He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Lin is in a terrible mood right now.

In this group where everyone has their own agenda, an unreliable traitor emerges. He first acts as a guide, tricking the group into coming to a remote, desolate residential area to retrieve a fabricated inheritance...

Now, in the blink of an eye, the fox has disappeared.

Lin walked away in a huff.

Lin, who was originally on the 3 side of the 3+2 group, was kicked to the 2 side by this guy, and then got lost in this strange mansion with the two people from the foundation.

Teammates like this?! I'm reporting them right now!

"So annoying, so angry, I really want to yell at someone..."

However, after glancing at Virtue and Sherlock beside her, Lynn suddenly felt that she wasn't so angry anymore, at least she didn't dare to take it out on them.

Not daring to disturb the seemingly serious-looking Inspector Wei, she cautiously patted Sherlock and asked, "Brother, how much longer until we get out?"

"It'll be soon..."

As usual, Sherlock followed at the back of the three-person team, his eyes fixed on Wilting at the front.

The girl frowned deeply, remained silent, and walked quietly to a phantom door in the mist, gently placing her palm on it.

"Activation Technique"

The power of the Enlightenment Criterion disappeared into the gray mist, a faint light bloomed, and the door was instantly opened.

Before them was an ordinary room, its structure exactly the same as the space they were in.

It's not much different from the previous ten or so times.

Lin was visibly frustrated, but Virtue suddenly perked up—as an apprentice of the sect, the one who opened all doors and passages, she could sense subtle changes in her surroundings.

"The power of this fog is weakening..."

She said confidently, "We're almost out of the heart of this mansion, and we'll soon be rid of this damned place..."

"What about Ellen and Ne?"

Lin raised one hand and asked timidly.

Although Lin cursed that bastard fox in her heart the whole way, she was actually a little worried. That mysterious guy hadn't told anyone else why he was here, and who knew if he would mess things up...

I'm still not entirely at ease since I haven't been able to find the person.

"The two of them..."

A flicker of confusion crossed Wilting's eyes. "Let's get out of here first—the fog in this mansion is blocking the think tank. Only by leaving here can I call for the Foundation's support."

Sherlock comforted Lynn, "Don't worry, although Vivian was ranked last in the system's overall evaluation last year, she is actually a good leader and a righteous partner—she would never abandon her comrades."

Wilting held up his pinky finger behind him and muttered under his breath, "Stop talking nonsense. You're my only subordinate... If you hadn't maliciously given me a low score last year, ruining my 'subordinate evaluation' score, I wouldn't have been summoned for questioning by the supervisory office. They even thought I was illegally withholding my subordinates' wages..."

As they neared their escape, the initially heavy atmosphere gradually lightened, and the banter between the two seasoned veterans did indeed relieve some of Lin's stress.

She watched as Virtin once again closed the fogged door of the room, a flicker of emotion in her eyes—

"Activation Technique"

The fog dissipated, revealing a hazy, gray space before the three of them.

.

"It worked?"

Lin took a step forward, grabbed the door frame, and three heads peeked out from the doorway, cautiously looking inside.

No longer was that repetitive room; instead, there was a solemn and elegant chapel, with majestic white columns standing on both sides and a stained glass dome overhead, reflecting the faint candlelight from an unknown source.

"It doesn't look like it's outdoors... just a moment."

A flash of silver light, and a sharp screech erupted towards the other side of the door—

Then, in the next instant, it was swallowed up by the omnipresent gray fog.

...

"Why does it feel like... these fogs are more active?"

Veltin pressed her hat down, the brim soaked with cold sweat, and a strong sense of unease washed over her...

Rather than leaving the core of the eerie mansion, it felt more like arriving in a deeper part of the place.

This is where?

In the deathly silence of the gray tones, Virtue could clearly hear the beating of her own heart. She rarely felt this way—it seemed closer to fear than unease.

What's wrong with me?

The girl pressed her hand tightly to her chest, feeling as if her vessel had undergone some kind of transformation, becoming as transparent as glass. Her red fluid began to flow erratically, as if something was compressing space, and within those invisible gaps, a mass...

Dazzling, magnificent, and brilliant matter.

Something's not right.

Their figures, about to move forward, froze on the inside of the door. Lin and Sherlock, who were exploring ahead, stopped in their tracks and looked back with puzzled expressions.

"Officer, what's wrong?"

Lin cautiously pointed to Virtue's feet and said weakly, "You seem to be shaking."

"Yeah?"

Wilting felt a little dizzy and almost couldn't stand up, so she held tightly to the door frame on one side.

-I'm really shaking, trembling with fear.

This is a reaction ingrained in human instinct, an invisible warning of danger, when the external environment changes, when a sharp and deadly invisible object is pressed against the eye...

The presence of red fluid on the skin before it even touches the body foreshadows an impending natural disaster.

The vessel shrieked amidst the waves of fear, its solid, intangible substance erupting with intense tearing sensations, seemingly on the verge of shattering. The chill rising from the heart grew increasingly biting, until it overwhelmed the will...

Until it becomes irresistible—

"Hurry up!"

Veltin reached out and grabbed Lynn by the back of her collar, trying to pull her back from the other side of the door.

.

"Tsk..."

Suddenly, a sense of discontent arose in the dead silence, followed by two soft "claps".

The applause subsided.

The fog gate slowly dimmed under the trembling gazes of the three, then closed in an instant, the gray fog covering the background layer like a camera film—as it dissipated, the scene underwent a seamless transition, the transition in between natural and illusory, as if an editor had removed the curtain from the stage on the Photoshop software.

All the radiance gathered in one place, like guards surrounding a king on a tour.

A gray, short, seemingly fragile figure was enveloped in radiance as it moved forward.

His steps were small and incredibly slow, yet time granted him the privilege of this unrestrained stroll. In the folds and curls of the radiance, everyone could only remain silent, witnessing the silent passage of time, like NPCs in a stage play waiting for the protagonist's opening remarks.

Grey is the master of this play.

He approached the three people, bowed slightly, like a host welcoming guests, his posture humble yet not servile.

"Welcome to my residence, distinguished guests."

Gray kept his head down, his expression unreadable, and his wide ears swayed slightly. "Please forgive my poor hospitality. I only remembered you all after I had finished dealing with my current matters... I am extremely sorry."

He raised his head the next moment, his half-closed eyes never once lingering on Sherlock and Lynn, his azure gaze fixed directly on Virtin.

The fox tilted its head and chuckled softly:

"It's been a long time, sir..."

Virtue finally stopped trembling, and the oppressive feeling that had been surrounding her subsided slightly, as if the owner of this place had temporarily granted her freedom.

"Ash……"

Veltin took a deep breath, then shook his head. "You're still alive."

Lin, on the other side, dared not breathe. When she first saw the fox, she was surprised and wondered why he would appear in front of them in this appearance.

But now, Lin can't afford to dwell on those things anymore.

The scales on the back of her neck were almost completely flipped up at a 45° angle, just like a cat or dog with its fur standing on end. The overwhelming sense of crisis almost overwhelmed her already unstable corporate slave mentality.

Something's not right with this gray fox, is it?

She dared not meet those familiar blue eyes at all, not even to make eye contact—just a fleeting glance was enough to make Lin shiver and speechless with a chill that seemed to freeze her entire body.

-The majesty of an unrighteous king is too imposing to behold.

No, buddy?

Where is my fox? Where is my stupid, lazy, and despicable colleague?

How did you transform in the blink of an eye?

Lin quietly shrank into the corner: This thing in front of her was obviously a boss-level boss, with its health bar practically floating on the screen. If she didn't take this opportunity to retreat, it would be a mistake, or she might get wiped out by an area-of-effect attack.

.

"Alive...?"

Hui rested his chin on his hand and sighed softly, "I have no way of knowing whether life faces upward, but apprentices who study the art of the invisible... will know that death faces downward—just as the sun once promised its radiance, which should have stood eternally on the high platform, and built the city of eternal light on that towering white tower."

"But when the sun becomes dead, the path it encompasses no longer rises, but falls..."

Gray stretched out his hands to Virtin and said softly, "I acknowledge the death of the sun, but alas, I refuse to accept the fall of the heavenly light—"

So, are you willing to help me?

.

.

"Ash."

Veltin shook his head with a half-smile and said in a deep voice, "The world has no need to understand the ideals of a demon."

"boom--"

The girl raised her hands, the menacing black gun barrels pointing at the petite figure in front of her, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

You only have one chance.

The executive officer roared, "Sherlock—"

The swirling air collapsed into nothingness almost instantly, and in the sudden burst of flames, Sherlock's figure transformed into a fiercely burning ball of fire, carrying a scorching temperature capable of melting steel, and swooped down toward Ash.

The earth beneath his feet turned to scorched earth.

A pure combat-oriented individual ignited almost all the red liquid in the vessel in an instant, all for a single, all-out attack.

Then this blow will be as heavy as a death sentence.

The distance of more than ten meters was almost instantly engulfed by flames. On this burning road, a jet-black arm, like black steel forged a hundred times, was raised high from the heat, walking through the path of burning steel. His body was a sharp weapon capable of cutting through everything.

At this moment, what flows in the veins is no longer blood, but molten lava—the principle of hydraulics is applied to the muscles and bones of the human body, so his strength is enough to crush steel into dust.

The heavy blade fell like a thunderbolt.

"interesting……"

Hui raised his hand, and countless layers of ash unfolded like a curtain in front of him. They rose up in the rising heat, rippled, and emitted a chilling howl as they dissolved layer by layer in the flames.

Fire and iron parted before him.

Charlotte stared intently at the enemy before her, her molten blood pouring all her power into this spot, yet it also solidified within a foot of him…

The gray mist, which had almost solidified, was dispersed by the flames, revealing a cute little face that remained unchanged.

The fox squinted, its dark blue eyes seemingly burning: "Just a little bit more~"

"And what about adding... this?!"

hum-

The silver bullet, following closely behind the burning steel, silently pierced through the last thin layer of gray mist, like glass dripping into icy water, melting with a "sizzling" sound, transforming into a hard and penetrating transparent wound.

"Origin Bullet"

.

Gray Courtyard, doorway: "Sir—! Gray?"

"Holy crap, you didn't mess it up, did you?"

"..."

Gray looked at the wound on his chest, tilted his head, and waved his hand. Gray matter flowing from all around instantly filled the gap.

Will we win?

Veltin stared intently at the spot where the Origin Bullet had disappeared, silently clenching her fists—the bullet she had just fired was a mysterious item made from dissolved Original Silver Paper, inheriting the sealing principle of the Azure Sky Criterion.

Could we seal off his vessel?

That way, we might be able to win...

"Eh..."

Gray tilted his head. "Would locking my level even work?"

I don't have a level yet.

He clapped his hands:

"Gray Garden, it's all yours now."

In the next instant, tentacles spread from the gray mist, overlapping and pressing Charlotte firmly to the ground. The red liquid that had already burned out temporarily weakened, and the intensity of the flames was far less than before.

After severing the first few gray tentacles, the exhausted Sherlock was still controlled by the endless gray mist.

Looking to the side, Wilting was also bound and suspended in mid-air by the Gray Touch, looking pale and sickly.

"You've already sent it?"

Although it looked like a one-sided victory, it was far too fast.

While watching the battle from a corner, Lin secretly rejoiced that Gray hadn't noticed her at all, so she didn't need to worry about "taking sides" and simply disappeared.

Grey strolled up to Sherlock, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes: "Pure red liquid, powerful judgment and skillful execution—why didn't you choose the path of the Fire Sword… The Foundation won't even grant you a grand path?"

He squatted down in front of Sherlock, squinting and chuckling, "Why don't you quit working for the Foundation and try your luck with me? At least I won't be stingy with the qualification for the Path of the Grand. With your aptitude, you might even be able to glimpse the grandeur of fire..."

Sherlock stared at him coldly, then Ash sighed softly, patted him on the shoulder, and withdrew his attention from him.

He then walked up to Virtue.

"Young CEO, it's been a long time..."

"Gulp! You won't get anything from me." With his hands tied above his head by the gray tentacles, Veltin looked up and sneered, "Gray, although I don't know why you faked your death, something is definitely wrong with you—I can see that you are incredibly weak now, and you can only fight against us by relying on your territory's advantage."

"The foundation won't give you a chance to make a comeback..."

"Tsk." Gray clicked his tongue softly, interrupting the girl's whisper.

"You're still the same as always."

He rubbed his temples, his expression playful. "But I quite like the way you are—you're clearly terrified, yet you're still so proud and dazzling. I like your pride and fear; it looks really cute."

Why tie it so high? Lower it a little.

"…Yes."

Gray Touch lowered Wilting, who was suspended in mid-air, to the ground, so that the girl was now level with the fox.

Gray poked Velttin's soft cheek, admiring the tears glistening in her eyes. Only at times like this did the genius executive seem like a seventeen-year-old girl: "Ready?"

What are you preparing?

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over Virtue. She felt her body growing colder and colder, a chill that seemed to seep from the inside out—as if something was about to hatch from her glass-like vessel.

"Return my belongings that I left with you..."

Gray revealed a wicked, fox-like grin.

The next moment, he moved close to the girl's face and then silenced her with a kiss.

"Huh?!"

"what?"

Amidst the violently flashing light of the doorway, Gray slowly rose, watching Virtin fall into a daze. His pale cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson, like soft rose petals.

Gray released the limp girl, and Gray narrowed his eyes again, his pupils flashing with malice and pleasure.

Thank you for your hospitality.

He turned his head and exhaled a burst of intensely brilliant light, which he held in his palm and examined closely.

"Why... I clearly already..." Veltin's beautiful amber pupils contracted sharply, as if she couldn't understand what had just happened, whether it was the kiss or the brilliant object placed in Gray's palm.

"Of course I know that after that failure, you were released by me and underwent a full examination at the Foundation... but they couldn't find the radiance I had placed within you—you thought you had rid yourself of my influence, but you couldn't understand the form in which the radiance existed..."

I need to preserve it: to ensure its influence remains, to ensure its essence remains vibrant and incorruptible—in this way, the cranial fluid of a person as brilliant and dazzling as the rising sun is its best preservative.

Gray's voice suddenly rose in pitch: "What is radiance? Something that leaves a fleeting mark in the eyes, something cold, something that blooms without form—when you look directly at radiance, it is imprinted on your pupil, stored in your cranial fluid..."

All the brilliance and splendor will leave a mark in your eyes.

"It has always resided behind your pupil, because you once witnessed this supreme radiance!"

This is the "blood of the blazing sun"—

Gray raised the light in his palm high, seemingly lost in a trance:

"What I found at the bottom of the pool, what I found on the charred corpse of the sun—I use it to fill in the intercalation method."

"The fifth major ceremony: Sacrifice"

"I raise high the blood of the blazing sun, as if holding the sun in the palm of my hand—"