Chapter 483: Sacrifice (Two-in-One)

[Player Full Moon has died]

At this moment, in the Surface World, everyone's attention fell on that single line on the rankings.

Across the five ring domains.

Spanning an area of four to five million square kilometers.

Time seemed to stand still across this vast land for a brief moment.

From Liu Xiaoyue, Wang Yu, Long Quezhou, and the Old Man of the Self Faction in the First Ring Domain, to Chang Chunbo, Zhou Kai, and Zhuang Yun.

From the bamboo-building woman, the tailor, the old architect, and the crippled Jian Yi in the Second Ring Domain, to the mayor of the Chaotic City.

From Long Quan, the head of the Long Family in the Third Ring Domain, to Mu Yi, the head of the Mu Family.

From Zhao Qianling, president of the Precognition Society in the Fourth Ring Domain, to Vice President Ye Liu.

And from Wang Changnian, the deputy Domain Chief of the Fifth Ring Domain, to Lin Xiaoran, Ren Tongtong, Xu Weizhou, and finally Shen ??ran.

Everyone's mind went blank for a second when they saw those words.

A second later, their reactions varied wildly.

"This kid is truly crazy." Wang Yu subconsciously looked toward Liu Xiaoyue.

Knowing this woman as she did, with Wan Yicheng dead, it was only a matter of time before she went completely insane.

No matter how strong Yan Jing was, he would have to face an Eighth Tier the moment he left the Dungeon.

'However, this might be an opportunity.'

She silently began to tally the chips at her disposal, frantically adding more to the offer she had already prepared.

Even though the Beast Lord's team had been nearly wiped out by Yan Jing, none of that would matter if she could successfully recruit him.

Long Quezhou's feelings were much more complicated. Compared to Wang Yu, he was much closer to the kids down there.

Looking at the injuries on Meng Bing and Zhu Jian, it was hard for him to remain entirely calm.

But...

Thinking of the strength Yan Jing had displayed...

He ultimately fell silent and began making his own calculations.

As for Liu Xiaoyue, her face beneath the white veil was practically frozen.

At this moment, she was clearly the closest to winning this gamble, yet all she could think about was the scene of Yan Jing entering her office back then...

"So, are you willing?"

"Did I even have the option to refuse?"

Yan Jing revealed a somewhat surprised expression. "I thought I could only accept."

"...Of course, I hope you won't refuse," the figure spoke calmly.

"But condensing the heart of reaching the summit is a very subjective matter... Regardless, I hope you can put the future of Yueyin first." "Then I'm afraid I have to refuse."

...]

[...

"Are you threatening me?" Yan Jing narrowed his eyes.

"You can think of it that way."

The figure spoke softly. "After all, this is my Yueyin."

"Of course, I stand by what I said: if you never step into the Seventh Rank in this life, I won't make a move."

"I have high hopes for you. Don't make a mistake you'll regret."

Yan Jing turned around and laughed.

"You really have an interesting way of speaking."

"If you have such high hopes for me, then why wasn't I the one infused with the heart of reaching the summit?"

After a few seconds of silence, the figure said,

"Because it is already too late."

"And you are not the one I favor more."

"Is it possible that you misjudged?" Yan Jing smiled.

"Absolutely impossible."

"Alright. In that case, allow me to refuse."

...]

Reason told her that if she switched to choosing Yan Jing now, there would still be time to salvage everything.

But she had been so absolutely certain back then; to change her tune once Yan Jing came out...

Her mind already conjured the scene of Yan Jing publicly mocking her, shocking everyone present.

Taking a step back, even if she set aside her pride and truly chose Yan Jing, would this Yueyin still be her Yueyin?

With Yan Jing's way of doing things, once his strength surpassed hers, would he show her even an ounce of respect?

When that time came, let alone pursuing the broader horizons she desired, with Yan Jing suppressing her, would she even have any freedom left?

The moment she thought about someone opposing whatever she said or did, and her subordinates no longer treating her words as absolute priority, a deep sense of discomfort welled up from the bottom of her heart, raising goosebumps across her skin.

Her pale hands clenched tighter.

Second Ring Domain.

Jian Yi's face was ashen.

He lowered his head, staring at his hands that looked as though they belonged to an eighty-year-old man, his eyes full of despair.

Ever since he was crippled by Yan Jing, he hadn't just lost his weird energy; his body's aging far exceeded that of an ordinary person. He had barely ten years left to live.

As for his status... he had long since been dismissed by the city government. He could only use his savings to buy a house, hire a nanny, and drag out his remaining days... "If you find it unacceptable, you can end your own life."

Yan Jing's soft words echoed:

"But if you want to live, then you have the perfect opportunity to see if what I said is true."

...]

Finally, all the despair built up in Jian Yi's chest transformed into a furious roar.

With tears in his eyes and a vicious expression, he glared at the photos of Yan Jing plastered across his walls.

"I'll wait. I'll wait, Yan Jing. That person won't let you off, absolutely not."

Just like back then.

Third Ring Domain.

Long Quan let out a long sigh, leaning back into his recliner and slowly closing his eyes.

He had been closely following this qualifying tournament these past few days.

Ever since Long Qiancheng was defeated by Yan Jing last time, his Dao heart had been completely shattered. No matter how much Long Quan beat or scolded him, he had refused to participate in this tournament.

He only paid attention to the tournament because he wanted to be the first to tell Long Qiancheng the news of Yan Jing's defeat.

But he never expected...

Perhaps he really was getting old.

He took off the reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and rubbed his wrinkled eyes, his body curling up slightly like a frail, aging dragon. He began to ponder the future of the Long Family.

Fourth Ring Domain.

Zhao Qianling's eyes lit up with joy.

"Good, excellent."

"Little Ye, prepare a quiet room for me. I need to do a reading for Xiao Yan."

Beside her, Ye Liu was taken aback.

"But didn't you say last time that you couldn't calculate anything?"

"This time, I'll use The Vessel," Zhao Qianling said decisively.

"We have already reached the crossroads of fate. We absolutely cannot choose wrong."

Fifth Ring Domain.

Inside the villa district, amid a chorus of cheers, Shen ??ran walked out of her room.

She pulled a pitch-black bird from her palm and let it fly into the air.

About half an hour later, Xiao Xin found her in the room.

"Eeya eeya~~"

Xiao Xin scooted over to Shen ??ran, wondering why she had been called.

"Be a good girl, give this to Xiao Yanzi."

Shen ??ran pulled the ticket from her pocket and placed it into Xiao Xin's hands, then gently pulled Xiao Xin into her embrace and said, "Sweetie, tell Xiao Yanzi that no matter what that person says, he should agree first."

"And then find a chance to run."

"Eeya eeya~~"

Xiao Xin reached out, wiped Shen ??ran's cheek, and then patted her own chest, signaling that she could handle it.

She looked at the white bucket hat on Shen ??ran's head, the silk scarf around her neck, and the suitcase at her feet, feeling a little confused. "Eeya eeya?? (Are you going out?)"

"Yeah."

Shen ??ran nodded, then smiled.

"Tell Xiao Yanzi I'm going out to hide for a bit and clear my head."

Silence, conflict, shock, anger, astonishment, excitement, joy—these emotions took turns playing out across the Surface World.

Yan Jing was completely oblivious to all this. He reached out and slapped Shui Nianshuang and Xu Feng awake.

"Can you hear me?"

Shui Nianshuang and Xu Feng were both in a daze. They hadn't even realized they had lost yet. It wasn't until they felt the shattered bones in their bodies and the agonizing pain worse than death that they finally snapped back to reality.

Terror was written across Shui Nianshuang's face, while Xu Feng looked more despondent than anything.

"Listen closely. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you will answer them directly," Yan Jing said calmly.

"Answer well, and you and Miss Sheng can all leave."

"Answer poorly, and you'll end up like that."

He pointed at the puddle of mush and the solitary severed head nearby.

The two of them took just one look and their pupils shrank, their bodies trembling subconsciously.

Shui Nianshuang's eyes rolled back; she almost passed out entirely.

Wan Yicheng was dead. He was actually dead.

The thick stench of blood in the air told the two of them that this was absolutely no joke.

A few seconds later, Xu Feng nodded, his face deathly pale.

"Ask."

"One of the main quests this time is to find the secret of the God Storage Land. What is your team's theory?"

"A trial ground for deities."

Xu Feng replied.

"Just that?"

Yan Jing frowned. The answer of a deity trial ground didn't even count as the first layer of truth: the slumbering ground of those from the interrupted chronology. Xu Feng was stunned.

Before coming here, the answer that person had revealed to them was indeed this.

Seeing that Yan Jing seemed suspicious of him, he hurriedly spoke up:

"It's true. That's what that person told us."

Yan Jing shook his head.

"I'm not satisfied with this answer."

"But it really is!"

Xu Feng's voice rose in panic. Just then, Shui Nianshuang suddenly spoke up beside him:

"It's... it's a sacrifice!"

"What did you say?"

Yan Jing raised an eyebrow, looking at Shui Nianshuang.

Shui Nianshuang subconsciously shuddered, her voice dropping as she spoke:

"It's a sacrifice."

"I heard Brother Chang and Wan... Wan Yicheng analyzing it. They said the structure of this place is very much like a sacrificial terrain."

"What sacrificial terrain?"

Yan Jing narrowed his eyes at Shui Nianshuang.

Shui Nianshuang stammered, trembling:

"I... I didn't hear clearly, but I think I know what's going on. I need... I need a few maps."

"The fake maps."

Yan Jing pulled a map from his pocket and placed it in front of Shui Nianshuang.

"No need. I have the real map right here."

The re... real map?

The two were shocked once again. But as they looked closer, it wasn't just Shui Nianshuang; even Xu Feng was utterly dumbfounded.

"That's impossible..."

Xu Feng looked toward Shui Nianshuang.

But Shui Nianshuang nodded and looked at Yan Jing with absolute certainty:

"Now I truly understand."

"But... but you have to promise..."

Before Shui Nianshuang could finish, Yan Jing's hand was already hovering over her throat.

All the hairs on her body stood on end, and her words spilled out like machine-gun fire:

"The structure of this place is identical to Yueyin's structure!"

At this, it was Yan Jing's turn to be stunned.

He looked at the map in his hand, unable to see anything resembling a circle.

But Shui Nianshuang channeled a sliver of weird energy to act as a pen, drawing several loops on the map.

The Sand Domain, the hills, the swamp, and the Glacial zone formed one circle.

The canyon and Thunder Valley formed another circle.

Then, she grouped the stairs, which appeared to be in the center, together with the dense forest to form a circle.

She turned the single-log bridge, the Lake, and the wilderness next to the volcano into another circle.

Finally, right in the center, was the volcano's crater.

"This..."

Yan Jing looked at the map in his hand and frowned.

"Isn't that a bit of a stretch?"

The map in his hands did indeed show four rings, but... they were all incredibly crooked. Let alone circles, they couldn't even be called irregular ovals. They were skewed to the point where some were merely long, narrow strips.

Although he knew that Yueyin's ring domains weren't perfect circles, he hadn't expected them to be this warped.

But Shui Nianshuang's expression was deadly serious:

"Have you ever seen a topographical map of Yueyin?"

Yan Jing thought back carefully, but was suddenly taken aback.

Because, even including the original host's memories, he had indeed never seen a topographical map of Yueyin. Although they had maps, they lacked the so-called ring domain borders.

The official explanation was that there were layers of military checkpoints between the domains, making the layout an absolute military secret.

Shui Nianshuang said,

"Yueyin's ring domains are divided exactly like this."

"Completely identical."

"Truly almost identical."

"Except it's missing a piece right here."

She pointed to a large chunk just to the left of the map's center. That section was black. The people sent out by the Great Prison had gone there before, only to find a region of Chaos that was completely impenetrable.

According to what Xiao Xin had seen from the sky, this domain of Chaos actually had many branching extensions. Some of these branches dug deep into other territories. For example, the so-called "exits" detailed in the fake maps were actually connected to this chaotic zone.

"So what do you mean by a sacrifice?" Yan Jing's eyes hardened.

Shui Nianshuang looked at Xu Feng beside her, then at the unconscious Sheng Xia. Taking a deep breath, she said:

"Well... there are rumors that Yueyin's original structure was designed for sacrifice."

"It is also the method used to fuse different hearts of reaching the summit together."

Yan Jing looked at the map in his hand and recalled the words of the white-silk-clad man locked inside his Space Rift.

A certain thought blossomed in his mind.

[You have made contact with the second layer of truth]

"Not bad."

Yan Jing nodded. After asking the two of them a few more questions, he stood up and tossed down three Crystal Stones.

"Alright, you're of no more use."

With that, his figure blinked, vanishing from his spot.

At the edge of that chaotic zone, a man built like an iron tower stood waiting impatiently.

He had previously received a message from the man in the Sand Domain, telling him to meet here.

But a long time had passed, and he still hadn't seen anyone.

"Fuck! Is he playing me? Could he be dead?!"

His face was full of indignation.

Having their plans ruined was already infuriating enough, and now the guy was taking forever to show up.

He was gradually losing his patience.

Just as he stood up, ready to leave, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

The moment he saw that figure, his eyes widened dramatically.

"It's y—"

The next instant, he was rammed directly into the domain of Chaos by the figure.

The wilderness zone.

Huo Tong withdrew the flames in her palm and watched as Wen Xu opened the furnace. A bowl of medicinal paste glowing with a rich golden light rested quietly inside, its texture looking plump and inviting.

'What a freak...'

Huo Tong thought to herself.

Even back in her time, she had never seen an alchemist with such a high success rate in refining medicine.

'Is this guy really not from the Medicine Clan?'

She began to doubt the true identity of the Wizard before her.

Yan Jing reached out, releasing his weird energy to instantly roll the medicinal paste inside the furnace into individual pills. He collected them, stood up, and stretched lazily.

"Let's go. Time to check out your old home."

The two walked toward the wilderness next to the volcano.

Chatting casually along the way.

"Did you say that all the divine monstrous progeny are corpses left behind by people who died here?"

Yan Jing asked.

"That's right."

Huo Tong nodded:

"They only gradually appear when the God Storage Land awakens."

"I recall that the first place to awaken was the volcano I guard; that was the day I saw you."

"Indeed." Yan Jing nodded.

"Then is it possible for a person's corpse to remain in the God Storage Land without turning into a divine monstrous progeny, even after a long time?"

Huo Tong thought for a moment and shook her head:

"As far as I know, it's practically impossible unless only a single bone is left, or the flesh and blood are completely mangled. If the skeleton is intact, especially the skull, they will almost always be transformed."

"Furthermore, the stronger they were, the higher the chances of transformation."

"I see. Understood."

Yan Jing nodded:

"Let's continue."

"Earlier, we were talking about how Wu Xu, the guy who looked just like me, died, right?"

"Let me skip ahead and ask: what happened after that? How did you discover the God Storage Land and enter it?"

Huo Tong explained:

"At the time, when the Mutation descended, every clan's situation grew dire. So, many tribes banded together for mutual survival."

"Our tribes formed one such large coalition to protect each other."

"The Ice Clan, the Fire Tribe, the Medicine Clan, the Moon Tribe, the Sand Tribe, the Gold Clan, the Slumber Tribe..."