Chapter 115: Double Calamity
Main City, Planting District.
The dimmed sunstones of the night served as moonlight, keeping the darkness at bay.
Space rippled, and a figure appeared. She free-fell for a moment before landing on the surface of a river, standing steadily atop the water.
Judging by her figure, this participant was female. She walked along the water’s surface to the riverbank, chewing on something.
“Finding people is such a hassle. If only I could just start killing directly. Those guys are all too clever. Guess I’ll use the most straightforward method.”
The woman in a black bodysuit tied her hair into a ponytail. She hailed from Arcane Eternal Star and had no formal name—everyone simply called her Crow Woman.
Crow Woman had few distinguishing traits. Her combat prowess was formidable, and she was known for being unscrupulous. Beyond that, she had an almost obsessive love for Soul Crystals and Soul Crystal Cores.
A figure approached from the distance, using a blind cane to navigate. He stopped about a dozen meters from Crow Woman.
“Since you’re here, the commission is over. Good luck.”
Water Brother left these words and turned to leave.
“Hey, Enzuo, help me kill one more person.”
“Who?”
“Bai Ye of Reincarnation Paradise.”
“120,000 Soul Coins. That’s his commission price at the Ranger Guild—his bounty.”
Water Brother’s words made Crow Woman fall into thought. She was calculating how many Soul Crystal Cores Su Xiao was worth, and her eyes grew brighter.
“He… his life is worth that much?”
“Even if it is, you should maintain the dignity of Arcane Eternal Star’s last participant, especially as a lady.”
Water Brother was on guard. He could sense that Crow Woman was a cut above him, and this woman was definitely a lunatic.
“Dignity my ass. Winning is all that matters. All that fake courtesy is disgusting. I’m the mad dog Arcane Eternal Star sent to bite Reincarnation Paradise’s Bai Ye and snatch victory in this battle. That’s it. Anyone can see that, so why bother pretending? Isn’t it tiring to put on airs?”
Crow Woman reached into her bodysuit to scratch herself. This damn outfit was uncomfortable to wear.
“Anyway, thanks for the help, old pal. The final payment will arrive soon—even if I die, it’ll still come through.”
With a tomboyish demeanor, Crow Woman determined her direction and headed toward the inner district.
“One piece of advice.”
Water Brother felt Crow Woman had decent character and decided to share some intel.
“I’m all ears.”
Crow Woman’s expression turned serious—this was the proper attitude for receiving a favor. Though she called herself Arcane Eternal Star’s mad dog, she wasn’t a rude brute.
“At this stage, Bai Ye, Wood, and Zuiyasi have formed an alliance. Without a doubt, their goal is to deal with Sea King. They’ve already arrived in the main city. Dealing with the three of them requires strategy.”
Water Brother’s words made Crow Woman thoughtful. She said, “Strategy, huh? Makes sense. But my hardware doesn’t really allow it.”
“Hardware?”
“Yeah, hardware.”
Crow Woman tapped her temple with her finger, meaning: ‘My brain isn’t that great. Took a heavy hit before.’
Water Brother left a “good luck” and walked away, leaving Crow Woman alone by the river. She rubbed her chin, then pulled a photo from her undergarments—it was a picture of Su Xiao.
Crow Woman looked at the photo and swallowed. Don’t misunderstand—her thoughts were purely about coveting his bounty.
“120,000. Before I kill you or you kill me, don’t you dare die.”
Muttering to herself, Crow Woman vanished into the night.
…
Underground Palace, candlelight flickering.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Slash marks flashed, carving deep gashes into Donkey Brother’s body. He let out a low roar, gripping his long-handled war hammer as he swung it at Su Xiao.
Crystal layer formed on Su Xiao’s left calf, and he kicked sideways, meeting the descending hammer.
Boom!
Shockwaves spread, deafening. Blood on the floor splashed outward.
The long-handled hammer absorbed Su Xiao’s kick and, under the disparity in strength, flew sideways, dragging Donkey Brother, who still held it, along.
Clang~
The long blade hummed. Its sharp edge cut a black line through the air as it sliced into Donkey Brother’s right arm. It sank into flesh, severed bone, and when it exited, it briefly lifted the skin before the elasticity of the flesh pulled it back.
Donkey Brother flew two meters before his right arm, still gripping the hammer, finally detached. If he had fought Su Xiao at full strength, the odds would have been sixty-forty in his favor.
Now, however, Donkey Brother was simultaneously eroded by [Soul Beast Transformation] and [Sea’s Resentment]. It was impressive he could still think clearly, let alone fight. He was a warrior worthy of respect.
With a crash, Donkey Brother and the hammer hit the wall one after the other, creating a web of cracks. The next instant, a barrage of cyan-blue blade auras struck, mercilessly tearing his flesh. Yet, strangely, on the half of his face that remained, even after taking a slash, Donkey Brother smiled.
Using his remaining arm, he gripped the hammer, stomped his hoof, and charged at Su Xiao at full speed. In that moment, his aura seemed to regain its former unstoppable momentum.
Facing the charging Donkey Brother, Su Xiao sheathed his long blade. He looked ahead, assuming a draw-cutting stance.
The wind pressure hit him. With a thud, a wave radiated from Su Xiao as the center.
‘Blade Path Sword: Time.’
Everything around him slowed, including the charging Donkey Brother. Blue light flickered in Su Xiao’s pupils. In an instant, he, who should have been partially affected by ‘Time,’ completely broke free from its restraint.
Clang!
The long blade slashed out. The sheer force of the cut extinguished all the candles in the hall. In the pitch-black darkness, Donkey Brother charged past, accompanied by a diagonal, pale-blue slash—sharp and swift.
The hall fell silent for a moment before the candles, snuffed out by the blade’s pressure, slowly reignited. As the light returned, Su Xiao sheathed his blade.
Donkey Brother stumbled a few steps past him, his pace slowing. When he stopped, his massive head fell, splashing into the blood on the floor.
With a splash, Donkey Brother’s headless corpse collapsed, rapidly decaying and dissolving into blood. In truth, even he didn’t know what he was holding on for—perhaps he just wanted to see this world a little longer after returning from the darkness.
Once, Donkey Brother was a monarch of a dynasty. Though not the strongest, he represented the Os clan better than any other. He pacified the sea tribes, conquered ancient cities, suppressed multiple alien races in the west, and held back the Sun Bird, Tahakac, in the east.
“Bai Ye, when did our world become so ruined? Have you heard of what my descendants have done?”
Donkey Brother’s severed head spoke. He was on the verge of death. In truth, he felt little attachment to his descendants—he had been dead for years, and too many generations had passed.
“…”
Su Xiao said nothing and didn’t approach. If Donkey Brother offered any intel, it would be a bonus. If not, it didn’t matter. Once an enemy was confirmed, caution was key.
“It seems you know. My descendants’ actions—how embarrassing. My unfilial offspring betrayed the people’s trust in their king. A king must be cunning, ruthless, and aloof, but he must also deeply love the subjects who placed him on the throne. Perhaps I, too, was unfit to be king. The old world suited me better—back then, there were no paintings, no dynasties, no painters. The gods warred chaotically. Then everything changed. The old world is long gone.”
The light in Donkey Brother’s eyes began to fade. With his last strength, he said, “Dying in battle is my final dignity. Bai Ye, never trust the Trace Kings. They are those who crave darkness. And… fighting you was exhilarating. Farewell…”
Donkey Brother’s head dissolved into blood mist, leaving only a skull resembling a donkey’s cranium.
[Notification: You have killed Os·Guin (Double Curse State).]
[You have gained 16.97% World Source.]
[You have gained 2,760 Soul Coins.]
[You have obtained Immortal Chest: Double Calamity.]
[Note: Due to the special nature of this chest, upon opening, there is a 99% - (Recipient’s Charm Attribute × 0.3)% chance of triggering a debuff lasting 72 to 240 hours.]
[Note: Having endured too much pain and torment leads to extremes. If the debuff is not triggered upon opening, you will receive high-value rewards.]
…
Seeing the prompt under [Immortal Chest: Double Calamity], Su Xiao felt a sense of foreboding. This chest didn’t calculate the debuff chance based on the opener’s Charm Attribute—it was fixed to the recipient’s, meaning his own Charm Attribute determined the constant debuff rate.
Su Xiao’s Charm Attribute was -9 points. Multiplied by 0.3, that was -2.7%. 99% minus (-2.7%) equaled 101.7%. In other words, no matter who opened this chest, there was a 101.7% chance of triggering a debuff lasting 72 to 240 hours.
Undoubtedly, this was a death sentence.
Since entering Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao had never sold a chest. He checked the properties of [Immortal Chest: Double Calamity]. Good—he could only see the name, no specific attributes. He felt this item was not meant for him and needed to be sold to someone fated for it.
“Bai Ye, how’s Donkey Brother’s condition?”
Kaisa poked his head out from the entrance passage. He had fled too quickly earlier and didn’t know the current situation.
Hearing Kaisa’s question, Baha glanced at Donkey Brother’s skull on the ground and said, “Theoretically speaking, Donkey Brother has been cured.”
And indeed, that was true. Donkey Brother had recovered—blade therapy was fast-acting, and so was the death. The first patient’s consultation was complete.