Light Fortress
Chapter 257 - 233: One Second

Chapter 257: Chapter 233: One Second

"Drip," a sound.

A water droplet fell from the sky, as if it had traveled through a thousand layers of mirrors before finally plunging into the serene surface of a lake.

The lake itself was like a mirror.

The droplet should have caused ripples to spread... but it did not; it was as if the droplet had not struck the calm waters of a lake but a cloud of ethereal mist.

Sitting upon the lake was an elderly man shrouded in mist.

He slowly lifted his head.

Above was layer upon layer of lakes, layer upon layer of mirrors, but in reality... this was an ivory tower whose top could not be seen, its interior space rendered immeasurable to the naked eye due to the condensation of Extraordinary Essence.

"You should know that for years... the core of the Source Tower has been weakening."

The lake, sealed by mist, began to tremble at the falling of his words... A youth robed in moon-white, as if he had stepped right out of ancient myths, slowly approached the elderly seer.

"All that I have done... is for the Source Tower, for the future of the Five Continents."

His walk was odd, with one leg lame, causing him to step unevenly, high and low.

"Lord Divine... You have arrived."

The elderly seer used formal language with the youth and prepared to rise.

At the moment he began to stand up.

Invisible chains instantly materialized from all around the lake, stretching tight, binding the elderly man firmly at the heart of the lake.

This was the greatest "Prophet" of the Source Tower, his Divination never erring.

But... he was also a prisoner.

He was entwined by numerous Spiritual Locks, imprisoned within this world of overlapping thousand-layer mirrors.

It would be more fitting to say this was protection than imprisonment. Without these chains, his spirit would have collapsed long ago under the mysterious and powerful laws of the Transcendents, which fiercely retaliate against any thief who dares to glimpse into the future.

His withered, shriveled appearance was the result of these laws at work.

He looked as if he had lived for two hundred years, skin and bones, as if he might fall apart at any moment... but in truth, he was far from having reached such an age.

The God of Wine smiled warmly, sitting cross-legged in front of the elderly man, whispering softly, "There is no need for such formalities, use your spirit where it’s needed... This time I have come to confirm something with you."

"It’s about the East Continent."

The elderly man sat back down, and the myriad chains disappeared.

"Correct."

A glint of light ignited in the eyes of the God of Wine as he slowly said, "Changye, Gu Changzhi... is he dead, or is he alive?"

The elderly man did not directly answer the question.

"You should be aware... the Qingzhong constructed in Changye City is a miraculous location no less significant than the Source Tower itself, and due to the convergence of large amounts of Extraordinary Essence, any form of Prediction Technique would be affected by the Transcendents." The elderly man slowly bowed his head, continuing, "Therefore... Divination about a miraculous location may not be completely accurate."

"Just state the result."

"Gu Changzhi... has died. This is the conclusion of Astrology; I saw the star that symbolized Gu Changzhi has fallen." The elderly man’s voice was low, "That is the result of my Divination."

"... Then what is this?"

The God of Wine silently raised his arm, with a casual sweep, a tapestry unfolded in front of the elderly man.

It showed the current battle scene in Da Du.

A white figure glowing with boiling luminance, burning its life away, was overpowering two Angel Envoys of the Source Tower, battering them ferociously. Neither Tie Wu nor Qin Ye could do anything but defend passively.

"My Angel Envoys have reached the East Continent and should have completed their mission, but at the last moment, Gu Changzhi’s ’Angel Envoy’ appeared." The God of Wine spoke softly, "If Gu Changzhi is dead... how could he have chosen an Angel Envoy?"

A spark of fire is ultimately a lifeless object, and when the Divine Power of the Divine Throne that controls the spark dies, the Divine Power naturally dissipates.

And an "Angel Envoy," who wanders the world with a sliver of Divine Power, would naturally be stripped of all its power.

If Gu Changzhi were to die,

his Angel Envoy should never appear in this world.

"I’m sorry..."

"Forgive me, but I cannot answer that question." The old man gazed for a long time at the image of Song Ci, with most of his facial features obscured by fog, his true expression indiscernible. Only his long eyebrows and withered hair that reached the ground fluttered in the wind.

It seemed that he discerned something from the radiance emanating from Song Ci’s body.

"If you truly wish to know the answer... why not go and see for yourself?"

The old man said softly, "You possess the most powerful spirit in the world, and if Gu Changzhi really chose an Angel Envoy, then his spirit would naturally reside within that token. If you are willing to look, then... you will be able to see."

He paused.

His voice hoarse with laughter, he said, "It’s just like... the meeting we’re having now."

The God of Wine fell silent... In fact, the question that had been troubling the Federation Council for so many years wasn’t complex; they just needed to go and see whether Gu Changzhi was dead or alive.

But no one dared to "look."

The God of Wine’s expression fluctuated... He was hesitating.

"Sometimes, the truth that you believe in your heart is more important than the actual truth. If you do not wish to look, then you might as well believe that he’s still alive. Why bother with my divination?"

The old man spoke.

"The more a person transcends the mundane, the more they are shackled by layers upon layers of chains... This is why I dare not ’look’," the God of Wine murmured to himself, revealing his inner thoughts, "I’ve paid a price for my ’excessive sight’ before."

"..."

The old man gave a wry smile and shook his head; he couldn’t understand the fear of the God of Wine.

Even if Divination Skill were one hundred percent successful... it didn’t mean he knew everything. There were people and things that he couldn’t divine, like the young man before him.

Divination Skill was completely useless on the Divine Throne.

An existence that couldn’t be divined naturally wouldn’t reveal any so-called "divination results."

Could someone as mighty as the God of Wine also experience fear? Had he seen something he shouldn’t have... about Gu Changzhi?

"...Thank you."

The divination’s result was confirmed, but the God of Wine’s expression did not improve.

For him, this divination couldn’t change anything... he still had to make a choice.

The God of Wine stood up and left the lake.

"Plop—"

The second droplet fell.

This droplet penetrated the surface of the lake above, falling from the infinitely high spire of the tower, landing in front of the Prophet. The young man in the moon-white robe stood up and, along with the falling droplet, vanished from this world.

This was a world purely of the spirit, a virtual construct.

And this meeting... was also just a "conference" at the spiritual level.

The Prophet looked down at the droplet that had disappeared into the lake and maintained that posture, his entire being as still as a statue, engulfed in Silent Annihilation... He returned to his usual state of solitude, the world terrifyingly silent.

The only sound.

Was the constant, unending drip of water.

This was the only measure of time in this boundless tower.

The duration of the conversation with the God of Wine... corresponded exactly to the time it took for a droplet to fall.

And in the real world,

That was merely a second.