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

Patting Xie Zi'an on the back, An Xin whispered, "Although I can't remember the past, I believe in you and will consider you one of our own for now! You see, we have many partners, and you're not fighting alone!"

"Yes! Thank you, Xin'er!" Xie Zi'an looked into An Xin's familiar eyes and thought: She really is my sister. No matter if she has been reincarnated, her soul is still warm.

"My lord... I have something to report!" Although unwilling to interrupt this heartwarming moment between brother and sister, the matter was urgent. "My lord, Wei Jun requests an audience! He is waiting in the reception room on the 5th floor!"

Xie Zian let out a snort: "Ha, you've finally shown yourself! Where's Anna?"

"Anna should be at Ren Feng's noble home right now."

"Let her know what she needs to know!" Xie Zian was as indifferent as if the warmth just moments before was nothing but a fleeting dream.

"Yes, my lord." Fu Mochen returned to work mode, immediately left, and went to assign tasks.

"Xin'er, how about we hold a spirit liquid auction in the capital next?"

Xie Zian's change of expression was simply unbelievable. Before he could recover from his cold and ruthless demeanor, he was as gentle as water in the next moment!

An Xin was stunned and said, "Oh... Ah? Okay, let us know when you've made the arrangements!"

"Today you will all go to the Soul Return Pavilion in Mo City and stay in the VIP suites as usual!" Xie Zian looked around at the men in the room and found them an eyesore, so he added, "Too many people are crammed together. I'll have Mo City vacate the VIP suites, at least two! Don't worry about the spirit stones!"

"Then thank you, Lord World Master!" An Xin smiled at Xie Zi'an, then said to her companions, "Put on your cloaks, let's go!"

………………

任府

In the quiet courtyard, in the corner pavilion by the small lake, a dignified and elegant lady was enjoying the scenery.

The little ghost servant led a woman who bore a five or six-point resemblance to the lady to the corner pavilion.

"What brings you here today, sister? What a rare guest!" The dignified lady smiled and beckoned to the woman outside the pavilion. "Come in and sit down, it's been so long since we sisters have had a chat!"

The woman's face was full of worry and conflict. She entered the pavilion and seemed about to speak, but then appeared unsure how to express herself.

"What's wrong, sister? You used to be the most straightforward among us sisters, why are you so hesitant today?" Madam Ren dismissed the servants and filled the empty glass with spiritual liquid. "Here, sister, take a sip of spiritual liquid to soothe your throat."

Seeing that there were only two people around, the woman still decided to speak: "Sister, do you know that a month ago there was a woman who was quite good-looking, but she became the most sought-after woman in the capital, and all the powerful and wealthy people were vying to recruit her?"

"Oh...is that so?"

The woman looked around, paused, and then said, "This woman's name is Anna, and she is a human woman!"

"Ah? A human woman? How did she end up in my Netherworld?"

"Sister, you may not know this, but this woman was brought back by the city lord of Linyou City during the Ghost Festival. This is because she has a pure Yin body and can be used as a furnace for dual cultivation between humans and ghosts to improve one's cultivation!"

"Such an extraordinary person?"

"Sister, you are a lady of high birth, a daughter of a prestigious family, how could you possibly know such sordid things!"

"But isn't that woman forced to suffer this undeserved misfortune because of her body?"

“Sister, besides your husband, what else do you crave? Your heart is so pure, yet you are doomed to a bad reincarnation because of your attachment to love!” The woman shook her head, but saw that Madam Ren’s face was flushed with shyness. She then continued, “I do not know what this woman was like before. I heard that the reason why Lord Quan went to great lengths to bring her back was to use her to improve his cultivation, and the relevant cultivation techniques were presented to him by Young Lord Quan.”

"Quan Shaohua? That's the adopted son? Wasn't he Xing Wei before? Shouldn't he be working for the North City Lord?"

"Yes, I don't know why, but a few years ago, Lord Wei kicked him out of the North City, saying that he was severing all ties! Later, he became Lord Quan's confidant and was given important positions because he presented treasures many times!"

"What does this have to do with what you wanted to tell me?"

"Sister, the four city lords, the East and North cities have always been at odds. So why is the secret magic of the North city in the East city? Why has the struggle that has lasted for hundreds of years been silent for the last two years? Although we are in the backyard, we are not unaware of what is happening in the front hall!"

"You mean? The cultivation technique was given to Quan Shaohua by the North City Lord, who then had Quan Shaohua pass the secret method to the East City Lord? And the East City Lord was asked to bring the person back to practice and improve their cultivation? Why is that?"

"Sister, think about it, that woman is currently in the capital! She's moving among all the powerful and influential people!"

"Doesn't that mean this woman will accumulate spiritual energy for the nobles to cultivate together and improve their cultivation, and then be used by the East City Lord for sexual enhancement? No, wait, could this woman have already become a puppet?"

"Puppets can't be used for dual cultivation! I also want to tell my sister that the City Lord of Beicheng has arrived in the capital today!"

"Ah! Could it be that he wants to reap the benefits without lifting a finger?"

The corner pavilion fell into silence.

After a long pause, Madam Ren looked at the woman's face and snorted coldly: "Madam Liang, although we have a kinship from a past life, that is not a reason for you to come to my place to spread rumors and stir up trouble!"

"Madam Ren, what makes you say that?" Madam Liang asked hastily when she saw Madam Ren's displeasure.

"Aren't you saying this just to get me to whisper in my husband's ear and drag him into this conflict? I know your husband is already deeply embroiled in this struggle, and now you want to drag my husband down with you?"

"Sister, why did it have to come to this! Sigh, to tell you the truth, the reason I suddenly came to visit you and had such a heart-to-heart talk with you is because I didn't want you and your husband to be dragged into such a sordid affair..."

Seeing that Madam Liang had stopped talking again, Madam Ren stood up and grabbed her hand: "Madam Liang, I was too harsh just now, please forgive me. You know I lose my composure when it comes to my husband!"

"Knowing your nature, I don't know how to bring this up! Sigh... Well, to avoid making things worse, I'll just say it directly: I heard that woman has already come to your residence!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Ren was stunned for a moment, as if struck by lightning. After a few breaths, her eyes widened to their limit, her face filled with disbelief!

His face was pale and flushed, but he still didn't lose control of his emotions or become hysterical. He suppressed his anger and said to Madam Liang, "Thank you for coming to inform me, sister. I will definitely not let anyone know what happened today. I will repay your great kindness! However... I have urgent business to attend to right now, so it's not convenient for me to keep you here any longer!"

"Sister, there's no need for thanks. You should go now. I won't linger any longer. I'm leaving now, so there's no need for you to see me off!" Madam Liang turned her head, glanced at the rockery behind the pavilion, curled the corner of her lips, and gracefully walked out of the courtyard.

Enraged, Madam Ren stumbled and staggered towards the main courtyard!

Behind the rockery

Anna's face was deathly pale, her fingers digging into the artificial rock, breaking two fingernails from the force! But she felt no pain at all! Because her heart was bleeding.

She thought Quan Shaohua at least had feelings for her, but that incident had provoked him, which was why he had stopped seeing her and ignoring her! Little did she know that he was the mastermind behind her tragic situation, and that he had been using her to achieve the goals of the North City Lord... Others might not know the intricacies of the situation, but she knew it all too well, and now everything was laid bare before her.

"Kwon Yuri, Kwon Shaohua, and the Lord of Beicheng, you used me... Fine! I'll make you reap what you sow and pay the price!"

………………

"Lord of the World! Greetings!" A burly man bowed his head, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and knelt on one knee before Xie Zi'an.

"Lord Wei, how have you been lately?" Xie Zian asked politely, without making any move to ask him to get up.

"Thanks to you, Jun is alright, but the northern city is bitterly cold, and the people of the city are not having an easy time." Kui Jun remained respectfully kneeling before Xie Zi'an, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Bitter cold? North City Lord is joking. Your wealth is not limited to the North City!" He glanced at the tall, burly man, whose face was covered with a thick beard and looked rugged, wearing a padded cloak and weathered. His unruly appearance could not hide the sharpness in his eyes. "However, City Lord Wei, your cultivation has really remained unchanged for decades. It seems that even the East City Lord's cultivation is higher than yours."

"The tax revenue from the North City is not much, and it cannot supply the materials needed for the daily body tempering of the ghosts."

"Does Lord Wei have to play the poor card in front of me? Oh, right, that's perfect. You should finish compiling the achievements of the North City over the past few years and accompany me to an auction. It'll broaden your horizons!" Xie Zian smiled contemptuously and patted his shoulder. "Get up and go downstairs to complete your task."

"Yes, Lord of the World!" Wei Jun's expression remained unchanged as he respectfully withdrew from the room.

………………

"Xinxin, I have good news for you! I looked at the map of the Netherworld today! It's fully lit up!" Di Ting's excited voice rang out in my mind.

"Huh? Is it that amazing? We haven't been to any other places yet!" An Xin lay reclining in the bathtub dripping with yin-yang water, her eyes closed. "Xiao Jiu, how long has it been since you looked at a map?"

"It's been more than two months. I haven't seen it since I rescued those male confidants."

"What 'male confidant'? They're all companions! Look! My senior brothers treat me with the camaraderie of fellow disciples. Dr. Qi aside, he's the elder brother from a prestigious family who understands 'An Xin' best. Gu Shuohan… he's just my little fanboy who admires my domineering martial arts." An Xin rolled over nonchalantly, leaning against the edge of the bathtub, and said earnestly, "To be honest, I don't want to involve so many people in our affairs, but ultimately I still hope to have a trustworthy team to fight alongside. Perhaps this is the impact of the ten years of the apocalypse on me. You know, when someone has been lonely for a long time, and has been working hard alone for a long time, it's such a warm feeling when someone can offer a little trust and support, like a streetlamp in the dark."

An Xin opened her eyes and slowly parted her lips: "When I was exhausted, when I was lonely and desperate, it was the captain and everyone else who gave me warmth and hope. The unbreakable trust we gained through hundreds of battles together, the friendship we could completely entrust our backs to! So, when I felt Xie Zi'an's loneliness and despair, it felt so familiar, like another version of myself. The Heavenly Emperor gave him hope, gave him a home, and gave him something to rely on. I couldn't help but think of the superpowered team and the captain in the apocalypse, which is why I decided to help Xie Zi'an, truly accept him, and make him one of my own."

"Xinxin, I understand. You feel the same way about these people, treating them as your most trusted partners." Doesn't that sound like self-deception?

"Yes! They're good friends, good buddies, a team I can entrust my back to!" An Xin nodded firmly.

—Perhaps it's because I have a bit of a "fledgling complex" towards the captain… I can't help but feel how good Qi Mingxuan and Li Qingchuan are to me, but they always remind me of the captain, and it's not fair to them in the long run. Maybe I should talk to them sometime.

An Xin thought so, but plans often go awry, and after that, she never found the opportunity to say those words again.