Light Fortress-Chapter 1536 - 228: The Devil Reveals Himself

"What... is this?!"

In an instant, a malevolent wind swept across the ground, and an overwhelming pressure enveloped the area.

Tie Wu’s face turned pale as he clenched his long pickaxe.

All the Pure Land Souls raised their heads, only to see the sky shrouded in darkness, with thick clouds gathering, banishing the light.

At the same time, the figure seated beneath the swaying tree opened its eyes.

"The... one thousand seven hundred and ninety-fourth day."

To stand after breaking, to be reborn through death.

The bottleneck of the ninth layer of the deep water area finally broke through.

The birth of the Life Fire domain indicated a successful breakthrough to the fourth tier,

Gu Shen took less than a second to digest the overlapping memories from the depths of the Ice Sea, dividing his spirit into three: Ancient Text Comprehension of the Longevity Technique stele, the cultivation of the Life Fire domain, and the meditation in the Pure Land World, all converging into one. His eyes instantly became clear and sharp.

He stood up, and immediately heard Tie Wu’s shout by his ear.

"Lord Divine!"

Tie Wu pointed towards the Skytop.

A shadow loomed over the swaying tree, with thousands of dark threads cascading down like a waterfall, as if they were trying to drag this Pure Land World into another realm.

Gu Shen’s expression did not change.

He merely gazed calmly at the darkness descending upon the Pure Land and softly said, "It finally arrived, huh."

In the real world.

Gu Shen, submerged in the depths of the Ice Sea, had a withered body, resembling rotten wood—a body on the brink of death. But after the perfect condensation of the "Life Fire" domain, his skin regained its luster, and even the flow of his blood began to resonate with a low thunderous sound, a sign of the Divine Miracle of rebirth.

But at that moment, countless dark shadows gushed from Gu Shen’s seven orifices, like ink, enveloping this resurrected body along with the Life Fire!

These dark shadows were the "ominous fate" that had entwined around Gu Shen for a long time!

Transcendents themselves were entities that went against the order of nature. The stronger they became, the greater the invisible disruption they caused to order... And fate is fair; the more one gains, the greater the burden they bear.

In the past six hundred years, countless powerful Transcendents have emerged, and none have escaped the binds of this rule of fate.

The ominous fate is the price that many Transcendents have no choice but to bear!

Every time Gu Shen used the [Truth Ruler], he bore an invisible layer of "ominous fate," the cost of transgressing and breaking the rules!

He knew that the accumulation of these "ominous fates" didn’t instantly erupt, not because he was special and could escape disaster.

But because these "ominous fates" were waiting...

Waiting for a truly fatal opportunity!

He also knew that the Devil from the very beginning was not planning on "peaceful coexistence" when making a deal with him.

One called "Devil" must have a heart of a viper and could not accept coexistence.

The end result is only one: either you die, or I perish!

As the true holder of the [Truth Ruler], the fellow sitting on the Dark Throne, compromised and retreated all these years, likely waiting for this moment.

His flesh, after enduring ordeals, was reborn in nirvana.

Although his Heart Lake expanded, his spirit was long trapped in dust.

This seemed the strongest moment for him, but it was actually his most vulnerable time.

The ominous fate accumulated over nearly ten years erupted at this time—

The darkness above the Pure Land, like clouds, swept and spread. A dark figure sitting atop a throne slowly condensed above the Skytop, looking down as Gu Shen looked up.

"Gu Shen, we meet again."

This time, it was the Devil who took the initiative to speak.

His indistinct face and body in the darkness gradually became clearer.

The soul spirits on the ground, looking at this scene, appeared confused.

Although the shadow on the Skytop had no features, its body shape was exactly like Gu Shen... This was clearly a second Lord Divine!

Gu Shen chuckled and said, "You are indeed patient. Aren’t you afraid I might really die beneath the Ice Sea?"

"To achieve greatness, one must take risks."

The Devil chuckled lightly, "Though the deadlock of the Ice Sea is hard to break, I believe you can break through and be reborn."

"Is that so? It seems you gambled right. I broke through this deadlock."

Gu Shen’s expression remained unchanged as he observed the countless shadows engulfing his Pure Land, "No wonder the scenes in the Ruler Space are identical to the Pure Land. You had already prepared to seize both my body and spirit... Do you intend to kill me and then claim the Pure Land for yourself?"

"How could I bear to kill you, It’s just a matter of ’replacing’."

The Devil smiled and said, "Your vessel is indeed perfect, even the previous Netherworld King at the same level wouldn’t have been your match. If you give up resistance now, I can spare these souls, even leaving a glimmer of hope for you, allowing your soul to retain a trace of Divine Thought within this Pure Land."

With these words.

Many soul spirits in the Pure Land turned pale.

Li Qingci clenched his fists, and Tie Wu almost couldn’t hold onto his long pickaxe."

"What if I say no?" Gu Shen also smiled.

"I will pierce your Heart Lake and shatter your soul. As for these souls... I will make them vanish forever, completely annihilate them," the Devil whispered, "Even if everything in the Pure Land is destroyed, it doesn’t matter. Rebuilding this Divine Domain would just take some more time."

"I see."

Gu Shen said, "So you’ve been waiting all these years for today?"

The Devil nodded, "This is the day I’ve been waiting for."

At this very moment, in the real world, Gu Shen’s physical body was shrouded in ominousness, and his spirit had been dormant for years, sinking to the bottom!

"Good, this is the answer I’ve been waiting for."

Gu Shen took a deep breath, and in the depths of his eyes, gradually enveloped by death, there still existed a glimmer of fire: "You’ll soon regret it, regret not striking when I was in Silent Annihilation!"

Five years sitting in silence deep in the Ice Sea.

Gu Shen’s hair had grown down to his waist, blowing wildly in the fierce wind.

As his words fell, his spirit projection in the Pure Land World suddenly became illusory.

This was due to the ominous attack in the real world, his body being revitalized under the nourishment of the "Fire of Life," yet quickly decaying under the torment of ominous disaster. The rapid switching between these states of life and death directly suppressed his spirit, making the Pure Land’s phantom ethereal, indicating that he was about to lose control over the Pure Land!

Seconds later, Gu Shen’s consciousness projection in the Pure Land directly vanished!

The Pure Land momentarily... lost its master!

"Heh."

Seeing this scene, the Devil couldn’t help but sneer.

He sat upright and pressed his hands down.

Rumbling! The Dark Throne began to sink slowly!

Countless darkness poured down like a torrential deluge.

The Devil, using the power of the [Truth Ruler], pierced through the barriers of two Spiritual World walls, officially launching his attack!

The shadow of darkness within [Truth] shattered the white and pure sky of the Pure Land, beginning a grand invasion.

Thunderous booms echoed—

The low-level Soul Spirits of the Pure Land were directly pressed to the ground by this immense pressure.

The world consciousness of the Suxuan Tree began to awaken; it made an instinctive counterattack, countless branches twining with weak glows, turning into swords and stabbing at the dark iron dome, yet these glows already dim, extinguished completely after piercing the Heavenly Curtain.

"If you must choose a master, why not submit to me?"

The Devil, sitting on the Dark Throne, coldly observed this towering giant tree, "This Pure Land is about to change; if you do not comply, I will uproot you and burn you to ashes, to replant anew!"

The giant tree, with billions of leaves and branches, all resonated with an ear-piercing sword hum in response!

Refusing!

"Kill!"

At that moment, from among the many souls suppressed by darkness, erupted a hoarse shout, repressed to the extreme!

As the Suxuan Tree sat in the Pure Land, when Gu Shen disappeared, it was considered the true "master" of the Pure Land World. At this moment, it released the spiritual world’s binding on its subordinate souls...

The first to awaken was Tie Wu.

Or rather... [Angel Envoy] Tie Wu.

Countless slender branches slashed at the dark sky; a fragment of a shattered iron leaf fell before Tie Wu, who stared blankly at the iron leaf before him, silently grasping it.

This was the world will’s gift, and also Gu Shen’s arrangement before his consciousness dissipated.

Allowing Tie Wu to reclaim the power that rightfully belonged to him.

In the next moment.

A sound like a million swords rang out across the wilderness, thousands of falling iron leaves quivered and reorganized under the command of the [Iron Throne].

Buzzing—

The hair-raising sound of formation, vibrating and clanging hundreds of meters above the Pure Land!

Light and darkness fiercely clashed, while the iron leaves of the Suxuan Tree manipulated by Tie Wu became the last barrier to shield and protect the thin brightness of the Pure Land!

Tie Wu roared and stood up.

He raised his arms, as if shouldering a cauldron, but truly achieved this Divine Miracle.

By his strength alone, he bore the pressure looming over the heads of the Pure Land’s souls!

"Tie Wu... you also defy?"

The Devil’s voice was somber, "I originally thought of leaving you a trace of Soul Thought!"

Layer upon layer, densely packed iron leaves spread like a peacock’s tail, opening a canopy in the crackling sound, the [Iron Throne] gradually breaking apart, but the rising Tie Wu’s face bore a defiant smile.

"...Screw you!"

He looked toward the Skytop’s Dark Throne, sneering two words.

"Come on!"

Due to the opening of the [Iron Throne], the entire Pure Land received a brief respite, the falling leaves of the Suxuan Tree landing on every soul’s forehead.

The world will’s gift descended upon these souls who had lost consciousness, bestowing the accumulated Extraordinary Essence of these years.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

These souls, lying prostrate on the ground, struggled to stand.

[Truth] transformed into a dark waterfall cascading down.

While the Pure Land souls transformed into fireflies, surging upward, it was not a contest of equal mass; upon contact, the fireflies were instantly shattered and destroyed.

The Pure Land world will granted them rebirth.

Thus, in the next moment, the revived fireflies surged once more, though weaker than before.

Darkness descends, light shatters.