Light Fortress
Chapter 353 - 44 Goddess (Part 2)

Chapter 353: Chapter 44 Goddess (Part 2)

Snow Forbidden City, the entrance to an old alley.

"Li Qingsui, that girl... actually robbed openly?"

Bai Lu’s expression turned somewhat ugly as she stared at the [Wind Eye], calculating the time. From Li Qingsui’s arrival to her departure, it had only taken three minutes. This silent "battle" had ended too quickly; before she could even react... Gu Shen had been taken into the car and sped away, leaving the Snow Forbidden City behind in a cloud of dust.

However, the authority she held over the [Wind Eye] was limited.

Although Bai Chen was very fond of his sister, he was also aware of priorities. For today’s mission, he had only allowed her to use a portion of the Snow Forbidden City’s [Wind Eye] and its computational power for tracking Gu Shen.

"Damn it..."

Bai Lu clenched her fist in frustration.

Most importantly, the man carrying an umbrella behind Li Qingsui had revealed an Extraordinary Aura that directly disrupted the [Wind Eye]’s sensing capabilities. Even if her brother was willing to lend her additional authority... she couldn’t track the movement of that car.

She had hoped to make a grand final appearance and take control of the situation, but now she found herself a complete fool from start to finish.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Bai Lu decided to find someone to vent her anger on and thus, she got out of the car and headed straight for the old alley.

Gong Zi, who had just settled the account, suddenly had a premonition of something ominous.

"Nangua, quickly check where that crazy woman is now," he urged.

In Mu Nan’s palm, a snowflake perfectly reflected the scene of the Bai Family Witch slamming the car door as she got out.

Their expressions changed instantly.

They knew too well what kind of person this woman was... They exchanged a look and, with exceptional tacit understanding, started to run.

So by the time Bai Lu arrived at the old residence, full of rage, it was completely empty; everyone had vanished.

...

...

"We’re here," a soft reminder was heard.

Gu Shen slowly opened his eyes.

Mists were curling around the car, converging towards "Uncle Gao," who had kindly advised him to keep his eyes shut during the journey, making it a wise choice.

With the fog concealing his view, even with his eyes open, he could see nothing.

Uncle Gao got out of the car and opened the door for Li Qingsui, speaking softly, "Miss, I’ll wait here for you... The path ahead is long; be careful."

Gu Shen frowned.

Ahead of him was a mountain shrouded in fog.

The thick mist obscured all details.

Northern Changye... is there such a place?

The Spiritual Link was severed, and he had no way to communicate with Chu Ling; the map in Gu Shen’s mind only recorded up to the "turning point" at the border of Northern Changye. Beyond that point, the map was blank.

"Let’s go." Li Qingsui took a lantern out of the trunk of the car.

Wait... A lantern?

Gu Shen looked at the lantern, feeling a sense of familiarity.

He had seen it before... at Lu Nanzhi’s residence in Lion Alley, the [lantern] she used, which was very similar to this one but radiated an Extraordinary Power that was completely opposite when lit.

The [lantern] in Lion Alley, when lit, could shield against detection to avoid being spied upon by Transcendents.

The [lantern] here, however, when lit, would reveal the truth and dispel illusions.

The mountain fog dispersed.

An ancient path of bluestone steps was revealed, stretching into the unknown.

Gu Shen glanced into the profound darkness ahead.

In the places untouched by the [lantern]’s light, it seemed that something was drawing in Chi Huo... What was that?

As he gazed into the darkness, a sense of unease began to rise in Gu Shen’s heart.

He turned to look at Uncle Gao, who was standing erect in front of the vehicle, and in an abundance of caution, he coughed softly and asked, "Your... Uncle Gao, he’s not coming?"

"What, are you scared?"

Li Qingsui handed her [lantern] to Gu Shen and took a second one out of the trunk, smiling as she said, "Take it and you’ll be safe. Go ahead confidently."

After speaking, she walked ahead on her own.

The moment Gu Shen took the [lantern], his unease immediately dissipated as if it had been smoke blown away by the wind, leaving him somewhat surprised. He twisted the slender handle of the lantern, wondering how such an item could possess such miraculous effects?

"Mr. Xiao Gu, please," Uncle Gao said, extending his hand slightly to point in a direction.

Gu Shen quickly caught up.

Li Qingsui wasn’t walking fast, and only when Gu Shen caught up with her did she slightly quicken her pace.

"Where is this?" Gu Shen asked, cutting straight to the point.

The only reason he had come to this eerie place was the presence of "Uncle Gao" before, whose strength was so formidable that Gu Shen had no way to refuse his invitation.

But now, Uncle Gao was absent.

This young lady... could not keep him in check.

"This is the Li Family’s ’Divine Temple,’ you can call it ’Divine Mountain’ or ’Divine Temple,’" Li Qingsui glanced at Gu Shen and explained calmly, "Actually, it is what the secular world calls a ’Mystical Place’."

The marvelous realm is also the Disaster Realm.

Gu Shen recalled the palpitations he felt while gazing into the darkness.

It appeared serene and beautiful, but in fact, it was fraught with hidden dangers; without the lantern, he would have found it difficult to take even a single step.

After a moment of silence, he seriously reminded her, "You said before... that you would treat me to a late-night snack."

"Yes."

Li Qingsui’s small face bore a frosty expression, and when she spoke, it didn’t seem like she was pleased; instead, she stretched out her words solemnly, "It’s not me who’s inviting you... it’s my sister."

Gu Shen was taken aback.

Li Qingsui’s sister?

This family was too mysterious... Chu Ling had limited access to archives, and had not mentioned anything about who Li Qingsui’s sister might be.

"Although that little flame in the center of your brows does look pretty good..." Li Qingsui muttered under her breath, "I really don’t understand why my sister would invite a stranger to the Divine Temple..."

She sighed deeply and suddenly stopped walking.

Gu Shen also stopped.

He heard the sound of running water in the distance, possibly a waterfall, and a large one at that... From afar, he could feel the moist vapor spreading, which was indeed a grand illusion.

Because outside the Divine Temple, the whole of Changye was covered in snowfall.

Yet here, there was no sense of cold.

Instead, there were streaks and strands of coolness that refreshed the heart and soul; even with the mist hitting one’s face, it didn’t feel piercing.

In contrast... Gu Shen had the illusion that he was now in the midst of high summer.

"Alright... we’ve arrived."

Li Qingsui gestured with the lantern towards the dim distance, lowered her voice, and warned Gu Shen fiercely, "My sister is the hardest-working, greatest person in the entire world... you’d better watch what you say later."

The hardest-working, greatest person in the entire world?

Gu Shen looked at the cute little girl trying hard to sport a fierce expression and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Qingsui..."

From the direction of the distant waterfall, an exasperated voice called out.

"Sister."

Hearing the voice, Li Qingsui immediately composed herself, reverted to her previous doll-like sweet and cute demeanor, and said softly, "Then Qingsui will step back now and won’t disturb you anymore..."

Before she left, she still did not forget to give Gu Shen a fierce glare.

Gu Shen chuckled quietly.

He carried the lantern and slowly illuminated the path ahead.

The curtain cave from where the water sound flowed was cast in a shadowy light and gloom; faintly visible was an elegantly slim figure.

Gu Shen pondered for a moment and called out, "Goddess?"

This was the Li Family’s Divine Temple, on Divine Mountain, and the Li Qingsui’s sister he had just seen... calling her Goddess didn’t seem inappropriate, did it?

A grave voice immediately came from the cave.

"Mr. Xiao Gu must not address me so..." She paused, then said, "There is another Goddess enshrined within the Divine Temple, Mr. Xiao Gu can call me Qingci."

Li Qingci?

The Li Family’s names really were quite ancient.

Gu Shen nodded and said slowly, "Miss Qingci, if you wanted to meet me just for a glimpse... then you’ve seen me now."

The woman in the curtain cave was slightly taken aback.

"If you wished to treat me to a late-night meal..." Gu Shen glanced around at the wild mountains, the cold water, the nighttime, "I suppose there isn’t much to eat here."

A gentle laugh followed.

"Mr. Xiao Gu can extinguish the lantern and then open your eyes again to see."

Extinguish the lantern?

Gu Shen felt uneasy in his heart... it didn’t seem like a good choice.

But out of trust for Li Qingci, he slowly blew out the core of the lantern while opening the "Chi Huo" at the center of his brows.

Gu Shen’s expression became very vivid.

Once the lantern was extinguished, his vision first became pitch black.

Then... the Chi Huo gradually illuminated his view.

He saw the true face of this magical realm.

Amidst the mountains and fields.

There drifted countless free, wild, and fragmented Extraordinary Essences.

And numerous deformed, twisted, thriving order black spots.

Li Qingci’s voice echoed among the mountains.

"Please... help yourself."