Chapter 4: Drawing the Symbolic Fire (Part 2)

Guo Shier said, “I don’t know how many years have passed. Look at these weeds and trees—they must have grown for years. We need to find people… find out what happened here and locate the murderer!”
Luo Jie sneered, “A family extermination? Since they dared to destroy our family, once we find out who did it… I’ll deal with them too!”
Guo Shier nodded. “With our strength, even the ancient Gu family can be wiped out!”
Eagle Demon said, “The North Symbol Gate was destroyed… Oh, and the Beast Symbol Gate too. Let’s go take a look.”
Guo Shier said, “I’ll go to North Symbol City to see how things are there.”
Luo Jie said, “Let’s split up and investigate. Meet back here in half an hour. No matter if we find anything or not, we must return. If there are any survivors, bring them here.”
Guo Shier said, “Okay, I’ll search in the north!” With that, he teleported away. Everyone scattered to search.
After two teleportations, Guo Shier arrived back at the former North Symbol City. The North Symbol Gate was located deep within the city, which was populated by many residents. Upon arriving at the site of North Symbol City, Guo Shier grew increasingly angry. The city was also destroyed; the abandoned roads were overgrown with weeds, with only a few small animals scurrying around. It was now a desolate place.
Guo Shier set up an altar and sat on it. He gradually calmed down. After all, having lived three lifetimes, he had some composure left. He said, “Old Shuai, help me out.”
Old Shuai appeared and said, “Your master… is really twisted. I’m a bit scared of him.”
Guo Shier said, “Don’t be afraid of my master. He’s very kind to me.”
Old Shuai cursed, “Damn it! First Qi Wuzhen left, now there’s Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan. Is it even possible for an old man to live? No, you need to advance quickly. It’s so frustrating being used as a sacrificial spirit…”
After a brief thought, Guo Shier understood why Old Shuai was afraid of Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan. He was a pure soul being, so it wasn’t strange for him to fear the Fire of Souls. Fortunately, he was hiding inside the Ancient Ink Lotus, so the Fire of Souls couldn’t threaten him. He just couldn’t show himself—once exposed, it would be difficult for him to resist the Fire of Souls.
He said, “My master and Grandpa Nanshan are very kind to me. I’ve been with them since I was young, so don’t worry. They definitely won’t pose any threat to you.”
Old Shuai said, “I hope so. Anyway, it’s better if I stay hidden. Damn it! Why do the people you know keep getting stronger?”

Guo Shier shook his head and said, “Elder Shuai, help me out—check if there are any remaining souls here.”
Elder Shuai immediately understood what Guo Shier wanted. He said, “You’re planning to see if there was a massacre here?”
Guo Shier nodded. With millions of people in this city, if they were all killed, there should be remaining souls. Even if many had dissipated, there might still be clues to find.
Elder Shuai nodded and promptly released the tentacles of Gu Xi Bi, waving them in the air. Guo Shier controlled the altar and flew around, circling several times. Elder Shuai said, “That’s enough. No need to keep flying. Indeed, many people were killed here, but not more than a hundred thousand—well, at most two hundred thousand. There aren’t many remaining souls.”
Guo Shier murmured, “It seems… most of the population was taken away.”
Elder Shuai nodded. “That’s right. Or they fled. Well, that’s unlikely.” Any clan that attacks a continent does so either to conquer it or to plunder its population and resources. Without sufficient gain, a clan would never attack a continent for no reason.
Guo Shier felt a little better. He said, “Alright, let’s go back. Elder Shuai, you don’t need to hide.”
Elder Shuai thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t want to take risks. It’s more comfortable staying inside Gu Mo Lian. Do whatever you need to do—don’t worry about me.” With that, he retracted his head into the altar.
Guo Shier now understood that Elder Shuai was actually very insecure. He sighed and teleported back immediately.
One after another, they returned to Luo Jie’s manor. Guo Shier landed and said, “Beifu City is completely destroyed. There’s no one left. Most people must have been captured.”
Luo Jie said, “I haven’t found any survivors either.”
Qi Nan Shan also said, “There’s no sign of life in the area I was responsible for. All the buildings I saw were ruins. Damn, how many people must have come here to create such a tragic scene?”
Ying Mo, Luo Zhan, and Nan You also flew over. Ying Mo led a person down and said, “We found one person—a low-level professional.”
It was an old man covered in runes; it was obvious he was a Rune Martial professional.
Guo Shier said sternly, “What’s your name? Where are you from?”
The man showed extreme fear and kept saying, “Don’t kill me… don’t kill me!”
Guo Shier said, “I’m from the Beifu Sect! There’s no need to panic!”

The man looked stunned and muttered, “Beifu Gate… Beifu Gate…” Suddenly, he burst into wild laughter: “Beifu Gate, haha, hahaha… Beifu Gate no longer exists… haha, haha… How could you possibly be from Beifu Gate… haha!”
A chill ran through Guo Shier’s heart.