It Was Him

For many, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

The Guardian of the Contract Land, the delegation of the Seven Churches—all gathered around an open tent, staring at the massive, violently deceased body inside.

The corpse belonged to the Warden. He seemed to have been severed at the waist by some powerful force, and strange tentacles emerged from the cut in his abdomen, mixed with the sealing chains on his upper body, making it difficult to distinguish them for a moment.

But the fact that he is dead is undeniable.

The Warden of the Contract Land, who was very likely a living fossil who had lived from ancient times to the present day, died quietly at this moment.

"Do you have anything else to say?" The leading Guardian coldly looked at Isaiah, who was surrounded by a group of Guardian in the center, but whose expression remained largely unchanged.

"I have nothing to say," Isaiah said calmly, "Because I didn't do it."

Upon hearing this, the leading Guardian suddenly stepped forward, his massive body, not much shorter than the Warden, pressing down on Isaiah like a small mountain.

"Do you think we're all fools?!" The Guardian angrily drew his sword, pressing it against Isaiah's chest. "Do you think no one can punish you anymore?"

The moment the sword was drawn, everyone felt a distinct sense of pressure, causing their Magic Power to become stagnant.

This is the unique sealing power of the Contract Land Guardians. The incantations on the sword can not only suppress Visas, but also inhibit ordinary Magic Power. Therefore, when fighting the Guardian, everyone's strength will decrease by 30% to 40%.

Mina, standing next to Isaiah, felt it even more acutely; it had reached a point where she could barely use her Magic Power. But she still gritted her teeth and stood beside her teacher.

"Where's the evidence?" Mina said through gritted teeth. "Without evidence, it's slander."

"Evidence?" the Guardian said. "Besides him, who else here has the power to kill the Warden?"

"So, just because the teacher is powerful, you have to doubt him?"

"Heh, if that's your opinion, then why don't you explain your teacher's whereabouts tonight?" The Guardian stared intently at Isaiah. "What were you doing, using those methods to evade our surveillance?"

Mina was at a loss for words. She subconsciously glanced at Luo Qi not far away. Luo Qi's expression was serious, as if he were thinking, "Oh no, how could such a terrible thing happen tonight?" But he clearly had no intention of coming forward to defend Isaiah.

Mina didn't know whether Isaiah had seen Luo Qi or not, so she could only bite the bullet and say, "My teacher can go wherever he wants. He's not your prisoner. Your surveillance of him is the greatest offense!"

Such a weak and feeble explanation was met with no response from the Guardian. He simply ignored him and stared coldly at Isaiah.

"Are you going to remain silent, Mr. Isaiah?" the Guardian said. "Or are you plotting how to kill us all?"

Isaiah did not speak, nor did he remain in a daze. Instead, he stepped forward and walked straight toward the Warden's corpse.

The Guardian who drew his sword did not stop him, but just watched coldly. Everyone else's eyes were focused on Isaiah, but Isaiah's gaze was fixed on the Warden's corpse.

Without a doubt, this is due to dry Hand Eye.

But not at the moment he met Luo Qi, but earlier.

However, the body was discovered when he met Luo Qi, which is why Luo Qi decisively ran away. Because in the timeline, he could have killed the Warden before meeting Luo Qi.

In other words, his actions tonight were once again Hand Eye, and everything Hand Eye did was aimed at him.

But how exactly did he do it?

Even with so many facilities and devices targeting the power of Visas in the Contract Land, Isaiah didn't dare to recklessly use the power of his right eye. This is why Isaiah dared to use that illusion. In his view, since his Hand Eye, which also couldn't further utilize the power of their eyes, would absolutely not be able to see through his disguise.

But his Hand Eye could see through him incredibly, as if they were worms living inside his stomach.

And how exactly did this guy manage to kill the Warden without anyone noticing?

The Warden's strength is beyond doubt. Even Isaiah couldn't see through his abilities, yet he was defeated so Hand Eye.

Just how powerful is he?

Moreover, judging from the backlash from Isaiah, this guy has completely mastered the power of his right eye.

How did they manage to do that?

Numerous doubts flooded Isaiah's mind, constantly challenging Isaiah understanding of Hand Eye. Isaiah even began to wonder if he should reveal everything about Peach Blossom Paradise to ensure that Hand Eye could be killed.

Before this, Isaiah had never had such a thought, because he felt that doing so would be surrendering to the Hand Eye.

But if he doesn't do that, what should he do next?

"Haven't you thought of an excuse yet?" the Guardian behind him said. "Your time is running out, Mr. Isaiah."

Isaiah turned around, but instead of looking at the Guardian, he looked at the representatives of the various churches behind the Guardian.

He knew that the Hand Eye, and Ring Finger were among these people.

Isaiah pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "I still maintain that I did not kill the Warden."

"Who killed him?"

"Ulu," Isaiah said, "It can only be him; he has already arrived here."

Upon hearing Isaiah's words, everyone present wore strange expressions.

They came to the gathering, so they naturally knew who Ulu was. And now Isaiah said that Ulu had arrived, and judging from his expression, it seemed as if he wanted to say that Uru was right beside them.

If it weren't for the incident in Nameless Town, people would think there's nothing wrong with what he said, and might even immediately start searching for this guy.

But now, they just feel that the Isaiah claim is a bit too far-fetched.

However, Isaiah was not speaking to them, but to the Ring Finger.

After Luo Qi ran away without asking any questions, Isaiah realized that relying on this guy was worse than relying on a dog. Therefore, he had to find a way to re-establish contact with that Ring Finger.

He also knew that, given the current situation, Ring Finger was even less likely to contact him first.

But Isaiah still said, "That Ulu is dangerous. Everything is going according to his plan. The Warden is dead. If you use the Obedience of Heavenly Voice to deal with me, then there will really be no one left to deal with him. So think it through. I have no reason to kill the Warden."

Diana, standing in the crowd, narrowed her eyes slightly, lost in thought.

"You have no reason to kill the Warden?" the leading Guardian said coldly. "Everyone here knows that the Warden has decided to use the Obedience of Heavenly Voice on you."

"I know that too, which is why I'm even less likely to do it." After this back-and-forth, Isaiah's patience had run out, and his tone gradually turned cold. "If you really have clear evidence, you can take action against me directly. If you don't, go find it instead of wasting time here playing some meaningless reasoning game with me."

"You!!"

The leading Guardian was about to swing his sword when a soft cough was heard.

"Since we have doubts, why don't we just ask the Warden? He's the one who has the most say in this kind of question."

This statement was so outrageous that everyone couldn't help but turn around to see who had said it.

Then they saw the messenger from the underworld walk out with a smile.

Oh, that's alright then.

The leading Guardian looked at the Netherworld Envoy with slight surprise. "What do you mean?"

The messenger from the underworld stepped out from the crowd, his voice low and hollow, unlike that of a living person, and indeed he was not.

"To be honest, your reaction just now surprised me a bit," the messenger from the underworld said slowly. "You've been talking about the Warden being killed and all that."

"Is there a problem?" The Guardian frowned slightly. "Could it be that the Warden isn't dead?"

"No, no, no, your Warden is indeed dead." The messenger from the underworld stopped in front of the Warden's severed body. "But he didn't die tonight, he died a thousand years ago."

With just one sentence, the room fell silent immediately.

Only Ina reacted and asked, "Could it be that the Warden's condition is... similar to yours?"

"As expected of the messengers of Lyra." The Netherworld Envoy said to Ina with a smile, "Your thinking is indeed very agile, much better than us lifeless old relics. Yes, strictly speaking, the Warden can also be regarded as a disciple of my My Lord."

This statement was even more impactful than the previous one, and even the Guardian present couldn't help but show expressions of astonishment.

"Hmm... it seems the Warden didn't tell you anything." The Netherworld Envoy glanced at the Guardian present. "But that's not surprising, after all, you are all living people, but he isn't. The living and the dead have never had anything in common. If it weren't for the Lord's request, I wouldn't have wanted to come here."

Luo Qi's lips twitched slightly.

Is that idiot telling some lame joke?

"The reason the Contract Land stands apart from the Eight Great Churches is because it is the only one created jointly by multiple gods, not a single one," said the Netherworld Envoy. "Therefore, it contains the abilities of various gods: Rhine, Holy Sound, Lyra, and my My Lord Underworld. Your Warden is the masterpiece of my My Lord Underworld. He is a true, complete dead man, who died a thousand years ago. The reason he can still walk in the world is only because, like us, he has sealed his soul within his remaining body."

Next, the Netherworld Envoy described the characteristics of their church.

The dead cannot walk in the world without a body, and even if they use a physical body, it cannot last long, as the departed soul will decay the body at an extremely fast rate. Just like the Netherworld Envoy, when he left the underworld, his body was still a healthy male, but after arriving here, he became a rotting corpse, and soon he will completely turn into rotten flesh.

The Warden was the same, except that his body had been specially modified by the Lord of the Netherworld. The seals on those chains were not for Visas, but for sealing the Warden's own corrupting influence.

The Warden's identity was no secret a thousand years ago, but as time passed and the Guardian changed generation after generation, this identity gradually evolved into just "immortality." The current Guardian don't know any more details, and the Warden has no intention of explaining, probably because time has been too long for him and he's tired of explaining.

After listening, the shock on everyone's faces gradually subsided, and the representatives also understood why the Warden's attitude towards the Netherworld Envoy was noticeably better during the daytime meeting.

This is what a true fellow villager looks like.

"Then can the Warden come back to life...?" the leading Guardian asked immediately.

"Of course." The Netherworld Envoy nodded slightly, revealing a rotten smile. "My Lord Protection the soul, and the soul cannot be killed."

"What about the Warden...?"

"His physical body suffered a tremendous impact, which caused his soul to be scattered," said the messenger from the Underworld. "But the Warden's body and soul have been specially modified by my My Lord Underworld. He will eventually recover slowly, and his scattered soul will return to this body."

Seeing that the Warden could "come back to life," the Guardian breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly realized something and asked, "How long will this process take?"

"About a week."

The Guardian's brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed again, and he looked once more at Isaiah, who had been silent for a long time.

A week?

If we wait another week, wouldn't that just give this guy another week of comfort?

With the Warden absent, the others couldn't withstand the pressure and force the activation of Obedience of Heavenly Voice. And what if what he said was true, and someone else had attacked the Warden ...

The Guardian asked again, "Can you speed up this process?"

The Netherworld Envoy revealed his rotten smile again, "Of course, I can use the Spirit Summoning to bring his soul back right now."

Guardian: "..."

"Hehe, don't look at me like that," the Netherworld Envoy said. "Spirit Summoning spells are risky because they cannot pinpoint the individual soul."

"What's the meaning?"

"For example, if two people die at the same time in a village, the soul Spirit Summoning spell could be either of them, or even a split entity formed from the intersection of the two souls," the Netherworld Envoy said. "Therefore, it can generally only be used when it can be ensured that only one person has died."

The Guardian immediately breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "Don't worry, only the Warden 'died' tonight."

Are you sure?

"Sure."

"Then there's no problem."

The messenger from the underworld stepped forward and placed his hand on the Warden's severed body.

Immediately, a strange surge of Magic Power erupted, and everyone present saw a pair of eerie green hands emerge from the Warden's body, swaying gently in the air.

These large hands, as if collecting dandelions, grabbed one fragment after another of the soul and stuffed them into the Warden's body.

The Warden is also visibly "coming back to life".

This scene was equally shocking, except for Isaiah, who was frowning.

Logically, the Warden waking up should be a good thing for him, as it could clear him of suspicion. After all, there's no more effective way to track down a killer than for the victim to identify them personally.

But for some reason, Isaiah's heart was still filled with unease.

Finally, the Warden opened his abyss-like eyes.

"Warden!" The Guardian immediately stepped forward. "Are you feeling better?"

The Warden nodded, but his movements were very slow, clearly not fully recovered yet, but the Guardian were already impatient.

"Who attacked you?" the Guardian asked in a low voice.

The Warden blinked slowly, and then, under everyone's gaze, slowly raised his hand, which was bound in chains.

Amidst the sickening metallic scraping sound, everyone saw that the finger pointed towards... Isaiah.

"It's him."

Bai Wei said this.