Chapter 568: Result (Two-in-One)

"We support the independence of Old Sin City."

A single sentence, delivered as lightly as a spring breeze, yet carrying a crushing weight.

The entire hall fell silent. Countless gazes turned toward the fourth figure, whose smile had frozen on his face.

At this moment, the fourth figure was completely stunned.

His previous smug complacency vanished without a trace. He stared at the ninth figure; his eyes gradually turned red, his breathing noticeably heavier.

"What did you say?"

He spoke as if his mouth were full of scorching wind, his words blowing out in a chaotic scatter.

"I said, our Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom is using our One-Vote Privilege to support the independence of Old Sin City."

The ninth figure spoke unhurriedly. Then he stood and looked at the other nine.

"Everyone, I'm taking my leave for the rest of this meeting. Please continue."

With that, he turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.

"Um—you haven't seen the result yet—"

The female host on the stage spoke up, but halfway through her sentence, a full-body shiver wracked her frame.

The ninth figure had turned around to look at her. "I didn't give you permission to speak to me, did I?"

"N-no, I'm sorry."

The female host lowered her head.

"Mhm. Be mindful next time."

The figure turned back around and walked toward the rear of the conference hall. With every step, his form grew a bit more illusory, until he vanished completely.

The ninth figure had left, but a dead silence still hung over the conference hall.

The fourth figure was still standing at his seat.

The twisted blood vessels beneath his eyes had darkened, some even turning from deep red to pitch black. It was a terrifying sight.

"Begin the voting."

The manager in the first seat had no intention of interfering. He raised a hand, signaling the host on stage to proceed to the next segment.

"Oh. Right. Okay."

The female host finally snapped back to reality. She raised a hand, weird energy surging in her palm.

"Since two representatives simultaneously used opposing One-Vote Privileges, the privileges temporarily cancel each other out. Everyone, please begin voting."

The voting method was very simple.

As her voice fell, pitch-black spheres of light appeared in front of the crowd.

With a mere thought from each individual, the spheres turned from black to white, like lit lamps.

Each lit lamp meant the person behind it had made their choice.

Soon, the entire hall was as bright as day, shimmering like a vast river of stars.

"Voting has ended."

The female host spoke. Hundreds of spheres rose from the crowd, gathering in the air to form a swirling galaxy.

Seconds later, the galaxy dispersed.

Two numbers appeared in the air.

87:43

The number 87 slowly drifted out and hung over Mantou's head on the stage.

Mantou stood with a blank expression, unsure if she had succeeded or failed.

Chen Nian hadn't mentioned this part; he only said that she would naturally know if it passed.

The next second, the crowd sitting in front of her erupted into fierce applause.

"Congratulations."

The female host looked at the stunned Mantou and smiled. "Your request has successfully passed the assembly's evaluation. Old Sin City is now an independent Third Level Class Complete Domain, and will henceforth be protected by the Gods' Association."

"If you have any questions, you can contact our committee after the meeting concludes."

"O-okay. Thank you."

Amid the endless applause, even as Mantou gave her thanks, she remained half-dazed.

Only then did she notice the spotlight overhead, so dazzling it made it hard to keep her eyes open. The applause ringing in her ears was so loud it gave her tinnitus.

It was louder than the Amusement Park.

She had never heard such applause in her entire life.

Mr. Tiger, the iceman lady, and the other figures who had stood up were all looking at her with gratified expressions.

She bowed to the crowd and, without lingering any longer, ran straight toward the backstage.

Where is Yi Ji—

Dragging her somewhat clumsy legs, she stumbled into the inner area of the backstage.

Her heart was full of confusion right now, but the person she wanted to see the most was him.

However, right after she turned a corner, a figure appeared in front of her.

A familiar tiger-skin coat, a familiar half-drooping head, and a familiar, hoarse, slightly sleazy voice.

Only his aura had changed.

"Miss Mantou, it's been a long time."

Mantou raised her head and looked at Tiger.

If her last impression of the Tiger from half a year ago was still stuck on that listless, cowardly pushover...

...then the person before her now painted a completely different picture.

Though he still gave off a hint of cowardice and sleaziness, his every movement carried a composure he had lacked in the past.

"Mr. Tiger—it's been a long time."

Mantou nodded. "Are you also here to find—Yi Ji?"

"No, I'm not."

Tiger shook his head. "I came to find you."

"Me?" Mantou's eyes went wide.

She hadn't expected Tiger to be looking for her.

"T-then let's go together—I need to go find Yi Ji—"

With that, Mantou continued walking down the corridor.

But Tiger shifted sideways, blocking her path. "You won't find Mr. Yi Ji, Miss Mantou. Don't go any further. He's not here."

"He is—Yi Ji is definitely—here—"

Mantou pursed her lips and tried to push forward regardless.

"No, Mr. Yi Ji really isn't here. I understand a little bit about Fate now. Look at this thread."

A golden thread drilled out from Tiger's fingertip, swirling in the air.

"If Mr. Yi Ji was here, this thread would lead me to him, but it's spinning in circles, so he's not here."

Mantou widened her eyes, staring at the wriggling thread on Tiger's fingertip. After looking for a good while, she shook her head. "He is—really—this thing of yours—isn't—"

Mantou puffed her cheeks slightly and continued to rush forward.

Tiger gave a bitter smile.

After spending some time in the Path of Destiny, it was genuinely rare to hear someone use the word "inaccurate" to describe him.

"Miss Mantou, Mr. Yi Ji really isn't here. He used Xiao Xin to contact me."

Tiger looked at Mantou's back as she walked away, and he called out, "I really want to see him too. But—you know how it is. If he could see us, he definitely wouldn't wait for you to go looking for him."

"..."

Mantou's footsteps came to a halt.

She lowered her head, saying nothing more.

Tiger sighed. "Miss Mantou, go back with the success you wanted and everyone's wishes."

"As for love—it's always there anyway. Neither you nor Mr. Yi Ji will lose it."

"..." Mantou kept her head down, her voice trembling. "I miss Yi Ji."

"I know, I know." Tiger sighed. "But you should have guessed by now. For even the Fear Family to step forward means—Mr. Yi Ji is very likely unable to come see you right now."

Mantou nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Tiger."

With that, Mantou left.

This time, she didn't head in the direction where she sensed Yan Jing was, but turned a corner, walking toward the other side of the doors.

Beneath her long, pitch-black hair, that small face was shattered by tears.

She had succeeded.

Old Sin City was independent.

But why was she in so much pain?

She just wanted to see Yi Ji; why was it so hard?

Just why were there so many hardships in the world that forced her and Yi Ji apart?

She knew Yan Jing must have made a massive sacrifice for this, which only made the thought even more agonizing.

Where are you, Yi Ji?

Are you out there suffering for my sake again?

Mantou crouched in a corner, mouth open as she wept. She used all her strength to keep from making a single sound, her entire body trembling endlessly from her sobs.

Inside the waiting room.

Yan Jing had a complex expression on his face.

He should have gone out.

Used the painting to disguise himself and see Mantou once.

He knew the girl must be absolutely heartbroken right now.

But he simply couldn't.

Not only did he have to go on stage immediately, but more importantly, he was waiting for news.

Minhu.

Xiao Xin looked at Chen Nian, who was wearing a White Windbreaker and a mask, and shouted, "Where are you going?! Zhu Leng told me to ask you!!!"

At this moment, Chen Nian was standing in front of a mirror, gazing into it.

Astonishingly, the mirror displayed the scene of the Gods' Association trial.

Hearing Xiao Xin's words, he turned his head and looked at the creature. "I'm going home."

"Home?"

Xiao Xin tilted its head. "Where is your home?"

Seeing Xiao Xin's pure, innocent look of knowing nothing of the world's affairs, Chen Nian chuckled. "The Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom."

Hearing these words, Xiao Xin nodded.

Clearly, Yan Jing had briefed Xiao Xin in advance, and this matched up.

"Zhu Leng said, Zhu Leng said—"

Before Xiao Xin could finish, a vortex suddenly opened within the mirror in front of Chen Nian. The vortex slowly spun, and a figure walked out from it.

Wearing green robes and a mask, the figure looked at Chen Nian. "Let's go."

Chen Nian smiled and followed behind the figure, walking toward the vortex.

Xiao Xin was stunned for a moment before hurriedly finishing what Yan Jing had told it to say: "Zhu Leng, Zhu Leng said he will go find you!!!"

Hearing this, Chen Nian didn't speak. He stepped directly into the vortex.

The two of them appeared in a zone of Chaos.

The figure chuckled twice. "Heh heh, with things like this, I'm really curious who that guy is, thinking he can still come find you."

Chen Nian smiled faintly. "You wouldn't want to know who he is."

"Why not?"

The figure's gaze flickered.

"If he knew the truth, he would kill you."

At those words, the figure blanked, then burst into roaring laughter. "Hahaha, my oh my! After so many years, you're still so good at telling jokes."

"Alright, alright. Don't make me laugh the moment we meet."

"Tell you what. If he actually dares to come, I'll give you one thousand Blood Value. If he doesn't, you give me one thousand. And if he comes and manages to kill me, all my Blood Value belongs to you. How about it?"

Chen Nian smiled. "Deal."

Blood Value was the unique currency of the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom.

It was a currency that didn't even see much circulation in the kingdom's markets.

It was measured at 1 Blood Value for every 0.01% of bloodline purity.

In other words, a Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom member with a 30% bloodline purity naturally possessed 3,000 Blood Value.

Paying Blood Value meant having someone directly condense the blood in one's own body into essence.

Unless a method to raise bloodline purity was found, it was incredibly difficult to regenerate.

Chen Nian hadn't agreed to the bet out of spite or resignation.

It was because he knew that person would definitely come.

Listening to the news Xiao Xin brought back, Yan Jing's expression turned as dark as murky water.

Chen Nian was the crown prince of the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom.

He had known this ever since his memories were restored.

But he had never thought of seeking Chen Nian's help.

Chen Nian had escaped back then because he had eloped with a woman from another Clan. The two Clans were utterly incompatible in the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom. For the sake of bloodline purity alone, descendants within the Clan could absolutely never casually intermarry with outsiders.

But the two of them were deeply in love, and in the romantic naivety of their youth, they planned a reckless escape under the moonlight one night.

However—

What sort of Tier were the two of them at?

How could they possibly succeed?

The girl's brother went and dragged her back, only—an accident occurred during the process.

Her brother's Bow accidentally struck her body. Under the massive gap in Tier, the girl died instantly.

Chen Nian was also dragged back to his Clan.

Within the River of Time, he died of depression not long after.

And during Yan Jing's last journey through the River of Time, he had finally managed to save him.

Only then did the two of them reunite in the real world.

Yes, Chen Nian was the male protagonist of the eloping couple from the Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom that Ning Wei had mentioned.

Chen Nian's status was very special.

Their Clan had already expended a great deal of effort to find him. As long as Chen Nian spoke up, securing a One-Vote Privilege wouldn't be an issue.

But from beginning to end, Yan Jing had never considered looking for Chen Nian.

Chen Nian was his friend.

And not just an ordinary friend.

He knew that Chen Nian had no desire to go back.

Clearly, Chen Nian had seen his determination to protect Mantou, and that was why he had stepped forward.

"If there ever comes a day when you need help, I'll go no matter what."

"If that day really comes, just don't let your legs turn to jelly."

"No matter who is on the other side, I will go."

Thinking of their conversation back in Minhu, Yan Jing clenched his fists tightly.

A moment later, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Screwing me over, huh, Old Chen."

"Fine, I accept it."

"Will the representative of the next domain please come on stage."

The woman spoke for the second time on the stage.

She looked toward the stage entrance in confusion, sweating slightly at her brow, not knowing where the person had gone.

Why is it one thing after another today?

The female host complained bitterly in her heart.

But just as she was about to call someone to go look, a figure stepped onto the stage the very next second.

Yan Jing was wearing a dark blue shirt and slacks today. Paired with Wen Xu's gentle, water-like appearance, his exterior looked exceptionally outstanding.

"Sorry I'm late, Host," Yan Jing smiled.

Almost the instant he appeared, everyone's gazes were immediately drawn to him.

Most of them were captivated by Wen Xu's looks.

But a small fraction of them were not.

Yan Jing could feel two pairs of eyes from among the managers staring dead at him.

Naturally, the eyes of the Hermit on the far right were filled with hatred.

As for the figure sitting in the seventh seat, his gaze held more curiosity.

Yan Jing smiled faintly. Then, acting as if nothing was amiss, he looked at the crowd. "Hello, everyone. My name is Wen Xu."

"I came today hoping that our Cat Ship can exist as an independent entity. If that isn't possible, we hope to sign a contract with the Gods' Association—exchanging transport assistance for retaining the vast majority of our autonomy."

"..."

No one in the audience spoke.

Everyone knew perfectly well in their hearts that this was an absolute impossibility.

Sure enough, the next second—excluding the ninth who had left and the fourth who had lost his One-Vote Privilege—four of the ten managers raised their hands.

The first manager, the second manager, the seventh manager, and the Hermit in the tenth seat all simultaneously used their domains' One-Vote Privileges.

Their demand was singular.

Rejecting the Cat Ship's bid to become an independent domain.

"Heh heh."

Yan Jing began to laugh.

He wasn't in a very good mood right now.

Becoming a subordinate domain to someone else didn't really matter to him.

But the rules never said that a person couldn't rebel, right?