In this battle against Shi Li, Gu Shen had no choice but to use the Ruler of Truth.

He needed to hide this secret as much as possible.

Hu Danian was a good person.

Last time, when something happened in River Shoal, he was the one who had taken him to Cui Zhongcheng’s office.

But… Gu Shen still chose to use the Blazing Fire to hypnotize Brother Danian to make him forget about this matter, for his own good and Gu Shen’s.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

After settling Hu Danian, Gu Shen turned around.

Shi Li stood there in a daze, with a trickle of blood slowly flowing out from between his eyebrows. Today’s battle had been several times more dangerous than Qu Shui’s surprise attack. Any slip-up would have led to both of them dying on Iris Pellet Street.

Shi Li’s true strength should be at the peak of the Fifth Level of Deep Sea.

The unexpected hypnosis had come perilously close to failing, but the most dangerous part was the ‘mental explosion’ lurking in Shi Li’s mind.

At the moment the hypnotized succeeded…

Gu Shen’s mind had caught a majestic roar.

As Cui Zhongcheng had said, the believers of the Eternal Foundation would plant a safeguard in their minds. Once they lost control of their bodies or were about to face the worst possible outcome, this safeguard would trigger.

At the moment the roar sounded, Gu Shen detected a faint familiar aura emerging from between Shi Li’s eyebrows. He had seen the same thin line when removing the mental imprint from Madam Lu Nanzhi. It had been hidden in Shi Li’s forehead.

The Minute-level Blazing Fire immediately sensed this thin line, which was the source of the ‘explosion’.

However, stopping this explosion was beyond the current capability of the Blazing Fire.

But… there was something that could do it.

The Class E sealed object.

The small hour hand that could only freeze time in a tiny area.

…

As I suspected, if you’re powerful enough, there’s still a way to stop the explosion before it starts.

Gu Shen’s mental power easily penetrated Shi Li’s mind.

Transcendents who could come up with a method like mental explosions were undoubtedly lunatics. But there were always geniuses in this world who could think of countermeasures.

Gu Shen was certain.

If Shi Li had encountered Senior Sister Luo, who was titled Heavenly Pupil, then this explosion would never have happened.

A mental-type powerhouse with a title from the Twelfth Level of Deep Sea could definitely instantly penetrate the mind of a lower-level transcendent and eliminate all adverse factors… But didn’t this suggest that the actual strength of the Class E sealed object was truly formidable?

Even Cui Zhongcheng had moments of misjudgment.

Gu Shen began searching for memories of the sealed object in Shi Li’s mind.

Unlike his previous dream entries, Gu Shen’s method was extremely rough this time. He directly scoured Shi Li’s mind for memories because he didn’t care at all about how Shi Li would feel after waking up from the hypnosis…

Unfortunately, the Iris Pellet Street case was destined to be reported to the upper echelons of Dadu.

He could only gaze wistfully at the vast amount of transcendental essence in this assault-type powerhouse at the Fifth Level of Deep Sea. He was bound not to have the chance to taste it.

Gu Shen found a small, ancient compass on Shi Li. This compass can sense the mental fluctuations within a certain range.

In this era, items like compasses had long become obsolete and were rarely seen. The sealed object’s edge was even plated with a layer of gold and silver to give it a facade of modernity, which now seemed ironically deceptive.

This was the style of the people from the Eternal Foundation. No matter how they pretended on the surface, they couldn’t conceal their fondness for relics of the past.

Good stuff… It should be a Class C sealed object. Gu Shen looked at it carefully before shaking his head. But it’s of limited use to me. It’s kinda redundant.

When Shi Li used the compass at the entrance of Magnolia Alley, this compass hadn’t detected the mental fluctuations of the Blazing Fire.

It was likely because the Blazing Fire had special characteristics that made it good at hiding auras.

But this also meant that… this compass of insufficient quality could lead to critical misjudgments at crucial moments.

If it had detected Gu Shen earlier, then today’s story would likely have had a different ending.

The most important matter now is to solve this fog by deactivating the sealed object in the factory so that we can leave Iris Pellet Street. Gu Shen frowned. The people of the Eternal Foundation can move freely in the fog. Is it because of a special breathing technique?

His immersed mental power scoured Shi Li’s mind like a swimming fish.

Before long, Gu Shen’s eyes brightened. To enter the fog, you need a protective item… Is it this compass?

He weighed the compass in his hand, a bit surprised.

This was unexpected.

The thick fog on Iris Pellet Street today was enough to confirm Cui Zhongcheng’s suspicions. The Eternal Foundation had hidden a big fish in Dadu. This big fish was watching everything from high above, scheming who knew what. But the compass on Shi Li was definitely not a ‘fog-repelling’ method he had thought of himself. It must have been a gift from that big shot.

Therefore, it was impossible for this compass to be a crudely made low-grade sealed object.

Did my Blazing Fire manage to evade that big shot’s detection method?

Before Gu Shen could ponder further, the compass trembled slightly, as though something inside was awakening. The shallow layer of plating around the compass cracked under the trembling, revealing ancient bronze characters.

Gu Shen’s expression turned solemn. He hurriedly crouched down and placed the compass in the pool of red silver on the ground, preparing to deal with any anomalies!

He didn’t know what other methods the Eternal Foundation had.

The Blazing Fire floated between his eyebrows.

It was as though it were facing a formidable enemy.

Buzz!

With a final slight tremor, the surface of the compass, covered in grime as though it were in thick fog, gradually became clear.

Immediately after, a blood-red flame flowed across the now clear surface of the compass.

“What an astonishing method. It stopped the mental explosion,” someone said softly, praising. “Brilliant.”

Then he continued with a hint of regret, “Young man, this compass is a valuable item. Don’t leave it on the ground. It’s too dirty.”

Has that big fish appeared? Gu Shen frowned. He only saw blood fire inside the compass. Everything else was obscured. At most, he faintly glimpsed a blurry face. It was a man in another world talking to him.

Why did this blood-red fire… remind him of the explosion in Zhou Yexin’s dream?

Logically speaking, this big shot from the Eternal Foundation should have continued to remain hidden behind the scenes.

Regardless, Gu Shen had no intention of talking with him.

He gathered the red silver, preparing to cover the compass and end this conversation.

“It’s useless.” The man saw through his intentions and chuckled lightly. “How can inferior materials like red silver corrode the compass? Moreover, you have to stop this fog, don’t you?”

Gu Shen continued his actions. He gathered all the remaining red silver in the helmet with the Ruler of Truth. The ground sank as the red silver covered it, but the small compass could still make sounds.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me.

“But this game has already begun. From the moment you encountered the Solemn Stone Sculpture, Gu Shen, you’ve caught my eye.”

When the man spoke his name, Gu Shen’s movements paused slightly. Has my information been exposed?

The red silver had completely buried the small pit, but the man was right. The red silver was useless. The compass wasn’t affected at all.

Gu Shen simply took out the compass and looked straight at the world shown on the mirror-like surface. He said calmly, “What do you want to say?”

The face bathed in the blood fire smiled in satisfaction.

“The fog on Iris Pellet Street… is just the beginning,” the man said softly. “I, or rather, we have long been prepared. As long as that damn act proposal is not withdrawn, this game will never end.”

“Is this a declaration of war?” Gu Shen said coldly. “You should declare war on the Parliament.”

“Of course I will.” The man smiled faintly. “The Adjudication Bureau, the Penitentiary Bureau, the Command Bureau, the entire East Continent… are all decrepit old buildings on the brink of collapse. Why are you still willing to stay in this decaying nest?”

“Perhaps it’s your thinking that’s flawed,” Gu Shen said calmly. “Do you want to know what’s really causing the turmoil in the East Continent? Take a look in the mirror.”

“Interesting, truly interesting.” The man didn’t get angry. Instead, he laughed appreciatively.

Amidst the sea of blood fire, a pair of eyes tinged with pity slowly appeared. “One day, you’ll find those words… ridiculous.”

The man paused. “Compared to you, Cui Zhongcheng is truly an uninteresting fellow. He only has rules in his eyes. I originally thought this compass could only be given to him. But fortunately, you appeared.”

Gu Shen was silent.

“Do you dare to accept this compass… the future savior of Dadu, the great hero?” the man said softly. “This compass is my gift to my opponent. Of course, there’s another way to end all of this—find me… and kill me.”

“Since you’re familiar with my files,” Gu Shen said expressionlessly, “then you should know… you should give this compass to Cui Zhongcheng.”

“You’ve saved the civilians from burning to death in the Oto fire, the insomniacs of Lipu Street, and the innocent Old Town residents in the fog of Iris Pellet Street. No matter how you deny your sense of responsibility, you can’t change a fact. When the lives of those insignificant ants were about to disappear in front of you, you couldn’t stop yourself from saving them.”

Despite his solemn words, the man’s voice still carried a frivolous laugh. “The saviors of this world are often not those with the determination to die. If there’s a sea of flames in front of them, they will plunge into it without hesitation. Unfortunately, that kind of sacrifice doesn’t always save lives.”

Gu Shen stared at the eyes in the blood fire. Now, he hoped this conversation would last a little longer so that he could remember the man’s eyes.

He said casually, “I’m a selfish person. I can’t even save myself, so how can I save the world?”

“You’re right… If you can’t even save yourself, how can you save the world?” The man smiled sincerely from the bottom of his heart, and the blood fire curved into a moon. “Only those who survive have the qualifications to become a savior.”