Light Fortress Chapter 1719 - 381: Frost Iron Mountain

The airship was enveloped by clouds, with distant thunder rumbling, hinting at an imminent downpour.

Chu Ling took command of the small vessel’s mooring.

Dropping from the airship, Mu Wanqiu and Gu Shen landed directly.

Darkness stretched across the endless mountains, their imposing iron-blue forms resembling a somber painting. This region, under the strict control of the Deep Sea, remained an uncharted territory. Towns nearby had been forcibly evacuated by the Federation Government, leaving a stark, uninhabited expanse for nearly a hundred miles. It was a no-man's-land, naturally devoid of any artificial light sources.

A sharp hiss broke the silence.

Gu Shen touched down, rising to his feet and conjuring two orbs of Chi Huo with a wave of his hand.

These two pockets of Chi Huo settled, then sprang up, transforming into two unadorned lanterns that hovered at shoulder height.

"I have a query," Mu Wanqiu stated. "Since this mission is designated between the Netherworld King and the Angel Envoy, why didn’t you summon Shen Li?"

"You seem rather concerned about him," Gu Shen teased. "If you truly wish for him to join us, we could simply turn back to Changye right now and retrieve him."

"...Let us just forget I asked anything at all." Mu Wanqiu quickly dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand, her eyebrows climbing. "So, what is our next objective?"

From their initial meeting until this moment, Gu Shen had yet to divulge the specifics of their mission.

This lingering mystery certainly tickled Mu Wanqiu’s curiosity.

Yet, having now arrived at their destination, the area appeared merely as a controlled mountain zone, presenting nothing out of the ordinary.

"The subsequent task is quite straightforward," Gu Shen announced, his hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed their surroundings. He then used his spiritual power to manifest the scene he had witnessed in Liu Quan’s memory, projecting it directly into Mu Wanqiu’s Heart Sea.

Mu Wanqiu watched with keen attention.

Her brow furrowed. "The spiritual projection within this memory, associated with the Black Folding Knife, appears to share the same origin of calamity as the Netherworld Fire?"

"Precisely," Gu Shen confirmed, nodding. "I have bestowed upon you half of my authority. When it comes to discerning calamity... there is virtually no distinction between us."

Throughout the annals of the Five Continents, no other Crown-bearer had experienced fortune quite like Mu Wanqiu's.

Never had a Divine Throne shown such profound favor, sparing no effort in its support.

To grant half of one's original authority?

This was tantamount to dividing one's very destiny in half!

Naturally, Gu Shen had always possessed an exceptional ability to discern character. During his long absence from the Five Continents, Mu Wanqiu had fulfilled every duty expected of a Crown-bearer. Though she had divined Gu Shen’s true precarious state, she maintained her silence, discreetly aligning herself with the machinations of the two Divine Thrones. Her unwavering cooperation and protection were the cornerstones that propelled the grand strategy to its current juncture.

Most critically, Mu Wanqiu had independently succeeded in interfacing with the golden spike flowers, thereby expanding the ancient maps of the North Continent's Old World to many times their original size!

"A place like this harbors calamity originating from the same source as the Netherworld Fire?" Mu Wanqiu’s realization dawned suddenly.

The true Netherworld King was still in the process of growth.

How could a calamity of identical origin have escaped?

There could only be one logical explanation.

The previous Netherworld King must have established a Disaster Realm in this very location!

While the initial entrance to the Disaster Realm had been tightly sealed, the passage of time and the relentless erosion had created a fissure, allowing the "calamity" to seep out!

"Our current objective," Gu Shen stated calmly, "is to locate the whereabouts of that Black Folding Knife. And subsequently, to unveil the Disaster Realm left behind by the former Netherworld King."

...

...

The uncharted territory began to feel the cool touch of night rain.

The lanterns conjured by Chi Huo, however, remained unaffected, impervious to the falling raindrops and resistant to being extinguished.

These twin lights cast their glow upon the shadowed peaks of the mountains.

Utilizing the memory imagery from years past, Chu Ling pinpointed the precise coordinates of Frost Iron Mountain. However, the dying individual who had entrusted the Black Folding Knife to Liu Quan had moved a certain distance away after the handover.

Gu Shen and Mu Wanqiu unleashed their Spirit.

The Chi Huo flickered between the mountain gorges.

Also swaying gently was a colossal spectral figure clad in white robes.

Swiftly, through the meticulous search conducted by these two titled individuals, Frost Iron Mountain was thoroughly investigated.

The Judge, positioned within a mountain ravine, its white robes billowing, extended scarlet fingers to excavate a sizable pit.

The pit plunged deep, revealing a coffin nestled within.

"The artistry of this coffin... it seems remarkably familiar..." Gu Shen’s gaze fixated on the coffin, his eyes involuntarily twitching.

"Familiar?" Mu Wanqiu inquired, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"I encountered an exceptionally similar coffin not long ago... though, I must admit, the craftsmanship here is considerably inferior." Gu Shen mused. At first glance, this coffin bore a striking resemblance to the one fashioned by Xie Zheng in the Tundra.

The chain of these peculiar "coincidences"...

Gu Shen was nearly afflicted with a severe case of 'Turing PTSD'.

However, a closer inspection revealed this coffin merely bore a resemblance, lacking the intricate design of 'starship crafting'. As for the inscriptions adorning it, they were utterly nonsensical.

Like attempting to paint a tiger but creating a dog instead.

That was a fitting description.

"..."

Although Mu Wanqiu couldn't grasp Gu Shen's meaning, she found the presence of this coffin highly illogical.

Based on the spiritual imagery conveyed.

The individual who delivered the Black Folding Knife was gravely wounded, their life hanging by a thread.

Thus, in the remaining moments of a "severely injured person," wouldn't they reserve their strength to seek aid rather than to prepare their own burial?

"These inscriptions on the coffin are quite peculiar. Could they be an ancient script?"

Mu Wanqiu scrutinized them but couldn't decipher their meaning.

Fortunately, a Turing heir, well-versed in 'ancient script,' was conveniently nearby.

"Complete rubbish."

Gu Shen's eyebrows twitched; the coffin's surface was adorned with rudimentary forbidden barriers, seemingly designed to prevent it from being opened.

Yet, lacking patience, he simply snapped his fingers.

The Judge standing beside him understood the silent cue.

It delivered a powerful, heavy blow, violently smashing the coffin open.

"Bang!"

A sharp, explosive sound reverberated through the mountain, and with a resounding crash, the coffin disintegrated, unleashing a potent fog of spiritual poison!

Clearly, this was the consequence of disturbing the coffin—

The sheer force of this spiritual poison mist was terrifyingly overwhelming.

Within mere seconds, it could erode a person's Spirit Sea; regardless of the strong willpower a Transcendent might possess upon opening this coffin, any direct contact would plunge them into prolonged, horrific nightmares!

This is because the origin of this potent poison is the Netherworld King’s Spark!

Yet, it proved unfortunate.

The coffin, at this precise moment, was opened by the Netherworld King himself and his Crown-bearer.

Gu Shen and Mu Wanqiu stood in silence before the shattered coffin, enduring the onslaught of spiritual poison, waiting patiently until the mist completely dissipated...

Emerging completely unharmed.

Mu Wanqiu's brow furrowed, and she gestured with her sleeve, remarking, "The poison originating from this coffin bears a striking resemblance to that found in the Duolu River."

"It originates from the same source power; the poison here is merely diluted."

Gu Shen maintained his composure, deeming the poison's concentration too low to even warrant retrieving his snuff bottle for collection.

If the poison contained within this coffin were to spread freely, it would possess the power to annihilate an entire town.

But now, it had all been absorbed by him.

Hmm, the taste wasn't half bad, was it?

Within the coffin lay a corpse, desiccated to the point of being a mere husk, its skin eroded beyond recognition, leaving only a thin, papery layer.

At this juncture, Gu Shen began to discern the coffin's intricate barriers and inscriptions.

Although inferior in execution.

The coffin's etchings served the crucial purpose of containing the deceased's poisonous spiritual fog.

The rationale behind expending their final moments in "preparing their burial" now became plainly evident; the deceased harbored a potent desire to prevent their posthumous spiritual poison from spreading, thereby sparing the innocent inhabitants near Frost Iron Mountain from the dreaded Netherworld Poison.

...

...

(PS: A word regarding updates. The relentless, explosive updates spanning over fifty days have taken a significant toll on my physical well-being, and maintaining the plot's quality under such strain risks decline. I intend to adjust the update schedule, aiming henceforth to release one substantial Chapter exceeding seven thousand words daily. The update timings will also be adjusted; I shall endeavor to post by six in the evening.)