Chapter 36: Dead Silence Extinction
The gun blade pressed against Su Xiao's neck as three Tianba clan members approached from behind, their three blades also pressing against his throat.
The Tianba clan's ambush within this pavilion was a wise choice, as it prevented Baha from leveraging his flight advantage.
Seeing this, Drowning Leader Tide Hunter felt relieved. She had proposed this plan on a whim, never expecting it to gain support from all her clansmen, with Soak Leader also giving approval.
Though both were Tianba leaders, Drowning Leader Tide Hunter and Soak Leader held vastly different statuses. The abilities of Drowning and Soak had a massive disparity in standing within the clan. More critically, Soak Leader was far stronger than Drowning Leader Tide Hunter.
The Tianba clan's combat ranking was: ordinary Tianba → elite Tianba → Drowning Leader → Soak Leader.
Throughout history, Soak Leader was universally recognized as the strongest Tianba. They even had two weapon choices—Dragonheart Axe and Soakheart Blade—unlike Drowning Leader, who could only choose the Source Bow.
"Tell me, how did you open the Divine Village's door? Why... did you close it!"
Drowning Leader Tide Hunter spoke, anger surfacing on her face.
"Oh? The Divine Village's door is closed?"
Su Xiao was unaware of this situation. It was likely the Giant King's doing, who had sealed the Divine Village's door from the inside, clearly intending to perish together with the Tianba clan.
"Where is the Giant King? Forget it, you're too dangerous. After I sever your limbs, my clansmen will make you reveal everything."
Drowning Leader Tide Hunter leaped to a few meters in front of Su Xiao. As she finished speaking, a whistling wind sound came from behind Su Xiao.
Two long blades slashed through Su Xiao's body, passing straight through. The Dragon Shadow Flash ability activated, and Su Xiao appeared over ten meters away.
"Capture him."
Drowning Leader Tide Hunter wasn't too concerned. At this point, no matter what, the enemy couldn't escape.
Su Xiao watched the Tianba clan members charging from all directions. He stood still, not even drawing his blade.
"Dead Silence."
As Su Xiao spoke, he clenched his left fist, and a wave spread from the [Black King's Fall Sacrifice] bracer.
Everything around fell silent. All Tianba clan members within a 600-meter radius of Su Xiao felt a bone-chilling cold, as if something terrifying was about to descend.
Murmurs came, chaotic and unintelligible.
Within the 600-meter radius centered on Su Xiao, the world turned gray and black. Cotton-like substances drifted on the ground, walls began to rot, soil yellowed and cracked. This area was being assimilated and eroded.
Inverted spired buildings appeared in the sky above, like an upside-down mirage. Anyone seeing these structures felt a chill in their hearts.
Dead Silence and Source stood in opposition at this moment. Ultimately, the deep blue representing Source power began to decay and rot.
"This is..."
Drowning Leader Tide Hunter looked around. The world seemed to have changed. Her blue robe dimmed, and pain wracked her entire body.
A dozen meters away, Su Xiao's right hand hung naturally. An ancient-looking gun appeared in his hand. This gun was called "Dead Silence Extinction," a product born from the Dead Silence Descent ability combined with his gun proficiency.
Dead Silence Extinction was entirely black, covered in blood patterns, resembling an elongated flintlock pistol, but it held five bullets.
Its characteristic was: initially loaded with five Extinction Bullets. Each enemy killed replenished one bullet and temporarily increased attack power by 28 points.
Inside the dimmed pavilion, Su Xiao raised his right arm, aimed Dead Silence Extinction at an elite Tianba's head, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A bullet pierced the elite Tianba's skull. Already being eroded, taking 5% to 23% of max health per second in erosion damage, this Extinction Bullet finished him off instantly.
The elite Tianba's head shattered. Blood and bone fragments decayed mid-air. The broken skull on the ground looked like it had weathered for decades.
Within Dead Silence Descent's range, Dead Silence Extinction's power multiplied. Su Xiao shifted his aim to a Drowning-type Tianba.
Bang.
The Extinction Bullet pierced this Tianba's head and then penetrated another behind him. Wherever the Extinction Bullet struck, palm-sized holes appeared, the flesh at the edges withered and decayed, covered in cracks.
Su Xiao prioritized killing Drowning-type Tianba. Though he could move freely, dodging wasted time. Dead Silence Descent only lasted ten seconds.
After Dead Silence Extinction replenished two bullets, Su Xiao continuously pulled the trigger. Tianba members around him fell one after another.
A purple-robed Tianba rushed to Su Xiao in a few steps. Just as he was about to slash diagonally, the light in his eyes dimmed, and he collapsed as a withered corpse.
Moving within Dead Silence Descent's range—the faster the movement, the quicker the death. Erosion damage and speed increased by 2 to 6 times.
A sense of crisis came. Drowning Leader Tide Hunter had drawn her Source Bow, arrow aimed at Su Xiao. She had tried to rush out of Dead Silence Descent's area earlier, but after a few steps, she nearly died.
As the Source Bow was drawn, a bullet had already pierced Drowning Leader Tide Hunter's left arm. Her hand, losing grip on the Source Bow, nearly snapped back and slapped her face.
One shot severed an arm. Su Xiao aimed his second shot at Drowning Leader Tide Hunter's head and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Drowning Leader Tide Hunter stepped back. An Extinction Bullet was embedded in her forehead. Centered on this bullet, her head began to decay, turning like rotten wood.
Bang!
Another shot, this time hitting Drowning Leader Tide Hunter's chest, piercing through her body and shattering her heart.
Drowning Leader Tide Hunter stared in disbelief, slowly falling backward. Three shots—just three shots—and Tide Hunter, this major boss, was dead. Such was Dead Silence Extinction.
The slaughter feast of Dead Silence Extinction began. Su Xiao pulled the trigger without pause, Extinction Bullets firing in all directions. The countdown for Dead Silence Descent started.
6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Su Xiao fired the last Extinction Bullet. The pavilion he was in collapsed with a roar. A blur shot out from the building debris, dragging two figures, speeding toward the high sky.
The Tianba clan's straightforward plan now showed its flaw.
"Get back."
Inside the ruins, Su Xiao spoke, holding Dead Silence Extinction. Withered arms near him retracted and eventually disappeared.
Before the surrounding world recovered, Su Xiao rushed out of the pavilion ruins. Dead Silence Descent's effect would completely vanish in 1.7 seconds—this was the chance to escape.
Clang!
A blade aura slashed toward him. Su Xiao didn't look back. A crystal layer formed on his back. This time, he had struck it rich. If he didn't run now, when would he?
Two seconds later, the Tianba clan realized what had happened. But by then, Su Xiao had nearly reached the edge of the Heavenly Palace.
'Secret Technique: Heavenly Flow.'
While charging forward, Su Xiao suddenly felt a chill on his back. His health dropped by 45%! His entire back went numb, nearly causing him to fall flat.
Su Xiao didn't stop. Reaching the very edge of the Heavenly Palace, he leaped, jumping from a thousand meters high.
Mid-air, the Realm Severing Thread shot from his sleeve. He pulled his arm, accelerating his descent.
Boom!
A loud crash came from the lake below. Water splashed high. Inside the lake, Su Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood. Jumping from such a height, the impact made the water surface as hard as concrete. Fortunately, Su Xiao had covered his entire body with a crystal layer. His injuries all came from that slash on his back.
Boom!
Water splashed wildly again. Another figure leaped into the lake, but all they saw was a trail of blood dispersing in the water. Su Xiao was nowhere to be found.
...
Half an hour later, Su Xiao stood bare-chested in a semi-open cave, looking at the distant lake.
"We... do we need to escape?"
Rui spoke weakly. Though it was under Bubu Wang's prompting that she had "betrayed" Su Xiao, meeting him in person now made her inexplicably guilty.
"Escape? When have we ever escaped?"
Baha used its beak to pull an arrow from its wing. Behind it stood Amu, radiating cold air, clearly furious.
"Baha, take me up high."
Su Xiao moved his left arm. Though bandaged, the wound on his back was still severe. That slash left a deep impression. Without thinking, he knew it was Soak Leader's strike from far away—that was Secret Technique: Heavenly Flow, incredibly fast and unavoidable.
"Time to clean house now?"
"Yeah."
"Got it."
Baha grabbed Su Xiao's arm and flew toward the high sky.
Being dragged through the air, Su Xiao glanced at the reward notification. He had gained a huge haul—killing a major boss, plus five elite Tianba and numerous ordinary ones. But compared to what was coming, this was just an appetizer.