Chapter 2.2 Your Power, Mine!
The Empire is divided into fifty-one administrative districts, each with independent self-governance. Under normal circumstances, the “Imperial Court,” which governs the entire Empire, does not interfere with the autonomous administration of these districts.
District 51, where Xia Feng is located, has the Earl Lister family, whose crest is the hydrangea, as the most powerful aristocratic clan.
Earl Lister has a trusted subordinate force called the Six-Tails Sect, and Xia Feng is a member of it.
The marriage contract given to him by Cha Nai Xue was approved by Earl Lister. Therefore, if he wishes to break off the engagement, it depends on whether Lord Earl allows it.
Of course, he’s not thinking of breaking off the engagement right now.
[Remaining Vitality: 50 minutes]
Watching the speeding traffic outside the window, Xia Feng’s heart tightened. “Driver, can you go faster?”
According to the information he had previously obtained, Mu Qingtong should be attending a noble ball held at the Earl’s manor at this very moment.
After escaping the hospital, he had rushed to the manor as fast as he could, but the distance was still a bit too far.
Time ticked by, second by second.
“Hurry, hurry, man, are you in a rush to be reborn!”
Seeing the driver’s impatience, Xia Feng looked out the window, pursed his lips, and fell silent for a moment. His mood suddenly turned somber, and he sighed as if to himself, “My wife is about to give birth. The doctor said she might have a difficult labor and to be prepared. I… sigh.”
Seeing the young man’s anxious, grief-stricken expression in the rearview mirror, the driver was slightly taken aback. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, suddenly wishing he could slap himself.
How could I be so terrible.
Taking a deep breath, the driver’s eyes suddenly became resolute. “Alright, buckle up, kid! Today, I’ll show you what a mountain pass racing champion looks like!”
Accelerating sharply, the driver seemed to be cloaked in a golden aura, like a hero facing death!
“Driver, you are my god!”
After transferring a large sum of money to the driver, Xia Feng arrived outside Hydrangea Manor.
[Remaining Vitality: 30 minutes]
He directly presented his Six-Tails Sect identification mark and entered the manor without any hindrance.
He sprinted through the corridors, quickly passed through the large, gold-trimmed double doors, and entered the brightly lit, gilded hall.
The hall echoed with graceful classical court music.
Gentlemen and ladies in magnificent attire mingled in various corners of the vast ballroom, some dancing together, others conversing in hushed tones around luxurious lounges. The ladies occasionally covered their mouths and giggled, amused by the witty and humorous young nobles.
Xia Feng scanned the crowd. It was bustling, and he couldn’t see Mu Qingtong anywhere.
Fortunately, there were still about twenty minutes left, so there was enough time. I have to say, the driver’s skills were amazing!
Xia Feng took a deep breath and quickly went upstairs.
There weren’t many people on the second floor. After a quick search, he still couldn’t find Mu Qingtong’s whereabouts. He leaned on the railing and looked down at the hall. He could clearly see the Earl’s son, dressed in an elegant tuxedo, playing a Moonlight Sonata on the piano on the central platform.
“If all else fails, I’ll have to contract this guy…”
Xia Feng quickly finalized his backup plan and continued to search the vast ballroom with intense focus.
[Remaining Vitality: 20 minutes]
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a trace of Mu Qingtong in the entire hall.
Perhaps this World-Ending Witch was not in the hall, but might be strolling in the back garden or admiring the moon in a secluded courtyard.
There was still plenty of time, so he decided to look outside. Xia Feng glanced at the courtyard outside the window.
“Mu Qingtong, Mu Qingtong, where are you?”
“Hmm?”
A cold, ethereal female voice suddenly sounded from behind him. “Are you looking for me?”
“!゜ロ゜” Xia Feng jumped and turned around stiffly, startled.
In a dark corner sofa, a woman in an elegant, understated black lace long dress sat with her legs crossed, a thick book spread on her lap.
She seemed to be about to turn a page when she looked up. Her mature, delicate face, framed by silver-white hair, wore a pair of elegant and intellectual half-frame gold-rimmed glasses. Her light gold eyes gazed at him from behind the lenses.
Xia Feng’s black eyes widened slightly, almost imperceptibly.
The image of the woman before him instantly merged with the destructive World-Ending Witch he remembered.
He subconsciously wanted to retreat but managed to hold himself back. Damn it, when did this woman get here? Like a ghost.
However, this is perfect!
World-Ending Witch, your power is mine! A thought crossed Xia Feng’s mind.
The Calamity Demon Heart in his left chest beat rapidly, a mysterious aura flowed, and an invisible wave instantly rippled outwards from his chest.
A dark chain flashed between him and the black-dressed woman.
[Target: Mu Qingtong ※ Contract Successful—]
[Vitality Extended Successfully—]
[Remaining Vitality: 19 minutes → 3 days]
[Power Synchronization Commencing—]
[Your Spirit Pressure has been greatly enhanced!]
[Your cultivation has advanced from Apprentice Spirit Master to First-stage Spirit Master!]
[Your understanding of combat techniques has improved]
[Your physical qualities have been comprehensively enhanced (smell, hearing, sight, nerve response, combat precognition…)]
[Your understanding of Spirit Robes has improved, and you have successfully mastered six N-level Spirit Robes (Illumination Robe, Fireball Flash, Ice Soul Blade, Messenger Spirit, Scout’s Eye, Bronze Mask)]
[Your understanding of Spirit Robes has improved, and you have successfully mastered one D-class Spirit Robe (Stealth Robe)]
[Your…]
What the heck!
Xia Feng forgot to breathe, his heart so shocked that he almost wanted to hug the World-Ending Witch and call her “Mom.”
Spirit Robes, also known as Spirit Energy Outerwear, are called martial arts techniques in Xianxia dramas and magic circuits in fantasy dramas.
Originally, he was just a humble Apprentice Spirit Master, and the only Spirit Robe he mastered was a broken Illumination Robe. When learning the Illumination Robe, the complex Spirit Particle Structure made his head spin, and it was difficult to learn.
But unexpectedly, in an instant, he not only learned the complete version of the Illumination Robe but also learned five more N-level Spirit Robes and one D-class Spirit Robe.
His Spirit Pressure level even broke through to the First-stage Spirit Master standard. Mind you, he was only in his first year of university, and a First-stage Spirit Master was already considered graduate-level from Weiyang Academy!
The elegant woman looked at the student wearing the Weiyang Academy uniform with her light gold beautiful eyes of confusion. She found him inexplicably familiar.
Suddenly, a photo of the fiancé shown to her by the family head flashed in her mind. “You… are Xia Feng?”
She smiled, closed the book in her hand, and gestured softly, “Sit down.”
Xia Feng reined in his emotions. The inexplicable fear he had felt upon first seeing Mu Qingtong, as if facing a natural enemy, had vanished.
I’m timid in an overwhelming battle, but I’ll punch hard in a close match!
A mere World-Ending Witch, what is there to fear?
Of course, he still politely gave a gentleman’s bow and sat down on the dark sofa opposite her.
“Mr. Xia, what business do you have with me?”
The black-dressed woman crossed her legs elegantly and stirred her coffee cup leisurely with her slender fingers, the creamy white latte art swirling into the brown vortex. Xia Feng was momentarily lost in thought, staring at the rapidly spinning coffee vortex, and was about to say he was there to synchronize powers…
“! ! ” He suddenly came to his senses, his pupils shrinking rapidly as he blinked. He looked up and smiled lightly.
“Miss Mu, since you recognize me, I’ll get straight to the point.”
Old fox, trying to hypnotize me the moment we meet. As expected of the great villain who will end the world in the future! Xia Feng thought to himself, while smiling and saying,
“From what I know, the Taicang Mu Clan has gradually declined over the years. Therefore, the head of the Mu Clan has always wanted to use marriage as a way to forge a relationship with Earl Lister, thereby re-establishing a foothold in District 51.”
“However, unfortunately, Miss Mu’s fiancé—the Earl’s adopted son—died unexpectedly a few days ago, which meant that a new candidate for fiancé had to be selected.”
!
Xia Feng glanced at the elegant book cover on the black-dressed woman’s lap—”The Hawk in the Cage.” He paused and continued,
“I assume Miss Mu does not favor this kind of family arrangement. Coincidentally, neither do I.”
“Oh?”
Mu Qingtong stopped stirring her coffee and her beautiful eyes behind the elegant gold-rimmed glasses curved slightly. She said softly, “So, what does Mr. Xia mean?”
“My meaning is very simple. After we get married, we won’t have to consummate the marriage. You live your life, I live mine, and we’ll each be at peace. How about it?” Xia Feng clearly remembered that in the anime prologue, it was mentioned that Mu Qingtong had secretly assassinated her first fiancé!
The kind who died with their head cut off and eyes wide open in disbelief.
It’s just that what Mu Qingtong didn’t expect was that after assassinating one fiancé, her elders could arrange another new fiancé for her.
Xia Feng had reason to believe that if he showed any romantic interest in this World-Ending Witch, he would be sent to join her previous fiancé tonight—
He didn’t want to die yet, after all, he hadn’t even met his unborn wife yet~ Although that was a strange dream that left him clueless.
The black-dressed woman sat up straight on the sofa, her golden eyes studying Xia Feng for a long moment. The corners of her eyes curved gently, and she nodded slightly, “Okay.”
With that said, the two looked at each other for a moment and fell silent.
“I need to continue reading my novel. Mr. Xia, is there anything else?” Mu Qingtong asked, looking confused.
Reading a novel? Xia Feng looked at the book on her lap and felt a pang of grief and indignation.
World-Ending Witch! At your age, you’re not diligently cultivating but reading novels. How can you get into it! Can you sleep at night?!
Although Xia Feng really wanted to advise Mu Qingtong to study hard, cultivate diligently, and become a peerless powerhouse standing high above the world as soon as possible!
But he also knew that haste makes waste. They weren’t familiar with each other yet.
“Then I won’t disturb you, Miss Mu. Goodbye.” Xia Feng stood up decisively.
Watching Xia Feng’s receding back, the black-dressed woman picked up her coffee cup and took a leisurely sip.
“Do we need to eliminate him?”
A loli in a maid outfit emerged from the shadows. Her cute face, framed by rose-red medium-length hair, was indifferent. She glanced down at the young man gradually walking out of the main entrance.
“No need,” the black-dressed woman shook her head.
“But Master, I have a feeling he already knows that you killed the Earl’s adopted son.”
“There are no perfect crimes in this world. It’s normal to be discovered.”
Mu Qingtong gently placed her cup on the coffee table, her voice soft. “However, this Mr. Xia is unlikely to be the one who uncovered it. His fear and wariness of me are probably just because he realized I was trying to hypnotize him. From this point of view, he is quite capable.”
“But that’s all there is to it. He’s not a threat.”
As she spoke, the black-dressed woman neatly stood up, crossing her legs. “Alright, Fei, I hate these kinds of ‘courtship’ balls. Reject all such invitations in the future.”
“Yes!”
*
Xia Feng glanced back at the brightly lit manor, lost in thought.
[Remaining Vitality: 3 days]
Although he had synchronized the power of this terrifying woman, the crisis of death had not been resolved.
He sensed his physical condition. His Spirit Pressure was indeed much more stable and solid, reaching the First-stage Spirit Master realm.
However, with only three days left to live, he dared not slack off.
Therefore, his next goal was to find a way to devour Calamity Force and thus increase the vitality of his heart. It would be best to directly extend it by ten to twenty years once and for all.
Speaking of devouring Calamity Force, this brings us to another race that exists in this world.
The Nightmare Clan, also known as Nightmare Beasts.
The so-called Calamity Force is the source of power for these Nightmare Beasts, appearing as black mist. Humans who inhale it will either fall ill or die.
However, according to the information from the Calamity Demon Heart, it seemed that due to this heart, his physique was different from ordinary people. He was no longer afraid of Calamity Force Erosion and could instead absorb Calamity Force for his own use, extending the vitality of his heart.
So, to extend his lifespan now, he had to kill Nightmare Beasts. But the problem was that the meager Calamity Force from low-level Nightmare Beasts was like a drop in the bucket for him.
Although District 51 had poor public order, there weren’t that many low-level Nightmare Beasts for him to kill around.
“I need to find a way to get a vast and continuous supply of Calamity Force.”
Xia Feng rubbed his chin, looking thoughtfully at the moonlit night sky to the north.
A flash of inspiration!
To the north of District 51, there was a no-man’s-land called the Evil Dragon Forest. It was said that an extremely evil demonic dragon was sealed within, its entire body filled with terrifying Calamity Force. Anyone who approached would be devoured by the Calamity Force and die instantly!
And according to the scenes he had seen in the anime prologue in his past life, this Evil Dragon was actually a god-tier existence. However, it was sealed in the form of a young girl in the center of the World Tree’s sea of flowers, sleeping for ten thousand years.
In the scene, the girl was indeed surrounded by dense black mist, which was estimated to be Calamity Force.
If he could find this Evil Dragon, he would have a continuous supply of Calamity Force!
But this method was indeed a bit risky.
After all, this sealed Evil Dragon was an existence comparable to a god. From a certain perspective, it was even more terrifying than the World-Ending Witch at her peak!
To “pluck wool” from this Evil Dragon was indeed insane. What if she woke up while he was doing it…
Legend had it that a few hundred years ago, adventure groups would enter the depths of the Evil Dragon Forest every few years, hoping to uncover the so-called treasures of the Evil Dragon. However, without exception, the depths of the Evil Dragon Forest swallowed them whole, and none returned alive!
Because of this, the depths of the forest gradually became known as a forbidden zone, and in recent years, no adventure groups dared to explore further.
To prevent the Calamity Force from the Evil Dragon Forest from overflowing, the entrance to the forest would only open once a year, and entry was restricted to military personnel and members of adventure groups.
Xia Feng happened to be the adopted son of the vice-captain of the Six-Tails Sect, an adventure group, so he was eligible to enter the forest.
“The day after tomorrow is this year’s forest open day.” Xia Feng looked up at the solitary moon in the night sky. “It seems I need to go back to the sect and ask about the specific situation.”
*World-Ending Witch* (Illustration, for reference only)
