Chapter 51: Mortal Enemy
A choice lay before Su Xiao: retreat immediately and preserve himself, or take the risk of going to the "Moon Temple" to challenge the First Witch.
Neither the main mission nor the talent awakening mission carried any penalty. As for "Bounty 5: Aggregate," the most he would lose was the 10 ounces of Space-Time Force used as the bounty deposit.
On the surface, there seemed to be no loss. However, if he chose to retreat this time, he would never be able to complete the Law Destroyer's exclusive "Talent Awakening Mission." The characteristic of this mission was that it could only be activated in a Transcendent Primordial World, and it consisted of three rings. It was known that there were only three Transcendent Primordial Worlds. Giving up on the Witch Realm this time meant giving up completely.
Su Xiao had always believed that if he failed to awaken the "Law Destroyer Exclusive Talent Ability: Shadow Hunt," even if he eventually qualified to face the Supreme Being, he would still be walking a path to death. This Law Destroyer talent, which required traversing three Transcendent Worlds to awaken, was likely his strongest trump card in the super late game.
One thing puzzled Su Xiao: since Moon Witch Serisilis and President Poyen had both gone to the "Moon Temple" to challenge the First Witch, how did they survive after their defeat?
Before Su Xiao could ask, Moon Witch Serisilis spoke: "In the past, challengers who went to the Moon Temple had to carry a Snake Shedding Rune. Now, there are none."
"Why?"
"The master who could create this kind of rune died of old age. Plus, Snake Shedding Runes have a time limit and cannot be stored long-term."
Serisilis's answer was quite straightforward, but not unexpected. Runes were like that. Those with talent could not only master a large number of developed runes but also create their own. However, the number of runes a rune master could pass down was quite limited. It wasn't that these rune masters were unwilling to teach; it was that others simply couldn't learn.
A rune master who mastered 200-300 runes in their lifetime might only have 1-3 runes that could be passed down, and there was a high probability that the lineage would be broken after a few generations. Runes were something that heavily relied on talent.
"So, you're saying that all the powerful Absolute Strong individuals throughout the history of the Witch Realm have gone to the Moon Temple to challenge?"
"No, many didn't even have the qualifications to challenge."
The Moon Witch took a sip of Maple Tea. Although she had tasted it several times before, she still found its aftertaste lingering.
"So many people have failed. Why would I succeed?"
Although Su Xiao had made up his mind to take this gamble, he also intended to gain the maximum support and return from the Wizard Faction.
"Because you are a Law Destroyer, and because you don't belong to this world. You belong to the Paradise Faction."
Hearing this, a different light appeared in Su Xiao's eyes. Her implication was that when facing the First Witch, both she and the President had a natural disadvantage.
Thinking about it carefully, it really was the case. The First Witch was the most crucial figure in resisting the Abyss invasion, without a doubt. Although the Ancient King had made the same contribution, he was from another world. The First Witch, on the other hand, was a native of this world.
Thinking of it this way, the First Witch was practically the mother of the Witch Realm's World Consciousness. As for Moon Witch Serisilis and President Poyen, they were a level above the World Child in the eyes of this world's World Consciousness. With such an identity, going against the mother of this world's World Consciousness would not only cause backlash but also cause their Luck Attribute to plummet.
As for the First Witch being eroded by Malignant Mutation, a world's World Consciousness would not change its fortune based on possible future events. It was like a person harboring evil thoughts; before they actually acted, the World Consciousness would never judge them as evil.
The First Witch was still trapped within the "Moon Temple." As of now, she had not caused direct harm to this world. Therefore, in the judgment of this world's World Consciousness, the First Witch was still at the highest position. Any target hostile to her would be rejected by this world's World Consciousness.
Su Xiao didn't have this problem. The Paradise Faction was least afraid of being rejected by the world. Of course, it couldn't be a world rejection certified by the Paradise Faction or the Void Tree. That would be a real problem.
"Bai Ye, regardless of whether you succeed or not, as long as you try, this reward is yours."
The Moon Witch took out a sealed bottle. Inside was a crystalline fragment of Source Matter. As these crystalline fragments drifted, they occasionally formed a long sword covered in cracks, then gradually dispersed, spinning in a vortex.
The moment he saw this item, Su Xiao knew he couldn't refuse this time. This item had many names. Some called it "Blade Source Matter," others called it "Dark Demon Source Matter." The more correct name should be "Extreme Blade Source Matter."
To have the qualification to reach the limit in Blade Grandmaster, one must absorb this kind of Source Matter. In Paradise Faction terms, to raise Blade Grandmaster from Lv.94 to Lv.95, this item was essential.
Regarding the origin of this item, one had to mention four types of Source Matter: Universal Source Matter, Exclusive Source Matter, Supreme Source Matter, and Unrivaled Source Matter.
The representative of Universal Source Matter was Power Source Matter, which needed no further explanation. Exclusive Source Matter, such as Demon Spirit Source Matter and Radiance Source Matter, belonged to this category. As for Supreme Source Matter, there were five types, including Golden Force and Primordial Source Matter. The remaining three Supreme Source Matters were unknown for now. With Su Xiao's hunting authority, he only knew that there were five Supreme Source Matters in total.
The pinnacle was, of course, the two Unrivaled Source Matters: "Element" and "Abyss." The "Extreme Blade Source Matter" he saw this time was actually a derivative of these two.
Legend had it that the first person to reach the limit in blade techniques, in order to go further, chose to absorb the "Abyss Source Matter" from the "Unrivaled Source Matters." As a result, this technique powerhouse died, but his blade was preserved. Moreover, this blade had also absorbed the "Abyss Source Matter." The strength of this weapon was such that, throughout the three eras from the Void to the present, it could still rank in the top three. Whether it was number one was hard to judge.
This weapon lay dormant for many years. When it finally revived, it wasn't a divine artifact appearing, but rather it shattered. The first "Extreme Blade Source Matter" in history appeared.
It was very difficult for Source Matter to appear. But once the first one appeared, it would become part of the Star Realm's laws. When "Abyss Source Matter" condensed, there was a very, very low probability that it would transform into "Extreme Blade Source Matter" during the condensation process.
More importantly, technique abilities tended towards an initial "no attribute," unlike other systems that were either dark or flame. Under the derivation of this "no attribute" characteristic of the Star Realm's laws, "Element Source Matter" also had a probability of transforming in this direction during condensation, but the probability was extremely low, less than one in a billion.
This resulted in the blade technique characteristic Source Matter transformed from "Abyss Source Matter" being called "Extreme Blade Source Matter," while the blade technique characteristic Source Matter transformed from "Element Source Matter" was called "Radiance Blade Source Matter."
Given Su Xiao's aura and ability system style, if he absorbed "Radiance Blade Source Matter," his blade techniques would transform into a "Light Blade" characteristic. It just felt wrong. This would definitely greatly reduce his combat power.
Conversely, being full of blood energy and wielding a sharp blade emitting dark blue smoke was more in line with Su Xiao's style. Going against one's own style and system development generally wouldn't lead to high achievements.
In Su Xiao's estimation, he had already prepared for Blade Grandmaster to be stuck at Lv.94, and then he would go all out to find "Extreme Blade Source Matter." He didn't expect that a portion of "Extreme Blade Source Matter" would be right in front of him now.
This was indeed good news. But thinking that Melee Grandmaster and Blood Spear Grandmaster would also require such rare items to be raised to Lv.95, the poverty of being a Three Technique Grandmaster hit him.
It wasn't surprising that the Wizard Faction had managed to obtain a portion of "Extreme Blade Source Matter," but the price paid must have been enormous. Thinking back to when he first entered this world, the high-ranking members of the Star Research Society all had bitter faces. When they first contacted Su Xiao, they were reluctant but also forced to show the enthusiasm of welcoming a guest. It all made sense now.
"You need to give me your answer as soon as possible. The seller of this Source Matter has been urging me for a reply."
The Moon Witch tapped the self-destruct seal on the sealed bottle with her index finger. It seemed that this Moon Witch was also a master of empty-handed schemes. If she had bought the "Extreme Blade Source Matter" in advance, and Su Xiao refused to come to the Witch Realm or died in the "Astral Disk" trial, then this "Extreme Blade Source Matter," which was equivalent to 25-30 years of the Wizard Faction's total wealth income, would be a loss. This item was incredibly expensive and, at the same time, not easy to sell. How many Blade Grandmasters of such a high level were there?
So, what the Moon Witch told the seller was that she wanted to first check the quality of this "Extreme Blade Source Matter." If it were any other faction, the seller would only reply with a "get lost." But for the Witch Realm, the seller had to think twice.
Witches were famously vengeful, but also particularly trustworthy. They were the type that, once they promised something, even if they failed to achieve it due to various force majeure accidents, they would feel uncomfortable for years. In the dead of night, they would suddenly sit up in bed, their eyes bright in the darkness, and think for a long time before gloomily going back to sleep.
"I heard you have quite a few enemies. How about this: this portion of 'Extreme Blade Source Matter,' plus I'll help you deal with one of your enemies."
"Deal."
With such favorable conditions, Su Xiao naturally wouldn't refuse. Besides, he had already planned to go to the "Moon Temple" to experience the First Witch of this world.
"Go ahead. Tell me who you want me to kill."
The Moon Witch took a sip of Maple Tea. Now that the matter was settled, it could be seen that she was in a good mood.
"Archbishop of the Abyss."
Su Xiao was sure that his most recent enemy was the Archbishop of the Abyss. Once the other party recovered to the Supreme level, the subsequent situation would become dangerous.
"This..."
The Moon Witch looked at Su Xiao, her smile elegant but with a hint of awkwardness. As the saying goes, when cursing, don't expose someone's weakness. Ever since the Archbishop of the Abyss returned to the Witch Realm, the Moon Witch had wanted to eliminate this world-destroying existence, but she had never succeeded. The other party's whereabouts were too hidden.
Seeing the expression on the Moon Witch's face opposite him, Su Xiao chose to change the target. He said, "Then make it Platinum Apostle."
"This one~"
The Moon Witch glanced at Su Xiao again. This was clearly giving Su Xiao a look for him to figure out on his own. Choosing someone even harder to kill was really just messing with her.
"Then change it to Shenfu."
As soon as Su Xiao said this, he found the Moon Witch opposite him looking at him with a smile. However, under the office desk, the Moon Witch's right hand seemed to have clenched into a fist. The Archbishop of the Abyss, Platinum Apostle, and Shenfu were all hard to find and hard to kill. The key point was that even after killing them, it was uncertain whether they were truly dead. It was very frustrating.
"Pick one that's both easy to find and strong."
After saying this, the Moon Witch let out a slightly resentful sigh.
"Supreme Being."
"Cough! Cough, cough, cough!"
The Moon Witch put down her teacup, calming her choked breath, and said, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me."
What the Moon Witch said wasn't quite right. It was clearly her own request. "Both easy to find and strong" – this condition perfectly fit the Supreme Being. The other party was on Arcane Eternal Star, easy to find, right? As for strength, this one's power was beyond doubt.
"Bai Ye, say something more reliable."
"Underworld God."
"Hmm~, this one is indeed reliable, but it's also not possible. The Underworld God won't leave Doom Star anytime soon. And if I go to Doom Star, Night Mother and the Underworld God will definitely gang up on me. I can't beat them."
The information in the Moon Witch's words was explosive. She admitted that this choice was reliable, meaning she was confident in fighting the Underworld God, who was at the peak of Supreme-level combat power. The strength of Moon Witch Serisilis was evident. It seemed the rumors were true.
The Moon Witch's understanding of Doom Star far exceeded others' expectations. The news that Night Mother and the Underworld God were about to clash had ultimately not been hidden from the Moon Witch.
"Soul Lord."
"Soul Lord Yowen Gewu? This one can be a backup. If she leaves Arcane Eternal Star recently, I'll make a move and fight her to the death. If she doesn't leave, then I can't do anything about it. So, choose another one."
"Mage Sage Seraphilia."
Hearing this candidate, the Moon Witch was silent for a few seconds, then asked back, "What's my name?"
"Serisilis."
"Mm. And what's the Mage Sage's name?"
"Seraphilia."
"So, don't you feel that our names are very similar?"
Su Xiao didn't speak. He had considered this before, but without clues, he had to put it aside.
"Guess again. What is our relationship?"
The Moon Witch spoke with a smile.
"..."
Su Xiao frowned. In terms of age, Mage Sage Seraphilia must be older than Moon Witch Serisilis. Thinking of this, Su Xiao said, "Could she be your..."
"That's right, indeed."
"Your biological mother."
"I'll kill you."
The Moon Witch nearly lost her composure. If Su Xiao wasn't still needed to deal with the First Witch, she would have wanted to punch him right now.
"Same clan, same clan. Our clan has two branches. One branch is on Arcane Eternal Star, the other is in the Witch Realm. Our clan has a common trait: we all have a strong talent for controlling natural elements. Can you bear to let me kill my own clan?"
Su Xiao didn't speak, clearly indicating he could bear it. Seeing this, the Moon Witch smiled and said, "To be honest, my relationship with Seraphilia is average. That old woman's strength isn't great, but her appearance hasn't aged after all these years. What's she pretending to be young for?"
After saying this, the Moon Witch raised her hand and touched the corner of her eye, feeling even more displeased.
"Choose another backup."
"Xiao."
"Also a Supreme, huh? Your enemies... are all very strong."
The Moon Witch looked Su Xiao up and down, as if curious how this Law Destroyer had managed to survive safely to this day with so many powerful enemies.
Supreme Being, Underworld God, Soul Lord, Xiao, Seraphilia, Platinum Apostle, Archbishop of the Abyss, Shenfu. Good heavens, this lineup of enemies. If someone with a weak mental state saw this, they would find a scenic spot and end themselves, to avoid being caught by their enemies and dying in agony.
The Moon Witch's last sentence gave Su Xiao an unexpected piece of information: Xiao from the Hunter Guild was actually a Supreme. The previous rumor was that Xiao was an Absolute Strong and had accepted the hunter bounty on Su Xiao. But even if the other party was a Supreme, it should be at the early Supreme level.
This information was learned from the Irritable Little Elf Diagu. In terms of intelligence, this Irritable Little Elf often gave people surprises.
"Since we've talked this far, if you have any other enemies, just say them. I'll help you deal with them."
"Dawn Paradise."
"Bai Ye, do you have some misunderstanding about my combat power level?"
"It's a ruined paradise."
Hearing this, the Moon Witch became quite interested and asked, "How do you know?"
"I threw a few Sun Holy Swords in there."
"Well, I really didn't expect that. Although I want to go and see that ruined paradise, it's probably impossible. This is your domain. As for when you go to the Moon Temple, you decide for yourself."
The Moon Witch put down the "Extreme Blade Source Matter," clearly indicating that the meeting was over. Seeing this, Su Xiao stood up and walked out. When he was near the door, he paused, turned his head, and said, "There's one more thing."
Su Xiao was about to face the First Witch. In such a life-and-death battle, armor was very important. So, using the 2150 portions of "Dark Embers" he had obtained this time to upgrade "Wild Hunt Night" to the Eternal rank would undoubtedly increase his chances of victory.
Hearing this, the Moon Witch immediately summoned Lady Silver and asked her to find the best armor craftsmen and master-level tailors in the entire Witch Realm.
Early the next morning, in the large workshop in the backyard of the Witch Guild headquarters, a group of master-level tailors and craftsmen were discussing and arguing around "Wild Hunt Night." Two of them, with hot tempers, had already started fighting.
The Witch Realm had many top-tier craftsmen. However, when these people saw the long leather coat "Wild Hunt Night," they were all a bit dumbfounded. One master tailor, in particular, observed this armor with an almost reverent attitude, muttering things like "How can it be repaired to such a flawless state? It's impossible."
Although these master craftsmen didn't say it explicitly, Su Xiao knew they couldn't use the "Dark Embers" to upgrade "Wild Hunt Night." Seeing this, he asked Baha to find Lady Silver and entrust her to find a way to invite Lide, who was currently in Reincarnation Paradise.
As a forging master, Lide couldn't possibly exchange all the rare materials and consumables he needed for forging within Reincarnation Paradise; it was too expensive. Therefore, he must have dealings with the Witch Realm, which served as a center for inter-world trade. Sure enough, not long after, Lide was invited here.
Initially, Lide thought Su Xiao's blade had broken in the Witch Realm and rushed over. But as soon as he entered the large workshop, he saw the long leather coat on the workbench that was practically his nightmare. This immediately made him guess what was going on. With a tearing sound, he ripped a strip of cloth from the inside of his clothes and tied it around his face as a mask.
"Eh? Isn't this forging master Lide? What brings you here? A rare guest."
Lide, wearing the mask, was immediately recognized by an old friend. Lide nodded calmly and said, "My old friend's weapon had some problems. I came to help him repair it."
"Oh, I was wondering why they called a forging master for upgrading a leather coat this time. Isn't that an insult? So that's how it is."
"Haha, right, here to repair a weapon, haha."
Lide laughed again, greeted his other old friends, and then walked straight towards Su Xiao. He pulled down his mask, his stubbly face forcing out a strange smile, and asked, "Bai Ye, did you call me here this time because of Dragon-Slaying Flash?"
"Mm."
Su Xiao, along with the scabbard, pulled Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist and handed it to Lide, adding, "Durability is less than one-fifth. The enemy I'm about to face is very strong. I have less than a thirty percent chance of winning."
Hearing this, Lide's expression turned serious. He drew Dragon-Slaying Flash and ran his thumb along the blade, confirming there were no hidden damages on the edge before feeling a bit more at ease.
"No problem."
As he spoke, Lide led Su Xiao towards the forging workshop. On the way, Lide lowered his voice and asked, "You're not going to change that damn windbreaker of yours?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He took out a portion of "Dark Embers." Lide took it, his expression twitching, but then said with relief, "This thing has over 99% compatibility with that long leather coat of yours. But the quantity is too small. I can't do anything about it, hahaha..."
As soon as Lide finished speaking, he received a notification.
[You have received 2149 portions of Dark Embers.]
The smile on Lide's face almost instantly turned into a mask of pain. He lowered his voice and angrily asked, "There are so many master tailors here this time. You don't go to them, but you come to me? I'm a blacksmith!"
"I asked them. They said they couldn't do it."
Hearing Su Xiao's reply, the mask of pain on Lide's face somehow became even more vivid.
That afternoon, Su Xiao received an invitation from Lide, saying he wanted to treat him to dinner. Su Xiao declined, citing gastrointestinal discomfort. If he went, there was no chance of eating dinner; he would definitely get hit with a couple of hammer blows. Especially since, according to Baha, when Lide said he wanted to treat Su Xiao to dinner, he had three or four blacksmith hammers on him. Even for a forging master, there was no reason to bring so many hammers when inviting someone to dinner.
However, since Lide had rushed over, Su Xiao naturally couldn't let this old friend suffer a loss. What Su Xiao said to Lady Silver was that, in his opinion, Lide had the skill of a Legendary Blacksmith when it came to repairing Dragon-Slaying Flash. Moreover, Su Xiao was about to go and fight a life-and-death battle with the First Witch. Among the beneficiaries of this battle's victory, the Wizard Faction held a large share.
By saying this, Su Xiao also meant that since the Wizard Faction had invited Lide this time, the compensation should be paid according to the standard of a Legendary Blacksmith. This was dozens of times higher than Lide's usual fees. There was still a significant gap between a Forging Master and a Legendary Blacksmith. Given the Wizard Faction's financial resources, it was no exaggeration to say that Lide's income from this trip was equivalent to more than half a year's earnings.
In the evening, Su Xiao sat on a strange rock by the shore of a shallow lake. Dragon-Slashing Flash's durability had been repaired to 100%. "Wild Hunt Night" had also been upgraded to the Eternal rank under Lide's enhancement. He checked the attributes of "Wild Hunt Night."
[Wild Hunt Night]
Origin: Dark Crow World.
Quality: Eternal.
Category: Long Leather Coat.
Durability: 300/300 points (Increased by 90 points).
Base Defense: 60 points (Increased by 30 points).
Eternal Rank Leather Armor Base Bonus: 15% Physical/Energy Damage Reduction.
Equipment Requirements: True Stamina 450 points, True Intelligence 480 points, Killed more than 10 Divine Units (Achieved).
Equipment Effect 1: Spirit Armor (Core · Passive), For every 3000 points of Mana the wearer has, this equipment will gain an additional 15 points of Defense, 3 points of Penetration Resistance, 3 points of High-Temperature Reduction, and 3 points of Erosion Reduction.
Increased: 450 points of Equipment Defense (Increase limit is 450 points).
Increased: 110 points of Penetration Resistance (Increase limit is 120 points).
Increased: 110 points of High-Temperature Reduction (Increase limit is 120 points).
Increased: 110 points of Erosion Reduction (Increase limit is 120 points).
Equipment Effect 2: Warm Healing (Core · Passive), The "Ember Fire" contained within this equipment will heal your vitality, restoring your Health Points. After you are injured, this recovery effect will increase. Each time you are injured, as long as the damage intensity of this instance is higher than 5% of your maximum Health Points, this recovery effect will stack (Maximum stack of five layers, each layer's recovery intensity will increase).
Tip: In each battle, the maximum value of this recovery effect cannot exceed 85% of your maximum Health Points.
Equipment Effect 3: Ember Force (Core · Passive), In battles against enemies of the same tier, when this equipment is attacked and damaged, it will stimulate the "Ember Fire" contained within, permanently increasing the strength limit of this equipment.
Ember Force Absorption: 0% (For every 1% of Ember Force absorbed, this equipment's rating will increase).
Tip: Only life-and-death combat battles can cause the "Ember Fire" within this equipment to ignite slightly, thereby triggering this characteristic. Sparring or non-lethal contests will not gain the recognition of the "Ember Fire" and cannot trigger this characteristic.
Tip: Due to this characteristic, the difficulty of repairing this equipment is increased by 95% (Increased by 45%).
Description: This is an Eternal rank leather armor created by a forging master. Yes, that's right, it was indeed a forging master. However, on the description of this equipment, this forging master is unwilling to reveal his name. Truly, a master of skill and modest in character.
Rating: 5300 points (Eternal equipment rating 3000~6000 points).
Price: Untradeable.
After donning "Wild Hunt Night," Su Xiao sat on the strange rock by the lake and meditated. Unbeknownst to him, the sky darkened. A full moon hung high in the sky. Looking up, he could see many dark spots on the silver moon. It was time to go to the "Moon Temple" and settle the score with the First Witch.