You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Chen Yang frowned, staring sharply at her.

"I swear by the oath of my soul that I have just made, that everything I have said is true!"

Alice looked solemn, with a sense of helplessness at being questioned.

Chen Yang remained silent for a moment, his eyes flickering.

He confirmed that Alice was not lying. It seemed that the people of the Eye of Holy Light were nothing more than high-level henchmen in the eyes of the Heavenly Alliance, and they couldn't even get their hands on the real core secrets.

He decisively gave up on asking for the secrets of the stronghold.

"Okay, then your top priority now is..."

Chen Yang quickly changed his approach.

"Use your connections to contact your trusted sisters and partners as soon as possible, the stronger the better. I need to meet them."

You figure out the location and time as soon as possible. I need reliable people!

Alice's eyes lit up again, and she responded immediately.

"Understood! I will immediately use the special communication mark to notify the core members in the nearby cities who can arrive in time."

We can arrange the first meeting by tomorrow night at the latest!

"Very good! Let's leave here first."

With a thought from Chen Yang, the two figures swayed like ripples on water and instantly disappeared from the vibrant Sumeru Space, returning to the cold and oppressive corridor of the Heavenly Dao Alliance stronghold warehouse.

As soon as he appeared, he saw a bald, burly man with a gloomy face walking towards him; it was the mean foreman.

Seeing Chen Yang still loitering around the entrance, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowed into a knot, and he roared angrily, spitting as he spoke.

"Chen Yang! You new good-for-nothing! What are you doing, dawdling here like a corpse? The leather on that cargo box over there is all scratched up and you haven't even gone to polish it! Do you really think I paid you to be my boss? And you even brought a girl with you..."

He glanced sideways at the aloof Alice, uttering even more vulgarities.

"You're having a good time, kid? Damn it, get back to work! If you dawdle any longer, I'll beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you!"

Just as he was about to shove Chen Yang, a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and an elegant suit, surrounded by several people, happened to be patrolling the passage.

The foreman's fierce expression instantly transformed into a fawning smile, like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, as he bowed and leaned closer.

"Oh my! Supervisor Zhao! You came down to inspect in person! You've worked so hard! Don't worry, everything is fine here, and the new recruits are all very well-behaved!"

As he spoke, he glared at Chen Yang out of the corner of his eye, signaling him to get lost and stop getting in the way.

Chen Yang acted as if he hadn't seen it, and instead took two steps toward Manager Zhao, speaking in a clear and steady tone.

"Manager Zhao, I apologize for disturbing you."

I just carefully inspected the base structure of the third and seventh rows of heavy-duty shelving in Section B and found that these two areas have been exceeding their load limits for a long time. There are also minor but expanding stress cracks at the welding points of the main support steel beams of the shelving.

Especially at the corner where it connects to the crossbeam, the deformation appears to exceed safety standards, posing a risk of structural instability. It is recommended that storage of materials in this area be stopped immediately, and that personnel be assigned to thoroughly inspect and reinforce the area.

He spoke slowly and clearly, pointing to several hidden structural locations.

Manager Zhao's slightly impatient expression instantly froze, and his sharp gaze immediately followed the location Chen Yang pointed to.

Behind him, an attendant who was clearly a key technical expert quickly stepped forward, took out a professional portable high-intensity laser stress detector, and carefully scanned the key welds that Chen Yang pointed out.

Just over ten seconds later, the detector emitted a rapid "beep beep beep" alarm, and several red lights representing abnormal stress concentration were clearly displayed on the screen!

Supervisor Zhao's face darkened instantly. He didn't even glance at the ashen-faced foreman next to him, but instead showed Chen Yang a scrutinizing and approving look.

"Young man, you have a good eye! What's your name? Which group are you in? You're very observant!"

This hidden danger is extremely critical!

"Chen Yang, an intern in the logistics loading and unloading team."

Chen Yang answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"An internship? That's beneath her!"

Supervisor Zhao frowned, glanced at the bald foreman next to him whose forehead was covered in cold sweat and whose lips were trembling, and his brows furrowed even deeper.

"Wang Jinshan! I think you're getting more and more muddleheaded! How could you not spot such an obvious safety hazard during routine inspections? You expect an intern to find it? If it collapses during transport, the consequences would be unimaginable! I think you should resign as foreman!"

He snorted coldly, ignoring the terrified foreman, and spoke directly to Chen Yang.

"Chen Yang, starting today, you will be responsible for the daily management and safety inspections of the entire Logistics Loading and Unloading Group 3! Submit reports directly to me! Your salary and benefits will be in accordance with those of a group leader."

He glanced at Alice, who stood quietly and with an extraordinary air about her beside Chen Yang, and his tone became unusually calm.

"Who is this...?"

"My friend just came to visit the set."

Chen Yang gave a brief explanation.

"Oh, it's not very convenient during working hours."

However, considering that you, Chen Yang, promptly discovered the major hidden danger, your merits and demerits will offset each other.

Supervisor Zhao waved his hand, turned around, and hurriedly led his men to deal with the potential hazard.

"Good job!"

"Thank you, supervisor."

Chen Yang responded calmly.

Former foreman Wang Jinshan was completely dumbfounded. As if his bones had been removed, he slumped against the cold wall, watching Chen Yang and the cold, beautiful woman beside him leave. His throat made a "hoarse" sound, but he couldn't utter a single word. Only utter fear and confusion remained in his eyes.

……

Wearing the blue overalls of a team leader, having a simple little office, and complete freedom to manage his time, Chen Yang found it much easier to move around.

Taking advantage of his position, he began to cautiously approach the various leaders who seemed to be in charge of the base, subtly gathering useful pieces of information.

At the same time, he received confirmation from Alice.

As dusk fell and the city lights began to twinkle, Chen Yang sat alone in a corner booth deep inside an underground bar called "Dark Night Serenade." Heavy metal music pounded against his eardrums, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of cheap cigarettes, alcohol, and sweat.

He ordered a glass of strong vodka as agreed, with ice crystals forming droplets on the glass.

A burly man in a vest, revealing his arms covered in menacing tattoos, swayed over carrying a bottle of liquor. His drunken eyes glanced sideways and spotted Chen Yang's car keys on the table—keys to a flashy, limited-edition SUV that Jiang He had temporarily borrowed for his convenience. A greedy glint flashed in the man's eyes. Without any hesitation, he plopped down opposite Chen Yang and rudely reached for the keys.

"Hey! Dude! Your car's nice. Want to borrow it for a spin?" Chen Yang didn't even lift his eyelids, his two fingers lightly resting on the burly man's thick wrist like iron clamps.

"Hiss...uh..."

The burly man felt as if his wrist had been bitten by a steel machine. The excruciating pain instantly sobered him up, and cold sweat poured out of his face.

"roll."

Chen Yang uttered a single word calmly, his fingers exerting slight pressure.

"Damn it... let go... let go! You motherfucker..." The burly man's face was contorted in pain, and he was about to yell and curse.

Suddenly, a slender, fair hand gently rested on the back of Chen Yang's hand. A soft yet clear force seeped in, skillfully neutralizing Chen Yang's strength. The burly man immediately felt his wrist loosen, and the pain disappeared.

He looked up, still shaken, and saw a stunningly beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a beige trench coat, standing next to Chen Yang. She was staring at him with a calm yet chilling gaze.

That gaze seemed to carry some kind of divine pressure, instantly crushing his gangster-like ferocity.

"Sister Alice..." The burly man clearly recognized the woman. His face drained of color, revealing an expression of extreme awe, and he could barely speak.

"I...I'm drunk...I didn't recognize your greatness...I'm leaving! I'm leaving right now!"

He practically sprang up from his seat, stumbling and scrambling into the crowd.

Chen Yang then looked up and gazed at Alice.

"Is everyone here?"

Alice nodded and gestured for them to proceed.

"Please come with me."

She led Chen Yang past the noisy dance floor and bar, towards a narrow passageway adorned with abstract paintings and illuminated by dim blue wall lamps. At the end of the passageway were two heavy, leather-paneled solid wood doors, flanked by two young men and women dressed casually with sharp eyes.

They exuded a radiant aura similar to Alice's, yet each with its own distinct emphasis. Upon seeing Alice approaching with Chen Yang, they remained silent, merely nodding slightly and quietly opening the heavy door.

Inside, it was a world completely different from the noisy and chaotic outside the bar. The large private room was covered with a thick, deep red carpet, and the walls and ceiling were covered with solemn and sacred colorful murals.

Soft light streamed down from the large crystal chandelier. On the sofas, in the chairs, and even quietly standing beside the wall painting in the corner, stood twelve women, each with a distinct air but all exceptionally beautiful!
Their hair was either as bright as gold, as black as night, or shimmering with a faint silvery moonlight. Their clothing styles varied, but they all possessed a refined quality that belonged to non-human beings and a subtle, restrained power field.

As Chen Yang and Alice walked in, twenty-four pairs of eyes—azure as the deep sea, emerald green as a spring lake, profound as the night sky, and even tinged with a faint golden glow—instantly focused on Chen Yang. There was no hostility, only scrutiny, curiosity, and even a hint of barely perceptible anticipation and trepidation.

An invisible pressure permeated the space.

"Sisters."

Alice's voice rang out clearly in the room, carrying a solemn, declarative tone.

"This is Mr. Chen Yang!"

That is the master who gave us the promise, who granted us the hope!

Chen Yang calmly swept his gaze over the twelve "extraordinary" women, who at least on the surface appeared to be peerless beauties, and nodded slightly.

"You all must already know my proposal from Alice."

No one answered immediately. A woman sitting in the central seat, wearing a fitted silver dress, with an extremely beautiful face that seemed to be carved from ice and snow, and deep purple eyes, slowly stood up.

Her demeanor carried a natural leader's air, and her gaze calmly met Chen Yang's.

"Mr. Chen, we have received Arya's message."

The sanctuary she promised, the wondrous place that nourishes our very essence… these are too precious, too incredible. It's not that we distrust her, but this concerns the safety of our sisters, the last remaining members of our community. We need to witness firsthand, to feel the guarantee of that covenant.

Her voice was like an icy spring striking cold jade, clear and majestic.

"My name is Isabella Frostnova, and I'm temporarily representing my sisters."

The eleven sisters behind her all focused their attention even more intently.

"understand."

Chen Yang didn't waste any words.

He closed his eyes slightly.

All the lights in the private room went out instantly, as if they had been drained by an invisible force, leaving only the gold powder patterns on the dome murals, which were originally just decorations, glowing softly.

A grand, warm, and seemingly primal aura instantly filled the spacious private room!
This aura was gentle and pure, as all-encompassing as a mother's womb, instantly igniting the deep-seated desires within the twelve angelic descendants present. Their powers, whether inclined towards light, ice, or sharpness, became uncontrollably active, emitting a comfortable hum!

"This is... the aura of creation?!"

Isabella, with her icy purple eyes, gasped in disbelief, her composure completely replaced by shock.

Like her other sisters, she trembled slightly, greedily and unconsciously inhaling the breath that was only leaked for a moment and was quickly contained by Chen Yang.

The lights came back on, and Chen Yang looked at them calmly, as if nothing had happened.

"This is a trace of the original aura leaked from the core of my unique world. Your power originates from ancient bloodlines, while my world can be traced back to its roots and shaped from purity. There, there is no pursuit, no encirclement, only restoration, sedimentation and rebirth."

silence.

Then, they all knelt down on one knee in unison! Led by Isabella, thirteen women, some stunningly beautiful and others with a cold demeanor, including Alice, respectfully bowed their heads!

"My lord Chen Yang!"

Isabella's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"The descendants of the Holy Radiance Clan swear to serve you to the death and submit to your rule! We are willing to be the sharp blade in your hand in exchange for a place in the Pure Land of Sumeru! We swear by the very source of our bloodline that if even the slightest secret of this place is leaked, we are willing to suffer the punishment of having our bloodline wither and being forever plunged into the abyss!"

Thirteen clearer and more powerful soul oath fluctuations were instantly generated, merging into an invisible network established between Chen Yang and this world.

"good!"

Chen Yang was also slightly shocked. The fact that thirteen powerful angel bloodline individuals had submitted so decisively and efficiently was a gain that far exceeded his expectations.

"Those who enter this gate, I will protect them."

This secret must never be revealed. Even close relatives and friends must be personally vetted by me before being allowed entry. You all return first and secretly guide all trustworthy compatriots to gather in this city in batches! There is no limit to the number, but it is imperative to remain discreet and discreet!

Isabella looked up, her beautiful face filled with solemnity and determination.

"Rest assured, my lord! We will obey your command and will never allow the dust of the mortal world to defile our sacred land of rebirth!"

After quickly finalizing contact information and the pick-up times for the first group, the meeting ended abruptly. The group quietly left in batches through different entrances of the bar.

Chen Yang walked out of the bar's back door alone, greeted by a night wind carrying a mixture of urban hustle and bustle and the cold, dusty smell. The noise was left behind behind the heavy door. (End of Chapter)