Chapter 1 Cleansing

Having seen off the Yuan Neng boats from Eastern and Northern Continents, Gu Shen turned back to clean up the battlefield after the recent battle.

Both the Julu Saint and the Xuan Turtle Divine Envoy had been killed.

But this wasn't the end. Extraordinary individuals at their titled level possessed not only valuable sealed items but also marks left by the thrones.

Gu Shen knew that if the forces of the Five Continents entered the Ice Sea Ruins, they would definitely check the snowfield.

When that happened, they might use strange methods to find these corpses.

So, he had to carefully "clean" everything up.

Gu Shen first found the Julu Saint. The Julu Saint’s corpse was split in two, beyond dead.

This Saint, ranked low in the Storm Church, possessed the domain of the "Undying Deer." His vitality was indeed very tenacious. In the previous battle, his injuries could recover seven or eight tenths in a short time. However, the "Undying Deer" was far inferior to the "Flame of Life." The Julu Saint had intended to drag the situation into a war of attrition, but he didn't expect to be the one worn down in the end.

"Five years. You've grown a lot. How would you handle this situation?"

Gu Shen, pulling Gu Xiaoman along, tidied up the battlefield. Here, he would teach Xiaoman a new lesson: killing must be clean and thorough, and handling the aftermath must be ruthless.

"First, search the body, then search the spiritual sea."

Gu Xiaoman calmly looked at the Julu Saint, her voice resolute. "Finally, dispose of the corpse completely."

"There you go."

Gu Shen raised his chin, signaling the little one could start working now.

Gu Xiaoman began scavenging the two halves of the Julu Saint's corpse...

"The giant axe... is shattered."

"The mental defense seal is also broken."

"The spiritual sea is completely annihilated."

The little one frowned and said, "Gu Shen, you were too ruthless, weren't you? Not a single intact sealed item left."

It was her first time scavenging the remains of a titled extraordinary individual, and she had hoped to find some valuable items.

But she didn't expect... it to be a total loss.

Gu Shen smiled helplessly. "Search more carefully?"

Xiaoman suddenly remembered the azure radiance that had covered the sky earlier.

The authority... the Tide Authority!

She searched again and finally found the curved conch shell.

"Found it!"

"Not bad..." Gu Shen smiled. "You can keep this [Tide] Authority for now. You can't take it outside, because Authority items will be noticed by the thrones as soon as they leave the [Ruins]... Carrying it will only bring trouble."

The smile that had finally appeared on Gu Xiaoman's face disappeared again.

"I thought it was something good."

She shook her head. "I didn't expect I couldn't take it out."

"You are the future 'Lord of Wine.' You will have your own 'Authority' in the future." Gu Shen stroked Gu Xiaoman's head gently. "This Storm 'Authority' is nothing special."

"Then Xuan Turtle must have the [Cloud Mirror]?"

Gu Xiaoman drew inferences and quickly realized Gu Shen's real purpose in bringing her here.

She immediately ran to scavenge Xuan Turtle's body.

The battle just now had been too intense.

The [Iron Stomach] and [Embryo of Black Water] were cracked. Xuan Turtle had also sacrificed many sealed items. As the battle progressed, the dome of the sky shattered. Seeing that two Authority items combined couldn't suppress Gu Shen, Xuan Turtle completely lost his mind. His frantic throwing of sealed items was actually just a desperate attempt to avoid death.

So, the sealed items on his body were also broken and cracked, worthless.

Gu Xiaoman's eyes gleamed. She found the small mirror from Xuan Turtle's remains!

Having cultivated in the Source Tower for five years.

She knew too well the power of the [Cloud Mirror]. The Sky God's Authority could provide a view of most areas within the Five Continents and could also summon clouds from the sky to launch extremely powerful attacks.

With two Authority items in hand, a smile reappeared on the little one's face.

Although she couldn't take them out, at least it was a small gain.

"This 'Authority item' is also for you. Take it."

Gu Shen casually tossed out something. Gu Xiaoman didn't have time to look closely, but she reached out and caught it. Then, her hands grew heavy. She fixed her gaze and saw that it was an "eyeball" exuding a golden aura.

"This is the 'Blaze Child' of Guang Ming Bi Lei. You only need to press it on an object, and you can use it as a carrier to turn it into an 'engraved pattern.'"

Gu Shen casually flipped over a stone from the snow and threw it to Gu Xiaoman.

The latter carefully pressed the "Blaze Child" onto the stone. She saw that the eyeball merged into the stone without any obstruction, and then golden vertical lines appeared on the surface of the pale snow stone, as if an eye had grown, looking a little eerie...

This was what Gu Shen had obtained after killing Long Qi and cleaning up the scene.

He wouldn't leave a single Authority item behind.

"So, that's three Authority items?" Gu Xiaoman carefully put away these three items.

"Yes, we're keeping them for them," Gu Shen said with a smile.

Considering that the people from the Source Tower, Guang Ming Bi Lei, and the Storm Church might return, these three Authority items could not be returned to their hands under any circumstances.

"The remaining task is to dispose of the bodies."

Gu Shen looked at Gu Xiaoman and said, "Come on, let me see your methods."

As he spoke, he raised his palm and summoned the Blaze Fire.

If Xiaoman didn't handle it perfectly, he would clean up the mess.

"...Okay!"

Gu Xiaoman stood in front of the Julu Saint. She raised her hands, and [Annihilating Dream] was activated. Dozens or hundreds of dark cracks instantly filled the void, like a spider web, or even more like a black coffin descending from above!

Sizzle!

The Julu Saint's split body was completely enveloped by [Annihilating Dream]!

Reality and dream were switched. Gu Xiaoman dragged the Saint's corpse into the dream and directly dismantled it!

A few seconds later, only fluttering black remnants were left on the snow.

After doing this, Gu Xiaoman cautiously looked at Gu Shen, her eyes full of anticipation.

"Well done."

Gu Shen smiled, but the Blaze Fire in his hand didn't stop.

Gu Shen flicked his finger, and the Blaze Fire flew out, wrapping up the dust—

Boom!

Amidst the flying sparks.

The Julu Saint's corpse remains were completely burned, and this time, not even dust remained.

"Remember, when dealing with enemies of this level, you must not leave even a trace. Even leaving a wisp of powder could allow the enemy to lock onto you." Gu Shen said seriously, "There is no such thing as 'mercy' in the world of extraordinary individuals. Since life and death have already been decided... then in the step of disposing of the corpse, you must be decisive and ruthless!"

The reason for this lesson was actually because Gu Shen had used [Profiling] when he first entered the Ice Sea Ruins!

After Gu Xiaoman killed the enforcers of the Source Tower, she used [Annihilating Dream] to dispose of the corpses of those squad members.

It looked clean and thorough.

But in front of truly top-level extraordinary individuals, it was still impossible to hide.

If the one who came to investigate wasn't him, but Yun Hu or Xuan Turtle... then they would definitely be able to find flaws from [Profiling]!

"I understand."

Gu Xiaoman listened carefully, her expression becoming solemn.

In these five years, under the guidance of the Red Dragon in the Source Tower, she had learned a lot. She had learned how to kill, how to fight beyond her level.

But there was still some "knowledge" that she hadn't learned yet.

Every assassination in the Source Tower was carefully planned.

Even if she completed a "counter-kill," no one would pursue it...

So, she didn't know how to perfectly handle "burning corpses and destroying traces."

However, she had a high level of comprehension. As soon as Gu Shen gave her a hint, she immediately grasped the key points.

Gu Xiaoman took the initiative to come to Xuan Turtle's corpse. She continued to activate [Annihilating Dream], disposing of Xuan Turtle's head, broken body, and the dense, scattered bloodstains on the snowfield... This time, the handling was extremely meticulous, and not a single bloodstain remained on the snowfield.

Gu Shen's gaze also became approving.

This time, the handling was truly perfect.

……

……

After disposing of the corpses.

Gu Shen and Gu Xiaoman set off again.

In the vast snowfield, one large and one small, two figures walked slowly.

The two chatted casually.

"Gu Shen, were you really asleep under the Ice Sea all along?"

"Yeah... I slept for a full five years."

"It's five years, ten months, and twenty-eight days."

Gu Xiaoman raised her small face seriously, showing off with a smile. "I remember everything."

"..."

Gu Shen was speechless for a moment and could only force a smile in response. His eyes were a little complicated.

So, during these years, when he left, it wasn't just Chu Ling who was waiting.

There was also Gu Xiaoman.

Perhaps there were even more people.

"Was sleeping for so long a good thing or a bad thing?" the little one muttered. "I haven't slept for a long, long time."

For mental extraordinary individuals, after successfully comprehending the breathing technique in the early stage, the amount of sleep time would be greatly reduced.

Not to mention an S-class genius like Gu Xiaoman.

[Annihilating Dream] gave her the ability to reverse reality and dreams within a certain range. She didn't need sleep after the early stage. Simple meditation could restore her spirit.

Gu Shen didn't tell Xiaoman what kind of torture he had experienced under the Ice Sea during these five years.

If he said it, Xiaoman would feel heartache.

He had already endured the most difficult days, and there was no need to make those who cared about him feel sad.

"Sleeping for so long isn't as comfortable as you think." Gu Shen said gently, "Rather than sleeping under the Ice Sea, I would rather return to the land, at least to see you."

"Tsk..."

Xiaoman heard this satisfying answer and couldn't help but smile.

The two returned to the end of the snow mountain, standing in front of that air wall.

"Are you ready?"

Gu Shen turned his head to look at Xiaoman.

"Hoo... I'm ready!"

The little one rubbed her face, took repeated deep breaths, and gave a definite answer.

The Blaze Fire and Pure Land domains were released. Gu Shen controlled the domains to cover only the two of them, without wasting any energy.

Gu Xiaoman tugged on his clothes.

Gu Shen stretched out his palm and pressed it against the wall of void. Beyond was the vast snowfield, also the "important place" that Xiaoman sensed.

"Kaka Ka!"

The power of strangulation was triggered at this moment!

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes. The moment he forcibly stepped into the air wall, he felt great resistance... Even the two perfected domains, which were always successful, suffered extremely terrifying pressure!

"Hmm..."

Gu Shen groaned.

Gu Xiaoman keenly captured this scene. She asked nervously, "Brother Gu Shen?"

"I'm fine!"

A faint blue vein bulged on Gu Shen's forehead. He coldly stared at the countless qi blades strangling his domain in the snowfield.

Iron Throne activated!

Thousands of iron scales flew out from his skin, arranged in all directions of the domain, forcibly resisting the strangulation power—

The two crashed into the world behind the wall.

At the same time, a cold, mechanical voice rang in the ears of the two.

"Warning! Warning! Sensing an intruder!"

"Initiating Emergency Response Plan Number One!"