Chapter 36: The Prophet
The situation in the Upper City had exceeded everyone's expectations. Several factions that had been ready to make a move all chose to wait and see.
At this moment, within the central park, screams and shouts were incessant. Although the Killer Trio had yet to clash with Silver Lady, their pursuit and escape had already caused quite a commotion, plunging the once peaceful park into chaos.
Boom!
Silver Lady flew backward, crashing through multiple walls before landing inside a cold drink shop. Sitting amidst the rubble, she watched the Killer Trio approaching from across the street.
"You three idiots, I'm not your target. Look at who I am."
Silver Lady glared at the Killer Trio. The second brother sneered and said, "I know exactly who you are. Today is your death day, Wen. Dorine·Pameriya."
After saying this, the second brother lowered his voice and nervously emphasized to his elder brother beside him, "Big brother, I've double-checked. The target is correct. This is the enemy's scheme."
"Mm."
The eldest brother pressed his index and middle fingers together, gently rubbing his temples. Everything he saw now appeared as a peerless enemy. The assassination target before him had nearly transformed into an Abyss Spawn in his eyes.
"You fools..."
Before Silver Lady could finish, a figure walked down the now-empty pedestrian street. This person wore a loose black robe with a hood, holding a large skewer of grilled meat in one hand and a can of beer in the other. After taking a sip of the cold beer, they glanced sideways at the group without stopping.
In this chaotic situation, Sha, who had just finished absorbing Abyssal Force and woke up to find food, happened to pass by.
Suddenly, Sha stopped. She looked around, threw away the empty beer can, pulled out a messy stack of bills from her bosom, squinted at them for a moment, selected one, then approached Silver Lady. Pinching the corner of the bill, she handed it over and said:
"I want something cold. A fruit drink."
After speaking, Sha took a big bite of the meat skewer, not caring about the sauce smeared on the corner of her mouth, chewing loudly.
"?"
Silver Lady, still sitting among the rubble, was clearly bewildered. She glanced at the various fruit drink posters on the wall. This was indeed a cold drink shop. This suddenly appearing Absolute Strong seemed to be a regular here and had mistaken her for the shop owner?
Silver Lady dared not act rashly, and neither did the Killer Trio. The reason was that Sha had the strength to take on all three of them alone. After all, Sha was an Absolute Strong who could fight Su Xiao, though she couldn't win, she was far from ordinary Absolute Strong. Coupled with Sha's shameless time-based abilities, she could beat the Killer Trio into the ground.
Seeing Silver Lady unresponsive for over ten seconds, Sha shook the banknotes in her hand, clearly urging her to hurry up.
Though still confused, Silver Lady stood up from the ground. She walked behind the counter, which was now only half intact, and clumsily began mixing juice.
At this moment, in a restaurant across the street, the Sky City Lord was enjoying his lunch. Through the window, he saw the scene inside the cold drink shop, especially Sha. His brows furrowed because he knew Sha was a member of the "Star Observation Tower." This meant that the "Star Observation Tower," "Witch Guild," "Ancient King City," and "Law Destroyers" had all entered the fray.
Behind the Sky City Lord's seat, his trusted aide, the Finance Officer responsible for the city's financial affairs, asked, "Lord City Lord, the situation seems to have exceeded everyone's expectations. What should we do next?"
Hearing this, the Sky City Lord didn't respond. He continued enjoying his meal. After finishing, he put down his utensils, pulled the napkin from his collar, wiped his mouth, and said, "Of course, we deal with the Dark God Cult."
"Huh?"
The Finance Officer was stunned. He hadn't noticed any trace of the Dark God Cult in this entire affair.
The Sky City Lord, a burly figure standing three and a half meters tall with arms thicker than an ordinary person's legs, stood up. He walked to the restaurant's cash register, pulled out his wallet, and pretended to take out some money, but accidentally dropped a coin.
Ding~
The coin hit the ground with astonishing bounce, flying higher than the Sky City Lord's height toward the ceiling. The shop owner behind the counter instinctively looked up.
Slap!
The Sky City Lord grabbed the restaurant owner's head with one hand. Blood seeped through his fingers. He lifted the owner like a chick, then muttered, "Isn't this just a Dark God Cult scumbag?"
The Sky City Lord crushed the restaurant owner's head. The headless body fell to the ground and began to mutate due to the uncontrolled dark energy within, turning into a horrifying mass of flesh that slowly writhed.
The Sky City Lord's meaning was clear. He didn't care how the four factions—"Star Observation Tower," "Witch Guild," "Ancient King City," and "Law Destroyers"—clashed. Even if all four fought to the point of severe injury, the Wizard Continent would still belong to the Wizard faction. But if the Dark God Cult took advantage of the situation, that would be disastrous. Therefore, he planned to focus entirely on crushing the Dark God Cult.
A secret known only to Moon Witch·Sesiris and Guild Leader·Po. Yeen was that the current Sky City Lord was also a Supreme Strong. Even if he was only at the early stage of Supreme Strong, having three Supreme Strongs in one world was already remarkable. Back when Wind Sea Continent produced a Supreme Strong, Spider Lady, it remained a glorious achievement to this day, showing the weight of a Supreme Strong.
If we were to talk about value, Spider Lady of Wind Sea Continent was undoubtedly the most valuable. She was a top-tier Supreme Strong. Moon Witch·Sesiris was a mid-tier Supreme Strong, while Guild Leader·Po. Yeen and the Sky City Lord were lower-tier Supreme Strongs.
Back in the cold drink shop, Sha successfully bought a cup of cold drink. She inserted a straw, took a sip, and frowned. Lifting the cup, she tilted her head to look at it, then glanced at Silver Lady, seemingly puzzled but saying nothing.
Baha silently glided into the cold drink shop and said to the trio, "You got the wrong target. Withdraw."
"What? Impossible."
Under the gaze of his elder brother and younger brother, the second brother tried to argue, but seeing Baha's look, he muttered awkwardly and followed Baha out.
Seeing this, Silver Lady let out a long sigh of relief. Then, she noticed Bubu Wang crouching beside her.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, meaning: 'Beautiful, elegant lady, please make one for me too.'
Silver Lady initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Bubu Wang's pitiful eyes, she eventually made a fruit drink for him. Bubu Wang happily took a sip through the straw but couldn't help coughing, spraying juice out of his nose. He whimpered and ran out of the shop. Seeing this, Silver Lady looked displeased. She picked up the remaining juice, took a sip, and her expression twisted.
Silver Lady handed the mixing cup to Amu beside her and walked out of the cold drink shop.
Ten minutes later, on the rooftop of a tall building on the south side of the park, which was built around a giant tree, the rooftop didn't seem abrupt. It had a layer of grass and wooden tables and chairs.
Su Xiao looked at the Killer Trio standing in a row. Under his gaze, all three avoided his eyes. They had just messed up the commission.
"Obviously, you mistook the target."
Baha, perched on Su Xiao's shoulder, spoke. Hearing this, the second brother sighed.
"But then again, you didn't completely fail."
Baha's words weren't meant to comfort the Killer Trio. They had indeed achieved Su Xiao's expected goal, even with better results.
Having the Killer Trio assassinate that Sky City high-ranking official was merely to muddy the waters. Now, the situation in Sky City wasn't just muddy; the Killer Trio had turned it into a quagmire. Old Yinbis like Shenfu, Platinum Apostle, Archbishop of the Abyss, Su Xiao, and the Sky City Lord all refrained from acting rashly, showing how wonderful the current situation was.
"..."
Su Xiao tossed a bag of Soul Coins. The eldest brother caught it, wanting to say something, but Su Xiao raised his hand to stop him. He said, "I see that you three brothers are quite talented..."
Before Su Xiao could finish, the second brother excitedly said, "Really?"
"..."
Su Xiao stared at the second brother for a few seconds. Under this crushing death glare, the second brother lowered his head and backed down. Su Xiao continued:
"I know of a faction that suits you three well. Here's a referral token..."
After Su Xiao roughly explained, the three brothers' eyes lit up. They exchanged glances and decided to leave the Witch Realm soon and head to Wind Sea Continent.
As for the faction Su Xiao recommended to the Killer Trio, it was naturally the Hunter Guild. Although this faction was neutral, Su Xiao had a high bounty there. Under these circumstances, sending the Killer Trio to cause trouble for the Hunter Guild was quite suitable. Moreover, the Killer Trio indeed didn't fit the Witch Realm; Wind Sea Continent was where they could thrive.
Shortly after the Killer Trio left, the door to the rooftop was pushed open. Sha walked to the edge and sat down, drinking her fruit drink, swinging her legs back and forth, looking very relaxed and carefree. This made Su Xiao realize that Sha seemed to have two states now. The black robe with a hood she wore was imbued with luck, fate, and other powers, and it also had a strong suppression and sealing effect on dark traits.
Therefore, when Sha wore this loose black robe, she wasn't very dangerous. Additionally, she was currently in the stage of absorbing Abyssal energy, which temporarily limited her thinking ability. This made Sha in this state both carefree and informal. If a stranger bumped into her on the street, she wouldn't get angry. She would just look at them for two seconds, then tilt her head and look for another two seconds, before finally walking to a nearby food stall.
If evaluated by equipment rank, Sha's black robe was at least an Eternal Rank +12 piece of equipment, with an astonishing price. It was unknown who gave it to her. It certainly wasn't the three "Council Elders," who had always wanted to use Sha. By this reasoning, it must have been another member of the "Star Observation Tower."
The surviving members of the "Star Observation Tower" were now the Ancient King and the Strongest Defiler, Dark Prophet. The Ancient King seemed to still be asleep, so it could only be the Dark Prophet.
Although Sha was now carefree and informal, once she took off this black robe, the close-combat Valkyrie would return, and in a dark version, ruthless and merciless.
Sha yawned. Wearing her hood, she rummaged in her bosom for a while and pulled out a sealed crystal bottle. This certainly wasn't sealed by Sha. Before absorbing Abyssal energy, she couldn't even understand basic formulas, let alone high-level sealing formulas. She tossed the crystal bottle to Su Xiao behind her.
Su Xiao caught it with one hand. A dark sensation spread from his palm.
[You have obtained Dark Blood·Will.]
[Main Quest: Third Ring: Old Friend (Completed).]
[You have obtained Gem Box (Upon opening, you can randomly obtain a white-quality to Eternal Rank·Full Score Gem).]
[You have obtained Commission Token (1/5).]
[Main Quest: Fourth Ring (Triggered).]
[Main Quest: Fourth Ring: The Prophet.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.??? ~ Lv.???
Quest Brief: Obtain Dark Blood·Wisdom.
Time Limit: 5 Natural Days.
Quest Reward: Commission Token (1/5...).
Quest Penalty: Forced Execution.
...
Sitting on the edge of the rooftop, with her back to Su Xiao, Sha raised her hand, waved it left and right, then fell forward. Mid-fall, she suddenly disappeared, reappearing on the street. She walked toward the edge of the Upper City because something deep in the Lower City below was attracting her.
On the rooftop terrace, Su Xiao took out the "Star Disk" and used it to absorb the second portion of Dark Blood he had obtained. This caused the "Star Disk" to shift from its original gold to dark gold. The patterns on it became denser, and a blurry imprint appeared at the center, resembling the mark of the Wizard faction but with many differences in detail.
Sha chose to abandon the Dark Blood, most likely because she could no longer leech from the three "Council Elders." One thing to note was that although this cooperation with Sha was possible, the next meeting might not be the same. How long Sha could maintain herself was unpredictable.
A loud noise came from below. Su Xiao sensed for a moment and found that the noise wasn't from the Upper City, nor even the Middle City below, but from the Lower City on the surface. Such a powerful resounding noise couldn't be caused by ordinary people. His first thought was that Guild Leader·Po. Yeen had come to Sky City, but he quickly dismissed it. Po. Yeen was currently watching the Doom Star.
The situation in the Witch Realm was becoming increasingly confusing. As for the Witch Realm's old enemy, the Doom Star, it seemed unwilling to give up this opportunity. Guild Leader·Po. Yeen, a Supreme Strong, temporarily prevented the Doom Star from acting.
Excluding Guild Leader·Po. Yeen, Su Xiao realized that the Sky City Lord was likely not simple. As for the opponent he was facing, it was undoubtedly Shenfu, Platinum Apostle, and Archbishop of the Abyss. Among these three, the Archbishop of the Abyss had recovered to near Supreme Strong. Before being trapped in the Eternal Light World, he was a top-tier Supreme Strong.
Platinum Apostle's strength had always been unfathomable. As for Shenfu, his strength wasn't important. What mattered was this old fellow's incredible survivability. He could even fake his death with a convincing kill notification, shocking everyone.
Thus, the situation in Sky City became clear:
Sky City Lord VS Super Old Yinbi Combo.
Su Xiao VS Star Observation Tower.
The Witch Guild temporarily watched from the sidelines. After being secretly dealt with by Moon Witch, the Ancient King City had retreated with a bruised nose and swollen face, no longer daring to meddle.
Su Xiao closed the quest list. Next, he needed to find the Strongest Defiler, Dark Prophet. This was troublesome because the other party was a prophet with strong divination and prophecy abilities, and the quest time limit was only five natural days.
Just then, the communicator beside Su Xiao rang. He picked it up and found it was Alanna from the Sky City Witch Guild branch. Answering it, Alanna lowered her voice and said, "Lord White Night, a mysterious person came to the branch looking for you."
Before Alanna could finish, the call suddenly cut off, and the communicator emitted a hissing sound, as if being interfered with.
Su Xiao held the communicator, thought for a few seconds, then stood up and headed to the Witch Guild branch on Full Moon Street with Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha. Twenty minutes later, he pushed open the branch's door. Due to the Sky City's deliberate actions, this branch was small, only three stories high, with just over 20 witches and about 30 staff members handling daily affairs.
Although it was daytime, gas lamps were lit inside, casting an unsteady light. Su Xiao went up to the second-floor meeting room and found it even dimmer. All the witches of the branch were there, staring warily at the hunched, aged figure sitting on the sofa.
This person was over two meters tall, but due to hunching and emaciation, only his large frame was visible. He wore a gray-black robe with a low hood. Only his withered lower face was visible, with dry lips covered in vertical cracks. His hands were as dry as tree bark, and in his right hand, he held a tree staff less than two meters long, covered with worm-eaten marks.
A strong, foul aura emanated from this person, causing the surrounding witches to keep their distance. He was deliberately restraining and suppressing his foul aura.
This person was the Strongest Defiler, Dark Prophet, the target of Main Quest: Fourth Ring.
Sensing Su Xiao's arrival, the Dark Prophet looked up, revealing his pale, withered eyes under the hood. He was blind, but he was still the famous Dark Prophet of the Witch Realm, an ancient traveler who wandered the land, absorbing the pain, suffering, illness, and misfortune he encountered.
The Dark Prophet slowly stood up. Then, to the shock of Alanna and the other witches, he knelt prostrate before Su Xiao, holding up a semi-fluid "Dark Blood·Wisdom" with both hands, gradually raising it to offer to Su Xiao. In a hoarse voice, he said:
"Respected Law Destroyer, Original Sin Sealer, King of the Dead Silence, I, a defiled person, am infinitely honored to meet you. Please accept this Dark Blood. Please, let our witch be freed."