At least not now. She had a premonition that Xing Wu’s devouring wasn’t that simple. If he devoured the Card Spirit, where would she find an identical one?
However, Xing Wu’s behavior had piqued her curiosity about the card. Feeling the immense resentment emanating from the lady depicted on the card, she asked, "Do you kind of thing?"
"Yes." Xing Wu licked his lips. "It gives me the most energy."
Wen Jiang narrowed her eyes. That was strange.
The resentment was related to Yu Jian, and most things Yu Jian created were through the System. Weren’t the Heaven’s Mandate System and Zero Egg essentially the same—both products of the Heart of the World? So why would Xing Wu need something Yu Jian created? If the Heaven’s Mandate System could accomplish this, so could the Heart of the World. Why go through all the trouble to awaken Xing Wu then? Unless Yu Jian accidentally created this thing.
Resentment isn’t a good thing. The terror in the lady’s eyes also carried an indelible resentment, one that could still be felt by others with a mere glance, stimulating their nerves and leaving no doubt about the card’s malevolence.
Most likely, Xing Wu really needed this. His gaze shifted slightly as he revealed a piece of information, "She died a miserable death and needs to rest in peace."
Wen Jiang instantly understood. She could dissolve resentment, but she couldn’t prevent its formation. Yet Xing Wu could make it disappear completely.
Glancing at the lady on the card, who had lost all human emotion, Wen Jiang shook her head. "Not now. This card cannot disappear for the time being." The Blood Emperor wanted to test her with this card, so she couldn’t let Xing Wu devour it.
His goal unaccomplished, a trace of impatience crossed the handsome deity’s eyes as he scanned Wen Jiang; her own deep-seated desires seemed to wane as he did so. This place was good, with profound desires permeating everything, allowing him to exist freely. Once he returned to his previous location, however, that wouldn’t be possible.
Xing Wu found it hard to remember where he had come from. Perhaps it was because he was just an avatar?
Avatar... The existence of Xing Wu served as a reminder to Wen Jiang.
She thought of the previous Dong Shao, and now Tan Heming, along with the intricacies of Ceylon City and the omnipresent resentment.
Wen Jiang felt she needed to change her approach. Perhaps she didn’t need an illusion card for now; even the Daji card might be able to contend if its strength were boosted. What she truly lacked was a card to pacify resentment. Since resentment could become a card, then a carded being should also be able to annihilate resentment.
Two options came to her mind.
Both Taoism and Buddhism represented righteousness and could potentially deliver a devastating blow to resentment.
However, merely appeasing resentment wasn’t enough. An extraordinarily suitable figure began to form in Wen Jiang’s thoughts.
As an ancient tribal leader, Shennong was known for the legend of tasting hundreds of herbs. In Wen Jiang’s reimagined mythology, the Flame Emperor was also a pioneer of humankind. He had led the development of human civilization, establishing the dawn of Yunxia civilization. He could heal with medicinal herbs and guide humanity’s progress. As an initial SSR Card, he indeed seemed like an excellent choice.
With a plan solidifying, Wen Jiang felt satisfied. However, creating an SSR Card would attract too much attention. She was bound to run into trouble in Ceylon City after making one, so she needed to find a safe place first.
Online, Wen Jiang’s new card deck was becoming increasingly popular, leading to some unexpected developments.
Previously, cards from Ceylon City never had associated merchandise. Although popular, many felt that cards originating from the black market held no real collectible value. Even for the Mech King, there was no guarantee that merchandise based on his cards would be well-received.
Such trifling profits were insignificant in the eyes of Fiend, so Fiend wouldn’t make a big fuss about producing card-related merchandise.
But Wen Jiang’s new card deck was different.
A Card Factory from Xi Zhou had approached parties connected to Ceylon City, expressing a desire to collaborate with "Helena" on merchandise related to the Mechanical Angel Card, believing it would be extremely popular in Xi Zhou.
Karin visited Wen Jiang specifically to discuss this.
Wen Jiang was somewhat surprised. "You people in Ceylon City actually sign intellectual property contracts?"
In her eyes, everything done in Ceylon City was shady.
Karin retorted, "...If you didn’t have your strength, you’d have been beaten up long ago for saying that." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
"I know," Wen Jiang replied calmly.
Karin was momentarily speechless.
Recovering, she continued with a hint of that speechlessness, "Of course, we have to sign the intellectual property contract. After all, the rights to the Mechanical Angel are in our hands. We also need your consent."
The last sentence seemed superfluous. The contracts the Sixth Division signed with Card Makers were harsh enough that they had the final say on rights without needing to consult "Helena." Saying so was merely a formality to give "Helena" face.
Wen Jiang didn’t particularly care about that, but it did make her reflect on how quickly her cards had impacted the Xi Zhou market. It seemed that card games everywhere were indeed in decline.
When Karin took her to sign the contract, Wen Jiang happened to see a video of her own recent competition playing on Karin’s computer.
She hadn’t fully realized it at the time. Looking back now, she had indeed been formidable during that competition. Her confident gaze alone was so captivating that even Wen Jiang herself had to admit she was drawn to it. The calm confidence in her eyes suggested she had the world in her grasp—it was both irritating and utterly fascinating. She truly possessed an overwhelming charm that made it impossible for anyone to look away. That was her own current assessment, which, she had to admit, sounded rather shameless.
Seeing Wen Jiang watching intently, Karin glanced at her and chuckled. "I suppose you know her? Wen Jiang. This super genius from Yunxia has been hailed as the strongest A-Rank Professional Player currently active. It’s truly... a miracle for Yunxia. Also, Yunxia has been producing many novel cards lately."
Karin looked at the Wen Jiang in the video, her admiration unconcealed. "Such a super genius is astonishing. Their kind of talent is something we could never hope to match in a lifetime."
Even Karin, who lived in Ceylon Cemetery, longed for an existence like Wen Jiang’s.
Who wouldn’t want to truly stand on the world’s summit, bask in the attention of countless eyes, and effortlessly claim the championship? Instead, she lived in Ceylon Cemetery, like a rat in a sewer, forever shunning the light.
That’s why she harbored a bit of resentment towards these favored children of heaven.
A hint of sorrow flashed across Karin’s eyes.
"’The strongest currently active?’" a cold voice interjected from nearby. "I rather doubt it. It was just one competition. Who conferred that title?"
Karin turned her head in surprise. Although "Helena" was watching, her eyes held none of the fanatical adoration or reverence seen in others. The hint of ’envy’ in "Helena’s" words gave Karin a different impression. Karin chuckled softly, "Helena, she is strong. That’s been verified through competition."
Karin began to form an idea: perhaps "Helena" had once been a genius herself but, due to some mishap, hadn’t pursued the path of competition. So now, upon seeing such a professional player, she was inevitably a little unhappy.
Only a few ’inappropriate’ hints from Wen Jiang would be needed, and Karin would internally conjure up an entire epic saga of conflicts.
She would complete "Helena’s" persona all on her own.
Perhaps realizing she had revealed a little too much, Wen Jiang blinked and feigned indifference as she looked away.