It Was Him

For many, tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.

The Contract Land Guardians, along with representatives from the Seven Great Churches, all gathered before an opened tent, gazing at the colossal corpse within.

The body belonged to the Warden. He appeared to have been severed at the waist by some immense power, with grotesque tentacles erupting from the abdominal wound, intertwining with the chains binding his upper torso, making it difficult to discern at first glance.

But that he was dead was undeniable.

The Warden of the Contract Land, possibly a living fossil who had survived since ancient times, had died so silently?

"Do you have anything else to say?" the lead Guardian asked, his gaze cold as he looked at Isaiah, who stood surrounded by other Guardians, his expression largely unchanged.

"I have nothing to say," Isaiah replied calmly. "Because it wasn't me."

Upon hearing this, the lead Guardian lunged forward. His massive frame, not much shorter than the Warden's, bore down on Isaiah like a small mountain.

"Do you take us for fools?!" the Guardian roared, drawing his sword and pointing it directly at Isaiah's chest. "Do you think no one can bring you to justice anymore?"

The moment the sword was unsheathed, everyone felt a palpable pressure, causing the magic within their bodies to stagnate.

This was the unique sealing power of the Contract Land Guardians. The incantations on the sword could not only suppress Visas but also inhibit ordinary magic. Therefore, when fighting Guardians, everyone's power would first decrease by thirty to forty percent.

Mina, standing beside Isaiah, felt it even more acutely, to the point where she could barely channel any magic. Yet, she gritted her teeth and stood by her teacher's side.

"Where is the evidence?" Mina retorted through clenched teeth. "Without evidence, it's slander."

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

"So, just because my teacher is powerful, you suspect him?"

"Heh, if you put it that way, then perhaps you can explain your teacher's whereabouts tonight." The Guardian stared intently at Isaiah. "You used that method to evade our surveillance, what were you doing?"

Mina was suddenly at a loss for words. She instinctively glanced at Luo Qi, who stood not far away. Luo Qi wore a serious expression, as if thinking, "Oh, how could such a terrible thing happen tonight?" but he clearly had no intention of stepping forward to vouch for Isaiah.

Mina didn't know if Isaiah had actually met with Luo Qi, so she could only brace herself and say, "My teacher goes wherever he pleases. He is not your prisoner, and your surveillance of him is the greatest offense!"

With such a weak and unconvincing explanation, the Guardian didn't even bother to respond, simply ignoring her and continuing to stare coldly at Isaiah.

"Are you going to remain silent, Mr. Isaiah?" the Guardian asked. "Or are you perhaps contemplating how to kill all of us?"

Isaiah remained silent but no longer stood there blankly. Instead, he stepped forward, walking directly towards the Warden's corpse.

The Guardian who had drawn his sword did not stop him, merely watching coldly. The gazes of everyone else were fixed on Isaiah, while Isaiah's own gaze was fixed on the Warden's body.

Undoubtedly, this was the Hand Eye's doing.

But it wasn't at the moment he met with Luo Qi; it was earlier.

It was just that the body was discovered at the time he met Luo Qi, which was why Luo Qi had fled so decisively. Because, chronologically, he could have met Luo Qi after killing the Warden.

In other words, his actions tonight had once again been seen through by the Hand Eye, and everything the Hand Eye did was aimed at him.

But how had it managed to do it?

Despite the numerous facilities and devices in the Contract Land designed to counter Visas' power, even Isaiah dared not recklessly use the power of his right eye. This was why Isaiah had dared to use that diversionary tactic. In his view, the Hand Eye, also unable to further utilize its eye's power, would absolutely not see through his disguise.

Yet, the Hand Eye had inexplicably seen through it, as if it were a worm living inside his stomach.

And how had this guy managed to kill the Warden without anyone noticing?

The Warden's strength was unquestionable; even Isaiah couldn't fathom its depths, yet the Hand Eye had dealt with him so easily?

How powerful was it?

Moreover, judging from Isaiah's previous backlash, this guy had completely mastered the power of his right eye.

How had it achieved that?

Numerous questions flooded Isaiah's mind, constantly reshaping his perception of the Hand Eye, to the point where Isaiah even considered whether he should reveal everything about Peach Blossom Paradise to ensure the Hand Eye could be killed.

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

But if he didn't do so, how would he proceed next?

"Still haven't come up with an excuse?" the Guardian behind him asked. "Your time is running out, Mr. Isaiah."

Isaiah turned around, but he didn't look at the Guardian. Instead, he looked past him, towards the representatives of the various churches behind them.

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

Isaiah pondered for a moment and then slowly said, "I stand by my words, the Warden was not killed by me."

"Then who killed him?"

"Ulu," Isaiah stated. "It could only have been him. He has already arrived at this place."

Hearing Isaiah's words, everyone present wore strange expressions.

They had come to attend the Gathering, so they naturally knew who Ulu was. And now Isaiah was saying that Ulu had arrived, even looking as if he meant he was right beside them.

If it weren't for the incident in Nameless Town, they might have found this statement perfectly reasonable, perhaps even immediately searching for the individual.

However, given the circumstances, they found Isaiah's claim to be rather preposterous.

But Isaiah wasn't saying this for them to hear; he was saying it for the Nameless Finger.

After Luo Qi's indiscriminate flight, Isaiah had realized that relying on him was less dependable than relying on a dog. Therefore, he needed to find a way to establish contact with that Miss Nameless Finger.

And he knew that in the current situation, Miss Nameless Finger would be even less likely to contact him proactively.

But Isaiah still said, "That Ulu is dangerous, and everything happening now is part of his plan. The Warden is already dead. If you use Obedience of Heavenly Voice on me again, then there will truly be no one left to deal with him. So think carefully. I have absolutely no reason to kill the Warden."

Diana, 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 the Warden decided to use Obedience of Heavenly Voice on you."

"I know that too, which is precisely why I wouldn't do it," Isaiah's patience had been worn thin by this back-and-forth, and his tone gradually grew colder. "If you have definitive evidence, you can act against me directly. If you don't, then go find it instead of wasting time here playing meaningless deduction games with me."

"You!!"

The leading Guardian was already about to draw his sword when a faint cough sounded.

"Since there are doubts, why don't we just ask the Warden directly? The person involved would have more say in such matters."

This statement was so absurd that everyone couldn't help but turn their heads, wanting to see who had spoken.

Then they saw the Netherworld Envoy smiling as he walked out.

Oh, that makes sense then.

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

The Netherworld Envoy emerged from the crowd, his voice deep and hollow, not like that of a living person—of course, he wasn't.

"Honestly, your reactions just now surprised me a little," the Netherworld Envoy said slowly. "You've all been saying things like the Warden was killed."

"Is there a problem with that?" the Guardian frowned. "Isn't the Warden dead?"

"No, no, no, your Warden is indeed dead," the Netherworld Envoy walked to the Warden's severed torso and stopped. "But he didn't die tonight. He died a thousand years ago."

At those words, the scene immediately fell silent.

Only Ina reacted, asking, "Could it be that the Warden's state... is similar to yours?"

"As expected of the Lyra's envoy," the Netherworld Envoy said with a smile to Ina. "Your thinking is indeed very agile, far superior to us lifeless old relics. Yes, strictly speaking, the Warden can also be considered a Disciple of my Lord."

This statement had a greater impact than the previous one. Even the Guardians present couldn't help but show expressions of astonishment.

"Hmm... it seems the Warden told you nothing," the Netherworld Envoy swept his gaze over the Guardians present. "But that's not surprising. After all, you are all living people, but he is not. There has never been much common ground between the living and the dead. If it weren't for my Lord's request, I wouldn't have wanted to come here."

Luo Qi's mouth twitched slightly.

Is this dead guy telling bad jokes?

"The Contract Land is able to exist independently of the Eight Great Churches because it was jointly created by multiple deities, not a single deity," the Netherworld Envoy explained. "Therefore, it accommodates the abilities of various deities: Rhine, Holy Sound, Lyra, and my Lord, the Netherworld. And your Warden is a masterpiece of my Lord, the Netherworld. He is a true, complete dead person, who died a thousand years ago. The only reason he can still walk the earth is because, like us, he sealed his soul within his remains."

Then, the Netherworld Envoy explained the characteristics of their church.

The dead cannot walk the earth without a body, and even with a physical form, it cannot last long. The detached soul will corrupt the body at an extremely rapid rate. Like the Netherworld Envoy, when he left the Netherworld, his body was still that of a healthy man, but upon arriving here, it had become a decaying corpse. Soon, it would completely turn into rotten flesh.

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

The Warden's identity was not a secret a thousand years ago, but as time passed and the Guardians were replaced generation after generation, this identity gradually evolved into merely "undead." The current Guardians didn't know the finer details, and the Warden had no intention of explaining. Perhaps time felt too long for him, and he was tired of explaining.

After listening, the shock on everyone's faces gradually subsided. At the same time, the major representatives finally understood why the Warden's attitude towards the Netherworld Envoy had been noticeably better during the daytime meeting.

This is the real fellow countryman.

"So, can the Warden 'live'... die again?" the leading Guardian immediately asked.

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

"Then how did the Warden..."

"His physical body suffered a massive impact, causing his soul to be scattered," the Netherworld Envoy explained. "But both the Warden's body and soul were specially modified by my Lord, the Netherworld. He will eventually recover slowly, and his dispersed soul will return to this body."

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

"About a week."

The Guardian's brows, which had just relaxed, immediately furrowed again. He then looked back at Isaiah, who hadn't spoken for a long time.

A week?

If they waited another week, wouldn't that allow this guy to have another week of peace?

With the Warden gone, no one else could withstand the pressure to forcibly activate Obedience of Heavenly Voice. And if what he said was true, and someone else was responsible for attacking the Warden...

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

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

Guardian: "..."

"Heh, don't look at me like that," the Netherworld Envoy said. "Spirit Summoning has risks because it cannot precisely target an individual's soul."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, if two people die in a village at the same time, the soul summoned back by Spirit Summoning could be either one of them, or even a split entity where the two souls merge," the Netherworld Envoy explained. "So, it's generally only used when it can be ensured that only one person has died."

The Guardian immediately relaxed and then said, "Please rest assured, only the Warden 'died' tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Certain."

"Then there's no problem."

The Netherworld Envoy stepped forward and placed his hand on the Warden's severed torso.

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

These large hands seemed to be gathering dandelion seeds, grabbing soul fragments one by one and stuffing them into the Warden's body.

The Warden, in turn, was "coming alive" at a visible rate.

This scene also delivered a great emotional impact, but only Isaiah frowned deeply.

Logically, the Warden waking up should be a good thing for him, as it would also clear his name. After all, there was no more effective way to track down a culprit than for the victim themselves to identify them.

However, 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. However, the Guardian was already impatient.

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

The Warden slowly blinked, then, under everyone's gaze, he gradually lifted his hand, which was bound by chains.

Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of metal friction, everyone saw that hand point towards... Isaiah.

"It was him."

Bai Wei said this.