I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

The top level of the secret passage, the 6th floor

“This room is locked from the inside, I can’t open it…” An Xin tried for a while but couldn’t open the door.

“Kwon Yuri must be wary of everyone, so only he can enter and exit the 6th floor. There’s no 6 option on the elevator buttons either.” Li Qingchuan stroked his chin and continued, “If that’s the case, let’s go to the basement and meet up with Qi Mingxuan first.”

So the two of them went down the stone steps to the bottom level.

"Wait a minute, how come there's a second underground level? Senior brother, should we go here first?"

"Okay! Be careful, I smell blood..."

They opened the iron gate with extreme caution. An Xin activated his Heavenly Eye and Heavenly Ear, and after a moment said, "Senior Brother, my Heavenly Eye is severely interfered with here. I can sense a very strong aura of resentment and bloodlust. We must be careful."

Seeing Li Qingchuan nod, An Xin took a step to explore inside.

On the second basement level, the damp stone bricks appeared to be carved, making the floor uneven. The stone walls also bore many scratches, including several small holes. Further in, the stench of blood grew increasingly strong.

Feeling uneasy, An Xin softly called out, "Senior brother, did you find anything there?"

"Yes, there are many carvings on the walls and the floor here. They weren't made very long ago, probably within the last few months."

"Senior brother, the deeper we go, the stronger the stench of blood becomes! Could it be that a ghost that has already successfully solidified was murdered here?"

“It’s possible. According to Anna, it’s very likely that they would capture high-level ghost cultivators to sacrifice. This place is a site for experiments, summoning, or sacrifices. The formations on the ground and walls are probably arrays.”

"No wonder, no wonder they wanted to sacrifice the entire Fulin Village back then. They collected resentful energy to trap ghosts or souls and prevent them from reincarnating, then brought them all here to provide spiritual energy for these formations. Could it be that they wanted to kill Master because they coveted his powerful spiritual energy, and wanted to capture his soul when he was off guard during his breakthrough?" An Xin's eyes suddenly widened. "Second Senior Brother, when Quan Yuli and I fought in the cave, he said I was very powerful and could be a key. Did he also covet your spiritual energy? And when he sent people to capture you, was it also to kill you and take your souls..."

"If that's the case, then everything makes sense. So how did he use the live stream to hypnotize Village Chief Dong?"

"He's an executive at the live streaming platform!"

"Perhaps he has some connections in our world, otherwise he wouldn't have the authority to place people on the live streaming platform. I think he must have used some forbidden techniques or hypnosis to control people, otherwise how could he recruit soldiers and make them work for the ghosts in the spirit world?"

"Anna is an exception, and her cultivation level has really risen like a rocket. She must have used some special method."

"Xinxin, now that we know Quan Yuli's ultimate goal and methods, let's go back to the dance hall first. If we take too long, I'm afraid Gu Shuohan won't be able to handle it alone!"

"Okay, that's true. Luckily, this guy is a top star and has some acting skills."

They quietly exited the dark and damp second basement level and returned to the dance hall via the route Quan Shaohua had taken.

After recalling the ghost generals, they quickly located Gu Shuohan and stood not far from him.

A short while later, Qi Mingxuan and Wei Ran also returned. The four of them stood quietly in four different directions not far from Gu Shuohan.

"The ball has been going on for a while now, why haven't we seen Lord Quan and Lord Shijie yet?" A female ghost dressed in a gorgeous court-style tiered cake dress said impatiently, fanning herself.

"They should be here soon. Didn't we give everyone time to get to know each other?" The male ghost dressed as the Phantom of the Opera walked over with incense.

"Familiar with what? The underworld isn't that big. There are only a handful of people with any standing. Don't think you can't recognize someone just because they're wearing a mask. Look at their figure, listen to their voice, and even check their cultivation level. You'll basically know who they are." The female ghost raised her voice, clearly dissatisfied that there were no male ghosts in the dance hall who fawned over her, only those arrogant ghosts.

"Isn't there also President Gu to meet? One of today's main characters!" The male ghost used his body to block the view, and vaguely raised his hand towards Gu Shuohan's position.

The female ghost stared intently in that direction, but upon seeing Quan Shaohua and Fu Mochen beside him, she immediately lost interest. "With those two ghosts around, how am I supposed to get to know them? Besides, I can't tell what kind of cultivation President Gu has; he's so mysterious, not my type."

"Hahaha, Lord of Sinafis City, you're too funny. You are also the lord of a city. In terms of status, you are much more influential than those two."

"City Lord of Qionghua City, you're getting more and more roundabout with your words. If you want to get to know President Gu, just do it openly and honestly. Why are you dragging me into this?"

"Nafis, you really recognized me right away."

"Cao Xiangnan, don't change the subject. You Chinese devils aren't as direct as us Western devils. You're always so long-winded!"

"I call this being reserved, yours is just being unrestrained, okay! Come on, let's go find those three handsome guys!"

Nafis stared wide-eyed at Cao Xiangnan in disbelief: "Old Cao, I've heard that there are indeed more same-sex marriages in the south, but I never knew your orientation was like this! I always thought 'Xiangnan' referred to direction, but I never imagined it referred to sexual orientation!"

Before Cao Xiangnan could even process Nafis's rapid-fire barrage of words, she grabbed him and pulled him in front of the three handsome men. (Of course, no one else could see Gu Shuohan's stunning good looks.)

"Hi~ three handsome guys, I am Nafis, the city lord of West City - Xinafis City! This is Cao Xiangnan, the city lord of South City - Qionghua City. He wanted to meet President Gu, so I brought him here." After saying that, she glanced at Gu Shuohan ambiguously, and giggled while covering the lower half of her face with her fan.

"Oh, hello, I'm Gu Han, who developed the spiritual liquid. Greetings."

Looking at the male ghost, who possessed an extraordinary air, was polite, and had a perfectly proportioned physique, Nafis was genuinely eager to see his true appearance. However, he still nudged Cao Xiangnan beside him with his elbow.

"Ah! Um... I'm Cao Xiangnan, hello Mr. Gu!" Cao Xiangnan finally came to his senses and introduced himself and his purpose to Gu Shuohan. "I wanted to ask about the spiritual liquid. I did some research before coming and even asked President Fu for a copy of the auction video. Is this spiritual liquid really that effective? Doesn't it deplete the very foundation of our world?"

After he spoke, the others fell silent, as this was indeed their biggest concern.

Fu Mochen didn't ask because their contract had a confidentiality agreement, and it was inconvenient for him to ask.

Quan Shaohua didn't ask because he didn't care about what would happen to the world, but he cared about the spiritual liquid.

Others might think that if Fu Mochen is optimistic about a business, there must be no worries about the future.

Only Cao Xiangnan, that devil, abruptly asked the question.

"Lord Cao, what makes you say that?" Gu Shuohan nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"Others may not know, but we city lords, nobles, high-level ghost cultivators, and those administrators all know what's going on in this world, what it's experiencing, and where the spirit stones we use come from. That's why I'm particularly interested in understanding the origin or composition of this spirit liquid, and whether it might accelerate the destruction of our world!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shuohan was at his wits' end: "Brothers, you know, but I don't! How am I supposed to explain?"

He pretended to be deep in thought, pondered for a moment, and then raised an eyebrow in the direction of An Xin and the others!

An Xin had, of course, overheard their conversation, and a strange feeling was churning within her: they all knew this world was heading towards destruction… they knew everything… no wonder Quan Yuli was going to such lengths, even resorting to forbidden techniques, to break through the world barrier. (You overestimated him again.) What about the other city lords? What about the world lord? What would their attitude be?

Seeing that An Xin and the others remained silent, and that the city lords were all watching him intently, Gu Shuohan could only steel himself and say, "I understand everyone's concerns about the world's destruction, but I must confess that I cannot reveal the source or method of making the spiritual liquid. I swear on my life that the source of the spiritual liquid will absolutely not affect the Netherworld!"

Seeing the ghosts all breathe a sigh of relief, Gu Shuohan's tense body also relaxed: When we get back, I must ask An Xin for a bonus.

"Lord of the City has arrived with Miss Anna!" A loud announcement drew all the ghosts' attention to the second-floor corridor, where Kwon Yuri, dressed as Dracula, the progenitor of vampires, gracefully entered with Anna, who resembled a flower fairy. The guests whispered amongst themselves about the relationship between the lord and his lady.

“Father, Anna, you’ve finally arrived.” Quan Shaohua approached them and gave them a Western-style knightly salute.

"Yes, I spoke with the World Lord for a while, so I'm late," Kwon Yuri said calmly. "Let's dance the first dance together. You can go find the World Lord when he arrives!"

“Okay, Yuri,” Anna replied softly and sweetly.

Call me City Lord!

"Yes, Lord City Lord." Anna looked like a little bird clinging to a tree, but her hands behind her skirt were clenched tightly.

"The World Lord has arrived!" A voice announced, and a man wearing a golden blindfold walked in gracefully. Just by standing there, he exuded the aura of a superior. He wore a sharp black modified suit with dark patterns, in which dragons were embroidered with fine silver threads, leaping and coiling on his left shoulder and left arm, subtly restrained yet completely domineering.

All the ghosts and monsters in the dance hall knelt down in worship, and An Xin and her group had no choice but to follow suit and kneel down before the World Lord.

"Rise!" These three simple words rang in the ears of every ghost.

"The ball is now officially open. Please find your partners and enjoy the first dance together," the butler dutifully announced.

Immediately afterwards, the guests searched for their dance partners, and Kwon Yuri led Anna slowly into the dance floor.

Seeing this, Quan Shaohua gently extended his hand, gesturing to Nafis beside him: "May I have the honor of inviting Lord Nafis to dance with me?"

Nafis smiled and said, "Of course! Who could bear to refuse an invitation from such a young and promising city lord?" He took Quan Shaohua's hand and they gracefully headed towards the dance floor.

"Mr. Gu, we'll start the promotional event after the first dance. Would you like to go up and say a few words?"

“Mr. Fu, we have prepared ordinary spiritual liquid for the ball. Could you please give us some time to distribute it to our guests? I believe that actions speak louder than words, and their personal experiences will better illustrate the effects of the spiritual liquid.”

"I didn't expect Mr. Gu to be so thoughtful. Okay, then listen to my prompts when I introduce myself."

"Thank you!"

After the dance, Fu Mochen was already standing on the second-floor corridor. An Xin and the other three carried trays with delicate little glass cups containing a small amount of spiritual liquid.

"Ding ding ding..." Fu Mochen tapped the glass in his hand with a small iron spoon, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

"Distinguished guests, thank you all for traveling a long way to attend this promotional event! Thank you to the World Lord and the City Lord for their generous recommendation! Our Spiritual Liquid promotional event is now officially open!"

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the ballroom.

"Thank you, thank you all for coming! Here I would like to thank President Gu for his generosity. In order to allow everyone to better appreciate the wonders of the spiritual liquid, he specially brought out this precious spiritual liquid for everyone to taste. Please give President Gu a round of applause."

After speaking, Fu Mochen raised his hand and pointed to Gu Shuohan's location. The ghosts followed his finger and saw President Gu nodding, and they all applauded.

An Xin and the other three carried spiritual liquids and positioned them at four different locations in the ballroom for guests to use.

Walking to a corner, An Xin spotted the world lord who was hiding alone, and bowed her head respectfully, saying, "My lord, would you like to taste the spiritual liquid?"

"You can see me?" Xie Zian was genuinely surprised.

He was hiding here to avoid Anna, who kept clinging to him, but he didn't want to miss what was happening in the ballroom! How could this ghost see him?

He looked at the ghost in front of him with a puzzled expression.

An Xin was completely baffled by his words and looked up at him.

Two pairs of eyes met unexpectedly, like a drop of water splashing into a hot oil pan...

An Xin: The world's master's eyes don't even have whites.

"Xin'er...you are Xin'er!"