They were unaware of Ming Yue's thoughts, but they truly had no intention of resisting.
The cost of war was too great for them to decide lightly, and they had tried their best. Although the outcome they achieved was not satisfactory, it was a choice made out of necessity. They had to accept this outcome and bear the corresponding consequences.
Soon, the second day arrived.
Ming Yue looked at the exhausted Fish, smiled gently, and did not take her along. It was a small selfish act on her part; she wanted Xing Yuan to rest more. She had done enough for her. Moreover, she could handle the remaining matters.
Lately, strange images kept appearing in Ming Yue's mind, especially when she was with Xing Yuan, as if familiar, or as if they were what she had once longed for.
Although it was a bit strange, Ming Yue didn't think much of it. Regardless of who she or her past self was, she only knew that now, A Yuan was hers, and would be hers in the future. Therefore, some strange memories could only momentarily disturb her thoughts; they weren't that important.
What concerned her more were Xing Yuan's occasional peculiar actions, always secretly gathering with her mermaid friends, plotting something unknown.
She always felt... they weren't doing anything serious!
The Fish seemed to sense Ming Yue's thoughts, gently nuzzling her arm, without even opening her eyes, and softly cooed, "Sister~ let's sleep together."
Ming Yue's ear tips blushed, then she tucked Xing Yuan in, and gently coaxed, "A Yuan, go to sleep! Sister has something to do."
"Oh, oh." Xing Yuan still had her eyes closed, her nose wrinkled slightly, and she found a comfortable position by following a familiar scent before falling into a deep sleep.
Ming Yue's expression was helpless, and she somewhat irritably ruffled Xing Yuan's hair. Although she felt sorry for her, the fact that she had completely forgotten what she was supposed to do today inexplicably annoyed her!
Ming Yue changed into a clean outfit, brought her little subordinate, and grandly went to the agreed-upon location.
Upon arriving, Ming Yue was instantly drawn to an unexpected monk.
He was a benevolent elder. Ming Yue had heard him chant scriptures when she was young, and she never expected that after so many years, this person was still alive and well, and had been found from somewhere.
Ming Yue sighed inwardly, but outwardly, she solemnly recited the Buddhist name of the person before her, "Master Shanzhi!"
"Greetings, Benefactor!" Master Shanzhi replied.
Then followed a long silence.
"Benefactor Ghost King, you mentioned earlier that there is a way for neither side to violate the agreement. What is it?" Master Shanzhi asked, breaking the silence among the few people present.
He was a monk, but in this era, no one could escape these disputes. Therefore, he was undoubtedly pushed to be a link of communication between both sides.
Monks are compassionate and detached from worldly affairs. His esteemed status meant that he would have to pay such a price for others.
"Yes," Ming Yue nodded, understanding.
They didn't trust her, which was fine. She had never trusted them anyway.
Ming Yue said calmly, "The order of heaven and earth has always existed since ancient times, and we can borrow the power of order to complete the contract. Violators will be punished by order."
Although she didn't quite understand it, it didn't stop her from acting as if she knew everything.
Everyone: "..."
"You should just tell us what to do!"
"It's very simple. We just need to draw out our power, gather it together, and then recite the contents.
With power of our level, this world will surely respond. When the chain of order appears, pull it down."
The steps sounded very simple, but everyone knew how difficult it was to achieve.
Drawing out so much power simultaneously, even the slightest mistake could lead to a collision, resulting in unpredictable consequences. Moreover, the chain of order, as its name suggested, was not something that could be easily pulled down.
"Can the Ghost King do it?" Wang Lin couldn't help but ask.
"No!" Ming Yue shook her head, her eyes seeming to hold a hint of confusion, as if wondering why he would ask such a question.
"Everyone, don't forget, I am a bodiless existence! And the chain of order can only be grasped by hand, though it will come at a small price, and some suffering."
Ming Yue was telling the truth. She couldn't just be the one to make an effort while others slacked off; that would be too unfair.
"This..." everyone exchanged glances.
Then, they simultaneously looked at the only person present who did not belong to any faction and respectfully said, "Master Shanzhi, we will have to trouble you then."
"This humble monk will do his best," Shanzhi said softly, his eyes full of compassion.
He knew this task wouldn't be easy. Just as he expected!
With everyone in agreement, they no longer spoke. They simply followed Ming Yue's instructions to draw their power out of their bodies, gather it together, and carefully control the distance.
Several clusters of different lights gathered, flickering as if becoming a natural target.
The few of them stumbled through their promises. After they finished, a streak of colorful light suddenly flashed across the sky, and then a semi-transparent colorful chain appeared before everyone.
It seemed to have a life of its own, swaying in mid-air, hesitant to approach.
Shanzhi gritted his teeth, and the next second, he leaped directly into the air, grabbing the chain.
The chain was startled and instinctively thrashed. However, it had its own task. Shanzhi's hand turned red from the heat, but he gritted his teeth and held on, slowly pulling the chain down.
As if realizing it could not escape, the chain swayed left and right for a moment, then suddenly split, turning into specks of fluorescent light that rushed towards the clusters of light condensed purely from power.
The few of them withdrew their power back into their bodies and, in unison, felt a constraint from the unseen forces.
Soon, they looked at each other and smiled, calmly beginning to discuss the details.
Some troublesome elements indeed needed to be purged, but some of them had not acted excessively and were not beyond redemption, so they wanted to give them another chance.
Although man-made disasters were greater than natural disasters, natural disasters also brought endless trouble to humanity. Therefore, these people could also atone for their mistakes.
Every organization was short of people, desperately short. Ordinary people were so terrified by the mere mention of their reputation that they dared not approach. As for those with special abilities, they were too arrogant, thus causing countless troubles.