Bai Jing had been gone for a long time.
Yan Nan was still standing by the window.
After a long while, Chen Gu entered. "Fifth Brother, Eighth Master just took the Sacrificial Decree."
"From now on, Eighth Master will have full responsibility for the sect's sacrificial affairs. No one else is to participate."
Yan Nan spoke calmly.
"Understood."
Chen Gu's expression dimmed for a moment.
After hesitating for a long while, he finally said, "Fifth Brother, this... should we ease the tension between the two sides a little?"
Yan Nan turned around, his gaze as sharp as a blade as it landed on Chen Gu's face. "Why?"
"In the future... if one day we... truly reach that point, Dongfang Sansan's intellect will be the greatest weapon under heaven."
Chen Gu spoke with some difficulty.
"We and the Guardians are walking two different paths."
Yan Nan spoke quietly. "In this life, it will never be possible for us to truly join hands! If we cannot break free, then so be it—we'll die, and leave the world to the Guardians to continue fighting over."
"We want to become overlords, not puppets."
"We can obtain the power of the Heavenly Centipede God and use it to slaughter the world. That doesn't matter. But we cannot ultimately become people who cannot even control their own thoughts."
"If we can truly break free, then the moment we do, we will annihilate the Guardians and rule the continent alone!"
Yan Nan's voice was grim. "Over all these years, tens of trillions of our people have died, and even more Guardians have died! Chen Gu, I know you like playing both sides against each other, but give up those impractical fantasies. A stance is a stance!"
Chen Gu fell silent, then said, "Yes, Fifth Brother. I was