Chapter 29: The Last King

Chapter 29: The Last King

Drip, drip, drip~
Wet, cold fluorescent blue blood dripped along the edge of the dining table. A massive sea monster's head rested on the table, its features vaguely retaining some facial characteristics of the Guard Captain, Arler. In its frozen, deep blue pupils was not cruelty, but shock.

Arler himself probably never imagined that after mutating into a monster, he would die so quickly and so miserably. Although his head was still intact, his body was evenly distributed across the surrounding walls, and part of it had been devoured by Zuiyasi. Zuiyasi's exact words were, "Tastes terrible, like dead fish."

Su Xiao flicked the fluorescent blue blood off his blade. Although killing Arler hadn't required much effort, this Guard Captain had been a waste of resources. After mutating into a monster, he had a very troublesome ability.

Arler's blood and bodily fluids, while not corrosive, had an erosive property. After mutating, his specialty was spewing a fluorescent blue bodily fluid.

This fluid was slightly viscous. Once it touched someone, they would suffer an abnormal status called "Water Stagnation Blood."

This abnormal status was terrifying. Once afflicted, it would cause reduced vitality recovery, weakness, temporary aging, a gradually increasing slow effect over time, and a temporary reduction in all attributes.

If the erosion level exceeded 50%, the body would undergo irreversible mutation. If it exceeded 100%, complete mutation into a monster would occur.

Even more hopeless was that this abnormal status wouldn't dissipate on its own; instead, its effects would continuously deepen over time.

Simply put, after suffering this abnormal status, if it wasn't removed within an hour, the victim would become so weak that walking would be a struggle. Encountering an enemy would mean certain death.

Su Xiao had confirmed this information by scanning Arler's data, and he also learned that the mutation was caused by the rapid outbreak of "Turbid Blood Disease."

The reason "Water Stagnation Blood" was so terrifying traced back to its origin.

Back then, the old Elf King had used the "Talent Awakening Device" to highly activate Abyssal Force and drank it to enhance his talent ability. This had already planted the seeds of disaster. At that time, "Water Stagnation Blood" was only in its infancy, unable to even manifest.

At that time, the activated Abyssal Force was called "Source Water." Although not scarce, it was strictly controlled.

During the old Elf King's war with the Tree Spirits for territory, the Elves were completely outmatched because the Tree Spirits were of the Abyss lineage. To ensure the survival of their race and seize enough territory to sustain themselves, the Elves united as one. Their faith was to defeat the powerful enemy and continue their race. To achieve this, they were willing to become demons.

That was the period of the most rampant use of "Source Water." The old Elf King even unsealed the Great Relic, allowing anyone to enter and drink "Source Water" before heading to the battlefield.

In the end, the Elves won. But as the price of victory, most of them underwent changes in skin and eye color. Their skin became a pale blue, and their pupils turned deep blue.

All the Elves at that time knew this wasn't evolution but mutation. Therefore, most of the warriors from that era chose not to have descendants, growing old alone with their former glory, including the old Elf King.

The descendants left by those relatively normal Elves, due to their long-term dependence on the "Talent Sliding Device" and "Abyssal Force," led the second Elf King not to seal the Great Relic but to ration "Source Water" appropriately.

Generations of drinking "Source Water" laid the groundwork for the outbreak of "Turbid Blood Disease." But that wasn't the most critical factor. Fifteen years ago, the "Turbid Blood Disease" fully erupted among the Elves.

The curse of bloodline mutation erupted, pushing the Elves to the brink of extinction. It was at this time that the Water Mother, originally imprisoned in the "Dark Domain," escaped. She was severely injured and near death. The Water Mother possessed multiple divine natures, a mix of evil and neutrality.

At that time, some people in the fishing village also contracted "Turbid Blood Disease." Because they had once saved the Water Mother, she chose to treat them. Her method was to make those fishermen drink her blood, using her water-rich blood as a "diluent" to dissolve the "Turbid Blood Disease."

The Water Mother was a deity, but deities aren't omnipotent. Her blood seemed to cure the "Turbid Blood Disease," but in reality, it raised the disease's upper limit.

Suppose the original upper limit of "Turbid Blood Disease" was 10. When an Elf's "Turbid Blood Disease" reached 10, they would fall ill. But if the upper limit was raised to 50, it appeared to cure them in the short term. However, when it eventually erupted, it would be incurable. This was an enhancement of the "Turbid Blood Disease," not a cure.

The Water Mother didn't know this, and neither did the Elf royalty. They only saw that the "Turbid Blood Disease" in the fishing village had been cured.

The Elf royalty sent an expedition team of 16 members, all top-tier Elf warriors at the time, including the father of Guard Captain Arler.

The expedition team went under the guise of friendship, telling the fishing village that they wanted to resolve the disaster by having the entire race worship the Water Mother.

The fishing village people cheered. On one side was their ruling royalty, on the other was their deity. A union between the two was naturally better.

At that time, the Water Mother was also hesitant. Treating the fishing village was one thing, but treating the entire Elf race was another. The fishing village had only a few people; she could spare a little blood. But the entire Elf race...

Two things made it hard for the Water Mother to refuse: the faith energy the Elves could provide and the environment of the Great Relic, which was suitable for her long-term residence. Both were fatally attractive to her.

When the expedition team arrived at the fishing village, they claimed to be escorting the Water Mother. But as soon as she came ashore, she was ambushed by the expedition team. The result was that the Water Mother was defeated by Elf King Cromwell, who was hidden among the expedition members. This was a ruthless individual whom even the Dark Spirits acknowledged as worthy of being king.

After capturing the Water Mother alive, Elf King Cromwell ordered the fishing village to be purged. All followers of the Water Mother were executed for believing in a heretical cult.

After that, the "Turbid Blood Disease" in Bay City and the surrounding forest cities was cured. Almost every Elf drank a medicinal soup containing the Water Mother's flesh and blood. This caused the already terrifying "Turbid Blood Disease" to be enhanced and evolve into the "Water Stagnation Blood" effect.

To put it simply, after the Elf ancestors drank "Source Water," their bloodlines began to mutate, but the mutation had no clear direction. Fifteen years ago, the Elves drank the medicinal soup containing the Water Mother's flesh and blood, giving their bloodline mutation a direction and accelerating the process.

That's why Guard Captain Arler mutated into a fish-like sea monster.

The characteristics of "Water Stagnation Blood" included Abyss, Ocean, Water Soak, Weakness/Aging, etc. It was undoubtedly the most terrifying abnormal status in the Treeborn World, far surpassing "Soul Freeze" and "True Poison."

Now, "Turbid Blood Disease" had fully erupted in Bay City. The streets were filled with mutated monsters. Residents who had luckily not mutated screamed and fled in all directions.

The reason for such a large-scale outbreak in such a short time was the arrival of the Abyssal Jar. This object from the Abyss had invisibly accelerated the bloodline mutation caused by Abyssal Force.

"Roar!!"

A roar came from outside. In the living room on the third floor of the mansion, Su Xiao looked out the window. The once-prosperous rear district was now in chaos. A deep-sea python, dozens of meters long, coiled around the statue of the old Elf King, Beret Aronde. Its flower-like, gaping mouth opened wide as it roared at the sky.

The clean streets of the city were now eroded and aged, covered in a black, oily, slippery substance. The walls were densely covered with barnacles, uneven and bumpy—a nightmare for anyone with trypophobia.

The sky, which had been clear moments ago, was now dark and gloomy. Black clouds blocked the sky, and the wet, cold air was filled with the fishy smell of marine life.

Everything happened too fast. One moment, this was a passionate, open, even debauched Elf capital. The next, it became a scene of apocalypse.

In truth, this wasn't sudden. "Turbid Blood Disease" had been suppressed for too long. Now, it erupted all at once, combined with the characteristics of the Water Mother, a water-based evil deity. Bay City turning into this was inevitable.

Earlier, in the rear courtyard of the royal palace, Su Xiao had felt uncomfortable seeing the misty water vapor there. He held his breath and didn't inhale it. Seeing this now, he understood why he had felt uneasy.

[Warning: The area you are in will transform into a high-risk zone in 3 to 5 hours.]

[Announcement (Void Tree): The Elf Capital Pandalan (Bay City) in the Extreme South is about to mutate into a high-risk zone.]

[Elf Capital Pandalan (Bay City), name changing...]

[This location's name will be changed to "Stagnant Wasteland" under notarization.]

Seeing this series of announcements and prompts, Su Xiao knew the situation was dire. Bay City was in the early stages of mutating into "Stagnant Wasteland."

In Su Xiao's view, not only should he not go deeper, but he should leave as soon as possible. It wasn't that he didn't like challenges, but the city was filled with "mutation sources." Every surviving Elf in the rear district was a "mutation source."

Su Xiao closed his eyes and sensed himself. Although very subtle, he could feel the moisture in his body slowly changing. Perhaps he wouldn't even need to be attacked by the city's monsters to suffer the "Water Stagnation Blood" effect.

This place was not suitable for staying. Even if he really needed to find the "Talent Awakening Device," he would have to wait until this "mutation tide" subsided and the situation stabilized before entering. As for selling "Life Secret Medicine" to the Elves, forget it. The Elves were finished.

As Su Xiao was quickly thinking this over, Kaisa took out the Abyssal Jar. The jar grew a few sizes, and Kaisa put it over his head. The fusion was complete.

"My dear friend, does Kaisa need to scout ahead for you?"

Kaisa spoke with a sly grin, rubbing his hands together.

"Can you go deep into the Great Relic?"

"Only by myself, yes. You know, Abyssal Force won't erode me in this state."

Kaisa tapped the Abyssal Jar on his head. Indeed, with this thing on his head, being eroded by Abyssal Force would be strange.

After a brief discussion, Su Xiao, Wude, Zuiyasi, Kaisa, Bubu Wang, and Baha decided to split into three teams.

Su Xiao and Baha were one team. They had to reach the royal palace and find Elf King Cromwell within an hour. The reason was that the passage to the Great Relic was likely heavily sealed. Without the royal family's method of opening it, it would be very difficult to get deep inside, especially with Bay City mutating.

Kaisa, Wude, and Zuiyasi were the second team. Their mission was to explore the royal palace (loot while the fire burns), find the entrance to the Great Relic, and assess the severity of the mutation there for future plans. Finally, Kaisa would use some undisclosed method to temporarily sneak into the Great Relic. According to him, he could stay inside for 30 seconds and would find whatever he could.

Bubu Wang was responsible for going to the underground prison beneath the royal palace to rescue A Duo'er. Su Xiao had been busy lately, and this special Overlord unit had been left there for several days. He had forgotten about her. Now, Bubu Wang would go save her. Regardless, she was worth 100 kill merits.

This operation had to be fast. The time limit was one hour. They had to exit Bay City within that hour to avoid being affected by the city's deeper mutation.

Su Xiao had considered taking the opportunity to push through to the Great Relic and use the "Talent Awakening Device" there to complete his talent awakening. The problem was, he didn't want to undergo talent awakening while this area was in the process of mutating. That would be too suicidal. Without a certain degree of certainty, he never took suicidal risks... cough, never attempted dangerous experiments.

"One hour."

Wude pressed the timer on his hand. Just as they were about to split up, the door downstairs was slammed open with a bang.

"Boss, are you okay? Suddenly, monsters appeared in the city and attacked our clinic. Look, I brought all the valuables from home."

The fishing village leader quickly climbed the stairs, carrying a large bundle. Inside were the bottles and jars Su Xiao had left in the clinic's lab, along with daily necessities, even the toothbrush Su Xiao had been using recently.

"..."

"This~"

Baha was a bit stunned. The four fishing village people hired for 10 silver coins a day had incredible cost-effectiveness.

Compared to cost-effectiveness, Su Xiao was more concerned about why the four fishing village people hadn't mutated. Logically, their chances of mutating should have been dozens of times higher than ordinary civilians.

Su Xiao thought of a possibility. If this guess was correct, it would be a windfall.

Su Xiao speculated that the reason the four fishing village people hadn't mutated was likely because they had been injected with "Life Secret Medicine." After all, this was a potent inhibitor of "Turbid Blood Disease."

The reason this was a windfall was that after the Void Tree's announcement, Su Xiao was certain that 70% to 80% of the surviving participants would rush here. High-risk zones were dangerous, but they also meant high rewards. Contractors who could enter the Treeborn World had some skills.

Take Su Xiao's team's "noob" A Duo'er, for example. In an eighth-rank, medium-danger world, she would be a very popular healer.

The problem was that in this batch of eighth-rank contractors, the top tier was exceptionally strong. With Su Xiao, Shenfu, Huishenshi, Solomon, Heimo, the Undead Girl, the Crow Woman, Zuiyasi, Wude, and other "monsters" raising the bar, everyone else had to struggle to climb.

In previous eighth-rank worlds, people like Xianji, Shenshi, and Aolande were the top-tier strong. But this batch was different. Even someone as strong as Xianji was being pushed down to the second tier by those "monsters."

So, it wasn't that A Duo'er and others were weak. It was that Su Xiao, Huishenshi, Solomon, and others were beyond the norm.

Therefore, the contractors and violators entering the Treeborn World this time weren't truly weak. They just seemed weak compared to Su Xiao and the others.

Thus, these "noobs"... cough, these participants dared to explore the high-risk zone. Even if they didn't go deep, they would scavenge benefits at the edges.

If the reason the four fishing village people hadn't mutated was indeed due to the "Life Secret Medicine" injection, could it be that after Bay City's mutation was complete, "Life Secret Medicine" would be the ticket to enter this place?

To trade with the Elf royalty, Su Xiao had recently prepared a considerable amount of "Life Secret Medicine." Not much to say, if he sold each vial for 500 Soul Coins and 100 people bought it, that would be 50,000 Soul Coins. The production cost of "Life Secret Medicine" was no more than 3 Soul Coins per vial, a profit margin of 167 times.

Most importantly, Su Xiao had a notorious reputation. As long as those participants had a shred of rationality, they wouldn't try to rob him when buying "Life Secret Medicine." Besides, if it came to a fight, Su Xiao certainly wouldn't be the one being robbed. He was a Law Destroyer. Since ancient times, Law Destroyers had never been robbed; they were the ones who robbed others. Why else would they have come up with the "Law Destruction Formula" to soothe their consciences?

The four fishing village people still had their original appearance, but after fighting their way here, they were covered in fluorescent blue, sticky blood.

The plan remained unchanged. Su Xiao, the four fishing village people, and Baha headed toward the royal palace in the rear.

The four fishing village people naturally took on the role of bodyguards, each holding a fish-cleaning knife. The eldest and second walked in front of Su Xiao, while the third and fourth followed behind.

The streets were deathly silent. Large pools of blood could be seen at intervals. These bloodstains had been licked clean, with scattered bits of flesh, giving a vivid picture of the monsters feasting on the Elves moments ago.

The sky was dark, but not like night. As long as one's eyesight wasn't too poor, they could see the surroundings. In the distance, the royal palace stood at the innermost part of Bay City.

Because it was the early stage of the mutation and they had the strong bodyguards of the four fishing village people, Su Xiao's journey was relatively smooth. It didn't take long to reach the main gate of the royal palace.

The scene here could only be described as tragic. The tall walls of the palace courtyard were covered in parasitic shellfish like barnacles. The main gate, once heavily guarded, was now covered in fluorescent blue blood and minced flesh. Some mutated monsters that weren't quite dead were still twitching, trying to get up.

Bang!

A blood spear pierced the head of one such monster, killing it. No kill prompt or reward appeared.

This was because of the Treeborn World's particularity. Bay City was mutating into a danger zone. At this stage, the Void Tree wouldn't fully notarize Bay City. Only after the mutation was complete and it officially became "Stagnant Wasteland" would the Void Tree conduct a thorough notarization.

Only then would kill rewards be obtainable. Fundamentally, kill rewards weren't entirely given by the Void Tree. For example, the Soul Coins obtained from killing an enemy were condensed from the soul energy that would have dissipated. Treasure chests were the same. From the first rank to now, Su Xiao had confirmed one thing: if he killed an enemy who used a blade, the chest he got would never contain a sniper cannon. It would only contain items the enemy possessed or abilities they had mastered.

So, fighting these monsters now was a loss, especially against elite units. After fighting for a long time, you'd get nothing and be covered in blood.

Su Xiao suppressed his aura and approached the wall beside the main gate of the royal palace, peering inside. As for why he didn't use perception, it was an interesting story. Long ago, when Su Xiao first entered a high-risk zone, he immediately released his perception. Then, as expected, he pulled a train of enemies. At that time, he was riding Bubu Wang, who almost passed out from running.

In the vast front courtyard of the royal palace, a few monsters were wandering. They were generally humanoid, with heads that were a mix of human and fish. Their skin was cold white with a slippery feel. These giant fishmen's feet made a squishing sound as they walked. In their hands, they held bloodstained weapons.

These seven giant fishmen were over three meters tall, with deep blue eyes. They were elite individuals.

In a high-risk zone like Bay City, five or more elite individuals could be stronger than some big bosses. Their attacks and the mist of bodily fluids they spat carried the "Water Stagnation Blood" effect. No matter how tough someone was, once the erosion level of "Water Stagnation Blood" exceeded 50%, they would immediately enter a twilight state, panting after running a few steps, and forget about fighting.

"Go."

The fishing village leader spoke in a low voice, causing the second, third, and fourth to hesitate.

"Brother, just charge in like this?"

"What do you think? Did you think we were on vacation?"

After saying this, the fishing village leader gripped his fish-cleaning knife and crept forward.

Pfft!

The fish-cleaning knife sank deep into the back of a giant fishman's head. The fishman cried out in pain, flailing its upper body before swinging its large guillotine blade, smashing it into the ground with a loud boom.

While the four fishing village people attracted the enemy's attention, Su Xiao circled around from the side. The four didn't need to eliminate the enemies. After causing enough of a commotion, their mission was complete, and they could retreat the way they came.

Su Xiao followed a path beside the main hall deeper into the palace. He had a way to find the Elf King. Bubu Wang had installed a micro-tracking device on him earlier. Although the Elf King was strong, he had never seen such nano-level technological creations.

The worst-case scenario now was that the Elf King had also mutated. The best-case scenario was that not only had the Elf King not mutated, but his personal guard had also survived. This would greatly increase their combat power.

After a moment of hesitation, Su Xiao took out the [Serpent Guardian] and wrapped the pendant around his wrist. He did this to easily observe the condition of the holy serpent inside the hollow gem, to prevent a repeat of the [Free Wandering Phoenix] tragedy.

Whether it was an illusion, Su Xiao noticed that the golden little snake inside the hollow gem seemed to be trembling slightly. Its big, round eyes looked at him pitifully, as if begging, "Please let me go."

At this critical moment, Su Xiao needed the blessing of luck. Moreover, the holy serpent was a growth-type luck item. It had to continuously devour misfortune to increase its capacity. For example, if it devoured a misfortune amount of 5 this time, after digesting it, its next upper limit would be 8.

Su Xiao stepped into the rear hall. The place was littered with corpses, some of fishmen and some of Elf soldiers.

He stopped in front of a thick metal door and knocked. According to the terminal's tracking, the Elf King was inside.

After a moment, a weak voice came from inside, asking, "Who is it?"

"..."

"Bai Ye?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, let me catch my breath before I open the door for you."

After a while, the metal door was pushed open from the inside by the Elf King. He was now almost skin and bones, his eyes a dark blue.

Entering the hall, Su Xiao saw the floor covered in corpses dressed in gorgeous clothes. Their skin was pale blue, all women. From their figures and facial contours, they had been beauties in life.

"These are my hundred-plus wives. They were in so much pain during the mutation that I had to send them off."

As the Elf King spoke, he took off his battle armor and sat cross-legged in front of the throne. He said, "You came just in time. I won't last much longer, so cut off my head to prevent me from mutating into one of those fishmen. Not to brag, but if I turned into one of those monsters, I'd probably be pretty strong."

"..."

"Go ahead. I've only managed to lead the Elves this far, barely hanging on for over a decade. But in these years, my people have lived relatively well, even if a bit indulgent, hehehe..."

The Elf King laughed freely. From his height, he had known over a decade ago that the Elves were finished. But he couldn't tell anyone, not even his closest confidants.

This was the cruelty of the Treeborn World. When a race declined, a new one would rise. None of the previous Elf Kings had been worthy of the throne. They had all forcibly taken it by clashing with the Dark Spirits.

To use a metaphor of fortune, after the old Elf King rose, the Elves' luck was exhausted. The Dark Spirits were a representative form of the world's fortune.

Thus, each generation of Elf Kings was forcibly prolonging the Elves' life. After a thousand years, the accumulated bloodline curse erupted in a tragic way.

Ironically, the last Elf King, Cromwell, had actually gained the recognition of the Dark Spirits and was legitimately crowned. Or perhaps it was precisely because he was the last king that he gained recognition.

"Oh, I almost forgot. This is probably why you came to see me. Wait a moment."

Elf King Cromwell slowly exhaled. Suddenly, he used his index and middle fingers to pierce below his ear, reaching into his brain. He pinched something between his fingers and pulled out a bloodstained key.

"This is the key to open the 'Earth Gate.' Past the Earth Gate is the Great Relic. The 'Talent Awakening Device' belonging to the Law Destroyers is inside. Don't insert this key into the lock of the 'Earth Gate.' That will only trigger the trap. Just hold it in front of the 'Earth Gate' for a few minutes, and the gate will open."

After saying this, Elf King Cromwell threw the key. His eyes were already turning deep blue, indicating his mind was mutating.

"Come on."

Zheng~

Su Xiao drew his long blade from his waist. The Elf King Cromwell, sitting cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes. His mutation was too severe; there was no cure.

The blade cut through the air with a whimper. Elf King Cromwell clenched his fists. With a crisp sound of the blade, fluorescent blue blood splattered. In front of the throne, a headless body gradually relaxed.

Su Xiao flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed it. He walked toward the exit. Before leaving, he closed the double metal doors, causing the light inside to gradually dim. A beam of light gathered on the Elf King's headless body and the throne behind it. As the metal doors closed, that beam of light disappeared. The thousand-year Elf dynasty had come to an end today.

...

In the underground prison, inside a confined cell, A Duo'er sat sideways against the egg-thick iron bars. She held a bar in each hand, and the air seemed to carry the BGM of "Iron Window Tears."

A Duo'er was furious. She seriously suspected that the big shot she had latched onto had forgotten about her. Otherwise, why were the four fishing village people released while she was still locked up?

A Duo'er had tried to escape, but this was the royal palace's underground prison, filled with various barriers and restraints.

Just as A Duo'er was thinking, a rough panting sound came. She looked toward the sound. In the dark corridor, a tall figure approached, accompanied by a fishy smell.

When A Duo'er saw the face of this giant fishman, she realized something was wrong outside. She had a feeling that she probably couldn't beat this fish monster.

The giant fishman stopped outside the cell. It stood between two cells. On the right was A Duo'er's cell, and on the left was an elderly prisoner.

The giant fishman used its remaining intelligence to "think" for a moment. Deciding that A Duo'er looked tender and would probably taste better, it charged at the bars of her cell.

Seeing this, A Duo'er took out her staff, ready to teach this iron-headed giant fish a lesson about "big body, weak door."

Boom!

The giant fishman slammed into the bars, bending several of them inward. A Duo'er's mind went blank. If this fishman brother broke in, eating her would be no different from chewing a radish.

The situation had changed suddenly. A Duo'er didn't dare to strike recklessly. If the cell couldn't hold the fishman brother, attacking him would only make him angrier and speed up his entry.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Loud crashes echoed. Just as the situation became critical.

"Woof!"

Bubu Wang appeared. Seeing him, A Duo'er was so moved she almost burst into tears.

"Woof."

Bubu Wang tilted his head back, signaling A Duo'er to get on his back. A Duo'er immediately climbed on. Bubu Wang activated the effect of [Sacred Traveler] and charged headfirst at the side wall.

"Wait..."

Bang~

Bubu Wang passed through the wall. A Duo'er slammed into it, her face hurting. Bubu Wang ran back, grabbed A Duo'er by the collar, and charged at the wall again.

"I can't..."

Bang~

A Duo'er hit the wall again. She wanted to say that if she could pass through walls, would she have been locked up for so many days?

"Woof!"

Bubu Wang left a "you noob" behind and rushed out of the cell. A wolf howl was heard, followed by the sound of many running paws. A large group of floppy-eared dogs rushed in, some mildly mutated but still rational.

"Woof (get him)."

At Bubu Wang's command, hundreds of floppy-eared dogs charged at the fishman brother.

A few minutes later, Bubu Wang, covered in blood and carrying A Duo'er, burst out of the underground prison, escorted by a large pack of floppy-eared dogs.

"Woo-woo!"

Bubu Wang let out a high-pitched wolf howl. From the surrounding buildings and alleys, countless floppy-eared dogs surged out.

...

At the jungle border outside Bay City, Su Xiao confirmed there were no pursuers before checking the team channel. Bubu Wang had succeeded and was exiting Bay City from another direction.

According to the plan, after completing their tasks, everyone would gather at the nearby Sunny Wetland, the home of the Mushroom Prophet.

"Boss, two spatial fluctuations appeared. Someone probably teleported near Bay City."

Baha spoke as he landed on Su Xiao's shoulder. Su Xiao wasn't surprised by this news. More participants would continue to arrive.

As he walked, Su Xiao raised his right hand and looked at the pendant wrapped around his wrist. To his surprise, the holy serpent inside the hollow gem looked very abnormal, almost spherical.

The serpent inside the gem looked at Su Xiao pitifully, its round eyes filled with tears. Its expression seemed to say, "Big shot, I really can't eat anymore. Please put me away, or better yet, have mercy and let me go. I haven't lived long enough."

The holy serpent had fully realized the seriousness of the situation. This was its first cooperation with Su Xiao, and it had already been pushed to the brink of life and death. It was stuffed so full it looked like a ball. It was no longer a matter of it devouring misfortune; as long as it was worn by Su Xiao, misfortune would surge into its mouth. It couldn't even catch its breath, let alone close its mouth. It was crying the whole time.