The Scapegoat Plan

At this moment, Luo Qi and Diana were in a very delicate state of mind.

From the moment they entered Peach Blossom Paradise until now, every piece of news Bai Wei had revealed had been more shocking than the last, to the point that they were both starting to go numb.

"I don't even know what to say anymore." Diana sighed softly. "By your logic, even if I opened my eyes later and found Right Eye standing beside me, I probably wouldn't be too surprised."

"It's not quite that extreme." Bai Wei smiled. "No matter how formidable Right Eye is, he can't teleport. As long as you keep a certain distance from him—at least don't stay in the same place as him for now—you'll definitely be fine."

Upon hearing that, Luo Qi could no longer sit still.

"I have something to do. I'm leaving first." He sprang up as if his ass had caught fire, then belatedly remembered that he could not leave on his own. He could only look at Bai Wei. "How about we call it a night?"

"What's the rush?" Bai Wei pretended not to know anything and spoke in surprise. "We haven't finished talking yet."

"I really do have something to do... Fuck it, I'll come clean. I'm the one closest to him right now!" Luo Qi finally snapped. "If you don't come up with something, once he kills me, all of you will be finished too!"

In that instant, Luo Qi figured it out as well.

Leaving like this would not improve his situation in the slightest. If Isaiah really found him, he would still be doomed. So Luo Qi decisively decided to fight fire with fire, using Hand Eye's earlier tactic to protect himself and threatening the two of them into doing more than merely standing by and watching.

Although this would increase the chances of exposing himself, Luo Qi could not care about that anymore. Isaiah was simply too terrifying.

"Oh?" Bai Wei continued pretending to be surprised. "Mr. Thumb is actually in Nameless Town?"

Luo Qi kept a dark face and said nothing.

Diana rubbed her temples with a headache.

Teammates like Luo Qi were even more frightening than godlike opponents.

The moment she thought of someone like him staying beside Right Eye, who had killed Tongue, Diana felt as though half of his thumb had already been placed in Right Eye's hand.

Since that was the case, rather than leave him for Right Eye, perhaps I should take him first...

Diana could not help glancing at Luo Qi, but she ultimately forced down that extremely tempting thought. Attacking a Bishop rashly was far too risky, especially right under Right Eye's nose.

Yes, Diana already knew Luo Qi's identity. After the previous gathering, she had immediately sent people to investigate who had been injured in that battle. The answer had been easy to find, because Luo Qi had been the only one injured, and his injuries had been particularly conspicuous—every finger on his right hand except his thumb had been severed. It was practically like carving the words "I am Thumb" onto his forehead.

If she could figure out Luo Qi's identity, then Isaiah certainly could too. And Luo Qi was currently in the same place as Isaiah.

...What a fucking idiot.

Diana was truly on the verge of breaking down.

"Don't worry, Mr. Thumb." Fortunately, Bai Wei spoke to reassure him. "Right Eye definitely won't dare lay a hand on you, as long as you stay somewhere crowded."

"Why?"

"Because he doesn't dare expose his Corpse Pieces either." Bai Wei shrugged. "Otherwise, why would there not have been a single survivor in the battle between him and Tongue? And if he wanted to kill Tongue, he needed the moral high ground. Publicly, Contract Land and the other churches had ordered him to act. Without such an order, how would he dare attack you rashly?"

Luo Qi thought it over and felt that Bai Wei made sense. He was a Bishop in his own right, and his status was only slightly below Isaiah's. What right did Isaiah have to attack him directly?

Having figured that out, Luo Qi was no longer as panicked and sat back down.

"Then the next question is how we should deal with him." Bai Wei brought the topic back around. "Before that, I believe we all share a consensus: in a direct fight, none of us would be Right Eye's match... Any objections?"

Neither Diana nor Luo Qi responded, clearly acquiescing.

"Then we need some extra measures." Bai Wei looked at Diana. "What do you think, Ring Finger?"

Diana fell silent for a moment before saying, "You know about Obedience of Heavenly Voice?"

From Diana's perspective, she had only told Tongue about Obedience of Heavenly Voice, yet Hand Eye knew of it.

"So it's called Obedience of Heavenly Voice?" Bai Wei smiled and shrugged. "I don't know its name, nor do I know what it does. But I know this gathering was meant to deal with me. In the eyes of the churches, I possess four Corpse Pieces. To deal with someone like me, I don't think they would simply gather together for a meeting."

That reasoning did make sense.

Even without that reason, though, Diana would not have been too surprised. Bai Wei was not Luo Qi. News of the gathering had been circulating for so long; if he still had not uncovered any intelligence by now, that would only mean his abilities went no further than that.

Bai Wei continued, "Since Obedience of Heavenly Voice can kill me when I possess four Corpse Pieces, then it can kill Right Eye, who also possesses four Corpse Pieces, right?"

Use Obedience of Heavenly Voice to deal with Isaiah?

It truly was the most direct and reliable method, but...

"It isn't that simple." Diana shook her head. "Right Eye's standing in the Star Relic Sect is no lower than their Pope's. Even Contract Land cannot execute him without evidence."

"More than that, isn't it? Even with clear evidence, it would be difficult for you to execute him, wouldn't it?" Bai Wei said with a smile. "People at that level are truly difficult to restrain with rules. Even if it were confirmed that he really possessed four Corpse Pieces, Contract Land and the other churches would only force him to hand them over, right?"

Diana said nothing, but she clearly accepted that point.

"Then why don't we help him find a reason that leaves you with no choice but to act?" Bai Wei said with a smile.

At those words, a powerful sense of unease surged through Diana. She raised her head and stared directly at Bai Wei. "What do you mean?"

"Four Corpse Pieces are no longer enough to satisfy him. He has begun coveting an even greater power." Bai Wei spoke each word slowly and clearly. "So, he turned his gaze toward the deepest part of Contract Land—the most central, most forbidden secret... What do you think of that reason?"

Diana glared fiercely at Bai Wei.

Bai Wei leaned back, looking entirely relaxed.

"Well? Is that reason enough to get him killed?"

Diana opened her eyes and returned to reality.

"Master, you're awake."

The servant knelt beside the bed and skillfully handed her a warm towel.

Diana accepted the towel and asked, "Did anyone notice anything unusual about me?"

"No, Master." The servant answered respectfully. "Following your instructions, the moment you fell asleep, I brought you back to your room and informed everyone not to disturb you. The Warden did not come looking for you either."

Diana nodded slightly before wiping her face with the damp towel.

Every time she was summoned into Peach Blossom Paradise, she would fall unconscious. Over time, it would inevitably draw attention. Not everyone in Contract Land was Diana's servant; the Warden was the one who controlled everything. Thus, Diana had to remain mindful of this lest the secret of Peach Blossom Paradise be exposed.

Fortunately, they had agreed during the previous gathering to only convene at night, greatly reducing the risk of exposure.

After she wiped her face, the servant appropriately handed her a basin of water. Diana subconsciously glanced at the basin and saw her reflection in the water. Her face was frighteningly pale.

Diana hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes. The servant's body trembled because Diana had sent her consciousness into his head.

Through the servant's eyes, Diana could see her current appearance more clearly—although she had washed her face, she still looked as if she had just awoken from a terrible nightmare, her face filled with unease and weakness.

Diana withdrew her consciousness, tossed the towel to the servant, and waved him away.

Without question, this gathering in Peach Blossom Paradise had placed more pressure on Diana than any other in history. Before this, because she was in Contract Land, Diana had always maintained an attitude of letting everyone else fight while she sat securely above it all.

But that was no longer possible. Isaiah had killed Tongue and claimed four Corpse Pieces. In terms of raw strength, he was already capable of overwhelming the three of them.

Moreover, Diana had no certainty about what four Corpse Pieces could actually do, nor whether Isaiah had already seen through her identity.

Diana hated the unknown. Just as her mother, the previous owner of this finger, had told her: no matter when, never allow anyone or anything to slip beyond your control.

After obtaining this finger, she had accomplished that most of the time. Like a chess player towering above all living beings, she controlled the board. But now, that board was showing signs of slipping out of control.

Diana rose and left her room.

The moon was bright and the stars sparse that night, while the air was cool.

Diana had originally wanted to clear her mind with the night breeze, but when the wind truly brushed against her face, she only felt that her mind, already like a tangled ball of yarn, had been drenched in water. Her intertwined thoughts became even harder to unravel.

On the surface, Isaiah was currently the most uncontrollable person and the one who needed to be dealt with most. But Isaiah was not the only one making Diana uneasy. Hand Eye did as well.

Diana had always been deeply wary of Hand Eye. During the first Peach Blossom Paradise gathering, Hand Eye had already led her into a trap and successfully learned Contract Land's greatest secret from her. Even now, Diana did not understand how Hand Eye had learned that she came from Contract Land, or why he had wanted to uncover Contract Land's secret.

Of course, the latter question could be explained by curiosity. After all, upon learning of a hidden existence like Contract Land, it was only natural to want to know why it existed.

But would Hand Eye truly do anything meaningless? He was the person who had forced Tongue, who possessed three Corpse Pieces, to the point where Tongue would rather risk his life fighting Isaiah than have any way to deal with him.

So this time, when Hand Eye proposed using the excuse that someone coveted the deepest seal of Contract Land to make Contract Land activate Obedience of Heavenly Voice and execute Isaiah, Diana had no choice but to consider whether Hand Eye had other motives.

Without realizing it, Diana had walked to Abyss Prison again. She looked at the vortex that seemed to have no end and recalled a conversation she had once had with her mother.

"Mother, what exactly is locked down there?"

"Something that cannot be understood, and cannot be imagined."

"Why?"

"When you possess my finger, you will understand."

Diana gently stroked her ring finger.

Yes, after she obtained this finger, she understood what her mother had meant.

This single finger alone could make thousands of people willingly die for her and recognize her as their master. No matter how powerful or high-ranking they had once been, they could not resist the rules set by this finger.

And this was merely one finger.

Then what form did the true Visas possess?

If she could not see the true Visas, then what kind of power did the true corpse within Abyss Prison possess?

If I could obtain that power...

Diana's eyes widened. Then she drew in a sharp breath and repeatedly recited her mother's warning in her heart—cannot be understood, cannot be imagined—before finally driving away that extremely dangerous thought.

At that moment, she could not help recalling what Hand Eye had said in Peach Blossom Paradise—"Once you have experienced this power, no one can refuse it. We are all the same."

Yes, they were all the same.

But the prison absolutely could not be opened, and that corpse absolutely could not see the light of day again.

This was Diana's bottom line. No matter who wished to open the prison, she would immediately regard them as an enemy.

However, Hand Eye had not said that he wanted to open the prison. His idea was to use certain methods to make it appear as though someone wanted to open it. All they needed was to tear open the slightest gap in its outer layer, then pin the blame on Isaiah.

There was no problem with this plan. Contract Land needed a clear reason to execute a figure on the level of a Pope, but it needed no reason to execute someone attempting to open the prison.

And Diana, who was in Contract Land and possessed Ring Finger, truly had the room to carry out such an operation. Thus, the plan was feasible.

But this involved Abyss Prison, and the seal that had remained unchanged for a thousand years.

Would making the slightest alteration, tearing open the tiniest gap, truly cause no problems?

Diana had no confidence in that, so she had not agreed to Bai Wei on the spot. She had only said that she would consider a better method.

Yes, as long as there was a better method, she would never damage the prison, not even a little.