Light Fortress

Chapter 1644 - 330: Death Speech

Gu Nanfeng had long known about the existence of "evil ghosts."

The Eastern Continent Fleet was able to escape from the Black Silver bombardment of the [Ice Sea Ruins] due to the aid of the evil ghosts—

However, there was no corresponding name in his mind.

With Gu Nanfeng’s identity and status, there was nothing in the East Continent that he did not know.

He had a thorough understanding of every Titled person in the East Continent.

If there were truly a "Transcendent" who could hide from the eyes of the Gu family and grow silently to such a degree, then it must have been orchestrated by the Divine Throne.

Either it was Mr. Bai Shu.

Or... it was the Netherworld King.

The West Continent Light Church could deduce the "answer," and so could he.

"..."

The evil ghost was silent for a few seconds. He did not answer Gu Nanfeng’s question but instead calmly countered, "Why do you think I’m helping you?"

"I already know about the matter of the [Ice Sea Ruins] and the assassination attempt on Wutuo."

Gu Nanfeng said, "You stopped me because you don’t want me to die."

"I stopped you not just because I don’t want you to die."

Gu Shen’s greatest headache was dealing with acquaintances.

Earlier at the banquet in Changye, he was almost seen through by Bai Lu. The Divine Concealing Cloak could help him hide his Authority Aura, but he couldn’t change his speaking habits and style overnight.

It was even more important to be cautious when talking to Gu Nanfeng.

The Gu Family Young Master had sharp insight, so he deliberately altered his tone and style of conversation.

Since he chose to wear the "Evil Spirit Mask," he had to completely change his appearance.

He stated emphatically, "If you want to rescue ’Meng Xizhou,’ you cannot attempt a jailbreak today. I stopped you simply because... I want this mission to succeed."

"So you are indeed from the East Continent."

Gu Nanfeng stared intently at the evil ghost’s face and whispered, "It’s impossible for me not to know you unless you are Mr. Bai Shu’s man."

Gu Shen remained silent.

"Or... you’re with the Netherworld King."

Gu Nanfeng spoke while staring into the eyes of the evil ghost opposite, hoping to glean some information from those pupils.

But he gained nothing.

The pupils of the evil ghost were deep and dark as the sea, seemingly carrying a hint of a smile.

He couldn’t fathom the true meaning of that smile...

The silence of the evil ghost, which seemed like mockery, did not reveal any hint of ridicule in the eyes of Gu Nanfeng.

"Alright, I can’t figure out who you are."

He shrugged, sighing lightly, "If Mr. Bai Shu really cultivated a [Titled] one, the style shouldn’t be this way, at least it should be more like Song Ci... As for the Netherworld King, while that’s the biggest possibility in my mind, I can’t believe his followers would dare step into Light City."

Gu Shen wanted to laugh but held it in.

Indeed.

Who would have thought that the Netherworld King himself would dare to come to Light City?

Had it not been for the help of the [Divine Concealing Cloak], even he couldn’t believe it... This was truly too absurd.

"Who I am is not important. You’ll know it in time."

Gu Shen restrained his smile and slowly spoke, "What matters now is... I can help you rescue Meng Xizhou."

...

...

In the depths of the Secret Dungeon, the dark shadows were illuminated by the light of the [lantern], as bright as daylight.

The Great Elder, who gave up on the Heart Cleansing Pool Trial, hurried to this place. Due to his haste, his robe, white as snow, was stained with the grime of the dungeon floor.

The Heavy Armor Guards stood guard at the end of the last cell in the Secret Dungeon.

Su Ye and Yao Jin, both silent, stood by the Great Elder’s side.

"Junior brother..."

The Great Elder stared blankly at the figure slumped on the ground.

Yuan Yang had committed suicide.

This news came suddenly, yet... it was the truth.

He destroyed his own Spirit Sea, thus severing his last hope of survival. This trace of death could not be fabricated.

No one knew why Yuan Yang did it, or what he thought of before his "death." This Second Elder of the temple died with the corners of his lips slightly upturned, seemingly still smiling.

It was as if he knew that it wouldn’t be long before the dungeon door would open.

And his remains would be preserved intact until he reunited with his senior brother.

The world assumes that the longer one lives, the more indifferent one becomes to "parting and farewell."

But it is not true.

The Great Elder had lived for many years, many years... In the temple, those who grew and aged with him were only Yuan Yang.

The longer you live, the lonelier you become.

Although Yuan Yang committed a grave error in the recent East Continent family incident, the Great Elder had no intention to deal with his junior brother. The first hidden line being pulled out was merely the loss of some inconsequential "pieces." Light City had too many pieces, no matter how important they seemed, they were eventually just pieces.

Yuan Yang was different from the pieces.

This was his junior brother.

There was only one junior brother.

The Great Elder silently looked at his junior brother’s body, his eyes were filled with sadness.

This body, which clearly "reborn," at this moment found it difficult even for the heart to beat. It was as if a bullet had hit the bottom of his heart, and an intense sensation of sourness surged, yet he could not shed a single tear.

Blood, tears, whatever.

Had long been exhausted.

The only thing left in this body was the lingering thought, ready to extinguish at any moment.

So he could only silently feel the sorrow in his heart, unable to squeeze out a single tear.

"Great Elder..."

Su Ye’s voice was hoarse, "When I arrived at the Secret Dungeon, the Second Elder was already..."

"Mm."

The Great Elder raised his hand, indicating that Su Ye need not speak further.

He had lived for a long time, seen too much, and what happened in this dungeon could be understood with just a glance.

The Great Elder slowly turned and looked at Yao Jin, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

"Smack."

A clear slap echoed in the depths of the dungeon.

Yao Jin’s cheek swelled up high; he and his wheelchair were knocked to the ground, losing two teeth. The Heavy Armor Guards stationed outside the final level of the dungeon shivered at the sound.

No one dared to assist.

Yao Jin indeed had the authority over the Secret Dungeon.

But that power... was bestowed by the temple.

After this slap.

It’s uncertain whether Yao Jin still holds the power to manage the Secret Dungeon.

"..."

Blood trickled down his chin, staining the white church robe. Yao Jin rejected Su Ye’s assistance, quietly righting the wheelchair by himself and struggled to sit back on it.

"Where is he?"

The Great Elder spoke softly, uttering just those two words.

Su Ye squinted, pondering the information contained within those words.

"...didn’t come." Yao Jin’s voice was hoarse.

There was not a hint of a smile left on his face.

During the time when the Secret Dungeon’s doors were wide open, the alley entrance remained calm, without any unusual occurrences.

He had set a trap, waiting for Gu Nanfeng’s arrival.

But...

Gu Nanfeng didn’t come.

Or perhaps Gu Nanfeng had already come, but was watching his joke at the alley entrance.

Yao Jin couldn’t imagine that after entering the Secret Dungeon, he would receive news of the Second Elder’s suicide, forcing the meticulously laid trap to be withdrawn prematurely. With all the temple’s elders present and the Great Elder himself coming in person, it was impossible for Gu Nanfeng to take a step into this alley.

Covered in blood, Yao Jin looked up at the Great Elder.

He still wanted to say something.

He didn’t want to argue, nor beg for mercy... he just wanted to speak his intentions out, avoiding misunderstandings from the Great Elder. Yet, when he saw those cold eyes, Yao Jin tightened his lips.

He knew that now, saying anything was meaningless.

The Great Elder waved his sleeve.

Su Ye immediately understood, and with a complex expression, he pushed the wheelchair, taking Yao Jin away from this last Secret Dungeon.

The place became silent, unprecedentedly silent.

...

...

The Great Elder opened the door to the second Secret Dungeon.

He gazed at the Goddess sitting desolately before the Black Silver stone wall, speaking softly, "So... what exactly happened?"

This Secret Dungeon now held only two people.

No one knew of the conversation happening at this moment.

Meng Xizhou turned her back to the Great Elder.

For the first time in six years, the prison door that held her captive had been opened, it was also her closest encounter with the outside world.

Meng Xizhou gently spoke two words.

"Suicide."

She didn’t turn around, for she didn’t want the Great Elder to see her face.

Locked within the Secret Dungeon for over two thousand days and nights, she hadn’t bowed to anyone, nor leaked even a bit of information about the Holy Book.

But after Yuan Yang’s soft sigh, her rock-solid heart wavered.

Meng Xizhou thought all of this was the temple’s plan.

Until this unforeseen change occurred.

And she wanted to stop it but was already too late.

"I know it’s suicide."

The Great Elder spoke hoarsely: "Why did he commit suicide?"

Meng Xizhou smiled, countering: "This question... don’t you already know?"

The Great Elder remained silent for a long time.

He understood that his junior’s nature was very stubborn; if he decided to do something, he wouldn’t turn back, even if he ran headlong into a wall, battered and bloody, he wouldn’t regret it.

If the junior one day committed suicide.

Then it was certainly a thought he had long ago.

Yuan Yang had determined long before his life’s end to end it through "suicide."

But something happened in this Black Silver Secret Dungeon.

This was what the Great Elder was curious about.

He walked into the cage imprisoning Yuan Yang, sat down, not minding the white robe being sullied with blood and dust, sat at the place where his junior once sat, he raised his head...

There was nothing here.

Empty and vast.

A piece of darkness.

Then the Great Elder looked at his junior, seeing the indented mark on his forehead.

The Great Elder silently extended two fingers, touching the indentation.

Yuan Yang’s Heart Sea had already collapsed.

But... at the forehead, there was still some broken spirit.

This was his last "Death Speech" left to the world, accurately, left for himself.

After touching that spirit, a familiar voice resonated from the collapsing Heart Sea.

"Master Brother, you’re here."

The Great Elder closed his trembling eyes.

This was a dark nightmare; amidst the spirit exchange, he once more saw his junior’s familiar face.

The last broken spirit left by Yuan Yang, carried with it a smile, as it recounted nostalgic words.

Many years of temple’s past.

Many years of preaching and traveling East.

For having lived too long, these bygone days had been buried deep within the Great Elder’s heart, not willing to recount them to outsiders, but Yuan Yang was the exception.

The witnesses of those years had long since died.

Now, his junior was no exception.

The Great Elder suddenly felt unprecedented fatigue; he seemed to understand why his junior chose this method to end his life.

The temple, and he himself.

Had already gone very far, so far that in turning back, the path from which they came was unclear.

Those who travelled with them had long been buried.

If it hadn’t been for Yuan Yang’s reminder, he might have forgotten what the temple looked like back in those days.

The last of the Death Speech.

Yuan Yang left a deeply heartfelt plea.

"Master Brother, I can go no further, nor can I continue hiding it... Forgive my selfishness, choosing to step ahead on the final road."

"Leaving this place, I only feel relief, release, and endless joy."

"However, there is still one regret left, I hope you will fulfill it."

"I hope you can release Little Meng from the Secret Dungeon, and abandon the [Holy Book]."