Chapter 86: Su Xiao’s Strange Journey
Inside the exclusive room, Su Xiao checked the time. There was still an hour and a half until the Empty Seat Banquet began. It was time to set out.
“Who’s coming this time?”
“Woof.”
Bubu Wang was the first to sign up. It had participated in the previous two Empty Seat Banquets and wanted to go again this time.
“This time might get lively. I’ll tag along too.”
Baha also signed up. Though it often cracked jokes, it knew when to be serious. The previous two times at the Empty Seat Banquet, Baha had been very solemn.
“Meow.”
Beini jumped onto the bed. It had to go this time—there was important business to handle.
Amu lay sprawled on the carpet, snoring loudly. It had no interest in the Empty Seat Banquet. The difference between going and not going was just a matter of where it slept.
Su Xiao took out the space card. Bubu Wang, Baha, and Beini all gathered close to him. He activated the space card.
*Whoosh~*
A spatial ripple spread like water ripples. Su Xiao’s vision blurred. When his sight cleared, he heard a clattering, clattering sound beneath him.
He was inside an iron-black train. Bubu Wang, Baha, and Beini were all squeezed into the seats beside Su Xiao. Outside the window was pitch black, as if the train was speeding through some kind of black liquid. A faint scraping sound came from around the carriage.
Dim white light shone down from above. The steel train was both cold and damp. Rust stains seeped through the seats, creating a scene of decay and eeriness.
At that moment, both rows of seats in the carriage were full of people. They all hung their heads, their faces impossible to make out.
“Where… is this?”
Baha looked around. As soon as it spoke, it felt a chill run through its entire body.
*Crack, crack, crack…*
A series of brittle sounds came as bones were forcibly twisted. The passengers in the carriage all turned their heads. Some tilted sideways, while others simply rotated their heads 180 degrees without moving their bodies, only twisting their necks. The skin on their necks formed spiral wrinkles.
Pairs of dead-white, lifeless eyes stared at Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Baha, and Beini. Seeing this, Bubu Wang nearly went into shock. This scene was its worst nightmare.
“Boss, let’s bail.”
“The space card needs ten seconds to stabilize.”
Hearing Su Xiao’s words, Bubu Wang “happily” passed out, its hind legs still twitching at high speed. From the look of it, if it weren’t holding tight, it would have already pissed itself.
Another series of *crack, crack* sounds followed, and the passengers all turned their heads back. The carriage fell silent again, leaving only the scraping sound from outside.
As soon as ten seconds passed, Su Xiao activated the space card. He seriously suspected this thing wasn’t provided by the Tuanzhang—the Tuanzhang wouldn’t be this unreliable.
When the spatial fluctuation dissipated, Su Xiao was standing on a stretch of white sand. Men and women in swimsuits walked along the beach, some drifting in the shallow sea. Hot bodies, iced drinks, and raised umbrellas—the scene was both lively and relaxing.
Su Xiao glanced at the space card in his hand, waited ten seconds, and activated it again.
“Badulululu… (unknown language).”
A group of beings in black robes, looking like aliens, were gathered together. The big-headed creature at the front was shouting excitedly, its face full of fervor.
“…”
Su Xiao stood among a large crowd of black-robed big-headed creatures. One of them bumped into him and handed him a ritual item resembling a candlestick, smiling kindly.
Su Xiao hesitated for a moment, took the candlestick, and waited. A few seconds later, he vanished from the spot.
*Clatter, clatter…*
The familiar scene came into view—it was that train again. Bubu Wang groggily opened its eyes, saw the surroundings, and nearly died on the spot.
After a brief wait, Su Xiao activated the space card again. He refused to believe he couldn’t reach the Barren Continent today.
Unknown Forest → Giant Bonfire Party → Unknown Location Sewer → Bear Cave → Steel Train.
Su Xiao returned to the steel train for the third time. Just then, the train screeched to a halt. A skull appeared on the door and spoke in Void language, its tone gloomy: “Barren Continent has arrived. Souls of the dead, halt.”
Hearing this, Su Xiao grabbed Bubu Wang by the scruff of its neck and stepped toward the train door.
As soon as Su Xiao got off the steel train, the door slammed shut. The train sped away at an incredible speed, taking the surrounding darkness with it.
A gust of wind carrying sand and gravel swept over. Su Xiao raised a hand to shield his face and turned his head. The sand pelted his ear, producing a crackling sound.
Bubu Wang looked up. That scene was more thrilling than any horror movie.
A sound of something breaking through the air came from above, followed by a loud crash. The ground shook beneath Su Xiao’s feet. The earth under him cracked. In the distance, it looked like a meteor had struck.
“Meow!”
Beini assumed a combat stance. Baha explained, “No need to worry. That’s an old friend.”
Su Xiao walked toward the distant crater. When he got close, he saw a tall figure climbing out of the pit. Nearly five meters tall, with an overbearing aura—it was none other than White Bull.
“Where is this this time?”
White Bull cracked his neck, producing thunderous *crack, crack* sounds. He patted the dust off his shoulders, a space card pinched between his fingers.
“Bai Ye? Is this the Barren Continent?”
“Obviously.”
As soon as Su Xiao spoke, White Bull exerted force with his hand, crushing the space card between his fingers into powder. A spatial shockwave exploded, but it was nothing to White Bull.
“This space item—was it provided by the Tuanzhang?”
White Bull’s expression wasn’t pleasant. Clearly, he had also visited quite a few places earlier.
“Not sure.”
Su Xiao sensed the fluctuation of the [Star Ring] on his index finger. The Starry Sky Seat was to the east, not far from here.
After traveling over ten kilometers, Su Xiao saw a wall of mist rising to the sky, stretching endlessly to both left and right. In front of the mist wall were a dozen steps, only a few meters wide.
Walking up the steps, Su Xiao extended his right hand, which wore the [Star Ring]. The mist before him thinned slightly, allowing him to enter.
Passing through the several-meter-thick mist wall, Su Xiao entered the Starry Sky Seat. It looked the same as before. In the center was a large round stone table, surrounded by seven seats connected to the ground. Each seat was slightly different in size. The shortest seat had a backrest two meters high. White Bull’s seat was the largest, with the Void numeral 4 carved on its back.
Su Xiao took his seat on the chair engraved with the Void numeral 5. Baha perched on the backrest. Bubu Wang crouched by Su Xiao’s leg, its eyes level with the stone table, peeking out secretly. Beini jumped onto Su Xiao’s lap, yawned, and curled up.
As the host of the Empty Seat Banquet, the black mist figure was already seated at Seat 0, in the main position.
“Tuanzhang, what’s the deal with the space card you provided?”
White Bull spoke in a deep voice. Though the place he had visited earlier wasn’t a threat to him, it had still soured his mood.
“Don’t bring that up again.”
The Tuanzhang’s eyes narrowed behind his metal mask. With a *crack*, he crushed the space card in his hand.
“Everyone, how was your journey? Let me tell you, I had to pull strings to get those space cards. How about… next time, I choose the venue for the Empty Seat Banquet?”
Holy Maiden Seat floated in barefoot, landing on Seat 6. She sat cross-legged, slouching sideways. She didn’t care about dignity or anything like that—she just sat however she felt comfortable.
As soon as Holy Maiden Seat sat down, she noticed the atmosphere was off. Three pairs of eyes were fixed on her. Holy Maiden Seat was in danger!