Chapter 465: Working with Jian Gui?

White Hair Trench.

Believers of the Charming Blue Church cleaned the bloodstains from the gold level altar.

Not far away, within a makeshift underwater hut constructed from coral and other materials, Cang Xu knelt in prayer.

A gold coin-shaped communication device slipped gently into his mouth as he recited his prayers.

Cang Xu fell silent, appearing to pray in silence, but in reality, he pressed the device against the root of his tongue.

The device gradually heated up, finally searing like a branding iron onto the base of his tongue, transforming into a round-edged badge

Within the badge lay the message the fishman youngster had entrusted to Cang Xu.

This was the tongue metal.

Carefully selected from the War Merchant's database by the fishman youngster, the device itself was highly covert. Enhanced with the Deceptive Disguise spell and Anti-investigation and Prophecy spell, it was virtually foolproof.

As Cang Xu scanned the message, his expression shifted slightly.

It caught him somewhat off guard. In this communication, the fishman youngster inquired whether Cang Xu would engage Jian Gui directly, seeking the most immediate cooperation.

For a moment, Cang Xu felt a surge of admiration, once again impressed by the fishman youngster's boldness.

Given their current setup, the Deep Sea Monster Fish lay within the Ocean Mother Nest. With the element of surprise on their side, the odds of ambushing Jian Gui were extremely high. Despite knowing they could subdue Jian Gui, the fishman youngster hadn't resorted to bullying the weaker party. Instead, he had rationally and calmly considered the possibility of cooperation between the two sides.

To be honest, Cang Xu hadn't even contemplated this possibility.

For a moment, Cang Xu fell deep into thought.

"Though bound by both divine and magic, Jian Gui still possesses combat strength through the advantages of the newly born undead faction. He could potentially free himself within the Ocean Mother Nest. Therefore, if we form an alliance with them, we wouldn't have to engage in combat within the Ocean Mother Nest. The risks involved would be significantly reduced."

"The prospects of collaborating with Jian Gui's faction have always been substantial. First, their undead inheritance is exceptionally potent, drawing suppression from every major power worldwide. Second, undead resources. Behind figures like Jian Gui lies the legendary faction led by You Shen, controlling the world's foremost undead resources. These are precisely what we will need in the future."

Cang Xu weighed the pros and cons, his mind growing increasingly calm.

From this proposal, Cang Xu clearly discerned the fishman youngster's attitude toward necromancers.

Unlike the overwhelming majority of the world, who harbored intense hostility and fear toward necromancers, The fishman youngster genuinely sought cooperation with the undead, treating them as equals.

Beyond this, Cang Xu felt profoundly moved. Though the youngster hadn't stated it explicitly in his message, Cang Xu understood: the commander proposed this alliance precisely because Cang Xu was currently at the mercy of Jian Gui. His very life hung in the balance, controlled by Jian Gui's whim.

In his message, the fishman youngster explicitly stated:

“Should our attempt to atone before the Empire's high command fail, our connection with the necromancers might enable us to evade the Empire's pursuit. This would buy me precious time and a chance to survive.”

This insight brought Cang Xu particular comfort!

In Cang Xu's view, the youngster from the Mystifying Monster Island era, though an excellent leader, was immature and overly idealistic.

By now, the young commander had matured significantly. As a leader, he considered a wide range of consequences. His decisions were often made with the team in mind, rather than solely based on personal beliefs and values.

The fishman youngster's words sparked a new thought in Cang Xu.

“If we collaborate with Jian Gui and others, establish connections, and later successfully negotiate with the Empire's high command to atone for our sins... we could then leverage that relationship to lure Jian Gui and his crew into an ambush, eliminate them, and claim it as a military achievement within the Empire.”

Cang Xu was already contemplating the possibility of targeting the necromancers in the future.

Though merely an iron level magician, he was now scheming against legend level factions. The reason lay in the Bloodcore, which had granted him boundless hope and confidence.

This world was riddled with severe class barriers. For many, their entire future was determined at birth.

Power dictated one's social standing and the primary factor determining power was bloodline.

Now, with the Bloodcore, survivors possessed infinite potential within their bloodlines.

Given sufficient time, resources, and proper cultivation, why should they be inferior to others?

Why couldn’t legend level factions be targeted too?

After deep contemplation, Cang Xu arrived at a conclusion: “Collaborating with Jian Gui and the others is indeed a sound strategy. But it's still too early to be completely open with Jian Gui."

Cang Xu remained wary of Jian Gui.

If Jian Gui learned of the fishman youngster and the Deep Sea Monster Fish, he might use that knowledge to blackmail them into submission. At that point, the measures he'd taken against Cang Xu would become crucial bargaining chips.

The fishman youngster and Cang Xu, concealed in the shadows, held the initiative. Once they negotiated with Jian Gui and revealed their whereabouts, they would fall into a profoundly passive position.

"Therefore, even if we are to cooperate, we must find the right moment. The timing is not ripe now. It's too early!"

“Another point: before the final showdown, it would be best to remove the hidden trap on my body.”

"I must handle this step myself to be fully assured. If I let Jian Gui remove them, I'd still harbor many doubts."

“But that time is approaching soon.”

Over a day had passed since Jian Gui announced the progress assessment.

During this period, nearly ten large-scale blood sacrifices had been conducted at the golden altar.

The gold coin device, carrying Cang Xu's instructions, quietly departed.

Soon after, Jian Gui summoned the undead once more.

The undead gathered within Jian Gui's shack.

Yet the atmosphere inside the shack felt different from before.

The crowd no longer stood united as before. Instead, hidden currents surged beneath the surface, mutual wariness and a fierce competitive spirit permeated the air.

On the surface, they exchanged insights and experiences about conversion, but in reality, Jian Gui was secretly transmitting his voice, leading the discussion as they collectively explored techniques for fabricating memories.

Driven by the pressure to survive, Jian Gui had never been more focused in his memory forgery efforts. Even the other undead, despite it being their first attempt, were giving it their absolute all.

This exchange of experience and technique proved beneficial to everyone, even Jian Gui gained considerable insight.

Yet, as the discussions deepened, Cang Xu's expression darkened.

He discovered his progress was still lagging behind everyone else!

"How is this possible? Ku Feng is actually ahead of me?"