“Cutting off our own flesh to feed them? Why? Weren’t things fine before?”
Shi Qianhua’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
“You just haven’t seen what’s really going on. This is only the calm before the storm. The four great races are all doing everything they can to expand their influence.”
Ding Shi glanced in the direction Xu Mu had left. “Over the past few years, the tribute they demand from us has multiplied several times over. Otherwise, why do you think we elders have been exploring ruins nonstop lately?”
The others nearby were also somewhat incredulous.
“Elder Ding, what exactly happened?” a young man asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know. There are some things that races like ours can’t see, but all four great races are frantically taking in resources. On top of that, the Divine Mother, who had been silent for so long, has reappeared, and Redemption has also resurfaced after vanishing for more than twenty years.”
Ding Shi took a deep breath. “The balance of the Inner World may be about to change. Do you really think the four great races will sit by and watch themselves fall behind?”
“No, they won’t. After so many years of war, and with the Inner and Outer Worlds now connected, there are countless things they can learn from and use as reference.”
Shi Qianhua sighed. “Before disaster arrives, those four great races will certainly tear into the other races to strengthen themselves.”
“Exactly. Those races have ruled the Inner World for thousands of years. They understand this better than anyone. If one of them falls behind, then forget about the other three great races—even the rest of us will swarm in and devour it.”
Ding Shi looked at Shi Qianhua and explained, “That’s why, while they still have the strength, they’re forcing us to bleed ourselves dry. If you refuse, some other race will agree. They’ll join forces with those races and divide you up first.”
“The four great races are too vile!” Shi Qianhua said viciously.
“You think you’re the only one who feels that way? Your father, your grandfather, and even your ancestor from a thousand years ago all thought the same. The four great races know exactly what the other races are thinking, which is why they’re targeting you. They want to cripple you before they die. That way, even if they fail in the future, you won’t have the strength to retaliate.”
At this point, Ding Shi pointed in the direction Xu Mu had gone. “Now do you understand why I was so polite to them?”
“I understand.”
Shi Qianhua nodded. “Elder, I was indeed too reckless. Experts like them could become a means for us to protect ourselves in the future if we can win them over.”
“Good that you understand. Still, relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself. You young people must focus on improving your own strength.”
With that, Ding Shi headed into the distance.
…
Xu Mu only turned on the phone after making sure they had not followed him.
The phone had no lock-screen password. It was practically brand-new and contained no unnecessary apps. It seemed to have been intended solely for sending messages.
Xu Mu opened the photo album, and, just as expected, found more than a dozen videos inside.
Chen Xuan leaned over to look as well.
Dai Xingluo immediately wrapped her arms around Xu Mu’s and stared at the phone.
Xu Mu tapped on the first video. The group froze on the spot.
The very first thing that appeared in the video was a butterfly-shaped pen.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing their expressions, Tong Guoguo came over to take a look.
Meng Wanyue also walked over to Xu Mu.
When they saw what was on the screen, even Tong Guoguo and Meng Wanyue were stunned, let alone Dai Xingluo, whose cheeks flushed red.
“Brother! You’re awful!”
Dai Xingluo pretended to hit Xu Mu several times.
“Disgusting! I thought that old man looked creepy the moment I saw him. Turns out I was right!”
Tong Guoguo stepped forward, intending to snatch the phone, but Xu Mu immediately hid it away.
“What are you doing? You still want to watch it secretly, don’t you?”
Tong Guoguo pointed at Xu Mu and shouted angrily.
“What do you know? That senior just said there’s an opportunity hidden in here. A senior like him wouldn’t lie to me.”
Xu Mu glanced at Chen Xuan. “Isn’t that right, Old Chen?”
“Exactly!”
Chen Xuan’s expression was solemn. “There must be a brothel… I mean, an opportunity. How could a senior of that caliber joke around with us?”
“Well said. Not only are we going to watch it, we’re going to examine it frame by frame. We can’t miss a single detail.”
After saying that, Xu Mu and Chen Xuan leaped onto a tree branch and began studying the video.
“Disgusting!”
Tong Guoguo snorted coldly.
Meng Wanyue said from the side, “There might really be some information in there.”
“It’s all your fault for never letting Brother watch anything before. That’s why he gets so excited when he sees someone else.”
Dai Xingluo smiled at Meng Wanyue.
“Shut up! Why don’t you let Brother Mu watch you?”
“How do you know I haven’t?”
“What?”
Meng Wanyue immediately grabbed Dai Xingluo by the collar.
…
Xu Mu and Chen Xuan examined the video from their high perch.
The first video showed a beautiful woman.
She twirled the pen as casually as a student sitting in a classroom.
Her hair and eyes were blue, and she even carried an air of authority.
Afterward, a man came over. The two of them even recorded a selfie together while sparring and exchanging moves.
More importantly, they were talking.
From their conversation, it could be determined that the woman was likely an important figure from one of the races.
The man kept asking whether she was afraid of being discovered, while the woman said that as long as she received what she was owed, there was nothing to fear.
Xu Mu’s expression suddenly turned solemn when he saw this.
“What’s wrong, Brother Mu?” Chen Xuan asked from beside him.
“This young man belongs to the Black Moon Race. See the silver crescent on his forehead? I’ve seen it before.”
Xu Mu pointed at the screen. “But I don’t recognize this woman.”
He then opened the second video, only to find something similar.
The male lead was the same man from the Black Moon Race, but the female lead had changed. She was no longer the woman from the first video.
This woman looked considerably younger. Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be around thirty.
Of course, her long hair was golden, so Xu Mu immediately recognized her race.
Those cross-shaped pupils were a characteristic of the Holy Light Race.
Who would have thought that a woman from the Holy Light Race would be involved with a man from the Black Moon Race?
Then again, the two of them did look rather well-matched.
Xu Mu watched the remaining videos and discovered that no one else appeared. Almost all of them were recordings of the same man and the two women.
The most important part, however, was their conversations.
They revealed a great deal of information.
The blue-haired woman mainly wanted to obtain the Ruins of the Gods controlled by the Black Moon Race.
The Black Moon Race possessed many such places. Because the formations were too powerful—or because they had been left behind as trials for future generations—the treasures inside had yet to be taken.
The woman also mentioned the Fire Race several times, suggesting that she had some connection with them.
As for the woman from the Holy Light Race, she brought up Hathaway’s name several times. Clearly, the two of them were not on good terms.
The Black Moon man even joked that he dreamed of making Hathaway his own, which angered the woman.
“Interesting.”
Chen Xuan smiled. “Brother Mu, the opportunity that senior mentioned should be the Battlefield of the Gods, right? We can use these videos to threaten them.”
“Before that, we need to find out who they are.”
Xu Mu scrolled through the footage and took screenshots, cropping them so that only the heads of the three people remained. Otherwise, the information could easily be exposed.
He spread out his senses and detected members of the Fire Race approaching from behind. He then walked toward them.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
