Chapter 11: The Final Challenge
Ascending the spiral staircase to the twelfth floor, Su Xiao walked through the cool, thin mist. The twelfth floor appeared unremarkable, with nothing particularly special except for slight weathering on the stone walls and floor.
He proceeded along a corridor several meters wide until a pair of massive metal double doors blocked his path.
[The twelfth floor of the Watcher's Tower challenge has been initiated.]
[Current challenge content: Unreachable.]
[Due to the notarization mechanism of the Watcher's Tower, even if you fail the twelfth-floor challenge and choose to abandon it, you will still receive the full accumulated reward settlement from previous floors.]
Seeing this prompt, Su Xiao felt a sense of unease. This notarization mechanism was far too lenient. For the first eleven floors, failing the challenge meant all previous accumulations were lost, unless it was a team challenge and some teammates hadn't been eliminated.
But upon reaching the twelfth floor, even failure would grant the full accumulated rewards. For Su Xiao, who needed to reach the top of this tower to complete his trial, this was not good news. It meant the twelfth-floor challenge was incredibly difficult—so difficult that the Void Tree allowed challengers to give up.
[You have entered a specific area. Corresponding temporary permissions have been granted.]
[Revival Stone has been activated.]
As this prompt appeared, Su Xiao noticed dozens of faint glows on the corridor wall beside him. Dozens of golden crystals were embedded in the wall, forming a technique he had never seen before.
[Revival technique has been temporarily bound to you. When your health drops below 0.5%, you will be granted an invincibility shield and teleported within 2 meters of this Revival technique, where you will receive a powerful healing effect, rapidly restoring your health, stamina, and body energy.]
Seeing this, Su Xiao felt even more uneasy. The function of this Revival technique was essentially a reasonable version of resurrection. When he was about to die at the hands of a powerful enemy on the twelfth floor, it would grant him invincibility + teleportation, bringing him back here to a full recovery.
This once again highlighted that the difficulty of the Watcher's Tower's twelfth floor was beyond what normal means could overcome.
Su Xiao walked toward the massive metal doors. After a few steps, he noticed many lines of text carved into the ground with sharp tools:
"Damn it, I give up—Brother Ruthless."
"Shameless old bastards, ganging up on me—Antler Man."
"Managed to pass the death traps. Solo challenge is indeed easier; each floor's difficulty is reduced—Moon Witch."
"Well, I have to give up—Puppeteer."
There weren't many messages, after all, few could reach the twelfth floor, and teaming up to get here was even harder. The Watcher's Tower had two modes: solo/team. While the former was easier, the latter allowed reward accumulation, like now, piling up the challenge rewards to an extremely generous level.
Su Xiao stopped before the metal doors. Though he knew the twelfth-floor challenge was fraught with danger, likely requiring repeated attempts and failures, he couldn't give up. Without passing this challenge, his 300-point attribute barrier couldn't be completed.
However, one thing puzzled Su Xiao. Even if this was the hardest 300-point attribute barrier trial, it seemed excessively difficult. Regardless, this was a trial within the scope of ninth-rank strength. Even if hard, there should be limits.
Moreover, Reincarnation Paradise wouldn't issue tasks that contractors could never complete, especially such important trial tasks. They were always set at a level a contractor could pass but with great difficulty, not this near-deadlock situation.
Brother Ruthless and Puppeteer's strength was evident—both had reached the ninth-rank limit. But to build a better foundation, they kept accumulating without advancing to Absolute Strength. This clearly showed their ambition to become Supreme Strong, hence such long accumulation.
Yet even such ninth-rank limit experts were thoroughly beaten by this twelfth-floor trial, leaving messages of surrender. The situation back then must have been: challenge, defeat, teleported back for healing, challenge again, fail again, until completely overwhelmed, leading to such a tone of resignation.
Su Xiao pushed open the metal doors. A few specks of dust fell, revealing a grand hall. As he entered, the doors behind him slammed shut. Dim light came from the dome's skylight above. He looked up as black mist poured down, spreading across the floor.
Within the black mist, three figures appeared, exuding a pressure suffocating enough to make ninth-rank peak combatants feel stifled. When the mist cleared, the four in the hall stared at each other, the boss battle's tense atmosphere instantly evaporating.
Mawen Hua'erzi, the Old Law Destroyer, and the Black Mist Figure's residual souls stood amidst the fading black mist. Even as residual souls, their aura was beyond what ninth-rank peak could handle.
When the Law Destruction Faction originally notarized the Watcher's Tower with the Void Tree, they never intended for ordinary challengers to pass the twelfth floor. The twelfth floor's notarization rule was: if there were still Absolute Strength-level Law Destroyers, Moon Wolves, or Watchers, members of these three factions would serve as this floor's guardians.
If all members of these three factions had perished, then an Absolute Strength-level Abyss Spawn would serve as the floor's final boss.
Only an Absolute Strength Law Destroyer, entering through the main gate with the Watcher's map + 30-digit activation code, could possibly pass this floor.
Because entering this way removed the restriction that only ninth-rank could challenge the Watcher's Tower. They would fight all the way to the twelfth floor. If the twelfth floor's guardian was one of their own, it was simple—just go through the motions and let them pass. If it was an Abyss Spawn, the Absolute Strength Law Destroyer would have to defeat it to enter the thirteenth and fourteenth floors.
This setup was to ensure the "Super·World-Level Sealing Technique" on the fourteenth floor could be used correctly. Only an Absolute Strength Law Destroyer activating this "Super·World-Level Sealing Technique" would be meaningful. If the user wasn't strong enough, even if the Eternal Light World's combat power ceiling was suppressed to Absolute Strength as the limit, they still couldn't defeat the four giants of the Lightless Temple.
"Bai Ye, coming here now is a bit early."
The Old Law Destroyer spoke. Hearing this, Su Xiao explained the general situation.
"So you can't become Absolute Strength without passing this trial. I see. But you should know, this World-Level Sealing Technique can only be maintained for one month each time it's activated. And after this activation, whether it can be activated again is uncertain. The Sintris Dwarves who created this technique are long gone."
Hearing this, Su Xiao felt puzzled. Previously, when he went to Dead Silence City, the Eternal Life God had sealed the Gloomy Continent from Transcendent to eighth-rank peak. But the World-Level Sealing Technique left by the ancestral Law Destroyers could only last one month per activation.
Soon, Su Xiao understood. Dead Silence City and Eternal Light World were different cases. Dead Silence City wasn't sealing the combat power ceiling but permanently lowering the Gloomy Continent's world rank by recklessly releasing world force. The sealing there was for compression and release.
It was like poking a hole in a ball, then having a seal attach to it, continuously contracting and squeezing, flattening the ball to reduce its size.
Eternal Light World's case was different. Without poking a hole in the ball, only using the sealing technique's compressive force to temporarily squeeze the ball to the size of a fist. When the sealing technique disappeared, the ball returned to its original size.
This was done to ensure Eternal Light World's combat power ceiling was high enough. Only then could the most terrifying World-Destroying existences or Abyss Spawns be sealed here later. If Eternal Light World's combat power ceiling was permanently capped at Absolute Strength, there would be no way to banish existences above Absolute Strength here.
Being able to temporarily seal the combat power ceiling to Absolute Strength peak wasn't the most impressive part. The genius-level design was that after the seal ended, the original ceiling could be restored.
Unfortunately, the Sintris Dwarves were gone. The worst-case scenario was that the "Super·World-Level Sealing Technique" could only be activated once more before breaking down. The best case was twice.
Therefore, the Old Law Destroyer needed to confirm one thing: whether Su Xiao, after advancing to Absolute Strength and during the one month the "Super·World-Level Sealing Technique" lasted, could eliminate two of the Lightless Temple's Four Giants.
Eliminating all these scourges of the multiverse would be the best outcome, but it was too difficult. So the Old Law Destroyer settled for less: as long as Su Xiao could eliminate two, no, even one of the Lightless Temple's Four Giants, this activation of the "Super·World-Level Sealing Technique" would be worth it.
As for why the Old Law Destroyer and Mawen Hua'erzi didn't do this themselves, they wanted to, but they were now residual souls. In 99% of cases, they couldn't use their abilities from life. Only in environments notarized by the Void Tree, like the Watcher's Tower's twelfth floor, could their soul bodies have a persistent soul coating, allowing them to stably exert combat power.
Though these three unscrupulous old fellows still had Absolute Strength-level means and Supreme-level knowledge and understanding, they weren't truly Absolute Strength. To be precise, they were residual souls capable of one or two Absolute Strength-level attacks, with long cooldowns—two moves, then half a month's cooldown. In such circumstances, they couldn't even deal with ordinary Absolute Strength, let alone World-Destroying existences.
Of course, ordinary Absolute Strength wouldn't dare provoke these three unscrupulous old fellows.
"If possible, eliminate the Star Realm Devourer. Its Immortal Origin has been exhausted."
Mawen Hua'erzi spoke. His suggestion seemed absurd but was actually well-considered. The ancestral Law Destroyers didn't imprison these top-tier World-Destroying existences in Eternal Light World just to trap them. They were also using the extreme elemental forces here to gradually deplete their immortality means.
For example, the Star Realm Devourer's "Immortal Origin." As long as it devoured planets, its "Immortal Origin" would become more abundant. But after being imprisoned in Eternal Light World for tens of thousands of years, its "Immortal Origin" was exhausted. This was the best time to kill this multiversal calamity.
"The Ancestor is more dangerous. Its Blood Core dried up long ago. Nearly a hundred thousand years of imprisonment caused its Blood Core to wither. We should eliminate it first."
The Old Law Destroyer had a different view. Compared to the two, the Black Mist Figure was clearly more reliable. He said, "Instead of choosing who to target, shouldn't we consider whether Bai Ye can win? And if Bai Ye loses, how to handle the aftermath."
"No need."
Mawen Hua'erzi's attitude was exceptionally firm. He smiled, "If Bai Ye loses, his chance of survival is negligible. If he dies, the Law Destruction fortune will also go dormant. Then we two Law Destroyer residual souls will completely dissipate. If Bai Ye dies and we both disappear completely, what's there to handle? Besides, whether to deal with these World-Destroying existences is Bai Ye's own decision."
Hearing this, the Black Mist Figure was momentarily speechless. He didn't know how to refute that.
"Go ahead. We all believe in you. Whether to deal with those World-Destroying existences is your own decision."
As Mawen Hua'erzi finished speaking, the skylight above opened, and a metal spiral staircase clanked down.
Just then, Mawen Hua'erzi suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, do you have enough 'Primordial Fragments' to advance to Absolute Strength?"
"No."
"How many short?"
Mawen Hua'erzi's face already showed some pain.
"Six."
"I have four here. Find the other two yourself."
Mawen Hua'erzi tossed over a small cloth pouch. Su Xiao raised his hand to catch it. He had previously thought about trying his luck, seeing if the "Hunt List: Blood Pact" reward would contain "Primordial Fragments." Now it seemed that even if this reward didn't have them, the probability of gathering the remaining six wasn't low.
As soon as Su Xiao left, the three unscrupulous old men's expressions gradually showed hints of suppressed laughter. The Old Law Destroyer asked, "What do you two think? Can this kid pass?"
"I doubt it. But even if he doesn't pass this time, he'll definitely pass next time."
Mawen Hua'erzi, who had just encouraged Su Xiao, now smiled especially mischievously.
"At a time like this, shouldn't you be worried about your junior's safety?"
The most serious of the three, the Black Mist Figure, shook his head. Hearing this, the Old Law Destroyer said, "There's a Revival technique on the fourteenth floor too. He won't die in battle. What's there to worry about."
"Speaking of which, shouldn't we go to the fourteenth floor first and find a hidden spot to watch from the shadows?"
Mawen Hua'erzi, who had just been a Law Destroyer mentor giving Su Xiao four "Primordial Fragments," suddenly reverted to his unscrupulous mentor style.
"Good idea."
The three unscrupulous old men opened a secret passage and entered, planning to reach the fourteenth floor before Su Xiao.
...
Arriving at the thirteenth floor via the spiral staircase, Su Xiao immediately received a prompt.
[Prompt: Your team has passed the Unreachable challenge. Yes/No to settle challenge rewards.]
[Accumulated reward settlement: Each completed round of challenges increases this reward by 3 times.]
[Yes/No to claim rewards, or continue accumulating. Maximum accumulation up to completing the fourteenth floor's final challenge.]
[As the eleventh floor challenge has been completed, if the challenger fails or gives up during this period, they can still claim the full accumulated rewards.]
Su Xiao chose to continue accumulating. Currently on the thirteenth floor, he felt a bone-deep cold coming from all directions. Everything in sight was black and white, as if all color had been drained from this place.
This was a dilapidated workshop. With no color on the thirteenth floor, it seemed even more desolate.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
The sound of a forging hammer came. Su Xiao followed the source, passing several half-collapsed and heavily weathered walls, until the dark red of flames came into view.
This was a forge. The fire burned within, and under its glow, the surrounding things regained some color. A figure over ten meters tall sat there, holding a slightly smaller forging hammer, striking a rough billet. This forging hammer looked small in the giant blacksmith's hands, but its head was nearly half a meter long and as thick as a bucket.
The giant blacksmith's skin was rough, his beard braided into strands hanging down, his hair loose and flowing behind him. His right arm was covered in metal plates, looking as if they had melted into his skin.
"Hmm?"
The giant blacksmith turned his head to look at Su Xiao. After a moment of scrutiny, he spoke in a voice like thunder: "Long time no see... friend. Where did you... all go."
The giant blacksmith occasionally paused when speaking, as if his tongue had been injured, making his speech not very clear.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. Seeing this, the giant blacksmith, the Molten Giant, nodded: "Don't want to say... it's fine. Even though we are... friends, everyone... has their own... secrets."
The Molten Giant smiled, then focused again on the armor billet on the anvil. Among the three legendary blacksmiths, compared to the Demon Blacksmith's pride and power, and the Dwarf King's dignity and composure, the Molten Giant was the most kind-hearted.
"Are you trapped here?"
Su Xiao looked around but didn't see an upward spiral staircase.
"Originally no, but later the teleportation array here broke. Don't... worry about me. In a few thousand... or ten thousand years, the part of this tower not notarized by the Void Tree will collapse, and then I can get out."
The Molten Giant was exceptionally calm. For other beings, a few thousand or ten thousand years was long, but as the last of the Fire Giant race, the Molten Giant might sleep for centuries at a time, so this wasn't a long time for him.
"I'll take you out later."
Leaving this remark, Su Xiao walked toward the inner part of the workshop. After some searching, he finally found the broken teleportation array the Molten Giant had mentioned.
This was a directional teleportation array. After attempting some repairs, Su Xiao found that the function for direct teleportation out couldn't be fixed, but teleportation to the fourteenth floor was still possible. The technique for that aspect had been specially reinforced.
Su Xiao activated the teleportation array. The activation was slow; it would take at least half an hour for the technique to reawaken. Just then, a prompt appeared.
[Bounty settlement completed.]
[You have emerged victorious in the game against the Eyeless Apostle.]
[Bounty amount: 6000 ounces of Space-Time Force.]
[You have obtained Space-Time Stone Fragments ×400 (This item is an equivalent exchange item. Selling it to Reincarnation Paradise yields 4000 ounces of Space-Time Force).]
[You have obtained Secret Treasure Box (This item is valued at 500 ounces of Space-Time Force in this judgment).]
[You have obtained Power Source Matter · Two Standard Units (This item is valued at 1500 ounces of Space-Time Force in this judgment).]
...
A [Secret Treasure Box] and two containers of [Power Source Matter] appeared in Su Xiao's hands. He checked the attributes of [Power Source Matter] and found that without advancing to Absolute Strength, he lacked the relevant permissions to see its use.
[Power Source Matter] was available in the Honor Shop, but the current stock was 0. However, one thing was that [Power Source Matter] in the Honor Shop cost 350 ounces of Space-Time Force per unit, much cheaper than the minimum price in the Great Gathering Place.
The Apostle Game bounty was complete. As for the bounty to rescue the Molten Giant, it depended on whether the Watcher's Tower's fourteenth floor had a teleportation array leading outside. This place had multiple spatial seals, and the only outward teleportation channels were those notarized by the Void Tree.
Once the thirteenth floor's teleportation array finished activating, Su Xiao activated it. Spatial mist swirled around him. When it cleared, Su Xiao arrived at the fourteenth floor. He was in a small room of about ten square meters. On the wall ahead, golden crystals were embedded, forming a Revival technique.
[Revival technique has been temporarily bound to you. When your health drops below 0.5%, you will be granted an invincibility shield and teleported within 2 meters of this Revival technique, where you will receive a powerful healing effect, rapidly restoring your health, stamina, and body energy.]
Seeing this, Su Xiao suddenly had a bad feeling. He walked out of the doorless small room into an open area. Dim light shone down from above, and there seemed to be whispers in the air.
A figure stood in the dim light, holding a sheathed sharp sword. She wore a black dress, her demeanor gentle and beautiful, her eyes pitch black. Dark blue crystalline prosthetic limbs grew more translucent toward the hands, with a beautiful light blue at the fingertips. But this beautiful hand had already grasped the sword's hilt. It was the Dark Maiden.
"Law Destroyer, I am the tower's guardian. Before you become Absolute Strength, you cannot use the technique here. This is part of my duty, engraved in my soul. I cannot disobey. So please defeat me, Law Destroyer."
Zheng~
The sharp sword in the Dark Maiden's hand was drawn. The entire sword was 1.3 meters long, with the hilt taking up a third of it. No guard. The blade looked exceptionally sharp. At the sword's pommel, the Void Tree had temporarily added a one-time "Revival technique," indicating this battle wouldn't result in the Dark Maiden's death. When her health dropped below 5%, the challenger would win.
"On my way here, I unfortunately fell into a trap. The seal in the trap temporarily made me not Absolute Strength anymore. But I won't go easy on you, Law Destroyer."
The Dark Maiden's sharp sword tip touched the ground. Only by defeating her would all the Watcher's Tower challenges be passed.
PS: (Tomorrow is Sunday, rest day to prevent old illness from recurring. Dear readers, please forgive me.)