Chapter 99: The Last Opportunist Standing

Approximately three minutes ago, inside the leftmost Opportunist Faction chamber.

Xu Qingzhao stepped away from the blood pool and walked slowly around the chamber, lost in thought. Every now and then, she would glance back at the two wide-open bronze doors.

For this stage, she and the players from the other two factions had received completely different Star Gate rules.

[This stage is called “The Price.” You are now very close to obtaining a mysterious inheritance. However, Princess Anping, long dead, believed that to take, one must also give.]

[In this stage, each faction must sacrifice a living person by throwing them into the blood pool. Only through the power of blood and death can the tomb’s door to the next level be opened.]

[Unfortunately, the Opportunist Faction currently has only one remaining player—you. This makes it impossible to fairly select a “sacrifice.”]

[You now have two choices: First, you may choose to join the Court Faction and be immediately transported to the central Court Faction chamber, where you will experience the challenge alongside other players. Second, you may choose to retrace your steps and leave the princess’s tomb, but this will mean failing to clear the “Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate.” Your entire faction will fail, and you will suffer severe penalties—not necessarily death, but certainly a heavy price.]

[Regardless of whether you join the “Court Faction” or leave the tomb, the Opportunist Faction will fail due to having no remaining players, and all faction rewards and special items will be permanently sealed away.]

[Be warned: You have only fifteen minutes to decide. As of this moment, the chamber has begun releasing a mind-corrupting toxic smoke. If you hesitate too long, you will die from the poison.]

These rules were why Xu Qingzhao stood by the blood pool, filled with hesitation, a bitter smile on her face.

It was as if “fate” was toying with her—giving her a choice that was both ironic and cruel, yet entirely reasonable.

This fit perfectly with the nature of the Opportunist Faction—opportunists, gamblers, fence-sitters who always sought to bet on the winning side.

The Star Gate had not offered the option to join the Prince Huai Faction. From the very beginning, the Opportunist Faction had only been allowed to waver between the Court Faction and itself. Many details in past tasks had been designed with an inherent opposition to the Prince Huai Faction, creating direct conflicts.

Now, at this critical moment, the Star Gate naturally maintained that setting.

For over ten minutes, Xu Qingzhao remained undecided, replaying all the information and clues she had gathered since entering the princess’s tomb.

Neither choice was acceptable to her.

Joining the Court Faction was out of the question. From the very first act, she had made enemies with its players, and Liu Ling’er had indirectly died because of her. If she defected now, her situation would likely be even worse. Those players would never accept her—they would target her as a group.

And most importantly, joining the Court Faction meant going against that little guy—something Xu Qingzhao instinctively resisted.

With that option eliminated from her mind, it seemed the only path left was to retreat, abandoning the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate altogether.

But could she really accept that?

She had come this far. The thing she sought seemed to be just within reach. If she turned back now, everything she had endured up until this moment would become nothing more than a joke.

She paused.

Xu Qingzhao lifted her gaze once more to the open bronze doors. A thought crossed her mind—if the Star Gate truly believed she couldn’t pass this stage alone, then why hadn’t it warned her before she entered?

Why had it waited until she was already inside to reveal these two choices?

Wasn’t that strange?

And what were the players from the other two factions doing at this moment?

Were they fighting each other? Or were they drawing lots, voting on who would be sacrificed?

Perhaps they were just as terrified of this sacrifice as she was.

As time ticked by, Xu Qingzhao still hadn’t moved—not toward the exit, nor toward the Court Faction.

She kept replaying everything in her mind, running through every possible outcome…

Was it truly possible that there were only these two choices?

The Star Gate had stated that if the Opportunist Faction failed, all its rewards and special items would be sealed away.

And Xu Qingzhao suspected that those rewards and items were critical—not just to the upcoming tasks, but possibly to the final battle.

If they were sealed away, wouldn’t that affect the ultimate showdown?

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her pace quickened. A thin layer of sweat formed on her smooth forehead, her thoughts growing clearer with every step.

“Based on Princess Anping’s life, she wasn’t an evil person. There are no signs of live burials in this tomb. Not a single human corpse has been found as a sacrificial offering—not even animals. Every single burial pit has used stone statues instead.”

“Would such a princess truly design a challenge requiring a living sacrifice?”

“What is she really trying to test?”

“Li Mu, the booklet… Oh, right—that little guy and that Li Yan once took out a letter!”

“…!”

Memories clashed wildly in her mind.

Xu Qingzhao suddenly turned her head to look at the open bronze gate, a cold smile curling at her lips. “Is there really no third option? Ha, staying put means being poisoned to death… But what if I can move forward?”

No one answered her soft murmur—only the crimson smoke continued to spew from the walls.

Surprisingly, instead of dispersing through the open door, the smoke lingered inside the chamber, swirling like a dense cloud.

“Ten!”

“Nine!”

“Eight!”

“…!”

The final countdown echoed in her ears.

Xu Qingzhao’s eyes regained their calm, her delicate face hardening with determination and ruthlessness.

Cultivators fight against the heavens, against nature itself—undertaking acts that defy the laws of the world with nothing but a mortal body…

She turned to face the blood pool. “Since I’ve come this far, what is there to fear?!”

As she spoke, her gaze grew resolute.

…

Prince Huai’s faction, secret chamber.

“Crack…!”

The moment Ren Ye fell into the pool, the tightly sealed southern wall suddenly split open, revealing a winding tomb passage leading upward.

“It… it opened.”

Imperial Inspector Liu, collapsed onto the ground, shaking his head repeatedly. “I knew it… Someone had to die. We… we have to go.”

Li Yan stared blankly at the blood pool, his face filled with despair. He remained motionless.

After a brief silence, Imperial Inspector Liu abruptly got to his feet and called out, “The poison is still spreading—we need to leave!”

“Leave? Go where?!” Li Yan fixated on the now-still blood pool, shaking his head furiously. “Prince Huai is dead. There’s no way in hell we’re getting into the final level now. I’ll never find my body again… What’s the point of leaving?”

He had completely broken down. Everything he had done had been in vain.

Inside this Star Gate, Li Yan possessed more knowledge than other players due to his missing body and his role as the Chief Historian.

He was certain—if Prince Huai died, then none of them could reach the final level.

He didn’t care about the clear rewards or the so-called heaven-shaking inheritance. He already had a legacy class and couldn’t switch it anyway…

After being trapped in this Star Gate for so many years, all Li Yan wanted was to reclaim his body and return to the higher-tier Star Gates.

But now, it was all over. His body was lost forever. His soul’s eventual destruction was only a matter of time.

“…I was wrong about you. You’re a fucking idiot! No sense of responsibility—who the hell gave you the right to decide my life and death?!” Li Yan, completely unhinged, screamed at the blood pool.

It wasn’t just petty anger or poor emotional control—he had been trapped here for years. All his isolation and hope had been pinned on the Heavenly Pardoned One.

And now, just when he was so close, everything was ruined. He was still alive, while the Heavenly Pardoned One was dead…

The despair was suffocating.

“Let’s go!”

Imperial Inspector Liu shouted at him again.

“Go… go!” Tang Feng snapped out of his daze, seeing the poison grow thicker. He reached out and tugged at Li Yan.

“Heh.” Li Yan let out a deranged chuckle. “So now you—”

Before he could finish, Imperial Inspector Liu and Tang Feng seized him from both sides, grabbing his arms and forcibly dragging him into the newly revealed tomb passage.

“Clang!”

The tomb door abruptly slammed shut. A cloud of dust drifted down from the ceiling, falling gently into the blood pool below.

…

Capital.

In a dimly lit bar, Yao Sen sat on a high stool, silently staring at an old leather wallet.

At some point, wallets had become obsolete. Unless someone was sentimental or clung to old habits, people had long switched to digital payments.

The lighting was dim, but inside the half-opened wallet, a faded photograph was visible.

In the picture, Yao Sen stood at the center, surrounded by seven men and women. They were all young, their postures relaxed, their smiles bright.

“Gulp.”

Lost in thought, Yao Sen absentmindedly picked up his drink and downed it in one go.

“Tap, tap.”

Footsteps approached. A young woman walked over and took the seat beside him. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Yao Sen gave her an expressionless glance, then pushed his empty glass toward her without a word.

“Heh, you seem to be in a bad mood.” The woman chuckled, pulling a slip of paper from her luxury handbag and placing it on the table. “Tell that opera singer—because of this stupid investigation, I had to let go of two babies. That guy, Ren Daguo, should have entered the Star Gate. No idea when he’ll come out… The location he used is on the note, but don’t mess around. That’s the entrance to the Vigil Keeper’s headquarters.”

“Thanks.” Yao Sen picked up the note and left without hesitation.

Watching him go, the young woman smirked. “Acting all mysterious, trying to look cool?”

Behind the bar, the bartender grinned at her. “That drink he just had—280. Thanks.”

“?!?” The woman froze. “I’m paying?”

“Of course.” The bartender gave her a polite smile.