Light Fortress
Chapter 355 - 46 Ten Years

Chapter 355: Chapter 46 Ten Years

"Prayer Technique is a kind of ethereal ritual... Make a wish, then wait for ’cause and effect’ to take its price, and wait again for the wish to come true. In this process, the caster can do nothing but wait."

It sounded very much like a scam.

How could such a thing exist in this world?

Make a wish, do nothing... Just wait for it to come true.

It’s like... a sacrifice.

Gu Shen suddenly thought of this word, and then his pupils contracted slightly, realizing that the so-called Prayer Technique was essentially a ritual. And the "Protectors" passed down through the Li family over generations were the sacrificial offerings that changed over hundreds of years; they nurtured that ethereal wish with their lives and energy.

If the Prayer Technique was false, then these Protectors... were all fools.

If the Prayer Technique was true, then they were all madmen!

Today’s "Divine Temple Mountain" was covered with dark flowers; these were the shattered pieces of "Order," and it was precisely these "Order Shattering Flowers" that proved to Gu Shen the existence of the Prayer Technique and the Li family’s madness.

Perhaps many years ago, the "Extraordinary Essence" of the Divine Temple Mountain had not yet expanded to this extent, and they could have been dealt with and eliminated with "special methods."

But due to the wish to nurture the "Divine Embryo," this Divine Mountain was domesticated by the Li family.

And with it were domesticated these endlessly growing "black spots."

The greater the wish, the easier it is to attract backlash.

For six hundred years, the Li family, for their ancestor’s "grand vision," made continuous efforts and too many "sacrifices."

And now.

This Divine Temple Mountain had become an enormous crisis that could not be resolved!

The Protectors of later generations were also forced to press themselves upon the Prayer Technique, struggling to maintain balance.

"What if... the Prayer Technique can no longer suppress the Divine Temple Mountain, what will happen?"

Gu Shen’s back was soaked with cold sweat.

"The Divine Temple Mountain is a marvelous realm, an ethereal boundary that is both intangible and yet truly exists," Li Qingci said calmly, "If too many of these flowers grow, they will overflow the marvelous realm and come to the real Changye. Starting from the northern border, Changye will collapse, it will be eroded."

"You seem very nervous?"

Her eyes lowered and with a smile, she reassured, "Relax, the existence of the Divine Temple Mountain is not a big secret to the upper echelons of the Five Great Families. The Five Continents have many similar places... Mr. Gu Changzhi has been here before when he had just returned to Changye and had not yet fallen asleep."

"Mr. Gu Changzhi... didn’t he deal with these flowers?"

"No."

Li Qingci shook her head, "My father said Mr. Gu Changzhi stood on the summit of the Divine Temple Mountain for a day and a night, then left... Before the Lord Divine left, he picked a flower and left a sentence."

"He hoped that the Li family’s Prayer Technique could ultimately come true, to hatch the Divine Embryo."

"If the Prayer Technique ultimately spiraled out of control... he would have to destroy the entire Divine Temple Mountain."

Even though twenty years had passed, hearing this sentence,

Gu Shen still felt the shock of those words... If the Prayer Technique spiraled out of control, destroy the entire Divine Temple Mountain?

He looked up at the countless dark flowers, and the formidable mountain situated between Xumi and the darkness.

Just as Gu Shen could not imagine the extent of the destructive blow that would result from the overflow of the Divine Temple Mountain’s essence, he also could not fathom the spectacle of one person bringing down the huge mountain along with all its widespread points of Order Collapse.

For Gu Changzhi, was this disaster still within his control?

Or rather, did he also believe that the Li Family’s "Prayer Technique" had a hope of becoming reality?

"It’s just..."

Li Qingci gave a bitter smile and said, "Not long after leaving the Divine Temple Mountain, Lord Divine fell into a deep slumber. I made a wish with the Prayer Technique to see Lord Divine once again, but the ’sacrifice’ I offered was not taken. Since that day, the situation on Divine Temple Mountain has become grave, and no one knows what will happen once these flowers spread beyond the mountain."

If the Divine Temple Mountain were to experience significant collapse, and if by that time Gu Changzhi had still not made an appearance...

That would probably be a true disaster.

The collapse of the order on Divine Temple Mountain might ultimately result in this: the East Continent Federation begins to seek help from the forces of the Outer Continent. If the remaining few "Divine Thrones" are willing to respond to the plea, they will send their Angel Envoys to rush to Divine Temple Mountain.

For Gu Shen, who had just experienced a battle between Angel Envoys in the Dadu District, he was very clear about what this meant... The two Divine Thrones of the Central Continent had always coveted the East Continent, ready to strike at an opportune moment.

To seek their aid was to invite a wolf into the house.

Compared to the "collapse of Divine Temple Mountain," what they cared about more was definitely "the spark of Gu Changzhi."

"I want to see... the guiding image that ’I’ was reflected by the Prayer Technique, the one you just mentioned,"

In the end, Gu Shen took a deep breath and made a request.

"The Prayer Technique is an indescribable force," Li Qingci fell silent for a while, "Inexpressible, unfathomable, it can only be felt, only be understood. If you make a wish and you receive a response, feeling your ’sacrifice’ being taken... then this indicates that the Prayer Technique is becoming reality, and all you need to do is to continue believing."

"So your wish was..." Gu Shen frowned.

Li Qingci smiled, "I lowered my demands. If I could not meet with Lord Divine, then I wanted to meet someone capable of solving the ’Divine Temple Mountain’ crisis. If possible, I hope that person could devour these flowers that blanket the mountain."

Gu Shen’s heart stirred, and his expression became slightly strange.

One should know.

His "birth" occurred before Li Qingci made this wish.

And so-called cause and effect here seemed somewhat inverted... he was not born because of the wish for "Divine Temple Mountain." This force from beyond seemed more like a pull.

Because Li Qingci made that wish, he came here.

And upon further contemplation, the truly terrifying, truly inscrutable aspect of the Prayer Technique lies in the fact that... even if Li Qingci didn’t explain this wish to Gu Shen, from a standpoint of position and decision-making, Gu Shen could not allow these flowers to bloom beyond the mountain.

Li Qingci’s prayer seemed more like a random arrangement in fate.

Gu Shen sighed softly, extending his palm where a wisp of Chi Huo twined around his palm, and a pitch-black flower grew intimately near.

Within Chi Huo’s "embrace."

He plucked the Order Collapse Flower.

The seated woman, upon seeing this, was first startled, then a smile appeared on her pale face.

Gu Shen studied the Order Collapse Flower in his palm, which twisted continuously and collapsed inward, and asked softly, "What price did you pay for making this wish?"

Not a trace of sadness or exhaustion could be discerned on Li Qingci’s face.

She smiled very happily, "Mr. Xiao Gu... I spent ten years of my life for this encounter."