Third Ring Town.
Gang Family Chinese Medicine Clinic
About half an hour later.
Little Sparrow, her face pale, was the first to walk out of the clinic.
Two more hours passed, after enduring the prolonged torture of applying the medicine...
Liu Ruyan and Shangguan Shuyi, supporting each other, shakily made their way out of the gate.
The two had long since lost the mutual wariness and hostility they had shown when they went inside.
On the contrary, a revolutionary friendship was formed.
"Phew... I'm alive again..."
Shangguan Shuyi wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, turned to look at Liu Ruyan, and spoke in an unusually calm tone.
"I'm going to the Ox-Horse Factory on the Second Ring Town to prepare for hosting the second stage of the race."
Do you want to come with me?
Liu Ruyan leaned against the wall and nodded heavily.
"Go away! That bastard wasn't in his room this early in the morning; he must have gone there beforehand!"
I have to go and settle the score with him!
Shangguan Shuyi nodded in strong agreement.
As the saying goes, we've fought side by side, and we've filled in the gaps together.
The estrangement and hostility between the two vanished instantly, and a unique sense of shared misfortune even arose.
"Slow down, watch your step."
"You too, don't aggravate your wound."
And so, they tacitly supported each other and slowly moved toward the Ox-Horse Factory.
The Second Ring Town, in front of the main gate of the Ox-Horse Factory.
At this moment, Jiangnan had already finished enhancing his physical abilities and reappeared in the mortal world as Black Mist.
Guided by the lobby manager of Shen's Hotel, Jiangnan arrived at the mine and factory ahead of time.
At this moment, if he didn't rely on any Word Spirit, he could absolutely blast ten of his previous selves apart with just his physical strength!
"Sir, this is it. The Ox-Horse Factory is just ahead."
The lobby manager nodded and bowed as he glanced at his pocket Pocket Watch.
"It's only 9:30 a. m., almost two and a half hours before the start of the second stage."
"How about... I take you to stroll along the most bustling commercial street on the Second Ring Town?"
Jiangnan did not answer immediately.
He stared at the enormous mine shaft before him, rubbing his chin.
"The smell emanating from this mine... it feels so familiar."
That feeling didn't belong to any living person, nor to ordinary eeriness, but was more like...
The inner world of the [Human Emperor Lamp] in his arms!
"Could it be that..."
Jiangnan recalled the Tang Sirui he had met before.
The fact that one's soul can be taken away yet still walk in reality using a physical body, and that one's body can be reconstructed during the Night of Return of the Soul.
Containment and reconstruction.
He had a premonition that this Ox-Horse Factory was deeply connected to the Human Emperor Lamp!
However, there are still more than two hours before the match, and going in too early might alert the enemy.
Jiangnan withdrew his gaze, took out a notepad, and wrote two words.
[Can.]
"Alright! This way, sir!"
"I'll take you to experience the Second Ring Town right now!"
The lobby manager, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly stepped forward to lead the way.
Second Ring Town, Shen Family Mansion, Grand Dining Hall.
Inside the cafeteria, there were ten contestants and their families.
They had all settled in here for the night and were now enjoying a sumptuous breakfast provided by the Shen Family.
"Vomit!"
A sound of retching followed.
Circle spat the mouthful of thick, grayish-white liquid from his mouth back into the bowl.
"Dad! This stuff called douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) is absolutely awful!"
"It's like drinking rotten swill!"
Guo Shuai, sitting next to him, shook his head.
"Circle, if you drink soy milk straight down like that, it's no wonder you'd throw up!"
"You're eating it the wrong way at all!"
"How do you eat it?" Circle curiously.
Guo Shuai picked up a fried dough ring, broke it into pieces, and threw it into the bowl of soy milk.
"Watch this!"
"The correct way to drink it is to break the fried dough rings into pieces and soak them in the soy milk, allowing them to fully absorb the tangy flavor of the soy milk."
"Then..."
Guo Shuai paused for a moment, then picked up the bowl of prepared soy milk.
"Then, before it can react!"
He threw the bowl and soup, along with everything else, into the nearby Trash Can!
"Clang!"
Guo Shuai smoothly tossed the bowl of soy milk into the Trash Can, then wiped his hands.
"What kind of inhumane and Dark Cuisine? Even a dog wouldn't drink it!"
"There's one for me too!"
On the other side, Han Fei picked up a plate of fish and threw it into the Trash Can.
"What's this thing called, West Lake Vinegar Fish?"
"What a complete waste of a good fish's life!"
Sitting opposite, Zhao Yan, Shadow, and Xin An watched this bizarre and absurd move, their lips twitching.
These two dishes can indeed be considered Dark Cuisine in China.
Then, the three of them turned their gazes to the other corner of the table in unison.
There, Tu Xiaowu was patiently feeding Tang Sirui rice porridge little by little.
However, Tang Sirui is now just a soulless walking corpse, struggling to swallow.
Porridge often dripped down his chin, but Tu Xiaowu didn't mind and carefully wiped it away for him.
Zhao Yan and his two companions sighed as they looked at their former teammates in this state.
But thankfully...
There was also a woman by his side who was willing to love him wholeheartedly.
In a quiet corner on the other side of the cafeteria.
Qin Jiudao, the Heavenblade Dragon King, was sipping tea with his head down, his eyes filled with worries.
Ever since he saw Jiangnan on the Rankings yesterday, he has been unable to contain his excitement.
He was eager to meet this mysterious number one!
He wanted to see for himself whether the other person was indeed the reincarnation of the Dragon God he had been longing for!
"But..."
"This person's whereabouts are extremely mysterious; he completely disappeared yesterday."
"Furthermore, Phoenix Emperor has refused my request to see him..."
Qin Jiudao sighed irritably, "It seems I'll only see him at the factory when the second stage officially begins."
Behind a carved screen, separated from Qin Jiudao.
The three members of the Eagle Squad were sitting around the table.
Captain Aeria swirled the red wine in her glass, took a small sip, and said, "The red wine here is quite good."
Sitting opposite him, Allen Dick stroked his giant axe.
"Captain, when do we begin our operation?"
"Ingrika sent me the internal route map of Central Forest Garden yesterday through some channels."
Roman, standing to the side, lazily stretched.
"Don't worry, the food and accommodations here are great, much better than outside the Weird Island."
"It's not too late to stay a little longer."
"Fuck!"
Jamie slammed his fist on the table and growled angrily.
"Captain! Please give me a straight answer!"
"To be honest, all I can think about right now is how to kill that Muraguchi Nissuu!"
"If that bastard hadn't deliberately tricked us, how could we have ended up with only the Eagle Squad left?!"
Seeing Jamie burning with Wrath, Aeria put down her glass.
"Jamie, don't let anger cloud your already not-so-bright mind."
Aeria cautioned, "You will be an indispensable key player in the upcoming treasure hunt."
"As long as we can successfully infiltrate Central Forest Garden and obtain either of those two Spirit Artifacts..."
"Then we can completely roam freely on this Weird Island!"
"But..."
Aeria took a deep breath. "This operation is also extremely dangerous!"
"I can clearly sense the power of the Phoenix Emperor sitting on the throne..."
"He is very likely more powerful than any of the [Elders] we've met at the White House Base in the Eagle Country!"
We only have one chance to make a move.
"I will have Ingrika provide support from within, but the crucial condition is..."
"I must finish in the top four in the second stage to secure a place closer to Central Forest Garden!"
Then, Aeria looked at Jamie with extreme seriousness.
"As for the Muraguchi Nissuu... you'd better suppress your murderous intent."
"That guy's acting strange right now, I suspect..."
"Beneath that physical body lies a soul that is no longer human."
"Stay away from him as much as possible!"
After hearing their captain's warning, the three nodded. "Understood, Captain!"
Just then, a round of applause came from outside the hall.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Shen Yingchun, dressed in her commander's uniform, walked in.
He looked around at the crowd and announced in a loud voice.
"Attention all competitors! There are less than two hours left before the start of the second stage of the race!"
"All contestants who have advanced to the top twelve, please follow me to the Ox-Horse Factory immediately!"
"As for your family members and accompanying personnel, please rest assured and stay at the Shen Residence to rest!"
Although everyone felt sorry that family members couldn't attend the game, they all expressed their understanding, since they were all under the same roof.
Then, Shen Yingchun opened the roster and began calling out names.
"Qin Jiudao"
"Aeria Alice."
"Li Feiyu."
"Zhang San."
"..."
"Zhao Yan!"
After counting all ten people, Shen Yingchun closed the roster.
"The remaining two contestants, Jiangnan and Lu Mingfei, are not currently at the Shen Residence."
"All ten of you, come with me now!"
The ten contestants bid farewell to their companions and followed in Shen Yingchun's footsteps.
Qin Jiudao hurried forward, approached Shen Yingchun, and tried to get close to her.
"Commander Shen, I have something to ask you."
"That contestant named Jiangnan, is he really...?"
"I didn't hear that! I don't know anything!"
Before Qin Jiudao could finish speaking, Shen Yingchun shuddered as if she had suffered from PTSD!
His mind was filled with Phoenix Emperor Phoenix's warnings and plans.
At this crucial moment, we absolutely cannot reveal that person's identity!
Shen Yingchun pretended to be deaf and dumb, and even quickened her pace, afraid that Qin Jiudao would ask another question.
Qin Jiudao, left behind, scratched his chin in bewilderment.
"This is unusual... something's fishy!"
However, he didn't press further, only a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
"It's alright! Since he's also going to participate in the second stage, then next..."
"I will finally be able to see the true face of Mount Lu with my own eyes!"
Qin Jiudao was mentally planning how to probe Jiangnan at the Ox-Horse Factory later as he walked forward with the main group.
However, the moment he had that thought...
A gaze locked onto his back from a blind spot!
"Who?!"
Qin Jiudao's pupils contracted sharply, and his instinct made him draw his half-inch sword and turn his head to look back!
However, on that empty street, apart from a few townspeople sweeping the streets, nothing unusual was found.
"That's strange..."
Qin Jiudao frowned, scanning his surroundings warily.
At the same time, the old cursed wound on his chest suddenly began to throb with pain.
This resonance only occurs when encountering a natural enemy or a dangerous aura!
"What are you daydreaming about! Hurry up and catch up, you're about to fall behind!"
Just then, one of the ghost messengers leading the group turned around and stepped forward to urge them on.
"Coming right away."
Qin Jiudao suppressed the murderous intent in his eyes and quickly caught up with the group, but his heart was in turmoil.
"The Dragon Clan senses remaining within me cannot possibly be wrong!"
"That gaze just now was definitely not some kind of hallucination or ghostly illusion!"
"Those are members of the Desolate God Society!!!"
Qin Jiudao's face turned grim.
"How did these rats from the gutter manage to sneak into the Second Ring Town without anyone noticing?"
What exactly are they plotting?
"Phoenix Emperor shouldn't have missed these bedbugs..."
"Or perhaps..."
"This so-called groom selection competition... is not so simple?!"
As Qin Jiudao pondered, he gradually moved further and further away with the main group of participants.
Until the contestants and the ghost messengers completely disappeared at the end of the street.
Three figures emerged from the dead end.
It was the Sage who carried the drooling Dusk, and...
They had just regained the Muraguchi Nissuu the faces were now filled with weakness and lingering fear.
The Sage's empty eyes, covered by a gray cloth, were fixed on the direction Qin Jiudao had left.
"What a stray dog with an incredibly keen sense of smell."
"Even those on the verge of death, these minions under the Dragon God remain so vigilant."
"Judging from his reaction just now, he must have already noticed our presence."
"Um... that, Sage One."
At the Muraguchi Nissuu humbly bowed its back.
"Now that he's found out, should we follow him now and..."
As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
"Idiot."
The Sage scoffed dismissively, "That team is heading to the Ox-Horse Factory for the second leg of the race."
"[The Clown] is already lying in wait inside the factory."
"We don't need to get involved in or concern ourselves with what's happening over there."
"So... what do we need to do now?"
At the Muraguchi Nissuu, Rishu scratched his head in utter confusion. "Am I supposed to beg for food right here on the Second Ring Town?"
"What we need to do next... is to exploit their weaknesses!"
The Sage turned around and looked at the [Shen Family Mansion] next to him.
"Do you see that house?"
"Whether it's China, the Eagle Country, or even the Dragon God's Claws..."
"Their family members and companions, whom they cared about, were all gathered in this mansion."
The Sage sneered repeatedly, "And now, with all their key players gone, they are at their weakest!"
"When the race bell rings at noon, everyone's attention will be drawn to the Ox-Horse Factory."
"Then we'll take direct action and take down all the vulnerable spots in the mansion that are defenseless!"
"With these hostages in our hands, the Desolate God Society this game!"
Upon hearing this perfect base-raiding tactic, Muraguchi Nissuu's eyes lit up.
"Your Sage is truly remarkable! Your wisdom is like a celestial Devil Master, a veritable god of war on earth!"
"This tactic of cutting off their supply lines will definitely give us a firm grip on them!"
"Alright, stop flattering me."
"Take Dusk with you, book a room at the nearest inn across the street, conceal your presence, and wait patiently for the opportune moment at noon."
The Sage waved his sleeve.
Then, as if dragging the madman Dusk along, the two walked into a small inn diagonally opposite the Shen Residence.
However.
The Sage, basking in the satisfaction of his perfectly planned raid, had no idea what was going on.
Just as they turned and walked into the inn...
Inside the inn, a pair of crimson dragon eyes, which had been staring at them for an unknown amount of time, were opening in the shadows...
They were watching their backs.