In the dim room, Bruce slowly knelt down.
Complex lines were drawn at his feet, spreading out in all directions, almost filling the entire room.
Looking down from above.
The lines and curves formed an ugly monster with a gaping bloody mouth.
Its body was hunched, but its mouth was like a blooming chrysanthemum, occupying one-third of its size, with barbed teeth on each petal.
A true boon for those with trypophobia.
If Baiyu were here, he would no doubt scoff, wondering how anyone could worship such a bizarre-looking monster.
At this moment, Bruce knelt at the center of the room, chanting softly.
Before long.
The lines on the ground emitted a strange green light, casting an eerie glow over the dim room.
In the four corners of the room lay four fresh corpses.
The blood flowing from each corpse followed the lines, creating a sinister streak of red in the verdant glow.
"Great Lord of Blood, forgive your humble servant."
"The Demon Paper plan faces obstacles, I need greater power to ensure its smooth progression, allowing you to free your followers."
Bruce whispered devoutly.
Before long, the intersecting green light on the ground surged, piercing into Bruce like rivers running in reverse.
Then his entire skin and hair turned green swiftly.
Like a dwarf version of a green giant.
The veins on his face bulged, and he let out a painful wail, rolling on the ground, as nauseating lumps burst through his clothes from his back.
This agony lasted for a full ten minutes.
Ten minutes later.
Bruce slowly stood up from the ground, all the green retracted, disappearing from his skin and hair, restoring him back to normal.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off, feeling a sense of dread.
This was just a wisp of divine thought, yet its terrifying effect allowed him to ascend from Sequence Nine to Sequence Eight without the teaching of the Magic Elixir.
"Indeed, my choice was correct."
"Even residual divine thought possesses a power that mortals cannot resist. If not for the array as a central buffer, I might have gone mad while receiving the power."
"As long as the plan succeeds, releasing that master, we can gain more power from the Lord of Blood, and even hold a greater position in the Abyssal Ascetic Association. Only that master knows how to establish a true connection with Him."
Bruce clenched his fist, feeling the long-lost surging power within.
Having once been a Martial Artist, he was extremely satisfied with his current physical state.
This feeling of immense power, the feeling of control, was intoxicating.
He picked up a mirror, looking at his slightly younger self inside, his expression serious without a hint of joy.
If he could harness the power of these Evil Gods, achieving immortality was even possible!
Interacting with the Evil God was a dangerous affair.
Bruce shook his head in the dark.
He had clearly felt his diminishing strength over the years.
Both his body and will were rapidly declining and aging.
Even though he had once reached Tier Seven Martial Artist status, with age and loss of Blood Qi, even achieving Tier Nine strength became difficult.
Now, he had no choice but to engage with the mysterious, with no other options.
Putting aside his thoughts.
Bruce picked up his cane, carefully selecting a youthful-looking khaki suit from the wardrobe, and slowly walked out of the villa.
"Master Bruce."
"Good evening, master."
A few servants were tending to the flowers in the garden.
A little girl ran over quickly, jumping into Bruce's arms, rubbing her cheeks against the old man's stubble: "Grandpa, you're going out so late? You haven't played with Peipei for a while now."
"Haha, who said that? Once I'm done with business, I'll play with Peipei."
Bruce held the somewhat slippery little girl, completely unaware.
"That's more like it, hmph, Grandpa must keep his word, pinky promise."
"Alright, pinky promise."
They spent quite some time playing, and as Bruce let go of his granddaughter, the hesitation in his eyes turned into determination once more.
He mustn't die, nor can he weaken.
In this dog-eat-dog world, if he fell, not only would he lose his immense wealth, but even Peipei might face danger.
He would only let go once Peipei had come of age.
Bruce quietly rolled up his sleeve, looking at his slightly green skin, his expression somber.
Since he couldn't die, he had no choice but to complete the task.
Anyone who stood in his way would be removed.
To survive, he had no choice but to let others perish.
The world is that cruel.
...
Linjiang City, Jiangliu Lakefront.
This is a renowned place of scenic beauty, the bright full moon hanging in the sky, the clear river water shimmering.
The evening breeze blew, bringing a chill, dispersing all the summer's noise.
"Have you been bewitched recently?
No, no, you won't have feelings for Baiyu, do you?
Let me think.
An adolescent girl, then met a well-mannered, academically excellent, wealthy, handsome peer with great potential for future development."
Lin Shan counted on her fingers.
"Hmph, Sister Lin Shan, I'm not joking, there's definitely something wrong with that Baiyu. How can an ordinary person resist my mental rewriting and Mechanical Armament! He has combat-type Mechanical Armament, combat-type, you know!"
Qian Xue gritted her teeth.
Seeing her like this, Lin Shan slowly sighed:
"You think I haven't investigated him?
His parents once participated in the Celestial Essence War, retiring to become teachers only after the war ended.
As for that Simulation Realm incident, it was a disaster-level Simulation Realm.
It occurred in a Shelter, and they went without hesitation, and then disappeared.
Their contributions, according to the Anomaly Bureau's evaluation standards, what do you call that?"
"Heroes..." Qian Xue paused momentarily, saying softly.
"It's only been twenty years since the Celestial Essence War, and the veterans are still active in various departments and levels.
We may not have experienced the brutality of that war, but it doesn't mean they're not great.
Surviving the Celestial Essence War is no easy feat.
The disaster-level Simulation Realm his parents entered, some close friends survived and returned.
The Bai Family and Qin Family may seem like well-off families on the surface.
But without someone backing them, how could they have gotten hold of those items?
Perhaps even the Mechanical Armament thing, some people helped with that."
"But..." Qian Xue hesitated slightly.
"If you dig deeper, the relationships involved are undoubtedly intricate. Moreover, now Baiyu's identity is the student representative of Linjiang First Middle School. If anything happens, the school won't stand idly by, and even the Martial Arts School Alliance will intervene. Can you handle the pressure from all sides? Let me think, a student representative from Linjiang Second Middle School picking on a student representative from Linjiang First Middle School, the outside world's opinion would drown you."
Lin Shan said with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Qian Xue indeed felt intimidated.
Although an investigator has substantial authority, analyzing the situation does seem troublesome.
The main issue was, she was merely suspicious.
Being an intern investigator, she was eager to solve some extraordinary cases to prove herself, adding a significant achievement to her profile.
So that afternoon, through her family's informants and intelligence network, she learned Baiyu was going to meet someone here for a transaction.
"But since we're here, let's see what happens. I trust Baiyu, he would never do anything to jeopardize the empire's stability!"
Lin Shan's smile at the corners of her mouth gradually blossomed.