Xiao Lingxiao stared at Theon's rapidly receding back. His silhouette looked unbearably lonely beneath the canopy of trees, and an inexplicable pang of sadness tightened around her heart.Her fingers slowly curled into fists.The Divine Flame Whip resting in her right hand radiated waves of scorching heat, while the nails of her left hand dug so deeply into her palm that they broke the skin, drawing thin lines of blood.She drew a slow breath before taking several hesitant steps after him.Only after confirming that Theon had continued walking without looking back did she quietly retreat into the shadows once more.Xiao Lingxiao concealed her aura with a concealment technique, suppressing every trace of her presence before silently following behind him.Every step she took was careful, every breath restrained. Even the movement of her robes seemed to disappear into the forest.Suddenly, Theon stopped.His head slowly turned.Lingxiao's heart skipped violently.Without hesitation, she

BACKLANDSThe moment Theon walked into the building, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. His breath caught as he looked around the house. The broken wooden ceiling that was previously falling apart was now replaced with stone and metal. Although it was nothing like the others, it currently looked like somewhere temperature could actually be regulated. Amidst the expansive hall, two giant stone pillars now stood, holding up the building. If he added the four pillars he found outside, this would make it six pillars. Six? He scoffed. Six was one of the perfect numbers used in designing slaughtering formations. And he actually used six pillars as the base of the building. How incredibly thoughtful. Theon walked closer to one of the pillars. “Host, stop.” The system's urgent voice halted his movements. Theon's already outstretched arm about to touch the pillar paused, hovering mid air. “Beneath the plaster, there are blood sigils. Don't touch it.”Theon chuckled and arche

Theon stood before the door for a while, staring at the room.Then his gaze shifted upward, toward the final floor—the one he had never liked.The roof could leak. Worse, assassins with sufficient movement or lightness techniques could easily scale the building, land on the roof tiles, and break directly into the room from above.The second floor, where his previous rooms had been located, was far safer.If anyone attempted to infiltrate from below, he would hear them first. The few minutes it took an intruder to climb the stairs were precious—precious enough for him to prepare a counterattack, formulate a mitigation strategy, or at the very least reduce his chances of dying.But the ground floor and the final floor offered no such advantage.The backlands house was surrounded by enormous trees. Someone proficient in movement techniques could easily leap from the branches onto the roof and gain entry from above.And if an enemy chose the door instead, the person on the ground floor wo

For twenty minutes, Theon lay before the door to the other room, doing nothing but breathing.Slowly, sensation returned to his limbs.The numb heaviness in his arms and legs began to recede. His lungs, which had been burning like they were filled with molten metal, finally relaxed. Each breath came deeper now—slow, measured, and controlled.Only then did Theon sit up.He was still surrounded by that suffocating aura of death. Every moment spent inside the house remained a potential threat to his life.But at least the formation was no longer actively draining his life force.Theon planted a hand against the nearby wall and pushed himself upright.The instant his palm touched the surface, a scalding current surged through his arm.His muscles jerked and he ripped his hand away. “What the…”“The walls of the adjacent room have blood sigils engraved into them,” the system explained. “They can conduct the dark power through the joints of the structure.”Theon stared at the wall.His brow

“A bet?” the system asked slowly. “What makes you think you're qualified to make a bet with me?”The question carried an unmistakable edge of disbelief.For a moment, Theon said nothing. Then he chuckled.The sound was low and derisive, carrying none of the caution one would expect from someone negotiating with an entity capable of ruining his life.“My dear system, if by now I'm still not qualified to make a deal with you, it will be better if you uninstall yourself and find a more compatible host, no?”The system said nothing, letting the silence stretch.Theon could almost imagine the expression on its face—or whatever passed for an expression for something like the system.He smiled. If the system wanted to play this game, he was perfectly willing to oblige. But on his own terms.“The truth is, you've never exactly given me much reason to desperately want you.”“You always hover in like a vulture smelling carcass. Whoever wants your crappy system can keep it.”His lips curled slig