Chapter 1718: Chapter 381: Frost Iron Mountain

Perhaps...

This might be tied to a future far, far away.

Mu Wanqiu pondered for a long time about those matters regarding Her Majesty the Empress, but still couldn’t figure them out; however, it no longer mattered.

Her Majesty the Empress’s attitude toward Gu Shen was plain for all to see.

Since her identity as the Crown Bearer, in Her Majesty’s eyes, was equivalent to a clearly placed key piece on the board, then there was no need to hold back—she would just do whatever needed to be done.

"By the way... what exactly is that silver bracelet on your wrist?"

Gu Shen once again noticed Mu Wanqiu’s wrist.

Back during their meeting in the Spiritual Wilderness, he had already noticed something strange.

A ring of silver light was coiled around Mu Wanqiu’s wrist.

He hadn’t expected that in the real world, this silver radiance would actually take form and become a bracelet.

"Tsk."

On Mu Wanqiu’s eternally icy face, a rare teasing, mocking smile appeared. "Don’t tell me you really didn’t recognize it?"

Gu Shen was taken aback for a moment.

This silver glow, the last time he saw it, he had already felt...

that the aura was very familiar.

"This is ’golden spike flowers.’"

Mu Wanqiu lifted her wrist and sternly criticized him, "To be precise, it’s a special sealing object containing the Spirit of ’golden spike flowers’... Be honest, did you forget about it?"

"I..."

Gu Shen was at a loss for words.

Back when he fled from Gu Castle Fortress and returned to the Five Continents, after confirming that the Spiritual Link with ’golden spike flowers’ would not be cut off, Gu Shen had simply stopped paying attention to it.

Golden spike flowers was very sensible. It had been assigned two tasks: one was to "open up the Old World map," and the other was to "search for Zhou Jiren’s aura."

Both tasks were extremely difficult.

The former had no end and no finish line; it quietly continued its spiritual imprinting.

As for the latter... there had been no progress at all over the years.

Because neither task required regular reports, golden spike flowers rarely took the initiative to descend into the Pure Land in "spiritual form."

Over time, Gu Shen had almost forgotten that this "pet" even existed.

"I’ve really let it down..."

Gu Shen apologized in a low voice and voluntarily sent out a strand of Divine Thought, casting it toward the distant Old World.

Soon, he received a cheerful spiritual reply from golden spike flowers.

This big guy could be called the very model of being "carefree and heartless."

Perhaps because it had lain dormant in the maze for several decades, the loneliness and ice and snow of these past few years didn’t amount to much for golden spike flowers. Now that it had suddenly received its master’s "favor," the Big Snake was beside itself with joy, sending back a Soul Thought brimming with elation. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

This, in turn, only made Gu Shen feel even more ashamed.

"You really were born to be a hands-off shopkeeper."

Mu Wanqiu said crossly, "After you ’died,’ I went to the Old World a few times and met the Big Snake in person."

As the Crown Bearer, she held half of the Netherfire Authority.

Golden spike flowers would feel no hostility toward Mu Wanqiu.

It would also regard her as a "master" as well, though of course her status couldn’t compare to Gu Shen’s.

"These past years, it’s been roaming the Old World. Though it’s taken many injuries, its body and Soul have gradually grown, and it has now reached its ’peak period’... I didn’t tell it about you. It took the initiative to offer a portion of its Spirit to craft into a sealing object, so it could facilitate sensing within a certain range, and more importantly, as a contract symbol of the ’master–servant relationship.’"

Mu Wanqiu used her spiritual power to project an image.

Upon a vast Snowfield.

A giant snake hundreds of meters long coiled atop a glacier, lowering its head.

Mu Wanqiu, clad in a red suit of Source Armor, reached out a hand and patted the flat triangular head of golden spike flowers, as if patting a small mountain.

"In fact, I never believed the news of your death."

Mu Wanqiu said lightly, "Even though the Gu family issued a death notice, you supposedly fell in the Ice Sea, yet the Netherfire Authority showed no sign of wavering. That phenomenon was far too abnormal..."

"If you had truly died, then either the Netherfire Authority left with me would have dissipated with your death..."

She continued, "Or, as the Crown Bearer, I would have been recognized by the Netherfire as the next successor and received the full Authority. But neither of these happened."

"So all I can say is, what a pity—disasters really do live a thousand years."

Mu Wanqiu’s jab left Gu Shen speechless.

He thought of their earlier meeting in the Spiritual Wilderness; Mu Wanqiu had indeed made great progress these past years. At the very least, her acting skills and depth of scheming had grown a lot... She was clearly not at all worried about his "death." The moment she learned he was still alive, she immediately found a way to lay a trap and successfully extracted three "promises" from him.

"As a walking disaster, of course I have to live well."

Gu Shen laughed carelessly. "Golden spike flowers is willing to give you its ’Spirit’ and serve you as its master. That’s actually a good thing. You can just keep this bracelet; no need to give it to me."

If he wanted to summon golden spike flowers, all he needed to do was call out to it in the Pure Land.

No matter how far apart they were.

The Netherworld King Authority could always send his voice straight into the Heart Lake of golden spike flowers.

The most important significance of this silver bracelet lay in "trust."

Golden spike flowers was willing to submit to Gu Shen, and also willing to extend this contractual relationship to Mu Wanqiu, the Crown Bearer. In a sense, it was acknowledging Mu Wanqiu’s strength and status.

"I never planned on giving it to you in the first place."

Mu Wanqiu snorted coldly. "It was given to me by golden spike flowers. If you want it, go get it from it yourself."

Gu Shen couldn’t help laughing and crying.

...

...

By the time the mini-boat reached Qinghe District, night had already fallen.

And a damp, chilly wind had kicked up.