Chapter 29: The Origin Mirror
A train covered in scars and dents, its cars pockmarked with damage, rumbled along the tracks. Given the patchwork repairs visible across the train, it was a miracle it could still run.
"Have those assassins all pulled back? Since noon, I haven't seen them show up again."
Veronica, sitting atop the train car, spoke up. Beside her, the Red-Eyed Woman, wrapped in bandages stained with blood, remained silent.
Further ahead, Dray exhaled a large puff of smoke. He stubbed out the last stub of his cigar against the metal roof and said, "We should have driven them off. Next, we just need to head to the royal capital, meet up with the Dean, and discuss how to deal with Black Rose."
"There's no need for that anymore."
Dragon God Dean stood up from the train roof. Having temporarily joined the Dawn Team, he had already received word that Su Xiao and the Platinum Archbishop had achieved victory in the royal capital.
Before Dray could respond, the communicator in his pocket rang. He answered, grunted a few affirmations, and then hung up.
"He's right. The royal capital is handled. We won."
"So what do we do now? Keep traveling like this, or…?"
Veronica looked conflicted. Throughout the journey, she had rarely fought, spending most of her time repairing the train.
"The Dean gave us two options. One is to have his Flame Dragon come pick us up."
"No way. I'd be in danger."
The Red-Eyed Woman refused outright. She and the Storm Flame Dragon Dis were completely incompatible.
"Then we'll take this train to the royal capital. The Dean will stay there for two to three days, and then we'll all use the teleportation array to return to the Alliance."
At the final words, everyone on the train except Dean wore grim expressions.
Dean leaped down from the roof. He had taken on a mission to participate in this affair, and since the mission was complete, there was no reason to linger.
Not long after Dean left, Veronica, still sitting on the train, spotted a figure sitting on a distant cliff. As the train drew closer, the sense of danger grew stronger.
*Clang!*
A water blade sliced diagonally past Veronica's ear, sending a chill down her spine. The deathly pressure from that water blade was overwhelming.
*Clang! Clang!*
Two more paper-thin water blades cut through. The train shattered, and the five people on top landed steadily, their eyes fixed on the man on the cliff.
"I have no personal grudge against any of you, only opposing stances. If you are willing to tell me where Hatred is, I won't need to fight you to the death. I originally planned to go to the royal capital to find your Dean, but I ran into you all on the way, so I thought I'd ask."
The blind man spoke in a gentle tone. Though he wasn't aggressive, his presence felt like a hand squeezing their hearts.
"No comment."
Silverface replied, subtly gesturing for the others to retreat. The enemy they faced now was on a completely different level from the assassination squads they had encountered before.
"Is that so? What a pity."
The blind man stood up and leaped down from the cliff. The moment he landed, the terrain within several kilometers around him instantly dried out. Plants turned to ash, mountains crumbled into gravel, and the soil became fine sand.
The blind man, known as Water Bro, sat casually on the sand. His right hand half-sank into the ground, and an ancient, full-length mirror appeared behind him.
Seeing this, Veronica immediately set up her sniper cannon, aimed, locked, and fired.
*Boom!!*
A shockwave radiated from Veronica, kicking up sand within a dozen meters. A spiraling bullet broke through the bounds of space and vanished, reappearing just in front of Water Bro's forehead.
*Slap~!*
The spiraling bullet pierced through Water Bro's forehead, leaving a crack like a broken mirror. But as the cracks on the Origin Mirror behind him healed, the crack on Water Bro's forehead also disappeared.
Almost simultaneously, Veronica felt a sharp pain shoot up from her feet, through her legs, and straight toward her torso.
*Bang!*
Silverface delivered an uppercut to Veronica's chin, sending her flying upward. As she rose, countless water threads, as fine as hair, were pulled out from her legs, having extended from the sand.
Each thread was as thin as a strand of hair. If Silverface had been a moment slower, allowing those threads to reach Veronica's heart, she would have died. What made it worse was that these threads were completely undetectable, even to Silverface's perception. He could only rely on combat experience and instinct.
"Don't touch the sand on the ground. Find the enemy's true position."
As Silverface spoke, he leaped onto the remaining wreckage of the train. He noticed that the enemy's ability seemed ineffective against metal.
*Clang!*
A paper-thin water blade shot toward the Beast Knight. He raised his scepter to smash it, but his body suddenly froze. The reason: the blood of living beings contains a large amount of water.
*Shlash!*
The water blade sliced through the Beast Knight's neck. His towering figure stiffened, and a moment later, his head fell.
*Thud.*
The Beast Knight's headless body collapsed onto the sand, lifeless.
Seeing this, Silverface narrowed his eyes. The situation was dire. More troublesome than the enemy's annoying ability was the inability to locate the enemy's true position. The figure sitting a hundred meters away in front of the ancient mirror was just an illusion.
Silverface extended the arm blades on his forearms. He cut wounds on his shoulders, ribs, and back, letting blood flow out at a moderate pace.
A paper-thin water blade shot toward Silverface's neck. At the same time, he felt his blood suddenly stop moving, freezing him in place. This was why the Beast Knight had died so easily.
*Crack!*
Silverface dodged sideways. A large amount of his blood burst out through the wounds he had pre-cut, preventing him from being frozen.
The water blade left a black scar in the air before dissolving in the distance.
Meanwhile, the severed head of the Beast Knight rolled off the train wreckage toward his headless body.
A large hand reached out and caught the head with a *smack*. It was the Beast Knight's headless body, now standing. Instead of reattaching the head, he threw it toward Water Bro.
*Bang!*
A thin but indestructible water blade deflected the incoming head. The head, still encased in its metal helmet, flew back to the Beast Knight's feet. He picked it up and pressed it back onto his severed neck. Fine black tendrils spread, and the wound healed instantly.
Silverface's pupils contracted at the sight. He suppressed his doubts and refocused on Water Bro.
The figure in front of the Origin Mirror was impossible to distinguish as real or fake. The sand within several kilometers was infested with water tendrils that attacked on contact. Flying was even more dangerous, as crisscrossing water threads in the air could shred anything.
Unable to find the enemy, unable to stand on the ground, unable to fly, they were forced to stay on limited footholds while dodging attacks. Each dodge required either being frozen in place or pre-cutting wounds to lose enough blood to avoid being frozen. The situation for Silverface and the others was dire.
A red light flared. An overwhelming pulling force emanated from the Red-Eyed Woman, dragging Dray, Veronica, Silverface, and the Beast Knight into it. Just before the red vortex vanished completely, a water blade sliced through, severing one of the Red-Eyed Woman's forearms without resistance. The water blade was so sharp that even the Beast Knight's armor couldn't stop it, let alone flesh and blood.
Half a minute later.
"ROAR!!"
A dragon's roar came from the distance. Water Bro frowned, sensing the approaching aura. He nodded, realizing that the Dean Bai Ye he had encountered was no coincidence but an "old friend."
"I've wanted to test my strength against you for a long time. Since the opportunity presents itself, even if I lose, dying by your hand is no disgrace. Hunter Bai Ye."
Water Bro stood up, removed the loose clothing from his upper body, and with a series of *clacks*, the metal seals on his body were released one by one. Rings and clasps fell onto the sand. Against Su Xiao, Water Bro would naturally enter his fully released state.
Just as Water Bro prepared for a life-or-death battle with Su Xiao, a figure approached. In Water Bro's perception, this person wore a jar on his head, was short and scrawny, and exuded a sense of cunning and deceit.
The seals that had just fallen from Water Bro's body clicked back into place on their own. He picked up his clothes with one hand, turned, and stepped into the Origin Mirror behind him. Water Bro had a hobby of fighting strong opponents, but he wasn't suicidal. Fighting Su Xiao alone was one thing, but facing both Su Xiao and Kaisa at the same time? He chose to retreat.
*Boom!*
A several-meter-wide blast of storm dragon flame descended from above, engulfing the Origin Mirror. Others might hesitate to attack a "Daddy-level" artifact, but Su Xiao, already carrying two such artifacts, couldn't care less about the Origin Mirror.
The dragon flame struck, creating a massive crater where the sand was vitrified by the intense heat.
When the flame stopped, both the Origin Mirror and Water Bro had vanished. In the past, the Origin Mirror wouldn't have retreated so easily from such provocation. But now, with the Abyssal Jar, Soul Crown, and Nether Bone Ring present, along with the strong causal link to the Necronomicon on Su Xiao, it was no wonder the Origin Mirror left so decisively.
Su Xiao leaped down from the dragon's back. He had received Dray's distress signal and ridden the Storm Flame Dragon at full speed to reach this place.
He approached the spot where the Red-Eyed Woman and the others had vanished. Red light particles still lingered in the air, and strong spatial fluctuations permeated the area.
"This is the Red-Eyed Woman's incomplete ability. It creates a rapidly activating random spatial force field, teleporting herself and nearby beings far away."
The Platinum Archbishop, who had come along, explained.
"How random?"
Su Xiao pinched a red light particle in the air. It slowly dissipated.
"Random enough that no one knows how far they've been sent. She only uses this ability as a last resort."
The Platinum Archbishop tried to lock onto the positions of the Red-Eyed Woman and the Beast Knight, but his perception sank into the lingering spatial fluctuations like a stone into the sea.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Border, Endless Snowfield.
Dray, Silverface, Veronica, the Beast Knight, and the weakened Red-Eyed Woman stood in the wind and snow. Their faces showed nothing but bewilderment.
...
Saint Lan Kingdom, Royal Capital.
The Storm Flame Dragon landed in the palace's rear courtyard. Su Xiao descended along the dragon's wing and entered a three-story building he was temporarily staying in. It wasn't luxurious, but it was quiet enough.
Su Xiao sat on the sofa. Today's events didn't feel like an accident. According to Bubu Wang's tracking of scents and auras, Water Bro had come from the direction of the Alliance, likely tracking all the way here. Judging by the direction, he was probably heading to the royal capital.
This suggested that Water Bro wasn't trying to ambush Silverface and the others but might be targeting him. In Su Xiao's view, there were two possibilities: 1. Water Bro had taken a bounty mission on him from the Death Paradise Ranger Guild. 2. Water Bro was after him because of his identity as the Dean of the Asylum.
Su Xiao leaned toward the latter. If it were the former, Water Bro wouldn't need to intercept Silverface and the others.
If this reasoning held, Water Bro was investigating or searching for something only the Asylum possessed. Aside from the few dangerous criminals in the third basement level, Su Xiao couldn't think of anything else in the Asylum worth such effort.
First, rule out the indestructible Abyss Spawn and the Raging Shark, both of which had been eliminated or killed. As a Death Ranger from Death Paradise, Water Bro's target would be tied to a mission. If the target was dead, the mission would fail, and none of this would have happened.
Next, rule out the Lion King. His crimes were severe, but after his underground organization was dismantled, his personal value and the secrets he knew were limited.
Temporarily rule out the Mind Master as well. While Water Bro's target could be the Mind Master, the probability was less than 10%.
That left only the Female Demon and Hatred. The Female Demon's mimicry ability could accomplish things that were otherwise difficult, such as impersonating a high-ranking Alliance councilor, which led to her arrest.
As for Hatred, there were too many unknowns. Su Xiao had even suspected that Hatred might be one of the two indestructible Abyss Spawns in this world, but after several observations and perceptions, he hadn't detected anything unusual.
Clearly, Water Bro hadn't let the partial power of a "Daddy-level" artifact go to his head, as he hadn't directly attacked the Asylum.
If this was the case, the conflict with Water Bro stemmed from opposing factions and missions. This was the least concerning outcome. As long as there was no personal vendetta, they wouldn't fight to the death.
Water Bro had lost in the previous Eighth Rank World Battle, but that was because his faction was absurdly stacked. According to the MVP Illusionist on Su Xiao's side, if it weren't for a group ganging up on him, luring him away, and most importantly, Kaisa's arrival, the outcome might have been different. Water Bro alone had nearly taken on over a hundred contractors from Holy Light Paradise and then subdued those from Watchful Paradise. Water Bro was already strong, and with the Origin Mirror, he had undergone a qualitative transformation.
Interestingly, both Su Xiao and Water Bro had entered this world on their first Ninth Rank world progress.
Su Xiao decided to ignore Water Bro for now. Compared to the time spent hunting him down, continuing the Hunt List was more efficient. Once the Hunt List was complete, he would have ample energy to settle things with Water Bro.
Su Xiao checked the Hunt List. Three targets remained: the Usurper, the Defector, and the Betrayer. The Usurper had been dead for years, and the Ghost Clan Prophet had promised to reveal the Usurper's burial site, but the time wasn't right.
That left the Defector Sand King and the final Betrayer. Su Xiao opened his mission list.
[Main Mission Third Ring Choice (Completed).]
[You have received Origin Stones x3.]
...
Su Xiao hadn't skipped a single ring of this main mission. Not because he couldn't, but because the Origin Stones were too valuable. Skipping would reduce the completion rate of certain rings.
[Based on your current resources, you have triggered a branching stage of the main mission. You may choose one of the following main missions.]
[Main Mission Kill the Sand King.]
[Mission Reward: Origin Stones x5.]
[Main Mission Kill the Mad King (Requires the Soul Crown to trigger this mission).]
[Mission Reward: Origin Stones x9.]
[You may only choose one of the above main missions.]
...
Two choices lay before him. The first branch likely involved fighting the Sand King and his legions. In that case, the Sand King's combat power would correspond to a bounty of 800 ounces of Space-Time Power.
The second choice involved using the Soul Crown to drive the Sand King mad. This was something the Soul Crown could definitely do. Ordinary people who obtained the Soul Crown were often seduced by the Bone Throne and the authority it symbolized.
The Soul Crown had a trait: the stronger the wielder, the more it stirred their inner desires, amplifying them without limit. For a tyrant like the Sand King, the moment he laid eyes on the Soul Crown, his descent into madness was inevitable.
This would cause the Sand King's legions to collapse in a short time. Su Xiao might not even need to do anything. In contrast, the Mad King he would face would be far more powerful, but he would lack guards or attendants.
[You have accepted the main mission Kill the Mad King (Fourth Ring).]
[Warning: If this mission fails in its early stages, you will automatically accept the main mission Kill the Sand King (Fourth Ring), and the mission reward will be reduced by 50%, with the mission time limit reduced by 25%.]
...
"Baha, have you locked onto their position?"
Su Xiao picked up a cup of tea, took a sip of Maple Tea, and looked at Baha beside him.
"Done. Silverface and the others should be in the Northern Border. It'll take at least five days for them to get back."
"Mm."
Su Xiao took another sip of tea, deciding to let Silverface and the others return on their own. The early stages of the journey to the Desert Kingdom didn't require much combat power. Before dealing with the Sand King, Su Xiao planned to visit the Scorching Desert to check the giant meteor crater for enough Solar Flame to activate the [Blazing Sun Disk].
"Woof."
Bubu Wang suddenly barked, projecting an image onto the wall. It showed Black A fighting dozens of members of the Dawn God Cult. The fight wasn't because of anything Black A had done, but because of the long-standing enmity between the Dawn God Cult and the Dark God Cult. Remember, Black A's current body originally belonged to the Dark Saint.
With this identity coming to the royal capital, the Dawn God Cult members were furious. It was a classic case of low damage but high insult. They immediately sent members to surround Black A until he was exhausted and then imprisoned him.
As for why they didn't kill Black A, the Dark God Cult wasn't to be trifled with. Killing their Dark Saint over such a matter would mean years of trouble for the Dawn God Cult. Plus, the Dawn God Cult's current deity had recently ascended, so they didn't want to stir up trouble. Capturing Black A alive was the best option.
Learning that Black A had been beaten up and imprisoned, Su Xiao felt a bit relieved. He had forgotten to inform the High Priest about Black A's arrival, a pure oversight.
"Boss, didn't you tell the High Priest that Black A was coming?"
"Oh, I forgot."
"Uh..."
Baha scratched his head with his wing, feeling something was off. His boss's memory should be excellent.
"Boss, what now? Should we ask the High Priest to release him?"
"We'll go there."
Su Xiao wanted to see how far Black A had developed. Black A's growth rate was above average. If Black A had reached the second or third stage, he could bring out the [World Ring] tonight and let the five Devourers compete for it.
Su Xiao took out the [World Ring]. Without a doubt, whoever seized the [World Ring] tonight would gain a massive advantage, with a 70% chance of becoming the final victor.
...
Dawn God Cult Main Cathedral, Basement Level Four.
The dark prison was damp and cold. In the innermost cell, Black A sat on a filthy, rat-gnawed wooden bench, wearing shackles covered in light patterns. The dungeon couldn't hold him, but these shackles could.
Beside Black A was Weiwei, who had a black eye from being beaten. The little girl looked indignant, muttering, "When I get out of here, I'll wipe you all out."
*Clang!*
The heavy iron door of the prison opened. A dozen Dawn God Cult members entered, turning on lights and tidying up the corridor.
"Look, why didn't you say so earlier? This is a mess, catching our own people. This way, it's just ahead."
The High Priest's voice came as he led the way down the prison steps. Flanked by several Dawn God Cult high-ranking members, Su Xiao, accompanied by Bubu Wang, descended the stairs.
In the innermost cell, Black A shot to his feet, startling Weiwei, who had been watching. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Black A didn't answer, only straining harder against his shackles.
"You could use all the strength you've got, and you still wouldn't break those."
Baha, who had flown over, spoke. Black A stood before the metal bars, still silent, but his gaze grew sharper.
The approaching High Priest said, "Bai Ye, about today, if I just release him, it won't look good. Even as the High Priest, I can't just..."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak, letting the High Priest figure it out himself.
"Fine, fine, fine, release him. I can't deal with you. I'll just avoid you from now on."
The High Priest signaled his men to release the prisoners. Soon, the cell door opened, and Black A and a bewildered Weiwei were freed.
The group walked out of the prison, took an elevator to the main cathedral's first floor, and parted ways with the High Priest. Su Xiao left the cathedral, walking down a wide but secluded street, with Black A and Weiwei following behind.
"Black A, who is that?"
Weiwei whispered, still confused. She had thought they were doomed, but they were released so easily.
On the street, Black A didn't answer. He grinned, revealing jagged fangs, and suddenly lunged at Su Xiao, who had his back to him. He wanted to test how far he still had to go.
*Boom!!*
Weiwei was pushed back by the wind pressure. When she looked ahead in a panic, Black A was gone.
*Dong~!*
A bell rang from an ancient clock tower several kilometers away. Weiwei squinted, seeing what seemed to be a figure embedded in the clock.
Baha spread his wings and activated the temporary spatial mark on Black A, teleporting him back from several kilometers away. The moment he returned, Black A dropped to one knee and vomited a mouthful of blood.
"Impossible, you..."
Before Black A could finish, Su Xiao delivered another side kick, sending him flying again. The ancient clock tower rang out once more with a *dong*.
Seeing this, Weiwei was enraged, grinding her teeth and baring her small fangs.
"Ungrateful brat."
Su Xiao turned and walked toward the palace. Hearing this, Weiwei, who had been ready to fight to the death, immediately calmed down. She seemed to realize who this was.