Chapter 615: All Sides on the Move

"Lord Cat, do you know what the Young Master has been busy with lately?"

Chen Shi looked at Yan Jing, who was sitting with his legs crossed, eating an apple.

"I don't know."

Yan Jing handed the peeled apple to Wen He behind him.

Wen He's eyes crinkled in a happy smile. She reached out, vigorously ruffled Yan Jing's hair, and leaned in close to his ear.

"So good... so good... Little Jing is so good..."

"Why don't you knock on the door and ask?"

Yan Jing looked at Chen Shi and pointed at the iron door behind him.

Every time Chen Nian went into seclusion, he would lock himself behind that iron door, and then...

"Argh!"

Bloodcurdling screams just like this would echo from behind the iron door.

"I know."

Yan Jing clapped his hands together.

Chen Shi's eyes lit up.

"Please tell me."

Yan Jing narrowed his eyes, flashing a mysterious smile.

"Mr. Chen must have some peculiar little hobbies of his own. It's a very common thing in the Heavenly Kingdom."

"That..." Sweat beaded on Chen Shi's forehead. He wiped it away with a handkerchief.

"That shouldn't be it..."

He didn't dare scold Yan Jing for spouting nonsense, nor could he admit that he harbored the exact same tiny suspicion in his own heart, so he could only chuckle awkwardly. "Of course it isn't."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Just a joke. Don't be so nervous."

Chen Shi wiped the sweat from his face with his handkerchief again.

He truly didn't dare laugh at that joke.

"But Mr. Chen must indeed be going through something rather painful right now,"

Yan Jing said softly.

"I smell blood. The scent of blood that belongs exclusively to your Chen Family."

Chen Shi froze. He turned his head to look at the iron door.

Yan Jing twitched his nose.

"It's a scent only I can detect."

Chen Shi was completely stunned.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered the possibility of Chen Nian self-mutilating.

Rumor had it that when Chen Nian eloped with the girl from the Xue Family, he was dragged back home and locked away in an isolated courtyard under heavy guard.

In the dead of night, the guards on duty could always hear Chen Nian's agonizing roars echoing from that courtyard.

According to a guard who had seen the battlefield, those roars sounded even more excruciating than having one's flesh sliced away with a knife. Just hearing them made a person tremble to their core.

Unable to rest easy, some guards had gone inside to check on him, only to find Chen Nian using a knife to carve away his own flesh and blood.

Because of this incident, Chen Shi believed it wasn't entirely impossible that Chen Nian was destroying himself once again.

But...

The problem lay in the word "blood" that Yan Jing had used.

Chen Nian's blood was the Bloodline of the Chen Family.

The Chen Family was a clan that had risen to power entirely by relying on their Bloodline.

Even he, a member of the Chen Family, hadn't caught the scent of the Bloodline. Yet Yan Jing claimed he could smell it?

This was what truly shocked Chen Shi.

Moreover...

In Chen Nian's current state, did he even have any Bloodline left?

The way he saw it, Chen Nian's body was already almost completely mechanized. The flesh-and-blood portions made up less than five percent.

Five percent sounded like a lot, but if spread out over an entire body, there was practically nothing left.

Under such circumstances, he still had to maintain the symbiosis between his mechanical components and his remaining flesh. This made Chen Shi seriously doubt how Chen Nian was even managing to strip his flesh away. "The main thing is that the current situation is urgent..."

Chen Shi furrowed his brow tightly.

Right now, the Chen Family's Blood War appeared calm on the surface, but that was only because someone who was supposed to be eliminated hadn't been ousted yet.

The Sixth Young Master of the Chen Family.

Once the Sixth Young Master was eliminated, the remaining participants would all ascend to the Tenth Tier.

He didn't even need to think about it to know that the next one to be besieged would be Chen Nian.

"Sigh... the main issue is that the Grand Patriarch unexpectedly didn't give a single portion of Bloodline power to the Young Master."

Chen Shi sighed.

Three people had died so far.

Their Bloodline power had been distributed among the top three successors of the Chen Family.

Except for Chen Nian.

It was entirely predictable that once the Sixth Young Master was eliminated, his portion of the Bloodline power wouldn't go to Chen Nian either. It would undoubtedly go to the Third Young Master.

"Even if they gave it to Mr. Chen, he wouldn't be able to advance to the Tenth Tier." Yan Jing's tone was calm, but his words left Chen Shi stunned.

"He wants to take that step using his own methods. The power of the Bloodline would only bring him pain."

Having said that, Yan Jing smiled.

"Your Grand Patriarch is honestly a bit foolish. If it were me, I would give the Bloodline power to Mr. Chen immediately."

Chen Shi thought about it for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, a figure suddenly appeared at the doorway.

"Captain!"

Bobo saluted Yan Jing.

"Captain Bobo."

Yan Jing stood up and returned the salute.

"How is the situation?"

"Not bad. No, I should say very good."

Bobo panted, looking at the water on the table.

"Can I have a sip?"

"Of course! This is a reward for your bravery!"

Yan Jing puffed out his chest. Weird Energy subtly surged, smoothing out the hair that Wen He had just ruffled.

Bobo chugged the water, wiped her mouth, and said, "You were absolutely right."

"The other Young Masters of the Chen Family have already set off in the opposite direction from us."

"How is that possible?"

Chen Shi sprang up from his seat and stared at Bobo.

According to his predictions, the Sixth Young Master's only path to survival was to run toward the Game Kingdom and redirect the danger to them.

If he did that, the other Young Masters would definitely follow.

Bobo nodded emphatically.

"It's the absolute truth."

"That Sixth Young Master was the first to change direction, heading straight toward the Eerie Capital."

"The remaining Young Masters chased after him, following right on his heels."

The Eerie Capital was indeed in the complete opposite direction from the Game Kingdom.

Chen Shi frowned and promptly turned to head out.

"My apologies, Lord Cat. I need to go look into the situation."

With that, Chen Shi hurried out the door.

About tens of minutes later, Chen Shi walked back in, his expression complicated.

"Something has happened."

"What happened?" Bobo was a little confused.

According to the news she'd just brought back, the current situation should be working in their favor.

"There are rumors coming from the Eerie Capital claiming that an unimaginably vast divine treasure truly exists within that small Domain previously known as Old Sin City. Anyone who obtains it will be able to directly break through the Tenth Tier and reach the Demigod Realm Stage."

Bobo's mouth fell wide open.

"That... that's impossible, right?"

A single item that could allow someone to break through to the Demigod Realm—such a thing felt entirely out of her depth, even for someone walking the Erudite Pathway. Chen Shi took a deep breath.

"At least three demigods have stepped forward to confirm the reliability of this claim."

"It's not just the Chen Family. Right now, the Mechanical Heavenly Kingdom, the Life Heavenly Kingdom, Chaos, Train, and the Immortal Anomaly have all dispatched their strongest trump cards to the Eerie Capital."

"The Xue Family has even sent out the Xue Family Heir; his target is also the Eerie Capital."

The Xue Family Heir...

The color drained from Bobo's face.

The Mechanical Heavenly Kingdom had recently lost half of its Domains. This was something practically all the major factions knew about.

But exactly how they lost them had remained a mystery.

Until a piece of footage was released.

In the footage, the Xue Family Heir had plunged deep into enemy lines alone, single-handedly resisting five Mechanical Emperors and utterly routing their forces. The Xue Family Heir had become famous overnight.

Everyone had guessed the purpose behind releasing this footage.

The Xue Family Heir was too strong. If anyone wanted to claim the top spot on Advent Day, the Xue Family Heir had to die.

But the Xue Family weren't fools. After that, the Xue Family Heir never left the Xue Family's grounds again.

Who would have thought that he would unexpectedly appear once more?

"Factions are moving from all directions. No one can fathom just how many monsters, previously hidden from the world, are concealed within this fray."

"But one thing is certain: if the Xue Family Heir truly manages to break through to the Demigod Realm before Advent Day, we might as well declare Advent Day over."

Chen Shi sighed.

"If anyone else from the Chen Family gets their hands on that item, your Chen Family's Blood War can also be declared over."

Yan Jing stood up.

"Wake Mr. Chen. We need to take a trip to the Eerie Capital as well."

Before he even finished speaking, Yan Jing looked up at the tightly shut iron door.

A second later, the iron door slammed open.

Chen Nian's figure appeared.

At the moment, he didn't look much different from before, except that the bandages around his neck were wrapped a few layers thicker, and his mask was larger. The sliver of skin that used to show beneath his eyes was now completely covered, and bandages were wrapped around his forehead.

Only a pair of eyes remained visible.

They stared at Yan Jing and Chen Shi.

"Pack up. We're going to the Eerie Capital."

"Now. Immediately."

"Hurry, hurry! Tell me, is there anything wrong with my tie?"

Crocodile urged Boss Rat on his shoulder as he hurried up the stairs.

"I've already checked it eight hundred times."

Boss Rat yawned.

"I'm telling you, there's really no need for you to be this nervous, right?"

"What the hell do you know?" Despite Boss Rat's words, Crocodile still reached up and adjusted his collar.

"That man is now our Heavenly Kingdom's God of Wealth. Do you have any idea how much our Heavenly Kingdom's economic index has skyrocketed since he took over the Four Great Families?" "Eighteen point six four times."

Boss Rat yawned again.

That person's methods were truly formidable. Somehow, he had managed to secure a material trade agreement with Minhu. A massive influx of Ancient Relics, mineral deposits, and anomalous biological samples had poured into the Peace Heavenly Kingdom.

For the Peace Heavenly Kingdom, where mechanical species and biological species coexisted, these items were true wealth.

In just a few short months, the Peace Heavenly Kingdom had completely transformed, taking on a prosperous and thriving scene.

But he didn't like that person.

He didn't like him one bit.

If it weren't for that man, his own brat of a son wouldn't have been thrown into the Great Prison.

Back when he first heard something had happened at the Great Prison, he almost rushed over to fight the man surnamed Luo to the death.

Fortunately...

The kid ended up putting on a pretty good showing later on.

Otherwise, he'd already made up his mind. Even if he charged over and got swatted to death with a single slap, he was going to drop a few rat craps on his way out just to disgust the bastard.

Knock, knock, knock!!!

Crocodile smoothed out his suit and knocked on the door of the top-floor office.

"Come in."

A gentle voice called out from inside.

Crocodile pushed the door open.

Behind the desk, Luo Sheng turned his chair around, a smile on his face.

Gentle, modest, and every bit the elegant young master.

No matter how many times he saw him, Crocodile always had the exact same thought.

But he knew that if anyone actually believed that was who he was, they were dead wrong.

Scheming.

That was his deepest impression of Luo Sheng after spending all this time with him.

"Mr. President, Mr. Rat."

Yan Jing stood up and offered the two of them a slight bow.

"Please, have a seat."

Crocodile hurriedly said.

Yan Jing didn't sit down. Instead, he smiled and said softly, "I wonder if you two have caught wind of certain rumors lately."

Rumors...

Crocodile's heart tightened. He instinctively glanced at Boss Rat on his shoulder.

But Boss Rat clearly had no intention of engaging him. He spoke up directly:

"Are you talking about the situation in the Eerie Capital?"

We're doomed...

The Blood War between the Xue and Chen families had caused a massive uproar. Crocodile had naturally received the news as well.

But he truly didn't want to wade into these muddy waters.

The Peace Heavenly Kingdom had only been enjoying its good days for a short while. Getting involved in this messy business now was just asking for trouble, wasn't it?

Moreover...

Those guys were all fighting at the Tenth Tier. Aside from the newly promoted Ninth Tier Boss Rat and the man sitting right in front of him, the Peace Heavenly Kingdom couldn't even scrape together another Ninth Tier expert if they tried.

"This still... requires some careful consideration."

Crocodile pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"No, no, no. I believe the time is ripe." Yan Jing's eyes crinkled in a smile.

"This is an opportunity, Mr. President."

"You should know that as long as we can win—even if we just manage to bask in a fraction of the glory—our entire Peace Heavenly Kingdom will ascend."

"There's only one item. With so many First Level Domains going after it, the odds are just too low." Crocodile gritted his teeth.

He really couldn't gamble the future of the Peace Heavenly Kingdom on this.

"No, that's hard to say."

Yan Jing narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"Think about it. With so many people fighting over it, what if the item gets ruined, shatters, or is broken? If we can just pick up a tiny little piece..." "The odds are still too low."

Crocodile said through gritted teeth.

He rarely went against Luo Sheng, but this time was truly different.

"I am already at the Tenth Tier."

Yan Jing wore a polite smile, but his words made Crocodile and Boss Rat freeze in their tracks.

"Is it acceptable now?"

Yan Jing's smile was radiant, yet his words sounded like the whispers of a devil:

"This is an opportunity. A chance to tell the Inner World that the Peace Heavenly Kingdom has advanced to become a First Level Domain."

"A Second Level Domain that was on the verge of collapse successfully ascending to a First Level Domain under your leadership. Are you not tempted?"

Listening to Yan Jing's words, Crocodile subconsciously swallowed hard.

"Master, I'm leaving."

Old Master Liu stood up and looked at the white-haired Old Man sitting cross-legged nearby.

"Mhm."

The Old Man kept his eyes closed, offering a vague hum. It was impossible to tell if he had actually heard him or was just mumbling in his sleep.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Three crisp sounds of a forehead striking the ground rang out before the Old Man.

"Every Emperor Has His Own Courtiers. You are a man of the Lake Prefecture. This disciple will not place you in a position of disloyalty or injustice."

"After today, you no longer need to acknowledge me as your disciple; it is enough that this disciple still acknowledges you as Master."

"You once said the world is vast and boundless, and one's footsteps are not enough to measure it."

"This disciple will go and see this world for you."

As his voice faded, a few seconds passed before the Old Man slowly opened his eyes.

There was nothing left in front of him except a bloody indentation on the ground.

The Old Man sighed.

"Foolish child."

"Y-Jing!"

Mantou ran up to Yan Jing and handed him a white flower.

Flowers in Old Sin City were rarely white.

"For... you! I... saw it... on the road..."

Yan Jing looked at the flower and smiled.

"This is the first time I've received a flower from a girl. It's beautiful."

"And this is for you, Mantou."

Yan Jing's palm shimmered, and a large bouquet materialized. He handed it to Mantou.

"Th-thank you... Y-Jing!"

Mantou stared at the bouquet, which easily held hundreds of blooms. She buried her face in it, took a deep sniff, and smiled like a silly fool.

"This is for you too." Yan Jing reached out and carefully tucked the white flower into Mantou's hair.

"So pretty."

He smiled.

It was hard to tell if he was talking about the white flower or the person.

Mantou's small face turned bright red. She shyly buried her head against Yan Jing's chest.

"Y-Jing... I... I feel like... this isn't real..."

"I'm scared... scared you'll leave again..."

Ever since Yan Jing arrived in Old Sin City, Mantou often felt like she was dreaming.

"It's alright."

Yan Jing smiled softly.

"No matter who comes, I won't be leaving anymore."