Chapter 71: Two Unscrupulous Old Fellows
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. The black mist figure cleared his throat.
"Meeting twice in one day is fate, but... did you hear some strange sound just now?"
The black mist figure stared intently at Su Xiao.
"Another traveler has arrived. Same old routine, I suppose—con him and send him off."
Su Xiao had, of course, heard what the black mist figure said earlier, and he noticed a very crucial point: the other party seemed to be wary of something. This wariness was certainly not directed at him; it was most likely directed at Reincarnation Paradise.
"..."
The black mist figure fell silent, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
After this awkward silence lasted for a minute, the black mist figure finally spoke.
"The Law Destroyer from Reincarnation Paradise, those Spellcasters from Arcane Eternal Star—haven't they caused you any trouble?"
The black mist figure’s tone didn’t sound like that of some powerful being; in fact, Su Xiao felt that the other party seemed quite bored.
"Of course... they have."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"Mage Sage Seraphilia."
Su Xiao only mentioned the name and didn’t reveal any other information.
"Mage Sage... Seraphilia? Who’s that again? Let me think."
The black mist figure seemed to have taken an interest as well, and instead of bringing up the second transaction, he started chatting idly with Su Xiao.
"Seraphilia... seems... vaguely familiar. Ah, right, isn’t she my student!"
The black mist figure slapped his thigh and looked at Su Xiao in surprise.
"That little brat has a title already? I remember it was because of some magic circuit issue... or something like that. I made her cry, and then she ran off from Russelan. I never expected her to join Arcane Eternal Star. How surprising."
The black mist figure sounded a bit nostalgic, but the more important issue was that although Mage Sage Seraphilia looked young, that woman was definitely over 500 years old. By that logic, this black mist figure was certainly even older.
"Nothing surprising about it. I’m a Spellcaster from the Law-Destruction Era, and I fought with your predecessors for many years. There’s a guy named Mawen Hua'erzi—I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. Thanks to him, I’m trapped here in the Starry Sky Seat forever. Thinking back now, that guy was really a worthy opponent. Too bad our stances were opposed. He died, and I’m ‘imprisoned’ here. It’s fair. Don’t worry, I won’t take it out on you just because you’re a Law Destroyer. The conflict between Spellcasters and Law Destroyers is like..."
The black mist figure’s voice grew softer, and at the end, he just let out a low laugh.
"The first-generation Law Destroyer was a man worthy of respect. What’s even more interesting is that without you Law Destroyers, we Spellcasters would have perished long ago. Breaking the elemental balance comes at a cost. Perhaps in a few thousand years, the next wave of Spellcaster hunters will appear. They might call themselves Guardians, or they might still call themselves Law Destroyers. But to pioneer an era like that—only the first-generation Law Destroyer could achieve such a feat. Only him alone."
As he spoke, the black mist figure stood up, as if hesitating about something.
"Law Destroyer, meeting twice in one day is fate. At the next Empty Seat Banquet, you should come too. Except for the Blade Demon, all the other members should be there. There should be... six left. The rest either died of old age or in accidents. See you later. Next time, prepare some good things. The other members will also bring out some decent items to trade with you."
The black mist figure waved his hand, and Su Xiao once again felt that familiar pulling sensation. It was the same process as before. Su Xiao activated his temporary ability, "Transmission," and returned to Reincarnation Paradise.
Inside the empty Starry Sky Seat, the black mist figure conjured a formation diagram in mid-air.
"What is it?"
A male voice came from within the formation diagram.
"I’ve met your disciple, Mawen. Now get your ass back here. I’ve been sitting here for over a decade. It’s your turn."
"Oh? He entered the Starry Sky Seat? How did he get in?"
The male voice from the formation diagram sounded a bit lazy, and the faint sound of water could be heard in the background.
"That’s not important. You get your ass to the Starry Sky Seat right now. It’s my turn to get out."
"Huh? What? Bad signal. I didn’t catch that."
Mawen Hua'erzi’s unscrupulous laughter came through.
"..."
The black smoke on the black mist figure’s body twisted in distortion. Since when did a formation diagram have a "signal" issue?
"Fine, fine, fine. I’ll drag you out right now."
"Drag me out? You managed to get a stored physical body?"
The black mist figure was very surprised.
"Of course. It’s impossible for me to be reborn, but storing my consciousness in a physical body—that I can do."
Mawen Hua'erzi laughed even more unscrupulously.
"Then hurry up."
"I’m a pretty vengeful person. Back then, you pierced my head. Tell me..."
"..."
The black mist figure’s cheek twitched. He took a deep breath.
"Mawen, we’ve known each other for so many years. What happened in life is no longer important."
"Oh? Say ‘I was wrong’ and let me hear it."
"..."
The black mist figure fell silent.
"I’m just joking with you, old friend. I’ve been preparing the formation diagram to drag you out for years. I don’t know how many times I’ve played the unscrupulous ‘old master.’ It’s ready."
"You really are something, Mawen."
The black mist figure let out a long sigh. He had been imprisoned here for too long—so long that the grudges from his lifetime no longer mattered.
"By the way, about your disciple."
"Let him join the Starry Sky Seat. I feel like I’ve forgotten something. Ah, I remember now. I forgot to help him awaken the Slaughter Shadow."
Mawen Hua'erzi had a "sudden realization." He was having too much fun in some world, and with his naturally poor memory, forgetting something wasn’t surprising.
"That shameless ability—it’s better not to master it."
The black mist figure had clearly suffered from the "Slaughter Shadow" before. Just mentioning this ability made him grit his teeth in hatred. His only comment was that it was shameless.
"Stop wasting time. Grab my hand."
With a *crack*, an arm flashing with blue light pierced through the formation diagram. The black mist figure immediately grabbed Mawen Hua'erzi’s arm.
*Rumble...*
The entire Starry Sky Seat began to shake. The black mist figure was dragged into the formation diagram. Two unscrupulous old fellows were gathered together—who knew what would happen next.
...
Inside the Exclusive Room, Su Xiao sat on the carpet, staring at a string of blue characters on his palm. These characters were entirely composed of energy.
‘Join the Starry Sky Seat. Blackmail them with Black Maple Tree products. Absolutely no problem. Someone will protect you—Mawen Hua'erzi, leaving this message.’
Clearly, this was a message sent by Mawen Hua'erzi, but Su Xiao had many doubts. How did Mawen Hua'erzi know he had entered the Starry Sky Seat? Had the black mist figure’s mention of Mawen Hua'erzi earlier really been just a casual remark?
Based on past experiences, Su Xiao felt that Mawen Hua'erzi had no reason to deceive him. Moreover, he had a chance to participate in the Empty Seat Banquet. Observing it would be a good choice.
If what Mawen Hua'erzi said was true, then Su Xiao would hit the jackpot. Once he could exchange resources using the Black Maple Tree, his strength would increase rapidly.
But the immediate problem was that he had no idea when the Empty Seat Banquet would be held.
There were many questions, but fortunately, Su Xiao hadn’t come away empty-handed. He pulled a notebook from his chest. This was left behind by a previous-generation Law Destroyer and should have considerable value.
After flipping through it, Su Xiao frowned. The notebook recorded the development of various abilities, such as the Azure Steel Shadow, the prototype of the Spirit Shadow Constitution, and so on.
From the records, the Azure Steel Shadow was initially quite inefficient. Even by the end of the notebook, the Azure Steel Shadow hadn’t undergone a qualitative change. The Azure Steel Shadow ability that Su Xiao possessed was the complete form, developed and perfected through the painstaking efforts of countless generations of Law Destroyers.
The first two-thirds of the notebook were worthless. Reading it felt like studying a history textbook. Fortunately, the latter part of the content changed. It recorded over a hundred types of biological energy suitable for absorption by the "Devouring Core," along with the origins and appearances of those creatures.