Chapter 39: Setting Off Fireworks
Near the head of the Lone Bridge, as he advanced, Su Xiao checked the kill notification that had just appeared.
[Notification: You have killed the Four-Life Malevolent Ghost.]
[You have obtained 2873 Soul Coins.]
[You have obtained an Immortal Rank Treasure Chest: Furious Shark.]
[You have obtained ×3 Strong Emblems (World-exclusive items. After use, 1 Strong Emblem can be converted into 2% to 4% of World Source in any Primordial World. The specific amount obtained is determined by the world's rank, danger level, etc.).]
[Notification: Strong Emblems cannot be used within this world.]
Closing the notification, Su Xiao looked at the super-giant snail shell a kilometer away. The Talent Awakening Device was there.
Su Xiao was certain of one thing: Wood and Zuiyasi hadn't come here with him out of the kindness of their hearts. They definitely had ulterior motives.
Su Xiao didn't know what those two were after. He had too many things on his plate lately—dealing with Shenfu, scheming against the Elf King, determining the direction of the Great Ruins, and guarding against Huishenshi. These matters piled up, leaving him no energy to investigate what else was inside the Great Ruins.
Wood and Zuiyasi had been drawn here by something. Those two had already confirmed that the thing was in the hands of the Aquatic Mother, which was why they had fought their way here.
Aside from Wood and Zuiyasi, the other two in the team had clear goals. Yuer was here to seal all the distorted Abyss Force within the "Bay City" and the "Great Ruins" into himself, fulfilling his mission as a vessel, allowing the Elf race to have a proper death instead of this "undead" state.
Solomon's goal was simpler. He was here purely for Soul Coins. It could be said that this Undead Archmage was quite steadfast in his principles. Actually, he had no choice—he was just too damn poor.
Su Xiao estimated that after killing the Aquatic Mother, Solomon would most likely choose to watch and wait. If there were benefits, he'd grab them; if not, he'd retreat.
That meant Su Xiao should focus most on his two "good teammates." What if the thing they were looking for was a component of the Talent Awakening Device? That would be bad.
Su Xiao had already taken precautions against this. After the enemy was eliminated, the three good teammates might engage in a "reasonable redistribution of resources," commonly known as backstabbing each other.
Su Xiao never expected Wood and Zuiyasi to help him deal with Huishenshi. That didn't align with their interests. Previously, when they went north to fight the Ghost Clan Queen, or now in the Great Ruins, the three of them all benefited—they were a community of shared interests.
Dealing with Huishenshi, on the other hand, was more of a personal grudge. For example, if Wood had a mortal enemy among the Feather race and wanted to fight them, Su Xiao and Zuiyasi would offer their sincerest blessings and concern, then see Wood off.
This was the core essence of the good teammate trio. They could share hardships, but afterward, they must share the rewards. During cooperation, they could risk their lives to save each other, but if there were no distributable benefits afterward, then it could only be said, "Good brother, I can only help you this far."
Su Xiao, Wood, and Zuiyasi had all done similar things before, in the underwater world of the Painting World, and they were quite skilled at it.
However, the three of them had one tacit understanding: before killing the enemy and confirming they were completely dead, there would be no signs of backstabbing. They remained highly united, prioritizing killing the enemy above all else. That was the current situation.
"Should we set off?"
Yuer spoke, gazing into the distance at the super-giant snail shell. He felt both a sense of fulfillment at completing his mission and a hint of loss.
"Wait."
Su Xiao spoke. He was always worried about one problem. With the current lineup to deal with the Aquatic Mother, it seemed foolproof, but there was one thing to guard against.
First, the Aquatic Mother had once ruled supreme in its original world. Later, due to excessive arrogance, it attempted to break through to a higher level. It exhausted over 90% of its world's resources and successfully "ascended."
The Aquatic Mother arrived in the Treeborn World this way, feeling exhilarated. It had finally reached a higher world. Logically, if the Aquatic Mother had played the role of a hypocritical saint, it could have disguised itself as a neutral deity. Unfortunately, its evil god nature made it used to being arrogant. Apart from the Void Ancient Gods, it feared nothing.
At that time, the Aquatic Mother was still quite powerful. After clashing with the guardian of the Dark Domain, it not only wasn't subdued but actually won. This gave the Aquatic Mother a feeling: "Is that all?"
The Aquatic Mother got cocky. The "Dark Domain Guardian" of that generation was indeed a bit weak. That guy, in a state of extreme anger, grew more and more furious, but he really couldn't beat the Aquatic Mother.
Later, that guy came up with an idea. He couldn't win alone, but he could call for help. Using his identity granted by the world, he could offer some conveniences to the Dark Dwellers, thereby bribing them.
That guy bribed Butcher Giant Luo, Faceless Pete Pepper, and Executioner Anderson. These four brothers teamed up and confronted the Aquatic Mother.
Without any surprises, the Aquatic Mother "voluntarily" became a Dark Dweller. But the Aquatic Mother wasn't content. After years of preparation, it achieved an unprecedented prison break.
Just after successfully escaping, it encountered the Queen in the bedchamber at the bottom of the Great Tree Hollow. In the Aquatic Mother's impression, the "Dark Domain Guardian" was just so-so, and then it almost got chopped into octopus sushi by the Queen's twin blades.
After escaping, the Aquatic Mother encountered the Mushroom Knight along the way and almost got skewered by his greatsword.
After enduring countless hardships, the Aquatic Mother finally escaped to the sea near the fishing village. Why was it later friendly to the villagers? Because it had been beaten so many times that it developed a shadow. It was genuinely afraid that the fishing village might also have a hidden expert.
Although the Aquatic Mother's survivability was abnormally strong, it had first been dealt with by Anderson, Butcher Giant Luo, and the Faceless Man, then almost chopped into octopus sushi by the Queen, and encountered the Mushroom Knight on the way. The journey was too full of suffering, and it urgently needed a rest.
Perhaps heaven finally showed the Aquatic Mother some mercy. There were no hidden experts in the fishing village. But the Aquatic Mother didn't know that its nightmare was just beginning.
The expedition team from Bay City arrived at the fishing village, exchanging beliefs under the guise of friendship. Due to "differences" during the process, the Elf King, who came with the expedition team, "invited" the Aquatic Mother back to Bay City.
The process was quite heartbreaking. The Aquatic Mother was divided into six pieces and transported by carriage. Afterward, it was imprisoned in the Great Ruins, finally having the chance to recover its completeness.
This treatment was worse than being locked in the Dark Domain. Before, it was just imprisonment; now, it was both imprisonment and regular flesh-cutting.
The top-tier experts at the pyramid's peak in this world were actually just a few: Mushroom Prophet, Elf King, Ghost Clan Queen, Giant Luo, Faceless Man, and Anderson. Listing these people, the Aquatic Mother could say, "See? All of these people have beaten me."
Not to mention anything else, the Aquatic Mother was quite good at enduring. After persisting for so many years, it managed to outlast the Elf race to extinction. Now, it had officially risen and become the ruler of the Great Ruins and Bay City.
As the saying goes, "The weather is unpredictable." Just as the Aquatic Mother had finally made it, the boss team was about to come knocking. If the Aquatic Mother saw the boss team arriving together, it would probably have a mental breakdown on the spot.
At that point, who knew what the Aquatic Mother would do? If this big boss fell into complete despair and threw itself at the "Talent Awakening Device" behind it, intending to destroy it, even if it couldn't completely destroy it, as long as the "Talent Awakening Device" couldn't be activated normally, Su Xiao's trip would be for nothing. The manufacturer of this thing had long been wiped out, and there was no place to repair it.
Therefore, the Aquatic Mother couldn't be allowed to have a complete mental breakdown. Currently, it regarded the "Talent Awakening Device" as its own property and was reluctant to destroy it.
Thinking this way, having all five members of the boss team appear together was definitely not feasible. That would immediately make the Aquatic Mother feel hopeless.
Su Xiao briefly explained the situation. Wood, Zuiyasi, and the others all agreed. It was indeed the case. Although they weren't here to help Su Xiao find the "Talent Awakening Device," since they had come this far, if the "Talent Awakening Device" were damaged, Su Xiao, who would likely leave empty-handed, would probably set his sights on the thing they wanted.
Moreover, both Wood and Zuiyasi preferred that Su Xiao take the "Talent Awakening Device" out of this world. The reason was that both the Demon race and Zuiyasi's faith faction had children.
Wood knew that in the past, factions friendly with the Law Destruction faction could safely use the "Talent Awakening Device" with the assistance of the Law Destroyers, awakening high-level talents for children. This had a huge impact on their future.
If ordinary people's children grew stronger at a running pace, children of major races were born sitting in cars. After using the "Talent Awakening Device," they were essentially riding rockets.
"We can't provoke the Aquatic Mother."
Wood spoke. He was certain that if Su Xiao could take away the "Talent Awakening Device," as long as he offered enough sincerity, he could bring the children of his clan to enjoy the unique treatment of the Law Destruction era. As for why not just seize the "Talent Awakening Device," without Cyan Steel Shadow Energy as activation energy, the Elf race was a cautionary tale.
Zuiyasi nodded in agreement with Wood's view. He suggested:
"Why not let Yuer go see the Aquatic Mother alone? The rest of us can hide. When the Aquatic Mother negotiates with Yuer, we launch a surprise attack and kill it quickly."
"No."
Su Xiao vetoed the idea. Zuiyasi cast a suspicious glance. Su Xiao asked Yuer:
"Yuer, when you see the Aquatic Mother, what should you say?"
"Say hello?"
"..."
Su Xiao patted Yuer on the shoulder, signaling him to go cool off somewhere. Clearly, this candidate could only be chosen from the other four members of the boss team.
Su Xiao, Wood, Zuiyasi, and Solomon looked at each other, then all fell silent. Among the four of them, not one had a calm aura. There wasn't even anyone slightly neutral. They were either covered in blood energy or like black smoke. As for the Ancient God system and Undead system, they weren't much better.
"How about... I go?"
Wood spoke. As he said this, he felt like laughing. In his wildest dreams, he never thought that as a Demon race member, he would be the one with the most peaceful aura in the team, even though his aura was like black smoke, full of malice.
"..."
"..."
"..."
None of the three spoke. Wood's aura was indeed okay, but this guy's head was a skull inlaid with rice-sized black gems. Deep green flame flickered in the skull's eye sockets. This clearly looked like an evil faction. Now that the five "Power Nodes" had just collapsed, the Aquatic Mother's mood was unstable.
Fortunately, Baha had been watching over there, so there was no fear of the Aquatic Mother escaping.
"There is a candidate, but..."
Wood spoke, implying that there was a candidate, but whether that person had come to the Great Ruins was unclear.
Su Xiao took out a gold coin and casually tossed it.
Ding~
The gold coin flipped in the air, then landed on the soft soil. Everyone looked at the coin on the ground, not understanding Su Xiao's intention.
As their gazes gathered on the coin, a foot stepped on it.
"Ahem~"
Kaisa cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. When he lifted his foot and walked forward, the gold coin on the ground had vanished.
How Kaisa appeared and how he picked up the gold coin were unsolved mysteries. Even with careful perception, it was hard to detect.
Kaisa's cunning and sleazy aura, to some extent, represented harmlessness.
After briefly explaining the situation to Kaisa, Kaisa was "shocked" and quickly said, "This won't do. What if the Aquatic Mother suddenly rushes over and swallows me?"
Hearing this, Zuiyasi felt speechless. He sincerely felt that the Aquatic Mother didn't have such a heavy appetite.
After some appropriate reluctance, Kaisa gladly accepted the role of diplomat to meet the Aquatic Mother, clearly wanting a share of the spoils later.
This was understandable. Kaisa didn't care about kill rewards. He could use all sorts of shady tricks to pluck geese and squeeze oil from stones.
Having only Kaisa seemed a bit thin. Su Xiao sent a message to Bubu Wang, telling him to stop playing hide-and-seek with Aidoer and those monsters and bring her here.
Soon, Bubu Wang arrived carrying Aidoer. After crossing the stone bridge, a loud explosion rang out as the bridge was blown up. It was the section where Su Xiao had fought the four fishing village people, which was already about to collapse.
Aidoer's face was pale. The previous experience had been too thrilling. Several times, she felt she was about to bid farewell to this beautiful world.
"It's finally over."
Aidoer sat down weakly on the ground. Her body energy had been drained, and she was completely powerless.
Seeing this, Su Xiao took out an injection gun. Without explanation, he pressed one hand against the side of Aidoer's head, exposing her neck, and injected her with the gun. Aidoer immediately felt warmth inside her body, and her strength gradually returned.
"What's your Charm attribute?"
"170 points. Not that high."
Aidoer spoke casually. For her, 170 points of True Charm Attribute was indeed not high.
"..."
Su Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then said, "There's a negotiation mission now."
"I'm good at that. Leave it to me."
Aidoer was almost moved to tears. After joining the boss team, she finally got a normal human task. The previous tasks were all too hellish.
"You and Kaisa go meet the Aquatic Mother. Remember, calm it down."
"Huh??"
Aidoer let out a confused "huh?" This sound contained a lot of doubt and bewilderment. She had seen people fighting bosses, but calming a boss down? This was the first time she had heard of it.
"Why calm it down?"
Aidoer couldn't help asking. For a moment, she forgot the risks of meeting the Aquatic Mother.
"To prevent it from desperate measures."
Wood spoke.
"This..."
Aidoer suddenly felt that the world had changed, beyond her understanding. She had truly never heard of calming a big boss down before fighting it, to prevent it from desperate measures.
"Then what should I say?"
Aidoer didn't want to go, but she didn't show it. She knew very well that these people might smile and talk to her one second, then suddenly kill her the next. The word "chivalry" wasn't in their dictionaries.
"Just keep smiling."
Hearing Wood's words, Aidoer tried to smile, but it came out a bit awkward.
"Remember, if the Aquatic Mother chooses to negotiate with you, don't agree to any of its demands. That would be suspicious."
After saying this, Wood handed Aidoer a Soul Crystal (Medium). At the center of this Soul Crystal was a black mark.
Everything was ready. Kaisa and Aidoer set off. Bubu Wang, blending into the environment, also went along, providing Su Xiao with real-time surveillance footage.
Su Xiao only exchanged a few words with Bubu Wang. When he turned around, Wood and Zuiyasi had disappeared. Solomon nodded and a ghostly shadow appeared behind him—one of his permanent summons that allowed him to conceal himself.
Yuer ran into the distance. He didn't have concealment abilities, but he could attack from long range with arrows.
Su Xiao waited for a while. Baha flew out of the alternate space and said, "Boss, everything is set."
"..."
Su Xiao walked into the alternate space, and the surrounding world turned black and white.
Simply put, Baha opening an alternate space was like digging a tunnel underground. The faster the digging, the easier it was to detect. Slowly opening a path was harder to notice.
As soon as he arrived at the Great Ruins, Baha had infiltrated this area and long ago opened an alternate space passage extending to near the Aquatic Mother.
Walking through the alternate space, Su Xiao reached the super-giant snail shell without any obstacles. The entire super-giant snail shell was over a hundred meters in both height and width. The space inside grew smaller toward the back, ending at the shell's pointed tip.
The snail shell was covered in fluorescent blue mucus. Looking forward, Su Xiao saw Kaisa and Aidoer, as well as the Aquatic Mother opposite them.
The Aquatic Mother's appearance was different from the previous painting. Its body was about ten meters long. The torso was covered in slender tentacles. These tentacles had no suckers but had bones inside. Its entire body seemed to be crawling on the ground. On both sides of the front of its body were two thickest tentacles, like its arms.
The Aquatic Mother's head was large and round, looking soft, as if there were no skull inside. Its mouth, full of sharp teeth, occupied the entire front of its large head. On its head grew finger-thick translucent tentacles, hanging down like hair.
At first glance, the Aquatic Mother had a terrifying, evil god-like appearance. Its bloated head opened like a flower, revealing layers of sharp teeth inside its mouth and numerous eyes distributed among the teeth.
"Respected lady, I am Kaisa. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Kaisa, dressed in a suit, spoke with a human-like demeanor. The suit looked strange on him, as if it were a large-sized suit he had stolen.
"Deceitful person."
A heavy voice came from the Aquatic Mother's mouth. It clearly didn't want to communicate with Kaisa. Its gaze turned to Aidoer, and it asked, "Mortal, you have invaded my territory. What is your purpose?"
"We want to borrow that device."
Aidoer pointed to the "Talent Awakening Device" behind the Aquatic Mother. Hearing this, the Aquatic Mother's aura became more hostile.
"It belongs only to me, and only to me."
After the Elf race was destroyed, the Aquatic Mother didn't leave the Great Ruins, precisely to monopolize the "Talent Awakening Device."
"Oh? I heard this device belongs to the Law Destroyers."
Kaisa's words displeased the Aquatic Mother. It said, "The Law Destroyers might have been powerful, but they were just a bunch of failures. A group of dead failures."
Having said this, the Aquatic Mother changed its tone and continued, "You can use this device, but you must pay a price. A price that satisfies me."
"Of course, but..."
Kaisa paused mid-sentence, seeming to feel something uncomfortable in his shoe. He smiled politely, saying that a pebble had gotten into his shoe and he needed to take it off.
Before the Aquatic Mother could respond, Kaisa had already taken off his shoe. Almost simultaneously, a strange wind blew in from outside the snail shell. A suspicious yellowish gas was blown toward the Aquatic Mother, straight into its face.
"Ugh~!"
The Aquatic Mother let out a dry heave. Its large head thrust forward, and its body writhed. All its eyes were stung and instinctively squinted.
This was clearly the signal to act. Kaisa vanished from his spot, and Aidoer dove to the side.
Large black tentacles appeared behind the Aquatic Mother. Zuiyasi emerged.
"Ugh~!"
After appearing, Zuiyasi hadn't even attacked yet when he first let out a dry heave. He had been told to wear a gas mask, but he just didn't believe it.
Boom!!
A loud explosion spread. The black tentacles filled the snail shell, pushing both the Aquatic Mother and the suspicious gas out.
Outside the entrance of the snail shell, the Aquatic Mother let out a roar. Its tentacles swayed, and eyes opened all over its body, preparing to counterattack.
Whoosh~
A wave spread. Solomon appeared nearby. He raised one hand, and thick black energy ropes, as thick as arms, wrapped around the Aquatic Mother, all pulled taut.
With a whoosh, green flames ignited on the Aquatic Mother's body. It was Wood.
A booming sound came from the distance. A white beam pierced through the Aquatic Mother's body. It was Yuer's fully charged arrow. This arrow pierced through the Aquatic Mother's body, sending fluorescent blue blood flying, causing the Aquatic Mother to let out a painful shriek.
The Aquatic Mother released a strong energy wave, but Solomon, not far away, clenched his hand. The energy conduits on his right arm became more pronounced. The black ropes binding the Aquatic Mother tightened further, making it look like a sausage squeezed in multiple places.
A sound of breaking wind came from beside the Aquatic Mother. It shifted its gaze and saw a figure charging to its side, delivering a straight kick.
At that moment, intense fear surged in the Aquatic Mother's heart. It felt death approaching, causing all its tentacles to writhe.
Boom!!
Su Xiao's foot and calf, wrapped in a crystal layer, sank into the Aquatic Mother's bloated but elastic head. The Aquatic Mother's brain buzzed.
After a series of crackling sounds, the black energy ropes binding the Aquatic Mother all snapped. The Aquatic Mother broke through a wave of air and flew sideways, forced away from the snail shell.
Flying through the air, the Aquatic Mother's flower-like mouth sprayed out large amounts of blood and brain tissue. The spot where it was hit exploded, flesh turning outward. It felt as if it had been hit by some high-speed giant object, not kicked by a person.
The Aquatic Mother crashed down heavily. The moment it landed, several thick tentacles burst from the ground beneath it, binding the injured creature.
A roar came from the sky. A black-purple energy beam descended. This beam, nearly ten meters in diameter, first struck the top of the Aquatic Mother's head, then slammed its entire body flat against the ground, causing continuous energy impact. It was Solomon's killing move.
"Roar!!"
The Aquatic Mother roared, flesh flying everywhere. Not far away, Zuiyasi raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
"Breed, Devour."
This seductive sound, as if from the depths of the Nine Abysses, caused small tentacles to grow all over the Aquatic Mother's body. The tips of these tentacles had round mouths. They turned and began biting the flesh on the Aquatic Mother's body.
Boom... Boom... Boom!
Yuer's three consecutive charged arrows left three bucket-wide holes in the Aquatic Mother's head and torso. The next second, Wood's signature green flames ignited inside these holes.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
Clang!
A large chunk of the Aquatic Mother's head was cut off. At the same time, the continuously pouring black-purple beam stopped.
Looking at the Aquatic Mother now, it lay there like a dead fish washed ashore, twitching its body. There wasn't a single good spot on it—either eroded with holes or bitten to a bloody pulp.
The Aquatic Mother struggled to raise its body, lifting its head, but couldn't hold it for two seconds before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
To be fair, the Aquatic Mother had tried its best. It had first been ambushed by Kaisa, then besieged by five bosses. All kinds of killing moves were blasted onto it. The fact that it didn't die on the spot and could still struggle up once was already quite tenacious.
Aidoer witnessed all of this. For some reason, she felt that this big boss, the Aquatic Mother, was strangely pitiful. Of course, what it had done wasn't worthy of pity, but the scene of being besieged was truly moving. This was a big boss that should have been surrounded by a group of contractors, showing off its might, but now it was being beaten like a ball.
"Hudu, yougu nan... (Unknown language)."
The Aquatic Mother spoke, with large amounts of fluorescent blue blood flowing from its mouth.
Blood spears formed above Su Xiao. After piercing through layers of air, dozens of blood spears pinned the Aquatic Mother down one after another. This time, it stopped moving, but it wasn't dead.
Su Xiao walked toward the Aquatic Mother. After sheathing his longsword, an ordinary Apollo appeared in his hand.
Several black tentacles grew from the Aquatic Mother's body, forcibly pulling open its flower-like mouth, stretching it to the maximum from all directions. It was Zuiyasi's doing.
Su Xiao threw the Apollo into the Aquatic Mother's mouth from a few meters away, then instantly disappeared. When he reappeared, he was in front of the Aquatic Mother.
Boom!
A side kick sent the Aquatic Mother flying into the air. The blood spears stuck in its body exploded one after another, creating secondary thrust, tertiary thrust, quaternary thrust, etc., blasting it higher and higher.
Boom!!
A sun appeared in the sky. Large pieces of shattered flesh splattered like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, then were burned to ashes by the solar flames. The Aquatic Mother had been set off like fireworks.
If the long-dead Snail Brother saw this scene, it might feel gratified, because it was no longer the most miserably dead big boss in this world. The Aquatic Mother was much more miserable than it—it had been turned into fireworks.
Su Xiao entered the snail shell. After purifying the air a few times and feeling it was completely fresh, he approached the Talent Awakening Device. He raised his hand and pressed it against the cold but heavy giant metal device. Finally, he could obtain the Law Destroyer's unique talent ability.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the Lone Bridge, the Crow Woman, dressed in a black tight suit, looked at the artificial sun in the sky. She had witnessed the entire process of the Aquatic Mother being besieged and finally being set off like fireworks through her own means.
The corner of the Crow Woman's eye twitched. She turned and walked out of the Great Ruins. The enemy numbers were too large this time. She wasn't fleeing; it was a strategic retreat. When another opportunity arose, she would definitely fight Su Xiao to the death. Next time, definitely next time. Thinking this, the Crow Woman unconsciously quickened her pace.