Chapter 18: 1.27 Seconds
The undead girl left the address she had arranged with Molei and departed. This address was precious; Su Xiao had spent 5,000 Soul Coins to buy it.
From a certain perspective, this was an investment. As long as he could catch Molei, the current expense could be recovered several times over, or even more. Moreover, the Mother Nest would have a "legal representative," killing multiple birds with one stone.
The undead girl had arranged to meet Molei at the ancient ruins on the east side. Su Xiao estimated that, given the caution of Molei and her group, they would certainly have prepared something.
Furthermore, given Molei's wealth, catching her was no simple matter in itself. Having plenty of Soul Coins could sometimes truly allow one to do whatever they wanted, such as always carrying life-saving items for protection.
Checking the time, Su Xiao decided to set out in half an hour. He would first send Bubu Wang and Baha to scout the situation there, especially to give Bubu Wang time to track Molei. Only then would it be possible to catch her.
Su Xiao turned and looked up at the towering Mother Nest. After Jila advanced to the Dominator level, their Mother Nest, though still an Eighth Rank insect nest, had reached the pinnacle of the Eighth Rank, hitting a certain ceiling.
Regarding whether Jila could go further, Su Xiao believed it was possible. The problem was that taking that step was very dangerous. If Jila died, Su Xiao would have absolutely no way to survive this calamity.
From the First Rank to the Eighth Rank, this was Su Xiao's first time suppressing his own brand level. To encounter this on his first try was truly bad luck. The only good news was that crisis and opportunity coexisted.
For a long time, Su Xiao had wanted to do one thing: go to the true Dead Silence City, the Root: Dead Silence City. Having used the Black King Bracer for so long, he was inextricably linked to Dead Silence City. This piece of equipment had saved him from near-death states countless times; otherwise, he would have perished long ago.
As for cause and effect, since there was a "cause," there must be an "effect." Su Xiao understood clearly that he had to settle this "effect."
This kind of thing couldn't be avoided. If he didn't actively face the Dead Silence, losing his conviction to confront it, he would surely be devoured by it—perhaps in an ordinary sleep, or in a life-or-death battle.
Even after defeating Huishenshi in the Treeborn World and using the resources gained to significantly boost his strength, when he used the Black King Bracer to sense that root-like Dead Silence power, Su Xiao still felt that, even though he was now strong enough to have few rivals in the Eighth Rank, once he reached Dead Silence City, his journey of pursuing power might end there.
If he lost there, even if Su Xiao narrowly escaped death, he would be like the Black King, the Day King, and others—coexisting with the Dead Silence, eternally trapped in the prison called Dead Silence.
The most unsolvable aspect of Root: Dead Silence City was that after advancing to the Ninth Rank, one could not enter there. Upon entering, one would be immediately expelled. Yet at the Eighth Rank, even with top-tier combat power, one was still a mere underling in Root: Dead Silence City.
This trip to Pandora Star gave Su Xiao a faint glimpse of an opportunity. If he could survive this and convert the gains into strength, then he would be qualified to face the Dead Silence.
The Mother Nest's pulsation frequency had noticeably decreased. After its height exceeded 200 meters, the vertical growth stopped. The "Jila Spiral Tower" behind it had risen to about 230 meters, becoming their landmark structure.
Other insect nest buildings had also improved. However, compared to these, the changes in the fungal carpet were greater. The originally dark green fungal carpet had turned light green, but it was thicker overall, with greatly enhanced toughness. Trying to tear it at a single point was like pulling on an elastic net whose roots were connected to the ground.
Previously, the fungal carpet could only absorb living creatures. Now, it had expanded to absorb insect nest buildings, rocks, and trees alike.
Even metal ores could be directly absorbed by the fungal carpet. It would then judge, based on electrical signal commands, which metal elements to extract and store in the "Adaptation Pile," waiting to be used by the Mother Nest.
Su Xiao was more concerned about one thing: could the current fungal carpet absorb the corpses of Nether-type enemies? If so, could it extract bio-energy from them?
If it could, Su Xiao believed their chances of victory would increase by at least half. Then, a resilient situation might emerge: as long as the Mother Nest was not destroyed, they would not be defeated.
Besides the gratifying results of the fungal carpet's evolution, other aspects had also changed significantly. For example, the elite Demon Beasts had undergone another enhancement. This core unit of theirs had been upgraded many times over time.
Given the current strength of the Demon Beasts, they were worth mass-producing as melee units. While the Sun Flame Dragons were powerful, without the cooperation of melee units, they felt isolated in large-scale battles.
Moreover, the soul of the leader-level Demon Beast, Abaddon, which had been stored in the Mother Nest, would awaken with this nest upgrade. With Abaddon leading the charge, their Demon Beast Legion would be a different concept altogether.
Finally, a newly unlocked insect gene host was available. Su Xiao had already issued a mental command through the sleeping Jila as an intermediary to the Mother Nest. The first host was about to be cultivated.
From the "Incubation Nest," connected to and located behind the Mother Nest, an insect unit with a semi-transparent body, resembling a giant jellyfish, floated out.
This was the host. Its body was over 60 meters wide, enormous. In the air, it could "swim" freely like a jellyfish in the sea.
Despite its semi-transparent, soft, watery appearance, its defense was not weak. It had almost no attack methods, only able to lash out with its hanging semi-transparent tentacles.
The host's main function was transportation. It was a flying unit capable of carrying cargo 5 to 7 times its own volume while maintaining a sufficiently fast drifting speed. One host's carrying capacity equaled 25 to 30 Spore Tanks.
Since they were heading to the ancient ruins in the east, Sun Flame Dragons would inevitably attract attention. A host with a built-in high-level stealth state was a good choice.
As Su Xiao issued the mental command, a host descended. Its tentacles intertwined to form a ramp.
Su Xiao walked up the tentacle ramp into the host's main body. He sat down cross-legged and looked down. Through the host's semi-transparent body, everything on the ground below was clearly visible.
Amu also entered the host's body. As for the Mother Nest, with 1,300 Sun Flame Dragons, security was not a major issue. Moreover, the Mother Nest had officially entered mass-production mode.
With their current mining speed, they could obtain about 370,000 points of bio-energy per hour. Su Xiao used all of it to cultivate elite Demon Beasts, at 50 bio-energy points each. That meant 7,400 units per hour, or nearly 180,000 per day.
There were still five days left. How much they could develop in these five days would determine whether Su Xiao could survive this ordeal.
Inside the host, Su Xiao felt the entire structure shake slightly. All the tentacles below flicked, and like a jellyfish in the sea, it floated upward.
This experience of riding a semi-transparent flying unit into the sky was wonderful. Of course, if the acrophobic Jila were to ride a host, she would surely "happily" faint.
The host's drifting speed was not slow. Before long, Su Xiao saw the ancient ruins diagonally below. He controlled the host to descend.
After landing smoothly, Su Xiao stepped out of the host. Without needing instructions, Amu shouldered the Dragonheart Axe and walked toward the other side of the ancient ruins. Although Amu was usually a bit dull, in battle, it was anything but.
Su Xiao walked along the central avenue of the ancient ruins. This nearly ten-meter-wide stone road was covered in cracks, with wild grass sprouting from them. As he ventured deeper into the ruins, three auras appeared ahead.
As a Technique-type, Su Xiao's perception range had never been his strong suit. The good news was that the perception range of the three opponents was equally unimpressive, which was quite reassuring.
After climbing a few steps, Su Xiao arrived at a circular plaza with a surrounding ring of stone walls, covering an area of over a thousand square meters. At the center, on a stone pillar, white smoke drifted, and a female voice came from within:
"You're late."
The voice sounded like Hao Mei's. But within the white smoke, there seemed to be low murmurs. Su Xiao couldn't normally hear these sounds, but since Bubu Wang was inside the smoke, he could hear through Bubu Wang's signal relay. The conversation inside the smoke went as follows:
Molei: "This smoke stings my eyes a bit."
Yueshitu: "How much longer do we have to fan? My hands are sore."
Hao Mei: "This is a Miasma Furnace. It can block external attacks. What do you know? Besides, this looks more impressive."
Yueshitu: "But I'm really tired from fanning. Why does a Summoning-type have to do manual labor? Hao Mei, you should do this."
Hao Mei: "Why should I?"
Yueshitu: "You have the best stamina. You're a Melee-type."
Hao Mei: "My stamina is for beating you up, then making you do it. Don't talk, what if the outside hears us?"
Molei: "So pretending to be cool is this tiring."
Hao Mei: "What do you think?"
Hearing this exchange, Su Xiao confirmed that the three inside were indeed the Apocalypse Sisters.
"You're five minutes late. I hate people who are late... ugh!"
Hao Mei stepped out of the smoke as she spoke, but upon seeing Su Xiao, she immediately retreated back inside. Another voice came from the smoke.
Yueshitu: "Why did you step back? You almost sat on my head."
Hao Mei: "You... go see for yourself."
Molei: "You're so embarrassing. Seeing an undead girl scares you like this? Move aside, let me handle it."
Molei said this and just stepped out of the smoke, only to immediately retreat back. She turned her head and exchanged a glance with Hao Mei, both silent.
Seeing this, Yueshitu felt a sense of impending doom. She tentatively asked, "How about we retreat?"
As soon as Yueshitu finished speaking, the smoke passage behind them closed with a *puff*. The smoke furnace in front of her exploded—Bubu Wang had made his move.
Su Xiao had sent Bubu Wang ahead to guard against any escape measures Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei might have set up. His guess was correct; the three had indeed prepared an escape route.
The smoke originally had a two-way passage: forward led out, backward led away through the smoke channel. Now that the rear passage was gone, the small space within the smoke had become a trap.
"Don't panic. In a moment, we'll each flee in different directions."
Hao Mei drew the sharp sword at her waist. The blade sang, sharp and swift.
"How about we just pay him? He hits hard..."
"No! Have some backbone. I'll count to three, and we'll charge out together."
Hao Mei took a deep breath. Beside her, Molei looked serious, assuming a charging posture.
"Charge."
"?"
Molei was stunned for a moment. She was waiting for Hao Mei to count one, two, three, but the other had skipped that step entirely. However, at this critical moment, she had to charge.
With a *boom*, the smoke column exploded. Three figures rushed out. Molei went right, Yueshitu went left, and Hao Mei charged straight at Su Xiao.
*Clang!*
The long blade met the sharp sword, sparks flying. After the clash, feeling the force from the opposing blade, Hao Mei realized her enemy had grown even stronger.
*Boom!*
The onrushing blood aura sent Hao Mei staggering back. As she retreated, she turned sideways and held her sharp sword horizontally in front of her.
*Clang!*
This clash was duller. Su Xiao had delivered a straight kick to the sharp sword Hao Mei held in front of her. The immense force nearly forced Hao Mei to one knee.
As Hao Mei retreated, Su Xiao made an upward slashing motion. The Azure Demon flew out vertically, cutting past Hao Mei and kicking up a large amount of rubble. One small piece of rubble, coated with Cyan Steel Shadow energy, grazed Hao Mei's neck, leaving a trace of blood. The Cyan Steel Shadow energy entered her body and exploded.
*Crackle!*
Blue arcs of electricity surged across Hao Mei's body. She leaped backward with all her might, but at that moment, Su Xiao was already pressing forward from the front.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Three strikes, not fast, but unavoidable heavy blows. This left Hao Mei on one knee, half her body numb.
*Clang!*
Sparks flew high. Hao Mei's sharp sword was sent flying by a horizontal slash from Su Xiao. It spun several times before embedding itself in a stone wall.
Although Su Xiao had delivered several heavy strikes, he had always held the blade with one hand. The tip of his blade stopped in front of Hao Mei's brow. Hao Mei looked at her slightly trembling hands, her spirit crushed.
"Don't just stand there!"
A shout came, and at the same time, an energy arrow several meters long shot toward Su Xiao. He slashed down with his blade.
*Boom!*
The large red energy arrow was shattered. Within the resulting energy mist, crystalline sparks seemed to flash.
*Crack, crack, crack~*
Red crystals climbed up Su Xiao's left arm and continued spreading across his body. Molei's abilities had grown.
*Crack! Crack!*
Needle-like Cyan Steel Shadow energy pierced out from within, shattering the red crystals encasing Su Xiao's left half.
A sound of wind breaking approached. Within the energy smoke, someone delivered a sideways kick, sending the numb Hao Mei flying. Pink, medium-length hair fluttered, showing a hint of coolness.
"Negative charm Bai Ye, what are you doing to my friend?"
Molei spoke with a smile. Her hands were loosely clenched, a red crystal core gathering between them. Her pink hair moved without wind, her eyes sparkling. It could be said that this was Molei's coolest entrance ever.
A moment later, the crystal layer encasing Su Xiao's right forearm and fist dissolved, falling to the ground as fragments. He picked up the half-conscious Molei, slung her over his shoulder, and walked out of the ruins.
In the shadows, Yueshitu and Hao Mei watched this scene. Hao Mei's expression looked as if she wanted to stamp "I hate this" on her forehead.
"We have to rescue her."
Hao Mei spoke seriously.
"Why?"
Yueshitu shot her a suspicious look, leaving Hao Mei stunned for a moment. "Molei was captured to help me escape. How could I abandon her?"
"Impulsive action leads to a free loss. Besides, we can't rescue Molei. It's not about being scared; we just can't beat him. But we can pay a ransom to get her back."
"Huh?"
Hao Mei looked incredulous. She tentatively asked, "You... how are you so experienced?"
"Well..."
Yueshitu couldn't exactly say, "Of course I'm experienced; I've been caught and ransomed three or four times."
"That's not important," Yueshitu changed the subject and continued, "The priority now is to cancel the bounty on the Hall of Heroes, then ransom Molei. This must be done quickly."
Yueshitu's expression was serious. When she had seen Su Xiao earlier, she had "seen" residual auras of several people on him. One of those residuals made her particularly worried.
This was Yueshitu's current ability. Whenever people interact, they leave residual auras near each other. These residuals dissipate on their own in a few days and are generally insignificant.
Just now, Yueshitu had "seen" several residual auras she had encountered before near Su Xiao. One was from Shenfu, one from Ka Yin, and one from the undead girl.
This ability to see residual auras wasn't exactly Yueshitu's own; it came from one of her permanent summons, named Light Elf: Xianlulu, a cat smaller than usual that scattered blue light particles.
A blue light figure darted out. Xianlulu appeared on Yueshitu's shoulder, sniffing left and right. "Master, I smell a familiar scent."
"Your imagination."
Yueshitu made to push Xianlulu back. Ever since Xianlulu had clung to Su Xiao on Ser Star, it had been unable to forget.
"By the way, Yueshitu, you should have let Xianlulu cling to me earlier. Then I might have been able to hold out."
Hao Mei spoke. Hearing this, Yueshitu smiled without a word, snapped her fingers, and sent Xianlulu back into the secret realm.
...
Base Camp Insect Nest, 7:00 PM, inside the two-story wooden building.
"Give it up. I will never surrender unless you let me down to have dinner together."
Molei, hanging upside down, spoke with a serious and earnest tone.
"..."
Su Xiao sat down at the dining table. Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha, who were waiting for dinner, began to eat only after Su Xiao sat down.
A flash of cold light. The rope holding Molei was cut. She flipped over and landed steadily.
Molei sniffed the aroma of the food, went to the table, picked up a bowl and chopsticks, and immediately transformed into a rice-devouring warrior. As for why she was so relaxed, it wasn't her first time being caught by Su Xiao, so she wasn't that nervous.
"By the way, why did you catch me? For Soul Coins? I really have no money left. You should have seen that we used all our Soul Coins to put a bounty on the Hall of Heroes. If you don't believe me, open the world communication channel and see."
Molei finished speaking and opened the world communication channel. She almost spat out her juice. The pinned bounty on the world communication platform was gone, presumably canceled by Yueshitu or Hao Mei.
"Listen, let me explain. There's a problem with my mine. Right now, I only have..."
Before Molei could finish, a message suddenly appeared on the world communication platform.
Hao Mei (Apocalypse Paradise): "Molei, wait for me. Yueshitu and I are gathering the ransom for you."
Seeing this message, Molei felt terrible. She had been speaking so convincingly, only to be slapped in the face a second later.
"Let me continue my excuse... ah, spit. I really am broke. Do you believe me?"
Molei's eyes were red. Bubu Wang and Baha's heads were buzzing. Baha pointed to the "Eternal Guardian" pendant around Molei's neck. This famous Immortal-grade ultra-rare pendant, worth 35,000 to 40,000 Soul Coins, claiming to be broke was truly infuriating.
Molei tucked the pendant back into her collar and, with tears in her eyes, sent a trade request. Her attempt to bluff her way through had failed. Her wealth was impossible to hide. As for the mine having problems, Molei herself didn't believe it.
[Prompt: You have received a trade request.]
[You have obtained 20,000 Soul Coins.]
The previous investment was instantly recouped. In the Eighth Rank, fighting tooth and nail in a world only yielded 30,000 to 40,000 Soul Coins. Getting 20,000 so easily was quite an experience.
"I invited you here this time to entrust you with a task."
Su Xiao spoke.
"Invited?"
Molei was full of defiance at the word "invited." Her expression became a bit more serious as she changed the subject. "Bai Ye, you might not know this yet, but this world is more dangerous than you imagine."
Su Xiao didn't speak. Baha interjected, "Oh? How dangerous?"
"Since the dinner was quite generous, I'll kindly tell you. Someone used the 'Nightmare's Beginning' to enter this world, causing the Nether invasion... No! Could it be you?"
Molei realized something. She felt her guess was likely correct.
"Yes, it was us."
As Baha spoke, he took out the "Withered Heart" from the team storage space. Seeing this, Molei's heart skipped a beat. Although she hadn't obtained the "Nightmare's Beginning," her wealth meant her knowledge was beyond that of an ordinary Eighth Rank contractor.
"So it was you. Since you knew this world's danger level would increase, why stir up such a big commotion? Wouldn't it be better to develop the insect race steadily?"
Molei couldn't understand Su Xiao's current actions. If it were her, she would develop first and only come out to sweep later.
"Molei, guess how many of these things are in this world?"
Baha tossed the "Withered Heart" in his hand. Molei's smile gradually faded. She thought for a moment, then held up two fingers. "Two?"
"There are three in total."
Hearing that the world's danger level had been super-tripled, Molei's pupils slightly constricted. Then she snorted lightly. "Impossible. If there were three, this place would have already turned into a hellscape."
"Kaisa brought the Demon Jar in. I regret to inform you that this world's danger level has already peaked. The sea is calm before the big storm."
After hearing Baha's account, Molei chose to secretly send a message to Yueshitu and Hao Mei, telling them to immediately contact the Deep Crimson Empress to ally with the company forces.
"Finished sending your message? There's still plenty for you to do."
Su Xiao's words, which exposed Molei's thoughts, made her heart tremble. She tried hard to pretend she didn't understand what Su Xiao meant.
Molei's mood was anxious. But upon receiving Yueshitu's message that the Deep Crimson Empress agreed to cooperate with the company, and that the company had already given its stance, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the door to the second floor of the wooden building opened, and Kaisa arrived.
Molei looked at Su Xiao, then at Kaisa. This almost made her crack.
After Baha's account, Molei learned that Su Xiao's faction needed a "legal representative" to boost their Void Tree reputation, and she had a high Void Tree reputation.
"Wait. If we do this, won't the bad things you do be blamed on me? If you violate the rules, won't I become a violator?"
Molei stared at Su Xiao.
"I am a Hunter. I will not commit violations."
"???"
Molei had a bellyful of complaints. She wanted to say that your current behavior of looking for a "legal representative" was somewhat of a violation.
"Your choice."
Su Xiao produced a contract and a small medicine bottle. Inside the bottle was a pill. She could either sign the contract or take the slow-acting poison. The choice was hers.
After a moment of deliberation, Molei picked up the transparent medicine bottle, opened it, and swallowed the pill. Molei guessed that what she had just taken was likely a calcium or vitamin pill. She had been set up by Su Xiao with this trick before.
Seeing her take the pill, Su Xiao released the restraints on her left arm and neck. This made Molei inwardly alarmed, suspecting that what she had taken was not a vitamin pill.
When she realized that Amu and Baha were no longer locking onto her aura, Molei was truly panicked. She was now convinced that the enemy had given her a slow-acting poison.
"My dear friend, let's begin."
Kaisa took out a shit-yellow hood, put it on his head, and used the POS machine in his hand to print a price tag. Immediately, Molei received a prompt:
[Prompt: You have defected from the Deep Crimson Empress faction. Your faction reputation has been cleared.]
This news, like a thunderbolt, left Molei petrified. But another prompt appeared immediately.
[You have joined the Sun Sacred Nest faction. Your current faction reputation: 0/50 points (Indifferent).]
[Due to your outstanding performance, you have been appointed as "Right Attendant." You have gained 8,600 faction reputation points.]
[Due to your personal actions, you have been expelled from the Sun Sacred Nest faction and designated as a traitor.]
[Nicholas Kaisa's skill: Faction Bully (Passive, X) has been activated. Your betrayal has been investigated. This is an erroneous punishment.]
[You have gained the appreciation of Sun Sacred Nest Leader: Kukulin Bai Ye.]
[You have gained the appreciation of Sun Sacred Nest Founder: Jila.]
[Due to your erroneous expulsion, you will receive compensation.]
[You have gained 3,952,660 reputation points (this reputation value has been boosted by temporary leader identity, temporary founder identity, and Faction Bully). The reputation you have gained exceeds the current reputation holdings of Sun Sacred Nest Leader: Kukulin Bai Ye. You will be crowned the Uncrowned King.]
[You have become the new leader of the Sun Sacred Nest!]
[Warning: You have been jointly exiled by the former leader of the Sacred Nest (Bai Ye), the founder of the Sacred Nest (Jila), the logistics administrator of the Sacred Nest (Kaisa), one of the Four Royal Guards of the Sacred Nest (Amu), one of the Four Royal Guards of the Sacred Nest (Bubu Wang), and one of the Four Royal Guards of the Sacred Nest (Baha).]
...
Molei looked at the series of prompts, feeling like she was on a roller coaster. One moment her faction reputation exploded, the next she became the new leader, only to be jointly exiled in the end. In total, she had been leader for 1.27 seconds.
Su Xiao checked the faction list of the Sun Sacred Nest. It showed as "Activated," meaning the plan had succeeded. With Molei as the powerless "legal representative," their faction had become a legitimate, whitewashed faction.
Although Molei had no real power and was easy to scapegoat, there was one point: if they became the final victors, Molei, as their faction's "legal representative," would receive an explosively high rating in the world settlement upon returning to the Apocalypse Paradise.
Su Xiao closed the faction list. The next second, he received a prompt.
[Prompt: The Sun Sacred Nest has completed its notarization. Due to your binding relationship with this faction, this faction is an Extreme Evil faction.]
[Detected that at the current stage, New Star City, Platinum Capital, and the Sun Sacred Nest have become the three major forces of this world.]
[As the leader of the Sun Sacred Nest, due to the Sun Sacred Nest being an Extreme Evil faction, your reputation value will be greatly reduced.]
[Your reputation value: -29,530 points.]
[Current reputation value: -32,600 points.]
[You have reached the top of the reputation value leaderboard.]
...
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao was not surprised. Previously, his reputation value couldn't rise because their faction hadn't been fully notarized. Now, this problem was finally resolved.
Su Xiao checked the insect nest data. The mass production of elite Demon Beasts was continuing. As for the leader-level Demon Flame Dragon: Barbatos, cultivation could begin by tomorrow morning at the latest.
By tomorrow morning, their Demon Beast count would exceed 100,000. With this number of Demon Beasts, plus 1,300 Sun Flame Dragons, Su Xiao took out the [Sacred Oak]. He decided to arrange a meeting with this ancient deity, Saint Oak, tomorrow morning.