If control could be obtained, Bai Pu was willing to relinquish a spot for a Bishop’s servant; it was worth it.

Although the Holy War Legion Commander was not as effective as a Bishop’s servant, he carried the Mark of Suffering! This could help Bai Pu trigger the "reduce difficulty hack". Bai Pu could then enjoy the same benefits as the Thorn Cultists.

The Pure Blood flew to the injured Holy War Legion Commander’s forehead, gradually merging into him.

However, this time, the control met with unprecedented resistance!

A twisted mark entwined with thorns appeared on the Holy War Legion Commander’s chest, forcibly "blocking" Bai Pu’s drop of Pure Blood.

At the same time, Bai Pu received a notification message.

[Target of Pure Blood Protection: Holy War Legion Commander Parrot has been engraved with the Mark of Suffering. Forcibly using Pure Blood for control may result in target’s death.]

Bai Pu shook his head and withdrew the Pure Blood.

It seems that the Thorn Cultists marked by the Master of Suffering can no longer be controlled by Bai Pu’s Pure Blood.

Perhaps Bai Pu’s control of four Bishop’s servants made the Master of Suffering somewhat wary, thus granting the Mark of Suffering an additional "firewall" function?

Therefore, Bai Pu’s plan to control a servant with the Mark of Suffering, to enjoy the Master of Suffering’s "reduce difficulty hack", became difficult to achieve.

"Hmph... Do you really think this setup can stop me?"

Bai Pu sneered, stood up.

He left the Holy War Legion Commander Parrot, waving his blade to kill the other Thorn Cultists one by one.

Bai Pu retrieved iron chains from the Storage Space, binding the hands and feet of the Legion Commander Parrot, and then let the Bishop’s servants watch over him.

If Parrot’s injuries gradually healed over time, he would be struck again, ensuring he remained alive but severely injured and unable to move.

After doing all this, Bai Pu led the team into the next room.

Upon entering, Bai Pu activated the stone tablet, discovering that the newly appeared monsters were indeed affected by the negative state of "Suffering Infection"! Their attack power reduced to 32% of the standard damage.

"Heh heh... It’s okay if they’re not my servants. As long as this fleshball Legion Commander follows me into the room, those derivative monsters will be influenced by the Mark of Suffering on him!"

This was effectively piggybacking on the Master of Suffering’s hack!

Originally, Bai Pu needed to dodge and parry the derivative monsters’ attacks. Now, under the influence of Suffering Infection, their damage significantly reduced, coupled with Bai Pu’s formidable damage reduction ability and high armor, it was possible to maintain a state of no damage throughout!

This feeling of charging into a group of high-level monsters unsupervised was incredibly satisfying.

Indeed, exploiting hacks is the most enjoyable.

Bai Pu silently gave a thumbs up to the Master of Suffering.

"Now, I’m standing on an equal playing field with the Bound ones. However, there’s still a problem. Gaia!"

Bai Pu recalled, in the previous room, a group of Thorn Cultists gathered around the Holy War Legion Commander Parrot.

Bai Pu called upon Gaia’s Will, asking: "Even though we were all randomly teleported into the Lost City. But I saw that the Thorn Cultists were organized! This means they must have a way to communicate within the Lost City!"

After saying this, Bai Pu saw a thin blue light sweep over the severely wounded Legion Commander Parrot.

[The Holy War Legion Commander Parrot has been implanted with the Mind-Attracting Vine.]

[The Mind-Attracting Vine, transformed from source energy left by the Thorn Divine Envoy, can bypass the spatial barrier of the Lost City to transmit messages.]

"Sure enough, it’s a trick of the Divine Envoy. But even if the Thorn Divine Envoy is banned, shouldn’t the cheats he left be sealed as well?"

Bai Pu had suspected as much, because during his last expedition in the Lost City, Xisha Divine Envoy demonstrated the ability to transmit information between Awakened in two different rooms within the Lost City.

[According to Supplementary Clause 2 of Article 10 of the Origin Oath, the source energy left by the Thorn Divine Envoy is contraband and can be sealed.]

Upon seeing this statement in his retinas, Bai Pu felt reassured and whispered: "It’s understandable if there’s some collateral impact during the sealing, right?"

Gaia’s Will did not respond.

"Speaking of which, although I now share the reduce difficulty hack, I’m just one person. The progress of collecting divine texts will surely fall behind the opponents."

Bai Pu didn’t mind Gaia’s Will’s silence and continued: "Don’t seal the Mind-Attracting Vine for now. I will attempt to conduct reverse tracking to locate the positions of the Bound and Rosen, and take the initiative!"

This competition, aside from gathering 100% of the divine texts first, another winning strategy is to physically eliminate all the competitors!

By then, without competitors, Bai Pu could leisurely collect divine texts, slowly explore the secrets of the Lost City, completing both the Silver and Golden Branch tasks for himself.

So, how to perform reverse tracking? 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The principle is simple, by using the combined mental force of the four Bishop’s servants and the Mind-Attracting Vine as a medium, to perceive the locations of other Mind-Attracting Vine holders.

Swoosh, the four Bishop’s servants once again revealed their Twisted True Forms, their spiritual power tentacles converging, transmitting powerful spiritual force.

Bai Pu’s spiritual power joined in, immediately feeling dizzy, with a slight trickle of blood from his nose.

Each of the four Bishop’s servants’ Spirit Attributes exceeded 180 points, and combined, they even surpassed the Spiritual Lord!

It’s like a carriage pulled by four fine horses, while Bai Pu’s spiritual power was merely equivalent to a ten-year-old child. He needed to guide this carriage along the designated route, even perform complex maneuvers like drifting, which was understandably challenging.

Fortunately, Bai Pu’s Spirit Attribute talent was extraordinary, and the four Bishop’s servants were utterly devoted to him. After donning the Dark Gold Shoulder Guard, his Spirit Attribute rose to 94 points, barely allowing him to control.

The powerful spiritual tentacles swept over the Legion Commander Parrot, quickly locking onto the source energy within him—namely, the Mind-Attracting Vine.

Bai Pu then concentrated on sensing the barely existing connections.

In an instant, from different directions, faint impressions of the Mind-Attracting Vine came through. These were the locations of other Thorn Cultists holding the Mind-Attracting Vine, with the largest group likely being the location of the Bound and Rosen!

"Although I can’t sense the opponents’ exact coordinates, I can at least feel the general direction! Now, I just need to head in that direction."

Without hesitation, Bai Pu ordered the four Bishop’s servants to revert to human form, and then carried the heavily injured, dying Holy War Legion Commander Parrot, stepping into the Light Gate in the direction with the most people sensed!