Chapter 37: The Path of Evolution
The spatial rift gradually healed, and the aura fluctuations of the Silver Queen completely vanished. This insect race empress, who had failed to drag the world into destruction alongside her, was now banished from this world. There was a nine out of ten chance she would be fine.
What would happen to her after arriving at the Eternal Light World was unclear. Su Xiao had encountered the World Devourers, Star Crabs, and Abyss Spawn before, but the specifics were hard to describe.
As for the Dark Spirits, Su Xiao had no direct contact with them, but he understood something about them.
The so-called Dark Spirits were a rare and dangerous existence. Their appearance involved the process of a world being eroded by the Abyss.
Previously, in the Treeborn World, the Dark Spirits Su Xiao knew of were the witnesses and testers of the crown. Without their recognition, even if one claimed kingship within the clan, they were a false king, a usurper. The representative of this was the old Elf King.
Did the Dark Spirits like to meddle? Not exactly. The so-called Dark Spirits were the result of the world consciousness undergoing mutation after being enhanced by Abyssal power during an Abyssal invasion.
This mutation was irreversible. In some cases, the world consciousness directly merged into the world itself, which was the best scenario. Such worlds were bewilderingly rich.
There were several other possible mutations, but Su Xiao didn't know the specifics. He only knew that one type of mutation involved the world consciousness splitting into a group of Dark Spirits.
The danger of Dark Spirits lay in the fact that you could never predict their behavioral principles or their abilities.
Some Dark Spirits could only swing a sword, while others could spread mental infectious diseases. Some simply transformed into headless horsemen on horseback, punishing the wicked.
The behavioral principles of Dark Spirits mainly depended on the souls they assimilated during their initial formation.
For example, if a world consciousness was eroded by Abyssal power and transformed into twelve Dark Spirits, these twelve Dark Spirits had no initial consciousness. They were both wandering souls and empty shells. Generally, such initial Dark Spirits would wander around.
During this time, if an initial Dark Spirit encountered someone who had just died, it would absorb their soul. If that soul was fiercely righteous in life, then that Dark Spirit would likely adopt this as its principle, indiscriminately punishing evildoers everywhere, posing no threat to the kind or law-abiding.
Dark Spirits might not seem dangerous, but this was a mistake. Don't forget, they were originally transformed from world consciousness, so the power they absorbed was world force.
From another perspective, this was a dark version of the World Child, and these things were almost immortal. Even if you killed them, they would absorb world force somewhere in the world and be reborn.
Not only would they be reborn, but after being killed, they would carry a grudge for revenge, causing them to split from one into two upon rebirth, and the two Dark Spirits would go for revenge together.
After a fierce battle, if you killed both Dark Spirits, soon enough, four Dark Spirits would come knocking.
It was said that a certain guy once killed the Dark Spirits several times in a row. In the end, several thousand Dark Spirits were chasing him. That guy died miserably, chopped to pieces by random swords.
From a certain perspective, being an enemy of the Dark Spirits was like being an enemy of the world. From this, one could imagine how powerful the old Elf King and his trusted aides in the Treeborn World were. Those were fierce individuals who directly drank liquid Abyssal energy, and it was liquid Abyssal energy catalyzed by a talent awakening device.
Su Xiao didn't want to provoke the Dark Spirits; it was too troublesome. Originally, the Eternal Light World only had Star Crabs, Dark Spirits, and Abyss Spawn. Now, two new members had been added. If anyone went to the Eternal Light World, they would be having a blast.
Su Xiao returned to the base camp via the original route. An hour later, inside Jila's nesting chamber, the Origin Stone, now completely silver, floated in mid-air, covered in spiral mental imprints.
"Let's begin."
Su Xiao spoke. Upon hearing this, Jila reached out with both hands and clasped the Origin Stone.
With a hum, a vast wave of mental energy spread out. The surrounding mental power nearly materialized, finally wrapping Jila in thread-like strands, forming a giant fluorescent purple cocoon.
Jila's ascension had begun. If this failed, the loss would be enormous.
The entire mother nest began to contract. Before the mother nest had completely retracted into a giant ball, Su Xiao had already walked out from inside. Given Jila's current state, there was almost no possibility of her being assassinated. The mental energy field within a dozen meters around her was so strong it was distorted. Unless one specialized in mental power, approaching would cause immediate fainting, which would be considered strong mental power.
Returning to the wooden building, Su Xiao saw the Undead Girl, who had been waiting for a long time. She was now wearing a robe and a hood. In the darkness under the hood were a pair of dark red eyes. This wasn't the Undead Girl's true body; it was a summon she had left on Pandora Star. She was now fully controlling this undead summon through mental projection.
"I've been waiting for you. I pre-washed and disinfected it. Thoughtful, right?"
The Undead Girl pulled out a short, narrow-bladed knife.
"..."
Su Xiao took off his Black Feather Cloak. Seeing this, the Undead Girl released the short knife in her hand. Under her control, the knife pierced Su Xiao's chest the next second.
"Oh ho! 50,000 reputation per stab. Kaisa really has his ways. For our mutual benefit, how about a few more stabs?"
The Undead Girl's eyes were practically glowing red. Initially, when she learned that stabbing a teammate was the way to farm reputation, she refused. But now, after one stab netted 50,000 reputation, she suddenly changed her mind.
Su Xiao used two fingers to clamp the knife handle, pulled it out, and casually flicked it. The knife embedded itself in the wooden floor in front of the Undead Girl's feet.
"No need. Kaisa will find a way."
Su Xiao placed one hand over the wound. Micron-level Spirit Shadow Threads entered the wound, beginning cell-level precision suturing.
"Alright then."
The Undead Girl reluctantly put away the knife, turned into a puff of gray smoke, and drifted out through the window.
The Undead Girl had definitely come with a large number of faction missions. Needless to say, Kaisa would manipulate some missions, like infiltrating enemy camps or assassinating enemy lords.
Kaisa sending the Undead Girl to do this meant that side was ready. As soon as the Nether Gate opened, they could start "stocking up."
...
Nether Realm, Outer City District, inside an old mansion.
Candlelight flickered in the bedroom, giving it a slightly warm tone. On the bed lay a strong but somewhat ethereal man named Kain.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
Kain woke up with a few coughs. He weakly sat up against the headboard, frowning in thought.
For some reason, he had been feeling more and more lately that the doctor named Wofu was unreliable. Every time he called out that name, Kain felt like he was losing something.
Also, Kain could originally get out of bed and walk. But after one course of treatment, he went from being able to walk to being bedridden. He had asked many times: 'Doctor, why is my condition getting worse?'
One thing kept Kain believing in Doctor Wofu's skill: after one course of treatment, the World Thunder inside him had gradually calmed down.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came from the door. The Snow Monster outside said, "Boss, Doctor Wofu is here."
"Please, come in."
"Okay."
A moment later, Kaisa, wearing a dirty white lab coat and putting down his medicine box, sat on the wooden chair beside the bed. He first pretended to examine Kain, then said with satisfaction, "Your condition has improved."
"Really?"
Kain was full of doubts, the core of which was: Doctor, lately he felt weaker and weaker, as if a banshee had caught him and drained his life force.
"At most, three more treatments, and I guarantee you'll be cured."
Kaisa opened the medicine box, revealing a dazzling array of potions. These were all concocted using his own alchemical skills. To prevent Kain from noticing anything wrong, he didn't poison them. Instead, before using any ingredient, he would first 'baptize' it inside the Abyssal Jar, just to make sure it wouldn't fail to kill Kain.
Kain looked at the few potions in the box. He steeled himself and decided to take one last dose. If it didn't work this time, he would kill this Doctor Wofu.
After downing a few potions, Kain, in his soul form, looked grim. His gaze fixed straight ahead indicated he was negotiating with his stomach. The taste of the potions this time wasn't just bad; it was indescribable.
The soul form was Kain's true body. His usual physical state was more like an outer shell. As long as the soul form was fine, even if his physical body was destroyed, his attributes like strength and agility wouldn't be affected, because these attributes represented his soul form's attributes.
A moment later, Kain calmed down. Just then, he suddenly received a warning prompt, followed by excruciating pain all over his body.
[Warning: Your soul form is under unknown invasion!]
[Your True Stamina attribute has been permanently reduced by 5 points!]
[Your True Strength attribute has been permanently reduced by 2 points!]
[Your True Agility attribute has been permanently reduced by 4 points!]
...
...
A dense array of prompts appeared. Kain's eyes were bloodshot. He knew he had been set up. Just as he was about to fight to the death, the warning prompts suddenly stopped.
A feeling of relief from the inside out appeared. Kain, whose soul form attributes had dropped by over 20 points in total, leaned back against the headboard with a relaxed expression, because... the stubborn World Thunder ailment inside him had dissipated. He didn't know exactly why, but it was gone.
"Doctor Wofu, I will never forget your kindness. You are truly a miracle doctor!"
The weak Kain was very excited, grabbing Kaisa's hand as he spoke.
Kaisa was stunned, as if struck by lightning, but he maintained a calm expression, even nodding with a hint of arrogance.
At that moment, Kaisa was dumbfounded. He had actually cured Kain. He had tried his best to kill him.
Clutching at his last shred of hope, Kaisa asked, "Do you have any other discomfort?"
"No, none at all. I feel great now. Cough, cough, cough..."
Kain let out a series of weak, dry coughs. Although he had many doubts he couldn't confirm, he had a feeling deep down that he shouldn't let this doctor treat him anymore, or he would probably end up dead here.
"How about... a few more courses to consolidate the treatment?"
"No, how could I trouble Doctor Wofu? Snow Monster, see our guest out."
After saying this, Kain lay flat and pulled the covers over his head. He couldn't afford to save face anymore; it was wise to quit while he was ahead.
In reality, Kaisa curing Kain's illness wasn't a coincidence. The materials he used, after being 'baptized' by the Abyssal Jar, had acquired a tendency towards the Abyss and the uncanny.
The residual World Thunder in Kain's body had the opposite characteristic. The two clashed, fighting poison with poison. Although Kain was bedridden and his soul form attributes plummeted, the residual World Thunder inside him was also consumed.
After leaving the old mansion, Kaisa's signature sly smile faded a bit. He pulled out a communicator and thought for a long time about how to report this to Su Xiao. Finally, he took out the Abyssal Jar, said something in Goblin language, and the jar suddenly disappeared from his hand.
Kain, still inside the old mansion, didn't know that he was about to welcome a temporary 'daddy,' but he didn't know if he could handle it.
...
Friendly Base Camp, inside the two-story wooden building.
Su Xiao dismissed the mail composed of light particles. Beside him were Bubu Wang and Baha, both looking dazed.
"Holy crap! That bastard Kain has a life as hard as nails. He actually got cured? Damn it!"
Baha looked like he was questioning life itself. Bubu Wang beside him was also a bit stunned.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. As the saying goes, things are unpredictable. Sometimes plans don't go exactly as hoped.
Besides, arranging for Kain wasn't primarily about killing him. It was mainly to test Shenfu's attitude and to squeeze benefits from Kain. Looking at the results, the plan hadn't failed.
According to Kaisa's intelligence, the Nether Realm was making quite a stir. The defeat of Wu Ying·Solario and the death of Xiao·Furia outside had tightened the situation in the Nether Realm. The momentum clearly indicated they were preparing to open a World Gate at any cost and launch a full-scale assault on Pandora Star.
There was no need to wait for the Nether Realm to attack. Su Xiao would take the initiative as soon as Jila completed her ascension. If Jila failed, they would retreat.
The Nether Realm could be ignored for now. The battle on the Empire's home planet, Oka Star, was much more intense. The [Soul-Washing Cult] entrenched there was tougher than expected.
This faction called the [Soul-Washing Cult] was initially supported by Wu Ying·Solario, but not for long. Wu Ying·Solario soon felt something was wrong with it and decisively stationed it on Oka Star, ignoring it thereafter.
The specific origin of the [Soul-Washing Cult] dated back a thousand years. This cult always believed that it wasn't the body that protected the soul, but the body that bound the soul.
For a long time, the followers of the Soul-Washing Cult would open a fist-sized hole in the center of their chests to 'release' soul power. It wasn't until the Nether invasion, when their souls were eroded by Nether power, that they became stronger and more adaptable.
Thus, opening a hole in the chest to release soul power seemed conservative. They had a brainwave and started opening holes in their foreheads, and not just one, but over a dozen, drilling holes all over their foreheads and the top of their skulls. The Soul Bell Tower of the Dark Star World would approve.
Some genius or madman had a really big idea. That genius madman thought: since they could release souls this way, could the Corruptors do the same?
During the time Su Xiao and Wu Ying·Solario were fighting, the Soul-Washing Cult followers on Oka Star were busy with this. There were many Corruptors there, easy to catch.
In the end, that genius madman succeeded, allowing a Corruptor to regain some of its pre-death cognition and release enough soul power.
This sent the Soul-Washing Cult followers into a frenzy. They started catching Corruptors all over the world, turning them into their own. Although the success rate was only between 0.5% and 1%, the sheer number of Corruptors meant that the 'opened' Corruptors also became followers who helped out.
This led to a situation where, when the Empire's fleet proudly returned to their home planet, they were greeted by a group of soul followers with holes drilled in their heads.
Molei and her two companions, who had originally come to go through the motions and grab some benefits, quickly realized something was wrong. After getting beaten up by the soul followers, the three of them were furious. After all, they had paid to get beaten this time, so of course they were angry.
And it didn't end there. After the Empire started fighting the Soul-Washing Cult, another faction emerged, called the Wasteland Knight Order.
The Empire was dumbfounded. They had no idea where the Wasteland Knight Order came from. Initially, Monarch·Ordin thought it was the Platinum Company from Pandora Star causing trouble, but later found out it wasn't.
This Wasteland Knight Order came from near the colony star ζXV367, from a small planet enveloped by magnetic clouds that the Empire hadn't detected. There, the Wasteland Knight Order was the absolute ruler.
Due to the full-scale war between the Sun Faction and the Nether Realm, the world's spatial barrier was severely eroded by Nether power. By chance, a spatial passage opened on that unknown small planet, leading directly to Oka Star.
The Wasteland Knight Order had always considered themselves the world's overlords. Now that they could go to other planets, of course they wanted to conquer. So they attacked Oka Star, just as the Empire and the Soul-Washing Cult were in the middle of their war.
What the Wasteland Knight Order witnessed was: warships firing orbital cannons, soul followers releasing countless soul tentacles that blotted out the sky.
The Wasteland Knight Order, with a total force of 60,000, was stunned by the scene before them. They suddenly felt that their wasteland-style firearms were no different from burning sticks.
At that time, the Empire's Hand, Rhine·Gode, had just killed over a dozen bishops of the Soul-Washing Cult. He had already noticed the Wasteland Knight Order's convoy and immediately asked where these people came from.
To be fair, the Wasteland Knight Order's leader was quick-witted. He immediately pledged allegiance to the Empire.
In short, over on Oka Star, it was a chaotic mess. The Empire wanted to retake Oka Star, while the Soul-Washing Cult advocated that everything originated from the Soul Lord. The Empire could return to their home planet, but the Soul-Washing Cult had to become the spiritual leader of the Empire's citizens. In other words, the Empire had to cede divine power, establishing a dual power structure with the Monarch and the Soul Archbishop.
The Empire naturally refused and began investigating what exactly this 'Soul Lord' was.
Presumably, the Soul Lord, who was innocently caught in the crossfire at the Soul Arena, was quite annoyed. He had no idea who the Soul-Washing Cult was, and certainly didn't want to become the god they worshipped.
The Empire vs. the Soul-Washing Cult was already chaotic enough. Add the comedic relief Knight Order... ahem, the Wasteland Knight Order, and the scene was unimaginable.
To make matters worse, over a hundred contractors on Pandora Star had all gotten wind of this news.
Previously, these contractors were all wearing 'pain masks' because the Sun Nest had risen too quickly. They didn't dare cause trouble on Pandora Star. Without causing trouble, the contractors' income generally dropped by over 90%.
Now that they heard Oka Star was so lively, the contractors on Pandora Star decisively headed there. Don't underestimate the troublemaking ability of over a hundred contractors. The scene there was now a complete mess.
As the saying goes, trouble comes in threes. Hei Mo also went to Oka Star. His arrival made things miserable for both the Empire and the Soul-Washing Cult.
Think that's it? No. The most exciting twist came at noon on the second day after Jila began her ascension.
Jila hadn't completed her ascension yet. Su Xiao could sense from outside the mother nest that Jila's aura had stabilized. The rest was just a matter of time. Ascending to the Empress level was almost certain.
Just as this peaceful noon was unfolding, a major event occurred. The starting point wasn't the Sun Nest, nor the Nether Realm, nor even the Empire. It was a Crimson Empress who had seen through the conflict and 'changed careers' from an insect race leader to a diviner.
The Crimson Empress was definitely a diviner held back by her insect race leader identity. Although she had only been divining for a few days, whether she was incredibly talented at it or boosted by that damn world consciousness, she actually divined that the Nether Gate would open, and it would be opened by the Sun Nest.
Initially, the Empire didn't take the Crimson Empress's words seriously, until she showed Monarch·Ordin the terrifying image. Then the Empire believed the prophecy.
That afternoon, the Empire and the Soul-Washing Cult ceased hostilities and proposed negotiations. The Soul Archbishop of the Soul-Washing Cult was puzzled but eventually agreed.
Initially, the Soul Archbishop didn't believe the Crimson Empress's divination either, even laughing out loud. But soon, he also believed it.
After Monarch·Ordin and the Soul Archbishop discussed the matter, they announced to the outside world that everything before was a misunderstanding. From now on, the Empire and the Soul Hall were allies, and it was all the Wasteland Knight Order's instigation.
It was said that after this meeting, Monarch·Ordin, the Soul Archbishop, and others even took a group photo.
Before evening, the Wasteland Knight Order was gone. With this 'instigating' faction eliminated, the alliance between the Empire and the Soul Hall became even closer.
That's right. The Soul-Washing Cult had changed its name to a more neutral-sounding one, now called the Soul Hall.
The reason the Empire and the Soul Hall ceased hostilities was simple: they both couldn't understand why the Sun Nest would actively provoke the Nether Realm. But regardless, the two sides couldn't keep fighting. They needed to quickly embrace each other and survive the next wave. The Sun Nest and the Nether forces, these two terrifying entities, were about to go to war again.
Previously, when these two sides fought, the Empire played dead the whole time, not daring to breathe. Did the Soul Hall know about this situation? Of course, they knew very well.
They were also hiding on the sidelines, afraid of being wiped out by the Sun Nest or the Nether. That kind of unit-spamming faction had a dimensional gap in warfare capability compared to them.
Otherwise, the Soul Hall wouldn't have pretended to be blind and miss the Demon Beast Legion during the previous war. There was a time when they could have captured Molei and her group, but they pretended not to see them and let them go.
The Soul Hall might seem crazy, but they knew their place. They knew who the real big shots in this world were. If the Nether attacked, who would go to meet them?
Su Xiao put down the battle reports sent by Abaddon via Demon Beasts. From the beginning, Abaddon hadn't gone to fight the Soul Hall but was clearing out Corruptors everywhere.
Abaddon might seem cold and unreasonable, but its judgment wasn't weak. It went there to fulfill the Empire's commission, to clean up Corruptors, not to help the Empire fight enemies.
"Crimson Empress."
Su Xiao frowned in thought. This Crimson Empress's divination ability was clearly not simple. Since they were about to deal with the Nether forces, going to test the omens wasn't a bad idea.
Chewing sounds came from behind Su Xiao. It was Jila having dinner. She had successfully ascended to the Empress level, but there was no change. Not only was she unchanged, but the insect nest, Demon Beasts, etc., also remained the same.
There was a change in bio-energy. The bio-energy stored in the mother nest had changed from over 18 million points to 182,500 points.
It wasn't that the stored bio-energy had decreased. As Jila ascended to the Empress level, the unit of measurement for bio-energy had increased. Correspondingly, the bio-energy required for insect race buildings and units had also decreased. The construction and cultivation costs were as follows:
Demon Flame Dragon: 300 bio-energy each.
Brutal Cannon Tower: 2000 bio-energy each.
Titan Giant Beast: 10,000 bio-energy each.
...
This change in the bio-energy measurement unit had no practical significance for combat power improvement. Was Jila's ascension to the Empress level limited to this? Of course not. This ascension had extraordinary significance for Jila. Her insect race evolution path had truly begun.
Jila now had a new ability. Because she had been continuously improving the strength of the fungal carpet, after ascending to the Empress level, the fungal carpet gained a terrifying ability. While absorbing bio-energy, the fungal carpet could also absorb the small amount of soul energy that dissipated from enemies after they died.
The absorption efficiency was low, but many a little makes a mickle. This soul energy was extremely impure, so impure that living beings couldn't absorb it.
The mother nest could deeply filter this soul energy, then convert it through the [Soul Core] at the center of the mother nest into a kind of insect race characteristic, an energy that could allow insect race units to evolve.
Simply put, Jila was imitating Su Xiao's [Talent Ability: Shadow Hunt], but it took multiple methods to successfully imitate it, and the final characteristic was different.
Jila's ability seemed complicated, but to put it simply, she had endowed the fungal carpet with the ability to weakly absorb soul energy. Then, through the mother nest, this soul energy was converted into 'evolution points'.
This so-called 'evolution point' was a metaphor. It was a special energy that could allow insect races to evolve. In other words, Jila could use these 'evolution points' to 'add points' to insect race units, the mother nest, and even herself.
This kind of point addition wasn't temporary; it was a permanent improvement. For example, allocating evolution points to Demon Beasts wouldn't improve a single Demon Beast but would fundamentally improve the entire Demon Beast group.
For instance, allocating 2 'evolution points' to Demon Beasts wouldn't improve the existing Demon Beasts at all, but the Demon Beasts cultivated later would be stronger. Correspondingly, the bio-energy required for cultivation would also increase.
This improvement had a limit; it couldn't be increased indefinitely. But it was still very powerful.
If Jila added points to herself, it would improve her mental power. Adding points to the mother nest would improve its unit-spawning speed and bio-energy reserves. Adding points to Brutal Cannon Towers would improve the power of living missiles. Adding points to Titan Giant Beasts would improve the lethality of plasma.
The most intuitive characteristic derived from this ability was that their side would grow stronger the more they fought. Not only would their numbers increase, but their quality could also be continuously improved with 'evolution points'.
This ability wasn't without drawbacks. Su Xiao had tested it. Killing Corruptors didn't work because their soul strength was insufficient, and the soul energy they emitted after death was too little for the fungal carpet to absorb the impure soul power.
Fortunately, the Nether faction's Tier 2 units, [Gray Armor Warriors] and [Soul Distorters], could be absorbed for impure soul energy after being killed, let alone the Tier 3 units [Nether Warriors] and [Soul Wizards].
These Tier 2 and Tier 3 units weren't official Nether faction ratings. Su Xiao had temporarily named them for convenience, similar to the naming principle of 'evolution points' or special to third-tier lucky items.
Currently, they didn't have any evolution points, but that didn't matter. They would get them once the war with the Nether started.
Su Xiao had decided to officially start the war with the Nether forces tomorrow morning. But before that, he needed to go to Oka Star.
At 7 PM that evening, Su Xiao, along with Bubu Wang and Baha, arrived at New Star City for the first time. Looking around, the city was brightly lit and lively, but more people were preparing to move back to their homes on Oka Star.
Through Rhine·Gode's connections, Su Xiao smoothly boarded a space rail ship to Oka Star.
After a short nap on the space rail ship, they arrived. Su Xiao got off and saw a spacious arrival hall.
There weren't many people in the arrival hall. Without needing to scan, he knew they were all agents or intelligence personnel. This was the Empire's welcome ceremony. If Su Xiao were to be besieged and killed on Oka Star, Oka Star wouldn't be far from becoming a dead star.
Taking a rail car, they arrived at the Empire's power center, Hewa, in less than half an hour.
Hewa was a free zone city without walls. In previous wars, walls weren't needed.
Walking on the streets of the Imperial capital, the scene was cold and desolate. It hadn't been damaged, but a city without its population loses its vitality.
As they approached the center of the Imperial capital, the surroundings became lively again, with a sense of life. There were all kinds of people on the streets. Those with holes in their heads were clearly members of the Soul Hall.
Su Xiao, with Bubu Wang and Baha, came to a somewhat secluded pedestrian street. There were even more Soul Hall members on both sides. Finally, he stopped in front of a divination shop with a faint purple light inside.
Jingle~
Su Xiao pushed open the shop door. The sound of a silver bell was crisp. Inside the shop, a woman wearing a black robe with purple and gold thread patterns on the edges sat behind a small wooden table. She wore a hood, had thin red lips, and held a smoking pipe, exuding a mysterious and lazy aura.
"Not bad. A few days apart, and you really have the feel of a diviner."
Baha spoke. Upon hearing this, the Crimson Empress, whose hood was pulled low, revealing only the lower half of her face, smiled lazily.
"Lord Bai Ye, hello."
The Crimson Empress's aura was very different from before.
"I have a question I'd like you to divine."
Su Xiao said as he sat down. He and the Crimson Empress across from him were separated only by a small table.
"I charge a high fee."
The Crimson Empress was still smiling.
"..."
Su Xiao took out a Soul Crystal Core and placed it on the table. Seeing this, the Crimson Empress was visibly moved. She said, "What question do you want to divine? I'll tell you everything I know."
"I heard your divinations are very accurate, but I don't believe it."
Su Xiao had encountered many diviners. He didn't doubt their abilities, but they all had one thing in common: they spoke in riddles, only saying half the story.
This time, Su Xiao came to divine whether there would be any variables in the battle against the Nether. He didn't want to hear ambiguous words.
Besides, there was a score to settle with the Crimson Empress. Previously, this diviner had revealed to the outside world that Su Xiao would open the Nether Gate. It was through this that she had become famous and a guest of honor for both the Empire and the Soul Hall.
"Everyone has the right to doubt. Lord Bai Ye, before the formal divination, I can put your doubts to rest. After all, we are old friends."
The Crimson Empress was still smiling, maintaining her warmth and elegance.
"Alright then. Divine for yourself whether you will die next."
Su Xiao drew the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist and placed it on the small table in front of him. Hearing this, the Crimson Empress across from him fell silent. This question had indeed stumped her.
PS: (Promoting a friend's new book, title "One Piece: Love System".)