… Now, his long hair actually reached his shoulders.

Normally, his hair wouldn't grow that long.

However, Master Bai Shu's Divine Realm was related to [Time].

Within the Divine Realm, anything was possible.

"Madam would be very pleased if she knew," Gu Shen said, feeling much more at ease seeing this scene.

That Crow, everything about him was fine…

Except he was too impulsive.

Although gifted and possessing extraordinary physical skills, his state of mind was not strong enough.

Worthy of being Master Bai Shu.

The former "Invincible of Nagano" gave insightful guidance.

If Song Ci wanted to become a true powerhouse, the threshold he had to cross was cultivating his mind!

…

…

In the [Present] Divine Realm, the young Divine Body Bai Shu gently raised his hand.

The array box in Gu Shen's hand floated up.

He extended two fingers, the fingertips containing golden "Battle God Radiance," and with a touch, the mental network of the array box was forcibly released… In an instant, the golden Divine Realm was enveloped by the mental sea of the array box—

The two were now within the sea!

This exceeded Gu Shen's understanding.

"Can the closed network be released externally?" Gu Shen was a little confused.

"Of course."

Bai Shu said calmly, "Otherwise, how would your Miss Chu connect to the [Deep Sea]? Even if we take a step back, the rules of this world can all be modified. As long as you are strong enough, there is nothing you can't do!"

As the [Key], Gu Shen held absolute authority within the array box.

But now, this closed mental network had been released by Master Bai Shu, and the Divine Realm had completely taken over. He was no longer the master of the "array box."

Bai Shu's eyes flickered with golden light.

The moment the [Reversed Flow] Divine Realm took over, he saw what was happening in the array box.

"Zhu Wang died just like that…"

A surprised smile appeared on Bai Shu's face. He looked at Gu Shen. "You're good at picking up bargains."

How could Gu Shen kill Zhu Wang one-on-one at his current level?

Even if Chu Ling were to think about it, racking her brains for ten thousand methods, perhaps only one would succeed—provided that Zhu Wang obediently banished his soul into the "array box."

Gu Shen had actually stumbled upon this one.

"I didn't dare to summon him."

Gu Shen said helplessly, "I just killed him… After all, that guy is a titled expert. If I put him in the Pure Land, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause."

"You made the right choice."

Bai Shu nodded and said, "Even if you have achieved the miracle of the 'Beyond Third Stage,' you are ultimately only on the eighth floor of the Deep Sea… Zhu Wang is considered a first-rate powerhouse among titled experts. Forcibly summoning him would not succeed and would instead provoke mental backlash."

The Third Stage and a titled expert were too different.

"I know my limits." Gu Shen smiled. "So, I didn't summon the top guy on the [Snow Cage] list either. I just killed him to be done with it."

"It's best not to summon anyone whose mental sea strength is a whole major realm higher than yours," Bai Shu reminded. "Your current Pure Land cannot compare with the Underworld… It's okay to summon those who are weaker. At this stage, you need quantity rather than quality. Even if a top Fourth Stage expert is willing to enter the Pure Land, his power will be greatly reduced."

For example… Tie Wu.

"Once your level is higher, or you begin to formally merge with the 'Fire Seed,' you won't need to consider these things."

Bai Shu flicked his finger, and the fourteen unconscious figures all slowly opened their eyes.

They looked blankly at the scene before them.

A golden mist enveloped them.

"This is…"

Mu Wanqiu and Mu Qingyang both woke up, looking at the two people in front of them in surprise.

"Brother Gu!"

"Mr. Bai Shu?!"

As for the other twelve enforcers, they were so surprised that they couldn't even speak. Their memories were still stuck in the underground of Frozen Lake, in those chilling life pods.

They only remembered sitting in the pods and completely losing consciousness.

"After being exiled for half a month, these people's spirits have more or less experienced a certain degree of 'dispersion.' This kind of injury won't affect anything even if it's not repaired. At most, they'll need a month of bed rest," Bai Shu said calmly. "But since you've sent them here, and these people are all contributors to the Frozen Lake mission, I'll help them 'heal their injuries.'"

He gently tapped his finger.

"Click!"

With a crisp snap, those who had awakened fell back into unconsciousness…

When they woke up again, their memories of being here would be completely erased by [Reversed Flow], leaving no trace.

"Next, it's time to modify this little girl's cognition."

Bai Shu waved his hand in the void.

Mu Wanqiu, who was floating in the Divine Realm, sleeping soundly, slowly approached in the air.

She curled up, falling completely asleep… Bai Shu extended his palm, the afterglow of the Battle Seed lingering in his palm.

Gu Shen, who was watching, felt a strong pressure.

But when Bai Shu touched Mu Wanqiu's soul, her face showed no signs of pain. Instead, she looked more serene and peaceful.

"I will only make slight modifications to her cognition."

"Your relationship with her will remain the same as it was originally… However, due to the modification of her cognition, the 'image of the Underworld King' she perceives in the River Styx will be transferred to you."

"I understand."

Gu Shen took a deep breath, waiting patiently.

The reason he asked Mr. Bai Shu to take action was because, during this "Frozen Lake mission," Mu Wanqiu's soul had separated from her body. Next, during the "spiritual placement," she would meet the enforcers in the array box one by one.

A purely spiritual encounter was truly rare.

If Mu Wanqiu's cognition was not modified, Gu Shen would have nothing to work with. He would only be able to put her spirit back and continue to interact with her as a "friend."

As for the [Apostle] matter, he would have to continue waiting.

Who knew when that would be.

With Mr. Bai Shu's help, he didn't need to wait… If Mu Wanqiu accepted the "Nether Fire," then the lonely young Underworld King would have his first trustworthy arm in the real world.

This was important.

If he looked at his current situation from the perspective of the "Underworld King," he would realize that he had only three absolutely trusted "confidants" so far.

Tie Wu, Jin Suihua, Hong Zhong.

These three… were not normal people, and their actions were greatly limited.

Bright City was investigating him, the Arbitrators were desperately trying to kill the "Underworld King," his forces were currently scattered, facing internal and external troubles, and he also needed to fight against the demons in the ruler.

With the appearance of the first [Apostle], the map information Jin Suihua was developing outside of the Northern Continent could be utilized to the fullest extent.

Mu Wanqiu's identity, status, and influence were also enough to strike at "Bright City" from the side.

The pressure on his shoulders would be greatly reduced.

…

…

The speed of cognitive modification was unexpectedly fast.

Gu Shen had just held his breath.

Mr. Bai Shu released his palm.

"It's over?" Gu Shen asked nervously.

"This is a Divine Realm."

Mr. Bai Shu answered him with a single sentence.

Not only was it a Divine Realm, but it was also the [Reversed Flow] Divine Realm. Here, many things that Mr. Bai Shu did could ignore the passage of time.

The mental network of the array box instantly contracted, and countless streams of water flowed backward with a whooshing sound.

The little black box returned to Gu Shen's palm.

Gu Shen held the array box, thoughtfully, "You brought me in here, there must be something else, right?"

If… modifying cognition was just that easy, with Mr. Bai Shu's aversion to trouble, he could have easily solved it outside.

Hearing this, the young Bai Shu gave Gu Shen a meaningful look.

Everything was unspoken.

The golden light gradually dissipated, revealing a coffin.

A-009, or rather, Li Rou, was lying in the coffin, her head resting on a pillow of embroidered flowers. The three layers of the Divine Realm endlessly evolved within the coffin, but unfortunately, there were still things that a Divine Seat could not do.

Such as saving a "lost controller" whose mind had been shattered for twenty years.

"Remember what I said earlier?"

Bai Shu asked, "The peaceful days are coming to an end."

Gu Shen's spirit tensed.

Of course, he remembered… That's why he had been in seclusion in the Shrine, but unfortunately, his current transcendent level was still stuck on the eighth floor. He didn't know how many years it would take to reach the Fourth Stage, an endless and distant prospect.

"I am not Gu Changzhi. Even if I ignite the Fire Seed and become the Battle God Divine Seat, I cannot be considered a noble person."

Bai Shu said, "So, I took over the Fire Seed, I protected the Eastern Continent, I fought against the Outer Gods… You can understand these actions as me trying to make up for the mistakes I made in the past. I hope to find a way to 'right the wrongs' and make everything better."

"You… undervalue yourself too much."

Gu Shen shook his head.

In this world, most things are judged by actions, not by intentions.

Regardless of whether Mr. Bai Shu's starting point came from himself, his family, or the woman in the coffin… What he was doing now was indeed bringing benefits to the entire Eastern Continent.

He ignited the Divine Fire and became the strongest and most reliable barrier in the Eastern Continent!

"Saying this is to make you understand that not every Divine Seat is Gu Changzhi."

Bai Shu said calmly, "Not every Divine Seat deserves the respect of the world… At least most of the time, I think I don't deserve it."

Gods, fused with the Fire Seed, mastered supreme power, and transcended the mortal level of life—

But they still possessed a "human heart"!

That's why… the Source Tower was built so high, so high that people on the ground couldn't even see the top of the tower when they looked up.

Gods were to be high above.

Gods were to enjoy worship.

Gu Shen was a little confused.

"Gu Shen, I will only say these words to you…"

"You are the future Underworld King. You must understand what supports you in your cultivation and what you are fighting for."

The young Bai Shu, with his long hair loose and his heroic posture captivating, but his eyes already held the vicissitudes of a hundred years.

He looked at the coffin and said calmly, "I am for Li Rou, for my cowardly self who was afraid to fight in the past, and more precisely, I am to change all of this… So, what I want is for Li Rou to awaken and for those who caused this tragedy to pay the price."

"What about you?"

Bai Shu slowly turned his head.

"Me…"

Gu Shen was silent for a few seconds, then smiled, "Do I have the right to answer this question now?"

This was a question from a Divine Seat.

The Divine Seat nodded.

So, Gu Shen said seriously, "Okay, if you really want to know… then my purpose for cultivating and fighting is very simple."

"I am just to 'survive'."

Along this path, he had no choice.

Sometimes, the responsibilities on one's shoulders were not something one willingly took on, but simply fell upon them.

Gu Shen was the [Key], he had no choice.

Chosen by the "Nether Fire," he had no choice either.

Many things, Gu Shen simply couldn't escape, and could only choose to accept… Because the [Deep Sea] main system would not let him go because he chose to escape. So, in a situation of "either kill or be killed," he could only cultivate desperately, waiting to fuse with the Fire Seed in the future, find the specific location of the [Deep Sea] main brain, and give that pile of scrap metal a good strike.

And then…

Perhaps the whole world… would be clean?

Well, that was probably a beautiful dream, but Gu Shen really thought so. He just wanted to "survive."

Survive—this was the simplest answer.

It was also the best answer.

Bai Shu stared at Gu Shen's eyes for a long time.

He was very satisfied with Gu Shen's answer.

In the Four Seasons Wilderness wrapped in the three layers of the Divine Realm, Bai Shu slowly revealed his purpose for summoning Gu Shen, "Do you want to know why the peaceful days won't last long?"

Gu Shen was slightly startled.

He felt that some big plan was brewing.

Gu Shen wanted to nod, but he just swallowed his saliva.

In theory, he was also a member of the "Seven Gods"… But after all, his current strength was too weak. Currently, it seemed that he needed to focus on development for a long time before he would be qualified to understand such ultimate secrets.

Was it that the Northern Continent's fortress walls were about to experience an unprecedented source energy storm impact?

Or was there some major crisis in the source energy chaotic sea in the south?

Or had the [Deep Sea] discovered some important clues?

Gu Shen's expression was solemn.

"The Northern Continent's one and I are preparing to join hands to take down a Divine Seat."

Unexpectedly, Bai Shu stated this matter casually.

"???"

Gu Shen's expression was extremely wonderful.

"The current candidate… is probably Storm."