Adam seemed deeply invested in this man. Song Tian then positioned himself directly between Zhao Zhuikong and the other, creating a silence between the two sides. It was Adam who finally spoke again: "Zhao Zhuikong, when I sent men to retrieve the Ring, you had already taken it. The largest power in the Ring World has now fallen into your hands. Though it's frustrating, it confirms that in this Ring World, you are certainly set to contend with our Heavenly God Squad. Is that correct?" Zhao Zhuikong smiled noncommittally, his gaze fixed instead on Song Tian. "Have you also reached the fourth stage of the Gene Lock? The novice phase is truly tedious. Since you can't control yourselves, you might as well just slaughter people like wild beasts. Even death is a kind of beauty. Doesn't this forceful suppression of your killing intent twist the true meaning Heaven bestowed upon you?" Song Tian offered no commitment either, merely glancing faintly at Zhao Zhuikong. "At least this allows us to fight against you monsters. How can the essence of us humans be dictated by abominations like you!" Zhao Zhuikong shrugged helplessly, though his expression suggested he was rather enjoying the confrontation.

Adam waved a hand. "Let's get back to the point, Zhao Zhuikong. I offer you a choice: either I order the Central Continent Squad to surround and kill you right now, or you leave Mordor and stay out of my sight until the Battle of Mordor is concluded. Whether our Heavenly God Squad wins or the Central Continent Squad wins, you can return then. What do you say?" Zhao Zhuikong tilted his head back, considering it carefully. After a long pause, he smiled at the three before him. "I choose neither. The future must be grasped by my own hand. You expect me to violate my true nature simply because you command it? Do you think my capacity would allow such a thing?" As he spoke, Zhao Zhuikong's eyes sharpened. Song Tian, standing opposite him, immediately felt a terrifying killing intent wash over him. Without a second thought, an ancient, plain broadsword materialized in his hand. Where he produced the blade from was unknown, but the chill emanating from it instantly forced Zhao Zhuikong to shift his gaze toward him.

Zhao Zhuikong studied Song Tian intently for a long moment before speaking. "A fine technique, Song Tian. Too bad I have no interest in fruits already ripe." With that, a dagger appeared in his hand as well. The blade was small and slender; viewed from its thinnest edge, it seemed as transparent as glazed tile. The moment he held the dagger, Song Tian instinctively recoiled half a step, his grip tightening on the broadsword with both hands, ready to launch an all-out attack the instant Zhao Zhuikong made another move.

Suddenly, Adam interjected. "Is it the person named Zhao Yingkong you care about? If it is as you wish, what about sparing Zhao Yingkong's life? Or perhaps, handing her over to you?" Hearing this, Zhao Zhuikong immediately paused. He shot Adam a meaningful smile before replying quite readily, "Agreed. As you wish. I absolutely will not return to Mordor before the Battle of Mordor is finished. Also, regarding the newcomers from those three teams, leave a few alive; you can deal with the rest as you see fit."

Having said that, he leaped backward, disappearing into a thicket of bushes in the blink of an eye.

Once the difficult presence had completely vanished, Song Tian finally allowed himself to relax. Gripping his broadsword, he breathed heavily and said, "That pervert is as strong as his copies. It makes one feel utterly powerless. Can these monsters truly be stronger than us pure-blooded humans? Is this the advantage of hybridization?" As he said this, one wonders if he remembered that he himself was, in a way, mixed-blood. Linna Ya looked around, confused. "What exactly was that about? Adam, don't you think you wasted your energy? You engaged that freak in conversation for a moment and nearly ended up fighting him. What exactly are you trying to achieve?" "Confirmation."

Adam stated frankly. "I need to confirm what Chu Xuan hid. Clearly, it isn't Zhao Zhuikong. So what is it? Something Chu Xuan believed could completely turn the tide of the entire situation, something that allowed him to stage his own death through such a conspiracy. What is this hidden asset? If all else fails, we might have to abandon Anuvia and Liala. At least Luo Yinglong won't die, and Song Tian and Linna Ya are by my side. At worst, our Heavenly God Squad won't be wiped out. What is that hidden asset?" Anuvia and Liala were, in fact, a Caucasian man and a Black man within the Heavenly God Squad, but it was evident they held little status within the team, as Song Tian and Linna Ya offered no objection when Adam uttered such words.

"Then it is settled. Notify Anuvia and Liala to assist Luo Yinglong in killing Zheng Zha during the battle at Kanzar Capital, and to inflict as much damage as possible upon the Human Alliance forces. If the Mordor faction can emerge victorious from that battle, that is the best outcome. Chu Xuan, let me see your reaction..." As the Heavenly God Squad finalized this decision, in a swamp not too far from them, a chunk of ice rock slowly rose from the muddy water. The rock then shattered violently, and a naked figure leaped out, immediately collapsing onto the mud and drawing deep breaths. After quite some time, the man slowly managed to stand up.

However, it was clear he was extremely weak, having fallen back to the ground several times before finally managing to climb up the rock using all four limbs. Once upright, he threw his head back and roared at the sky: "I'm not dead! You wait! Whether you are from the Heavenly God Squad or the Eastern American Team, you just wait! What kind of hero uses a sneak attack? Wait for the wrath of my Frost Age! Ah!" As the man shouted, the muddy water around him instantly froze, then exploded outwards.

"Neos, what are you thinking about?" The night sky in the Ring World was exceptionally clean—a world without light pollution. At night, looking up at the stars revealed a dense tapestry of constellations; even the faintest starlight was visible. What puzzled everyone was that this world also possessed a Milky Way, stretching across the sky like a silver ribbon, beautiful and dazzling.

Neos lay on a rock, gazing upward. For some reason, he appeared quite desolate. Seeing him this way, Aya, who had been watching him closely, couldn't help but ask.

Neos made no other movement, merely rubbing his brow. "Aya, I don't know why, but I feel that if we continue down this path, we might encounter immense danger."

"That's what you say, but Shi hasn't fully mastered unlocking the fourth stage of the Gene Lock; he's only just entered it, capable of simulating only about fifty to sixty percent. Plus, for some reason, I've never been able to simulate Chu Xuan's thought patterns. Analyzing the current situation even with half of Xiao Chonglv's cunning is asking too much," Zheng Zha said with a wry smile to the rest of the team. After failing to find a better analysis, Zheng Zha could only decide to proceed according to the original plot development: going to Kanzar to help the human coalition win the battle against Mordor. He had no other choice. The five teams—some on the verge of annihilation, others playing within the Ring World, or plotting against each other, or burdened with worry—were all directing their attention toward the place that would decide the future of the Ring World: Kanzar. The battle at Kanzar would surely be earth-shattering! Aya paused. "So, we aren't going to Kanzar? Since these Ents can find their own way to the capital of Kanzar, we don't need to follow them, do we?" Neos gave a bitter smile. "It's not that simple. First, these Ents will become suspicious. If we, who are supposed to be guiding them to Kanzar, choose to flee first, they naturally won't fight as desperately to rescue the Human Alliance. That's one reason. The second is the importance of the Kanzar battle. If we win this one, our journey in Mordor won't carry such massive risk, because we will possess a power strong enough to suppress Mordor. If the Heavenly God Squad or the Eastern American Team moves against us, they will inevitably have to send large contingents to fight us during the Kanzar battle. This is unavoidable. So we must go to Kanzar. It's better to fight hard now so we can threaten them when we get to Mordor, rather than evade now only to be forced to die in Mordor later. Our team is very weak."

The other three, except for the little girl Xue Ling'er, who wore a look of slight incomprehension, fell into silence—Aya and Richard. After a long pause, it was Neos who broke it. "Though it sounds deeply ironic, our team's only hope for survival rests with the Central Continent Squad. Therefore, we must follow them to Kanzar this time. Otherwise, if the Central Continent Squad is wiped out, we will lose our advantage for survival. Sigh..." "So even with the danger, we must go to this battle!" The so-called savior of the Southern Yan Continent Team, the Central Continent Squad, was currently not in a good position either. At least in some respects, having lost Chu Xuan, the Central Continent Squad had once again fallen into uncertain prospects. This was because Hao Tian, who was supposed to be Chu Xuan's successor, had never appeared, along with the four members of Zero Point, and those newcomers and veterans from other teams had also vanished. Furthermore, none of the five members of Zheng Zha's group were naturally inclined towards strategy. In the end, they could only rely on Zheng Zha's own pattern simulation and thinking mode to analyze the situation.

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