Chapter 872
"Leader He, you're being far too modest," Xiaofu said with a light laugh, his tone carrying a mix of admiration and casual flattery as he wiped a trace of blood from his sleeve, as if the massacre just now were nothing more than a routine exercise. "You only used about half your strength, and yet you were still able to eliminate this entire group with such efficiency. The fact that one of them managed to shout a warning is already impressive restraint on your part. If you had truly gone all out, I'm afraid they wouldn't even realize they were dead before their heads hit the ground."
He Anmin let out a faint breath, clearly uninterested in indulging that line of praise any further, his expression shifting from mild indifference to something colder, more focused, as if a mask had settled back into place.
"Enough," he said flatly, cutting Xiaofu off mid-flow. "There's no need to waste time on such trivial talk. Report the situation. What's the progress now?"
The change in tone was immediate.
Xiaofu's smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared, his posture straightening as he adopted a more serious demeanor, the earlier ease replaced by the discipline of a subordinate delivering intelligence.
"Reporting to Leader He," he began steadily, "based on the latest information gathered by our people, the candidates from the three major districts have already suffered heavy casualties, both from our actions and from their own internal competition. The constant fighting throughout the day has caused the blood energy within the Holy Land to rise significantly."
He paused briefly, organizing his thoughts before continuing.
"I've personally observed the fluctuations. At present, the blood energy has accumulated to roughly a quarter of the required level. If things continue at this pace, we won't need the full seven days. The altar should be able to open ahead of schedule, allowing the Blood of the Holy Spirit to manifest sooner."
He Anmin nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he absorbed the report, the faint glint of ambition flickering within them.
"Good," he said. "Inform everyone to accelerate their actions. Increase the pace of elimination. The sooner the altar opens, the sooner we secure the Blood of the Holy Spirit and complete the first phase of our mission."
"Understood."
Xiaofu nodded, then hesitated for a moment before continuing, as if recalling something more complicated.
"There's another matter," he said carefully. "Earlier, you instructed me to send people to investigate the abnormal phenomenon that occurred during the day."
He Anmin's gaze sharpened slightly.
"What did they find?"
Xiaofu took a breath.
"When our people arrived at the location, they found the entire area covered in ice and snow, with temperatures far below normal, to the point of being unnaturally cold. There were dozens of frozen corpses—candidates, all dead—but aside from that, there were no survivors, no traces of living creatures, nothing that could directly explain the cause of the phenomenon."
He paused again, brows slightly furrowed.
"But…"
He Anmin immediately caught the hesitation.
"But what?"
"In the center of the frozen zone," Xiaofu continued, "there were clear signs of artificial ignition. Burn marks. Residual heat. That specific area had a noticeably higher temperature than the surroundings, almost returning to normal conditions, as if someone had used fire to counteract the cold."
He glanced at He Anmin, his tone becoming more cautious.
"I suspect… that the phenomenon may be related to whoever created those flames. However…"
"Speak plainly," He Anmin said, his voice carrying a trace of impatience. "Don't circle around it."
"Yes."
Xiaofu nodded quickly.
"My speculation is that the person who used the flames at the center of the frozen area is directly connected to the earlier phenomenon. But what confuses me is this—what kind of person could possibly possess the ability to alter the climate of an entire region, plunge the sky into darkness, and freeze dozens of candidates instantly?"
He exhaled slowly.
"This level of power… is not something a candidate should have. In fact, even warriors at our level—no, even warlords—would struggle to achieve something on this scale."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"At first, I thought it might be the work of a high-level monster. There are rumors that Rank-6 monsters exist within the Holy Land, and some of them could possess ice-type abilities capable of producing such an effect. But if that were the case…"
He shook his head.
"Then the presence of human-made fire in the center becomes contradictory. A Rank-6 monster causing such devastation would not leave survivors, nor would it allow someone to calmly resist its power with flames in the very heart of its domain."
"The two possibilities… don't align."
"I can't make sense of it."
He Anmin fell into brief silence, his fingers lightly tapping against his arm as he considered the analysis, his mind turning over the possibilities one by one.
Then, after a moment, he spoke.
"Xiaofu… do you think…"
He paused slightly, as if weighing the absurdity of his own thought.
"That this could be related to the candidate ranked second in the Western Mansion Outer Court?"
"I don't know why," he added quietly, "but I have a feeling… that this matter is somehow connected to him."
Xiaofu blinked, clearly taken aback.
"That's impossible," he said immediately, shaking his head. "No candidate could possess that level of power. Even if he's strong, at most, he would be comparable to us. There's no way he could do something that even Lord realm cultivators struggle to achieve."
"If he truly had such ability," Xiaofu continued, a faint frown appearing, "then there would be no need for us to carry out this mission at all."
He Anmin let out a short breath, nodding.
"You're right. If he really had that kind of power… then our mission would be in serious danger."
For a moment, both of them fell silent.
Then He Anmin waved his hand dismissively.
"Forget it. Speculating like this is pointless. Whether it's a natural anomaly or something else, it doesn't concern us."
He looked toward the dark forest, eyes hardening.
"Our focus is the Blood of the Holy Spirit. As long as we complete this task…"
A faint heat crept into his voice.
"The rewards from above will not be small."
At the mention of rewards, his eyes lit up unmistakably, the earlier coldness replaced by a burning greed that he did not bother to conceal.
Xiaofu nodded in agreement, a similar glimmer appearing in his own gaze. "Leader He is right. There's no need to waste energy on uncertain matters. If we push harder over the next few days, the altar will open soon."
"Good." He Anmin gave a brief nod. "Continue your investigations. If there are any new developments, report to me immediately."
"Yes." Xiaofu turned to leave, taking a few steps before suddenly pausing, as if remembering something else.
He turned back.
"Leader He… there's one more matter. I'm not sure whether I should report it."
He Anmin frowned slightly. "I've already said it—speak directly."
Xiaofu hesitated for a moment, then said in a lower voice,
"When I was investigating, I noticed that Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming… did not immediately eliminate the female candidates they encountered."
He paused awkwardly.
"They… took advantage of them first… and only then killed them."
For a brief moment, silence fell.
He Anmin's expression froze, then darkened.
"These idiots…"
His voice carried irritation.
"Neglecting the mission just to indulge themselves?"
He was about to issue a harsh reprimand—
But then he stopped.
His expression shifted slightly, as if reconsidering.
"Forget it."
He waved his hand.
"They've been working day and night. It's natural to want some release. As long as they don't delay the mission… let them be."
Xiaofu's eyes flickered, then he leaned forward slightly, scratching his head with a hint of embarrassment. "Leader He… in that case… would it be alright if I…"
He trailed off.
He Anmin stared at him for a second, then let out a dry laugh.
"You too?"
Xiaofu gave an awkward smile.
"It's been a long time… and with the restrictions back at the organization…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
He Anmin waved him off with a mix of annoyance and resignation.
"Go, go. But don't forget—"
His tone hardened slightly.
"Do not delay the main mission."
"Understood!"
Xiaofu's face lit up instantly.
"Thank you, Leader He!"
He grinned.
"Shao Yushan mentioned earlier that they found several extremely beautiful female candidates from Western Mansion. They're currently tracking them down. I'll go take a look."
With that, his figure flickered and disappeared into the darkness.
He Anmin watched his departing silhouette, shaking his head slightly with a faint, almost amused snort.
"This kid…"
"Just make sure you remember what truly matters."
****
"Go, go."
"But don't forget—"
His tone hardened slightly.
"Do not delay the main mission."
"Understood!"
Xiaofu's face lit up instantly.
"Thank you, Leader He!"
He grinned.
"Shao Yushan mentioned earlier that they found several extremely beautiful female candidates from Western Mansion. They're currently tracking them down. I'll go take a look."