Once uttered, the long-lost greeting echoed in the farewell hall with the peal of thunder.

Fragrant flowers and flickering candles, everything was solemn as ever, even Lei Wuye lying in the coffin appeared so peaceful.

Yet in an instant, the atmosphere had become tense and explosive.

At this critical juncture, uninvited guests one after another suddenly arrived, accumulating too much pressure and tension from the deadly silence.

When Chen Xingzhou, who should have been lying in a hospital, regally appeared in front of the farewell hall, it was like a spark in a powder keg, unleashing flames and blasts that could no longer be contained.

The sharp sound of chairs scraping was incessant.

In the hall, countless people stood up, looking coldly towards Chen Xingzhou, tense as drawn bows, yet many others stood to look towards Lei Yaoxing.

In the blink of an eye, all the outsiders remained seated in their original places, not uttering a word.

From the seemingly frozen air, Lei Yaoxing silently stared at his opponent nearby, scrutinizing his unmasked and undisguised appearance.

Despite the chasm between them.

For Lei Yaoxing, ordinary people like Chen Xingzhou who repeatedly refused White Deer's blessings and Upper Inheritance ceremonies, could easily be made to bleed and behead with just a flick of a finger.

No, he didn't even need to lift a finger.

He could feel that Chen Xingzhou's condition was so dire that calling him barely alive was almost a compliment, a true candle flicker in the wind.

Even if he were to cough up blood and die the next moment, it wouldn't be a surprise.

Yet, it was this profoundly weakened man who had become his most unignorable opponent, merely by lending momentum in the darkness, leaving Lei Yaoxing exhausted from coping day after day, unable to secure his position as the decision-maker despite being at close range.

Now, as his opponent finally appeared before him in this state, he who held a decisive advantage actually started to feel...

As if facing a great enemy?!

Even without claws to prey on his opponent or teeth to rend flesh, some more spine-chilling thing surged in the spirit of the man before him.

Clearly sitting in a wheelchair, breath as fragile as a thread.

But at this moment, such a gaze, as if he viewed from a higher place than even eagles could soar.

As if... he had never regarded himself as being in his sight...

"So it turns out like this?"

From unbearable murderous intent and rage, Lei Yaoxing's expressionless face seemed to sigh lightly, "Really, I underestimated you..."

Starting from a petty cash grab in his early days to now.

In this clandestine war, relying on nothing but a few insignificant stones, he had stirred up massive waves in the stagnant waters of Cliff City.

"Since when did it start?" he suddenly asked.

"Hm?"

Chen Xingzhou smiled slightly, seemingly puzzled, "What exactly are you referring to? The plan? Or the ambition? That goes way back..."

"Seven years ago, old Master Lei took a liking to me and wanted to adopt me, but unfortunately, I'm a troublesome person, ungrateful. The fortune that came begging on its knees, I didn't want it."

He sighed lightly, caressing the handles of his wheelchair, "Over twenty years ago, I took a shabby folding knife to collect protection money at the market, was seen as trying to appear fierce but lacking courage, got surrounded and beaten, ended up kneeling and weeping for mercy... No, maybe even earlier."

Chen Xingzhou said, "Even before that..."

That first spark of ambition and greed that erupted and burned his soul, rising with wispy smoke.

It was the first time he felt desperation.

"Don't cry, Jade Wrap, from now on, it's just the two of us."

Underneath a bridge alcove, a homeless youth embraced his weeping younger brother, staring coldly at the distant icy neon lights, "Lift your head, wipe off your tears, we're not bastards.

Don't be afraid, one day, no one will dare to look down upon us."

Rain fell silently, a chilling wind blew from afar.

As if dead spirits buried in the darkness were issuing sneers and mockery.

But when he turned his head back to reminisce all that, everything became so vague, no longer clear.

Some memories were too distant.

So much that even in nightmares, they were hard to recall...

"So many years have passed."

Chen Xingzhou mockingly smiled, looking towards Lei Wuye's coffin, slightly shaking his head, "It seems, from the beginning, I was never one to repay kindness..."

"Indeed, even in his lifetime, your father could have never imagined that a dog fed on leftovers like you would dare to act so arrogantly before his spirit."

A glint of scarlet emerged in Lei Yaoxing's eyes, looming over, then taunted, "All these outsiders invited, do you intend to meddle in Desert Market's affairs? Chen Xingzhou, have you considered the consequences?"

Chen Xingzhou, unconcerned, shook his head.

"Rest assured, they are here to bear witness to what will happen next, which has nothing to do with the issues between you and me.

They had to come today..."

Chen Xingzhou's words paused momentarily, then he stared indifferently at Lei Yaoxing's appearance, "After all, the many disturbances caused by Desert Market these days, there must be some account given."

"Account?"

Lei Yaoxing almost burst out laughing, "Who will give the account? You? What are you?!"

Chen Xingzhou shrugged, "I just want, to have a talk with you."

"You? Talk with me?"

Lei Yaoxing could no longer hold back and burst out laughing furiously, demanding, "Do you even deserve to, Chen Xingzhou? What the fuck do you have to negotiate with me?!"

At that moment, the sound of chairs scraping against the floor once again filled the air.

At the back, a one-eyed woman who had been smoking stood up first, tossed away her cigarette butt, and walked toward the spirit hall. Facing Lei Yaoxing's almost-devouring gaze, she positioned herself behind Chen Xingzhou. She was, astonishingly, one of the top-ranking sworn sisters under Lei Wuye.

Following her, the second person stood up, as if forced, with a helpless expression, moving to stand behind Chen Xingzhou.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

Out of the deathly silence, those who Lei Yaoxing had never considered important, those pathetic losers who just a few days ago were still wagging their tails and begging him for mercy, began standing up one after another... Even the close aides of Lei Wuye and several group leaders from other organizations, hesitated no more. They stood up, shaking off the hands of those beside them, and positioned themselves opposite Lei Yaoxing.

The originally crowded hall now had five or six out of every ten chairs empty!

Yet those who still sat in their original places were only Lei Yaoxing's direct associates and a few inseparable allies, and they were few and far between!

At this moment, the territories that Lei Yaoxing had painstakingly kept together seemed to crumble in an instant.

Click.

Ji Jue heard a crisp sound.

Next to Tong Shan, Tong Ting had already taken sunflower seeds from his pocket, joyfully spitting out the shells, which caused Ji Jue's eyes to ache.

You followers of the Ether Path, do you forget even your lives but still can't forget the handfuls of dry fruits in your pockets?

Truly, any seed will do.

Tong Hua could only contemplate motives for passion killings at crime scenes, able to greet Ji Jue with nothing more than a "good afternoon" each day, while her elders were sitting right under White Deer's eye, spectating the great split of Desert Market... Wasn't the disparity in levels a bit too great?

Noticing Ji Jue's gaze, Tong Ting turned his head and seemed startled for a moment, then gave a wry smile before... passing a handful of his seeds over.

An enthusiastic invitation.

"..." Ji Jue's facial muscles twitched slightly. He instinctively wanted to wave his hand to refuse, but his hand reached out involuntarily and grabbed a big handful unabashed.

Crack!

The crisp sound echoed sporadically from the back.

Ji Jue's eyes brightened—these Ether seeds were really delicious.

More, please!

Sitting among so many heavyweights felt like being inside an invisible fortress, where ants that could have been crushed by a giant at the slightest rustle were now safe.

So much so that he couldn't feel the palpable pressure that had already solidified in the spirit hall.

Murderous intent, hatred, and rage, malice along with desperation...

The beasts of the wilderness bared their teeth at each other, the cold air crisscrossing, even the raindrops falling from the eaves seemed to freeze midair, as if solidified.

Tiny, trembling particles of dust danced in the air, not daring to settle.

In this silence, so brief it was almost imperceptible yet agonizingly long, a single command, a look, or even a gesture could ignite the ultimate fuse and lead to unprecedented internal strife within Desert Market.

But before that could happen, Chen Xingzhou sighed from his wheelchair, a raspy cough emerging.

Awkwardly, he raised his hand, wiping the blood seeping from the corners of his mouth and nose.

Beneath his freshly changed suit, a chilling dark red spread, his wounds had burst open, but he seemed indifferent, merely speaking leisurely:

"Before that, there's something I must tell you."

He paused, then slowly said, "A few days ago, I visited Yingtai Mountain, and was fortunate to meet the Leader."

Yingtai, the Leader.

When these two gravely significant words appeared within the spirit hall, the silence deepened, even the heavy breathing and swallowing sounds vanished.

It was as if even the souls and ferocity of the beasts were subdued.

On Yingtai Mountain, which floats above the ocean, revered and venerated by all followers of White Deer, there is only one Leader... the one who dominated the entire Federation's underworld a century ago, who ascended to the position of Leader stepping over the corpses of his predecessors, the White Deer Celestial!

Since he lost interest in his supreme authority and stepped back, it had been over a decade since any news of this Hermit-like Leader had emerged, and the once-unified underworld of the Federation had naturally reverted to strife.

Now, the moment the Leader's will reappeared, everyone instinctively held their breath.

"I told him that the old Mr. Lei is aging and increasingly muddled, veering away from the White Deer Path, and should he depart from this world one day, his followers would likely lose control immediately.

The longer Desert Market loses its leader, the more uncontrollable the brawls will become, potentially becoming the target for all, destroying the achievements of generations of mediators in an instant.

Just like, right now..."

Amid sporadic coughing and panting, Chen Xingzhou slowly said, "The Leader asked me what I wanted to do. I responded that I wanted to gather people's hearts, eliminate the menace, and reorganize the chaotic wilderness.

If I am fortunate enough to succeed, I will become just a clay and wooden fetus, perhaps a wild growth could also become a rule of the wilderness… He agreed and told me to try.

So, we made a bet."

"—I bet that I would survive, and after my 'death', matters in Cliff City would not escape my predictions and control."

Chen Xingzhou smiled, spreading his arms.

Revealing the crimson stained by bullet marks on his chest.

This was an order from the Leader.

Until now, that dark wound still couldn't heal; even with the aid of Miracle Medicine, it left a pain that could never be erased.

But at the same time, this pain became the honor of a victor who had struggled against death!

Thus, he proudly looked down at his opponent and told him:

"I won this bet."

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