Chapter 158 Yet Another Collaboration

What Bai Yuan had shared was far from what Xi Yan truly wanted to know. Bai Yuan’s explanations remained superficial, leading Xi Yan to believe there was still much being kept from him.
To extract more information, Xi Yan needed to force Bai Yuan’s hand!
Xi Yan carefully weighed the situation. Bai Yuan was hardly a friend, nor did they share any common interests beyond a coincidental alignment of goals.
Yet a shared goal meant little; if Bai Yuan merely intended to use him, he would never reveal the truth.
Rapidly weighing his options, Xi Yan finally looked at Bai Yuan and said, "Mr. Bai, if you trust me, let us cooperate. If you do not, I will press no further."
Bai Yuan had been contemplating what to reveal and what to conceal when Xi Yan’s abrupt words caused him to completely reconsider his stance.
At last, Bai Yuan chuckled, lowering his gaze before looking back up. "Since you put it that way, I have nothing left to hold back. Have you decided to cooperate with me? Think carefully."
Xi Yan nodded, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Bai Yuan nodded as well, offering a benign smile. In that instant, he decided to forge a genuine alliance with Xi Yan.
After all, finding someone with identical goals was no easy feat. Since Xi Yan had shown such sincerity, there was no need to keep up pretenses, though certain matters still could not be laid bare just yet.
"Since your mind is made up, I will tell you." Bai Yuan leaned back in his chair, propping his chin with both hands, his piercing gaze locked onto Xi Yan.
"The City Lord is involved in this matter, and so is Isabelle. However, they do not belong to the same faction. That is all I know."
Both Isabelle and the City Lord were entangled in this, yet they belonged to opposing factions? Could it be that the mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes was not even a single entity?
"Oh, and one more thing—this Survival Realm does indeed appear to have been manufactured by someone. They select different spaces and transform them into Survival Realms. As for their ultimate objective, I truly cannot say," Bai Yuan added.
Xi Yan nodded. What Bai Yuan had already disclosed was enough to satisfy him, especially since he had prepared for the worst-case scenario just moments prior.
He had anticipated that Bai Yuan might fly into a rage or eliminate him for what he had said, and he had already braced himself for flight, ready to summon the Farewell to Monarch at a moment's notice.
Seeing that Bai Yuan had spared his life and offered genuine cooperation, a great weight lifted from his chest.
"I understand. I will continue my investigation. Thank you, sir," Xi Yan said, bowing respectfully.
"Now that we are partners, there is one condition. If you violate it, I will kill you."
Bai Yuan spoke lightly, yet his tone carried not a trace of casualness, brimming instead with absolute menace.
Xi Yan nodded, his expression unwavering as he waited for the rest.
"If you betray me and disclose what I have told you to anyone else, I will surely kill you," Bai Yuan said with a smile.
"You can rest assured of that, sir. Setting aside whether anyone would even believe such a tale, if I were to spread it, countless people would likely come hunting me down. I have no desire to invite such trouble," Xi Yan replied.
Bai Yuan nodded in deep satisfaction. "If you wish to tell Qingyan, I permit it—on the condition that you can win her over to your side. No doubt you already know her identity."
"Yes."
"That is all I have to say. If you ever need to contact me, activate this card, and I will come to your side. Even if you face mortal peril, you may summon me. But bear this in mind: you possess only this single card, and you may summon me but once."
Xi Yan nodded and accepted the blank card handed to him by Bai Yuan.
With a slight smile, Bai Yuan rose and turned to leave. Pausing just at the edge of the courtyard without looking back, he said, "Go back and rest now. Feel free to look around here whenever you have time."
With that, he walked away entirely. Xi Yan remained seated in place for a long time, motionless and silent. It was only after a considerable while that he stood up, his movements stiff and rigid.
No one knew the sheer terror he had felt just moments before. Bai Yuan’s innate strength was formidable enough, compounded by the terrifying aura he projected.
Conversations with the powerful were inherently heart-pounding, and given Xi Yan’s relatively modest strength, he had been playing a high-stakes gamble.
His life now possessed a crystal-clear purpose: he had to uncover the truth behind the shadows of this Survival Realm, while continuously growing stronger to protect his younger sister and his friends.
He had a lingering premonition that the forces lurking behind the scenes were terrifying beyond measure.
Therefore, he had to increase his power if he hoped to shield everyone dear to him.
...
Slowly dragging his weary body, Xi Yan returned to the quarters assigned to him by Bai Yuan.
Back inside the room, the lingering sensation of having cheated death still clung to him, making the preceding events feel almost surreal.
Xi Yan lay flat on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling as a torrent of thoughts raced through his mind.
Now that he had arrived at the Third Survival Realm, he needed to make full use of its resources to elevate his strength.
An alliance had been forged with Bai Yuan. While its durability remained untested, it at least provided a safety net.
As long as he did not overstep, Bai Yuan would undoubtedly cover for him and offer whatever assistance lay within his power.
At this thought, Xi Yan abruptly sat up and looked out the window.
It was still daytime, and the weather outside was bright and clear. Without hesitation, Xi Yan got up, pushed open the door, and stepped outside.
He called upon A-Yuan to accompany him. A-Yuan’s mysterious origins remained another mystery he hoped to solve, though he remained uncertain whether she even wished to confront her past.
Xi Yan had jumped up so suddenly because his passive ability had triggered unexpectedly, giving him an instinctive premonition that A-Yuan’s background could be uncovered here.
That was why he had hurried out.
Summoned by Xi Yan, A-Yuan looked around cheerfully, her eyes wide with delight. The Third Survival Realm was truly breathtaking.
She skipped joyfully among the flowers and grass by the roadside, her laughter ringing out light and clear.
Seeing A-Yuan like this brought genuine joy to Xi Yan. This was how a young girl ought to be, rather than radiating a chilling hostility like a god of slaughter.
Though A-Yuan always remained gentle and sweet in his presence, Xi Yan could sense that she had fundamentally remained unchanged since emerging from the instance dungeon.
Her kindness was reserved solely for him.
Should anyone ever dare to harm Xi Yan, A-Yuan would tear them to shreds without hesitation, regardless of the cost.
A-Yuan concealed her nature simply to spare him worry, and Xi Yan understood this implicitly, which was why he chose to keep silent.