Light Fortress Chapter 1721 - 382: You Are My Eyes, and Also My Life (Long - !)

"This place must be the 'Divine Domain' the former Netherworld King prepared for himself..."

Mu Wanqiu continuously grazed the immense pillars with her hands. As the Netherworld Fire Crown Bearer, she could discern the potent energy ensconced within this temple.

"This great hall is surely brimming with innumerable ancient inscription patterns."

"However, if the former Netherworld King deemed this his stronghold for secluded cultivation at Frost Iron Mountain, why did he then abandon it to establish a new temple in the Old World?"

As Mu Wanqiu voiced her query, the inconsistency became apparent.

"...The Pure Land."

Gu Shen provided the two-word answer.

"In pursuit of the Pure Land."

He stood before the entrance of the bronze hall, his tone filled with complexity. "Irrespective of how magnificently constructed temples may be in this realm, none can rival the Pure Land. The Netherworld King descended into madness chasing the Pure Land, losing all control because of it. He yearned to truly govern the cycle of all life and death... In comparison to such ultimate divine authority, what significance does this Frost Iron Mountain Temple hold?"

"..."

Mu Wanqiu promptly fell silent.

It was true.

Despite its grandeur, the Frost Iron Mountain Temple could never be revealed to the world.

Among the seven deities, the Netherworld King is eternally shrouded in darkness, assisting other fire seeds in absorbing calamities, thereby becoming the genesis of the world's misfortune. Even the 'Divine Domain' itself necessitated concealment from all eyes.

She was aware that in that epoch, nothing transpiring on the East Continent escaped the keen observation of Mr. Gu Changzhi.

Consequently, Mr. Gu Changzhi was undoubtedly aware of this Frost Iron Mountain Divine Domain.

Yet.

Mr. Gu Changzhi opted to maintain its secrecy.

And thus, today... marked their inaugural entry into this place; for decades, the Frost Iron Mountain Temple remained untouched and pristine, as if it had never welcomed a single visitor.

"Incidentally, isn't your hometown situated nearby?"

Mu Wanqiu suddenly inquired.

Though she seldom concerned herself with the affairs of the East Continent, during the period when news of Gu Shen's 'demise' reverberated across the Five Continents, she had deliberately perused the publicly accessible records of the legendary figure.

Gu Shen, a native of Qinghe District, nestled amongst the mountains.

Wulaoshan lay in proximity to Frost Iron Mountain.

The distance was negligible.

"...Yes."

Gu Shen released a gentle sigh.

Upon crossing the threshold into this bronze hall, he had already grasped the root of his unease.

Those who place faith in destiny eschew the notion of coincidence.

The source of his anxiety stemmed not from any inherent danger within this temple.

On the contrary, the temple harbored not the slightest hint of peril.

His disquiet arose from a premonition that... the ultimate destination of the Frost Iron Mountain Temple concealed his own 'origin.'

Indeed, ever since he had witnessed the 'calamity' burgeoning at Frost Iron Mountain through Liu Quan's Spirit Sea.

Certain revelations had already begun to surface.

"Crack."

Gu Shen extended his hand, applying a gentle pressure against the facade of the bronze hall's entrance.

He drew a deep breath and propelled the door open.

...

...

The colossal bronze doors swung inward.

Positioned beneath the immense portals, the two figures appeared as minuscule ants at the feet of a colossal deity.

The Frost Iron Mountain Temple was merely half-constructed, and only the completed portion was accessible; beyond the doors lay a scene of desolation and decay, a stark contrast to the magnificent corridor. It was profoundly ironic that the grand main hall of the Netherworld King was but an unfinished edifice, with even the divine throne at its apex existing merely as a crude casting.

This observation corroborated Gu Shen and Mu Wanqiu's earlier hypothesis.

This temple had been forsaken.

From the very instant the former Netherworld King harbored the aspiration of 'pursuing the Pure Land,'

its further construction became superfluous.

However, what truly astonished them was not the barren, desolate state of the main hall, but rather the dust-shrouded life pods, resembling rows of vertically oriented eyes, standing sentinel over the desolation alongside the bronze pillars.

The energy conduits powering these life pods remained functional.

Directly beneath the uppermost divine throne rested a resplendent vein of black mithril ore; the pipelines of these life pods traversed through this mithril, extending into the core of the 'mountain body.' This mithril contained a pulsating black dot, the chaotic essence emanating from which was transmuted by the Netherworld Fire bequeathed by the former Netherworld King, then systematically channeled to the various pods within the main hall.

Mu Wanqiu gazed upon the tableau, rendered speechless by sheer astonishment for an extended duration.

She now comprehended the reason behind the subtle leakage of disaster.

The former Netherworld King had intentionally left a sliver of 'Netherworld Fire' upon the throne.

Netherworld Fire served as the harbinger of calamity in the world.

Within this desolate hall, the air was thick with malevolent energy; a minor outward seepage was, therefore, entirely expected.

After a significant pause.

Mu Wanqiu's voice was raspy as she asked, "Was the previous Netherworld King this insane even when he was 'rational'?"

Gu Shen offered no reply.

He remained stationed at the entrance of the bronze hall, his demeanor growing somewhat listless, tinged even with a hint of sorrow.

Within the hall stretched a formidable collection of nearly a thousand life pods; the sheer quantity of these pods... vastly surpassed those discovered in the Huazhi Underground.

Encased within these pods were bodies, both tender and vulnerable.

They were, in a sense, still living.

Yet, in another, they were already deceased.

"Could these possibly be... the abominations born from the Genetic Law?"

Gu Shen voiced this question with deep sadness.

However, his words were not directed at Mu Wanqiu; instead, they echoed within his Heart Lake, addressed to Chu Ling.

"Based on the symbols and the signs of age on these pods... it appears highly probable."

Chu Ling, too, was taken aback by the spectacle unfolding within the bronze hall.

Gu Shen's heart churned with a profound sense of unease.

And hers mirrored his own feelings.

As the 'source code,' her processing capabilities dwarfed Gu Shen's. The instant she pinpointed the 'Frost Iron Mountain' coordinates, an unsettling premonition struck her... the alarming closeness of Frost Iron Mountain to Gu Shen's hometown, coupled with the considerable vagueness surrounding his background file, left her perplexed. His precise place of birth remained an enigma to all.