Chapter 968: Chapter 968

The bottom of the Nether River.

The "giant face of the god" hanging upside down slowly submerged into the waters of the Black River, and a strange smile overflowed from the vertical pupils of the traveler... At this moment, the two people being directly stared at felt a chill in their hearts, a powerful spiritual power enveloped them.

This was not a force that ordinary people could resist.

Mu Wanqiu spoke with a pale expression, extremely difficult.

In fact, when the traveler cast his gaze, her ability to speak was gradually being stripped away.

The Black River waters within a ten-mile radius had begun to freeze.

Her thoughts also started to stagnate.

But Gu Shen’s situation was somewhat better. After three times transcending realms, his spiritual power could still maintain the most basic operations... at least he was able to analyze the situation at hand.

The traveler had already broken through the portal to the [Old World].

This was a "predicament" that neither he nor Mu Wanqiu could solve, even with the addition of Osmond and the hundred transcendent beings restarting the mission... it was meaningless.

Only a god can fight a god.

But why... hasn’t the Empress descended yet?

Before his thoughts were completely frozen, Gu Shen squeezed out a strand of spirit and entered the Truth Ruler.

The flow of time began to slow down.

In the mottled space of light and shadow, the reflection of the towering suspended tree seemed to become more real, casting more shadows into the dark world. The devil still hid in the mist, unwilling to meet Gu Shen.

"I want to trade, let’s trade!"

This was the first time Gu Shen had been so proactive, descending directly and getting straight to the point!

According to a time flow ratio of ten to one.

He might only have a few dozen seconds... no one knew when the "traveler" outside would make a move, with that giant’s power, to crush him, it would be a matter of an instant!

A mocking chuckle echoed from the black mist.

"Now you know you want to trade?"

The devil slowly leaned forward, its body outline protruding from the mist.

Gu Shen squinted slightly. Although the situation was extremely tense, he still noticed some subtle changes; the devil’s throne seemed to have moved... the last time he met it, it didn’t seem to be here.

It’s just that the spirit space of the Truth Ruler was filled with large patches of mottled reflections, without any reference objects.

Also, moving the throne was no big deal.

This discovery was set aside by Gu Shen.

"You’re stronger than I imagined, capable of surpassing the unprecedented ’three times transcending realm’, crossing boundaries to kill the Blessed Son." The devil lightly tapped the long chair, and said with a leisurely smile, "Gu Shen, you truly are a genius, keep crossing realms."

Gu Shen was already mentally prepared.

The guy here in the Truth Ruler had been rejected by him multiple times.

This time as he asked for a trade, he was bound to be teased... as for the countdown of time constantly slipping away in the real world, it was clear this time the devil didn’t care.

"As you wish..." Gu Shen gritted his teeth and said, "I am actively seeking to trade with you now, just tell me, trade or no trade."

The devil had warned him before.

In the depths of the Nether River, there was something a thousand times more terrifying than Meng Xiao!

From this, it can be seen that it always knew, on the other side of the Nether River’s [Portal], is the Eighth Divine Seat—"Traveler"!

The devil was briefly silent for a second, resumed its tone, and asked, "What price are you willing to pay?"

Gu Shen took a deep breath and said, "I can give you control of this body, but only for ten minutes..."

The devil seemed to have heard the world’s greatest joke.

"What can be done in ten minutes?"

"You’re not thinking of killing him, are you? Are you mistaking me for Gu Changzhi in his prime?!"

It forcefully slapped the long chair and then stretched out its slender fingers, pointing through the black mist of the Truth Ruler at the "traveler’s" forehead, and jeered, "Do you see that? It’s a genuine fragment of the ’Gospel Box’! Although six hundred years ago when it separated from the Gospel Box, this fragment was left in the Old World and didn’t go through an orderly essence baptism, it can’t be considered a mature ’Spark’... but at least this guy has refined the Power of Fire, even a casual punch from him can directly topple a mountain a thousand meters high."

It sighed and shook its head, "If you only give me ten minutes, the only thing I can do is dig you a beautiful and exquisite coffin at the bottom of the Nether River before he kills me!"

"Then what do you want?"

He suddenly felt that this trade might not be as simple as he imagined.

The devil stared at him, that face in the black mist seemed to show a hint of a smile.

In the stalemate, the spirit space of the Truth Ruler fell silent, while in the real world, time was slipping away little by little.

"Haven’t you realized yet?"

The devil sat on the throne, its voice light and full of sentiment, like a hunter who finally saw the moment to strike, looking at the prey caught in its trap, "I... want nothing."

What... nothing at all?

This statement has two meanings. The first layer is the Devil offering help without charge.

And at this moment, it is clearly the second...

It refuses to bargain.

"Ten minutes, a hundred minutes... it makes no difference to me," the Devil spoke calmly. "You’re not a worthy host. I want to see... you die in the Nether River, die here."

Gu Shen’s mind roared with a sudden realization, an epiphany.

"From the moment of the Black Silver Seal, we actually had no room for negotiation," the black shadow on the throne spoke softly. "Someone like you would never trade with the ’Devil,’ would you? But others are willing. There are plenty of others in this world."

Others... Gu Shen knew that beside him, there was a suitable candidate for the Devil.

Also an S-level, equally talented, Mu Wanqiu had previously succumbed to the allure of the Dream of the Nether River... Her spiritual power was indeed strong, but if she truly contacted the Truth Ruler, she would most likely fall under the Devil’s temptation.

Gu Shen lowered his eyes and smiled slightly, "So, no matter what terms I propose, you will refuse, huh."

From the very start, he had walked into a tightening trap.

The trades the Devil offered were all insignificant.

What it valued was not the small favors it bestowed...

It wanted to overturn the board.

As long as one came to the Nether River, stepped through the portal, and touched the Divine Statue, they would inevitably arrive at this point. At that time, as long as one had the thought of "trading" and desired to strike a deal at a crucial moment, they would fall into the abyss of death.

The Devil’s face was expressionless, without feelings of pity, kindness, or sympathy, and at this moment, there was no other spiritual fluctuation, but its words carried a steady composure of control over the situation: "I refuse this transaction. In the Truth Ruler, you can enjoy the final ’countdown’ of life, but everything will end. You, like that foolish ’Netherworld King’... will be broken into countless fragments adrift in the void, leaving only that indestructible spiritual legacy, which I will carefully preserve for you. After today, all that is yours will be mine."

The last sentence carried a lot of weight.

But Gu Shen had no time to concern himself with it.

He stood within the light and shadow of the Truth Ruler, silently watching the arrogant black shadow seated on the throne.

"From today onward, there will be no negotiations between us."

Gu Shen spoke calmly.

The Devil merely smiled, watching the young man before him with a gaze reserved for the deceased.

"I will spare no cost to expel you from the Ruler. I will imprison you in eternal darkness, subject you to the sufferings of Hell, the pains of Soul Refining, preventing your escape in any lifetime."

This ethereal vow hovered above the Truth Ruler.

The Devil raised its eyebrows, asking, "What’s this, some kind of last will?"

Gu Shen did not answer.

The outside world had become infinitely dark.

The black clouds on the dome shattered and slowly collapsed... because the traveler had raised its hand, its massive hand stirring the already dim Nether River world into even greater darkness.

This "slow" descent of the hand...

Due to exertion, the edges of its palm even ignited with fierce light fires, casting a muted golden glow upon the shattered black clouds all around.

Without a doubt... with the strike of this palm, all living beings within a mile radius would be crushed into powder.

Gu Shen closed his eyes.

He did not want to resign to fate; in the final moment of his life, he no longer placed hope on anyone, but instead concentrated to once again summon the "Pure Land"... Perhaps the Land of Divine Miracles left by the Netherworld King could allow him to escape disaster.

The sound of intense friction shattered the clouds above, like a thunder shock.

Gu Shen felt a familiar spiritual wave between his eyebrows.

He abandoned the thought of summoning the "Pure Land."

An unprecedented explosion erupted above the Nether River. Following the reassuring spiritual sense in his heart, Gu Shen suddenly lifted his head, widening his eyes. He watched as the traveler’s immense palm, carrying a gale and raging waves hundreds of meters long, smashed down, rapidly enlarging until a second later it was upon his face!

Gu Shen endured the impact that seemed to break his spine; at this moment, he could even see the grooves and crevices in the palm, as if he and Mu Wanqiu were embedded like gravel within them.

The traveler’s palm halted ten meters above Gu Shen. For more chapters visit NoveI~Fire.net

The gale pressed down, flipping the Nether River, leaving a massive handprint.

A woman’s silhouette, wearing an emperor’s robe from the North Continent, shrouded in wind and snow, extended a slender snow-white hand, casually blocking a strike from the traveler.

She held the traveler’s palm.

A slightly apologetic voice slowly echoed over the Nether River like a grand bell.

"Sorry... I am a bit late."

Her Majesty the Empress paused slightly.

She turned to look at Gu Shen and spoke again.

"However, I promised... if you faced an inevitable demise, I would appear."