This assassin is upright

Chapter 431 The Source of the Change
"Three days."

Yu Zhun frowned as he looked at the communication interface.

"That Lu Wen guy, there hasn't been a single word from him in three days."

“Something does seem off…” Yu Zhu ate the breakfast Yu Zhun had made, taking bites here and there.

Having just kidnapped five near-third job advancement candidates, the two of them were unusually quiet for a few days, spending most of their time at home except for occasionally visiting the guild.

The anticipated retaliation from the Fifth Divine District has yet to materialize.

This applies to Blue Star, the Fourth God Zone, and server 98324 where Udyr resides.

The only one who remained silent was Lu Wen.

"Helmod said yesterday that he sent someone to check on server 39393, but I don't know when we'll hear back." Yu Zhu finished his milk in one gulp and wiped his mouth.

"Ding-dong-"

A notification sounded, and Yu Zhun glanced at it, unable to help but laugh, "Perfect timing, Helmod sent a message."

"let me see…"

Before he could finish speaking, his smile froze after reading the contents.

"...What's wrong?" Yu Zhu noticed that Yu Zhun's expression was strange and couldn't help but ask.

“Something’s probably happened.” Yu Zhun took a deep breath and stood up. “Helmod didn’t say directly what happened.”

"But he told us to meet him at the market immediately."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhu was taken aback at first, and then his expression quickly became serious.

Is it so serious that we have to talk about it face-to-face?

The two dared not delay and set off immediately.

Upon entering the bar in the same instance where they had met before, the two quickly spotted the other three people in a booth.

Helmod, Udir, and Raiel.

"Rayel?" Yu Zhu was pleasantly surprised. "What brings you here?"

"Yu Zhu!" Rael quickly stood up and gave Yu Zhu a hug. "Long time no see!"

“When Helmod sent the message, Rael and I were in the market instance for some other things,” Udyr explained. “So we just brought her along.”

"It's alright." Yu Zhun shook his head. "They're not outsiders."

His gaze shifted to the silent Helmod on the other side, whose face was extremely grim, and there were five or six empty wine glasses in front of him.

"What on earth happened?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhu disregarded pleasantries and stared intently at Helmod. Rael also sensed the tense atmosphere and obediently sat down beside Udyr.

“Server 39393…” Helmod began, his voice slightly hoarse, “The strongest being died six days ago.”

"How is this possible?!" Yu Zhun's pupils suddenly contracted.

Who is the strongest player on server number 39393?
That was Lu Wen's teacher and a good friend of Senior Zhu.

The other person... is dead?
Moreover, this was before they returned from the Abyss of Sighing Gods!

"The Fifth Divine District did this?" Yu Zhun quickly guessed what was going on, his face extremely grim. "How did they manage to descend upon other worlds?"

“They didn’t enter Reuven’s world,” Helmod shook his head. “They just bribed people in that world to do it.”

"boom--"

Yu Zhun slammed his fist on the table, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

After a long while, he finally spoke in a deep voice.

"Lu Wen, how is he?"

“I don’t know.” Helmod shook his head. “Server 39393 is completely blocked now, with no contact with the outside world at all.”

"In fact, none of the opposing team members have attempted any dungeons during this period."

"Even the death of a supreme expert was something I had to find out with great difficulty."

“However…” Helmod’s voice lowered, “we can guess what’s going on with Reuven even without asking around.”

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

That was Lu Wen's closest and most respected teacher. During their free time, they would talk about each other's situations, so everyone knew how much respect Lu Wen had for the Lord of the Ascending God Pavilion.

Now, the master of the Divine Pavilion is dead.

And this was before they found a cure.

Furthermore, if they hadn't sought a cure, the Fifth Divine District might not have resorted to such methods of retaliation.

So, what should Lu Wen think of them now?
"Click——"

A crisp sound rang out, and the group looked in the direction of the sound, immediately seeing Udir sitting there with empty eyes, like a statue.

She clutched a crushed cup in her hand, the sharp shards cutting her palm, and crimson blood dripped down the edges of the shards onto the table, but she was completely unaware.

"Sister!" Rael's expression changed, and she rushed forward to take Udir's hand. "What's wrong?"

"I...I'm fine." Udyr shook his head slightly, gradually coming back to his senses, but his expression still carried a hint of bewilderment.

"However, I thought of my true self."

“In that moment of true self-realization, I saw Lu Wen standing on the opposite side of us.”

"What?" Yu Zhun's pupils contracted sharply. "Why didn't you tell us about this before?"

“The Realm of True Self is just one possibility for the future. I thought that given Lu Wen’s personality, it wouldn’t actually happen.” Udyr shook his head abruptly. “So I only told Lu Wen.”

"But now... everything is moving in the direction of the future I see..."

As he spoke, Udir's body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with fear and intense resistance.

In that corner of the future within the realm of true self, she saw not only Lu Wen moving towards their opposite, but also her world being buried.

If the former comes true, then the latter…

“No way.” Yu Zhun took a deep breath and shook his head violently. “I believe Lu Wen, he couldn’t possibly…”

Before he could finish speaking, a notification popped up in front of him.

The same prompt also popped up in front of Yu Zhu, Udir, and Helmod.

Your friend [Lu Wen] has unfriended you.
-
On the tall spire of another building outside the bar, a figure draped in a black robe, his face hidden in shadow, stood calmly. He stared intently in the direction of the bar, then turned and walked away step by step.

Finally, he arrived at the door of a quiet room, paused for a moment, and then kicked the door open.

Inside the quiet room, two figures were conversing. As the door was kicked open, both looked towards the entrance in astonishment. Then, one of them instantly flashed an angry expression, "Who are you? You…"

"Pfft-"

Before he could finish speaking, the figure in black robes had already drawn his longsword and pierced his chest, instantly taking his life.

Watching the man disappear in a streak of white light, the other man's expression gradually calmed down from initial astonishment.

"You killed my customer."

"This could have been a big deal."

"What he left behind is all yours." The figure in black robes casually flicked his sword, sending the fallen equipment and items flying towards the owner of the quiet room. Then, he carefully wiped the blood off his sword and sat down in the seat that had once belonged to the customer.

The owner of the quiet room looked at the figure in black robes with a meaningful gaze. "You killed someone in the market instance."

"This should be the last time I come here," the black-robed figure said in a hoarse voice, "so it doesn't matter."

"I'm here to talk to you about a business deal."

"How do you know I would do business with you?" the owner of the quiet room asked calmly. "Not just anyone is qualified to trade with me."

"pat-"

With a soft sound, a jade stone, shimmering with light and brimming with boundless life force, appeared on the table.

"boom--"

The owner of the quiet room suddenly stood up, staring intently at the jade stone on the table, his eyes filled with astonishment and greed.

"The Jade for Mending the Sky..."

He slowly recounted the origin of the jade, looked at the visitor whose face was hidden in the shadows, and then suddenly revealed a bright smile.

"What an honored guest!"

"By possessing something so valuable, you have already earned the status and qualification to trade with me. As for what happened before, I will keep it a secret."

“I think you’ve misunderstood,” the figure in black robes said hoarsely. “I took it out not to prove anything.”

After a slight pause, the figure in black robes spoke.

“This is my bargaining chip.”

“Trading with Heaven-Mending Jade…” The master of the quiet room licked his lips. “Although I am the biggest merchant in the world of divine revelation, I am afraid I cannot handle such a large deal. After all, I am only a second-stage cultivator.”

"Distinguished guest, what exactly do you desire?"

"I want..." The figure in black robes slightly raised his head, revealing a handsome but pale face under the light. On that face were a pair of scarlet eyes, as if hiding boundless hatred and resentment.

"A ticket to the 5A instance."

The owner of the quiet room's expression changed drastically, but quickly regained his composure. "I don't have such a thing. You've probably come to the wrong person."

"No, you do," the black-robed figure rasped. "Zaragoz, is playing a second-class character fun?"

"Who exactly are you?!" The owner of the quiet room's expression changed again, finally losing all composure. "How do you know all this?"

"Send me to the 5A dungeon," the black-robed figure said quietly.

The owner of the quiet room fell silent, his expression shifting repeatedly before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Fine!"

“But I need to make this clear first!” The master of the quiet room looked silently at the figure in black robes. “First of all, I can only send you out. Which 5A instance you will enter is completely random.”

"It's very possible that you'll die the moment you go in."

"Furthermore, this is an act of smuggling," the owner of the quiet room said through gritted teeth. "For players in the Divine Revelation World, all their abilities originate from this platform. Before reaching the third job advancement, smuggling will wipe out everything."

"At most..." The master of the quiet room glanced at the figure in black robes, gritted his teeth, and said, "At most, he can retain his original talent."

"At that time, all your connections with the Divine Revelation World will be severed, so you will not be able to return as you would have done by conquering the 5A dungeon through the Divine Revelation World. You may be trapped in another 5A dungeon for the rest of your life."

Even knowing all this, will you still leave?

"My mind is made up," the figure in black robes said hoarsely. "Send me there now, the sooner the better."

“You…” The master of the quiet room gave the figure in black robes a deep look, “I hope you won’t regret it.”

"Come with me."

He stood up, and with a wave of his hand, a deeply hidden tunnel appeared before the figure in black robes.

The two followed the tunnel down, passing through countless layers of concealment, and finally arrived at a cave deep underground.

At the end of the cave, a narrow crack, barely wide enough for one person to enter, stretched menacingly across the space like a spiderweb.

"I created this largest market instance in the world of divine revelation," the owner of the quiet room said quietly. "And the most important reason why I chose this instance as the market instance is because of it."

"This is a rift in the world of divine revelation. No one knows how it was created, but as long as you go through this rift, you can completely sever all ties with the world of divine revelation and enter the vast world."

"After discovering it, I treasured it like a precious gem, and I have kept it well hidden for so many years. Even the one in the God and Demon Palace might not know about it."

At this point, the master of the quiet room turned to look at the silent figure in black robes beside him, "Before you leave, could you tell me how you knew this?"

"Over the years, besides myself, you are the second person to know about this, and you even revealed my real name."

The figure in black robes stepped towards the crevice, and just before he stepped inside, his calm voice echoed through the cave.

"This is what my future self told me."

"Om-"

As soon as he finished speaking, accompanied by a low hum, the figure in black robes disappeared into the crack.

"His future self?"

"Could it be the Realm of True Self?" The owner of the quiet room frowned. "But even the Realm of True Self couldn't allow direct communication between the future and the past, could it?"

"Just who was that person?"
-
"New information has been released from server 39393."

Helmod's expression grew increasingly grim as he looked at the incoming communication.

"Lu Wen's life tablet left on server 39393..."

"Broken."

"What?" Yu Zhu was still in shock at Lu Wen deleting her from his friends list when she heard this, and she suddenly stood up. "He's dead?"

Her mind went completely blank, and after a moment she stammered, "Impossible, right?"

"This guy was chatting and laughing with us about the dungeon just a few days ago, how could this be... how could this be..."

Yu Zhu couldn't help but cover her mouth, her eyes filled with sadness.

"Besides the life tablet, what else did you find out?" Yu Zhun clenched his fists and looked at Helmod, speaking in a deep voice.

"Lu Wen recently left server 39393, taking the Heaven-Mending Jade with him," Helmod said in a low voice.

"Could it be that someone has their eye on his Heaven-Mending Jade, so..." Udyr's eyes also reddened slightly as he couldn't help but ask, "The Fifth Divine District?"

"Calm down, everyone." Yu Zhun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions in his heart. A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes, and after a moment he slowly said, "I feel that Lu Wen should not be dead."

"There are many reasons why the life tablet might break, and death is the most likely one, but it is not absolute."

“Lu Wen isn’t the kind of guy who dies so young.” Yu Zhun paused. “More importantly, he just deleted all of us, and then his life tablet shattered. Don’t you think all of this is too much of a coincidence?”

"What do you mean?" Helmod asked, looking at Yu Zhun.

"He left us behind, perhaps wanting to do something alone."

"In that case, let him be."

“My intuition tells me that we will meet again someday in the future,” Yu Zhun said slowly as he stood up. “And that day won’t be too far away.”

"Now, let's discuss our next steps."

A chilling glint flashed in Yu Zhun's eyes. "The Fifth Divine District tricked us, causing Lu Wen to leave without saying goodbye..."

"We should really take stock of this."

(End of this chapter)