Chapter 42: Iron Will
The sky was pitch black, with gray dust particles floating beneath the gloomy cloud layers. The Blooming Madness and the Abyssal Jar were both entities with dark-aligned traits; the former could not be looked upon or scrutinized, while the latter would bring endless trouble if one so much as touched its karma.
In the darkness beneath the Abyssal Jar, Wood stood. His originally immaculate black suit was now tattered and torn. Having lost that one shred of the swindler's follower, his chest and abdomen were covered in dense stitching marks.
This was from earlier in the battle, when the blood-energy monster had ripped out his organs. He had managed to survive by absorbing Zuiyasi's energy, but it would cause many problems later on.
Wood didn't charge at Yueshitu. His dark green pupil flames condensed, in his view, this was the opportunity he had been waiting for—a chance to break free from the Abyssal Jar.
"You must escape from here. Don't let me down."
Wood muttered under his breath. A contract parchment covered in blood runes appeared before him. With a whoosh, green flames erupted from the parchment, and it vanished inch by inch into the air.
"I hope I didn't bet wrong on this one."
Wood smiled. His situation was the most dangerous. The blood pact with the Abyssal Jar made it impossible for him to leave this place. This was almost a certain death scenario.
A thunderous rumble echoed from the sky. Su Xiao stood behind Molei, one arm wrapped around her neck. Given Molei's height, even standing behind her, Su Xiao's line of sight remained unobstructed.
Whoosh~
A ripple spread in the distance. Yueshitu had used a life-saving measure to escape. Su Xiao immediately felt a supporting power fade from him—the equipment effect of the Black King Bracer had been deactivated. This was a good thing, meaning Bubu Wang and Baha had already withdrawn.
Earlier, when Su Xiao's left arm had been severed, the Black King Bracer was still on it. He hadn't had time to retrieve his arm before the Blooming Madness appeared.
Fortunately, Baha had taken that arm. The Black King Bracer wouldn't be lost. If the storage space and team storage space could be unsealed within a certain period, the arm could be reattached. The [Cell Activity Maintenance Device] was one of Su Xiao's team's most commonly stocked supplies. Combat was routine, and losing limbs was a common occurrence.
Although Su Xiao's left arm had been severed earlier, the Black King Bracer was still intact on it. Under these circumstances, as long as Su Xiao wasn't too far from his severed arm, the equipment effect wouldn't deactivate. Now it had.
Without the Black King Bracer, he couldn't use abilities like Dead Silence Descent, Dead Silence Annihilation, or Realm Severing Thread. These weren't fatal issues. The more serious problem was losing the "Undying Will (Passive)" effect.
Undying Will (Passive): Negates the dying state until death.
Since obtaining the Black King Bracer, Su Xiao had never entered a dying state. With his current overall strength, when his health dropped below 10%, he would enter an intermittent dying state. After a short period, this would become a continuous dying state.
Su Xiao's strength was incomparable to before. His resistance to the dying state had improved.
"Molei, are you planning to keep watching the show?"
Su Xiao stared upward. The oppressive force weighing on his shoulders continued unabated. The Blooming Madness and the Abyssal Jar were still in a standoff, and it wouldn't be long before they made their move.
"Of course not."
Molei's answer was decisive. She held a pocket watch in her hand. No matter how she activated it, the watch's fluctuations were weak.
"The energy nearby is too chaotic. 'Golden Hour' is being disrupted. It'll be fine soon, very soon. And... I'm suffocating. Give me some room."
Molei's face was crestfallen. Her highly anticipated life-saving item was failing at the critical moment. It could be activated, but it needed time.
Boom!
An energy tide spread overhead. Su Xiao felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. The surrounding space seemed to collapse, cracking like falling eggshells, revealing pitch-black chaos underneath.
Seeing this, Su Xiao deduced that the Endless Desert was a massive independent space. It wasn't part of the Sand World proper. It should be a buffer zone between the Sand World and the main painting world, similar in nature to the Nightmare World.
It seemed the Nightmare King had used the Endless Desert as inspiration, stitching together the Nightmare World with [Scroll Fragments].
In the sky, black clouds twisted with gloomy auroras. The rumbling continued unabated. The Blooming Madness and the Abyssal Jar fought by eroding and devouring each other. Whether either could overcome the other was unclear, but the Endless Desert could no longer withstand it.
With a thunderous crash, the buffer zone ruptured. A purple-black semi-fluid poured from the black hole above, continuously spilling and filling the riddled Endless Desert.
Su Xiao had seen this purple-black semi-fluid before. Outside the ancient castle in the main painting world, it flowed everywhere. If he were swallowed by it, given his current injuries, he wouldn't last. He had just fought a bloody battle with the blood-energy monster.
Su Xiao grabbed Molei by the back of her collar and leaped across the black ground. The surrounding purple-black semi-fluid surged like mud, compressing his range of movement.
After more than ten seconds, Su Xiao stopped. He looked around. The semi-fluid was closing in from all sides, and it was dripping from above, filling the air with a murky smell.
"Almost there, just 2 seconds. I promise it'll activate in 3 seconds. Ah, this piece of junk."
Molei barely resisted the urge to smash the pocket watch in her hand. At that moment, golden light radiated from within the watch.
"Nice! Hold on tight, Bai Ye. Don't grab my hair~, and don't choke me~"
Molei was excited, but in the next instant, a mass of darkness struck from the right. It came too fast. Su Xiao, already severely injured, was enveloped first, followed by Molei. Her eyes rolled back as she half-fainted. A burst of emerald light erupted from her collar—another of her life-saving items had activated.
Tree roots twisted in, piercing the darkness. Seizing the opportunity, a golden pocket watch within the darkness emitted its final brilliance.
Golden light entered Su Xiao's eyes. Though his entire body was in excruciating pain, he hadn't lost consciousness. He felt a strange yet familiar sensation spreading through his body. He was about to enter the dying state.
With a hum, Su Xiao's body felt light. Molei's life-saving item had finally activated. This meant they had left the Endless Desert region. The relief came from escaping the darkness released by the Abyssal Jar. But it didn't last long. A tearing pain assaulted him from all over.
The scene before Su Xiao blurred, then faded into darkness. Wind whistled past his ears. He realized he was falling.
Thud.
The impact of landing. The sensations from Su Xiao's body were heavy, like lead. He tried to open his eyes but could only manage a slit, narrowing his vision to a blurry sliver.
His current physical condition: severe blood loss, nine broken ribs, damaged lungs, ruptured liver, ruptured spleen, partial tracheal perforation, moderate cardiac dysfunction, severe internal bleeding, moderate right leg fracture, missing left arm...
With injuries like these, even an ordinary person, let alone a fourth or fifth-rank contractor, would die within a short time. He was still conscious. His willpower was one factor, but his high soul strength was also crucial.
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Fragments of Banishment, peeled from his crystal arm, pierced into various parts of Su Xiao's body. Since his consciousness was still relatively clear, he had to find a way to control his heavily injured, immobile body.
Eyes closed, covered in blood and grime, Su Xiao stood up from the ground. He couldn't see his surroundings, but that didn't matter. Through his dulled tactile senses, he could feel the wind. Wind meant he was exposed in the wilderness or some other open terrain.
Su Xiao didn't know if there were large beasts in the area. He needed to ensure he was in a windless place. This would prevent flying creatures from spotting him and keep the scent of blood from drifting away and attracting large carnivores.
He had only one chance to find shelter. Su Xiao could feel his consciousness growing drowsy. He used the fragments of Banishment to control his body, raising his hand and tapping the Dragon-Slaying Flash with his crystal arm's index finger.
Clang.
A sound wave spread, mixed with blood energy. Through this sound wave, the environment within a few hundred meters was deconstructed and appeared in Su Xiao's mind for an instant.
This was a ruined building complex. Most structures were open to the sky, with only walls remaining. 12.7 meters to the east, there was a hall that could provide some shelter. At least it would prevent the wind from carrying away the scent of blood and attracting carnivorous beasts.
A crystal layer formed over Su Xiao's body, sealing all wounds to avoid leaving a blood trail. Using his mental energy to control the fragments of Banishment inside him, he made his body move forward step by step. Finally, as his consciousness grew hazy, he reached the predetermined location—a hall.
Su Xiao sat in a corner. His head gradually drooped, and his consciousness began to sink into darkness. He felt a pang of regret. A small glass bottle that had hung at his waist as decoration was lost. It contained [Vitality Extract].
If he could inject [Vitality Extract] now, his body would recover faster. For now, he had to rely on self-healing, at least until he could open his eyes and move lightly. At that point, he would have ways to recover quickly.
As his consciousness faded into darkness, Su Xiao fell unconscious. A few minutes passed.
Clanking armor sounded. A figure walked into the ruined hall. They looked calmly at Su Xiao and muttered in a low voice:
"Truly, a terrifying person."