Light Fortress-Chapter 1513 - 217: Ice Sea Long Night (Part 2)

So even though a few elders felt dissatisfied, they could only swallow their complaints silently.

Fortunately, with Bai Xiu’s current cultivation realm, there are few in the Five Continents who can pose a threat to him.

The process of joining the investigation team was smooth.

Given Chu Ling’s identity as a "Tomb Guardian" in the real world and her status as a "Divination Inheritor," Bai Xiaochi had no possibility of refusal.

However, she wasn’t interested in investigating Gu Shen’s death; joining the investigation team was merely to hitch a ride.

The "investigation task" in Changye received support from the North Continent, and the Central City gifted a small Source Energy Boat.

Ultimately, the investigation team members were confirmed, and five people boarded the Source Energy Boat heading south.

Unexpectedly, upon landing, the Storm Church sent a saint to greet them.

Judging by the display, they clearly guessed what Changye intended to do. Subsequently, the investigation team’s actions went very smoothly, and the Storm Church opened all doors for the investigation team.

Such actions aren’t difficult to guess: On one hand, the Sangzhou Cave had disappeared, leaving no evidence to search; whether the Holy City cooperates or not, the investigation team’s work is difficult to perform, and this investigation was doomed to a futile conclusion from the start.

On the other hand.

Regarding Gu Shen’s death, the Holy City was indeed innocent!

Since Changye suspected additional conspiracies behind this case, the Storm Church naturally supported it wholeheartedly, eager for the investigation team to uncover some conspiracy... if this matter involved the Source Tower or Light City, then there would be good drama to watch.

As the weakest among the Five Continents, the saints of the Storm Church deeply hoped for peace in the world before the Divine Throne returns, or for contradictions among the other Four Continents to escalate, creating turbulent confrontations.

This way, their pressure would be significantly reduced.

The dust tuft that Lu Zhe picked up on Tanyao Mountain was the investigation team’s sole clue.

Bai Xiaochi’s [Lighting the Dark] ability could extract blood, decode Extraordinary Factors, but there were too many blood samples within that tuft, from dozens of sources.

The analysis ability of [Lighting the Dark] was robust, but the blood sources on Tanyao Mountain were truly numerous... consisting of Beast Spirits running on the ground and birds falling from the sky, and the awakened beast blood became difficult to distinguish as they weren’t in the [Deep Sea] database. Hence, the investigation team’s initial task was to search for related species in the Ice Sea area, aiming to find surviving awakened Beast Spirits.

They could only use the elimination method.

Given Chu Ling’s joining the investigation team, she naturally needed to integrate into this group... although she had reached the end of this investigative problem, knowing Gu Shen wasn’t dead, she was curious about the true story behind the Sangzhou Cave event.

Actually, she couldn’t quite understand either.

After severing the link, what really happened that led Gu Shen to be "buried" in the eruption of [Tanyao]?

The Holy City’s cooperation greatly enhanced the efficiency of the investigation.

But the analysis of these blood samples couldn’t be completed overnight; two weeks later, the investigation team screened several blood samples worthwhile of investigation.

Among them, one blood source recorded in the database was confirmed...

precisely the blood of the Vermilion Bird Divine Envoy.

This means the Vermilion Bird Divine Envoy had appeared in the [Tanyao] Mountain Ridge area.

Based on this result, it’s inferred the Vermilion Bird is likely... dead.

When the Changye Investigation Team released the investigative findings of this blood sample, it triggered a ludicrous chain reaction: the Source Tower side ceased its concealment, immediately announcing the confirmed death of the Vermilion Bird Divine Envoy and promptly proceeded with a public selection for the next Divine Envoy... Upper City didn’t care about the Vermilion Bird’s life or death since they found the perfect "Lord of Wine."

The Four Divine Envoys constantly exist.

While the perfectly matched Flame Master is unique and singular.

The remaining blood, another source was confirmed, belonging to Upper City’s renowned scholar, Adam... The reason Gu Shen lost contact was due to escorting Adam to the core area for investigation.

The result of this sample confirmed that Adam had also died.

Yet within these blood samples, Bai Xiaochi also extracted a familiar Extraordinary Factor, one that had appeared before in the Dadu District belonging to the "S-class Criminal" Xiao’s Extraordinary Power.

Bloody flames.

Although just an extremely weak, faint wisp.

But this signifies... the Blood Fire’s power had appeared in the [Tanyao] core area.

Based on a blurry Blood Fire Extraordinary Factor, not much more can truly be deduced.

The investigation team’s ultimate hypothesis imagined Gu Shen escorting Adam while exploring the core area, encountering the hidden "Xiao," eventually engaging in a fierce battle resulting in both being buried.

However, it is notable that among these blood samples, [Lighting the Dark] couldn’t illuminate Gu Shen’s blood nor the floating Extraordinary Factor of Chi Huo.

This is very eerie.

It likely indicates... Gu Shen didn’t bleed?

Yet if the battle wasn’t difficult, how was Gu Shen unable to escape?

Bai Xiaochi couldn’t comprehend this aspect, but clutching the "Blood Fire" clue, the investigation team began to question the South Continent Holy City, suspecting the church hadn’t timely purged the high-risk "Blood Fire" for genuine reasons... If there was collusion or shelter between the Holy City and "Blood Fire," this could possibly be a targeted conspiracy!

Since the Sangzhou Cave had been destroyed, what exactly happened that day was unknown, and there was nobody to prove it.

The church surprisingly couldn’t rebut it immediately.

The saints never imagined, after checking around, the investigation team first targeted themselves!

Spring Plow’s response was decisive.

Compensation and apology... whatever Changye wanted, they gave.

He was acutely aware, relying on this tiny, insignificant "Blood Fire" Extraordinary Factor, the investigation team couldn’t truly elucidate the truth behind Gu Shen’s death... This part couldn’t be the truth.

Given the arrival of "guests," they had to offer something.

With the Holy City bowing, Bai Xiaochi’s investigation team’s southern task concluded powerlessly at the Holy City... seemingly after everyone’s greatest endeavor, the best conclusion.

They brushed against the truth.

But only a touch.

The true "killer" of Gu Shen didn’t shed a drop of blood.

...

...

With the investigation team’s task completed, Chu Ling’s life was nearing its end.

The few Black Flowers she brought from the divine temple had already burnt out their final source of power, unnoticed.

She knew her remaining time was minimal, perhaps not even lasting to the return to East Continent.

Thus she declined to board the investigation team’s Source Energy Boat back, opting to leave alone.

Little Iron Man was uneasy, requested accompaniment, but was refused.

Chu Ling was unable to explain to Shen Li her "life" was cyclical, short yet prolonged, and that this departure was to confront death, hence only rejection was possible. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

At this life’s end, she wished to "die" alone in the Ice Sea.

In a quiet, solitary deep night, Chu Ling arrived at the northern edge of the Ice Sea, lifting the hem of her ancient dusty dress, she stepped gradually into the sea.

She had once seen this sea from Gu Shen’s "vision."

There used to be an island here, but now it lay barren, owing to the approaching winter, the sea surface had a thin ice layer, rendering the view particularly desolate and melancholic.

Chu Ling saw nothing.

Thus began to leverage the power of fate.

Chu Ling released the hem, allowing the waves to engulf her knees, her fingertips began to fragment, forming countless glimmers, extending divination golden lines rolling towards the horizon; divination skills couldn’t divine the flame, thus she couldn’t identify Gu Shen’s position in fate... The last resort she considered was using this foolish method to search the sea.

Of course, there’s no result.

Chu Ling stood in icy waters, her body becoming illusory, transparent.

Fate’s golden lines attempted to penetrate the Ice Sea, yet the more they extended, the more insignificant they appeared.

This time, the lines didn’t connect the two.

Before Chu Ling’s demise, there was nothing to be seen.

The Goddess faded in the long night.

Golden lines sank into Silent Annihilation’s sea.

Meanwhile, far away in the Ice Sea.

A withered figure leaning against the rock wall seemed to awaken from slumber, barely stirring his brows, releasing a scant few bubbles.

"..."

Gu Shen opened his eyes.

For some reason, he suddenly couldn’t settle his mind, feeling an intensely sour and forlorn longing...

He wanted to open his eyes, yet upon doing so, he saw nothing.

Only darkness fell upon his gaze.

In the depths of the Ice Sea, no light existed, only eternal night.