Ye Wen currently saw nothing, which sharpened his sensitivity to energy. The moment Claire and that person appeared, a thick, oppressive aura of darkness alerted Ye Wen. The Zixiao Sword nearly materialized automatically above his head, its purple radiance flickering irregularly, ready to strike at any moment.

"This person... is your brother?"

Upon hearing Claire’s affirmative reply, Ye Wen was greatly surprised. He truly hadn't expected that Mudrak could have succeeded, or nearly succeeded, in just a few days. Though he didn't know the extent to which Claire’s brother had been modified, such a dense dark aura could never belong to a failed experiment.

Sensing carefully, Ye Wen noted that although the person’s presence was faint and his heartbeat barely perceptible, there was an astonishing vitality within him. That vigorous life force was almost comparable to the dark energy, which was so concentrated it seemed almost tangible.

In fact, Ye Wen was not the only one to notice. Flores, who was extremely sensitive to dark energy, also sensed the anomaly about the man. The Paladin immediately gripped the hilt of his sword, which then emitted a flash of light. When the radiance subsided, a blade forged entirely of holy light had taken shape—the weapon he had evidently used in combat earlier.

"A dark creature?"

But then Zhang Hengguang waved his hand dismissively. "We rescued him from an experimental platform. It seems Mudrak conducted many tests on him, nearing success... This is Claire’s brother, Chris!"

Chris knew these people were his saviors. He weakly offered thanks to the group, though he seemed wary of Flores holding the light-saber. The very power of that holy light instilled a primal fear and disgust in him.

Zhang Hengguang understood the situation and addressed Flores. "Hey, Mr. Jedi Knight, could you please put your weapon away? There are no enemies here now!"

Flores took the offered off-ramp and retracted his power; the blade composed of holy light vanished instantly. The Italian seemed slightly embarrassed but quickly smoothed it over. "Perhaps Mr. Redfield can return to Europe with me. Maybe the Bishops of the Church can resolve this abnormality in him... Even if the Bishops can't, the Pope will surely have a solution!"

Chris forced a bitter smile, yet offered a semblance of one in return. He had hoped that after escaping, he could finally be done with this life of being treated like a lab rat, but it now seemed he would have to endure it for a while longer.

Turning his gaze towards Ye Wen, he saw only this man with a long sword suspended over his head, still pointed in his direction. He was no longer surprised by such a miraculous sight; everything he had witnessed these past few days had upended his entire previous understanding. This world still held many things and people he didn't know, and this group before him appeared to be one such element.

Seeming to sense Chris’s look, Ye Wen spread his hands, and the long sword above his head vanished without any warning, just as it had appeared. Even watching closely, none of them could discern how it happened.

"Injecting a strand of Divine Sense into the sword really makes it much easier to wield!"

He wasn't deliberately showing off; it was just that the Zixiao Sword had undergone further transformations, and he couldn't resist testing its various marvelous capabilities when employing it.

After the group quickly searched the mansion, they waited until Ye Wen suddenly announced, "The group outside can’t wait any longer. They’re starting to charge in!"

"What do we do?"

At this, Zhang Hengguang chuckled and pulled a stack of talismans from his pocket. "These Invisibility Talismans are useless against seniors like you, but they’re perfect for dealing with those outside!" He handed one to each person. "One each. With these, we can leave without anyone knowing."

The effect of the Invisibility Talismans was indeed miraculous. As soon as everyone used them, their bodies dissolved into nothingness, moving silently. Unless they deliberately bumped into objects or people, it would be truly difficult to discover them.

Watching teams of burly US soldiers march past them menacingly, while a man in a suit jumped up and down shouting orders, the group found it amusing. Only after leaving the villa did they run into trouble. The car they arrived in had been seized; a squad of soldiers had completely surrounded it.

"What now? Do we have to walk back?"

For most people, walking back to the city wouldn't be a big deal. But for Chris, who was barely more than an ordinary person and currently weakened, walking back was tantamount to a death sentence.

Once again, Zhang Hengguang solved the problem. The fellow produced a handgun from somewhere, but the bullets from this gun wouldn't kill—they only put people to sleep instantly.

"Oh! Good stuff!"

Armed with this handy tool, the group reclaimed their ride and sped away before the others in the distance could react. To prevent pursuit, Zhang Hengguang immediately used another Invisibility Talisman on the car, making it impossible for the soldiers to give chase.

"The talisman's effect will wear off once we reach the city. We'll have to abandon the car then!"

The others shrugged, agreeing with Zhang Hengguang’s plan. Ye Wen remained silent, observing Zhang Hengguang. For now, his aptitude wasn't top-tier, but not bad either. He was quick-witted and efficient. If Ye Wen hadn't already sworn allegiance to a sect, he might have considered taking him into the Shushan Sect.

But for now, offering a favor might be better to secure his assistance in certain matters... Upon returning to Zhang Hengguang's weapons shop, the group immediately gathered in the backyard without resting. All the items plundered from Mudrak’s villa were dumped onto a round table in the center; they were now discussing the distribution of the spoils.

The ring in Ye Wen's hand was among the items, but the others immediately returned it to him. Everyone believed that without Ye Wen, obtaining Mudrak's possessions and defeating him so easily would have been nearly impossible. Thus, the lion's share rightfully belonged to Ye Wen; they were content just getting scraps.

Especially Zhang Hengguang. Seeing Huayi happily fiddling with the three fiery spheres, he immediately allocated those magical artifacts. His reasoning was sound: "I have no use for these, and I already have several of my own! Alai (Flores) is a Paladin; he wouldn't use them either! This guy prefers his European trinkets! As for Officer Claire and..."

The rest was self-evident: the other two were ordinary people. Although Chris radiated intense dark energy, it didn't mean he could control it freely or wield magical artifacts.

Since Ye Wen had proven that True Qi could also activate artifacts, there was no reason to decline. Moreover, these shiny objects seemed to delight women, and even if the power wasn't overwhelming, Huayi kept playing with them incessantly.

Considering that Huayi’s martial arts required weapon support, and her current attire wasn't suitable for carrying streamers, her combat effectiveness was unintentionally diminished. Giving her a few protective artifacts was fitting. Ye Wen even considered letting Huayi use the two bracelets as substitutes for her streamers and chains, as the handling might be somewhat similar.

As for Ning Ruxue, she had already begun experimenting with the method Ye Wen devised for cultivating Divine Sense, achieving initial success during their journey.

Ye Wen speculated this might be because they were already accomplished martial arts masters. While martial artists rarely employed techniques that attacked the enemy with spiritual power or intent, their spirits were passively refined during their training.

Simply put, if your spirit wasn't resilient, you would have quit long ago during training; how could you reach the realm of a grandmaster? Therefore, true masters possessed incredibly formidable spirits, making the cultivation of Divine Sense naturally twice the result with half the effort.

Ye Wen’s own rapid progress in initially applying Divine Sense was also related to this, though he counted himself as a fast-track master due to multiple fortunate encounters. If ordinary masters, who trained step-by-step, were to practice this Divine Sense method, their spiritual power would likely reach a level commensurate with their martial arts skill in less than a day.

Actually, Ye Wen was being overly modest. Not to mention the suffering from the Crimson Fruit Body Tempering, which few could endure. Surviving that ordeal naturally elevated his spiritual power significantly. Even if his spiritual power hadn't kept pace with his martial cultivation due to various fortuitous events, the gap wouldn't be as vast as he imagined.

However, thinking of spiritual power, Ye Wen suddenly became curious: "If Dongfang Kui masters the seventh transformation of the Phoenix Nirvana Art, just how powerful will her spirit become?"

Wandering too far in thought, Ye Wen turned and sensed Ning Ruxue. He found her cultivation location slightly different from his own. Ye Wen was cultivating Divine Sense, aiming to form the Upper Dantian in the Baihui acupoint on his crown, while Ning Ruxue chose the Yintang acupoint between her eyebrows.

Ye Wen knew that explanations of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantians varied across different cultivation methods. The Upper Dantian was sometimes described as the Baihui and sometimes the Yintang. He chose the Baihui not because his self-developed Divine Sense method required it to be the Upper Dantian, but because the cluster of curse power that plagued him was lodged precisely at his Yintang. If he tried to open his Upper Dantian there, the curse energy would likely dissipate before the Dantian formed, thwarting his plan to temper his Divine Sense with it.

Based on these considerations, Ye Wen chose the Baihui acupoint. Ning Ruxue likely chose the Yintang because she felt that position was more suitable. To Ye Wen's senses, a greenish-blue sword energy was constantly gathering at Ning Ruxue’s brow, gradually condensing into something resembling a green seed.

If Ye Wen could see now, he would notice a nearly imperceptible green dot appearing between Ning Ruxue’s brows, looking as if someone had lightly touched her forehead with a finger dipped in green dye.

Ye Wen guessed that perhaps once the seed between Ning Ruxue's brows blossomed into a bud or even a flower, her Divine Sense would achieve mastery. He even observed that Ning Ruxue was not only nurturing her Divine Sense in her brow but also constantly refining a surge of sword Qi. If Ning Ruxue managed to fuse her Divine Sense and this sword Qi into one entity, then unleashing the Azure Lotus Sword would possess an unimaginably greater might.

"It seems Junior Sister is gradually figuring out her own path!"

While waiting for the others to divide the items on the table, Ye Wen continuously manipulated the ring in his hand. He wasn't merely looking at it; he was using the power of his Heaven and Earth Mirror technique to try and break the ring's restrictive seals. However, from the moment he left the villa until now, he had only managed to unlock the outermost layer; countless other barriers awaited him within.

"This guy, setting so many seals! Is there something truly valuable stored in this ring?"

He couldn't break through quickly. Especially after forcibly cracking the second seal, he found the subsequent ones far more formidable—this didn't seem like something Mudrak could have set; it appeared the ring possessed this inherent capability.

Putting the ring on, Ye Wen felt one band on his right hand and two gem-encrusted rings on his left. He couldn't help but feel like a nouveau riche. Considering the huge fortune he now possessed, he truly was an instant millionaire.

The items on the table were quickly divided. In reality, there weren't many truly exceptional treasures. Zhang Hengguang took the Eastern magical artifacts and implements; even if he couldn't use them, he could sell them to his counterparts in America. The Western props were taken by Flores, intended for the Bishops or priests in the Church for research.

"Alright, last item: let's discuss your problem."

With the distribution settled, the next issue was the matter of Chris, the 'modified human.' The Church could never allow a person wielding immense dark energy to run rampant in ordinary society. The primary goal would be to purify this dark energy, and the secondary option would be to control him so he wouldn't harm ordinary civilians.

"The first option will be very difficult..."

Ye Wen was gradually becoming accustomed to sensing his surroundings with Divine Sense and growing increasingly sensitive to energy. Almost instantly, he examined Chris’s condition through his Divine Sense. The energy inside the man was completely fused with his being. If the dark energy dispersed, Chris would die too. Chris didn't know how to conceal his energy, which allowed Ye Wen to observe so clearly.

"Mudrak certainly had some skill. He fused the dark energy with Chris’s origin. In other words, Chris is now essentially a condensed aggregate of dark energy; he can no longer be considered human!"

Ye Wen noticed that while this energy was currently calm, it was slowly remodeling Chris’s body. Once the modification was complete, no one knew if this immense power would affect Chris’s inherent personality.

"Then... do you have any way to save my brother?"

Claire didn't fully grasp the implications of Ye Wen's words, but she understood that if things continued this way, her brother would become a monster. These people before her seemed adept at dealing with monsters.

Ye Wen didn't speak. He actually did have a solution, but having a solution didn't mean he needed to articulate it immediately. Furthermore, Flores spoke up first. "Perhaps the Bishops of the Church will have a solution for your brother's condition. I plan to return to Europe in a few days; perhaps you all can pack up and join me!"

Since Flores had taken on the task, Ye Wen refrained from interfering. If the Paladin couldn't manage it, Ye Wen could step in later.

Next came the negotiations between Claire and Flores. Ye Wen quietly stood aside, preferring to contemplate his own next steps rather than worry about their discussion.

Flores was returning to Europe, and Ye Wen certainly had to accompany him, as the one hundred million pounds sterling awaited his claim. Mudrak had deposited the money in a Swiss bank, and Ye Wen needed the Church's assistance to transfer the funds into his name.

Concurrently, his "Abu-style flaunting wealth" plan needed to officially commence. Ye Wen had a few suitable targets in mind, but he wouldn't handle the direct operations. He would need Flores to help him contact some professionals. His role would simply be to allow reporters to snap a few photos at opportune moments.

Besides these matters, Ye Wen intended to do a few other things.

"Say, as a reborn individual, holding massive funds—wouldn't it be foolish not to invest?" After the others finished their discussion, Ye Wen called Zhang Hengguang over.

He gave him only one instruction, something almost every reborn person would do: "I need you to wait for my news in New York. In a few days, I will transfer a sum of money over, and I need you to help me invest it in this company!" With this, he could return to China under the titles of Chairman of some club and shareholder in some corporation—it would be impossible not to attract attention with those credentials when establishing a school.

Zhang Hengguang didn't understand what this senior expert was planning, but he respectfully took the slip of paper and quickly scanned the writing. "Uh... Google?"

Ye Wen flashed an enigmatic smile and patted Zhang Hengguang's shoulder. He said nothing, but with that single pat, Zhang Hengguang received a benefit.

"Th-this is Innate Qi?"

Zhang Hengguang felt a powerful, pure energy flow from his shoulder into his meridians, then circulate along a specific path. Although he didn't know what cultivation method this was, he recognized it as his great fortune. Absorbing this influx of innate energy and comprehending the circulation route would be far more beneficial to him than receiving billions of US dollars.

By the time he cycled the energy a few times and initially managed to integrate the innate essence, the sky was beginning to lighten. Ye Wen had long since departed, yet Zhang Hengguang still knelt down respectfully and kowtowed several times. The grace of receiving this instruction was no less than receiving teaching; Zhang Hengguang now treated Ye Wen with the utmost respect afforded to a master.

Meanwhile, Ye Wen was packing with two women. They didn't have much to pack, but one persistent fellow refused to leave them alone.

"Sir, look at my burlap sack, isn't my stance perfect? Look at these muscles... so strong! Take me as your disciple!"

"..." Ye Wen pointed to his closed eyes. "Apologies, I am blind right now. I can't see anything!"