Chapter 51: Abyssal Shadow
On the train platform, Su Xiao locked eyes with the Betrayer several dozen meters away. Pedestrians passed between them as snowflakes drifted down. Against the backdrop of bluish-gray, frost-covered buildings, the scene carried an inexplicable sense of solemn slaughter.
Amu stood behind Su Xiao, having already unstrapped the Dragonheart Axe from his back. The blade emitted a sharp, light hum. Baha perched on Su Xiao's shoulder, its pitch-black eagle eyes sharp with dark blue light. Bubu Wang crouched beside Su Xiao's leg, baring its fangs.
"Not good. Very not good. Extremely not good."
The Northern Princess naturally saw the Betrayer, or rather the Stone Carver, several dozen meters away. In her view, if Su Xiao and the Stone Carver clashed here, the consequences would be severe.
The oppressive pressure in the air intensified until even the snowflakes seemed to freeze mid-fall. At this tense moment, the sound of orderly, dense armor clanking came from nearby. A burly man in dark gold battle armor led a group of Winter City Imperial Guards rushing over. The leading burly man was none other than the Northern Grand General.
At this moment, the Northern Grand General's steps were unavoidably hurried. Earlier, he had planned to welcome this 'honored guest' from the Alliance outside the station, not on the platform, to avoid appearing aggressive. But the problem was that his mentor and this honored guest had met here. Worse still, his mentor and this guest seemed to have old grievances. Judging by the faint but palpable aura, the sense of enemies meeting was overwhelming.
The Northern Grand General would naturally side with his mentor. But the key point wasn't whose side he took. The Northern Grand General had some guesses about his mentor's strength. He knew his mentor was strong, but he had never seen exactly how strong, because within this world, there was no opponent for his mentor.
Precisely because he knew this, the Northern Grand General, now rushing forward with his armor clanking, was even more anxious. He felt that if his mentor and Kukulin Bai Ye fought here, it wouldn't be a matter of whom he helped, but rather that the Northern capital, Winter City, might be destroyed. Just thinking about this made sweat break out on the Northern Grand General's forehead.
Before this, the Northern Grand General couldn't think of anything worse than Kukulin Bai Ye coming to Winter City. But now, he not only thought of it but also witnessed it firsthand: his mentor, the Stone Carver, was about to fight to the death with Kukulin Bai Ye here.
The Northern Grand General stopped. He glanced at his mentor a dozen meters to his left, then shifted his gaze to Su Xiao a dozen meters to his right. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Tap~
Su Xiao's hand rested on his sword hilt. Almost simultaneously, the Northern Grand General roared, "Wait!!"
After bellowing this, the Northern Grand General had already thought about where he would be buried. For Winter City today, he was risking everything.
"Silly child, I'm just here for a stroll. No need to be so tense."
The Stone Carver spoke, his voice deep with a sense of vicissitude. The next second, the wind and snow in the station suddenly intensified. A hundred-meter-tall pitch-black spatial rift tore open behind the Stone Carver, and he turned and stepped into it. Strangely, despite such a spectacular sight, the passersby nearby seemed oblivious, or rather, they couldn't see such astonishing changes at all.
The pitch-black spatial rift vanished abruptly. Seeing this, the Northern Grand General breathed a sigh of relief. The worst outcome hadn't occurred.
Su Xiao watched the disappearing spatial rift and released his hand from the sword hilt. Just moments ago, he had received several consecutive notifications.
[Warning: Betrayer·Sieman Archid has appeared within 100 meters of you.]
[Warning: Sieman Archid is in a state of wielding the 'Blade of Law Annihilation.' His overall combat power will be greatly enhanced!]
[Warning: Sieman Archid's bounty will increase from 1500 ounces of Space-Time Power (old age/severe weakness) to 35,000 ounces of Space-Time Power!]
[Due to the peak combat power of this world, while in this world, Sieman Archid's combat power will be subject to the dual fairness suppression of the Void Tree and Reincarnation Paradise. Bounty reduced to 12,000 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[Detected that the Abyss Portal in this world has been closed. Sieman Archid's combat power will be somewhat reduced. Bounty reduced to 7,500 ounces of Space-Time Power.]
[Detected that Sieman Archid is in an old age/intermittent weakness state. Bounty reduced to 1,800~3,000 ounces of Space-Time Power (determined by real-time conditions).]
...
When he saw the bounty of 35,000 ounces of Space-Time Power, Su Xiao's heart remained calm. Since he couldn't win anyway, getting excited was pointless. Only by staying calm could he think of more solutions. However, after reading the subsequent notifications, he knew that while this was a desperate struggle, there was still a slim chance.
Especially after enhancing himself with the Golden Secret Medicine, having Dragon-Slaying Flash devour two indestructible Abyss Spawns, deeply awakening the 'Spirit Shadow Constitution' to greatly increase his survivability by another level, and finally obtaining the 'Contract Object' to raise his near-death health cap.
With all these improvements accumulated, Su Xiao's strength was now incomparable to when he first entered this world. Additionally, through his transaction with Kaisa, he had secured a crucial insurance policy. If he dared not fight a life-or-death battle with the Abyssal Shadow in his old age with all these factors combined, how would he deal with the various assassinations from Arcane Eternal Star later?
"Dean Bai Ye, welcome to Winter City."
The Northern Grand General spoke expressionlessly, then turned and left with his subordinates, his hostility undisguised. It was clear that the Northern Grand General deeply respected his mentor.
As soon as the Northern Grand General left the train station, he said to his subordinate skilled in tracking, "Keep an eye on him. Whether he approaches the palace or my mentor's old residence, notify me immediately. If the opportunity is right, find a way to poison him..."
Before the Northern Grand General could finish, a thin, translucent short knife was already pressed against his neck. This made him frown and say, "I'm not in the mood for jokes right now. Take it away."
The one pressing the crystalline short knife against the Northern Grand General was a petite woman wearing a black metal mask. She spoke with a smile, "Master told me to tell you: live well, don't court death."
Hearing this, the Northern Grand General frowned deeper and said in a deep voice, "You should know my adjutant's poisoning skills. He..."
"Pfft~"
The petite masked woman couldn't help but laugh. She said with a hint of mockery, "Mm, go ahead and let your adjutant try to poison the strongest alchemist recognized in the void. Trust your adjutant; he'll definitely be killed in retaliation."
After hearing this, the Northern Grand General was silent for a long time. Just as he was about to say one last thing, the masked woman spoke first, "You don't think Master will lose, do you?"
No sooner had the masked woman spoken than a loud boom came from the direction of the back city. Surging darkness rose into the sky, gradually thinning between heaven and earth until it completely dissipated. The sky, which had been overcast and snowing moments ago, was now cloudless. All the clouds above Winter City had been evaporated by the fleeting darkness.
...
Winter City, West District, a three-story luxury mansion.
"This is my home. Make yourselves at home. I'm not being polite."
Having said that, the Northern Princess comfortably leaned back on a single sofa. Compared to Kus City in the Alliance, she still preferred it here. Every time she returned, she felt a sense of security.
"With your wealth, living here is considered low-key."
Baha spoke while looking around at the various antique furnishings on the second floor. Hearing this, the Northern Princess narrowed her eyes with a smile. Whenever she showed this expression, it meant she was about to casually flaunt her financial power.
"Stop. Are you going to say that all the nearby shops are yours?"
Baha predicted. Upon hearing this, the Northern Princess smiled modestly and said, "Of course not. Just the two nearby blocks are my property."
"Damn it."
Baha stopped paying attention to the Northern Princess to avoid being affected by her financial power again.
Su Xiao sat down and entered a meditative state, extending his perception. He found no one monitoring them, which was different from what he had expected. Given the Northern Grand General's attitude, he should have sent spies.
More than ten minutes later, Su Xiao felt something lightly bump his leg. It was Bubu Wang, who had returned and emerged from stealth.
"Woof."
"Mm."
"Woof woof."
"No need to keep watching from now on."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang nodded. This smooth conversation left the Northern Princess beside them utterly bewildered.
Ignoring the Northern Princess, Su Xiao already knew from the intelligence Bubu Wang brought back why the Betrayer, Sieman Archid, had appeared at the train station today.
Just now, in the North District of Winter City, where royalty, powerful ministers, and wealthy people lived, an area heavily guarded by the Imperial Guard, an attack had occurred.
Two high-ranking officials of the Northern Empire had died in this attack. Their status was second only to the Northern Monarch. One could imagine the severity of the matter. Surprisingly, both the Northern Monarch and other royalty chose to ignore the incident.
Although these two had many enemies, the number of people who could kill them in Winter City was very limited. Interestingly, it was these two who had ordered the Northern Grand General to be recalled.
They had just begun their plan to set a trap for the Northern Grand General when they died on the spot. This was most likely the work of the Betrayer, Sieman Archid.
Combined with Su Xiao encountering Sieman Archid at the train station today, Su Xiao was actually puzzled as to why the other party had voluntarily shown himself. Now it seemed that was a statement, telling Su Xiao that they would settle things with a life-or-death battle, skipping the troublesome stage of scheming against each other. However, in return, Su Xiao could not kill the other's disciple, the Northern Grand General.
Although the Northern Grand General was renowned, he wouldn't be much of a match against Su Xiao. First, consider the ranking of strong individuals in this world:
First: The Betrayer.
Second: The Archbishop of the Abyss.
Third: The Radiant God.
Fourth: The Sand King.
Fifth: Tessa.
Sixth: The Northern Grand General.
...
Tessa was on their side, so she wasn't counted. This meant that aside from the top-ranked Betrayer, Sieman Archid, all the strong individuals above the Northern Grand General had been eliminated by Su Xiao. Under such circumstances, the outcome of the Northern Grand General facing Su Xiao was predictable.
Why did the Northern Monarch choose to pretend not to see the Betrayer, Sieman Archid, killing two high-ranking Northern officials? This was a very wise choice. First, the Northern region was about to enter winter. The Icefield Wolf Tribe, War Bear Tribe, and other beast tribes on the border great icefield would soon be plundering villages and towns on the edge of the Northern Empire due to food shortages. Every year at this time, the Northern Grand General was needed to hold the line.
Although the Northern Grand General's reputation wasn't enough to prevent the icefield beast tribes from coming, it at least ensured they would only steal food and not eat civilians. If food was stolen, Winter City and other major cities could provide some stored grain to the plundered villages and towns. But if civilians were eaten by the beast tribes, that would be a blood feud.
This was one reason the Northern Monarch chose to ignore the matter. More importantly, the Northern Monarch knew that before the Northern Empire was established, Sieman Archid was already an untouchable strongman in this world. The latter half of this guy's life was even more ancient than the Northern Empire's history. Provoking him was simply courting death.
Dong dong dong~
As Su Xiao pondered, a tapping sound came from the window glass. It was a pitch-black bird. With a bang, the bird exploded, and the darkness it turned into formed several Void characters on the glass:
'Snowfield Ruins.'
Su Xiao turned his gaze to the Northern Princess. She said, "The Snowfield Ruins are the main base of the Parasite Insect Tribe, deep in the icefield."
"Parasite Insect Tribe?"
Baha looked suspicious. He hadn't heard of this race in this world before.
"Simply put, it's the Northern version of the Dark God Cult."
The Northern Princess's words explained the Parasite Insect Tribe simply and clearly. Baha beside her guessed, "So, Sieman Archid is colluding with the Parasite Insect Tribe? He wants us to go there for a final battle?"
"I'm not sure about that," the Northern Princess thought for a moment and continued, "It takes at least a day to travel to the icefield. But there's a space tower in the North District that connects to the vicinity of the icefield. When do we set off?"
"Now."
Su Xiao stood up and walked out of the mansion.
North District, Side Street, inside the space tower.
Clack clack clack~
Baha adjusted the spatial scale wheel in front of the teleportation platform. When the position was locked, the teleportation began.
Spatial fluctuations gathered and dispersed. When the surrounding scenery became clear again, they were inside a somewhat old, frost-covered space tower.
Su Xiao walked out of the space tower and found himself in a snow-covered town. On the streets, where the snow hadn't been cleared thoroughly, there were quite a few pedestrians, mostly carrying large bundles and dressed like hunters.
Although towns near the edge faced the risk of being plundered by beast tribes, the townspeople could also enter the icefield to plunder the beast tribes in return.
The Northern Princess, acting as a guide, started getting lost just a few minutes after leaving the town. Regarding the location of the 'Snowfield Ruins,' she had been extremely confident earlier, but after leaving the town, she became increasingly uncertain.
At first, Baha mistakenly thought the Northern Princess was a spy. It wasn't until Su Xiao asked her which direction was west, and she resolutely pointed south, that they basically confirmed the Northern Princess wasn't a spy—she was just directionally challenged. Since she usually either had a chauffeur drive her or stayed in urban areas, she had never realized she couldn't tell east from west.
Just as Su Xiao was about to return to the town to find a guide, several dark figures rushed toward them through the wind and snow, getting closer. Their robust physiques and enduring, fast running made it a pity they weren't pulling sleds.
In the wind and snow, several Icefield Bear Tribe members who had spotted prey stopped. When they got within a certain range of Su Xiao, they began to sense something was wrong.
"Roar!"
The bear leader roared, saliva stringing between its fangs, fully displaying the savagery of a wild beast.
A moment later, several icefield bears, beaten until their eyeballs were bloodshot and their noses were bloody, were tied with ropes. Their bear leader had already been cleaved by Amu.
The bears pulled the sled quickly. Since this was the beast tribe's territory, there was naturally no risk of getting lost. An hour later, through the sky full of wind and snow, they could vaguely see a ruin ahead. The Snowfield Ruins had arrived.
Su Xiao stood up from the sled. Before even entering the Snowfield Ruins, he could faintly sense the bloody smell permeating the air. When he walked among the broken walls of the ruins, he saw mutated humanoid corpses scattered everywhere. It was clear that these corpses had mutated before death, or rather, this was what the Parasite Insect Tribe looked like.
When Su Xiao reached the innermost hall of the ruins, a thick bloody smell hit him. He walked into the hall and saw piles of Parasite Insect Tribe corpses on both sides. From the dried bloodstains, they had been killed several days ago. All the wounds were from blades. More precisely, one person had wiped out all the Parasite Insect Tribe.
At the innermost part of the hall, a teleportation array was emitting a faint light, in a standby activation state. Su Xiao walked over and found the array looked familiar. It was actually a Demon Tribe teleportation array.
"Boss, wait a moment."
Baha spread his wings and began using his spatial ability to perceive the situation on the other side.
"That side isn't in the Northern region. Judging by the climate, it's a large forest. Mm~, it's deep in the Bal Great Forest. There's only one person's aura there. No spatial traps detected."
"..."
Su Xiao stepped onto the teleportation array and activated it.
Boom!
With an explosion, the surrounding space shattered. After a few seconds, the shattered space gradually reassembled. The cold wind of the Northern region was gone, replaced by the suitable climate of the 'Bal Great Forest' and the scent of plants.
Su Xiao looked around and found himself on a circular field about 100 meters in diameter. The ground was paved with earthy yellow stone slabs. Surrounding the area were dozens of meters tall tree walls, completely enclosing the place. These tree walls were exceptionally dense and compact but had all withered. From the slightly charred marks, this circular tree wall was often struck by lightning.
At this moment, several dozen meters directly in front of Su Xiao, the Betrayer, Sieman Archid, was dressed in loose gray-white clothing with wide sleeves. In his hand was a long sword in its sheath. However, this Blade of Law Annihilation was a section longer than Dragon-Slaying Flash. Given the Betrayer's height of nearly two meters thirty, this sword suited him perfectly.
Zheng~
Both Blades of Law Annihilation were drawn simultaneously. The intangible aura between the two men caused the gravel on the ground to float up, gradually drifting into the air.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck down from the overcast sky, hitting the circular tree wall on the right. This caused all the tree walls surrounding the battlefield to spark with embers, which drifted across the field, creating a spectacular sight.
Amidst the large swaths of embers drifting across the battlefield, Su Xiao and Sieman Archid stood with their blades drawn. The death match between the Shadow of Law Destruction and the Abyssal Shadow was about to begin.
---
One Day Delay
I've reached the final battle chapter of this world. In such situations, I usually write a long chapter to maintain reading fluency. However, given my current physical condition, writing a long chapter in one day is quite difficult. Therefore, there will be no update today. Tomorrow, I will update a long chapter, ensuring that this battle is completed in one chapter. I hope my dear readers will understand.
"Reincarnation Paradise" One Day Delay
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