The sleepers lined up in a row, with rails laid on top, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other; in this desolate wilderness, this was the only visible man-made object.

In the distance, the mountains were covered in white snow, and tough green grass grew on the plains. The man stopped; he had been walking along the tracks for a long time, as if searching for something.

In this monotonous world, a splash of bright color caught the man's attention. He bent down, observing the small flower growing beneath the sleepers.

In this cruel and extreme natural environment, few plants can survive. The small flower gave the man a great sense of surprise. Gently stroking the petals, the man's sullen mood for a while now showed rare signs of delight.

"How wonderful..."

The man sighed, appreciating the beauty amidst despair.

Gusts of cold wind brushed past, striking his body like icy needles piercing the skin. The man blew his breath, with white mist swirling around his mouth.

A faint vibration came from all around, and the tracks began to tremble slightly, causing the nearby gravel to start rolling and colliding with each other.

The man slowly straightened up, gazing toward the end of the tracks. Erupting steam, like a trailing flag, rose from the edge of the horizon, and then the cold, formidable locomotive gradually crept into view amidst the constant rumbling.

On a straightforward look, it was an exceedingly ordinary train. If there was anything different about it, as the train approached, the man could vaguely hear the strings and cheerful voices drifting in the air.

It was as if the train carried an orchestra that played ceaselessly, day and night. Men and women, dressed in formal wear, danced elegantly in the narrow car, embracing, kissing, laughing, and indulging in life's pleasures, spreading smiles.

Just thinking about it, the man could feel those colorful emotions, as intense as fire.

Such wonderful things were, for the man, a lethal poison.

To maintain inner peace, for many years, the man had been resisting anything that might stir his emotions.

Whether it was rage-inducing hatred or joy at the world's beauty, he no longer wanted to experience them. If possible, the man wished to lose all emotions to attain absolute tranquility.

Regrettably, the man couldn't do it. No matter how much he changed, he couldn't distort his essence, the essence of once being human. For this, his heart had a flaw, one that constantly triggered his emotions.

To control his emotions, the man chose to escape the world, hiding in that dim bar, severing all ties with the world, completely isolating himself from mundane life.

This was somewhat like Palmer, but the man was evidently more extreme. As long as there was nothing he cared about, he wouldn't be disturbed by anything.

But there were always things he couldn't sever himself from, so the man left that haven where he had succumbed for so long and came here.

The conductor seemed to notice the man's presence. The rumbling train slowly came to a stop not far in front of him, and the strings and cheerful voices grew clearer. The man could even hear those faint moans.

In a daze, a familiar, repulsive laugh echoed in his ear.

That woman.

Sai Zong took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions, attempting not to be disturbed by the other party.

"Your taste in clothes is still terrible."

The woman's voice sounded directly from his mind, and looking around, there was only Sai Zong alone.

He remained silent, tearing apart the ridiculous dog costume he wore, leaving only a pitch-black outfit, the darkness profound, as if Sai Zong was a silhouette of black appearing out of nowhere.

Sai Zong gave one last glance at the small flower, then proceeded along the train. The door opened on cue, revealing an unknown, murky darkness beyond.

In the darkness, those joyful, cheerful sounds became clearer, as if passing through this darkness, Sai Zong could join that never-ending banquet.

Sai Zong didn't like the banquets hosted by the woman. Rather than a banquet, he preferred to describe it as a sacrifice.

Using his intense emotions as a sacrifice to earn the woman's favor.

Yes, that's the kind of woman she is.

The greedy Tyrant only cares about the value of things, even if in the eyes of others it's worthless. As long as the Tyrant deemed it valuable, the Tyrant was willing to pay the price.

The ravenous Crimson Queen, in her pursuit of satiety, would go to any lengths to devour everything that could be consumed, whether life or non-life, as long as it possessed a soul, it would become her food.

The lazy observer was the most laughable among them. Compared to him, Sai Zong, the observer was truly detached from the world. He longed for poetic chapters, like a madman in love with stories, who would rather be eternally trapped in an infinite library.

As for this woman...

Sai Zong traversed through the darkness, not into a narrow cabin, but into a golden hall filled with the scent of alcohol and incense, where masked men and women in gowns danced gracefully on the marble floor.

A woman disengaged from the spinning dance, stepping lightly as she circled around Sai Zong, extending a pale hand to invite him.

Sai Zong didn't react, even though he was the Chosen One, he remained wary in front of this woman.

Unlike those formidable enemies, who brought physical pain at most, this woman would toy with your mind, searching for the most fragile corner within to deliver a fatal blow.

Sai Zong hated this woman, many disliked her, yet Sai Zong also liked her, as did everyone else.

"Long time no see, Sai Zong."

The woman withdrew her hand, placing them behind her back as her mask covered only the upper half of her face, the revealed lips formed an enchanting smile.

Sai Zong nodded indifferently, ignoring the woman's seductive voice.

"You hid for so many years, suddenly appearing before me, what do you want to do?"

The woman stepped back, rejoining the dance party, then another woman appeared from behind Sai Zong, placing her hands on his shoulders, leaning in to whisper softly in his ear.

Sai Zong said, "I want to know your stance."

"My stance?"

The woman giggled, "Are you preparing for a new round of conflicts?"

"You and I both know, the conflict never ended."

Sai Zong said coldly, he detested the woman's awful personality, conversing with her was always fraught with difficulty.

"Then... what does my stance have to do with you?"

The woman retorted, "The long struggle of Scorched Earth Wrath has already made you weary, hasn't it? Otherwise, you wouldn't have hidden in the Undying Club, along with the one behind you."

"You and he feel exhausted, craving inner peace, so why not withdraw from this conflict like that person?"

"Withdraw from the conflict?" Sai Zong laughed hoarsely, "Do you think we have a real possibility of quitting?"

"At least superficial withdrawal is possible, isn't it? Like that person, hiding deep within the Order Bureau, giving all his power to those Condensers."

Sharp nails pressed against Sai Zong's chest, as the woman traced circles over his front, "Speaking of which, we should thank King Solomon, he exhausted all your chips, otherwise I couldn't have gained my current advantage."

The Fall of the Holy City was the end of Scorched Earth Wrath, the climax of the Devils' conflicts, on that mad battlefield, the observers' chips were spent entirely, losing the ability to continue competing, leading Sai Zong to be heavily hit, choosing to escape for inner peace.

Due to the weakness and withdrawal of both, the woman gradually gained advantage in disputes; in previous conflicts, her power was at most contending with observers, as for Sai Zong, she was powerless to resist.

Looking into Sai Zong's eyes, the woman could sense the repressed, constantly burning anger within that seemingly calm depth.

Greedy ones are never satisfied, hungry ones never full, angry ones... never at peace.

"What is this, like a fisherman gaining from others' toil?"

The woman's laughter grew increasingly shrill but halted abruptly in the next second.

On her pale, smooth skin appeared numerous cracks, oozing blood beneath the cracked facade, instantaneously seeming like thousands of blades slicing through her body, every inch of skin, bones, flesh, nerves... all uniformly crushed and severed.

A ghastly laugh emitted from her throat before she collapsed into a sticky sludge, splattered across the floor.

Blood trickled silently over the marble floor, while Sai Zong diverted his eyes from the twisted scene, stepping aside as the blood flowed past him.

"How violent."

A voice emanated from the dancing crowd, the woman pushed aside a man, smiling as she strode towards Sai Zong.

With each step the woman took, another consciousness gradually took over the entire shell, until the eyes beneath the mask ignited with a Fire Opal-colored hue.

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