Chapter 72: You Must Be Strong
In a hidden room of an unknown location, Su Xiao walked along a corridor about four meters wide. He could sense the Blazing Sun Lord watching him from behind. This place was likely some important site of the new kingdom, with numerous hidden sentries nearby.
As the meeting place requested by the Blazing Sun Lord, meeting these conditions was normal. Su Xiao even suspected this was the Blazing Sun Lord's lair, the dynasty ruins of Saint Dan City.
Su Xiao stopped on a circular teleportation array. From the wear marks on the array, it had been around for quite some time—possibly a centuries-old antique.
After examining the array, Su Xiao discovered its ingenious design. It had excellent compatibility, able to match with various spatial items or objects. Once matched, the spatial item served as Point A, and this array as Point B, allowing mutual teleportation.
The array's brilliance lay in its ability to be unilaterally deactivated. When deactivated, the connection between Point A and itself was severed. Only upon reactivation would Point A reconnect.
Undoubtedly, whoever chose this meeting location wanted the Blazing Sun Lord to hold the advantage, seizing both timing and terrain. The only thing missing was human harmony.
One could only say that the strategist behind the Blazing Sun Lord had done everything possible and worried themselves sick for him.
The teleportation array beneath Su Xiao's feet activated, spatial fluctuations appeared, and Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha vanished. Everything seemed normal, but was it really? No, the plan had already begun.
This seemingly normal teleportation actually involved the abilities of Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha. If time were rewound five seconds, one would see that when the spatial fluctuations appeared, Su Xiao briefly penetrated space, causing a momentary fluctuation in the spatial waves, like signal interference.
During mid-range spatial movement, such signal-like interference was too common. The Blazing Sun Lord, witnessing it all, paid no attention.
It was this momentary spatial interference created by Su Xiao that allowed Baha, a space-type, to seize the opportunity. Before the interference faded, Baha amplified the signal-like effect, making Bubu Wang appear as if covered in static.
This was to create an opportunity for Bubu Wang. He had 0.7 seconds to react. The moment the spatial teleportation ended, he merged into the environment and leaped out of the array.
Because Baha had amplified the signal-like effect, Bubu Wang, appearing as if covered in static, did all this without arousing the Blazing Sun Lord's suspicion.
In the quiet corridor, Bubu Wang walked forward. His subsequent task was simple: follow the Blazing Sun Lord.
Su Xiao had left Bubu Wang here not to determine where this place was—that was unimportant. Earlier, he had given the Blazing Sun Lord a [Scroll Fragment], which was the key point.
Su Xiao speculated that the Blazing Sun Lord might have more scroll fragments than the Sun Church. Would the Blazing Sun Lord carry so many [Scroll Fragments] on him?
That was unlikely. Even if he had a spatial item to store them, there was no guarantee it wouldn't be lost.
Storing the [Scroll Fragments] in a sufficiently secure location guarded by several perception-type experts was the safest approach.
This time, the Blazing Sun Lord had obtained a [Scroll Fragment]. It was unlikely he would keep it on him. There was a high probability he would store this fragment in a safe place, where other [Scroll Fragments] might also be.
Bubu Wang, merged into the environment, would tail the Blazing Sun Lord the entire way until he determined where the [Scroll Fragment] was hidden. The fragment Su Xiao had taken out earlier was a stone to test the waters.
...
Apartment 4, 3rd-floor residence.
The living room was pitch black. Su Xiao checked the time—it wasn't even 11 PM yet. Treatment would continue tomorrow. He took off his clothes and lay down to sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, footsteps upstairs reached Su Xiao's ears. He sat up abruptly, Dragon-Slaying Flash appearing in his hand. He glanced at the small clock on the bedside table. By the faint light, he saw it was 2 AM. No wonder he felt irritated—he had only slept three hours.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came. Su Xiao got up and opened the door just a crack. In the darkness of the stairwell outside, a hunched figure stood there, gaunt and skeletal.
"Who are you?"
"It's me, Archbishop Cooper."
Hearing the dry, hoarse voice outside, Su Xiao was surprised, then understanding. Such a situation was normal.
Su Xiao opened the door and gestured for Archbishop Cooper to enter. Once he was inside, Su Xiao slammed the door shut and locked it.
"What the hell, did some female demon suck the life out of you? You need to pull yourself together."
Baha looked Archbishop Cooper up and down. If not for the self-introduction, Baha wouldn't have recognized him.
The last time Su Xiao saw Archbishop Cooper, his actual age was over 70, but he looked like he was just over 50. The small goatee on his chin made him appear even younger, and his eyes were full of life.
Now, Archbishop Cooper was a bald old man. The beard on his chin was white to the point of yellowing, his head was completely bald, and the remaining hair was sparse and white—a Fire Cloud Evil God-style hairstyle.
Not only that, but Archbishop Cooper was leaning on a cane, his back hunched, his lips cracked and dry. He stood there trembling, his gaze murky.
"Archbishop Cooper, I can't do anything about your condition."
Su Xiao sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette.
"What do you mean!"
Archbishop Cooper's tone was inevitably agitated.
"It means there's no hope. Just wait to die."
Baha didn't dare get too close to Archbishop Cooper. The thing on him was too sinister. Just one day ago, Archbishop Cooper was fine, and now he was ruined like this. One could only say that the Demon Race was indeed one of the great races of the void—they could withstand a lot of abuse.
Archbishop Cooper, with a trembling gait that defied recognition, came to sit opposite Su Xiao. After dropping his cane, he sat down stiffly. Su Xiao heard a crack—Archbishop Cooper had thrown out his back.
"Is there... really no way?"
Archbishop Cooper's tone was somewhat desperate. He could clearly feel himself mutating. Soon, all his long bones would become hollow—a transformation toward birds.
Archbishop Cooper never thought he would become a flying bird. He was more likely to become a bald, featherless bird that struggled even to breathe, a fate worse than death.
"The pottery shard you picked up has a huge origin. I'm powerless."
Su Xiao exhaled smoke, looking helpless.
"Actually, Archbishop Cooper, it's not entirely hopeless."
"Tell me."
Archbishop Cooper perked up, his ears practically standing on end.
"You're about to turn into a bald bird as tall as a person. That's already an unchangeable fact. If I do some psychological work for you, maybe you won't be so desperate. Am I right, Archbishop Cooper? As long as you get past your own mental block, even if you turn into a thousand-year-old turtle, you won't be too desperate."
Hearing this, Archbishop Cooper regretted throwing his cane aside earlier. If he still had it, he would risk everything to hit Su Xiao with it, even knowing the chance of success was 0%. He just needed to vent his anger.
"However... there are always miracles in this world."
Su Xiao didn't continue. It was up to Archbishop Cooper to "show" something.
Archbishop Cooper understood. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled a key from his bosom. Before this, he valued this key more than his life. Now, he felt his life was more precious.
"Take it."
Archbishop Cooper placed a silver-gray key nearly 10 centimeters long on the low table. He turned his head away, not wanting to see it, to avoid heartache.
Su Xiao picked up the key from the table, and a prompt appeared.
[Prompt: You have obtained a Ward Key.]
A very simple prompt. The key's origin, purpose, etc., were all absent. Checking its attributes only showed one line: 'This is a key.'
For such a useless description, Su Xiao didn't take it to heart. He looked at Archbishop Cooper, pondered for a long while, then said, "Archbishop Cooper, your situation is very difficult. I have to take a big risk for this, and it might even implicate someone. He's my 'friend,' uh, a close 'friend.'"
"Difficult? What do you mean?"
Archbishop Cooper stared intently. Baha interjected, "It means the price needs to go up."