Chapter 1 The Empty Room

In the empty room, Gu Shen's fingers caressed the cross pendant.

Although he had the [Blessing of the Goddess of Fate], it didn't mean he was absolutely safe...

Judging from what happened to Hong Zhong, this pendant mostly provided "hints," and at certain moments, it would help the host make "forced" actions.

From the moment Hong Zhong stepped into the "Golden Wheat Flower Dreamscape."

Physical death was already unavoidable.

For Gu Shen, this pendant was an important object for facing the "ominous" and the backlash of the "Ruler of Truth" in the future... Only a god can fight a god, and similarly, only a divine sealed artifact can contend with a divine sealed artifact.

This protective sealed artifact should be able to counteract the backlash of the Ruler of Truth, right?

After thinking for a moment.

Gu Shen circulated his breathing technique to calm his emotions.

A knock came from the door.

Gu Shen withdrew the deployed Blazing Fire and got up to open the door. It was his comrades from the Explorer Team. The Battle of Storm Resistance at Guburg Fortress was won, and the mental toxins were also resolved... The isolation zone naturally lost its meaning.

The members of the Explorer Team rested briefly and were surprised to learn of these major news.

The first thing they did was to visit Gu Shen.

"Good lad."

Mo Hongyi was the first to enter, grinning broadly, "That guy was right, you really are a hero of Dongzhou... Thanks to you, our team was able to return safely from the maze."

Gu Shen smiled.

On the way back, after seeking everyone's opinion... he used hypnosis on all the members.

After the escape.

Gu Shen erased the memories after the hypnosis...

Yuan Yuan and the others had blank minds, and must be very curious about the details of the return trip. However, after reading the files, they would definitely think that the safe return was due to touching the [Door].

As for how to find the [Door], that was Gu Shen's privacy.

"Don't scare him." Yuan Yuan slapped Mo Hongyi's big hand off Gu Shen's shoulder and said seriously, "We've read the returning files... Thank you this time."

After speaking.

More than a dozen men bowed in unison.

Such a sudden move... Gu Shen was almost startled.

"I heard this is the etiquette of Dongzhou." Su He glanced at Zhang Ning, who was from Dongzhou. The latter smiled awkwardly, scratching his head and adding softly, "Brother Gu is from Jiangnan. The tundra side says Jiangnan is like this."

Gu Shen was speechless.

Jiangbei is bold, and Jiangnan is elegant. The customs of the two places are indeed very different.

Su He interrupted Zhang Ning and said lightly, "It doesn't matter. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We Beizhou people don't pay so much attention to formality when expressing gratitude."

"Clang..."

He raised his hand and shook half a bottle of vodka in his palm.

The crisp sound of ice colliding with the bottle.

Gu Shen vaguely saw... a truck parked outside, with the trunk full of wine.

"Come on, unload the goods!"

……

……

Two hours later.

The strong men of Beizhou were a little dizzy.

They looked at the young man from Dongzhou in disbelief.

Gu Shen was surrounded by a mountain of wine, full of energy.

He had already defeated a round of opponents.

Now there were only three or four people left in the final circle.

"Damn it..."

Mo Hongyi rubbed his head hard, a little skeptical of life, "Vice-Captain, are all Dongzhou people such heavy drinkers?!"

Su He, the best drinker, remained silent, glancing at Zhang Ning beside him, who was snoring drunk.

The other Dongzhou person had already fallen.

"Gu, did you cheat with your 'ability'?" Mo Hongyi didn't believe it and rolled up his sleeves, "Damn it, I'll fight you to the end today!"

Gu Shen smiled helplessly.

He didn't use "Blazing Fire."

Alcohol... can numb the minds of normal people.

But if a transcendent uses the "breathing technique," it can be broken down.

The special brew of the Beizhou military seemed to have strange power that could make even transcendents drunk, but it was much worse than Lion's Wake, not to mention making him drunk.

To Gu Shen, it was probably a beverage with a bit more flavor than water.

All the wines in the world are like this.

For a "special existence" like himself, fused with the Hades Fire Seed, there seemed to be nothing in this world that could numb him... Perhaps this was a lucky thing. Heaven had deprived him of the opportunity to live a drunken life, giving him an eternally sober soul.

Perhaps, this was also a small regret.

No matter how much he drank, he would only be slightly tipsy.

Gu Shen would never be able to experience being "dead drunk," let alone "unconscious."

Another hour passed.

Mo Hongyi wailed, his head splitting, "Captain... I can't hold on anymore, ugh..."

Su He calmly extended a hand and blocked the guy's mouth.

And used his "ability" to expand his domain, and in the next moment threw Mo Hongyi out of the house... Someone who had previously made harsh words about fighting to the end was lying at the door, throwing up wildly, and then completely disappeared.

In the end, the two captain-level figures were left drinking.

Sure enough...

In Beizhou, strength and drinking capacity were also vaguely related.

Yuan Yuan didn't drink quickly, but he was stable, one cup after another, without waves or fluctuations. After advancing to a fourth-order transcendent, this guy's "domain" had already formed, and his breathing technique had long been engraved in his bones.

No need to actively circulate it.

With every breath, his spiritual power naturally alleviated the negative reactions of his body.

This guy... had a bit of a cheating vibe.

On the other side, Su He, who was only one step away from "fourth-order," had a breathing technique that was similar to the captain's.

Drinking like drinking water.

Drinking like this... it would be difficult to determine the winner.

Gu Shen thought seriously for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Gentlemen... I have some good things here, a special batch of mass-produced wine from Dongzhou..."

Su He shook his head upon hearing this, and quickly said, "Dongzhou wine? I've had it, it tastes like water."

Yuan Yuan smiled and said, "Brother Gu, with all due respect, other things aside, your wine is really not as good as Beizhou's..."

Indeed.

When it came to drinking, the people of Beizhou had the right to despise all other continents.

However, this time, the "Lion's Wake" that Gu Shen brought was not that simple.

Seeing these two people react like this, Gu Shen couldn't help but smile.

He warmly invited, "Why don't... you two give it a try?"

……

……

Lin Lin frowned when he pushed open the door.

Gu Shen's attic was not locked.

A strong smell of alcohol hit him.

Internal military discipline in Guburg was strict... The only people who could drink in the fortress at this time were the people of the "Investigation Corps."

Sure enough, upon entering the room, he saw wine bottles all over the floor, and the bodies of the members of the Maze Mission Explorer Team were scattered and unconscious. These usually excellent drinkers were all knocked down. The scene was truly spectacular, because even Yuan Yuan and Su He of the Second Elite Team were drunk out of their minds!

These were "peak third-order" and "fourth-order" powerhouses!

They should be immune to alcohol!

Seeing this scene, Lin Lin's originally tense and serious expression became subtle.

Because there was still one person awake in the room.

And not just awake.

Gu Shen was sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating. After ending the battle at the drinking table, he began to cultivate, constantly using his spiritual power to summon Blazing Fire and strike the golden band.

At this moment, Gu Shen slowly opened his eyes.

His voice was incredibly calm, "You're finally here."

"These guys are all drunk. They didn't bring you along when they were drinking?" Lin Lin found it a little unbelievable.

"Is there a possibility... that I drank them all under the table?" Gu Shen gave an even more unbelievable answer.

"Impossible." Lin Lin frowned, "How could a fourth-order powerhouse be drunk?"

"Do you want some too?" Gu Shen smiled and took out a black bottle, "Have you been under a lot of pressure lately?"

“……”

Lin Lin was silent.

In fact, when he walked into the room, he probably guessed the truth, but he really didn't want to believe it.

What kind of demonic path is this kid walking?

To be able to knock down Yuan Yuan and Su He, that black bottle must be filled with poison, right?

"No need." Lin Lin cut straight to the point, "I'm here to deliver the 'invitation.'"

The conferral ceremony in Central City would arrive at Guburg before long.

However, this speed was still faster than Gu Shen expected.

Gu Shen took the invitation calmly.

Now he was no longer the naive teenager in Dongzhou who would be overjoyed to receive an invitation to a dance. He knew that this invitation from the Empress was just an ordinary piece of paper. The moment it was written, it meant that the invitation to the "conferral" had already been sent.

As long as he went.

He would be presented with a crown and flowers.

"Also, one more thing..."

Lin Lin paused after sending the invitation.

Before he could speak.

Gu Shen said with a smile, "You also want to advise me not to go?"

Lin Lin was stunned.

"Zhong Yuan has already told me that a big shot surnamed Meng doesn't like me. Going to Central City will inevitably lead to a lot of trouble." Gu Shen said indifferently, "But I don't want to deliberately avoid anyone."

"A big shot surnamed Meng?" Lin Lin frowned slightly.

Obviously, he didn't know about this.

This reaction was somewhat beyond Gu Shen's expectations. Lin Lin didn't seem to be trying to persuade him to turn back.

"I was going to say, why don't you come with me? It would be good to have someone to look after you when you get to Central City."

Lin Lin lit a cigarette and said softly, "I don't have any impression of a big shot surnamed Meng... This should be your first time in Beizhou, right? How could you offend a so-called big shot?"

Gu Shen smiled wryly.

He shrugged his shoulders. He was also kept in the dark about this matter.

"Okay..." Lin Lin turned his head and gently exhaled a long stream of smoke, "Zhong Yuan works in the Investigation Corps. They have good intelligence. They know about any disturbances in the inland earlier than the fortress. It's possible that this intelligence is true, but regardless of whether his warning is just a rumor... as long as you leave with me, you'll be absolutely safe on the way to Central City."

"So arrogant?" Gu Shen啧啧 praised, "Is Central City run by your family?"

Lin Lin smiled and didn't say anything, just extended the invitation again, "So... will you leave with me?"

Gu Shen sensibly hugged his thigh, "Of course."

……

……

The surname Lin was very special.

When Gu Shen asked that question, he was in a daze for a second.

Because the owner of Central City really had the surname Lin.

A very clichéd idea popped into his mind, but he quickly rejected it... That Empress was the youngest of the Gods, and even if she secretly gave birth to a child, they would now be at most just babbling. They probably hadn't lived as long as Lin Lin had been stationed in Guburg.

The Lin family was too huge.

The truly powerful "royal family" lived in Central City.

For example, Duke of Casting Snow Lin Chou, and Duke of Forging Yang Lin Yu. These were all members of the royal family with close blood relations to the Empress... And Lin Lin, this young Brigadier General stationed in the forefront, the most dangerous fortress, didn't seem to be an important figure related to the Empress.

However, his relationship with Casting Snow seemed extraordinary. Was it possible that he was a junior that Lin Chou favored?

Gu Shen guessed and guessed, but he couldn't guess the real reason why this guy's tone was so arrogant... In the end, he could only attribute it to Tiangou's urging.

Lin Lin had made great contributions in the Guburg Fortress, and this time he was going back to Central City to receive a reward.

No one dared to touch him.

The following days were very simple. Lin Lin stayed in the fortress for three days, and Gu Shen cultivated and waited.

After the Investigation Corps guys got drunk, they heard about the "conferral" from Central City, and grinned, overjoyed.

Especially after hearing that the "First Class Medal" might be awarded, these rough men slapped each other to confirm that they were really awake and not dreaming... The First Class Medal was the honor that every transcendent in the Investigation Corps dreamed of.

They didn't stay, and left Guburg as soon as possible, and enthusiastically invited Gu Shen to go with the Corps airship.

Gu Shen politely declined their kindness.

On the one hand, it was because he faintly felt that the "Meng big shot" whom Zhong Yuan mentioned who didn't like him was real. Perhaps because he was wearing the pendant, Gu Shen had already felt the "guidance." Riding on Yuan Yuan's airship might cause unnecessary trouble.

On the other hand, the Investigation Corps airship was not as safe as Lin Lin's.

This guy, apart from his bluffing surname, also had extremely strong strength and a very strong military background.

Three days later.

It was the day Lin Lin left Guburg.

Gu Shen came to the airship and found that many things had been packed on the airship... This surprised Gu Shen a little. He thought that Lin Lin stayed in Guburg for these three days to stabilize the morale after the disaster and ensure the normal operation of Guburg.

But from the scene of packing a bunch of luggage at this moment, and Zou Hai's reluctant expression, was he going to leave and never return?

Gu Shen poked the tall man, "Deputy Commander Zou, what's the situation?"

"What's the situation?"

As soon as Gu Shen opened his mouth, Lin Lin walked over from behind.

After seeing the pile of luggage packed, his expression suddenly turned ugly, and he asked in a gloomy voice, "Zou, who told you to pack your luggage?"

"Sir... I've heard everything..." Zou Hai said aggrieved, "Duke of Casting Snow..."

"Stop right there, don't mention him."

Lin Lin waved his hand irritably and said, "I don't like these things. Take them all back. I'm just going to Central City to see the scenery. Don't make it seem like we're saying goodbye forever! Be careful, I'll beat you up when I come back in a few days!"