Light Fortress
Chapter 118 - 106: Savior

Chapter 118: Chapter 106: Savior

Shi Li had no choice but to use the "Truth Ruler" in this battle.

This secret must be kept hidden for as long as possible.

Hu Danian is a good man.

Last time when there was an incident on the river bank, it was he who took me to Cui Zhongcheng’s office.

But... Gu Shen still chose to use Blazing Fire Hypnosis, making Brother Danian forget all about it, for his own good as well as mine.

"Now... it’s your turn."

Having taken care of Hu Danian, Gu Shen slowly turned around.

Shi Li stood there, dazed, with a streak of blood slowly trickling down from his glabella... The battle today was several times more dangerous than Qu Shui’s sudden attack, where a single mistake could have led to both of us dying on Yuan Dan Street.

Shi Li’s true strength should be at the peak of the Deep Sea Fifth Layer.

The Mental Hypnosis that was launched unexpectedly... was inches away from failing, but the most dangerous aspect was the "mental explosion" lurking in Shi Li’s mind.

At the moment the hypnosis succeeded,

Gu Shen’s spirit caught a grand roar.

As Cui Zhongcheng said, Believers of the Changjiu Foundation all have a safety measure planted in their minds, which would trigger if they ever lost command of their bodies or faced the worst possible outcome.

In the instant the roar erupted,

Gu Shen caught a flicker of a familiar aura at Shi Li’s glabella, the same kind of fine thread he had seen when he was removing the Spiritual Imprint from Lu Nanzhi. It lay hidden right in front of Shi Li’s forehead.

The Chi Huo at the micro-level sensed this fine thread immediately, and it was the source of the "explosion".

However, the current Chi Huo was not capable of stopping the explosion.

But... there was something that could.

That E-class sealed object.

A tiny stopwatch that could only freeze time for an instant.

...

...

"Just as I suspected, if the strength is powerful enough, there is a way to stop it before the explosion starts..."

At this moment, Gu Shen’s spiritual power easily infiltrated Shi Li’s mind.

A Transcendent capable of devising something like a mental explosion is surely a madman... but there are always geniuses in the world who can come up with a countermeasure.

Gu Shen was certain.

If Shi Li had faced Senior Sister Luo, who is Titled with the Divine Pupils, the explosion could never have occurred.

A Titled Transcendent from the Deep Sea 12th Floor with spiritual strength, could definitely infiltrate a low-level Transcendent’s spirit in an instant, while erasing all detrimental factors... But does this also mean that the actual strength of that E-class sealed object is terrifyingly powerful?

Cui Zhongcheng can be mistaken too.

Gu Shen began searching Shi Li’s memories for the "sealed object".

Unlike the previous dream infiltrations,

This time, Gu Shen’s method was extremely brutal, directly scouring Shi Li’s mind for memories, because he did not consider how Shi Li would feel after waking up from the Mental Hypnosis...

Unfortunately, this Yuan Dan Street case is destined to be reported to the Da Du higher-ups.

As for the vast amount of Extraordinary Essence on Shi Li, a strong attacker from the Deep Sea Fifth Layer, I can only helplessly watch and will never get to savor it.

"This compass... can detect spiritual fluctuations within a certain range around it,"

Gu Shen found a small, ancient compass in Shi Li’s possession.

In this age... a compass had long been obsolete, hardly to be found anymore. This sealed object was rimmed with a layer of gold and silver to look new, which in hindsight seems somewhat ironic, almost like there’s hidden meaning to "thirty pieces of silver".

This was typical of those involved with the Changjiu Foundation; no matter how they disguised themselves, they could not hide their love for relics from a bygone era.

"Nice item... it should be a C-class sealed object," Gu Shen commented after inspecting it for a moment, then shook his head, "However, it has limited use for me, somewhat superfluous."

Previously at the entrance to Yulan Alley, Shi Li used the compass, but it did not pick up on the spiritual fluctuations of Chi Huo.

This might be because Chi Huo has special traits, good at concealing its presence.

But that also means... that this insufficiently rated compass could lead to misjudgment at a critical time.

If the compass had sensed Gu Shen back then, the story today might have had a different ending...

"The urgent task at hand is to resolve this dense fog... Turn off the sealed objects in the factory to get out of Yuan Dan Street," Gu Shen frowned, "Can the Changjiu Foundation’s people move freely in the fog because they have a special breathing technique?"

His probing spiritual power swept through Shi Li’s mind like a fish.

Before long,

Gu Shen’s eyes lit up.

"To enter the dense fog, one needs a protective amulet... Is it this compass?"

He weighed the compass in his hand, somewhat surprised.

This was indeed unexpected.

The dense fog on Yuan Dan Street today was enough to confirm Cui Zhongcheng’s suspicion that the Changjiu Foundation had a big player hidden in Da Du, who reigned high above everything, one who was plotting some ingenious scheme... But the compass found on Shi Li could not possibly be the result of his own discovery of the "fog-proof" method; it must have been a gift from someone of high standing.

Therefore, this compass could not possibly be a crudely made, low-level sealed object.

Did my Chi Huo... evade the sensing techniques of that powerful individual?

Without giving Gu Shen time to think,

the Compass began to tremble slightly, as if something within it was awakening... The light coating around the Compass cracked under the trembling, revealing bronze inscriptions.

Gu Shen’s expression grew solemn, and he quickly crouched down, placing the Compass on the ground into the pool of red silver, ready to respond to any abnormalities at any moment!

He was unclear what other means the Changjiu Foundation might still have...

Chi Huo hovered at the position between his eyebrows.

As if facing a formidable enemy.

"...Hum..."

Accompanying the final quiver, the surface of the compass, covered in grime and as though shrouded in a layer of fog, gradually became clear.

Immediately after, a wisp of blood-colored flame flowed across the clear mirror surface of the compass.

"What an astonishing technique... it stopped the mental explosion..."

Someone spoke softly, full of praise, "Brilliant, brilliant."

Then, with a touch of regret, he said, "Young man, that Compass is a fine object, don’t leave it on the ground... it’s too dirty down there..."

Had that big fish shown its face?

Gu Shen frowned slightly, he could only see blood and fire inside the Compass; he couldn’t see anything else, at most he could vaguely glimpse a blurred face— a man in another world, conversing with him.

This blood-colored fire... why does it somewhat resemble the explosion from Zhou Yexin’s dream?

Logically, this heavyweight from the Changjiu Foundation should continue to hide behind the scenes.

Regardless, Gu Shen did not want to converse with the other party.

He gathered the red silver, prepared to cover the Compass, and stop this conversation.

"It’s no use..." The man saw through his intentions, and said with a faint smile, "How could such inferior material as red silver corrode the Compass... Besides, you still need to stop this fog, don’t you?"

Gu Shen continued his action, all the remaining red silver inside his helmet was gathered by him using the Truth Ruler; the ground caved in and the red silver buried, yet that small compass was still able to transmit sound.

"You don’t believe me, that’s okay."

"But the game has already started, from... the moment you met the stone sculpture with that stern gaze..."

"Gu Shen... you have been targeted by me."

The moment his name was uttered by the other party, Gu Shen’s movements hesitated slightly.

Had his information been exposed already...

The red silver had completely buried the small pit, but the man was right, it was in vain; the Compass was not affected in the slightest.

Gu Shen simply took out the Compass, looking directly at the world on the other side of the mirror, and calmly said, "What do you want to say."

The face soaked in blood and fire smiled with satisfaction.

"The fog on Yuan Dan Street... is just the beginning."

The man whispered softly, "I... or rather, we, have long been prepared. As long as that damned legislative proposal is not withdrawn, this game will never end."

"Is this a declaration of war?" Gu Shen said coldly, "You should be declaring war on the council."

"Of course... I will."

The man smiled slightly: "The Judgement Institute, the prison, the command center, the entire East Continent... are all decaying old buildings about to fall. Why do you still choose to dwell within a rotting nest?"

"Perhaps it is your thinking that is flawed," Gu Shen said calmly. "Want to know what truly disturbs the peace of East Continent? Look in the mirror."

"Interesting... truly interesting."

The man did not get angry but instead laughed in appreciation.

In the sea of blood and fire, a pair of eyes emerged, tinged with a look of pity.

"Someday you will find these words... oh so ridiculous," the man paused.

"Compared to you, Cui Zhongcheng is really a boring guy, his eyes only see rules... Initially, I thought that this compass could only be given to him. But fortunately, you appeared."

Gu Shen fell silent.

"Dare you accept this Compass... Da Du’s future savior, the great hero?"

The man spoke softly: "This Compass is a gift I offer to my opponent; of course, there’s another way to end all this, and that is to find me... and kill me."

"If you are familiar with my file,"

Gu Shen said expressionlessly, "then you should be very clear... this Compass, you should give it to Cui Zhongcheng."

"You saved the civilians in the Da Teng Fire who hadn’t yet perished, saved the insomniacs from Lipu Street, saved the innocent old townspeople from the fog of Yuan Dan Street; no matter how you deny your sense of responsibility... you can’t change one fact, when those lives, cheap as ants, are about to vanish before you, you cannot stop yourself from trying to save them."

Despite speaking solemn, serious words, the man’s voice still carried a frivolous laugh, "The true saviors of this world, often are not those who embrace certain death; if before them lies a sea of fire, they will jump without hesitation. It’s just a shame that such a sacrifice cannot save all beings."

Gu Shen looked into those eyes amidst the blood fire, and now, he actually wished the conversation would last a bit longer, so he could commit the other party’s pupils to memory.

He began nonchalantly, "I am a selfish person, unable to save even myself, how can I save the world?"

"You’re right... unable to save even yourself, how can you save the world?"

The man laughed genuinely, and the blood and fire curved into a crescent.

"Those who survive are the ones who qualify to be saviors."