CHAPTER 669: CHAPTER 539: TODAY

Virtual World.

Café.

Satan, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle, sat on a spacious sofa and extinguished his cigar with his hand.

"Your Excellency... You should know that we, the Fallen Angels, only conduct business and do not interfere with mundane affairs. Perhaps you should find someone else?"

He spoke cautiously.

Across from him, a gaunt man with a wide-brimmed hat sat with his eyes closed, holding a teacup, lost in thought.

After Satan finished speaking, the gaunt man lifted his teacup, took a sip, savored the aroma of the tea, sighed, and then set down his cup before speaking slowly:

"I am just an old blind man, unable to find anyone else; hence, I had to come to you."

"What exactly do you want?" Satan asked.

The gaunt man said, "Simple. Provide me with the detailed information of all competitors in the battle for supremacy—the person I seek must be on that list. I will track him down from there, and settle this matter quickly."

Satan pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said with a bitter smile:

"If the Virtual World found out that I provided you with the combatants’ list, thereby disrupting its battle for supremacy, I would have to face the Naihe Bridge."

The gaunt man adjusted his sunglasses, gave a wry smile, and said:

"That’s not my concern."

After speaking, he suddenly pulled out a boxed meal from his pocket, placed it on the table, and unfolded it.

Initially, there was no rice in the box.

But the moment he unfolded it, there was rice.

Not only was there rice, but there were also two dishes.

Tomato and egg, shredded pork with green pepper.

The gaunt man held the boxed meal, picked up a strip of pork with chopsticks, and began eating leisurely.

—It was just an ordinary meal.

However, Satan’s face turned pale, his body trembled uncontrollably, as if enduring some indescribable agony.

The gaunt man, seeming to notice his discomfort, said soothingly:

"Don’t worry, I am not unreasonable. If you still refuse to speak after I finish eating, I’ll go find someone else."

Satan sat there, immobile.

Suddenly.

A woman’s voice came from outside the private room:

"What’s the point in bullying a businessman?"

The door opened.

Jiang Shanglan walked in and took a seat on another chair.

"Oh? Young lady, are you standing up for him?" asked the gaunt man, continuing to devour his meal without looking up.

"Now is a critical evolutionary moment for the ’Virtual World,’ and if you stir up trouble, the world will eliminate you instantly," Jiang Shanglan said coldly.

"And you?" the gaunt man asked.

"I stand on the side of the world—currently, I am overseeing its battle for supremacy, do you understand?" Jiang Shanglan said.

The gaunt man thought for a moment, sighed, and said, "Two against one? That’s hardly fair."

He finally set the boxed meal back on the table.

The next second.

Satan took a deep breath, as if he had regained his vitality.

Jiang Shanglan glanced at him and said directly:

"I know you Holy Sides are only here to do business—you are also an innocent victim, so you may leave."

Satan, as if granted amnesty, immediately jumped up and hurried out of the private room, closing the door behind him.

A moment of silence fell over the room.

The gaunt man took off his sunglasses, and his eyes locked onto Jiang Shanglan.

His eye sockets were empty, but each contained a black bead, inscribed with:

"Eat," "Substitute."

The bead marked "Eat" had just subdued all its radiance, returning to calm.

"I didn’t consume him, which is already showing you respect," the gaunt man said darkly.

Jiang Shanglan retorted with a smirk, "Old Blind Man, you feast on Satan’s meal, are you not afraid that I will call upon Heaven to descend?"

"God will not bother with this matter," the gaunt man said.

"Satan has made quite a profit recently, ranking first in Heaven’s KPI—if you kill him, guess whether God would take a glance?" Jiang Shanglan said.

The gaunt man—or rather the Old Blind Man—stared at Jiang Shanglan, full of murderous intent, and said:

"Are you trying to mess up my plans?"

Jiang Shanglan, changing her tone, shook her head and said:

"Have I wronged you in the past?"

"No," the Old Blind Man said.

"You should see that I am currently working for the ’Virtual World.’ Whatever you plan to do, this moment is too sensitive. Do not disturb it; this is a crucial time for it," Jiang Shanglan said.

The Old Blind Man fell silent.

He had realized upon his arrival that this world was at a critical juncture in its evolution.

This world was so unique that even he had to tread carefully in the past epochs.

And now it was at such a historical moment again—

If it were not for his core power of the Heavenly Dao being stolen, he, too, would not have rashly come here to cause trouble.

From this angle, Jiang Shanglan did not actually target himself.

She indeed possessed the power of a contract from the Virtual World, which he could fully sense.

Therefore—

The old blind man’s murderous intent subsided, and he cupped his fists in a scholarly manner:

"We had no grievances in the past, and no enmities today — oh, I must also congratulate you. The curse upon you seems to have been lifted quite a bit, and it looks like you’ll be free soon. It’s truly a joyous occasion."

"Thanks to your kind words, but why have you come here? Please provide a clear answer; the world is also waiting for your response," Jiang Shanglan said with her arms crossed.

The old blind man earnestly said:

"I... have lost something."

"Someone managed to steal from you?" Jiang Shanglan feigned surprise.

"An overly failed subordinate... she was actually doing quite well, so I taught her everything. However, she made a grave mistake," the old blind man said.

From the void beside him, a female corpse emerged.

—It was indeed the corpse of the Mother of All Things.

This corpse was riddled with sharp iron spikes, and it moaned:

"Master... I’m sorry... spare me this once..."

Jiang Shanglan glanced at it, and curiously said, "The soul is not intact?"

The old blind man smiled gently and said:

"She used the Soul Splitting Skill, entrusting part of her soul to that thief... According to the fluctuations of the residual soul, I found that the thief is hiding in the ’Virtual World,’ so I came here."

Jiang Shanglan paused for a moment.

That’s not right.

If this were indeed the case, the person should have gone after Little Wu.

There must be something else going on here.

With this thought, Jiang Shanglan slowly spoke:

"If that’s the case, on behalf of the Virtual World, I permit you to directly capture that thief, so you can achieve your wish and we can rest assured to complete the world’s evolution."

The last thread of violent aura vanished from the old blind man’s presence.

He put his sunglasses back on and nodded, "Thank you both for your understanding. Regrettably, as soon as I arrived in this world, the fluctuation of the residual soul disappeared."

"I have tried various methods and concluded that the residual soul has been completely erased by a destructive force."

"Alas, it’s also my fault for being too slow. Now I truly can’t find that thief," the old blind man said as he mindlessly plucked another iron spike and gently inserted it into the corpse of the Mother of All Things, penetrating her head from one side to the other.

"Mmm mmm mmm... spare me..."

The corpse of the Mother of All Things moaned.

Jiang Shanglan’s gaze lingered on the female corpse, thoughts racing through her mind.

Residual Soul—

Little Wu must have already dealt with it clearly.

That’s why the old blind man couldn’t find him.

So as long as Little Wu does not return to the Virtual World, he will be safe!

"This is troublesome... we can’t interrupt the evolution of the world just to search for that person for you, after all, evolution is the most crucial matter, impacting everything in the Virtual World," Jiang Shanglan mused.

The old blind man sighed and shook his head, "Of course, I understand that. So, I will just wait here for a while. After all, the battle for supremacy will eventually end, and by that time—"

The corpse of the Mother of All Things immediately continued:

"Definitely! Master, I will definitely help you find that person!"

The old blind man nodded in satisfaction.

Jiang Shanglan slowly got up and said:

"It’s settled then. Don’t cause trouble during the battle for supremacy. After the battle, you can capture whoever you want, and the world will not interfere."

"Thank you," the old blind man said, cupping his fists.

...

Elsewhere.

Dream City.

Wu Xiaode sat in the grand, glittering hall, speaking softly:

"Don’t think about it anymore, it’s all in the past now."

Gjestastav sat beside him, her head buried, and said melancholically, "There’s actually one thing I’ve never understood."

"What is it?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Whether it’s Ulysses, King of Evil Ghosts Rester, or Satan and Skadi, they are all the strongest of their kind, or possess some extraordinary skills and Divine Artifacts, yet I am the weakest of the Dragon Clan."

"I really don’t know why I was chosen to be imprisoned in the prison of sin," Gjestastav sighed.

"Isn’t that simple? Maybe you also possess tremendous potential, but it’s just been suppressed because you’ve been busy taking care of children," Wu Xiaode picked up an auction catalog, browsing it while continuing:

"When you soar to the heavens, these might all turn into precious memories."

"Soar to the heavens?" Gjestastav gave a bitter smile, "Over the long years, I’ve tried to struggle and muster courage, but it was in vain; the shame of being captured today, I will remember always, yet I do not know when I can avenge it."

Wu Xiaode suddenly stopped his hand, his gaze falling on a certain item.

It was a precious treasure related to the Dragon Clan.

"Perhaps... it could be today," he said softly.