Life and death clashed and intertwined, engaging in a silent struggle within the hall.

"Quite Zen-like, really."

Lin Yu couldn't help but murmur under his breath.

The corpses and the life giant below seemed to be tirelessly wrestling with each other, but Old Zheng, who was manipulating the corpses, and Arlan Mercury, who was controlling the life giant, had clearly both exhausted their full strength.

Hearing Lin Yu's leisurely remark, Old Zheng flashed rapidly inside Lin Yu's hat, like a high-frequency signal lamp, looking completely overloaded: "You... bastard... are really relaxed!"

Even though Old Zheng didn't have a mouth, Lin Yu could still hear the gnashing of teeth in his tone.

"Don't worry, I'll help you right away."

As Lin Yu spoke, he looked towards the other party in the stalemate, Arlan Mercury.

At this moment, the head of the Mercury Family wasn't faring well either. He was fully focused on controlling the giant, beads of sweat continuously rolling down his face, his entire visage reflecting a green light. He too seemed to have nearly reached his limit.

Although Old Zheng was currently in an incomplete state, this Mercury Family head, who had been keeping his elder brother alive for fifty years, was not exactly in peak condition either!

Of course, even so, Lin Yu did not intend to help Old Zheng relieve the pressure from the "front."

He looked at the Mercury Family head and began his psychological offensive.

"You look quite strained, Arlan Mercury... To think a Chosen One has fallen to such a state?"

"If you took back the life divine power you've been wasting on your elder brother, you might easily crush me."

Lin Yu said calmly. Arlan Mercury's anger, which had already reached its peak, now broke through its limits once more.

He naturally didn't know that the one actually fighting him was the external brain in Lin Yu's hat, that Lin Yu was currently only responsible for providing the privileges and mental energy obtained through 'Fraud,' and he was even further from knowing that the brain was actually in a worse state than he was, so strained it could barely speak coherently.

From Arlan Mercury's perspective, Lin Yu's utterly composed demeanor was simply toying with him.

And the words spoken by such a powerful opponent were naturally meant to humiliate and trample upon him.

Arlan Mercury himself wouldn't necessarily break down from being insulted, but Lin Yu's words struck precisely at the part Arlan cared about most.

"That is not a waste, you cold-blooded creature... Don't you have family?"

"Is saving a family member's life considered a waste?!"

And the moment Arlan took the bait, he had already stepped into Lin Yu's trap.

Lin Yu looked at Arlan and immediately retorted.

"Of course I have family. However, respected Sir Arlan, I would respect my family's opinions more," Lin Yu's words were sharp as a knife, deftly slicing through Arlan's feeble counter, "Have you asked for your elder brother's opinion?"

"I observed that he loses his memory every time he suffers severe injury... This must be intentional on your part, right? You're deliberately keeping it from him?"

"So... isn't all this just you indulging in self-gratification?"

Lin Yu's words pierced Arlan Mercury once again.

"What do you know, you bastard brat," Arlan Mercury said indignantly, "I do this only because I don't want my elder brother to experience too much unnecessary pain."

"Self-gratification? My elder brother has lived a full fifty years because of this, how can that be self-gratification?!"

Lin Yu chuckled softly.

To Lin Yu's ears, Arlan's words sounded less like a rebuttal and more like an attempt to convince himself.

Although the Mercury brothers were over seventy years old, the Sleepless Night Family Head's assessment of them was indeed spot on... These were truly two weak-willed individuals!

Whether it was Alt or Arlan, from a secular moral standpoint, both could be considered good people.

And precisely because of this, Arlan Mercury would do something the Sleepless Night Family Head and most nobles would never do in their lifetimes—give up most of the power from being a Chosen One in exchange for a chance for his brother to live.

However, his actions were not driven by complete obsession and selfishness—if Arlan Mercury were a willful person, he wouldn't be wavering in the slightest right now.

But he had done these things simply out of a basic, unadorned feeling of "not wanting his elder brother" to die, without the support of excessive obsession or distortion.

He could do it simply because he was the Chosen One of the God of Life, and the act itself wasn't particularly difficult for him.

Otherwise... he wouldn't have broken down in tears before the Sleepless Night Family Head.

At this moment, Lin Yu's words once again stirred up the long-suppressed self-doubt within Arlan Mercury that he was unwilling to face.

"Am I... really doing the right thing?"

"Of course it's right!"

Arlan Mercury forcefully dismissed the self-doubt in his mind and once again activated the "Supreme Alchemy," pouring more life force into the life giant before him.

The life giant pushed against the corpses with even greater force. Looking at the tragic and chaotic scene in the hall, Arlan gritted his teeth and spoke again.

"There is nothing wrong with my methods, you creature who delights in killing and creating chaos, spouting pretty words about 'respecting family's wishes'!"

"If you do not stop harming my elder brother and release everyone present here immediately, I will definitely kill you."

"I warn you in the name of the head of the Mercury Family, you bastard, whoever you are—you'd better stop right now!"

Arlan Mercury threatened Lin Yu sternly.

Hearing the other's threat, Lin Yu let out a long sigh.

"You think you're not indulging in self-gratification, is that it?"

In Lin Yu's view, the timing was now ripe.

He looked at Arlan and spoke coldly: "Arlan Mercury, if you think you're not indulging in self-gratification, then why don't you dare to face your elder brother?"

Lin Yu threw out the same question again.

This time, however, Lin Yu didn't give Arlan a chance to refute.

"You accuse me of harming your elder brother, right... In that case, I'll give you a proper chance to hear his opinion."

As Lin Yu spoke, he took a step back.

"Old Zheng, withdraw your control over the corpses now."

"Huh?!"

Old Zheng asked incredulously.

"Withdraw."

Lin Yu repeated, leaving no room for doubt.

Old Zheng was clearly shaken, but after just a fraction of a second, he chose to believe Lin Yu.

"Crash!"

The corpses suddenly scattered. The life giant strode forward, charging towards Lin Yu.

Old Zheng, who had just withdrawn his control over the corpses and hadn't caught his breath, saw this scene and hurriedly said, "Holy crap, what ace do you have up your sleeve—without the corpses, this thing can flatten you in seconds!"

"Bro, move! I'm scared!"

As Old Zheng spoke, Lin Yu shook his head calmly.

"It's fine."

As his words fell, just as the life giant was about to raise its hand to strike Lin Yu.

"Enough, Arlan."

Alt Mercury's voice rang out.

Then, the life giant froze in place before Lin Yu.