Chapter 456: God Storage Land (Two-in-One)

"Steal."

Sensing something, Lu Wan looked up at the crimson clouds covering the sky.

The sea breeze blew past. The sky, which had just been scorched, looked perfectly normal.

"How strange," Lu Wan muttered, lowering his head once more.

A second later, he froze.

The Azure Crystal he had just been holding in his hand had vanished into thin air!

His expression shifted the moment he reacted. He looked up at the sky as a blazing heat erupted from his palm, transforming into a terrifying storm that instantly swept through the clouds.

The sky full of clouds rapidly dissipated, as if evaporating. When Lu Wan looked up, he caught a glimpse of the stern of a massive ship speeding away into the distance.

"Who is it?!"

Lu Wan was furious. The weird energy around him surged violently.

The surrounding space continuously twisted as the temperature rapidly spiked. The air burned relentlessly, instantly replaced the moment it was consumed, until it formed a unique eye of a storm.

Howling air currents swept out, causing the massive ship to rock endlessly as if caught in a tempest.

In the next instant, the powerful currents propelled the massive ship to its absolute limit, chasing into the distance.

But in the end, he found nothing.

The other party was simply too fast.

A few minutes later, Lu Wan completely lost track of his target and could only roar furiously at the sky.

He had fought and slaughtered for an entire month for this supreme treasure of the Ocean Pathway, only to fall short at the very last moment.

Just then, a massive black ship sailed over from the distance.

Wuhe stood at the bow, his black cloak flapping loudly in the sea breeze. He smiled at Lu Wan and said, "Mr. Lu, having obtained the supreme treasure, you must be in a great mood right now."

"Was it you?"

Lu Wan stared at Wuhe with a dark expression.

"Was what me?"

Wuhe chuckled.

He had only heard Lu Wan's furious roar from afar and guessed something had happened, though he wasn't entirely sure what.

Knowing that his two younger brothers were still alive, he was in a fantastic mood, so he had deliberately come over to poke fun.

"Did you take the Eye of the Ocean Current?!"

Lu Wan could barely suppress his raging anger.

Wuhe's eyes flickered as he understood the situation. He laughed. "You must be joking, Mr. Lu. Didn't I go chase the person who stole my ship?"

"How can you say I stole your things?"

"Don't make baseless accusations, Mr. Lu. Could it be... a thief crying thief?"

Lu Wan's gaze repeatedly swept over Wuhe. Finally, with a dark face, he ordered his crew to turn the ship around.

He knew Wuhe was no simple figure. Back in the Five Elements Heaven, his faction had told him about affairs in other major Domains.

Among them was a certain Clan.

It was said that this Clan had many members, and the reason they could reach the Summit within the major Domains was that one of their branches commanded an unimaginable power.

They had even subjugated the descendants of the Source of Mutation, which was tantamount to controlling half a major Domain.

Wuhe's appearance closely matched the descriptions of the people from that Clan.

Since he couldn't be certain if Wuhe had taken the item, and unwilling to waste any more energy here, he planned to go back and deal with that guy from the Fate Pathway to recoup some of his losses.

But just as he was about to leave, Wuhe spoke up from behind, "Mr. Lu, will you be participating in the Grand Sea Assembly this year?"

Lu Wan looked back with a cold face and stared at Wuhe. "I don't have time."

Wuhe smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

"It seems Mr. Lu has also received the news."

Lu Wan said coldly, "The Great Prison has reached its end."

"That person was too confident and ended up causing a massive disaster."

"Everyone will want a piece of the pie at a time like this."

After speaking, he looked at Wuhe and revealed his own intentions. "Do you want to cooperate?"

"The two of us?"

Wuhe smiled and shrugged. "Neither of us is at the Ninth Tier. In this situation, finding a Ninth Tier to cling to is the real way to go, right?"

"We aren't in the same lane as the Ninth Tier," Lu Wan said. "The things they want are useless to us."

"Oh, I see," Wuhe laughed loudly. "You're confident you can step into the Eighth Tier before it starts, Mr. Lu?"

"..."

Lu Wan's face turned completely cold.

He was trying to discuss cooperation, yet the other party was trying to trick information out of him.

Absolutely shameless.

"Are we cooperating or not?"

Holding back his temper, he asked one last time.

"No problem, Mr. Lu," Wuhe chuckled. "We're both from Haidu, after all. It's only natural we help each other out."

"Then it's settled." Lu Wan gave the order to sail, and soon, the massive ship disappeared across the sea.

Wuhe smiled, gazing into the distance as his eyes gradually narrowed.

The Great Prison was at its end.

If one wanted to get out...

This was the best opportunity.

"Fly faster! Faster!"

Guo Xie looked at the Azure Crystal in Yan Jing's hand, his eyes hiding his excitement as he actually took the initiative to urge him on.

"What exactly is this?"

Yan Jing had one claw jammed into the shaft of a spear and the other clutching the gem.

"The Eye of the Ocean Current. It's a supreme treasure of this sea that can help you comprehend one-fifth of the heart of reaching the summit for the Ocean Pathway."

Guo Xie was quite envious.

Treasures that contained the heart of reaching the summit were already rare, let alone one that provided a full fifth of it.

"What if the person isn't from the Ocean Pathway?"

Yan Jing asked.

"As long as the comprehension of other Pathways within the heart of reaching the summit doesn't far exceed your own Pathway, there won't be a problem," Guo Xie explained. "In fact, this kind of mixture might even set you on a new path."

"A dead end, or a way out?" Yan Jing remained calm.

"Both are possible."

Guo Xie continued, "Of course, even if it's a dead end, you'll still have reached the Summit. Even if you're stuck there forever, it's not something those who haven't reached the Summit can compare to."

"That's true." Yan Jing nodded, placing the crystal into a Space Rift inside his prison uniform pocket.

Space Rifts couldn't cross Domains. He could either have Wen Xu hold onto this thing and bring it to his main body, or let Xiao Xin carry it across the Domains.

He had plenty of options.

If his main body wanted to reach the Summit, he also needed to condense the heart of reaching the summit. This item would be incredibly useful.

He already had some ideas for his Seventh Rite.

Seeing the crystal's luster vanish into thin air, Guo Xie's excitement faded along with it, and he let out a sigh.

He had racked his brains and fought tooth and nail just to snatch a single fragment, yet he never expected that this cat would surpass his absolute limits just by casually making a move.

The gap between them was truly far too vast.

He wondered which Heavenly Kingdom had managed to raise such a monstrous cat.

"Don't be discouraged, Old Guo. You're still young. The future is yours."

Yan Jing consoled him.

Guo Xie was left speechless.

He was already over fifty years old. Although a Seventh Rank could scrape by for a few centuries, the rest of his time would just be killing days.

The heart of reaching the summit wouldn't condense on its own.

Besides, how old was this arrogant cat right in front of him?!

He couldn't beat him in a fight, and he couldn't win an argument. He didn't want to talk anymore; he just felt utterly exhausted.

"Relax, Old Guo. Work hard under me, and you won't have to worry about failing to reach the Summit."

Yan Jing casually painted a grand picture of the future. Guo Xie sneered, "Do you think the Eye of the Ocean Current can be found everywhere?"

"We can always go steal something else."

Yan Jing blurted out without a second thought.

It sounded entirely natural.

Guo Xie's eyes went wide. Suddenly, his breathing grew heavy.

If... if this guy's methods could actually be repeated... then maybe, just maybe, it wasn't impossible...

"Captain Bobo will get her share, too."

Yan Jing easily painted another grand future for Bobo.

"It is my honor to serve you, My Lord!!!" Bobo immediately saluted.

"So? What do you say, Old Guo?" Yan Jing smiled at him. "Be my second mate."

After hesitating for a moment, Guo Xie said, "I know another place that has a supreme treasure of Ice."

"Let's go."

Yan Jing smiled slightly and waved his paw.

Ning Wei sat up abruptly in bed, his eyes filled with exhaustion.

Another nightmare.

Ever since he received that note detailing his past three days ago, he had been having the exact same nightmare.

Who among those Wizards had slipped that note in...

He had intended to find time to investigate over the last few days, but as the exploration of the God Storage Land drew near, the pressure from his higher-ups had mounted.

"Good morning, Brother Wei."

Upon arriving at work, the colleague sharing his shift today took the initiative to greet him.

"Come on, Brother Xun."

Ning Wei gave a helpless smile. "Don't call me that."

That nickname was simply too weird.

"Hahaha, just joking around!"

The colleague named Brother Xun threw an arm around Ning Wei's shoulders. "Do you still remember Xiao Wan?"

"That Xiao Wan you said was your first love."

"Yeah, I remember. Why?" Ning Wei smiled politely, casually slipping out of the other man's grasp.

"She got promoted again!" Brother Xun put on an exaggerated expression. "I heard she's already reached the Sixth Tier! Tsk, tsk, tsk. At her age, getting promoted as a combat-type elite talent... her future is limitless!"

"I heard you two used to be in the same special recruitment class. How did you fall behind? What a pity."

Ning Wei smiled faintly. "My talent wasn't good enough. It's perfectly normal. Alright, Brother Xun, let's get to work."

He didn't want to talk about this anymore.

Everyone loved hearing stories about lofty geniuses falling from grace.

This wasn't the first time the people around him had brought up this topic, and he had long since stopped caring.

Today, they were assigned to patrol the Desolate Forest.

Their duty was to ensure that all the criminals recruited into the vanguard squad entered the gateway leading to the Outer Domains.

If they discovered anyone using methods to resist the gate's summons, they were to report it to their superiors for special handling.

Of course, if they found anyone who was usually disobedient, they could use the Marker Guns they carried to forcibly send them into the gate right before it opened—a time when the victims had no chance to report them.

Soon, the time to enter the gate arrived.

Ning Wei pulled out a small screen.

It was produced by the Heavenly Kingdom, and it worked exceptionally well.

It just needed to be charged sometimes.

Watching the scattered red dots on the screen gradually disappear, Ning Wei remained impassive.

Based on past precedents, almost no one was foolish enough to disobey.

Everyone understood the procedure; it was just a matter of going through the motions.

But when the time passed, a single red dot unexpectedly remained on the screen.

He exchanged a look with Brother Xun and volunteered for the task.

"I'll go."

He wasn't in the mood to bicker with the man beside him.

"Alright, alright. Thanks for your hard work, Brother Wei."

Brother Xun flashed that physically repulsive smile again.

Ning Wei hopped into a patrol cart and followed the screen's directions toward the red dot.

Before long, he spotted a group of familiar faces.

Dark faces, skin densely covered in runes.

Wizards...

His heart sank. He looked toward the center of the circle the Wizards had formed, right at that blonde boy.

Something wasn't right.

He clearly remembered that the boy hadn't been marked before.

But right now, a glowing mark was vividly flashing on the boy's wrist.

He immediately pulled out his Walkie-talkie to report the situation.

"Apologies,"

Yan Jing said softly. "I didn't know you would be the one coming today, Officer."

"I thought it would just be some random guy."

"But since it's you, there's nothing else to be done."

From behind Yan Jing, a pitch-black shadow that had been drawn long ago stepped forward. As Yan Jing lightly moved his fingertips, the shadow instantly morphed into Ning Wei's exact likeness, right down to the small screen in his hand.

Next, a rapid series of shutter clicks rang out. Ning Wei felt a sudden wave of dizziness as his body stiffened.

Yan Jing pulled out his Paintbrush, quickly discerning the ins and outs of everything that had happened before Ning Wei arrived. He then stepped forward, searched Ning Wei, and quickly found the Marker Gun he was carrying.

"I pray for the gaze of Heaven, for the revival of all things. I create all existence in this world, and I grant all things their rightful Wisdom..."

Yan Jing chanted softly as the surrounding Wizards prostrated themselves.

"We await your triumphant return."

"Mm."

Yan Jing fired the Marker Gun, landing a shot right on Ning Wei's wrist.

Then, another door opened up in the empty void.

Yan Jing didn't simply toss Ning Wei inside; instead, he grabbed hold of him and walked into the door alongside him.

A few seconds later, the door slowly closed.

The Wizards made gestures of prayer toward where the door had vanished. Then, they brought out a prepared corpse and, following Yan Jing's instructions, led the Ning Wei formed by the Painting Spirit back in the direction the real Ning Wei had come from.

Soon, they spotted Ning Wei's colleague playing video games.

"What are you doing?!"

Startled by the sudden appearance of the eerie group, Brother Xun nearly dropped his gaming console.

Steadying his nerves, he immediately pulled out his Walkie-talkie. It wasn't completely unheard of for criminals to attack the staff in the Great Prison; it was just incredibly rare due to the severe punishments.

Once he realized the group was made of Wizards, he pressed the Walkie-talkie and the video recording buttons. His tense nerves relaxed significantly, and he cursed out loud, "Damn it! Walking around without making a sound! What do you stupid pigs think you're doing?!"

"Apologies, Officer."

Jiang Qiu flashed a bright smile, and the others carried the mangled corpse to the front. "Earlier, someone refused to enter the God Storage Land. We've already executed him. We apologize for making things difficult for you two officers."

The Ning Wei created by the Painting Spirit returned to Brother Xun's side without saying a word.

A painting couldn't speak.

But Jiang Qiu was well prepared. Quickly, one of them stepped forward with a cloth sack and approached Brother Xun.

"We hope you won't report this matter to the higher-ups, Officer."

Brother Xun's attention was immediately drawn to the cloth sack.

But after looking at the contents, his eyes darted to Jiang Qiu, and he sneered, "With just this... you're trying to bribe me?"

"Everything is negotiable, My Lord."

Jiang Qiu smiled faintly, showing no trace of the social awkwardness she'd displayed a few days ago. She clapped her hands, and another person stepped forward, presenting a shiny gold bean.

It shone so brightly that Brother Xun could barely open his eyes.

A headache. A splitting headache.

That was Ning Wei's first reaction.

He struggled to his feet. Staring at the dust-filled landscape before him and Yan Jing sitting cross-legged beside him, alarm bells blared in his mind.

This guy had brought him into the God Storage Land... what was his goal?

Furthermore, he hadn't even been able to resist the technique the guy used earlier. That made him feel even more uneasy.

"Officer, I apologize. I didn't do it on purpose."

Yan Jing smiled slightly, his eyes—so gentle they seemed to ripple like water—curving upward. "I just wanted to bring a staff member inside. I didn't expect it to be you."

"Do you think it's that easy to replace a staff member's identity?"

"I have to clock in every single day."

Ning Wei's face darkened. "If it's discovered, the entire Wizard tribe will be eradicated."

"I heard you have a leave system," Yan Jing chuckled. "You get a few days off a year."

Ning Wei's expression twisted.

"Who's going to submit the leave request?"

He didn't believe this guy possessed the ability to control a 'clone' across a whole Domain.

And he didn't believe the Wizards over there had that capability, either.

"Someone will naturally submit it."

Yan Jing smiled.

Ning Wei's face grew even paler.

"How many days did you request?"

"Seven days."

"You son of a b*tch! I've only saved up seven days of annual leave for the whole damn year!!!"

Ning Wei's defenses finally broke.