"Earlier you tried to bargain with me using questions, now I'm using your life to negotiate. Tell me what exactly was done to capture our people." Pei Yan gripped Shitang Longsi's neck and demanded.

Shitang Longsi remained silent, as he at least still had the dignity of a martial artist. Enduring a momentary humiliation to survive was one thing, but to be coerced into fully exposing oneself went against his own principles and would leave him no place in the organization.

"Since you're so stubborn, keeping you alive is pointless." Pei Yan tightened his grip a bit more, and as Shitang Longsi's face turned red and was on the verge of death with no more air, ready to counterattack one last time, a voice emerged from the crowd.

"Let him go, and I'll give you the answer."

Upon hearing this voice, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. Even Pei Yan silently thought it was fortunate that there was someone in the Bloodshed who valued Shitang Longsi enough to speak up at the last moment of his coercion, otherwise it would have been awkward for him to actually kill Shitang Longsi with his own hands.

Pei Yan released his grasp, ignoring Shitang Longsi who was now on his knees, gasping for fresh air, and turned to the person who spoke. He smiled and said, "At crucial moments, it's always the master-disciple bond that counts. No one else would care, but as his master, you cannot turn a blind eye, can you, Mu Fanchen?"

"Haha, I never expected the boy who didn't dare breathe in front of me back then could now speak to me in such a commanding tone. Time flies indeed." Mu Fanchen stepped out from the crowd, speaking thoughtfully.

Pei Yan scratched his nose sheepishly and said, "Was I that embarrassed? I thought I behaved rather composedly. As the saying goes, thirty years east of the Yangtze River, thirty years west of the Yangtze River. One cannot live forever basking in past glories but must keep up with the times. Otherwise, the waves behind would topple those ahead, leaving the former stranded on the beach."

"Hahaha!" Gu Shenghui, tasked with intercepting the Three Tyrants, burst into hearty laughter at Pei Yan's mockery of Mu Fanchen. Still focused on his target, he spoke without turning his head, "Mu Fanchen, even you face ridicule from the younger generation. What a pity Chu Jun isn't here, or he would be laughing harder than I am."

For the joint mockery from the teacher-friend pair Pei Yan and Gu Shenghui, Mu Fanchen responded much more calmly, easily shifting the topic and saying, "Let's talk about the issue."

"Why did you capture our people?" Pei Yan questioned again.

"We did to them what you did to the prisoners at the Secret Prison!"

Mu Fanchen's response made all the investigative bureau agents' eyes red because they knew how the prisoners at the Secret Prison were dealt with—killed under the Divine Artifact to extract power from them.

"Are you angry? You claimed this is war. Your people have lives; our people do too. Is there anything wrong with that?" Facing Pei Yan's anger, Mu Fanchen did not show a hint of fear, standing there and speaking in a normal tone.

"Nothing wrong. But how did you do it without a Divine Artifact?" Pei Yan clenched his fists, suppressing his inner fury as he pressed further.

Mu Fanchen stepped forward to help the now gradually breathing steadier Shitang Longsi, placing his arm over his own shoulder and giving Pei Yan a cold glance, saying, "A life for a question. I can refuse to answer, but if I do that, you will surely not give up on this matter. I might as well tell you that we don't possess a Divine Artifact, but we started and have progressed further than anyone else in developing supernatural abilities. Now, we can extract abilities from supers without relying on a Divine Artifact, albeit with much lesser effect. Are you going to ask how we imitated your appearance and used abilities similar to yours? Heh, I won't tell you! You can always try to use your method to force the answer out of me."

After hearing Mu Fanchen's words, Pei Yan didn't say another word, turning his head and walking away from the arena. He had caused enough trouble today to give the Bloodshed a warning, extracting what little intelligence he could from them without escalating further. Continuing could provoke dissatisfaction from the Immortal Palace, and the Candle Dragon of Bloodshed would not allow him to behave so arrogantly.

Seeing the investigative bureau depart, the other individuals on stage, including those from Bloodshed, left the arena to return to their respective viewing platforms in preparation for the official start of the competition.

On the way back, Nero wore a terrifyingly grim expression, not speaking a word to Shitang Longsi, who followed him. Only upon reaching the grandstand prepared for Bloodshed did Nero coldly snort at Shitang Longsi, who wanted to follow him upstairs, saying, "Stay here."

Excluded, Shitang Longsi was initially vexed yet dared not defy Nero's authority, forcing a smile as he retreated his steps from the stairs, respectfully standing aside.

Conversely, Nero showed adequate respect to Mu Fanchen, as they, along with two others, proceeded upstairs to a private room. Pushing open the door, they saw two individuals seated inside, playing a game of chess as if it was a reenactment from the day when the Master of Origin and Moira faced off in the Magic Realm.

"Haha, it seems both our factions have suffered quite the setback at the hands of that little rascal!" K, whose body was that of a dignified and opulent elderly merchant, casually moved a chess piece forward, swept a glance at the four entering individuals, and chuckled mockingly.

"Can you still afford to laugh? We've staked heavily on this competition." Across from him, the Candle Dragon, in the sturdy body of a mortal general, knocked a piece off the board in response.

"Why not laugh? It's merely a clash of pride and interests between old friends. Losing would mean some property and face, but if you lose, your Bloodshed realm faces the five realms' siege. Are you sure you want to keep going? Consider backing down! We are open to accommodating your demands. Reaching a new equilibrium takes time, but there's no need to make it a bloodbath, right?"

"Is this your intention or hers?" The Candle Dragon took a sip from a teacup on the table, asking calmly without directly answering.

"It's our collective intent!" As he spoke, K stood up, delivering the final move that cornered the opponent's king into despair, then picked up his hat and placed it on his head casually, saying, "Don't bother trying to sow discord between us. I have my own plans and calculations, but no matter what, I won't let your forces grow to a point that threatens our existence. Take my words into serious consideration! Accepting the proposal means we may also concede a bit."

With these words, K headed out the door, and although Nero and the others remained adversarial, they still showed sufficient respect to the embodiment of the origin aspect, stepping aside to courteously see K out of the room.