A touch of golden sunlight spread across the silent river, enveloping Brian Cooper as well.

He was drenched in sweat, but had not felt the slightest warmth before; only now, under the sunlight, did he sense a bit of heat rising from his body.

The evil spirit residing in his spine was also illuminated by the sunlight, yet showed no reaction at all.

Brian Cooper scooped up a handful of water by the riverside and hastily washed his face.

Ripples danced across the river, reflecting Brian Cooper's withered, wrinkled old face.

A wave of sorrow welled up within him.

"I wonder if this world has facelift surgery?

It would be nice to look a bit younger!"

The Wheel of Life and Death of the Heavens spun for a moment, turning death into life and granting his body a trace of vitality.

But this sliver of vitality was still being steadily consumed.

Brian Cooper sensed that perhaps in less than three months, this trace of vitality would be completely exhausted.

At that point, he would truly die!

And his soul and body would not be able to support a second activation of the Wheel of Life and Death of the Heavens.

Within the remainder of his life, he had to find a way to obtain a strong body and soul, so that he could once again support the Wheel of Life and Death of the Heavens to transfer vitality!

There was, in fact, a way: the sign-in system.

But to activate the sign-in system, he needed an environment rich in spiritual energy.

Brian Cooper speculated that such an environment might be a place where supernatural beings frequently manifested.

After all, during his first sign-in, he had been surrounded by many evil spirits, his life hanging by a thread.

Other than that, there was nothing particularly strange.

Where would supernatural beings frequently appear?

A mass grave?

A haunted house where twenty or thirty people had died?

If he, an old man, staggered over there, wouldn't he just be delivering himself as a meal to those supernatural beings?

Brian Cooper was frowning in deep thought when he suddenly heard voices coming from the opposite bank of the river. The words were intermittent, and he could only catch the gist.

"Hold on a little longer...

I'll help you cross the river..." Following the sound, he strained his eyes to look across the river and finally saw, a mile or two away, seven or eight people standing on the opposite bank.

The two at the front were pointing at the river, and then one of them stepped onto the water, walking across as if on solid ground!

Am I dreaming?

The scene before him made Brian Cooper feel utterly unreal.

He quickly rubbed his eyes and stared hard at the opposite bank, only to see another person turn back, grab each companion one by one, and toss them across the river like sandbags!

All five skinny youths landed steadily, not a single one falling!

The burly man who had thrown them also strode across the river as if walking on land!

Are these immortals?!

Brian Cooper cried out in his heart, but his hands moved quickly as he rolled into the wild grass by the riverbank, hiding himself from view.

The purpose of this group was unclear, and their intentions unknown. As an old man, frail and weak, if discovered by them, who knew if it would be a blessing or a curse? It was best to hide and observe for now.

However, though his plan was good, unfortunately, the group had already spotted him from the opposite bank.

At this moment, Brian Cooper rolling into the grass was like covering his ears while stealing a bell.

A sound of something slicing through the air approached rapidly, and a shadow suddenly loomed over Brian Cooper. A spotless straw sandal descended from the sky, stomping viciously toward Brian Cooper's head, malice clear as day!

"Old man, what are you hiding for?

It's almost dawn, and things like you still dare to come out and wander around?

Let Mr. Foster send you on your way!"

A sinister male voice fell with the shadow!

If he were struck on the head by this uninvited guest who called himself 'Mr. Foster', Brian Cooper was certain he would not survive!

What grudge did he have with this man, that he would try to stomp him to death?

Anger surged in his heart, and courage rose alongside it!

Brian Cooper pressed one hand to the muddy ground, trying to push himself up.

But his bones creaked and groaned, a wave of weakness washing over him, and his supporting wrist suddenly throbbed with pain, as if the flesh was being torn apart!

A chilling aura wrapped around his entire wrist, quickly spreading to his palm.

He collapsed to the ground again, only managing to dodge a few inches to the side.

A sense of helplessness at being defeated by reality filled his heart: Did people in this world have no tradition of respecting the elderly and caring for the young?

I'm just an old man passing by!

As Brian Cooper seethed with resentment, he suddenly caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye: behind the charging evil monk, the burly monk who had thrown people across the river shot over like lightning, grabbed the evil monk by the back of his collar, and said in a booming voice, "Brother Grant, don't hurt an innocent old man."

As he spoke, he simply lifted the evil monk aside.

Naturally, the evil monk's foot did not land on Brian Cooper's head.

Brian Cooper shifted his body, pressing his left wrist—which was still radiating a violent, icy chill—underneath him, and glanced at the two monks.

The burly monk was over nine feet tall, with an honest face, grinning at Brian Cooper.

On both sides of his neck, two ochre-colored markings snaked down beneath his robe, looking like tattoos, or perhaps naturally grown; the evil monk was only about six feet tall, with a thin face and long eyebrows, and his gaze at Brian Cooper was still tinged with malice.

As soon as Brian Cooper looked at him, the cold air from his left wrist grew even stronger, beginning to spread into his palm!