Chapter 36: Hungry Wolf
The airship drifted slowly overhead, the bright sunlight casting a rainbow beside the fountain in the city center. On the central square, groups of tourists gathered—some were exotic-looking alien races, others held cameras as travelers from the Void, and there were even newspaper reporters setting up various equipment for on-site interviews.
This was Sanctuary City, a metropolis of tens of millions that was completely different from what had been imagined. Or rather, this was exactly how it should be.
This place was established by the Violators of Dawn Paradise. They had unique insight and foresight, clearly understanding that if they ruled here with harsh violence, it would inevitably lead to a population shortage and a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere. The Violators were already undying; if they were also placed in an especially oppressive environment, the decay and collapse of their souls was only a matter of time.
Under the guidance of the former Violator leader, Xiketo, Sanctuary City had taken on this appearance. The permanent population exceeded 75 million, and besides that, there were travelers from countless worlds in the Void. Don't forget, this world had no death rules. Some thrill-seeking travelers reveled in this, though occasional accidents did occur.
At this moment, inside the Eternal Life Guild headquarters, a grand building over a hundred stories tall.
Click, click~
A metal object flipped between fingertips, lightly tapping the solid wood desk. Gewo, the tattooed-armed strongman, Moon Witch, and others stood or sat before the desk. Behind the desk sat a man with parts of his body mechanically modified and dark red in his eyes. His name was Golden Scorpion, the Vice Guild Leader of the Eternal Life Guild, second only to Guild Leader Xiketo.
"You went with fourteen people, didn't get the job done, and only eight came back. Is that how I should understand this?"
Golden Scorpion set down the metal object and looked toward Gewo. Gewo remained silent, while the tattooed-armed strongman beside him spoke up: "We encountered a Hunter from Reincarnation Paradise this time…"
Before the tattooed-armed strongman could finish, Golden Scorpion glanced at him: "So encountering a Hunter means you can escape the fault of failure? Have you forgotten what allows your consciousness to exist to this day?"
Golden Scorpion's words left the tattooed-armed strongman speechless. He silently stepped back half a pace.
Gewo met Golden Scorpion's gaze. In terms of status, they were superior and subordinate, but Guild Leader Xiketo didn't only have Golden Scorpion as a trusted confidant.
Because of this, the position of Vice Guild Leader rotated. Golden Scorpion had served as Vice Guild Leader for nine years. In the latter half of next year, it would be Mad Lion's turn to take the position, and Mad Lion was Gewo's direct superior.
"You messed up the job. Someone has to take the blame. You're Mad Lion's subordinate—go explain it to him yourself."
Although Golden Scorpion had always had a poor relationship with Mad Lion, it hadn't reached the point of open conflict.
Gewo turned and left the office. Golden Scorpion surveyed the remaining few, his gaze landing on Moon Witch. After looking her over, he decided it was best to keep his distance from this generation of Violators. Their abilities were too bizarre, especially that guy who called himself Priest. As for Platinum Apostle, he was an old rival from the past, now on the same side—unpredictable, the world.
"Although our two sides are cooperating, this time…"
Golden Scorpion paused mid-sentence as the office door was pushed open. A girl with round-rimmed glasses, curved goat horns on her head, short white hair, and horizontal pupils walked into the room. She looked around at those present and asked:
"Why are there only seven left?"
Hearing this, Golden Scorpion, the tattooed-armed strongman, and the other Eternal Lifers showed no reaction, as if long accustomed to it. Moon Witch, Sea Crocodile, Ten Yasha, and Tree Demon—four Violators—furrowed their brows or showed dissatisfaction.
"Gewo is Mad Lion's subordinate. What can I do to him? Don't forget who the next Vice Guild Leader is."
As Golden Scorpion spoke, he propped his feet up on the desk. This crude behavior made the horizontal-pupiled girl, White Goat, frown.
White Goat sat down and looked around at the few present. She didn't trust the Eternal Lifers, who were full of lies, so her gaze fell on Sea Crocodile—the first contemporary Violator she had encountered.
She remained cautious of these Violators. The reason was that yesterday, her Guild Leader, Xiketo, had summoned a few trusted confidants and told them about this generation of Violators: the Ancient God System of Initial Death, the Fate and Causality Devouring System, and the one preparing to seize the Chosen's fortune.
White Goat was somewhat shocked by these people. She understood now that these contemporary Violators were evil spirits unleashed from their cages. The Violators of their era at least had Dawn Paradise to restrain them, even if the restrictions were relatively loose—there were boundaries and bottom lines. But the current Violators had nothing.
Speaking of which, Guild Leader Xiketo once had twelve core members under him, each controlling a large adventure group. This was the largest Violator faction in the original Dawn Paradise.
To this day, only six of the twelve core members remained: Golden Scorpion, Huan Yu, White Goat, Angry Ox, Mad Lion, and Greedy Crab. Among them, Golden Scorpion was the current Vice Guild Leader, Mad Lion was the next, and White Goat served in an advisory role, not participating in the rotation of the Eternal Life Guild's Vice Guild Leader position.
Angry Ox and Greedy Crab had long been in cahoots. Unless the Guild Leader summoned them, they never returned to headquarters. As for Huan Yu, let's just say he played too hard, to the point that even White Goat, whose thoughts weren't conservative, found it hard to look at.
After White Goat finished listening to Sea Crocodile's description of the operation, her slender brows furrowed. "Based on your account, you're not sure whether those six who disappeared were lost or killed?"
"Undying… no, Eternal Lifers—can they really die?"
White Goat didn't directly answer Sea Crocodile's question. Moon Witch said, "At least they can't be killed. Of course, it might also be that the tier of killing abilities we used for testing wasn't high enough."
"Theoretically, Eternal Lifers can't die. Our immortality doesn't come from ourselves—it's because this world has no death rules."
Golden Scorpion lit a cigar from the Sea Clan's homeland. After taking a puff, he felt a pang of regret. He had heard that Wind Sea Continent had undergone a drastic change, making this cigar a limited edition. After sharing some with friends in Lord's Continent, his stock was even smaller.
"Wait, you just said…" White Goat pointed thoughtfully at Sea Crocodile and continued, "Those six who disappeared—they vanished as entire teams? Without any warning?"
"Yes."
Getting this precise answer, White Goat's brow furrowed in worry. This made Golden Scorpion ask seriously, "Is it that serious?"
Now that Golden Scorpion was Vice Guild Leader and had issued this order, if something went wrong, he would have to take the blame. His reverence for Xiketo, along with the fear accumulated over time that was hard to erase, made him unwilling to shoulder this burden.
"I feel… those six weren't teleported away or lost in a trap. They were more like… 'eaten.'"
White Goat's words surprised Golden Scorpion. He couldn't imagine what could devour an Eternal Lifer.
"I'm just guessing. It's like these sixteen went out, and an evil spirit swallowed one of them, took its place, and used its identity and appearance to easily swallow another from the same team. Then it eliminated and replaced them one by one. If so, its next target would be…"
Lost in thought, White Goat looked at Moon Witch and asked, "Among you, who suggested returning to headquarters?"
"The one leading the team, Gewo."
"You, go find Gewo immediately."
White Goat pointed at the tattooed-armed strongman. He didn't dare question it and quickly left. Don't think Eternal Lifers are fearless. In the thousand-meter insect well in the back courtyard of the Eternal Life Guild headquarters, many Eternal Lifers who had defied Xiketo were still struggling in agony. Their only hope was that their souls could no longer bear the torment and would collapse, granting them release.
Half an hour after the tattooed-armed strongman left, he hurried back, hesitating to speak.
"Speak!"
When White Goat got angry, she had no authority; instead, she seemed cuter compared to her cold expression.
"I only found this."
The tattooed-armed strongman opened his right hand, revealing a black ring. It was a cherished item of Team Leader Gewo, said to be left by his deceased friend.
"This is…"
White Goat knew about this ring. She gestured for the tattooed-armed strongman to hand it over. He stepped forward. Just as he was within two meters of White Goat, Golden Scorpion, who had his feet on the desk and was smoking a cigar, suddenly narrowed his pupils. With a bang, his chair shattered under his immense strength, and a golden, heavy body energy climbed up his arms. Unfortunately, it still wasn't fast enough.
The tattooed-armed strongman, who was supposed to hand over the black ring, had already flicked it with his thumb. In the critical moment, White Goat tilted her head. The flying ring, like a magnetic railgun shot, left a blur as it passed by her ear, stirring her short white hair.
Although White Goat dodged this attack, a hand reached for her throat. With no way to avoid it, the petite White Goat was lifted by the throat. Dark blue smoke spread from the tattooed-armed strongman's hand, eroding toward White Goat's neck, causing her pupils to contract violently.
Boom!
The tattooed-armed strongman was blasted to pieces. Golden Scorpion leaped down from the desk and stomped on the still-intact head of the tattooed-armed strongman.
What surprised even Golden Scorpion happened: he had killed the tattooed-armed strongman. As a former Violator, this feeling of inflicting death was all too familiar.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
White Goat clutched her throat with one hand, enduring the pain as she asked, "How did you do it? You… killed him."
"I'm… not sure."
Golden Scorpion moved to help White Goat up, but she, sitting on the floor, backed away, raising a hand and shouting, "Don't come near me!"
This distrust made Golden Scorpion pause. He nodded, stepped back a few paces, and asked, "Did I eliminate the intruder, or was I used as a tool by him?"
"He's not dead."
White Goat stood up. She walked to the window, poised to make an elegant and dashing exit by breaking through it, but then she bumped her back against the window in a somewhat silly way, wincing in pain and afraid to breathe hard.
"Seal, huh."
White Goat pressed a hand against the window glass. Sealing runes emerged outside. Her eyes glowed white, showing an attitude of "a mere seal."
Buzz!
The outer layer of the seal was broken. White Goat nodded knowingly.
"As expected of you. The seal is broken?"
Golden Scorpion didn't skimp on praise. He knew well that White Goat, smart and tsundere, just needed compliments.
"One layer is broken."
"How many layers in total?"
"100."
"Looks like you'll have to work hard."
Golden Scorpion continued to flatter, but this time it was useless.
"I mean, 1 million layers."
After saying this, White Goat could no longer hold back her hatred, grinding her teeth.
"That bastard is insane. He must have some mental aberration. Setting up a trapping seal formation—how could he be so insane as to stack over a million layers? I'll fight him to the death."
White Goat, who had almost forgotten one of Dawn Paradise's famous top ten trash-talkers, began to channel that persona.
"Can you beat him?"
A voice suddenly spoke from among Moon Witch, Sea Crocodile, Ten Yasha, and Tree Demon. The four of them stiffened, looking at each other to confirm it wasn't one of them.
"Who spoke? Step forward."
White Goat acted as if she was about to break down, but after taking a few deep breaths, she regained her elegance and composure. It seemed that being trapped between life and death for so many years had also started to affect her mental state.
At this moment, there were eight people in the office: four Violators and four Eternal Lifers. Among the Eternal Lifers, besides Golden Scorpion and White Goat, the other two were lower-level members: Blood Axe and Divine Teacher. One was a melee strength type, and the other was a twisted blessing type.
The so-called twisted blessing was a variant of the healing system, where abilities originally used for enhancement were negatively modified. It granted the enemy increased strength while also causing physical distortion and mutation.
Golden Scorpion took out a communicator and dialed. Static interference came through. The signal here was blocked. Without thinking, this was Bubu Wang's doing.
Seeing this, Golden Scorpion pressed a hand against the wall and released his perception. He found that the building's walls were filled with sealing runes, isolating perception. He could only sense the room he was in, not even the situation next door.
Golden Scorpion turned to White Goat. Although she sometimes became irritable and out of control, she was reliable when calm. She said, "The enemy probably won't give us a chance to contact the outside. Gather everyone in the headquarters to the first floor. Anyone alone now is a lamb to the slaughter. A hungry wolf has sneaked in."
"Blood Axe, you go."
Just as Golden Scorpion gave the order, White Goat interrupted: "You go with Blood Axe. The intruder is very strong. If Blood Axe goes alone, he might not come back…"
Just as White Goat and Golden Scorpion made a quick decision, Moon Witch hesitated. She wasn't part of the Eternal Life Guild, and raising objections recklessly at such a dangerous moment could lead to internal conflict.
White Goat noticed Moon Witch's hesitation and said, "Speak your mind. We're all on the same boat now."
"It's like this. If I'm not mistaken, the one who infiltrated this time might be the Hunter, Bai Ye."
"Oh, the Law Destroyer who blew up a few resource stars of Arcane Eternal Star. I've heard of him. What, could he blow up Sanctuary City? If so, we can use this to ruin his reputation across the Void…"
"That's unnecessary. You might not know this person well. Even within the evil alignment sequence, his good-evil level is quite explosive. Evil factions opposing him sometimes worry that his good-evil value might suddenly drop below the limit."
"Uh, okay. What were you going to say? Continue."
White Goat's words made Moon Witch exhale slowly: "The Violators of our era, in the words of you previous-generation Violators, are more 'letting themselves go.'"
"Heh, I guess so."
White Goat's implication was clear: you contemporary Violators are far more than just letting yourselves go.
"Everything has a balance. In our generation of Violators, there are guys like Priest and Hao Tao. Correspondingly, among the Hunters of Reincarnation Paradise, there's a hunter like Bai Ye. So I want to tell you two: use more cautious measures to deal with this attack."
"Oh, got it."
White Goat agreed verbally, but her plan was always to just root out the evil spirit that had infiltrated their lair, not to feel a stronger sense of crisis.
"Using the measurement standard of you previous-generation Violators, you can think of him as the Tuanzhang of your era."
Moon Witch gave this final warning. Suddenly, the room fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard. White Goat, Golden Scorpion, Blood Axe, and Divine Teacher all stared at Moon Witch. White Goat questioned her:
"What makes you have such a ridiculous misconception? Or rather, is this Bai Ye a subordinate of Tuanzhang? Like Platinum Apostle back then?"
White Goat stared intently at Moon Witch, who replied, "No. There's a small force in the Void called Starry Sky Seat, with only a few members. Tuanzhang is the 2nd Starry Sky Seat, and Bai Ye is the 5th. It's not a superior-subordinate relationship; more like a senior and junior colleague within the same force."
"Are you sure?"
White Goat's horizontal pupils became dangerous.
"Very sure. So, what do we do next?"
"Escape from this building immediately."
As she spoke, White Goat quickly walked behind the desk, opened a hidden door, and revealed an elevator shaft in the wall.
"I say, you two. Bai Ye is hard to deal with, yes, but we don't need to retreat to this extent. This is your stronghold. There are at least a few hundred Eternal Lifers…"
Moon Witch's words didn't change White Goat's mind. She continued adjusting the elevator's activation lock panel and said, "The Guild Leader went out today to handle an important matter. He took Huan Yu, Angry Ox, Mad Lion, Greedy Crab, and dozens of core members."
"But there are still over 300 Eternal Lifers here…"
Moon Witch was cut off as White Goat suddenly paused her movements: "If what you just said is true, and Bai Ye is equivalent to Tuanzhang at the Absolute Strength level, then right now, I can tell you very clearly: in this building, besides us, there won't be anything else that can breathe."
After hearing this, Moon Witch was still unwilling. The previous two rounds had beaten them too badly. This round was finally her turn, and she got this nightmare start?
The elevator lock panel opened. White Goat, Golden Scorpion, Blood Axe, and others filed in. Seeing this, Moon Witch and her group could only follow. The elevator began descending, which relieved White Goat. Fortunately, the seals here only affected walls, windows, and the main entrance, not the underground shaft. Not being fooled by immortality and abandoning these emergency measures was truly wise.
However, White Goat and Golden Scorpion couldn't figure out why their immortality had failed.
Golden Scorpion's index finger brushed against the elevator's inner wall. After careful sensing, he said doubtfully, "The spatial characteristics here seem to have changed."
"Got it. That guy has covered something like a barrier here. It's part of some world overlapping this area. In this small world region, there are death rules, so we can die here."
White Goat's words brought understanding to the group. Just then, the elevator stopped. They hurried along the passage, eventually breaking into a jog. Moments later, they stopped before another elevator. Through this elevator, they could return to the surface, reaching a secret stronghold half a kilometer from the headquarters.
Just as White Goat, Golden Scorpion, and the others were about to step forward, the elevator doors opened on their own. Inside stood a figure holding a bloodstained longsword. In the dim light, the blood on the blade and the gleam in his eyes were both a chilling red.
A long-forgotten fear gradually crept into White Goat's heart. But none of them were cowards. They unleashed their abilities and auras fully.
Two minutes later.
Drip, drip.
Golden Scorpion, suspended upside down by a Spirit Shadow Thread wrapped around one leg, had only a little blood left trickling from his throat, dripping down his spiky hair matted with blood. His eyes were wide open, filled with unwillingness and helplessness. He had fought with all his might, but the cruel reality was that the first slash made him kneel, the second sent his proud golden arm flying, and the third was fatal through the throat.
Ten Yasha, pinned to the wall by a crystal spear, was worse off. His body below the chest was shattered by a kick, and the crystal spear pierced his throat, nailing him in place. Only then did he understand why Sea Crocodile, who had survived three rounds of the struggle in the Gentleman Team, often had a distant look in his eyes. In this struggle, aside from the top few at the Absolute Strength level, everyone else felt like they were in hell.
"Where is Xiketo?"
Su Xiao grabbed White Goat by the throat with one hand, speaking in a gentle tone.
"Go to… hell, you."
White Goat, lifted off the ground by her throat and pierced by over a dozen crystal daggers, had tears uncontrollably streaming from her eyes. It wasn't that she was cowardly, but the pain from being slashed and her soul pierced was so intense that tears flowed involuntarily.
"You have… three seconds."
As Su Xiao spoke, he raised his right hand holding White Goat higher. She looked at him with a mix of fear and hatred.
3, 2, 1.
Crack!
True to his word, he killed White Goat on the spot and tossed her aside. He walked step by step toward Dragon-Slaying Flash. Moon Witch, pinned face-down on the ground by the blade through her back, twitched at the corner of her eye. When Su Xiao reached her, he crouched down.
"…"
Su Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and pulled out the longsword. Before Moon Witch could take out a life-saving item to escape, he punched her unconscious.
After doing this, he walked toward the passage ahead, heading to the first-floor hall of the Eternal Life Guild headquarters. Moments later, he set up detonation devices in the hall and left through the main entrance. He had set up the sealing barrier himself, so he naturally had a way through. Moreover, this million-layer sealing barrier was about to fail; it wasn't an eternal-type rune attached to the Book of Original Sin.
Carrying the unconscious Moon Witch out of the Eternal Life Guild headquarters, Su Xiao took out a communication device. There was no signal. He had Bubu Wang turn off the jammer. As the signal gradually returned, he dialed Priest. After a dozen seconds, Priest's voice came through:
"Bai Ye, have you had lunch?"
"Just got busy, not yet. You?"
"Eating now. I have to recommend this small restaurant to you. Don't be fooled by it being in a small city—the food is excellent."
It was clear that Priest wasn't being hypocritically polite; he genuinely recommended the place.
"It's in the Ten Thousand Realms Food Guide. I'll go."
"Bai Ye, tell me, what's the matter contacting this old man?"
"Did you join forces with Xiketo?"
"How could that be? These Dawn Paradise Violators look down on us contemporary Violators the most, saying we have no bottom line in our actions."
"Is that so? I was passing by earlier and killed all the stationed members of the Eternal Life Guild headquarters. If you're not cooperating with Xiketo, then this has nothing to do with you."
"Wait a moment. Let me have Xiketo talk to you."
It was easy to imagine Priest saying this and handing the communicator to Xiketo, who was at the same table.
"I heard you helped me clean up my useless subordinates. Thanks for the trouble, Bai Ye."
A slightly hoarse, steady voice came through. Xiketo seemed unconcerned about his headquarters' subordinates.
"Is that so?"
Su Xiao's tone was calm, sounding both like a question and a probe.
"Yes."
Xiketo's tone was also calm.
"There was an Eternal Lifer named White Goat who would rather die than betray you. I could feel she both admired and loved you. It seems you've disappointed this kind of admirer for the second time."
Crack~!
A crushing sound came from the communicator. Su Xiao generally didn't use words to mess with an enemy's mindset, but when he decided to, it was usually effective.
An hour later, in front of the Eternal Life Guild headquarters' main entrance, Xiketo, Priest, Platinum Apostle, and Hao Tao looked at the sealing runes firmly trapping the building. Priest stepped forward and pressed a hand against them.
"This seal is about to fail."
Crack, crack, crack~
Under the gray-white erosion, the failing seal barrier developed holes. Xiketo walked in, followed by Hao Tao. Platinum Apostle hesitated, then looked at Priest.
"Priest, are you waiting for someone?"
"No. I'm soft-hearted. I can't bear to see the bodies of the dead."
Hearing this, Platinum Apostle decided not to go in. He shouted into the hole in the seal: "You two, don't touch anything inside. There might be…"
Before he could finish, a million layers of seals suddenly appeared, resealing the Eternal Life Guild headquarters.
Inside the first-floor hall, corpses were suspended by Spirit Shadow Threads. Xiketo, who had been feeling a rising anger, now sensed something was wrong. An explosive resembling the sun was activated a dozen meters below him.
Why did Xiketo and Hao Tao trigger the trap here? Given Xiketo's caution, this shouldn't have happened. Even if there was a trap that needed activation, he should have seen through it.
The problem was that the person who set this trap had honed his hunting skills to an absurd level against the modern monsters and demons. This seal barrier + Sun Holy Sword wasn't triggered physically or remotely. Such traps would be instantly detected and neutralized by Xiketo, and this Sun Holy Sword might even end up in his hands.
What was truly absurd was that this seal barrier + Sun Holy Sword was triggered by emotions. When anger appeared within 30 meters, both were activated immediately.
How was this ridiculous activation method achieved? Through a trap-type contract. The content on this contract parchment could connect to the emotions of any nearby living being, even specifying a certain emotion.
Anger triggered induction synchronization in the contract parchment. Although the contract couldn't be signed this way, the back of the parchment was covered in conduction runes. Once induction synchronization occurred, it was equivalent to detonating the connected trap.
And why use a million-layer seal barrier to seal this place? Naturally, not for the safety of Sanctuary City. Apart from this headquarters, there were no death rules elsewhere in this world. The seal runes were to amplify the explosion's power, like putting a firecracker in an iron can as a child—the explosion would be especially powerful.
Boom!!
A muffled sound caused the Eternal Life Guild headquarters to swell several times in size, filled with a blazing explosion of Sun Flame.
Priest watched this scene, a kind and benevolent smile of satisfaction on his face. Xiketo and Bai Ye going at each other was exactly what he wanted to see. He had paid a heavy price to make Xiketo provoke Bai Ye. Based on his understanding of Bai Ye's style of never delaying revenge, everything was going according to plan.
"Priest, why is your nose bleeding?"
"What?"
Priest touched it. Sure enough, black blood stained his hand. He was about to take out an antidote when his vision suddenly went dark.
…
Sanctuary City, East District, inside a barn at a farm.
Su Xiao sat on a crystal chair, holding a handful of hay to feed a sheep. The sheep ate the grass and glanced at the person lying on the ground. To it, this was complicated, but the hay in its mouth was getting more flavorful.
Su Xiao patted the sheep's head. The sheep walked away. He dropped the remaining hay. Baha on his shoulder said, "My boss sometimes helps others heal hard-to-cure injuries, so no need to pretend. I can see you're awake."
Hearing this, Moon Witch sat up. Even now, her temperament remained gentle and refined. Truly a charm-type Violator. During the time she had been taken, the several strong beings of this world she had deeply charmed were frantically searching for her in the city, already hysterical.
"We have no personal grudge."
Su Xiao's words made Moon Witch look puzzled.
"I shouldn't have treated you like this, but the outcome of this struggle is unclear to me."
Su Xiao handed over a damp, clean towel and added:
"I shouldn't have treated you like this. Accept your fate. Maybe this is destiny."
Su Xiao's repeated "I shouldn't have treated you like this" made Moon Witch panic. She forced calm: "Bai Ye, we're both at the Absolute Strength level. At this level, do we really fear physical pain?"
Moon Witch looked at Su Xiao with a half-smile. Seeing this, Baha on his shoulder sighed: "Moon Witch, you must know about Wind Sea Continent. Something happened there. The Beast Clan and Sea Clan were nearly wiped out. But as they say, good people die young, but the wicked live long. A group of Sea Clan covert operatives who did dirty work escaped to the Void under their leader."
Baha paused, then continued: "This Sea Clan group has only a dozen people. Their survival skill is maximizing the physical and soul pain they inflict on clients. You might not know, but the Sea Clan and Beast Clan on Wind Sea Continent fought a ten-thousand-year bloody war. In that long war, the Sea Clan's covert operative structure gradually grew and perfected. To this day, no one knows better than them how to make clients suffer."
After this explanation, Baha paused again, giving Moon Witch time to digest. It concluded: "Ms. Moon Witch, we paid for a luxury package for you there. By my calculation, they should have arrived at the largest space transfer station in the Void. Their next stop should be this world. Our sides are factionally opposed. We really shouldn't have treated you like this, but we're also backed into a corner this time. We hope you understand."
Hearing the final "we hope you understand," Moon Witch's mentality began to crack. She wanted to be tough, but considering the Sea Clan's methods, she decided a good Violator doesn't suffer immediate losses.
"Bai Ye, even if you want to know something, you have to… ask first! You didn't even ask and wanted to mess me up. Isn't that too much?"
"…"
Su Xiao and Baha exchanged glances. His look said: 'Baha, didn't you ask?' Baha's look said: 'Boss, you were away just now. How could I dare to ask recklessly?'
Baha broke the silence: "Cough~ Sorry, Ms. Moon Witch. There was a coordination issue within our team. First question: what is Priest's goal?"
"I don't know."
"Boss, see? I asked, and she's being stubborn."
"I'm not… being stubborn. I really, really don't know."
Moon Witch was so angry she almost got internal injuries.
"Is that so? Cough~ Sorry. Let's change the question. What is Hao Tao's goal?"
"To take your boss Bai Ye's Chosen status and his Origin Stone: World. More importantly, a Scarlet Card he possesses."
Hearing the last part, Su Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. He took out a Scarlet Card: "This one?"
"I'm not sure. In short, it's the one that trapped Grey Gentleman's consciousness."
"Reason."
Moon Witch didn't answer immediately. After a few seconds, she said with a half-smile: "Grey Gentleman's ability is to plunder the wealth of those marked with the Puppet Mark. Hao Tao's is to seize the power of those implanted with the Devouring Mark. Don't you feel that the abilities of these two are actually very similar?"