Chapter 36: Finally Won
The hunted target was dead, the blood mark slowly dissipating. Originally, Su Xiao’s primary kill target wasn’t the burly man Kro, after all, that guy was essentially a coordinate.
Unfortunately, Kro was the squad’s shock trooper, and he was proficient in grappling techniques. If Su Xiao hesitated while killing him, he would definitely leave an opening.
Combat isn’t a game; there’s no setting where just because you have a higher level, the enemy absolutely can’t hurt you. Su Xiao’s strength was indeed greater than the three Battle Angels, but not to the point where he could completely ignore them.
If he went soft during the fight, it wasn’t impossible for those three to seize an opportunity and turn the tables.
Su Xiao’s combat habits made such a thing almost impossible. His principle was: using tactics in battle was fine, but hesitation and softness were absolutely forbidden. If there was a chance to kill the enemy, he would never hesitate, regardless of whether the enemy was as beautiful as a celestial maiden or begging for mercy on their knees.
Rain fell, gradually forming puddles on the ground. Su Xiao shook the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash, then took out a piece of flannel cloth, absorbed the rainwater from it, and stored it away.
The Dragon-Slaying Flash and the Gem Oath (scabbard) were indeed high-quality items, but they still needed maintenance. Aside from combat and training, any wear and tear on the weapon at other times was a waste.
He tossed aside the rainwater-soaked flannel cloth and walked toward the lighthouse. It was already the dead of night, and the rain was beginning to ease, shifting from a downpour to a moderate rain.
When Su Xiao returned inside the lighthouse, he found that Baha had already prepared dinner: a steaming pot of fish soup. The milky white broth bubbled, slightly spicy but not greasy, fresh without being fishy.
After drinking several bowls, Su Xiao exhaled a puff of hot air, feeling completely refreshed.
“Where did the fish come from?”
Su Xiao hadn’t seen any river nearby, and since his storage space had been temporarily reduced in size, he had barely brought any food.
“Fell from the sky.”
Baha answered solemnly, even nodding as if it were a serious matter.
“Is there a desert nearby?”
Su Xiao wasn’t surprised by fish falling from the sky; it was a normal climatic phenomenon. Hot air rises rapidly, creating a huge temperature difference between the upper and lower air layers, causing alternating disturbances that eventually form a ‘water-absorbing dragon’—a tornado. When it sucks up fish and shrimp from the water, it can cause fish to rain down.
“We… have to cross that desert. It’s… very close.”
Mogro pulled a large chunk of undead cells from his shoulder and tossed it out through the doorway. This guy was practically a small-scale mobile disaster. If he were in a horror movie, he would definitely be one of those widely known childhood nightmares.
Su Xiao didn’t ask further. According to Mogro, it would take 6 to 8 days to reach that place. On the later part of the journey, the mechanical war chariot would be crucial.
Outside, the rain was misty. Su Xiao and the others rested inside the lighthouse. Before long, the campfire went out.
The morning light of the first sun shone into the lighthouse. From the grassland outside came the sound of frogs croaking in waves. The grass blades were covered in dewdrops, looking especially green.
Su Xiao walked out of the lighthouse with a slightly dazed expression, yawned, and took a deep breath. The air after the rain was exceptionally fresh.
With a rustle, Mogro pulled the oilcloth off the mechanical war chariot. Water droplets splashed everywhere. The chariot was a bit cool but hadn’t been soaked by the rain.
Su Xiao cupped some clear water from a puddle, washed his face simply, and immediately felt much more alert.
Five minutes later, the mechanical war chariot sped across the grassland. A small herd of antelope-deer lowered their heads to nibble on tender grass, occasionally looking around warily. Baha glided over them. The grassland scenery was beautiful, and with the fresh air, it was refreshing.
Su Xiao didn’t bother admiring the view. He was sitting in the back seat of the chariot, with Bubu Wang on his left and Amu on his right—practically his ‘left and right guardians.’ With Baha providing aerial early warning, there was actually little risk during the journey.
With nothing else to do, Su Xiao decided to take advantage of the free time to go into the [Greed Chapter] and spar with the old holy cultivator.
The [Greed Chapter] contained ten soul-image manifestations. After successfully defeating all ten, this piece of equipment could be fully activated.
An unactivated [Greed Chapter] was already at the Epic rank. Once fully activated, its abilities would certainly not disappoint.
Unfortunately, defeating the ten soul-image manifestations was too difficult. Even the weakest, the old holy cultivator, had cut Su Xiao down to the point where he doubted himself.
Su Xiao’s mental energy gathered in his hand. As his mana points were consumed, he felt a pulling force. The next moment, his consciousness appeared inside the [Greed Chapter].
Surrounding him were gray mist walls and a black floor. Two long swords with blue flames rising from their hilts were thrust into the ground.
Su Xiao grasped the hilt of the azure-blue long sword. The old holy cultivator appeared opposite him, also gripping a hilt. Seeing this expressionless old man, Su Xiao felt pain all over his body.
“Greedy… one.”
The old holy cultivator still used the same opening line, still wore that loose, gray-green garment.
Su Xiao took a deep breath. After dying who knows how many times, he had thoroughly studied the old holy cultivator’s combat style.
This old man’s swordsmanship was different from Su Xiao’s. Su Xiao’s sword techniques were mostly bold and unrestrained, while the old holy cultivator took sneakiness to the extreme.
Su Xiao and the old holy cultivator vanished from their spots at the same time.
Clang!
The long swords clashed, sparks flying high.
Su Xiao exerted force in his hand, trying to push the old holy cultivator back. But unexpectedly, the old holy cultivator twisted his blade and pressed his other hand against the spine of his sword.
With a screech, the edges scraped. The old holy cultivator’s sword slashed toward Su Xiao’s neck. Su Xiao had basically figured out this move, but he couldn’t use it himself—his sword habits were different.
Bang!
Su Xiao stomped the ground, sending out a shockwave. The old holy cultivator was pushed back.
Blood dripped from Su Xiao’s neck. He had been decapitated by this move many times before.
Clang, clang, clang…
Blade light flashed. White slash marks appeared in the air. Su Xiao blocked the old holy cultivator’s ‘deadly sinister chain slashes’ without missing a single one.
Pfft.
A large chunk of flesh flew up. The old holy cultivator retreated a few steps, a sizable piece of flesh sliced from his shoulder by Su Xiao.
‘Blade Path Sword: Time.’
Su Xiao thrust his long sword downward. The old holy cultivator’s movements immediately slowed.
‘Opportunity!’
Su Xiao slashed diagonally. It looked ordinary, but the angle was exceptionally tricky. Clearly, this challenge had a chance!
10 seconds later.
Bang.
Su Xiao stumbled back a few steps, shaking his head.
Four crisscrossing slash wounds appeared on Su Xiao’s chest. He covered his throat with one hand, blood seeping through his fingers. Moments ago, he had nearly had his throat slit open by the old holy cultivator.
Not far away, the old holy cultivator, now missing an arm and blind in one eye, gripped his long sword.
This was the closest Su Xiao had ever come to victory. After improving his swordsmanship, the pressure from fighting the old holy cultivator had decreased significantly.
Su Xiao held his long sword horizontally in front of him, gradually relaxing his entire body. For some reason, he felt that he could actually defeat the old holy cultivator, but something was holding him back.
“Focus…”
Su Xiao temporarily set aside other abilities. Inside the [Greed Chapter], he couldn’t use any abilities except swordsmanship. The habits formed from long-term combat often made him unconsciously use other abilities, ultimately leading to defeat.
Su Xiao stepped forward toward the old holy cultivator. The closer he got, the calmer his heart became.
The old holy cultivator seemed to sense something. He actually leaped back two steps and slashed out over a dozen blade auras.
Zheng!
Su Xiao made a virtual slash. The entire [Greed Chapter] seemed to be split diagonally into two planes. A single slash mark divided both sides.
The old holy cultivator stood frozen in place. Soon, the upper half of his head slowly slid to one side and finally fell to the ground.
“Your wine… was good.”
After saying this, the old holy cultivator fell to the ground with a thud.
“Too bad you couldn’t resist the assimilation of Dead Silence City.”
Su Xiao muttered to himself. The old holy cultivator’s words, ‘Your wine… was good,’ indicated that he had died in Dead Silence City. In the end, he had still lost. Or rather, if the old holy cultivator hadn’t perished in Dead Silence City, he wouldn’t have appeared in the [Greed Chapter].
Looking at the fallen old holy cultivator, Su Xiao’s expression changed. He realized that he could now activate the active effect of the Soul Devourer on the old holy cultivator—that is, to strip the other’s soul memories.