Chapter 64: Confinement Tower
Arriving at the Alchemy Laboratory, all the potions had finished cooling. This was the one drawback of the "Crimson Secret Potion"—after brewing, it required natural cooling, otherwise the potency would be affected. This time, he had brewed a total of 30 bottles to have on hand for emergencies.
Su Xiao chose to return to the real world. When the teleportation light faded, he was already on the second floor of the accessory shop. Business was still dismal, but that was exactly what he wanted. He checked the time—it was dusk. The sound of cicadas chirping endlessly outside the window filled the air. He brought Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini downstairs.
Summer nights were cool and refreshing, perfect weather for a barbecue. Just then, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Detected that you are the strongest hunter within a 100-kilometer diameter radius. A real-world mission is about to be issued. Do you accept?]
[Real World Mission: Eliminate the Threat.]
[Mission Content: Eliminate three violators who have infiltrated the real world, along with their ten accomplices, all sixth-rank contractors.]
[Mission Time Limit: 1 natural day.]
[Mission Reward: Contribution Medal × 1.]
……
A long-awaited real-world mission. Su Xiao initially planned to decline, but upon seeing the reward was a "Contribution Medal," he changed his mind.
At that moment, in the suburbs, inside a standalone villa.
The carpet on the third-floor room was filthy and stained, littered with cigarette butts and dried fruit peels. By the stairway window, over a dozen people were standing or sitting. Some wore formal attire, others were in vests and shorts. A woman was scantily clad, her red lips carrying a faint, mocking smile. An old man, looking impatient, spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the floor, causing discomfort to those around him.
These dozen or so people were led by three individuals: a white-haired man with glasses, the spitting old man, and a seductive young woman. Everyone referred to each other by their codenames from the mission worlds. The three leaders were called Han Xiao, Old Fish, and Red Fox.
Han Xiao was around 30 years old, with cold white hair. Paired with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a gold-white suit, he exuded a calm, leader-like aura.
In contrast, Old Fish, who clearly harbored ulterior motives, seemed untrustworthy, even though he was one of the three strongest in the team.
Sitting on the sofa, Red Fox was leisurely trimming her nails. Although she ranked among the top three in strength within the team, she wasn't well-liked. She had a bad reputation for having caused the deaths of many teammates in the past. However, her strength was undeniable, and both Han Xiao and Old Fish wanted to win her over to gain an edge over the other and secure greater benefits.
Among the dozen or so people present, they were vaguely split into two factions. Three sat in a corner: one with a playful expression, named Mo Dao; another staring out the window in a daze, named Fa Shi; and the last one savoring a cup of blood wine, with wriggling worms inside that made others uneasy. This man was called Blood Leech, the decision-maker among the three violators.
"Everyone, have you thought it over? Dawn is reviving. Given your current situation, becoming violators is only a matter of time. Why not take advantage of Dawn's early notarization period, complete the task assigned by that great figure above, and then join us."
Blood Leech scanned the room, noticing that Han Xiao and Old Fish seemed tempted. He added, "Places like the real world don't even have the sprout of supernatural power. To put it bluntly, the supernatural power system here is inferior to low-level derivative worlds. Having you complete this task in the real world is actually a test from that figure, a pledge of allegiance. This opportunity only comes once. Think it over."
After saying this, Blood Leech downed the blood wine in one gulp and closed his eyes to rest. As for the claim that the real world was inferior to low-level derivative worlds, Blood Leech himself didn't believe it. Although he didn't know much, from conversations between the figure he followed and another super big shot, Shenfu, he had learned that the real world, though the bottom of all realms, was also the foundation.
The higher-ups didn't want to take the risk, so they sent the three of them to the real world. But Blood Leech didn't dare either. Fortunately, luck was on his side. After investigating the real world for a while, he stumbled upon this group. For Blood Leech, this group was both a scapegoat and a lifeline.
"Everyone, what's your decision?"
Blood Leech opened his eyes. Han Xiao, Old Fish, and Red Fox exchanged glances. Their subordinates—Bone Man, Stone Golem, Mad Wolf, Black Crow, and others—held their breath, waiting for their respective leaders to make a decision.
Meanwhile, over ten kilometers away, inside a noodle shop, a girl in sportswear with a hooded sweatshirt walked in. She scanned the shop and spotted a figure in casual clothes. She didn't sense any special aura from him.
"Hello."
Wei'er spoke with a smile, trying to appear friendly. As a sixth-rank contractor, this mission weighed heavily on her heart. After all, they were up against at least ten sixth-rank contractors and three dangerous violators.
It was true that Reincarnation Paradise was known for producing madmen, but that was the impression of other paradise factions. The ones they encountered were top-tier fighters of the same rank, fierce enough to participate in world conquest battles. However, Reincarnation Paradise also had normal contractors, like Wei'er.
Learning that she had a partner, Wei'er breathed a sigh of relief, thinking this would be a case of a big shot carrying a rookie. But upon meeting him in person, Wei'er's hopes were dashed. As a perception-type, she couldn't sense how powerful the man opposite her was. Yet, stuck in the same boat, she didn't complain. Instead, she steadied her emotions, preparing for a tough fight.
……
Su Xiao glanced at the girl sitting across from him and continued eating his noodles. The noodles here were good. Since returning to the real world to relax, he hadn't felt like going out much and hadn't visited this noodle shop in a while.
Su Xiao kept eating, leaving Wei'er awkwardly sitting across from him. She maintained her smile until the man finished his meal.
"Where are they?"
Su Xiao spoke. He was sure that Reincarnation Paradise had given him this partner mainly to provide initial leads.
"Huh? What?"
Wei'er was momentarily stunned. She felt that discussing such matters in a bustling noodle shop was a bit reckless.
……
Su Xiao stared at Wei'er. After a few seconds, she muttered, "One of them, called Bone Man, was seen near the abandoned factory area. He seemed to be setting something up in an abandoned factory there. I'm not sure exactly where..."
Before Wei'er could finish, Su Xiao stood up and walked out of the noodle shop. But after a few steps, he stopped, realizing he hadn't paid. He was used to eating at Xia Na's place.
After paying and leaving the shop, Baha, disguised as a parrot in the real world, landed on Su Xiao's shoulder. Su Xiao said, "East side of the city, abandoned factory area."
"Ten minutes, done."
What shocked Wei'er even more was that the driver among this group was that husky. Sitting in the back seat, Wei'er sneaked a glance at Bubu Wang, who was holding the steering wheel with one paw and had a natural expression. She felt like this dog was an experienced driver.
They drove to the abandoned factory area. Worried about alerting the enemy, Wei'er asked, "Did you find Bone Man's location?"
……
Su Xiao didn't respond, seemingly asleep in the passenger seat.
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of an abandoned factory. Amu got out and forced the door open. The group entered the factory, and Wei'er hesitated to unfold her perception field. But the next second, she sensed a faint smell of blood.
"There was a fight here!"
Wei'er said gravely. Bubu Wang glanced at her, as if to say, "Can you stop being so jumpy?"
Entering the abandoned factory, they saw a bloodied figure lying beside a glowing array. Seeing this figure and the parrot with bloodstained claws, Wei'er was shocked. The one lying there seemed to be Bone Man, whom she had discovered and reported to Reincarnation Paradise!
Su Xiao approached the array and placed his hand on it. He understood why Reincarnation Paradise had assigned this real-world mission to him. This array was something extraordinary, but the person executing it was a clueless rookie.
"Heh, go ahead and do it. I won't say anything."
Bone Man, severely wounded, spoke. He was a tall, thin man with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes.
Su Xiao glanced at Bone Man. A blood spike condensed beside him and pierced Bone Man's forehead the next second.
"Wait—"
Wei'er, who wanted to use Bone Man as a lead, froze. At this moment, she could no longer hold back. What kind of teammate was this? He was silencing the enemy!
Before Wei'er could say anything, Su Xiao stepped forward to Bone Man's body. Spirit Shadow Threads extended, forcing the dead Bone Man to rise and kneel with his head bowed. Su Xiao's right hand was covered in a crystal layer, then turned soul-like, a translucent blue. His hand plunged into Bone Man's back, pulling out a semi-transparent, gelatinous figure—Bone Man's soul, which hadn't yet dissipated.
This sight sent chills down Wei'er's spine. It wasn't ordinary fear but an instinctive terror that made her pupils tremble.
"You, you..."
Bone Man's soul was even more incredulous. He had been dragged out of the darkness of death.
A crystal needle, as thick as a pinky finger and covered in honeycomb-like holes, formed in Su Xiao's left hand. The needle slowly and firmly pierced the neck of Bone Man's soul. A scream-like wail spread. Just hearing it made Wei'er feel the profound pain and despair that penetrated the soul.
"I'll talk, I'll talk! Ask me, ask me quickly!"
Bone Man's soul twisted and struggled.
……
Su Xiao remained expressionless, silent. He simply formed another crystal needle in his left hand.
After a while, Su Xiao understood the situation. He crushed Bone Man's soul, searched the body, and pulled out a phone. He dialed a number that Bone Man had revealed. After a few rings, the call connected.
Meanwhile, on the third floor of the standalone villa.
Han Xiao, Blood Leech, Old Fish, and the others had preliminarily reached an agreement, and the atmosphere was becoming relaxed. Just then, a contractor codenamed Black Crow received a call. The most suspicious, Old Fish, asked, "Who is it?"
Black Crow glanced at the number. Instead of answering Old Fish, he looked at his leader, Han Xiao. Seeing Han Xiao nod slightly, he said to Old Fish, "It's Bone Man."
With that, Black Crow answered the call. "Speak."
But there was no voice on the other end. Instead, there was a flowing sound, like water or some other liquid. The sound had a unique rhythm, as if resonating with something, drawing Black Crow in. He listened silently, not saying a word.
Stone Golem, sitting nearby, saw this and nudged Black Crow. "What's wrong with you?"
"Huh? Nothing."
Black Crow instinctively moved away from Stone Golem, as if afraid the other would snatch the phone and take away the wonderful sound he was hearing.
"Weirdo."
Stone Golem ignored Black Crow. Black Crow picked up the phone to continue listening, but the other side had hung up. He felt an inexplicable sense of loss.
"What did they say?"
Stone Golem, with his keen hearing, hadn't heard any sound from the phone, so he asked.
"Nothing."
Black Crow replied listlessly. Seeing this, the others assumed it was a prearranged code between the two. Since the cooperation had just been agreed upon, it wasn't the time to press further. The discussion continued.
A few minutes later, Black Crow, who had been listless, suddenly became animated. He interrupted the conversation between the leaders and the violator Blood Leech, asking excitedly:
"Did you hear that?!"
Black Crow's eyes sparkled. He even dug at his right ear with his index finger. Everyone looked at him in confusion. His leader, Han Xiao, showed a hint of displeasure.
"You didn't hear it? How is that possible!"
Black Crow kept digging at his ear, but now his entire index finger was stuffed into his ear canal. This time, everyone noticed something was wrong. They formed a semicircle around Black Crow.
"Listen, listen carefully! It's the sound of blood smoke flowing, rustling, rustling~. Can you hear it?"
Black Crow's entire right hand was shoved into his ear canal. Blood began to spray. Everyone's expressions turned grim, but no one dared to act rashly.
"Come, I'll open it up for you to hear."
As Black Crow spoke, he used both hands to tear open his already gaping ear hole, splitting his entire head open from the side. Blood smoke began to spread in the area.
With a whoosh, a figure made of blood smoke appeared behind Stone Golem. As for Black Crow, he had turned into a dried corpse, still holding his torn-open head, dead on the spot.
Witnessing this, Han Xiao, Old Fish, Red Fox, and Mad Wolf felt their scalps tingle and a chill run down their spines. As for Stone Golem, he was about to act.
A short sword made of blood energy had already slit his throat. In an instant, all the blood in his body was assimilated into blood energy, pouring into the short sword and transforming it into a long blade. Even though all his blood had been drained, Stone Golem didn't die. He lunged forward, and a slash mark appeared on his neck as he landed.
The blood energy figure, holding the long blade, scanned the room. This time, not only Han Xiao, Old Fish, and Red Fox but even the three violators felt their scalps go numb.
'Blood energy... Could it be!'
This was Blood Leech's final thought. His face filled with terror. He was about to break through the window when he felt a numbness in his throat. He instinctively reached for it, but his strength drained away. As for his ability to transform into countless leeches to avoid attacks, it was utterly useless against this figure—no, against facing the blood energy incarnation of this person.
One thing Blood Leech was certain of: if the real body were here, a single glance would make him explode into a blood mist. A chance to escape? Don't joke. He might not even have time to let out a scream of terror before it was over.
Han Xiao, Old Fish, and Red Fox watched Blood Leech get killed in an instant. With unprecedented tacit understanding, they fled in different directions. But the next moment, they felt like insects trapped in amber, struggling slowly.
Tap, tap, tap~
The blood energy figure walked forward calmly, decapitating them one by one with the blade. Due to the strange slowing effect around them, their severed heads flew through the air, their eyes still moving, searching for an escape route.
A few seconds later, the slowing field dissipated. All the corpses exploded into blood energy, absorbed by the blood energy figure. The room was left without a trace of anyone or blood. The blood energy figure flickered and appeared in a distant dense forest. Embers and sparks emerged on its body. As it walked forward, it gradually turned to ashes, scattering in the wind, as if these violators and contractors had never existed.
Two days later, in the backyard of the accessory shop.
Su Xiao sat by the barbecue grill, took a bite of a skewer, and glanced at Beini. Bubu Wang and Baha had similar expressions, as if wondering how Beini could make such a simple dish as grilled skewers taste so terrible. In the end, they decided to let Amu do the grilling. Amu was a master at barbecue.
But soon, Amu was benched. The reason was that while his grilling was delicious, the skewers disappeared into his mouth as soon as they were done. He couldn't even keep up with his own eating. Good grief, he downed over 80 skewers in one go. Who could out-eat him?
The peaceful and comfortable real-world life passed quickly.
[Tip: Your real-world stay time has reached its limit. You are about to return to Reincarnation Paradise.]
When the teleportation sensation faded, Su Xiao was back in his exclusive room. However, this time, he didn't receive a notification to enter a mission world. The reason was that he had a total of 15 natural days for his "Promotion Mission," meaning he still had 8 days left for promotion.
The reason he had relaxed was to prevent being dragged into a mission world immediately after promotion. This wasn't impossible. Apart from the Confinement Tower, he knew nothing about the other areas of "Ancient Dragon Kingdom·Eberath."
He took out the [Sun Holy Emblem] and [Ancient Dragon Key] and selected the world entry authority.
[Tip: Detected that the two items you hold are related to Ancient Dragon Kingdom·Eberath. Do you wish to enter this world?]
[Available initial teleportation locations: High Altitude·Confinement Tower, Last Sanctuary City.]
[Selected: High Altitude·Confinement Tower.]
[Teleportation about to begin. 10, 9...]
Seeing the countdown, Su Xiao's expression turned serious. Bubu Wang and Beini began to panic. Baha muttered to himself, while Amu covered the back of his head with both hands.
Boom!!!
The familiar dull thud. Su Xiao's vision went black.
High-altitude winds howled. A tall bridge stood here. Looking down from above, the several-meter-wide stone bridge was above the clouds. But beneath the clouds was a thick, surging darkness, as if the entire Ancient Dragon Kingdom was shrouded in darkness, except for this high-altitude area, which still retained its cold.
This stone bridge was about three meters wide, bare on both sides, with no railings. Looking down, it wasn't just a blessing for those with acrophobia; it also revealed an endless sea of clouds. An iron chair sat at the end of the stone bridge. A sleeping figure sat in this chair, head bowed, with a ten-thousand-meter drop behind them.
The howling wind woke Su Xiao. Opening his eyes, he took a deep breath of Eberath's cold air. Besides the cold from the First Era, there was also the dense... Abyss.
The last time he came to Eberath, Su Xiao's understanding of the Abyss was insufficient. He stood up, walked to the edge of the stone bridge, and looked down. The flowing clouds were gray, set off by the darkness below. This world wasn't just eroded by the Abyss; it had passed that stage and become a world entering the Abyss Era.
Su Xiao was sure that he wasn't strong enough to break into this place yet. But soon, he would be. Everything was in the nearby Confinement Tower. Or rather, this was the allure of becoming stronger—being able to break into places that were once certain death, to fight the powerful darkness and distortion within.
Su Xiao opened the team list and found that Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Beini hadn't entered this world. They had first arrived at a teleportation relay station, waiting for him to enter the world and trigger a world mission, or return to Reincarnation Paradise, before joining him.
Walking along the stone bridge, he saw more fragments written in "Chiriyade language" left by the Sun God Clan. Although they often targeted the Ancient Dragons, there was no insult or cursing. The Sun Clan and the Ancient Dragons were fated enemies, destined to appear together in the First Era with scorching sun and extreme cold. They could never coexist—a fate toyed with by destiny.
Arriving at the Confinement Tower, he pulled the metal rod beside the door. With the clanking of gears, the iron bars sealing the tower slowly rose. Entering, he passed through a thin, invisible membrane. Inside, it wasn't as cold as outside, but it wasn't warm either.
The tower was spacious. At the far end, a woman in a cold white dress, her head covered in a translucent veil, sat on a chair, dozing with her head bowed. This woman was about three meters tall. Despite her height, her proportions were well-balanced, giving her a kind of majestic beauty. She was the White Dragon Lady.
Sensing someone entering the tower, the White Dragon Lady's eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.
"Why have you come here?"
It was the same words as when Su Xiao first arrived. This made him wonder if the White Dragon Lady had had her memory reset and forgotten him. Actually, no. This beauty was a bit groggy from sleep and hadn't fully woken up. The way she secretly hid a comic book under her butt was clearly an attempt to maintain dignity and seriousness in front of an outsider. As she once said, "I am a Dragon Descendant!"
"Speak normally."
Su Xiao said. This made the White Dragon Lady frown. She was about to say, "You are very rude," but remembering the time he had threatened her with a stick, she turned her head and said:
"What are you here for this time?"
……
Su Xiao took out the [Sun Holy Emblem] and [Ancient Dragon Key]. The White Dragon Lady across from him froze for a moment, then her always serious expression could no longer hold. Tears streamed down her face.
"You are very rude. Entering my tower without closing the door. The wind is so strong."
The White Dragon Lady's tears fell like broken pearls, drop by drop. She had forgotten how many years she had been trapped here. When she was still young, she was sent here. The last of the Sun God Clan told her this was her sanctuary. Then they closed the Confinement Tower, sealing all the legacies of the Ancient Dragon Clan and the Sun Faction within.
The White Dragon Lady quickly calmed down and asked, "Have you come to take the legacies of my clan and the Sun Clan?"
"Yes."
"Then... you are worthy. Give me your hand."
……
Su Xiao raised his hand. The White Dragon Lady across from him held his right hand with both of hers, bent down, and pressed her forehead against the back of his hand. The ornament on her forehead gradually left a mark on the back of Su Xiao's hand. This was a mark belonging to the Ancient Dragon Clan.
"You are... worthy now."
……
Su Xiao walked to the central elevator and placed the [Sun Holy Emblem] into the slot. Then he inserted the [Ancient Dragon Key] into the keyhole that had just emerged.
Rumble~
The elevator beneath his feet trembled and slowly descended. Just then, the White Dragon Lady, sitting with her hands folded on her lap, asked:
"Bai Ye, is the outside world... wonderful?"
"Yeah."
"I really wish I could see the outside world. But... farewell forever."
As the White Dragon Lady finished speaking, the space around Su Xiao began to distort. This wasn't a trap. It was the spell formation on the elevator, meant to teleport him to the place where the two clans' legacies were stored.
The space around him twisted due to the teleportation, but Su Xiao clearly saw that the White Dragon Lady, sitting steadily over ten meters away, was gradually swallowed by the darkness surging from behind her. Ice slowly formed around her, protecting her. But who knew how long this secret technique of the Ancient Dragon Clan could keep her safe?
The surging darkness was something Su Xiao had never sensed before—the darkness of the Abyss. No, he had sensed it, but the difference was too great. Only the root-level characteristics were the same. That darkness came from... the Abyss Descendants.
Su Xiao's vision blurred, and he arrived in a magnificent treasure vault. As far as the eye could see, there were endless storage racks. Even though the Ancient Dragon and Sun Clans had declined by the end, leaving less than a tenth of their glorious wealth, this was still the legacy of two former overlords of the Star Realm.
Approaching a rare Origin Stone, Su Xiao checked its attributes. The good news was that he had ownership of this item. The bad news was that he hadn't entered the world through normal means, meaning there was no full notarization from Reincarnation Paradise. These treasures belonged to him, but if he wanted to bring them back to Reincarnation Paradise, he would have to pay the notarization fees himself.
Su Xiao estimated that if he paid the notarization fees, he would almost certainly lose money. Fortunately, he wasn't here to seek treasure this time but to promote. He chose to submit all the resources in the treasure vault to Reincarnation Paradise.
[You have submitted all the resources you own in the current area.]
The treasure vault was instantly emptied. But the next notification made it all worth it.
[You have received 106,907 "Supreme Potential Points."]
[You currently have 120,000 "Supreme Potential Points."]
This was the limit Su Xiao could achieve—a full 120,000 "Supreme Potential Points." He chose to submit them to the Supreme Promotion Mission. He was going to, seal the Supreme!
Explanation
Regarding the BUG in today's chapter (World Ruins·Chapter 64), Fei Wen has adopted the readers' suggestions and made reasonable modifications. That is, if the Ancient Dragon Treasure Vault could fill the "Supreme Potential Points," why did he have to sell everything earlier?
Let me explain Fei Wen's thought process when writing this section. I first wrote about selling everything, then when writing about the Ancient Dragon Treasure, the initial version didn't fill the "Supreme Potential Points."
Since there were a few chapters of saved drafts, Fei Wen didn't have to publish them immediately after writing, so there was room for modification. A few days later, Fei Wen thought, with so many resources in the Ancient Dragon Treasure Vault, wouldn't it be unreasonable not to fill the points? So he made the modification, which is the version you readers see now. This led to the issue of filling the "Supreme Potential Points," even overflowing, and granting authority to Reincarnation Paradise's reputation.
What the readers said was right. If the Ancient Dragon Treasure Vault could fill the points, then selling everything earlier would be very unreasonable. So Fei Wen has reasonably modified the last few paragraphs of this volume's Chapter 64, choosing not to fill the "Supreme Potential Points."
Fei Wen has been on hiatus for over a year. Some things have been forgotten, and just resuming updates requires finding the rhythm. If there are any unreasonable points, dear readers, please point them out. Fei Wen will definitely correct any mistakes.
Fei Wen sincerely apologizes for today's error.