Half an hour later, Huai Shi pushed the door open and walked into a theater long abandoned.

Below the stage, two Sublimators who had been waiting there lifted their eyes upon his entry, yet they showed no surprise, as if they had expected him all along.

"So you've agreed as well?" Li Jian Amber asked directly.

"Yeah, just like you," he replied.

Huai Shi found a clean spot to sit down and didn't say much else.

Now it seemed that Little Cat hadn't put all his hope on him alone. Aside from Huai Shi, he had indeed prepared a Plan B. If Huai Shi hadn't guessed wrong, Li Jian Amber and that young Persian man had actually agreed even earlier than he did.

However, having three people also had its benefits; at least they wouldn't have to brave that den of tigers and dragons alone. He was confident in Li Jian Amber's capabilities, to say nothing of the Persian Sublimator's.

Originally, he had planned to drag the poor boy, Yuan Zhao La, into committing misdeeds with him; now it seemed best to let him cuddle with his beloved Manure Fork and sleep soundly instead.

Huai Shi and Li Jian Amber had an old rapport from competing over kills and achievements. They also shared a common background from the Orchard Gym. Among the 'four unbreakable bonds,' they could reluctantly claim 'schoolmates' and 'comrades-at-arms,' so they knew each other inside and out.

After nodding in acknowledgment, he turned to the Persian man not far away. "And how may I address you?"

"Ansali, just call me Ansali," he answered.

Though his face was covered in stubble, his voice did not sound old; his mature attire and burly figure merely led people to mistake his age, thinking he was a man in his thirties.

After introducing himself, Ansali simply lifted his wrist, showing off the pendant hanging from his bracelet—a soaring eagle and the crest of an old man.

Huai Shi was momentarily stunned, then he understood the man's origin.

Indeed, he was from the Persian Genealogy.

No, more strictly speaking, from the Zoroastrian Genealogy.

Although not as colossal as the Dongxia or Roman genealogies, theirs was also a deeply rooted and dominant genealogy. Huai Shi knew their lineage held the 'Two Sects and Three Borders,' with five routes to Sublimation. They had even produced a Natural Enemy centuries ago, testifying to their profound heritage.

Not to mention anything else, just one thing—the Great Secret: Chalatustra, which shrouded the entire Current Circumstances, was built by the Creators using a part of the Zoroastrian Genealogy's Source as its foundation.

However, after a great upheaval, today's Persian Genealogy rarely made public appearances. Most of its members hid within the borders of their genealogy and seldom set foot in the Current Circumstances. They were like the legendary hidden sects, their Stigmas and Powers shrouded in mystery.

Since they were about to get their hands dirty together, they exchanged some information and quietly sized each other up. Each found the others quite formidable and not to be taken lightly, so they all maintained amicable smiles.

Once they had grown a bit familiar, Little Cat walked in from outside and stood on the stage, looking down at his enforcers. "In a few hours, it will be the deepest part of the night in Xiematai. Are you all prepared?"

After receiving an affirmative response from the three, Little Cat nodded, dragged over a case, settled onto a dirty stool on the stage, and lit a cigarette.

"According to the usual rules, I'm in charge during the day, and they take over at night. However, today they broke the rules by going out during daytime. Therefore, at midnight, they must return to the resting room for Deep Sleep. If you act cautiously, there shouldn't be much trouble," he explained.

He then handed out several sheets of paper. "The specific plan is all here. Huai Shi will take the lead, with Li Jian Amber and Ansali supporting from the sides.

"If you have any questions, ask directly. If there's anything you're unwilling to do, speak up now. It's better than causing a conflict later on and waking those fellows up, only to be squashed like bugs one by one..."

Little Cat's plan was simple.

When the time came, he would use his authority to send them straight to the ancient castle where the Princes slept. They were to sneak in silently, guns not blazing. First, they would stealthily dispatch a few of the hosts hired by the Princes on the periphery. Then, Huai Shi would follow the method Little Cat provided to settle the score with each of the slumbering Princes. With that, the job would be done.

It sounded simple, and perhaps it wouldn't be too difficult to execute.

They had known each other for years and were well acquainted. Little Cat was determined to play the Second fifth. He not only supplied maps of the castle's interior to each person and provided them with several keys each, but he even taught the three men all the Princes' weaknesses and critical points.

But Huai Shi still didn't understand why Little Cat had so much faith in him.

Having witnessed the Princes' ferocity during the day, he didn't think he could match them. No matter how one put it, he was only a Second Stage Sublimator and had advanced less than two months prior. Even with the support of Li Jian Amber and Ansali, if their actions were exposed, they would merely be delivering themselves on a platter.

"Times have changed, Little Brag," Little Cat said calmly while smoking. "No matter how splendid and noble we were in the past, we are now nothing more than lonely ghosts clinging to this Paradise for survival.

"Having lost our true faces, we can only exist in these hideous forms within Hell. Are such things really worth fearing?"

"In a way, we are all part of the mechanisms of Little Cat Paradise, refugees clinging to this dilapidated boat—only, they have been lost for too long, forgotten too much, and fallen too fast.

"If they die by your hand, it could be seen as a relief for what they once were."

Huai Shi was at a loss for words.

Actually, I'd probably feel quite relieved if I died by their hands too.

At least it would ensure a quick death.

"Don't worry," Little Cat assured. "To outsiders, the Princes may represent some mighty power of Little Cat Paradise. Internally, however, this power may not be as advantageous.

"Before tomorrow arrives, you'll still be employees of Little Cat Paradise, which should grant you some exemption from their oppression."

At this point, Little Cat took a deep look at Huai Shi, leaving some words unspoken in public. Huai Shi understood implicitly.

Being of the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy, he essentially had an Abyss residence permit, making him naturally different from other Sublimators in terms of the mechanisms of Little Cat Paradise. That's the advantage of being one of his own.

While both were working, he had a formal position, while the others were only contract workers hired through labor dispatch. Even when it came to dividing up the beltfish at the end of the year, his share was much more generous than the others'.

"If we can let them die peacefully in their dreams without awakening them, that would resolve everything. But if the plan goes awry, you need not worry too much," Little Cat said. "When you officially reveal your qualifications and challenge them, it will be a popularity contest between Princes.

"The Paradise absolutely will not interfere with this kind of internal cycle and replacement, and will only be pleased to see it happen—by then, if they want to kill you, they'll have to rely solely on their own power.

"Among them are the strong and the weak, so it will all depend on your luck at the time."

"Alright..."

Huai Shi sighed. Fortunes are sought in peril; there was no point in talking about danger now.

After all, if he failed, Little Cat wouldn't fare any better. It's said that two fists can't beat four hands; he couldn't imagine himself, alone, winning against the combined might of the seven Princes.

They were all grasshoppers on the same rope; it was best not to scheme against each other.

Seeing that Huai Shi had made up his mind, Little Cat was quite satisfied. He merely flicked his cigarette ash, and Huai Shi felt something extra in his pocket, while a whisper, almost like an illusion, reached his ear.

"I'll give this to you first as a down payment."

When Huai Shi reached into his pocket, he found that the item that had fallen into it was that fine iron chain. Before he could react, upon contact with his Source Substance, the chain disintegrated, turning into a wisp of Source Substance that burrowed straight into his Soul.

Involuntarily, Huai Shi's body shuddered, and the chair beneath him screeched sharply.

Li Jian Amber and Ansali looked over. Seeing Huai Shi motionless, they assumed he had merely changed his posture. But then, they saw two intense beams of light burst forth from his eyes.

It was as if he had installed two hundred-watt light bulbs behind his eyeballs.

Gleaming!

That was the terrifying luminance emitted by the violent collision of countless particles of Source Substance.

Under Huai Shi's coat, without his initiative, the Stigmata Mountain Ghost stirred to life on its own. From the opening on his chest, a pallid firelight flickered, resembling the glow of subterranean magma.

That was the Alchemy Fire in the furnace!

And in the very center of the flames, what emerged was the exact shape of that fine iron chain.

Upon touching the slender piece of steel, which resembled a pendant's chain, Huai Shi realized it was steel purely converted from Source Substance by some method—its effect identical to his Hand of Confinement!

And its level of completion far surpassed his own by ten, even a hundredfold!

Once it lost Little Cat's suppression and was awakened by Soul Power of the same origin, the iron chain sprang into Huai Shi's Soul as if alive, revealing its true form.

It expanded rapidly.

In the realm of his ephemeral consciousness, a vertical Lock Chain appeared. It had no visible upper or lower end, as if extending to the limits of his perception.

As the Lock Chain continuously magnified, countless intricate structures formed purely from Source Substance unfolded before Huai Shi.

With just a slight movement, the friction between the Lock Chain's countless links created thunderous roars. Sparks, like lightning, filled every direction.

Then, it finally found what resonated with it and contracted abruptly.

All anomalies vanished without a trace.

Like two great rivers merging into one, it seamlessly integrated into Huai Shi's Soul, becoming a part of the Hand of Confinement.

Integrated into... The Sorrow of Index?

Huai Shi didn't have time to consider the astonished expressions of the other two. With a casual grab, The Sorrow of Index shot out from his fingertips. It was no longer the iron thread of old but had transformed into a Lock Chain enveloped in a thin veil of black smoke.

Sparks shot continuously from the tips of the Lock Chain's links. Metal clashed, yet not a single jarring noise was made, as if even sound itself was bound by it.

Huai Shi's eyes widened in disbelief.

The Source Substance he had split off had actually become a genuine Border Relic?

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