Chapter 22: The Unlucky Mu Xiao
The underground space fell silent. At the entrance, Su Xiao pressed one hand against the crystal wall before him, the center of which had cracked open, glowing red-hot.
Due to the detonation of Solar Flame within the underground space, the oxygen inside had been completely consumed. This created an air current before the breach in the crystal wall, as outside air was rapidly drawn into the underground space.
Boom!
Flames erupted once more, burning for several minutes before subsiding. The crystal wall shattered along with it. Each time an Apollo exploded, Su Xiao had to form a new crystal wall. By now, his mana was running low.
[Notification: You have killed Rain Throat Tribe · Shaman Priest · Wu Gu.]
[You have obtained Holy Spirit Chest (45%).]
[You have obtained World Source 5.12%.]
[You have killed Rain Throat Tribe member · He Ya.]
[You have obtained Life Force (Fragment) × 1.]
[You have killed...]
...
There were many kill notifications. By leveling the Rain Throat Tribe, Su Xiao had gained a total of 17.23% World Source. Obtaining World Source in this world was quite difficult, likely due to the existence of a base reward.
As for [Life Force (Fragment)], Su Xiao was temporarily unsure of its purpose. He had obtained a total of 217 [Life Force (Fragments)]. Unlike chests, these fragments floated toward him immediately after acquisition.
[Life Force (Fragment): A necessity for awakening ancient beings. Can also be exchanged for rare resources in the Tiger Bee Faction.]
Compared to the rewards, several notifications at the bottom stood out—penalty notifications for killing allied contractors.
[You have killed Contractor No. 12056. This is an allied contractor. Within this world, your Scarlet Card drop rate is reduced by 12% (penalty increased threefold).]
[You have killed Contractor No. 10094. This is an allied contractor.]
[Adjudicating...]
[Adjudication complete. The Hunter and Contractor No. 10094 were in a normal hostile relationship. No penalty for this kill.]
[Due to multiple abnormal behaviors of Contractor No. 10094, you have received a Hunter Reward: Diamond Honor Medal × 10.]
...
Having killed two allied contractors, Su Xiao deduced they were likely the Illusionist and the Crow Man.
Killing the Crow Man incurred a penalty because he wasn't truly a subordinate of the Illusionist, and he hadn't engaged Su Xiao in any meaningful way. This time, Su Xiao had initiated the attack, leading to the Crow Man's death.
The Illusionist was different. He had sent people to attack Su Xiao first. Therefore, killing him not only incurred no penalty but also earned Diamond Honor Medals.
Su Xiao only knew of one scenario where Diamond Honor Medals were awarded: after killing a Violator. But the Illusionist wasn't a Violator. Not only was his aura different, but when Su Xiao met him earlier, the Hunter's pursuit authority hadn't activated.
The heat surging from ahead subsided somewhat. Su Xiao stepped forward into the underground space. After the fourth Apollo detonated, all life signatures inside vanished. However, seconds later, Su Xiao sensed a life force emerging. At the Seventh Rank, contractors all had decent survival abilities.
Entering the underground space, Su Xiao held his breath and scanned his surroundings. The high temperature distorted the air. The not-yet-cooled magma cast a fiery red glow over everything.
In the distorted air, a figure stood barefoot in the magma. Her fair back was exposed, adorned with a faint, light-red tattoo.
A black leather jacket, speckled with sparks, hung down like a skirt. Her not-too-long hair drifted slowly in the heat.
The figure had her back to Su Xiao. One hand gripped the head of a charred corpse—the Illusionist's body.
"The Illusionist is dead. My mission has failed."
Mu Xiao turned her head slightly, unconcerned about modesty. She looked back at Su Xiao over her shoulder, then crushed the Illusionist's skull with her hand.
In the swirling hot air, Mu Xiao stood bare-chested, her expression calm. It seemed she had been waiting here all along, waiting for Su Xiao to come for a final showdown.
That was the appearance. In reality, Mu Xiao's mind was far from calm. After the fourth Apollo exploded, two-thirds of her body had turned to charcoal. Even her Holy Light Imprint began to peel away, signaling her imminent death.
Just as darkness closed in on Mu Xiao's vision, she was dragged back from the mire of death. This was one of her core abilities: Original Sin · Gluttony.
Mu Xiao was an Original Sin Envoy who cultivated Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Charm. Just as she thought the Gluttony Lord had been killed in the blast, a gaping maw appeared, devouring the death that was about to claim her. In that instant, Mu Xiao felt a pang of regret. After devouring her death, the Gluttony Lord completely perished. Even if someone later inherited the 'Original Sin Envoy' class, they could never master the Original Sin · Gluttony ability again.
When her vision cleared, Mu Xiao felt the surrounding heat and her own unharmed body. The only new thing was the faint red tattoo on her back. She didn't know what it was.
What puzzled Mu Xiao even more was that she had somehow grabbed the Illusionist's head and was standing with her back to the underground space's exit.
Compared to these mysteries, Mu Xiao was more concerned about one thing: her enemy was just over ten meters away. Apart from her head, her entire body was paralyzed. What should she do now?
As the fifty-seventh ranked fighter in the Tree Arena, Mu Xiao remained calm. She decided to first intimidate her enemy and buy time with some intelligence.
"The Illusionist was Grey Gentleman's 'puppet.' Impressive that you killed him. That old yinbi who never enters any world willingly, being targeted by him..."
Clang!
A long blade swung toward her. The intelligence Mu Xiao provided was valuable, but killing the enemy before her was more important.
With a tearing sound, the fabric on Su Xiao's shoulder was pierced. He sidestepped as thin, blood-red spikes shot past from both sides of his neck and under his armpits. Though they didn't hit him, the needle-like spikes were incredibly sharp.
These fine blood-red spikes had emerged from the faint red tattoo on Mu Xiao's back. Her face was pale, but she could move now.
Mu Xiao brandished her war scythe, assuming a combat stance.
"You can't kill me..."
Mu Xiao stopped mid-sentence. She realized she seemed to have a reverse prophecy constitution—good things never came true, only bad. The Illusionist's dying words, "Big sis, please, I beg you, don't talk anymore," seemed to echo in her ears.
Mu Xiao's aura surged, and then she... turned and fled. Among her four main attributes, Strength ensured she wasn't suppressed in melee, Intelligence boosted the power of her 'Original Sin' abilities, while Agility and Charm were special. They granted her attacks a 'Blood Dance' effect, which initially greatly increased weapon sharpness.
The 'Blood Dance' effect caused enemies to suffer true bleeding damage upon being hit, which could stack. A common scenario was Mu Xiao suddenly retreating mid-battle, and soon after, her enemy would die from the true bleeding damage.
Mu Xiao's Agility was very high, and combined with her 'Sin Dance' abilities, her escape capability was definitely top-tier among Seventh Rank.
Whoosh! A gust of wind rushed past Xibei'er, lifting her clothes and hair. Her expression was dumbfounded.
Mu Xiao had the strength to one-shot Xibei'er with her scythe, but she didn't. In her view, killing that monster's toy would draw immense hatred. Besides, Xibei'er was a Holy Light Paradise contractor. The penalty for actively killing an allied contractor was terrifying: a 10% reduction in all attributes for the first offense, 50% for the second. Accidental kills were barely acceptable, only deducting 1 random attribute point.
Just as Mu Xiao passed Xibei'er, a blur shot forward.
With a tearing sound, Su Xiao landed in a forward lunge thrust. His Dragon-Slaying Flash was stabbed into the ground, pinning a piece of spark-covered clothing fragment.
Seeing this, Xibei'er immediately pressed herself against the wall. When gods fought, it was best for her to stay far away.