Chapter 27: The Bait
Sanctuary City · Top City, Supreme Temple Fifth Floor.
The atmosphere, which had been relaxed just moments before, suddenly turned tense, the air nearly solidifying. The Eternal Dark Lord, the Primordial Ancestor, and the Star Devourer all stared at the Archbishop of the Abyss.
If all four giants present were afflicted with a potent poison, they would undoubtedly be on guard against a possible surprise attacker. The problem was that all four had devoured the Primordial Life Force together, yet only the Archbishop of the Abyss was unaffected.
"This must be poison laid by that Law Destroyer," the Eternal Dark Lord spoke. At this moment, a faint golden mist emanated from it, its aura unstable. While this potent poison couldn't kill it, it was certainly unpleasant, forcing it to continuously suppress the poison to prevent a full outbreak.
Hearing the Eternal Dark Lord's words, the Archbishop of the Abyss's expression improved slightly. Among the several collaborators, there was still one with both strength and wisdom.
"The Archbishop wasn't affected by this strange poison, likely due to his Abyss power. At a time like this, we should trust the Archbishop even more, not be picked off one by one by that Law Destroyer. As long as we can break free from this cage, none of us need fear the last remaining Law-Destroying Shadow," the Eternal Dark Lord said in a deep voice.
Hearing this, the Archbishop of the Abyss felt greatly relieved. Having a shrewd collaborator at such a critical moment was incredibly important.
The Star Devourer, whose aura had grown increasingly violent due to the poison, gradually calmed its murderous intent. The star patterns on its horns then faded away.
The Primordial Ancestor, who had remained silent throughout, half-opened its many eyes. The dark golden bandages wrapped around its body loosened, as if ready to reveal its true form at any moment.
After the Eternal Dark Lord's speech, the tense atmosphere in the temple subsided. The most violent-tempered Star Devourer sat down and began using its stellar power to suppress the poison within.
Before long, the Eternal Dark Lord, the Primordial Ancestor, and the Star Devourer all noticed something: the poison within them had become even more potent than before. It seemed some trigger was catalyzing and strengthening it.
The Eternal Dark Lord, with its keenest perception, discovered that the surrounding elemental forces were gradually amplifying the poison, and the amplification efficiency was astonishing. It felt as if all the natural elemental energy in this vast area was converging here, specifically targeting the three of them and continuously strengthening the poison they had ingested.
That the poison could be amplified by natural elements didn't surprise the Eternal Dark Lord too much. A poison potent enough to affect world-ending beings was unheard of, so such an effect wasn't particularly shocking.
But the problem was, no matter how powerful this poison was, it was still just a poison. How could it attract natural elements? That made no sense.
Upon closer inspection, the Eternal Dark Lord found the clue. Right next to it, within no more than ten steps, there seemed to be a massive, vibrant presence absorbing the surrounding natural elements.
In reality, after the Archbishop of the Abyss absorbed the Life Crystal Stone, his surging life force attracted wood and water elemental forces. Once these two elements became active, earth elemental forces were also drawn in.
The three natural elements converging nearby drew in other elements, ultimately triggering an elemental convergence phenomenon. As a result, the extreme elemental forces in this vast area were all gathering here, causing the poison within the Eternal Dark Lord, the Primordial Ancestor, and the Star Devourer to intensify dramatically.
Although the Eternal Dark Lord couldn't perceive the exact cause of the elemental convergence, it could confirm that it was due to the Archbishop of the Abyss. More precisely, these elemental forces were converging toward the Archbishop.
As everyone knew, elements and the Abyss were opposing, mutually restraining forces. Even if they merged, it was only superficial. Thinking about it, the Archbishop of the Abyss was quietly gathering elemental power—this was far too suspicious.
If the poison was ineffective against the Abyss system, the Eternal Dark Lord could grit its teeth and accept that to avoid internal conflict. But now, the Archbishop of the Abyss was silently amplifying this poison—that was inexcusable.
"Archbishop, what are you doing?" the Eternal Dark Lord asked, already restraining itself. If the Star Devourer had discovered this, it would have already hurled a meteor at the Archbishop.
"What?" The Archbishop of the Abyss had noticed the elemental forces converging, but it wasn't omniscient. It didn't know that elemental forces would amplify this poison. In fact, even with the Archbishop's terrifyingly vast experience, it had no concept of elemental forces amplifying poison.
As soon as the Archbishop spoke, it noticed the Primordial Ancestor beside it looking at it with hostility. Clearly, it had also discovered the elemental amplification of the poison.
The Star Devourer hadn't noticed; it simply spat out a mouthful of black blood, its aura growing increasingly violent and ferocious.
"Archbishop, you leave this place, or we leave... No, there is no 'or.' You, leave now," the Eternal Dark Lord said coldly. Golden blood dripped from its invisible mouth corner, falling to the ground.
"Stop wasting words with it! Roar!!" The Star Devourer's body shimmered with star patterns. Rising to over eight meters in height, it stood up and punched toward the Archbishop of the Abyss. With that punch, a vast expanse of space crashed down upon the Archbishop, leaving no room to dodge.
Meanwhile, in the lower city district, Yousha led several half-grown children, all wearing metal collars around their necks, out of Sanctuary City through the city gate. The collar was a mandatory procedure for civilians leaving the city, embedded with slowly vaporizing sanctuary stone powder.
Although she knew the risks of leaving the city were immense, under the oppression of the city's gangs, Yousha had no choice but to take the risk. Otherwise, there would be no food for tomorrow.
When fully exposed to the daylight, Yousha took a deep breath. The paint on her face made it impossible to see her wild, beautiful features.
Boom!!
A thunderous roar came from the sky. Yousha was shaken numb and fell to the ground. Looking up, she saw the upper part of the Sanctuary Tree, where the Top City area's sealed walls had shattered. Darkness spilled out, and within that darkness seemed to be something terrifying.
"Roar!!"
A massive beast covered in star patterns, using its claws and hind legs, grabbed hold of the Sanctuary Tree, which was usually considered inviolable. The bark split, and parts of the trunk were lifted.
At a speed Yousha couldn't follow, the beast lunged out, charging into the darkness above. Then, the area where darkness and starlight mixed moved rapidly into the distance. The entire world seemed to roar. Within seconds, that darkness vanished beyond Yousha's sight.
A piercing sound came from above as meteors rained down. Coming to her senses, Yousha was about to flee back to the Sanctuary City entrance when she remembered the companions she had brought out. She turned to look, and the scene before her abruptly ended. Her last remaining vision vaguely showed the blue flames surging toward her as the meteor struck.
'Wake up.'
'Sand Sea.'
'Deep within.'
'The seal must not be opened yet.'
Yousha heard vague whispers in her ears. She took a deep breath, and her eyes snapped open. Completely bloodshot, they were eerily captivating, but the crimson quickly receded. The Watcher's Ring on her index finger faded and disappeared.
Yousha's body was covered in cracks from the powerful impact, but no blood flowed. Through the gaps in her flesh, a flickering crimson could be seen inside. As the crimson pulsed, the cracks on her body healed rapidly, and she fell unconscious.
A dozen meters away, Bubu Wang watched this scene. Then, a communicator in his ear relayed Baham's voice: "Bubu, I'm watching the Star Devourer's side. Wait for the right moment. Head to the Top City in ten minutes."
"Woof." Bubu Wang barked, then walked over, nudged Yousha with his head, lifted her onto his back, secured her with a magnetic device, and ran toward the chaotic entrance of Sanctuary City.
On the guard tower at the southern side of Sanctuary City, Su Xiao was observing the situation through a telescopic device. Among the four giants, the Star Devourer and the Archbishop of the Abyss had already clashed. He wasn't surprised by this, as the plan to cause internal strife was specifically aimed at the Star Devourer.
From the beginning, Su Xiao never thought he could outwit all four giants, especially the Archbishop of the Abyss and the Eternal Dark Lord—both were old schemers. But he didn't need to outwit all four at once. He only needed to make one of them lose their cool and act. As for which one, it had to be the Star Devourer.
Now, the situation was that the Star Devourer was chasing the Archbishop of the Abyss, ready to make the traitor pay. The Eternal Dark Lord and the Primordial Ancestor tacitly accepted this outcome. They didn't necessarily believe the Archbishop was a traitor, but staying with him would only worsen the poison they had ingested.
Now, only the Eternal Dark Lord and the Primordial Ancestor remained in the Top City. The key was to separate these two. The Eternal Dark Lord was cautious, and the Primordial Ancestor was selfish—information learned from Grocery Brother Thornes—so naturally, it had to be exploited.
Su Xiao sat on the metal railing, gazing into the distance at Sanctuary City. This distance was just right. Behind him, on the ground, a Law-Destroying Teleportation Array was half-activated.
...
South of Sanctuary City, Despair Swamp.
A black beam of light fell from the sky, splashing mud and water. The Archbishop of the Abyss landed. As soon as it touched down, darkness spread like a water curtain across the ground, turning the surrounding dozen kilometers into a dark zone under its control.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meteors rained down, sending fragments of stars and dark blue flames spreading. Then, a four-armed, beast-like figure crashed down, dispersing the surrounding blue flames.
The searing pain from the poison drove the Star Devourer to a frenzy. Just as it was about to charge at the Archbishop of the Abyss, a figure in a black dress, holding a sharp sword, walked over. It moved across the darkness without being eroded.
It was the Dark Maiden. Normally, the Four Giants of the Lightless Temple had no fear of her, but after the Super World-Level Sealing Technique was activated, the Dark Maiden had become particularly dangerous.
Seeing the Dark Maiden appear, the Archbishop of the Abyss knew the situation was bad. Before it could speak, the Star Devourer beat it to the punch: "I knew it, you Abyss scum had ulterior motives. So you've colluded with the Watchers. What, did they promise to let you out, and in return, you help them poison us?"
After saying this, the Star Devourer's bloody maw curled into a cruel grin.
Hearing this, the Archbishop of the Abyss said nothing. It sincerely wished the Eternal Dark Lord were here instead. If so, they could join forces to eliminate the Dark Maiden without suffering backlash from the sealed entity.
The Star Devourer's aura grew more violent, but it wasn't foolish enough to charge at the Archbishop of the Abyss, putting itself in a fight against both the Archbishop and the Dark Maiden. The series of events made it feel there was definitely some conspiracy at play. So, it decided to kill the Dark Maiden first and see how the Archbishop reacted.
Noticing the Star Devourer locking onto the Dark Maiden, the Archbishop of the Abyss felt a bit relieved. The Star Devourer had some brains after all.
Now, as long as the Star Devourer lunged at the Dark Maiden, the Archbishop, who had nearly been framed, would immediately target the Dark Maiden. No matter what, killing this member of the Law-Destruction Faction was the safest move.
Just as the three opposing sides were about to strike, Zuiyasi waded through the mud, a hint of a smile on his face. "Archbishop, you've worked hard. Here's the promised reward."
With that, Zuiyasi tossed a Sealing Blade toward the Archbishop of the Abyss. This Sealing Blade was forged by Su Xiao, with only 1 point of durability—usable once. The space channel it opened wasn't particularly stable. For a powerhouse of the Archbishop's level, at most one person could pass through before the channel collapsed. But for any of the four giants, that was enough to leave this world.
The Archbishop of the Abyss didn't catch the Sealing Blade directly. But after sensing the half-submerged crystal short sword in the mud, it raised its hand, and the Sealing Blade was in its grasp.
Feeling the key that could break the world's spatial seal, the Archbishop's pitch-black eyes narrowed slightly. It didn't dare grip too tightly, afraid of crushing the crystal short sword.
This was the chance to escape. Imprisoned here for 50,000 years, the Archbishop of the Abyss no longer had its usual dignity or cunning. Instead, its killing intent boiled over. No one could take this key from it.
If no one else were present, the Archbishop would have used the item immediately to leave this world.
The Star Devourer, imprisoned for 90,000 years, stared fixedly at the Sealing Blade. It could never forget this thing, because it was a Law-Destroying Shadow who had used such an item to banish it to the Eternal Light World.
"Give it to me!" The Star Devourer radiated starlight. If it had been somewhat performative earlier, trying to lure out the poisoner, now it was serious. What were the Lightless Temple, the Four Giants' pact, compared to escaping this cage? All of that was worthless.
The Archbishop of the Abyss stored the Sealing Blade in the darkness. It now clearly understood this was the Law Destroyer's open scheme. The Law Destroyer knew the odds of killing him were low, so he resorted to this. The poison was more of a setup, a crack in the cooperation of the Four Giants. This Sealing Blade, calibrated for only one person to use, was the bait the Archbishop couldn't refuse, and the killing blow to make the Four Giants turn on each other.
"Devourer, this is the Law Destroyer's trap. Don't fall for it," the Archbishop said with a smile, its darkness growing denser.
"Of course, I know it's a trap. But as long as I can leave this damn place, nothing else matters. So give it to me. Don't make me repeat myself. In a direct fight, you're stronger outside, but in the Eternal Light World, full of natural elements, you're no match for me."
Starlight particles floated around the Star Devourer, each containing terrifying power.
Seeing this, the Dark Maiden gripped her sword's hilt. The next second, Baham emerged from the alternate space and whispered, "My lady, pull back quickly. You're not actually going to fight, are you?"
"..." The Dark Maiden was silent for two seconds, then turned and walked away. Baham sighed in relief, looked at Zuiyasi, and found that scoundrel had already vanished without a trace. Baham then slipped back into the alternate space and quickly disappeared.
When all other auras had vanished, leaving only the Star Devourer and the Archbishop of the Abyss, the two faced off for a few seconds before lunging at each other. For these two powerhouses, compared to escaping this cage, nothing else mattered.
...
Sanctuary City · Top City, Supreme Temple.
The Eternal Dark Lord and the Primordial Ancestor had both temporarily suppressed the poison they had ingested. The Primordial Ancestor said, "We performed so convincingly, yet we still didn't lure out the Law Destroyer."
The Primordial Ancestor didn't seem worried that the Star Devourer and the Archbishop of the Abyss would actually fight, as if this were all part of the plan.
"You miscalculated the poison," the Eternal Dark Lord said. A ball of Primordial Life Force appeared in its hand. This one of the Four Giants hadn't devoured much of the Life Crystal Stone's Primordial Life Force—less than one percent. So it was only mildly poisoned, and with the adaptability of a world-ending being, it was already fine.
In truth, the Primordial Ancestor had also vaguely suspected the Life Crystal Stones were off, but as a world-ending being, it didn't care if someone tampered with them. That was why it ended up poisoned.
"It's not without gain. Later, I'll ask the underlings where they found those Life Crystal Stones. Primordial Ancestor, sacrifice some Source Blood to track that Law Destroyer."
"Impossible," the Primordial Ancestor refused outright. The Eternal Dark Lord fell silent. Feeling the refusal was a bit harsh, the Primordial Ancestor changed the subject and asked, "Why has the Star Devourer been gone so long? A token effort is enough. There's no need to actually fight the Archbishop..."
Before the Primordial Ancestor could finish, it suddenly felt the world around it tremble.
Boom!!
Brilliant starlight exploded in the distance. Liquid-like light splashed up over a hundred kilometers from Sanctuary City. Watching this, the Eternal Dark Lord and the Primordial Ancestor exchanged glances. The Star Devourer and the Archbishop of the Abyss had actually started fighting for real. The Star Devourer had even used its starlight, clearly intent on killing.
"Damn it. That fool, Devourer," the Primordial Ancestor said, so angry it nearly triggered another poison outbreak. It made to stand up but was unstable from the poison.
"I'll go," the Eternal Dark Lord said, floating up. After exchanging a look with the Primordial Ancestor, it vanished.
At first glance, it seemed the Eternal Dark Lord was going to stop the fight between the Archbishop and the Star Devourer, leaving the poisoned Primordial Ancestor behind. But this was another trap. The Eternal Dark Lord hadn't gone far, waiting for the Law Destroyer Su Xiao to appear and assassinate the poisoned Primordial Ancestor, at which point it would immediately show up.
Compared to stopping the fight between the Archbishop and the Star Devourer, eliminating the Law Destroyer was more important to the Eternal Dark Lord. It seemed the Four Giants were being tricked into splitting up, but this was also a trap waiting for the Law Destroyer to come.
At this moment, the Primordial Ancestor was on the fifth floor of the Supreme Temple. The surrounding tall buildings in the Top City were packed with world-ending beings and Abyss Spawns from the Sanctuary City faction—all mortal enemies of the Law Destroyer. They were waiting for the Law Destroyer to appear and ambush the poisoned Primordial Ancestor, who was alone on the fifth floor.
Inside the Supreme Temple's fifth floor, wind howled through the hole the Star Devourer had blasted in the wall. The Primordial Ancestor was calming its breath, suppressing the poison within.
On the distant guard tower, Su Xiao checked Bubu Wang's transmission. It was confirmed that only the Primordial Ancestor was in the Top City's Supreme Temple, and it was poisoned. It seemed like a perfect opportunity for a surprise attack, but it was definitely a trap.
A blood shadow appeared behind Su Xiao. He clasped his hands together, and Cyan Steel Shadow Energy gathered between them. As he pulled his hands apart, a crystal spear formed. To be safe, he coated the crystal spear with a layer of blood energy, using a blood spear shell to encase the crystal spear.
Crack, crack, crack~
The blood shadow drew a soul great bow. Su Xiao wasn't a bow technique grandmaster, but he rarely missed. This was because the combination of the blood shadow, soul great bow, and blood spear resulted in a perfectly straight trajectory. As long as he aimed using Bubu Wang's positioning and targeted a non-moving object, even long-range kills rarely missed.
After aiming for at least ten seconds, Su Xiao commanded the blood shadow to release the bowstring. With a muffled thud, the blood spear shot through the air.
Inside the Supreme Temple's fifth floor, the Primordial Ancestor, suppressing the poison, had a faint smile on its face. The next moment, a blood spear flew in through the massive hole in the wall, heading straight for its head.
The Primordial Ancestor casually waved its hand, shattering the incoming blood spear with the back of its hand. The dark golden bandages on its hand weren't even damaged. The Primordial Ancestor was certain—the Law-Destroying Shadow had taken the bait.
However, the Primordial Ancestor didn't notice that its casual counterattack had only shattered the blood spear's shell. The crystal spear inside wasn't broken by it but was instead shattered by Su Xiao from a distance just before impact.
With a crack, the crystal spear broke apart. The scattered crystal fragments formed a circular array in midair—it was a Law-Destroying Teleportation Array.
Even a being as ancient as the Primordial Ancestor, over a hundred thousand years old, was shocked by this unprecedented maneuver. A violent spatial suction force pulled at it. The Primordial Ancestor didn't dare interrupt the teleportation and was whisked away. Its decision was correct—forcibly interrupting a Law-Destroying Teleportation Array was far too terrifying.
Meanwhile, Su Xiao, standing on the metal railing, dismissed the blood shadow and fell backward. The Law-Destroying Teleportation Array behind him activated, enveloping him in teleportation light.
Boom!
The teleportation array activated.
Crimson Castle, Fifth Floor, the hall where Su Xiao had fought the City Lord's wife.
Two Law-Destroying Teleportation Arrays on the ground activated simultaneously. Su Xiao and the Primordial Ancestor each appeared on one.
As soon as Su Xiao appeared, Amu, who had been waiting, stood behind him. The Dragonheart Axe hung low, its blade embedded slightly into the ground, radiating cold air.
In the cold air, Su Xiao's eyes, with blue light at their centers, stared at the Primordial Ancestor across from him. The instant pressure made the Primordial Ancestor abandon any contempt for the new-generation Law Destroyer. The oppressive force it felt was no weaker than that of an ancestral Law Destroyer of equal strength—no, it was even stronger.