Chapter 21: The Lineup
Anfeng City, Jig City, a peaceful town named Fengniao Town.
The empire's upheavals seemed unrelated to this place. The gradually rising wheat prices allowed the townsfolk to slowly detach from the bad news of the king's fall. No matter who departs, life must go on; time heals all wounds. Besides, while the townsfolk truly loved their king, they had never seen him in person, knowing him only through media and newspapers.
Viewed from above, this wheat-producing town resembled a great ship amidst golden waves. As the wind blew, the sea of wheat rustled softly.
A middle-aged man with a messy beard, rough skin, and dried food residue from the previous night on his whiskers, wearing a dirty, cracked leather felt hat, his potbelly protruding, reeking of last night's alcohol and nursing a dull headache from his hangover, trudged out of town.
Though the drunkard spent most of his time immersed in alcohol, the wheat on his ancestral land was key to whether he could continue filling his belly with pure malt beer.
The town's roads were muddy and neglected. The empire was too vast, with areas difficult to govern. For instance, over two-fifths of the funds for basic town maintenance ended up in Mayor Liber's pocket. Given the world's circumstances, the empire was so powerful that it had no need to fear external enemies.
The drunkard walked along the muddy path, muttering curses under his breath. Suddenly, he glanced aside and froze mid-step. Even as his foot sank into the mud, and muddy water seeped through his shoelaces into his boots, making his soles wet and slippery, he didn't notice. He saw a church standing on the town's central street.
In his 43 years of life, as far back as he could remember, there had never been a church here. This church had appeared so suddenly, like mushrooms sprouting after a night of rain, materializing out of thin air.
The drunkard rubbed his eyes, confirming he wasn't mistaken. He felt both wonder and a hint of unease. It wasn't that the church seemed sinister, but that the empire's only official religion was the "Machine God Cult." All other gods and sects were considered heretical.
Shaking his head, the drunkard decided not to court such trouble. Rather than exploring this novelty, he preferred to quickly inspect his wheat fields and ensure the devices passed down from his grandfather's generation were functioning properly.
"Lost lamb."
Suddenly, a faint voice reached the drunkard's ears. At first, he was puzzled. Then, a wave of guilt washed over him. He remembered his wife, whom he had driven away with his drunken abuse, and his son, who had looked at him with despair as he downed another glass of beer, only to board a train years ago and never return, sending only occasional letters and money.
"Lost lamb."
Tears streamed down the drunkard's face. He suddenly felt that he was indeed a lost lamb in need of guidance and salvation.
He walked toward the church, pushing open its double doors. A warm breeze greeted him. He realized that this seemingly small church was actually vast, with thousands of seats. Half the town's residents were already there: bullies, passing bounty hunters, hourly women from the tavern's second floor, and a long-established thief gang.
Strangely, there were no children. Any youths present were in their teens, dressed distinctively, with weapons bulging at their waists.
It seemed the deeper one's sins, the more one was drawn here. Mayor Liber, for instance, sat in the front row's center seat.
On the podium stood a priest with graying hair, clad in black clerical robes, a twisted cross hanging from his neck, and a kind smile on his face. He gestured for the drunkard to stand and listen in the back rows.
Those seated were lost lambs; those standing were about to become lost lambs but still a few steps away.
The lost lambs needed the priest on stage as their shepherd. However, this shepherd had a hobby: eating the lambs he tended. Take Mayor Liber, attentively listening in the center seat. His soul and karma had been devoured, leaving him with an innocent, blissful smile, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, his brain forever incapable of thought.
Just then, the church door opened. A man with a long sword at his waist, wearing a white shirt, walked in.
Crack~
Like glass shattering, the church's peaceful atmosphere split apart. The next moment, it exploded. The "lambs" standing in the back rows suddenly snapped awake, their gazes either confused or bewildered.
But when they saw the front rows filled with over a hundred blissfully smiling mummies, some screamed and fainted, some vomited last night's food and drink, and others stumbled out of the church, falling several times, covered in mud, shouting for help.
Inside the church, Su Xiao stepped forward. All benches or mummies within dozens of meters of him silently shattered, crumbling into fragments that slowly scattered.
Seeing this, the priest's kind smile faded slightly. This old friend of his was stronger than before. Even with the Death Mark and having allied with Clock Tower Master Selgof to seize the Soul Master's "Dawn Paradise Forced Recruitment Authority," he still felt uncertain against this old friend.
"I heard you came to this remote town to redeem sins, Priest. Care to talk?"
Su Xiao pointed to the confessional booth against the wall. Moments later, inside the booth, Su Xiao and the priest sat on opposite sides of a small, perforated wooden panel. The priest spoke first:
"Actually, we need to see through our desires. Power is endless. Coming to a small town to provide a haven for the townsfolk's souls might be my true destination."
The priest sighed, as if, since obtaining the "Death Mark," he had seen through everything in the world.
"You're right."
Hearing this, the priest's smile grew kinder. He continued:
"Once, you and I were both too eager for power. I'm different from you. I have limits. What I have today might be my limit."
The priest's gaze was gentle, as if he were content to stop here forever.
"You're right."
Su Xiao agreed again.
The priest opposite suddenly fell silent for a few seconds. The old fox's expression turned from sunny to cloudy, but he didn't give up. He continued:
"Shouldn't our lives have less killing and conflict? For instance, today, if we part ways, it might be the final link in our destined chain."
The priest's gaze grew gentle again, making one want to open up and believe, eventually turning this thought into an unshakable conviction.
"You're right."
Su Xiao affirmed once more. The priest's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. Gradually regaining his former aura, he asked:
"Bai Ye, what's your Willpower?"
"Just over 2000."
"You..."
The priest almost blurted out, "Are you even human?" But considering his own current racial situation, he didn't have the right to say that.
"I can't go to the Sea of Life. Or rather, my boarding will bring you additional enemies."
The priest chose to be open. For the remainder of his stay in this world, he didn't plan to scheme further. Of course, if an opportunity arose, he wouldn't mind doing a few "small things" on the side.
"Hmm, sincere."
"So, I've successfully declined this invitation?"
"Meet at four. Boarding in two hours."
At this, the priest fell silent. It was a classic case of "I understand the logic, but you're still getting on the ship."
Why insist on the priest boarding? Because once on board, he could do nothing, but he absolutely couldn't stay alone in the empire. More precisely, the "Sea of Life" region was the "Inner World" here, while the empire and the Archipelago Alliance were the world's main body.
The "Inner World" was an attachment to the world's main body. Everyone was sitting on a kite about to take flight, and the priest wanted to be the one holding the string? Dream on.
"What if I refuse this invitation?"
The priest spoke with a hint of a smile.
"The five of us will patiently persuade you."
"Five..."
The priest repeated this key number thoughtfully. He nodded kindly:
"Since you're sincerely inviting me, I won't refuse."
The priest chose caution. If it were just Su Xiao alone, he would have struck for the massive gains. Being an old fox forever leads nowhere; decisive action is needed at critical moments. But Su Xiao + Clock Tower Master + Primordial Origin + Ancient Patriarch + Reshma? The priest chose caution.
Anfeng City, 2:30 PM.
The Lord's Train stopped outside the city. Su Xiao checked the time; it was nearly three. The doors opened, and the Greyhound Brothers boarded. Their appearances had drastically changed. The elder brother was now under 1.4 meters tall, extremely thin, but his aura was sharp and dark.
If his combat power was 300 when they first met, it was now at least 2000+. After consuming a large amount of "Divine Flesh," his strength had skyrocketed. His intelligence? Let's not mention it.
The younger brother had changed even more. He was now over 4.5 meters tall, with bulging muscles, as if he could strike a front double biceps pose and burst his clothes at any moment. Whoever chose his outfit was a jerk. The younger brother now wore a pink spandex bodysuit, while the elder brother sported a biker outfit.
"What the hell are you two wearing?"
Baha landed on Amu's shoulder, amused and exasperated.
"This year's trend."
The elder brother slicked back his hair and wiped the pomade onto his younger brother's pink spandex.
Baha was speechless, wanting to complain but finding nothing to say.
Ignoring their appearance, these brothers were formidable in this world. When Su Xiao arrived, they were already Supreme. After consuming 40% of the "Divine Flesh" from the empire's treasury, all their potential had been unleashed.
The train started, heading south of the empire. At full speed, with 15 minutes to spare before four, Su Xiao arrived at a wall-like white mist. This mist stood like a barrier, blocking all entrants. Initially, one could push through, but each step made the resistance skyrocket.
Theoretically, this mist couldn't be entered from outside. Only the periodic "Dark Tide" from within could breach this "Mist Zone."
The Lord's Train traveled along the mist wall, soon reaching the sea. The sea had a faint reddish tint, but scooping up some water revealed it was crystal clear. Taking a sip, it tasted slightly sweet, but it was highly toxic.
After a short journey, a five-masted giant ship appeared ahead. It was an ancient sailing vessel, its hull planks pitch black, clearly made from the woody bones of giant creatures eroded by the Abyss, later processed into planks.
Thus, the massive, fanged skull at the bow wasn't decoration. Its Abyss-woody spine served as the ship's keel.
Moreover, various bizarre inlays adorned the hull's underside: irregular polygonal eyes, multi-headed worm-like creatures, and twisting liquid unknowns.
Long, massive oars protruded from both sides of the ship, its true power source. Why not use electricity, crystal energy, or steam engines? Probably due to tragic experiences from past attempts.
The train stopped. Stepping onto the sea, Su Xiao felt the ship's intense ominousness and strangeness. Just then, bone steps grew from the ship's side. Clock Tower Master Selgof, standing on the gunwale, nodded slightly.
Su Xiao, Kaiser, the priest, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, the Alchemy Maid, and the Greyhound Brothers boarded one by one. Once on deck, Su Xiao saw an old woman sitting on a bench woven from twisted black roots under the mainmast. She wore loose, gray-black coarse linen, surrounded by a group of black spirits huddled at her sides, their small eyes scanning the surroundings.
Seeing Su Xiao board, the old woman glanced over, smiled, and said nothing. Notably, she was equally gentle with everyone, but ignored others' inquiries. For instance, Machine Pope Angel Manr had been asking for a while, but she hadn't spoken a word to him.
No one on board suspected that Su Xiao and the old woman had met before. Compared to that, they hoped to learn their futures from her, even a little, which would be immensely beneficial.
However, the old woman, who was somewhat chatty with Su Xiao, just smiled kindly and ignored their questions.
Currently, there were six factions on board. Su Xiao's faction needed no explanation: Su Xiao himself, his three followers, Kaiser, the old woman, the Greyhound Brothers, and the Alchemy Maid.
Among them, the Alchemy Maid had been looking dazed since boarding, as if recalling something, but the memory quickly blurred, making her frown.
The second faction was Reshma, alone.
The third was the priest, also alone. It wasn't impossible that Reshma and the priest might cooperate later; both were quite sinister.
The fourth was the Leader of the Gods, Primordial Origin Harrota, along with his Three Pillar Gods and Machine Pope Angel Manr.
The Three Pillar Gods were:
Blood God Ashaga: One of the Three Pillar Gods, wielding Ancestral God Blood.
Bone God Kim: One of the Three Pillar Gods, wielding Ancestral God Bone.
Spirit God Oswald: One of the Three Pillar Gods, wielding Ancestral God Spirit.
All three were one-eyed, multi-armed beings. The cores within their chests were their true bodies; their current forms were mere shells.
Notably, while the Three Pillar Gods were weaker than Primordial Origin Harrota, they were stronger than Machine Pope Angel Manr, ranking in the upper-middle of "Super Supreme Top."
Though this power tier division was odd, the gap between "Super Supreme Top" and "Supreme Peak" was enormous. Moreover, power levels provided only preliminary judgments; true strength was determined by combat.
The fifth faction was Clock Tower Master Selgof, who brought Soul Mentor Loyce. This was the mentor who discovered the Clock Tower Master's secret and planned to secretly meet Su Xiao for covert cooperation.
However, fate had other plans. Before they could meet, Su Xiao had already allied with Clock Tower Master Selgof.
Thus, Mentor Loyce, whose strength was unremarkable, having only opened seven "Soul Holes" but chosen by the Clock Tower Master for this important task, felt like he was attending his own funeral. He hadn't eaten or slept well for days, and his once-round belly had lost its fullness.
Compared to Mentor Loyce's funeral-like mood, Soul Master wasn't much better. His frequent habit of touching his bald head showed how much he cared about his hairstyle.
Actually, someone in an even worse mood than Soul Master was Aurora. Not only was she implanted with a Soul Brand, but she was also forcibly transferred to the Dawn Paradise faction. This trip to the "Sea of Life" felt less like a narrow escape and more like certain death. The lineup alone hinted at the danger.
The sixth faction was naturally Ancient Patriarch Hatu, who brought Beast Morak, Faceless, and Minister William. Clearly, Minister William had only pretended to ally with the old king.
The old king knew this. Among the forces Su Xiao had previously annihilated was the family Minister William had hidden and protected.
In truth, Minister William's path was twisted and full of betrayal. He had once genuinely allied with the old king, ready to risk his life to change the seemingly prosperous but precarious situation, facing the potential catastrophe from the three old immortals.
Unfortunately, Minister William underestimated the "Dark Corruption" of the Abyss Descendants. The "Corruption Trait" of the Rune family, while not as obvious and violent as the Dukain family's, was persistent and steadfast.
As for the old king entrusting his orphan to Minister William a few days ago? Only a fool would believe an old yinbi's words. Minister William believed he could be a double agent, and his entire family died as a result.
Now, Minister William glared coldly at Su Xiao, but under the suppression of the absolute upper ethnic group, his hatred was temporarily restrained.
The lineup for this voyage was extremely luxurious, but there was a problem:
Reshma had grudges with the God Cult, Soul Clock Tower, and Rune family.
The priest now also had grudges with these three factions. As for Su Xiao, they were long accustomed to enmity.
Thus, the priest preferred to turn his spearhead toward the three major forces that forced him aboard, as well as Reshma. Of course, the priest's hatred was factional, affecting only his plans. His heart? How could hatred affect his heart?
The Three Pillar Gods of the God Cult and the Rune family's Beast Morak, Faceless, and Minister William were mortal enemies. Centuries ago, they had secretly clashed countless times. If not for Primordial Origin and Hatu restraining them, they would have triggered a civil war in the empire.
Think that's all? Of course not. The God Cult's Machine Pope Angel Manr and Soul Mentor Loyce—no, this Machine Pope had grudges with all Soul Mentors, having been ambushed by them and nearly killed.
The priest's enmity with Soul Master went without saying. It was fresh and still warm.
As for Su Xiao's side, it was even more impressive. He had grudges with all the above, and not one-sided ones. They were mutual. If not for the "Causal Lock Ring," they would have already fought to the death.
In this atmosphere, under the priest's kindly smiling suggestion, the ship was named "Revenge." It symbolized the revenge of the three old immortals and Reshma against the Second Era Alchemical Civilization, and also hinted at the ship's miraculous lineup.
The atmosphere on board was somewhat tense. But after everyone returned to their cabins, the killing intent eased. Dark humanoid spirits crawled out from the hold, wandering the deck. They were the ghostly sailors responsible for steering and rowing.
A gust of wind howled past, filling the "Revenge's" mainsail, forcing it away from the mist wall, which only made the wall more spectacular.
Boom! A thunderclap echoed. The sky darkened rapidly as a storm approached. Su Xiao, wearing a black-green raincoat, stepped onto the deck. Rule 1 of the "Sea of Life": unless necessary, avoid using supernatural power. When encountering trouble, prioritize physical strength.
As a Blade Grandmaster, Dragon-Slaying Flash was an extension of his arm. Thus, if trouble arose on the "Sea of Life" that his subordinates couldn't handle, he and Old Beast Hatu would act first. Conversely, when reaching the "Sea of Life's" end and facing strong enemies, the Clock Tower Master and Primordial Origin would step in.
The mist wall ahead turned from white to gray, then black, then thinned. A dark tide, denser than air but thinner than water, surged forward.
The moment this dark tide enveloped him, Su Xiao felt a piercing chill. Fortunately, the tide surged fiercely but receded quickly. The mist wall ahead vanished.
Hmm~!
The soul horn was blown by the ghost captain, who wore a captain's hat and appeared as a blue specter.
The mainsail dropped, adjusted direction, and the "Revenge" charged forward at incredible speed. Ahead lay the edge of the "Sea of Life," a region emitting an orange-yellow glow. This orange-red light initially felt warm, but its intensity and density gave it a corrupt, murky feel.
Perception was flooded by this orange-red light. When the light dimmed, the storm behind had vanished, replaced by the re-formed mist wall.
Su Xiao leaped onto the giant skull at the bow, surveying his surroundings. Before him stretched an endless, calm, yet stench-filled orange-red sea.
Except for Su Xiao, the three giants, Reshma, and the priest, everyone else immediately donned pre-prepared masks and protective gear. Otherwise, the air's toxins would kill them within minutes. Not breathing didn't help; being here made one susceptible.
Dozens of eyes of various sizes and shapes appeared in the surrounding area. Their pupils were orange-red, radiating outward, staring at the people on board.
[Prompt: You have entered this world's deep region. You will discover its deepest secrets.]
[Detected three available "Event Bounties." Summary below: