Chapter 1 You Only Need to Help Me Change My Blood

"What I need you to do is very simple. Just help me change my blood."

The Grand Elder said with a smile, "If you find this kind of thing dirty and don't want to get involved... you can also refuse."

"No."

Yao Jin said softly, "My hands are already stained with countless blood. How could I find your blood dirty?"

"It's not my blood that's dirty, but the Underworld King's 'Calamity'."

The Grand Elder said gently, "Although the compartment can automatically complete blood transfusions and extractions... the blood bank at the terminal needs to be manually replaced. I will only entrust this kind of thing to the person I trust the most."

It used to be Yuan Yang.

But now... he chose Yao Jin.

...

...

Changing blood was not complicated.

Soon, fresh blood was sent into the aging body, and the Grand Elder's complexion visibly improved. He opened his eyes, and slowly sat up from the Guang Ming Bi Lei, the old blood tainted with Calamity was sent away. There were still several compartments at the end of the blood bank, filled with the already deceased Undying Ones. The last reserves in the blood bank had been used up, and their skins were now containers for Calamity. Once this blood transfusion was over, these corpses would be permanently sealed away.

"The operation of this world conforms to two sets of rules."

"One set is on the surface... such as the Seven Divine Apostles not overstepping their boundaries, and the Five Continents helping each other. If faced with an unknown crisis from outside the Five Continents, such as the Ice Sea Ruins, everyone is required to contribute according to the covenant."

"This set of rules on the surface is jointly formulated by the strong and agreed upon to be followed."

"And the other set of rules is placed in the shadows."

Yao Jin retreated to the world outside the screen.

The Grand Elder stood in the darkness, bathing and changing clothes.

His voice was still old, but no longer trembling. After the blood of the Undying Ones was injected, he regained his vitality, and even his withered white hair had a hint of black in it.

"Many things we agree on are one way in the light, and another way in the dark."

"For example, spreading faith in the Five Continents."

"The fundamental reason for the failure of Dark Line Number One is that Yuan Yang exposed secrets that should have been placed in the shadows to the light."

"The lesson from this is not that... the Temple cannot do dark deeds."

The Grand Elder slowly walked out of the darkness. He looked at Yao Jin and earnestly instructed, "Since there are two sets of rules in this world, then we must abide by the rules... games that can only be played in the dark must never be exposed to the light."

Yao Jin seemed to be lost in thought.

He murmured, "Like... this 'assassination'?"

"Yes."

The Grand Elder said calmly, "Uto's betrayal and escape conforms to the 'dark rules' I just mentioned. You did a good job with this matter. There is no evidence on the surface that can prove that Uto's matter is related to the Western Continent. If we don't let Uto show himself, the Eastern Continent will have to follow the rules of the game in the dark if they want to resolve it."

Yao Jin thought for a moment and said, "I understand."

"Next, when Gu Nanfeng arrives in Guang Ming City, he will definitely ask about the assassination last night..."

The Grand Elder slowly said, "As long as we hide Uto well, then the Gu family will have nothing to say."

The two left the pavilion together.

The Gu family delegation had already arrived in Guang Ming City. The Holy Ceremony was being held, and countless people were parading. The revelry of the believers would last for a whole month.

Cloud boats and airships flew over Guang Ming City.

A large number of security personnel were maintaining order.

This was a seemingly chaotic "celebration," but in reality, everything was under the control of Guang Ming City.

The Grand Elder, with Yao Jin, stood at the eastern entrance of Guang Ming City, quietly awaiting the delegation...

However, everything that followed was different from what he had expected.

Gu Nanfeng did not ask about the "assassination" last night upon entering the city. After the Grand Elder took the initiative to apologize, the young master of the Gu family simply hummed in response, surprisingly dismissing it completely.

The Grand Elder had prepared countless excuses to deal with the Gu family's subsequent delegation.

But nothing happened.

This seemingly grand welcoming ceremony was as ordinary as it could be.

There were no undercurrents at all.

How could there be any surging waves?

Gu Nanfeng was not talkative along the way. Even when he spoke with the Grand Elder, he only responded perfunctorily. The relationship between the Western and Eastern Continents was not good. Even if the old sentiments of the past were brought up again, it would be meaningless.

The Grand Elder and Rust Bone used to be old friends.

But according to the current situation, if the Grand Elder really had a chance to see Rust Bone again, the other party would likely be sitting in a source energy艇, leading the Fourth Army's mighty army to descend upon the Western Continent.

The meeting ended quickly.

Gu Nanfeng found a secluded courtyard in the Temple and settled in with his people... it only took less than an hour from entering the city to the end.

The Grand Elder inexplicably felt a sense of frustration.

He had just used the last of the Undying Ones' blood, which meant that his "active lifespan" had officially entered a countdown from today onwards. If he couldn't find a fresh backup of blood, he would have to lie back in the life compartment in the next few days.

Just as he was pondering why the Gu family was so abnormal...

Mu Xin, who was responsible for guarding the Western Sea Crossing, sent a message.

...

...

"When we found him... he had been dead for a long time."

Inside a small courtyard at the Western Sea Crossing.

The Grand Elder, Yao Jin, and Mu Xin were looking at the "peaceful-looking" corpse.

Yao Jin stared blankly at his old friend in front of him.

Having been thrown to the Western Sea Crossing to cultivate since childhood, he only had one friend, Uto. But later, as they grew up, he continued to guard the Temple, while Uto was sent to the Eastern Continent as a hidden pawn.

Just yesterday.

This guy was still talking to him, full of life.

And now, he was a cold corpse...

Since guarding the secret prison, Yao Jin had stained his hands with a great deal of blood, but only this time did he stain them with the blood of someone he cared about.

Uto... died because of him.

"Profiling didn't work. The person didn't leave any evidence."

Mu Xin said in a hoarse voice, "No images, no footprints, no traces... like a living ghost, he came to the Western Sea Crossing silently and took Uto's life. During this process, we didn't even hear a cry for help."

For a fourth-tier powerhouse, not even being able to cry for help...

What a terrifying thing this was?

The Grand Elder looked at Uto's corpse and was silent for a long time before opening his mouth with a grim expression, "The Chi Huang Nu was taken away."

"...Yes."

Mu Xin gritted his teeth and said, "I immediately used the Guang Ming Jian to search for the mark of the Chi Huang Nu, but to no avail. It's really鬼了, I couldn't even sense the slightest bit!"

"No wonder... Gu Nanfeng didn't say a word."

The Grand Elder reached out to support the wall, feeling a little dizzy.

Uto was dead. Gu Nanfeng must already know this news!

This world did indeed conform to two sets of rules. Guang Ming City chose the one hidden underground to take Uto away.

The rules in the shadows could not be exposed to the light.

Now, Chang Ye was using this set of rules to return the favor, allowing Guang Ming City to reap what it had sown.

Guang Ming City couldn't publicize Uto's death, couldn't retaliate, and couldn't even question it... because on the surface, they shouldn't even be interested in a character like "Uto."

Yao Jin quietly watched the corpse. After a long time, he opened his mouth, "This is the mastermind I want to investigate."

He had always known.

The guy who was playing chess with him from afar was not Gu Nanfeng.

"The identity of that 'mastermind' is difficult to investigate. All we know is that he arrived earlier than the Gu family delegation."

Mu Xin said with a headache, "There are simply too many transcendents the Temple has been entertaining these days. This person is probably already mixed in with the crowd... or he has been hiding his identity all along, and even the Temple doesn't know he has come."

Trying to determine his identity by searching the entry records was impossible.

"To be able to kill Uto silently, he must at least be a titled powerhouse."

The Grand Elder frowned and said, "There are only so many titled powerhouses in the Eastern Continent. When did such a person appear?!"

Every titled powerhouse was recorded by the Council!

Their movements and residences were also closely monitored!

Wanting to create a titled powerhouse out of thin air was simply nonsense...

The most likely explanation was that the Eastern Continent had been secretly cultivating an extremely powerful "shadow" for a long time.

Although this was absurd.

But this was the only explanation the Grand Elder could think of.

A titled powerhouse, quietly hiding in Guang Ming City, killed a fourth-tier powerhouse who was under close protection without anyone noticing.

How ridiculous was this?

If this news were to spread, it could cause panic in the Temple.

"Don't go out these days!"

The Grand Elder said in a deep voice, "Before that 'mastermind' is found, perhaps only inside Guang Ming City is safe... Once you leave the city, you may be targeted. After last night's game, you have already been exposed."

Yao Jin wanted to find out the "mastermind" of the Eastern Continent.

But by setting up a trap to ambush and kill last night, and personally leading people to hunt down the culprit...

He had instead surfaced.

As a result, he was in the open, and the other party was in the dark.

The fact that the guy chose to kill Uto while he was leading the Sanctioners to Donggang, on closer inspection, the Gu family delegation's encounter was just a part of that person's plan. He was delayed outside and unable to return to Guang Ming City, which led to Uto's tragic death.

Mu Xin asked in a trembling voice, "Grand Elder, what about Uto...?"

"..."

The Grand Elder simply shook his head.

What to do?

There was nothing to do. The person was already dead, and everything had ended.

Yao Jin saw the Grand Elder's reaction and silently came to Uto's side alone. He closed his only friend's eyes for him.

His spiritual sea was shattered.

Uto's pupils were already dilated.

Although his face looked peaceful at this moment, he had actually died very horribly... Looking at this shattered face, Yao Jin suddenly felt a little sad.

More than sadness, there was more unwillingness.

He had truly lost this game, but he was still alive, so this game had not ended.

At this moment, Yao Jin heard the voice in his heart again.

"Want to take a gamble?"

The unknown person hiding in the dark seemed to have a powerful magic that attracted him to investigate.

From the moment he guessed that the other party existed.

Yao Jin began to try to find the person's trail... This magic struck his heart, as if it were the guidance of fate, causing him to act uncontrollably.

People who have already taken the first step are often unwilling to stop there.

Perhaps after taking two more steps... he could reach the end and uncover the person's veil?

Yao Jin knew that the best thing for him to do at this moment was to calm down.

He was no longer a hidden pawn, no longer a shadow.

As long as he stood under the Guang Ming City sunlight, the other party would not be able to do anything to him...

In the Divine Realm, the sunlight was fierce, and everything was revealed.

No matter what the other party wanted to do, as long as he stood in the light, he would be invincible.

But he was unwilling for it to end like this.

Yao Jin raised his head and said to the Grand Elder, "I want to try to find that person."