Light Fortress
Chapter 383 - 67: The Mountain Keeper

Chapter 383: Chapter 67: The Mountain Keeper

Northern Changye Boundary, Highway 447.

Dense fog.

A black car slowly came to a stop.

Gu Shen got out of the car; the Chi Huo between his brows gradually ignited as he felt... not far from the highway, there was a twisted "Great Miao Realm" that had opened its doors to him.

It was because of the Li Family talisman.

He had gained the qualifications to enter "Divine Temple Mountain."

Without this talisman... perhaps Chi Huo could still sense the anomalies in the Extraordinary Aura nearby, but it would be difficult for him to find the entrance to the "Divine Temple Mountain Territory."

At the far end of the fog, a plain and unadorned minivan had been waiting for some time.

A slender figure, wearing a monocle, stood at the end of the great fog, with an alloy case at his feet. Mr. Xiao Cui had arrived here first; he silently counted the time on his wristwatch, waiting unhurriedly.

Compared to the transaction at Golden Flag Mountain, this meetup didn’t require as many people.

But it was equally important.

Lu Nanzhi could not personally leave Da Du, and her most trusted person... was Cui Zhongcheng.

On the other side of the fog, Gu Shen’s figure slowly appeared.

He smiled and said, "Mr. Xiao Cui, long time no see."

"A day apart feels like three years," Cui Zhongcheng smiled too.

He pushed his glasses up, his gaze leaving his wristwatch to carefully examine Gu Shen; having left Da Du for only half a month, the young man’s Extraordinary Aura had become quite subdued, mysterious.

The news about Gu Shen wasn’t just closely watched by the Changye Five Families.

Even in the far-off Jiangnan’s "Da Du District," many were paying attention... The initial "review" and the guidance into the Judgement Institute were, in fact, handled by the upper echelons of Da Du.

Leading all this, Cui Zhongcheng felt reassured.

He picked up the alloy case and patted the side of the van, "Everything’s in here... Where should it be delivered?"

Cui Zhongcheng slowly turned his head.

He looked toward the direction where "Divine Temple Mountain" was located.

"Hmm," Gu Shen nodded.

"A fully-formed Great Miao Realm... seems to have existed for many years..." Mr. Xiao Cui narrowed his eyes, examining it for a long time. When he arrived at Highway 447, he had roughly understood what had happened.

No matter what those [items] were.

To transport them into Changye, one always needed to avoid [Wind Eye].

And this Great Miao Realm with Transcendent chaos provided the perfect hideout.

This was probably the trump card of one of the five families.

Cui Zhongcheng smiled as he handed over the case and car keys, "Since you’ve already taken care of the ’Miao Realm’... then there’s nothing more I can help with, I wish you success."

He looked behind Gu Shen.

There seemed to be a very powerful Transcendent, watching this place.

Cui Zhongcheng slowly nodded, facing Gu Shen, he retreated toward the far end of the fog.

...

...

"[The items] have no issues."

Gu Shen returned to Li Qingsui’s car side, and before he could speak, Uncle Gao spoke first.

His spiritual power had already enveloped the entire Highway 447.

This alloy case and the goods in the minivan, none contained "contraband"; they were mostly strange materials emitting an Extraordinary Aura, mostly processed through compression techniques.

The case contained secluded, seldom-heard-of Mithril.

And some Strong Logic Materials whose names even he could not recall.

This could only be produced abundantly in North Continent, right?

Uncle Gao didn’t ask further, he indifferently said, "Bring the goods inside. But don’t go deep into ’Divine Temple Mountain’. After entering, just stop the vehicle."

The mountain body of Divine Temple Mountain, due to harboring too much Extraordinary Essence,

had essentially become riddled with holes.

Due to the presence of "Prayer Technique," these Order Ruined Flowers had not yet shown their immense attack power, but in fact, if triggered by a strong Extraordinary Aura, these flowers might release their "properties"... potentially causing an avalanche-like collapse.

To ensure no mishaps.

It’s better to keep these materials at the entrance; after all, Gu Shen only wanted to avoid [Wind Eye].

"... Thank you." Gu Shen earnestly performed a bow.

He thought the same.

Being able to send it to Divine Temple Mountain was enough!

Two vehicles, one large and one small, entered the Divine Temple Mountain Territory one after another... Gu Shen personally drove the van, following behind Uncle Gao’s car. His talisman emitted a fluorescent glow. Suddenly, a new world appeared where the originally marked Road 447 ended.

Countless fractured gaps gradually appeared at the end of the view, on both sides.

In the distance, a dark mountain stood erect at the horizon, with millions of void cracks converging toward "Divine Temple Mountain," as if it were the center of the entire world.

After stopping, they unloaded the goods.

Gu Shen returned to Uncle Gao’s vehicle, and the three of them continued toward Divine Temple Mountain.

"So, you called me here... just to accompany the delivery?" Li Qingsui leaned on the back seat of the car, curiously asking, "Too bad there wasn’t a ’backstabbing’ scene. You could stop the car right by the roadside, and the items in this box don’t seem to be anything valuable."

"Indeed, they aren’t anything valuable."

Gu Shen smiled and said, "If one must have a ’talisman’ to enter Divine Temple Mountain, then there are only a few people who could make it here. So, it doesn’t matter where we stop. If you wanted to send someone to take these things away, I would have nothing to say... but these items would be pointless to take."

Placing the items on Divine Temple Mountain was enough to show trust in the Li Family.

After all, these items were just some materials... at most, some of the materials were somewhat precious.

But they could all be purchased with "mundane" money.

"As for ’backstabbing’... I’m sorry to disappoint you," Gu Shen said with a slight smile. "I’m afraid it’s hard to find a transaction safer than this one."

"That man is Cui Zhongcheng."

Uncle Gao, who saw everything, spoke up.

Li Qingsui oh-ed a bit, suddenly understanding.

"If it’s Cui Zhongcheng personally escorting these goods, then it’s indeed safe enough." Li Qingsui laughed. "I knew the Flower Regalia valued you highly, but I didn’t expect this much... Are these worthless things really worth Cui Zhongcheng’s personal delivery?"

Gu Shen smiled faintly, changing the subject.

"Do you know Mr. Xiao Cui?"

"...Of course." Li Qingsui narrowed her eyes.

In the eyes of Changye Five Families... across the entire East Continent, there were only a few powers worth noting. And the Flower Regalia was among them.

Zhao Xilai once held one of the highest positions within the East Continent Council, able to steer the economic direction of half the Da Du District, holding vast resources, connections, and capital in his hands.

For a single Transcendent, no matter how much money they possess, it ultimately remains mundane.

But for a massive group with countless talents... a large amount of mundane money can become one of the main rules shaping the world.

Economy.

The Zhao Family owned a massive gold mine.

That gold mine had been stable for decades, and the guardian of the gold mine’s key... was Cui Zhongcheng.

Cui Zhongcheng’s name was very well-known throughout the whole East Continent.

"Last year, my sister used the ’Prayer Technique’ and inadvertently saw a vision of the Zhao Family’s decline," Li Qingsui whispered. "That’s why the Li Family extended an olive branch to him."

She reflected, "It’s just a pity that Cui Zhongcheng rejected us. Initially, I thought he didn’t believe the ’future’ the Li Family spoke of, but now it seems he must have already aligned with Mrs. Lu Nanzhi."

Rather than saying Cui Zhongcheng was the Zhao Family’s guardian,

it might be more appropriate to say he was the guardian of the Flower Regalia.

The gold mine changed masters.

But the mine remained the same.

The mountain was still that mountain... thus, the man remained the same man.

However, these thoughts plunged Gu Shen into contemplation.

Something seemed... slightly off?

Li Qingsui might not know, but the Flower Regalia had undergone a severe upheaval, and at the final moment, the lady and the Zhao Family had already severed their ties, forming two opposing camps.

If Cui Zhongcheng had truly aligned early,

then that final severance... would not have occurred at all, as he was the most relied upon force by Zhao Xilai’s side. If he had defected, the initial strife within the Flower Regalia would have had no suspense whatsoever.

If Cui Zhongcheng had ulterior motives,

that would be even less possible!

If he wanted to support the Zhao Family, he would not have watched as Zhao Qi was exiled to the North Continent, the sole heir of the Zhao Group, and after Zhao Xilai amended his will... Zhao Qi already had no say over the Flower Regalia.

"Either... Cui Zhongcheng had seen through all of this long ago, knowing Zhao Xilai would compromise, or, he simply doesn’t care about the outcome of the infighting in the Flower Regalia, indifferent to who wins," Gu Shen thought.

If he hadn’t known about the Li Family extending an olive branch,

Gu Shen wouldn’t have thought so much.

After careful thought, he felt that Mr. Xiao Cui wasn’t as simple as he had initially thought.

The world holds no saints... for so many years, guarding such a vast gold mine without any thoughts.

So, what was it that he truly wanted?