Capítulo 1067: Chapter 23: Vermilion Bird Divine Envoy (2)

An aged body trembled violently.

After Ian’s death, his “spiritual control” over his disciple Hu Po was also lifted… The bloody scent stimulated Hu Po, and he clearly understood what waking up meant.

But now, he could no longer hear, see, or speak.

Even his own spirit could not be conveyed.

“Mr. Hu Po…”

Gu Shen sighed softly in his heart. He flicked a spark of Chi Huo, sending it into Hu Po’s forehead, sharing what he saw with this “poor soul” with few days left.

Ian died, burdened with immense guilt, falling into the pool of blood.

No one lifted a hand to kill him.

What killed him was his own greed.

Dying in such a way might seem cheap for him, but for someone who tried so hard to live a few more years, such a death was suffocating, the most painful.

He could sense Hu Po’s uncontrollable excitement in his Spirit Sea at that moment!

This young disciple initially sincerely admired Ian’s talents and virtues and came to Linz to serve and follow him. But not long after, Ian used the “Longevity Technique” to take his life, binding him to a wheelchair, robbing him of his five senses and six perceptions, turning him into a living dead.

Today, he could finally see it, he saw Ian’s fate!

His fragile body shook violently.

“Tha… thank you…”

Hu Po exhausted all his strength to convey this sentence in his Spirit Sea.

Just conveying this sentence used up what little remaining strength he had.

The aged shell on the wheelchair stopped all movements, and his hands slowly dropped…

Chu Ling extended a hand to check his breath, then shook her head at Gu Shen.

Hu Po also died.

This was a natural death, caused by the exhaustion of all life force.

…

…

“Absurd.”

Gu Shen and Chu Ling stood quietly in the cellar, and after a long time, both of them had the same thought.

Everything that happened before, and everything left at this moment, was absolutely absurd.

Ian died, and Hu Po also died.

However, one died in a pool of blood, while the other sat in a wheelchair.

At this moment, the cellar, unknown to anyone else, was left with forbidden blueprints and incomplete “Longevity Technique” ancient texts… Only these cold dead things could prove this wasn’t an utterly wasted trip for Gu Shen. He still had things to gain. But this wasn’t his original intention; he initially came to Central Continent to find a way to quickly link members of the Ancient Literature Society.

“Is this… the misfortune brought by the Netherworld King?”

Gu Shen crouched beside Ian’s corpse, his voice tinged with complexity.

Ian’s dramatic death led him to suspect that it was precisely because of his interaction with himself, tainted by an invisible misfortune, that led to this catastrophe… If he hadn’t come to Linz, the old man might have lived a bit longer.

Yet perhaps the next one to be drained would be Holin, rushing back to Linz.

In fact, it wasn’t just Ian affected by misfortune.

The biggest trouble remained with Gu Shen… Firstly, the problem of linking the Ancient Literature Society wasn’t solved at all. Ian taught him a vivid lesson: never trust “strangers.”

Fortunately, Chu Ling absorbed Ian’s “heritage.” This spiritual information was messy and disordered, but Ian probably didn’t expect that Chu Ling’s reading wasn’t concerned with order; she needn’t care about sequence.

This “heritage” was enough to decrypt the ancient texts.

It just needed some time.

There was never a shortcut in this world.

Decrypting ancient texts was like this, and seeking to restore the practical connection of the Ancient Literature Society was even more so. Ian’s death made Gu Shen fully understand that this was never going to be an “overnight” task; it was destined to be a long and arduous job.

Even if he is the “key,” the road must be walked step by step.

Still, he managed to reach his preliminary goal, at least acquiring Rhein City’s “Wind Rose.” In future days, Ye Kaluo can serve as the prime choice for Central Continent’s “supporter.”

What remained was the corpse in the cellar.

This was not easy to deal with.

…

…

It was a sunny and warm morning.

To the south of the small town of Linz, there was a public cemetery area. Many Transcendents came here, offering condolence white flowers for a new tombstone… The owner of this tombstone was named “Ian Leonard.”

If those coming to mourn knew Ian’s true identity, a remnant of the Ancient Literature Society.

Then they would not present flowers.

If members of the Ancient Literature Society knew Ian abused the Longevity Technique, violating ethical boundaries.

Then they would no longer offer respect.

This is a person who lived too long, lived to forget why he lived at all, an “elderly” who was both mad and pitiful, ultimately writing the word “ridiculous” on his life, tempted by everlasting life.

Except, this seemed to change nothing.

He now died amidst floral tributes, still enjoying the high respect of countless people posthumously.

Gu Shen was also at the funeral, but he stood at the back… Over the years, he witnessed too much “parting,” and attending funerals seemed to have become a commonplace event.

He watched all this silently, without the slightest ripple in his heart.