Chu Xuan nodded, saying, "Yes, our three teams are all closing in on that objective, and the definition of the final battle is completely different for each of us... It is a battle to seize the status of 'Protagonist'..." "Alright, alright, I concede you're right, we are the protagonists... but that doesn't cover up what you've done this time. Let's set aside the abstract stuff for now; we have to face the final battle no matter what. But what exactly are you doing right now?" Zheng Zha felt as though he'd been hoodwinked. To be honest, in terms of 'Protagonist' theory, he genuinely couldn't grasp any of it. Even simulating Xiao Honglu's thought patterns by activating the third stage of the Gene Lock didn't help him understand, but one thing he did grasp: in this horror movie world, Chu Xuan had placed the Central Continent Team in grave danger. If Xiao Honglu’s deductions were correct, the Central Continent Team was likely heading for casualties—a prospect he could not accept.

Chu Xuan glanced at Zheng Zha before replying, "The final battle... what do you think the possibility of us winning without losing any team members is?" "Uh..." Zheng Zha hesitated, unable to speak. Though his mouth opened, the words he intended to say retreated down his throat. Though he didn't want to admit it, he knew the reality of the final battle: the Central Continent Team would certainly lose people, and not just one or two.

"That's the basic situation. As of now, the three strongest teams in the reincarnation world are: The Demon Reincarnation Squad. The Celestial Reincarnation Squad, and our Central Continent Team. We have basically all achieved breakthroughs regarding items from the 'Main God' reincarnation world. We possess two: the Eastern Emperor Bell and the Jade Disc of Creation. However, neither can be used temporarily. In this light, even though the final battle hasn't started, the Central Continent Team is already at a disadvantage."

Chu Xuan pushed up his glasses and looked at everyone calmly. "That's right. When the clone Zheng Zha appeared, and given that he hadn't revealed anything of practical significance, I had already suspected the East Sea Team was holding something back. The East Sea Team can essentially be divided into two phases. In the earlier phase, operating on their ingrained thinking, they robbed the sea vessel and desperately fled toward Diaoyu Island. The East Sea Team at this stage was the main body, until Xiao Honglu sensed something was wrong. The East Sea Team then gained a strategist's guidance. At this point, they must have contacted the Celestial Squad. In other words, what awaited us ahead was Adam's setup..." "Exactly! That's what angers me the most!" Zheng Zha suddenly roared. "Since you knew Adam's setup was ahead, why didn't you tell anyone? Why keep it to yourself and say nothing? Just letting everyone fall into the trap set by the East Sea Team? And watching some of us die..." Chu Xuan let out a cold laugh.

He stared at Zheng Zha. "What kind of Central Continent Team do you envision? One constantly shielded under your and my wings? Because they are comrades, you don't want them to die, so you absorb all the blood and fire for them? A team like that... Our Central Continent Team is still too far, far away from the Demon Squad. A team like that is not qualified to hold the strongest status... Even setting aside my own plans, I have no intention of doing anything this time. That’s the basic situation."

"You..." Zheng Zha opened his mouth, ready to speak, but as the first word left his lips, Xiao Honglu intercepted him.

Xiao Honglu sighed deeply. "Yes, Chu Xuan is right. We have become too reliant on him, and too reliant on you. The truth is, our Central Continent Team is already very strong. It's just that, a lot of the time, we are afraid deep down to engage the Demon Squad. This won't do. If we are afraid and refuse to confront it, the fear will never end... Zheng Zha, the backdrop for this scheme is incredibly complex. What Chu Xuan did was indeed preparation for the final battle; there’s nothing to criticize. On the contrary, I need this much time just to figure all this out. You could say this battle is my dereliction of duty..."

"This time it’s not just our problem with the East Sea Team; it’s a contest between our Central Continent Team, the Celestial Squad, and the Demon Squad. Therefore, we must lose..." The Demon Squad...

"Chu Xuan, the Karma Points accumulate too slowly. It’s always difficult to gather enough Karma Points in these horror movie worlds."

At the Demon Squad's temporary base, after a day of fighting, everyone was relaxing. The location was a flat, rocky slope, wide open in all directions. Apart from the distant carpet of corpses, there was nothing remarkable about the place. A beautiful girl with long, jet-black hair sat down next to Chu Xuan. She smiled and asked him, her expression so charming and demure that she looked impossibly sweet.

"Oh..." Chu Xuan responded with an 'oh' without looking up, but then there was silence. After waiting a moment, the girl pouted, "Hey, Chu Xuan, I'm talking to you... Alright, stop looking at those files. These Karma Points are crucial for the final battle planning. If there aren't enough, I can't let you squander them on your schemes... Why don't we just try to earn more in this particular horror movie world? What do you think about releasing global news?"

"...Be wary of temporal backlash." Chu Xuan continued reading his files without looking up. "The Karma Points gained in any single world cannot exceed 1000, or temporal backlash will occur. Luck cannot be determined by probability; it might trigger unpredictable situations that could kill you, possibly affecting the entire team. So, let's stick to the old method: after returning to the 'Main God' space, we’ll use Reward Points to cycle through the various horror movie worlds individually to acquire them..." The girl said with a slight pout, "But it’s too much trouble, and we basically won't be returning to this horror movie world. What's wrong with getting more Karma Points now?"...

'The wisdom of mortals...' Chu Xuan sneered silently and kept his head down, continuing to read. The girl looked quite disappointed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then what should we do with these 1000 Karma Points now? Should we continue monitoring the Central Continent Team?" "No need. I basically understand their situation now. Keep the Karma Points safe; they might save your life when necessary. You are the most dangerously positioned member of our team. This dual S-grade item is extremely hazardous; one slip-up and you could be rejected by temporal backlash. It will be too late to regret it then..." Chu Xuan finally looked up, stated these few cold sentences, and immediately looked back down.

The girl seemed startled by his tone. She touched the pocket of her clothes before asking, "So, this thing isn't very practical then? After repairing it, wouldn't it be better to exchange for stats or skills from a dual S-grade side plot..."

—————— "Everything beneficial has a drawback. The greater the power, the greater the restrictions on its use. Take Zheng Zha, for example; the strength he has today required untold effort... The item you exchanged for is exceptionally powerful. If used to its limit, perhaps even breaking through this box might be possible. It’s no wonder we found the main body of this object in the ruins, requiring a dual S-grade side plot to restore it to an incomplete physical form from the 'Main God'... I don't think that message lied; this ranking truly is the pinnacle of Karmic Weapons. It’s no wonder this ranking became the flashpoint for the war between the Sages and the Cultivators back then—the Investiture of the Gods list, ah..." As Chu Xuan spoke, his eyes grew more fervent. However, the girl looked utterly dejected because she knew that fervor was directed solely at the Investiture of the Gods list in her arms, having nothing to do with her personally.

"But it's not the complete form, and its inherent limitations are too great. The stronger the Karmic Weapon, the greater the temporal backlash. The development of this weapon was likely intended to counter the box's creator, which is why it was made. Even the name, Investiture of the Gods list, should point toward sealing that box's creator... But I feel like something is missing. If an ordinary person were to use this thing, they would surely die... There must be some clue I haven't obtained yet; that clue is likely hidden within the Yellow-Skinned Legacy..." Chu Xuan looked feverishly at the girl, then finally sighed after a long while.

"Chu Xuan, forget about these side topics. Let's talk about the Central Continent Team's situation." Another voice suddenly cut in. Luo Gandao walked over with a cold expression. He sat down next to Chu Xuan without preamble, then proceeded to ask his questions dismissively. Chu Xuan glanced at him, but Luo Gandao didn't care, maintaining his cold stare at Chu Xuan. After a long pause, Chu Xuan finally said: ...Hatred can increase strength, but allowing hatred to compromise the entire team... I will kill you... The Central Continent Team and the Celestial Squad are currently locked in conflict within the Perfect Storm horror movie world. The Celestial Squad wants to weaken the Central Continent Team, while the Central Continent Team not only wants to protect its members from death but also capture the East Sea Team’s psychic controller. This seems difficult, but if my true self perfectly utilized their current predicament, a complete victory for the Central Continent Team wouldn't be impossible, and the Celestial Squad would lose this engagement, plus the East Sea Team. However, that wouldn't be enough to cripple the Angel Alliance. So, if my true self shared my thought process, then the Central Continent Team..."

"Will fail. If the Central Continent Team truly treats us as the ultimate enemy and firmly implements a King vs. King, Soldier vs. Soldier strategy, then to counter the Celestial Squad’s interference, in the grand scheme of this horror movie world, the Central Continent Team must fail!" Jump to