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Xiao Yun's lips curled up, and the rune array coiled on his left hand glowed faintly.

[Hand of Embers] is activated, stirring up mana and dust, which are then slammed onto the rune array.

boom!

The intersecting rune lines on the ground suddenly trembled, then floated up, radiating a crimson-gold light like the sun.

The snowflakes fluttered down, but before they could even land on the formation, they were melted by a surge of heat.

The world fell silent. Nearly a thousand pairs of eyes stared at the rune array, and a longing arose in their hearts, a desire to get closer and closer to that light.

"Holy crap..."

Gu Shen murmured softly, slowly turning his head to look at Ji Mingyu beside him.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"Ah Yun, when did you become so perverted...?"

"It seems...it's always been like this..."

After saying that, the two fell silent, quietly observing the effects of the [Blood Pact of the Flame].

【Contract/Rune Array: Blood Pact of Fire】

[Rank: B]

【Effect 1: The possessor of the blood of ■■ controls the life and death of all those who have signed a blood pact, and can grant Servants certain abilities through the blood pact.】

[Effect 2: After signing the blood pact, you will obtain the [Fire Seed]. While the Fire Seed is active, your body temperature will be slightly higher than normal and will not easily decrease. You will receive 10%~35% less fire damage, your health regeneration speed will increase by 10%~35%, and your natural strength, agility, and constitution attributes will increase by 10%~35%.]

[Effect 3: The strength of the Blood Pact Servant increases, which will be fed back to the owner of the ■■ blood, with the proportion dynamically changing according to the difference in strength between the two.]

[Effect 4: Blood Pacts are divided into Sequence 1 to Sequence 9, enjoying bonuses and effects from high to low. Sequence 8 and above can differentiate into Level 1 Blood Pacts, enjoying a small amount of the main effect.]

[Requirements for use: Living creatures with fresh blood]

[Description: Praise be to the Lord of Blood and Fire!]

After seeing the results, not only Gu Shen and Ji Mingyu, but everyone else gasped and looked at Xiao Yun as if they were looking up to a god.

"This...it feels like a pyramid scheme, doesn't it?"

"Why worry about so much? There are three types of upgrades, and now that it's winter, it's practically four! Plus, it's at least a 10% increase, and there's even a chance to get a top-tier ability for free. Even if I get played to death, I'll still praise Master's skillful methods!"

"Never mind! Praise be to the King of Blood and Fire!"

The Tiger Legion soldiers rushed forward frantically, their eyes burning with desire, fearing they wouldn't be able to sign the blood pact.

It's not that they're mentally unstable; it's just that as prisoners, who would willingly choose to die if they could live? Especially since the terms of this contract are so generous.

Even other members of the Ideal Kingdom joined in, wanting to sign a contract to increase their strength.

"This thing is like a master-servant contract; one wrong move and it could be fatal. Why would you sign it?"

"Hehe, would the president possibly harm us?"

"That won't do either. If word gets out, I'll look like a cult leader, and it'll ruin my reputation."

Xiao Yun rolled her eyes at them and chased them away.

"Go away, get down to business! Take the contracts and make them sign them. Anyone who dares to sign them themselves will be expelled from Utopia!"

Everyone trembled in shock as Xiao Yun's icy gaze swept over them, realizing he wasn't joking.

"Sigh...what a pity."

A group of people sighed, picked up the [Fire Transmission Contract] given to them by Xiao Yun, and distributed them to the Tiger Legion prisoners.

From Gu Shen's perspective, the atmosphere at the scene was somewhat eerie—

A group of defeated prisoners eagerly reached out to receive the life-or-death contract, hastily pressing their bloody handprints onto it, entrusting their lives to others, their faces revealing satisfied and joyful smiles.

During this process, the victors from the Utopia looked regretful, and their eyes even held a hint of envy as they looked at the prisoners.

"This world is truly insane..."

Gu Shen sighed softly, his expression towards Xiao Yun becoming increasingly complicated.

"This guy, what's wrong with his art style? It's like... like a kind-hearted villain."

Thinking of this, Gu Shen paused for a moment, and surprisingly felt that the description was quite apt.

More than an hour later, all the Tiger Legion soldiers were converted into Servants.

In Xiao Yun's perception, seven hundred and twenty-nine flames flickered in front of him.

Among them, more than twenty larger flames belonged to eighth-series professionals of the Tiger Legion who had obtained blood contracts of the same level.

The two largest flames belonged to Shi Zhenshan and Wu Shaoxun, who had obtained the seventh-sequence blood pact.

The left and right commanders who were able to rise to power in chaotic times were all quite intelligent individuals.

Although being an undercover agent is extremely risky, not being an undercover agent means certain death.

Moreover, the Eternal Empire's military law is extremely strict. This operation was tantamount to a total annihilation. The lower-ranking soldiers were relatively unaffected, but the generals, whether they died or not, would bear the responsibility for the defeat and could even implicate their families.

Therefore, when Xiao Yun extended an olive branch, the two readily accepted.

"Let's take a gamble. The Empire's main force is tied up by the suddenly appearing King-level Otherworldly Beings and has no time to deal with our situation. We have plenty of time to maneuver."

"Moreover, the ideal state truly has a bright future. If it succeeds, we'll be rewarded for its success!"

Upon learning of their thoughts, Xiao Yun nodded, quite satisfied.

"I am not clear about the specific situation of the Eternal Empire. After you go back, act according to the situation. Try to stabilize the situation this week. If it doesn't work, then run away."

"If things really stabilize, try to send me intelligence about the Eternal Empire. Give me any resources that are plentiful or unique, like the Cangshan Fuxue Tea."

"If the higher-ups of the Eternal Empire force you to take action against the Ideal State again..."

As Xiao Yun was speaking, Shi Zhenshan looked up and answered quickly:

"If they force us to take action, we'll lead our team out, make a show of it, and also eliminate some dissidents along the way."

Xiao Yun chuckled and nodded:

"Hmm, not bad, as long as you know your limits."

"Praise be to the King of Blood and Fire! All thanks to your blessing, I, Old Shi, feel my mind has become much sharper since signing the contract!"

Shi Zhenshan, with a devout expression, subtly flattered her.

Wu Shaoxun, standing nearby, stared wide-eyed, inwardly gasping for breath:

"Wow, who would have thought that Shi Zhenshan, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, would be so shrewd? He's even more cunning than a shrewd person!"

Wu Shaoxun felt a little flustered and wanted to flatter Shi Zhenshan to show his loyalty, but he found that Shi Zhenshan had already said all the words he could say.

In the end, he could only nod vigorously and say in a muffled voice:

"Me too!"

After pledging their loyalty, the two left behind their valuables and, with the remaining Tiger Legion, returned to their garrison area.

Looking at the Tiger Legion soldiers, battered and bruised, fleeing in disarray like a defeated army, Xiao Yun nodded:

"The acting was quite convincing."

Xiao Yun felt slightly reassured and looked at Ji Mingyu and Wang Tianyuan:

"Old Ji, A Yuan, you take some men and follow them at a distance to verify the information."

As he spoke, he handed Ji Mingyu a map, which marked the terrain, security situation, and resource points that the Tiger Legion had already occupied in the area.

"If there's still time, we can take over these outlying resource points."

Xiao Yun pointed to the map, where there were several red circles, not far from the [Starlight Sand Resource Point] that they had discovered earlier.

Among them, there are two [Anthracite Coal Resource Points], one [Corpse Starch Resource Point], one [Mogang Mine Resource Point], and one [Qinglin Fishpond Resource Point].

"clear."

Ji Mingyu took it, called Wang Tianyuan, and led half of the men away.

"Clean up the battlefield one last time, and take the remains of our fallen comrades with us."

The atmosphere became somewhat somber when death was mentioned.

Even with Xiao Yun, Ji Mingyu, and others rushing to their aid, death was inevitable in a battle of this scale.

More than ten members of the Utopia were killed, including two eighth-sequence professionals.

Xiao Yun looked at their bodies, a flash of pain in his eyes.

Since transmigrating, he has adapted to many cruel things, but the one thing he can't adapt to is the death of his own people.

"Just how powerful would it have to be for everyone to survive?"

Xiao Yun murmured softly.

Beside him, Gu Shen lowered his head and sighed softly:

"I want to know too..."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, as if in mourning.

"Alright, stop looking so dead. We still have the Sanctuary of Rest. We can see these brothers again when we get back, and if we're lucky, we can see them several times."

"Although they are dead, their spirit lives on with us, their legacy will not be broken, and in the future, someone will pick up their swords and continue to fight alongside us."

Hearing Xiao Yun's words, everyone nodded emphatically, and their frustration dissipated considerably.

"Hmm!"

The insect captain let out a long cry and carried everyone toward the ideal land.

The fog slowly dissipated and calmed down.

Less than half an hour later, the fog here began to stir again.

A group of people emerged from the mist, each wearing a badge on their left chest.

On the badge, a giant golden tree shines brightly, with many buildings on its branches, like abundant fruits, together forming a dreamlike city.

These were members of the Worry-Free Village Guild who had just arrived.

The team consisted of nearly twenty people, all of whom were at least in the eighth rank, and there were even two leaders in the seventh rank.

Seeing the chaotic scene, the red-haired man at the head of the group frowned:

"We're late."

Then, he looked at the person beside him and asked:

"Minister Jing, is it possible to track them down?"

The person didn't speak, but simply took out a crystal ball. Her long, black-stockinged legs moved slowly beneath her cheongsam.

A moment later, she stood still amidst the ashes, the crystal ball in her hand radiating light, and an arrow slowly appeared.

"Found it."