"The one who truly lost... is you."

Gu Shen’s voice echoed by the shores of Red Lake.

Besides this voice.

Everyone also heard the sound of Bright Armor shattering.

The massive body, like a mountain, began to collapse, inch by inch. Jia Wei leaned on his long spear and slowly stood up. The Bright Armor on his body shattered into pieces, falling to the ground with a crackling sound.

No one expected.

That under such heavy armor was a thin, frail body.

"... ..."

Gu Shen looked at the man before him and fell into silence.

His expression was somewhat complex because he didn’t expect that, after being submerged in the Ice Sea for six years, not eating... Jia Wei’s figure would be even thinner than his!

After the Bright Armor fell away.

Jia Wei revealed his true appearance.

Carrying countless honors and divine decrees, many were curious about the face beneath that armor.

Holy, sacred, dignified?

None of these.

Jia Wei’s face was scorched black, his skin covered in scarred bloodstains, only his eyes remained intact. Even after the brutal battle, his gaze was still imposing and sharp.

Normally, the helmet of Bright Armor only revealed this narrow slit.

Gu Shen knew how these wounds came to be.

These were left in the war against the Netherworld King.

Gu Shen had seen similar injuries before in the Netherworld Palace.

Back when attacking the Nether River, those Holy Judges were all refined into puppets by the former Netherworld King, but Jia Wei was a lucky one. He narrowly escaped from the Nether River and the Netherworld Palace, but could not escape the fate of being poisoned by disaster.

In the sight of "Achilles’ Heel," the originally flawless person now had countless flaws.

"Bright Armor" was not just protective equipment.

It was also the vessel that condensed radiance.

Without the "Bright Armor," Jia Wei’s strength decreased significantly; the radiance that settled on him dimmed considerably...

Perhaps it was because the "light" sensed his true aura at this moment.

It was a soul tainted by darkness, corrupted by the abomination.

In a sense, Jia Wei, having snatched his life back from the Netherworld King’s grasp, was not very different from those completely transformed Dead Souls.

He had always worn "Bright Armor," not out of shame for his frail body.

But due to his faith in the light, which prevented him from confronting his worshipped Divine Throne with this tainted true visage.

He dared not imagine how Lord Divine would perceive him.

Over the years, he frequently recalled that woeful, brutal battle, thinking countless times that if he had died on that battlefield, it would have been better.

If that had happened...

He would have fought for faith, persisting until the last moment.

But to survive like this, does it count as betrayal?

The real torment often comes from the spirit, the Light God’s Seat granting him Bright Armor was an acknowledgment.

Yet, the impurities left by the former Netherworld King were the most venomous maneuvers.

Jia Wei couldn’t control his spirit, the higher he stood, the more worried he became about his true face being exposed under the armor, more fearful that his true, non-"light orthodox" self would be seen by followers. Yet today... everything he feared happened.

Bright Armor shattered.

He lost the duel at Red Lake.

That hideous, repulsive face appeared before every Holy Judge.

Jia Wei took a deep breath.

"It’s not... over yet..."

Jia Wei clutched the Light Breaking Spear, using his giant shield to support his body, aiming the spearhead at Gu Shen, loudly declaring, "Today’s battle is a fight to the death!"

Bright Armor was shattered, but his body remained, his will was intact!

"... Alright!"

Gu Shen flicked his wrist, extinguishing the "Extinguishing Candle." He no longer needed this weapon, facing Jia Wei who had lost the blessing of Bright Armor, he wasn’t careless.

This body was fragile, but it managed to withstand the corrosion of the Netherworld King and survive to this day.

Within this body, there still resided a powerful soul.

Jia Wei’s encounter six years ago nearly annihilated Gu Shen, but also heralded a rebirth for him. He imagined numerous times in his mind the scene of battling fiercely in Light City.

Jia Wei is a formidable opponent!

Even though Gu Shen had successfully achieved a breakthrough, mastering two Great Achievement Domains, he still wasn’t confident of a guaranteed victory.

So for this duel, Gu Shen exhausted all his power.

He utilized every means at his disposal besides authority, even performing the reckless act of "fusion of birth and destruction."

If Jia Wei hadn’t pierced himself with the Light Breaking Spear.

This battle might have experienced further twists and turns.

But... no ifs.

Even if Jia Wei hadn’t spoken, Gu Shen wouldn’t have ceased the battle, just as he stated, this battle was a fight to the death!

Gu Shen came to kill Jia Wei!

The greatest respect for a foe is to slay him, ensuring his soul disperses, his essence vaporizes.

Similarly... he was fully aware, if he were to be defeated, Jia Wei would show no mercy, the Light Breaking Spear would once again pierce his chest, shatter his heart!

Buzz buzz buzz!

Iron scales flew across the sky, transforming into a battle blade.

Gu Shen wielded the battle blade, without any flourish, struck directly against the "Kite Return Shield," Chi Huo and Pure Land two domains descended simultaneously, Jia Wei’s barely risen body was once again cleaved into the muddy shores of the lake, and before he could rise, Gu Shen, using spiritual power, manipulated the "Iron Throne" to transform, using iron scales to seize the Light Breaking Spear, pulling the other up, then delivering a heavy whip kick to knock down the frail man before him again.

Then came the torrential assault.

Boom boom boom!

[Shield of Western Continent] and [Barrier] were pinned down by the lakeside, unable to fight back!

The scene before him had little spectacle, as a massive amount of starry iron scraps fluttered at the Red Lake’s shore.

Jia Wei’s spear and shield had lost their function.

The lake water at the shore of Red Lake was dyed red by his blood.

Ultimately, he was struck far away... yet ironically, due to losing the [Bright Armor], the Red Lake water no longer recognized his identity, and the water refused to support his body. The layer of starlight on his body’s surface shattered, and as Jia Wei attempted to stand, he suddenly fell into the lake water, as if he was stepping on thin ice.

Gu Shen stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of his lips.

He picked up the iron blade again, preparing to approach Red Lake and end the life of the Great Knight.

"Enough!"

A deep, roaring voice sounded right at that moment.

Gu Shen turned to look.

He saw a middle-aged figure, about forty years old, clad in a special snow-white robe of a Temple Elder, arriving at the shore of Red Lake...

Gu Shen knew who this was, the third elder of the temple, Batu.

The Great Elder was still deep within Red Lake, and Su Ye had already been drawn out from the temple... today, at the shore of Red Lake, the last high authority in Light City was the third elder, Batu.

Evidently, seeing the defeat settled, he came out to mediate.

"..."

Gu Shen’s gaze was indifferent; he merely glanced at Batu before retracting his gaze, continuing his path towards Red Lake.

"Mr. Xiao Gu, I know everyone called you that six years ago—"

Batu took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his chest, and spoke slowly: "You’ve already won this battle against Lord Jia Wei and shattered the [Bright Armor], isn’t that enough? Mr. Xiao Gu... perhaps you’re still young and don’t understand certain principles. This is Light City, and where possible, mercy should be extended."

"Hah! Nonsense!"

A furious voice erupted from the lakeside, interrupting Batu’s counsel.

"???"

Batu frowned and looked over.

"If Mr. Xiao Gu had lost, would you have come out to say these words? Would you have stopped Jia Wei from attacking?"

The speaker was Zhong Fan.

He stared at the third elder in front of him, mercilessly mocking: "Back when Jia Wei wanted to kill Mr. Xiao Gu, using the sinking of Sangzhou Cave as a cover, hiding it from the world for six years, now Mr. Xiao Gu wants revenge, what’s wrong with that? If you truly have the idea to ’show mercy where possible,’ why didn’t you step forward earlier? Are all Temple Elders such hypocritical people?"

Batu was briefly at a loss for words.

He could only stare angrily at the current leader of the Gu Family Envoy.

Iron-handed Luo Yu spoke emotionlessly.

"Debt repaid with money, murder repaid with life."

These eight words caused the temperature at the shore of Red Lake to drop several degrees suddenly.

What truly solidified the atmosphere... was Luo Yu’s second half of the sentence.

Luo Yu extended his iron hand and pointed to the shattered sky dome and those twinkling stars.

"These are the exact words the Old Master just conveyed to me through Spiritual Link, at this very moment, he is watching here."

Batu was silent, turning back to see the sea of people under the starlit night. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

There were many pairs of eyes here, much like those of Luo Yu and Zhong Fan at this moment.

These eyes appeared cold and restrained, yet were actually brimming with rage, ready to erupt at any time... Jia Wei’s stab six years ago, exposed today, placed the Light Temple at an absolute disadvantage.

So, even he could not continue to argue deceitfully, nor could he say words like asking Gu Shen to stop.

Ultimately, Batu could only look pleadingly at Gu Shen.

"Mr. Xiao Gu, if you are willing to stop here... the temple is willing to meet all your demands."

He knew what had happened in Light City these days.

He also knew the true purpose of the Gu Family Envoy’s westward journey.

"All demands?"

Gu Shen paused for a second standing on the lake’s surface.

"We can open the Secret Dungeon and release the people the Gu family wants freed. We can also take care of the issues with your friend ’Song Ci.’

The third elder spoke very tactfully.

He knew that thousands upon thousands were watching Red Lake at this moment, so he lowered himself as much as possible, when the firm stop lacked threat, pleading humbly often had some effect.

Red Lake’s shore greeted a brief silence.

"Apologies."

Gu Shen looked directly into Batu’s eyes, calmly saying: "I have only one request, and that is for Jia Wei to pay for what he did six years ago."

After speaking, he submerged into Red Lake.

The Red Lake water, filled with countless radiant lights, was actually very dark at the bottom. There were thousands of dim arcs struggling, like water plants.

Amidst the water plants, there was a weak, dying figure, struggling.

Gu Shen dove down effortlessly, finding his target.

He thrust his iron blade into Jia Wei’s chest, ending his last suffering in life.

This thrust.

Was very similar to that shot six years ago.

Except this time, Gu Shen did not miss.

He ensured this blade pierced Jia Wei’s heart, also ensuring the suffering figure ceased to struggle, losing all breath.

Because having "died" once.

Gu Shen would not give a foe like Jia Wei any chance for a comeback.

Gurgle.

A mass of red emerged on Red Lake’s surface.

This was the accumulated radiant blush just before sunset, but at this moment, as vivid as blood.

...

...

(PS: A brief explanation of the updates, as the recent plot is important, I’ve been writing and deleting repeatedly, dissatisfied, and only just fixed and released. The review section and Chapter comments have been banned for the past few days, I couldn’t post, considering there have been too many single Chapters lately, a single Chapter statement would affect the reading experience. So here I explain, there will be three updates every day, I’ll try to have one out during the day, if not posted by noon it’s stuck or revised, don’t worry.)