Chapter 10: Cards
On the seventh floor of the Watcher's Tower, Su Xiao walked through a gallery. After passing a long corridor lined with paintings on both walls, he arrived at a luxurious gaming hall.
Many translucent souls were inside the gaming hall. Some of them had expressions of enjoyment as they tasted wine, others held good cards and laughed heartily, and one was tightly clutching a crystalline card as if it were his everything. All these vivid scenes remained frozen in time.
A faint crisp sound of ice cubes dropping into a wine glass came, followed by the sound of wine being poured, spreading and filling the gaps between the ice. With this sound, everything around dissolved into bubbles and vanished.
At the very core of the gaming hall was a small but exceptionally exquisite card table, set for two people sitting opposite each other. On the other side sat a man with closed eyes, holding a wine glass, a smile on his face.
When this man opened his eyes, he gave off a strange feeling. It was as if those eyes weren't his own, but ones he had taken from someone else, so they couldn't reflect the light of his soul. If normal eyes were windows to the soul, then this man's eyes were like pitch-black, sealed windows.
That's right, this was the controller of the Apostle Game, the Eyeless Apostle. His eyes were indeed taken from those who lost to him.
"Several guests, please sit down."
As soon as the Eyeless Apostle finished speaking, chairs appeared behind Su Xiao, Zuiyasi, Wude, and the others. This was the Eyeless Apostle's warning—here, he was the absolute controller.
Seeing this, Su Xiao wasn't worried; instead, he felt relieved. The Eyeless Apostle was indeed the controller of this floor, but to obtain such control under the Void Tree's arbitration, there must be restrictions. And these restrictions meant the Eyeless Apostle had to follow the rules.
"For the fairness of the game, before it begins, you all need to draw an order."
As the Eyeless Apostle spoke, a disc with seven numbers appeared in front of Wude. Wude sat on the far left. As the disc spun, Wude eventually drew number 6, and the area on the disc corresponding to number 6 turned blank.
After a round of drawing, the final order was: Shadow Devourer was 1, Bubu Wang was 2, Amu was 3, Zuiyasi was 4, Baha was 5, Wude was 6, and Su Xiao was 7.
This number determined the order of playing against the Eyeless Apostle. As the result appeared, Shadow Devourer's seat moved forward, stopping at the card table, sitting opposite the Eyeless Apostle. The others' seats also moved forward slightly.
"Each of our chips comes from ourselves, or from things that belong to us. For example, my trophy, the Mimic."
The Eyeless Apostle raised his hand, and a crystalline card appeared between his index and middle fingers. He placed this card on the table.
The rules of the Apostle Game were simple. Participants could seal everything they owned—equipment, Soul Coins, even the abilities they mastered—into cards to gamble against their opponent.
Whether it was a weapon card or a wealth card, once formed, the card would have a corresponding star rating. Comparing star ratings was the key to winning or losing the game. Of course, this didn't mean whoever had more equipment and Soul Coins would win.
In each game, each person could generate up to ten cards, with star ratings from 1 to 10. Each round, both sides would play one card. The winner took the loser's card, until one side lost all their cards and lost the game.
However, there was one rule: each person could only have one 10-star card when forming their cards. Other cards, even if they sealed very powerful equipment or abilities, could only reach a maximum of 9 stars.
Could you keep using that 10-star card in your hand? Of course, but there was a problem: once the opponent also played a 10-star card, the two 10-star cards would enter a stalemate, temporarily staying on the table. Both sides would then play another card, and whoever had the higher star rating would take all the cards on the table.
So that 10-star card in your hand was the key to victory or defeat. Once you lost that 10-star card, you would lose.
Shadow Devourer at the card table began forming cards. Gray mist surged, blocking Su Xiao's view. When the mist cleared, Shadow Devourer, now empty-handed, sat there with a look of unwillingness, his shark-like teeth grinding audibly.
*Slap~*
The Eyeless Apostle placed a card on the table. The pattern on the card was a dark primal core—it was actually Shadow Devourer's core ability, Dark Half-Beast Transformation.
Shadow Devourer had lost his core ability to the Eyeless Apostle. It was easy to imagine how unwilling he was now. His pitch-black eyes, lined with white streaks, narrowed, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Again!"
"Very well, as you wish, esteemed guest."
The Eyeless Apostle's smile became even more friendly. Ten cards appeared in his hand, then he spread them out and neatly arranged them on the table. Seeing this, Shadow Devourer once again formed cards from his remaining abilities. A wall of gray mist rose again, enveloping Shadow Devourer, the Eyeless Apostle, and the card table.
More than ten minutes later, when the gray mist dissipated, Shadow Devourer had vanished. Only the Eyeless Apostle remained, a card pinched between his fingers. He slapped the card onto the table with a *slap*. The pattern inside the card was clearly Shadow Devourer, his face full of unwillingness.
"Next guest, please."
As soon as the Eyeless Apostle finished speaking, the seat under Bubu Wang brought him to the card table. Gray mist surged.
A few minutes later, the gray mist disappeared. Bubu Wang was nowhere to be seen, and the Eyeless Apostle's cards had increased from one to two—one sealed Shadow Devourer, the other sealed Bubu Wang.
"Next."
The Eyeless Apostle spoke, no longer as polite as before. Amu was brought to the card table by his seat. Gray mist surged.
When the gray mist disappeared, Amu was also gone. In the Eyeless Apostle's hand, there were now three cards.
This time it was Zuiyasi's turn. After arriving at the card table, Zuiyasi turned to look at Su Xiao and Wude and said, "This round, I will definitely win."
Gray mist surged. A few minutes later, it disappeared. The Eyeless Apostle's cards increased to four, which of course included the "definitely winning" Zuiyasi. It seemed his bravado had failed.
Now it was Baha's turn. The game began, gray mist surged. A few minutes later, the gray mist disappeared, and Baha vanished along with it. The Eyeless Apostle's cards reached five.
Su Xiao and Wude exchanged a glance. Wude's seat moved forward, stopping at the card table. Gray mist surged.
This time, a full half hour passed before the gray mist gradually dissipated. The smile on the Eyeless Apostle's face was completely gone. His hand, clutching six cards, squeezed them until they creaked. As if just realizing the mist had cleared, the Eyeless Apostle's smile returned.
"Law Destroyer, it's just the two of us now. Do you want to forfeit? If you forfeit, I'll let your three followers go."
The Eyeless Apostle placed the cards sealing Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha on the table.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He took out [Origin Stone: World (4/5)] and [Reincarnation: Glory Emblem] and other items from his storage space. Seeing this, greed flickered in the Eyeless Apostle's eyes.
Gray mist surged around them. Su Xiao tried to form cards. He first sealed [Dragon-Slaying Flash] into a card. As his core weapon, the Immortal Rank +16 Dragon-Slaying Flash immediately became a 10-star card. It seemed the star rating of a card wasn't just based on its own value, but also its importance to the holder.
Since he already had a 10-star card, when Su Xiao sealed [Origin Stone: World (4/5)] and [Reincarnation: Glory Emblem] into cards, these could only become 9-star cards at most.
Soon, Su Xiao had ten cards in his hand. The back patterns of these cards were the same. On the inside, whatever was sealed would show its pattern.
The surrounding gray mist dissipated. The Eyeless Apostle opposite him also held ten cards. If Su Xiao lost to him, it wouldn't just mean failing the Watcher's Tower challenge—it would mean Su Xiao's team was nearly wiped out here, leaving only Kaisa, who had been eliminated earlier, and Beini in Sanctuary City.
"Law Destroyer, it's not too late to regret."
The Eyeless Apostle said this, but he had already placed his first card face down on the table. Seeing this, Su Xiao took out the 10-star card representing Dragon-Slaying Flash and placed it face down.
After both sides made their choices, the cards flipped up on their own. Su Xiao's side had the 10-star card Dragon-Slaying Flash, while the Eyeless Apostle also played a 10-star card, named Mimic. This was a draw, so both 10-star cards were left on the table.
"An expected start. The next card is very important. Think carefully, Law Destroyer."
The Eyeless Apostle smiled as he placed another card face down. Seeing this, Su Xiao also selected a card and placed it face down.
The cards flipped up. Su Xiao's card was the 9-star [Origin Stone: World (4/5)], while the Eyeless Apostle's was a 10-star card: Zuiyasi.
The Eyeless Apostle pressed one hand to his face, his shoulders trembling, as if barely holding back a wild laugh. He lowered his head and raised his hand in a gesture of apology, then said in a voice choked with suppressed laughter, "Law Destroyer, I never said this was a one-on-one game."
That's right, for the Eyeless Apostle, this wasn't a one-on-one game. Each person could only use one 10-star card—this was a rule even the Eyeless Apostle couldn't break. But now, the person playing against Su Xiao wasn't just the Eyeless Apostle alone.
Shadow Devourer, Bubu Wang, Amu, Zuiyasi, Baha, and Wude were all sealed in cards. And the Eyeless Apostle, holding these cards, was essentially bringing six game players with him to play this round against Su Xiao. That meant, counting the Eyeless Apostle himself, he could have a total of seven 10-star cards.
This round, the Eyeless Apostle won. The two cards in front of Su Xiao moved to the Eyeless Apostle's side, but he didn't pick them up.
The Eyeless Apostle glanced at the [Origin Stone: World] card. It was impossible not to be tempted. Such a supreme treasure, he had only heard of it before. Now he could obtain it, and the light in his eyes changed.
This was just the beginning. Next, the cards formed from [Reincarnation: Glory Emblem], [Endless Ring], [Silver Moon Blade], and [Planet Destroyer] were all won by the Eyeless Apostle in this manner.
Su Xiao lost all of the first six rounds. The Eyeless Apostle across from him was already confident of victory. The seventh card was placed face down. Both cards flipped up simultaneously. They were both pitch-black cards—Original Sin Cards, carrying more weight than 10-star cards.
"I've seen through you, Law Destroyer with Original Sin Objects. When you placed this card, you hesitated. So this is your trump card."
The Eyeless Apostle's smile was still so composed, but upon closer inspection, his expression was somewhat stiff.
"..."
Su Xiao still didn't speak. He placed his eighth card face down, then the card flipped up on its own. Again, two Original Sin Cards. This made the Eyeless Apostle across the table suddenly stand up.
The Eyeless Apostle's eyes widened. He had anticipated that Su Xiao had an Original Sin Object—otherwise, Su Xiao's order of appearance wouldn't have been after Wude, who also had an Original Sin Object. But the Eyeless Apostle truly hadn't expected Su Xiao to have two Original Sin Objects.
That's right, the Eyeless Apostle here had originally sealed an Original Sin Object into a card. It seemed like a seal, but it wasn't. Everything he had won from contractors, along with his own resources, had all been devoured by this "big daddy." It appeared the Eyeless Apostle held the Original Sin Object, but in reality, he couldn't get rid of it.
Wude, who had come to this world to get rid of the Devil Clan's Original Sin Object, had sealed his Original Sin Object into a card in the previous game, intending to use it to win against the Eyeless Apostle. Unfortunately, the Eyeless Apostle also had an Original Sin Card and a full six 10-star cards, which led to Wude's defeat.
The Eyeless Apostle's expression darkened for a few seconds, then he relaxed. He had made a decision: after winning against Su Xiao, he would release Su Xiao and Wude from the sealed cards, then let the three Original Sin Objects find them again. This way, he would obtain all kinds of treasures while still holding only one Original Sin Object. Plus, since the game rules were arbitrated by the Void Tree, as long as he operated carefully, he could completely avoid the karmic consequences of those three Original Sin Objects.
Thinking of this, the Eyeless Apostle breathed a sigh of relief. His gaze regained its previous composure. He sat back down and placed a 10-star card face down on the table. As long as he won the four Original Sin Cards currently on the table, he would be victorious.
The cards flipped up simultaneously. The Eyeless Apostle's card was the 10-star Wude, while Su Xiao's side had the Original Sin Card: Necronomicon.
The Eyeless Apostle suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the Original Sin Card on the table, muttering, "Impossible, no one can hold so many Original Sin Objects," and similar things.
"..."
Su Xiao still said nothing. He directly flipped over his last card—the Original Sin Card: Nether Bone Ring. He had a total of four such Original Sin Cards.
"Your turn, Eyeless Apostle."
Su Xiao looked at the Eyeless Apostle across from him. He didn't believe that the Eyeless Apostle, who could seal others into cards as 10-star cards, didn't have to bear any risk.
"W-wait, Law Destroyer, are you sure my card isn't an Original Sin Card? If it is, then you hold a total of seven Original Sin Objects. Across all realms, there are at most a dozen or so Original Sin Objects of this level. So how about we call it a draw? I'll return everything you lost."
The Eyeless Apostle looked at him with hope in his eyes. But in his heart, he desperately hoped Su Xiao would insist on opening the last card, because his last card was the most special. Under certain circumstances, this card could even win against an Original Sin Card within this game's rules.
"Fine."
Su Xiao spoke. He wasn't just being perfunctory. Before, he had known a skeleton gambler who lost even his own soul, and he took that as a warning. So he never expected to win anything in this kind of gamble. Besides, the Eyeless Apostle, who held one Original Sin Object, couldn't be that wealthy.
This floor of the tower might be the Eyeless Apostle's everything, but for Su Xiao, he just needed to pass through here, keep going up to the top floor, break through the 300-point barrier, and advance to Absolute Strength. That was his goal.
"Wha... what? Shouldn't you want to win everything? How can you give up the chance to take everything from me?"
The Eyeless Apostle pressed down hard on his last card—his tenth card.
"No, you already knew the game rules, didn't you! You knew all along, otherwise you wouldn't give up the chance to win everything from me. No one can overcome their own greed!"
The Eyeless Apostle's ferocity was fully exposed. He pressed down with both hands on his last card, which was about to flip up on its own. Under the game rules, this card would inevitably flip.
"If winning this game were so easy, why would your bounty be worth 6000 ounces of Space-Time Power?"
Su Xiao spoke to buy time. This left the Eyeless Apostle completely confused. With a *slap*, the hand pressing down on his last card shattered. The Eyeless Apostle's final card flipped over. The card face was the Eyeless Apostle himself—a 0-star card.
This was a Greed Card. When the person playing against the Eyeless Apostle felt greed and wanted to win everything from him, this card would become the highest-ranking card in the game rules. Conversely, when the person just wanted to pass through the game and this floor, this card would be the lowest-ranking card.
As for how Su Xiao guessed the winning method, it was simple to think about. With him holding four Original Sin Objects—meaning four Original Sin Cards—the bounty for the Apostle Game could reach 6000 ounces of Space-Time Power. Obviously, it wouldn't be as simple as smoothly winning the game with four Original Sin Cards.
A spatial vortex appeared. Amid the Eyeless Apostle's unwilling roar, he was sucked into it, along with his Original Sin Card.
After the Eyeless Apostle was swallowed by the spatial vortex, all the cards on the table and in the nearby card pouches shattered one after another. Zuiyasi, Wude, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Shadow Devourer were all freed. Their item cards and ability cards flew back in front of them, shattered, and the abilities re-entered their bodies while the items fell into their hands.
The Book of Original Sin, which sealed the Collector, flew into Su Xiao's hands. He then used the Book of Original Sin to seal the Necronomicon, Nether Bone Ring, and Soul Crown into pages two through four. Wude was stunned.
An unknown Original Sin Object flew toward Wude. In truth, this Original Sin Object could have latched onto Su Xiao, but it showed disdain for him.
Su Xiao put away [Origin Stone: World (4/5)] and other items. He re-equipped [Planet Destroyer], a full-rating Overlord Equipment.
[Prompt: Your team has passed the Apostle Game. Yes/No to settle challenge rewards.]
[Selected cumulative reward settlement. Each completed challenge round increases this reward by 2.1 times.]
The ceiling above opened. A metal spiral staircase descended with a clatter. Su Xiao walked toward the eighth floor. As soon as he entered the eighth floor, he felt the surrounding space twist, and then he was teleported a distance.
[Tower Challenge, Eighth Floor Activated.]
[Challenge Content: Mind Illusion.]
Su Xiao looked at the translucent mist around him. For a Blade Grandmaster, this level was far too easy. Unfortunately, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha weren't nearby, or he could have taken them through this floor.
After wandering in the translucent mist for a while, Su Xiao understood the structure of this place. The entire eighth floor was divided into multiple layers. He was probably in one of them and could only continue inward to get out.
Walking through the mist, not far ahead, Su Xiao saw a translucent creature. In the mist, Su Xiao locked eyes with this strange creature. Finally, the strange creature sighed. It probably felt that, as an illusion creature encountering a Blade Grandmaster, it was better not to embarrass itself by using illusion abilities.
Soon, Su Xiao reached the innermost exit. Following the downward staircase, he arrived at the innermost part of the eighth floor. He was the first to arrive.
After waiting half an hour, Wude walked out of the mist gate, followed by Shadow Devourer and Zuiyasi. A while later, Amu and Baha came out.
[Prompt: Team member Bubuteni has been eliminated and teleported to the bottom of the Watcher's Tower.]
Bubu Wang failed to pass the illusion level. This was normal—Bubu Wang's strengths weren't in this type of challenge. Plus, Bubu Wang had been with Amu. In truth, Bubu Wang had found the exit in the illusion, but he felt that in subsequent challenges, Amu would be more helpful to the team. Also, the illusion exit was very unstable. He was worried that after one challenger passed through, the exit would close and appear somewhere else.
Bubu Wang's concern was correct. After he let Amu exit the illusion through that exit, the illusion exit indeed collapsed. This trapped Bubu Wang in the illusion, causing him to fail the challenge.
[Prompt: Your team has passed the Mind Illusion. Yes/No to settle challenge rewards.]
[Selected cumulative reward settlement. Each completed challenge round increases this reward by 2.2 times.]
The challenge rewards had accumulated to a considerable amount, but now wasn't the time to collect them. Su Xiao followed the spiral staircase to the ninth floor. As soon as he arrived, the aroma of delicious food hit him. Unlike the endless food on the second floor, this food aroma was more tempting.
As soon as Amu smelled it, his gaze became somewhat dazed. Shadow Devourer, who had been indifferent to the food on the second floor, quickly moved to the front.
[Tower Challenge, Ninth Floor Activated.]
[Challenge Content: Divine Food.]
When Su Xiao reached the ninth floor, he found it wasn't very large—a few hundred square meters. A table full of food was at the center of the room, with chairs arranged around it. The tableware on the table was neatly set.
At the head of the table sat a petite woman wearing a mask. Her mask was pure white, and her dark red pupils made it hard to maintain eye contact with her.
"Several guests have challenged all the way to the ninth floor. You must be hungry. Don't be polite—indulge your appetite and taste the food."
The red-eyed masked woman's words seemed to have a strange magic, making people instinctively pick up their utensils. Su Xiao took a bowl of noodles. After taking a bite, he found the bowl was empty, with only a little broth at the bottom. He put down the bowl and instinctively reached for a large piece of roasted meat, but his hand stopped mid-air.
[Detected that you have not yet broken through the 300-point attribute barrier. Unable to further enhance your body attributes on this basis.]
[You have gained 3 True Attribute Points.]
The food on the ninth floor provided more body attribute increases than the second floor, but Su Xiao's hand stopped in mid-air. His 300-point Willpower told him he couldn't pick up any more food from this table. Even with his 300-point Willpower, it could only make him stop once. If he indulged in increasing his True Attributes here, he would inevitably fail the challenge.
This level wasn't about eating all the food. Even if he did, the red-eyed masked woman would just cook more. This level tested willpower—restraining one of the most basic desires: gluttony.
Su Xiao's gaze shifted away from the food and toward the red-eyed masked woman at the head of the table.
"As expected of a Law Destroyer. Congratulations on passing the challenge."
The red-eyed masked woman spoke. She then looked at the few people at the table who were gorging themselves. Among them, Zuiyasi suddenly pulled out a short blade, reversed it, and slashed at his own head. Then his body stood up, holding his severed head away from the table.
It wasn't that Zuiyasi didn't want stronger body attributes, but if he continued to gorge himself, he would be bloated to death by the massive amount of enhancement energy. This wasn't something that could be quickly recovered from with his Immortal characteristic.
Wude, on the other hand, two-dimensionalized the food in his hand. After taking a bite of nothing, he immediately stood up.
Baha tilted his head, bit down on the table, then teleported himself a few meters away, also passing the test.
Only Amu and Shadow Devourer remained. Among them, Shadow Devourer, having consumed too much Divine Food, fell to the ground with a *thud* and was teleported away, losing the qualification to continue the challenge. He joined Bubu Wang and Kaisa at the bottom of the tower.
Only Amu was still feasting. The red-eyed masked woman shook her head, knowing Amu had no chance of passing. She waited for a moment, only to find that this glutton not only wasn't stopping from being full, but was actually eating with even more appetite.
Half an hour later, the food on the table was almost gone. The red-eyed masked woman couldn't sit still anymore. She snapped her fingers with a *slap*, and a spatial vortex appeared behind Amu. A huge suction force erupted, but Amu resisted it. Seeing this, the red-eyed masked woman stepped forward, lifted Amu with one hand, and threw him into the spatial vortex.
"What a glutton. I spent the whole morning preparing this, and you ate it all."
Though she said this, the red-eyed masked woman's eyes were squinting happily. Having her cooked food eaten up naturally made the cook feel good.
[Prompt: Your team has passed the Divine Food challenge. Yes/No to settle challenge rewards.]
[Selected cumulative reward settlement. Each completed challenge round increases this reward by 2.3 times.]
Following the metal spiral staircase upward, Su Xiao reached the tenth floor. As soon as he arrived, the sound of surging electric arcs came from ahead.
[Tower Challenge, Tenth Floor Activated.]
[Challenge Content: Endless Thunder Prison.]
Su Xiao, Zuiyasi, Baha, and Wude stood before the surging, interwoven dark blue electric arcs. As far as the eye could see, there was only this black lightning. Su Xiao reached one hand into it. With a *crackle*, even his 500+ points of lightning resistance left his arm numb.
Strangely, after Su Xiao extended his arm into the Endless Thunder Prison ahead, the intensity of the black lightning weakened somewhat. If others entered the Thunder Prison at this time, it would obviously be easier to pass.
He tried to send his Demon Spirit into the Thunder Prison, but with a *crackle*, the Thunder Prison bounced the Demon Spirit back, indicating that only challengers could enter this place. Seeing this, Su Xiao withdrew his Demon Spirit.
Now only Su Xiao, Zuiyasi, Baha, and Wude remained. Without needing to discuss, Baha flew into the Thunder Prison first, followed by Wude walking in.
Su Xiao and Zuiyasi charged forward at full speed. When Su Xiao felt his whole body go numb, he reached the other end of the Thunder Prison. With a *thud*, Zuiyasi fell not far from him.
On the other side, Baha and Wude were bounced out of the Thunder Prison. A clock appeared, and a countdown began. When the time limit was reached, Baha and Wude were eliminated.
Meanwhile, on the eleventh floor of the Watcher's Tower.
A large number of mechanisms were operating ahead. Su Xiao and Zuiyasi stood on a high platform. The only path forward was a half-meter-wide stone road, with bottomless darkness on both sides. Falling into this darkness would certainly not end well.
Various mechanisms swept across this stone road. Through the layers of mechanisms, Su Xiao could see, a hundred meters away on the opposite side, a metal spiral staircase leading to the twelfth floor.
Su Xiao released his Demon Spirit. A blood shadow appeared behind him, pulled open a soul greatbow, and shot an arrow of black smoke formed from the Demon Spirit.
*Boom!*
The timing was perfect. The Demon Spirit arrow flew through the gaps between various mechanisms. Just as it passed most of the mechanisms, a thread swept across, lightly touching the Demon Spirit arrow. In the next instant, the Demon Spirit arrow was teleported back to the starting point—right beside Su Xiao. Having lost its flight momentum, it reverted to its Demon Spirit form.
The space on this floor was frozen, making it impossible to use spatial abilities to cross. Charging through by speed was also unlikely.
[Tower Challenge, Eleventh Floor Activated.]
[Challenge Content: Death Mechanisms.]
The power of the mechanisms here wasn't just teleporting those who touched them back to the starting point—they also had a terrifying instant-death characteristic. Saying "touch and die" was no exaggeration. Even if someone had an instant-death immunity ability, it could only block it once.
Between Su Xiao and Zuiyasi, the one more likely to pass this level was definitely Zuiyasi. This guy's Immortality was above instant death, so the death mechanisms here could only severely injure him, not threaten his life.
But the problem was that there was an even more dangerous twelfth floor ahead. When it came to dealing with the unknown, Su Xiao, as a Hunter, was clearly superior. So, without knowing the challenge content of the twelfth floor, Su Xiao's probability of passing the twelfth floor was at least 40% higher than Zuiyasi's.
"Bai Ye, look up."
Zuiyasi pointed to the top of the various death mechanisms. There were dense gears there. Although the rules of this place clearly stated that these death mechanisms couldn't be attacked, that didn't mean they couldn't be stopped.
Zuiyasi said, "0.5 seconds."
"Mm."
Receiving Su Xiao's confirmation, Zuiyasi leaped up. Mid-air, he transformed into a mass of black tentacles.
Su Xiao manifested his blood shadow. The blood shadow pulled open the soul greatbow, and the Demon Spirit transformed into a black smoke arrow aimed forward.
With a *crack*, the mass of black tentacles Zuiyasi had transformed into jammed the various gears at the top for an instant, causing all the mechanisms within a hundred meters ahead to show signs of stopping. Several layers of transparent barriers also closed.
*Boom!*
The Demon Spirit arrow shot out, flying through the gaps between the mechanisms that had stopped for an instant, and reached the opposite side in a flash. Almost simultaneously, the black tentacles at the top shattered and fell into the darkness below.
Zuiyasi, having reconstituted his body, took the opportunity to leap onto the high platform. He turned to look at Su Xiao, only to find that Su Xiao had disappeared. Only the Blade Demon Spirit remained in his place. Su Xiao had successfully passed all the death mechanisms by swapping positions with his Demon Spirit.
A clock appeared. The countdown ended, and all mechanisms stopped. Because he hadn't passed this round of the challenge, Zuiyasi was also eliminated and teleported to the bottom of the Watcher's Tower.
In the innermost area of the eleventh floor, Su Xiao withdrew his Blade Demon Spirit. Since all mechanisms had stopped, the Demon Spirit in its black smoke form smoothly floated through the gaps between the mechanisms and merged back into Dragon-Slashing Flash.
Su Xiao looked at the spiral staircase leading to the twelfth floor. This was the final trial he had to face. By passing this trial, he could break through the 300-point attribute barrier and advance to become an Absolute Strength powerhouse.