Inside a spacious bedroom on the third floor of the Eternal Night Guild base.

Zhou Huai gently placed Ye Xi on the soft bed.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating her pale face. Even in her deep sleep, her brow was furrowed.

Looking at that familiar face, Zhou Huai felt a tightness in his chest and a sharp pain in his chest.

"What a wonderful girl, how could she suddenly encounter such a tragedy..." He murmured to himself, reaching out his hand, his fingertips trembling as he brushed Ye Xi's cold cheek, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Xi'er, don't worry." Zhou Huai leaned down and whispered in her ear, his tone firm: "Brother Zhou Huai will definitely find a way to save you, no matter what the cost."

Zhou Huai had successfully resolved cases of possession by ancient remnants of the race.

The image of Natsume Rinzo appeared in his mind.

Back then, the body of that little girl from the Cherry Blossom Country was also possessed by an ancient remnant clan, a situation that was extremely precarious.

That time, Zhou Huai used Caesar's methods to implant the alien parasite into Natsume Rinko's body, forcibly absorbing and weakening the power of that ancient clan, thereby breaking the imbalance of power between the two sides, and ultimately giving Natsume Rinko's own soul the opportunity to compete with the other party for control of the body.

The results were encouraging. Not only were the ancient remnants of the race successfully wiped out, but Natsume Rinko even benefited from the misfortune and became an SS-rank professional.

But Zhou Huai understood that such success was an unrepeatable miracle.

This includes three stringent prerequisites.

Firstly, the ancient clan member who possessed Natsume Rin's body was arrogant by nature and had no intention of fighting to the death. His carelessness and underestimation of his opponent during the battle gave Natsume Rin the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Secondly, Natsume Rinko's will to survive was incredibly strong. That little girl had suffered inhuman torture since childhood, crawling and rolling in mud and blood, and her determination to live was astonishing.

Thirdly, that ancient clan member severely underestimated Zhou Huai's endless stream of bizarre methods, making them impossible to guard against.

Only when these three conditions are perfectly met can Natsume Rin's rebirth be achieved.

However, when faced with Ye Xi, who was also possessed, Zhou Huai didn't dare to even consider using the same method.

First of all, he himself couldn't bring himself to do it. Ye Xi had been pampered and well-protected in the Ye family since childhood. If her delicate soul and body were to suffer a mental breakdown during the struggle for control, it would be an irreversible disaster.

Secondly, and most fatally, Ye Xi's body is currently occupied by a genuine SS-rank ancient ice-type powerhouse. If this powerhouse is pushed too far, and decides to fight to the death, either detonating its soul or destroying Ye Xi's physical body, it will directly lead to Ye Xi's complete demise.

That was not the outcome Zhou Huai wanted to see.

Therefore, the safest and best way is still to rely on Li Er.

Once Li Er's level increases and he accumulates a sufficiently large amount of merit points, he might be able to use the power of words to force the soul of that ancient race out of Ye Xi's body without bloodshed, or even directly annihilate it.

However, before that, we must ensure that everything goes perfectly.

To prevent the ancient remnant from suddenly awakening and causing trouble, Zhou Huai took out a chain that emitted a dark blue light from his storage ring.

That's a high-level chain of magic suppression.

He fastened the chains to Ye Xi's slender wrists and ankles. The intricate magical runes on the chains lit up, disappearing into her skin and completely sealing off all the magical circuits within her body.

"Young Master, you wanted to see me?"

The door was gently pushed open, and Uncle Fu walked in in a low voice.

When he saw Ye Xi wearing the magic-suppressing chains on the bed, his expression was one of surprise and worry.

“Uncle Fu, you stay here and guard her.” Zhou Huai stood up and solemnly instructed, “No matter what happens, you must not unlock these chains.”

"This old servant understands, young master, please rest assured!" Uncle Fu nodded.

After giving his instructions, Zhou Huai turned and walked out of the room.

Standing on the third-floor corridor, he looked down at the empty guild hall below. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Previously, this place was always bustling with activity, guild members coming and going, exchanging quest information or joking with each other, creating a lively atmosphere. But now, those vibrant faces are still far away on the front lines in Japan, making the entire base seem exceptionally deserted.

Just then, Zhou Huai paused, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

"etc......"

Zhou Huai's expression turned strange.

He strode into the leader's office of the Eternal Night Guild and sat down in the large leather chair. He closed his eyes, and a vast amount of spiritual power emanated from him, shifting his consciousness to ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) the Shadow King, Moria.

at the same time.

Deep beneath the Eternal Night Guild, in a perpetually dark, damp, and cold dungeon.

Water droplets seeped from the moss-covered cracks in the stone, making a pattering sound as they hit the stone slabs, becoming the only sound here.

Chu He and Mo Hen, once powerful and feared S-rank members of the Dawn Guild, were now lying on the dusty ground, barely clinging to life.

Their bodies were covered in dried blood and wounds from the previous battle, and their once magnificent clothes were now just tattered rags. Both men were deathly pale, with sunken eyes and cracked lips, looking utterly weak and on the verge of death.

"Damn it..." Chu He struggled to turn over, the anti-magic chains rattling loudly. He weakly complained to the empty iron bars outside, "These guys from the Eternal Night Guild... they have no sportsmanship, they're mistreating prisoners!"

He licked his chapped lips and complained, "It's been over ten days already! And not a soul in sight! Not a single person has come to interrogate us, not even... not a single person has brought us a single bite of food! We're going to starve to death here!"

Chuhe felt increasingly aggrieved as he spoke, and his stomach rumbled in agreement.

"I'm so hungry..." he wailed in agony, his eyes staring blankly at the dome. "I'm so hungry... I could eat a whole pig in one go! No, even raw!"

Mohen, lying not far from him, didn't even have the strength to turn over.

A helpless, bitter smile appeared on his face, which still retained a touch of feminine beauty even after suffering imprisonment.

"Save your energy, Chuhe." Mohen's voice was weak, but his tone was still calm and sarcastic. "Stop yelling. The louder you yell, the faster the acid in your stomach will be digested."

He turned his head with difficulty, glanced at the passageway outside the cell door, and analyzed, "There has been no movement for more than ten days, and no footsteps of any patrol personnel. Something earth-shattering must have happened in the outside world."

"What do you mean?" Chu He asked weakly.

“It seems that everyone in the Eternal Night Guild has already evacuated.” Mohen sighed and closed his eyes. “They didn’t mean to starve us to death. They were just in such a hurry that they completely forgot about us two unlucky guys locked in the basement.”

Chu He was stunned for a full three seconds before he could process this cruel truth.

"Holy shit!" he couldn't help but curse, his tone filled with despair and hopelessness. "This is truly the end!"

"I, Chu He, have traveled all over the country and recruited countless geniuses for the great cause of the Dawn Guild! I am a dignified S-rank water-type powerhouse, an unkillable cockroach! And now... the two of us are going to become the first Dawn Guild members to starve to death!"

"This is a disgrace to Mr. Duan."

Chuhe desperately banged the back of his head against the floor.

"If we really starve to death here, that would be a kind of relief," Mohen said. "It's better than being controlled as a slave by the master of the Eternal Night Guild."

It was at this moment.

A slight change suddenly occurred in the dense shadows outside the dungeon.

Immediately afterwards, a tall and slender figure emerged from the dark corner.

He wore a medieval-style black noble robe, and his long, silvery-white hair gleamed coldly in the dim light. His fair face carried an innate nobility and an inescapable melancholy.

It was none other than the Shadow Lord, Moria.