Chapter 488: Half-King Level! (3k)
However, Su Jiu in the pool remained motionless, floating like a boundless fallen leaf. The water level had dropped to his chest, and lifting the white lid revealed tender bamboo shoots, delicate yet proud. Due to the use of [Elegy] and the influx of “Little Green,” Su Jiu’s skin appeared flushed from white to red. His hair floated on the water’s surface, and if observed closely, the water vapor around him began to turn into frost.
The frosted leaves fell into the pool, and a thin layer of frost appeared on the green pool. Small green serpents, two fingers wide, continuously flowed from beneath the pool and were absorbed into his body.
Looking up from the tumultuous lake, it appeared very peaceful. But as the coldness in the air intensified, it was evident that the water’s surface had a layer of mist.
The aura emanating from his body was slowly and steadily rising. Although this speed seemed slow, it had reached its peak. Once the ice mist condensed, he would officially enter the Half-King realm.
About an hour passed, and the frost continued to spread. Su Jiu’s breakthrough was nearing its end, and his hair returned to black.
“Crack!”
In an instant, he abruptly opened his eyes. The small white flowers in his eyes bloomed, rotated, and then shattered the ice layer. He slowly stood up, exhaling a breath of turbid air:
“Half-step Battle King… if I were to face that Demigod Frost Ghost again, I wouldn’t even need the third stage of Elegy, I could kill it in one blow.”
As he rose, the frost layer that had covered his chest “crackled” and shattered, revealing an empty pool. A few ice shards settled on the surface. He shook his head, went ashore, and changed his clothes.
At this moment, new movements were heard from outside the cave entrance. Apparently, the final side chambers were about to open, and everyone was crowding towards the back. Of course, most of the students who received rewards were just watching.
After all, the Hark Gang was selling items that belonged to the Others. Everyone could vaguely guess that it wasn’t a great inheritance inside, but rationality didn’t prevent them from watching the spectacle.
“What’s going on with this Hark Gang? Didn’t they say they would open on time?”
“I’m going back to soak in the pool. This Dream Cloud Pool doesn’t open often. It’s said that they opened it to the outside world specifically because of the rewards for the World Competition.”
“This brother speaks the truth. The Hark Gang bullies guests and only creates hype.”
However, it seemed to be delayed due to special circumstances, causing some people to grumble.
Some even started walking back, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to get some cheap pool water from the deeper sections. Of course, they didn’t dare to “whale” it like Su Jiu, fearing they would be held accountable later.
At some point, the boss and the two white Demigods from before walked over. Passing Bai Zhi, he was startled for a moment, but soon a gentle smile appeared on his face. He nodded slightly at her, asking with some confusion, “Aren’t the two of you going to make a move yet?”
“She…”
Just as Bai Zhi was about to answer, Su Jiu, who had finished putting on his black long dress, walked out. His entire aura seemed different, carrying a faint, indiscernible coldness.
He glanced at the two Demigods behind Zhou Liu and nodded in acknowledgment as well. “I just tried the water from the Dream Cloud Pool, and we can now go to the inner area.”
They should first destroy any possible sacrificial formations. Although Bai Zhi was fierce, if they had to fight head-on, it wouldn’t just be two against three; the opponent also had so many gang members, so it was better to be careful.
Hearing Su Jiu say he had tried the pool water, Zhou Liu was stunned. What use is the Dream Cloud Pool to you, anyway? It’s not Cloud Marrow.
But having been in the underworld for so long, he naturally knew what to say. He cupped his fists and said cheerfully, “Heh heh, as long as you two like it. If this matter succeeds, let alone this kind of pool, even Cloud Marrow can be given away.”
Just then, from behind Zhou Liu, the white woman in tight jeans looked at the crowded passage and said indifferently,
“Boss Zhou, our people who were sent in can’t sense any aura. What’s the situation if they’re dead?”
Glancing at her, Zhou Liu stepped forward and used his mental power to probe the current situation. He frowned, looked at the three headless corpses in the passage, and focused on the more robust one. He lightly shook his head and whispered, “I don’t know…”
His Henry Family subordinates were also dead. The only person here capable of killing that High-Rank Battle King from the Henry Family was none other than…
“Why not ask my subordinates?”
He waved his hand, and under the gaze of everyone, two people dressed as students walked out of the crowd, their faces somewhat pale…
The two bowed to the three and cupped their fists, looking at Bai Zhi with apprehension. They swallowed and tremblingly raised their hands, saying, “Three lords…”
Su Jiu looked calmly at the person dressed as a student, his eyes unwavering. If the other party wanted to fight, she was ready to oblige at any time, and she and Bai Zhi could definitely break through.
“Don’t point fingers. How could these two ladies be murderers? You two go and receive your punishment from the esteemed guest elder. Don’t think about running. The esteemed guest elder is an old Demigod. If you run, they can easily crush you.”
However, the next second, just as the name was about to be spoken, it was slapped away by Zhou Liu. He emphasized the word “two” in his speech. His words were not really meant for his subordinate…
“Yes, boss.”
The person who was about to implicate Su Jiu was stunned. He looked at the white Demigod and saw the gloom emerging on his face. He quickly nodded and walked out.
“Esteemed Guest Elder?! Is the rumor about the Hark Gang’s Demigod powerhouse true…”
After hearing Zhou Liu’s words, the female white Demigod’s eyes flickered with hesitation. She glanced at her companion who had come with her and got a shake of her head. She could only lower her head with a cold expression and say, “Then please, Boss Zhou, hurry up so we can see the situation inside.”
After the two left, Zhou Liu withdrew his gaze and smiled at Su Jiu, making a gesture of invitation. “Please, ladies, finish organizing the formation as soon as possible.”
“Okay.”
Returning a smile, Su Jiu also understood what he meant. This was not just a threat to the two of them, but also to themselves. The situation had now formed a tripartite balance, but who held absolute control, the Wei Kingdom…
It was not certain.
“Please, you two go ahead. I’ll wait for the formation to activate before I go in and take a look.”
After receiving Su Jiu’s reply, Zhou Liu’s face showed a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with her attitude.
Su Jiu looked at the confident yet commanding expression in Boss Zhou Liu’s eyes, put her arm around Bai Zhi’s hand, and walked forward. She lowered her head slightly, and the corners of her mouth curled up.
Filly, who had provoked Su Jiu earlier, saw her chatting and laughing with the Demigod big shots and hurriedly shrunk back next to her teammates. Her biggest regret was provoking these two.
Especially since Lan Xi, whom she had intended to mock, wasn’t even present. It was equivalent to her making a fool of herself and getting slapped in the face, even if it did hit the opponent, it wouldn’t hurt.
Under everyone’s gaze, Su Jiu and Bai Zhi slowly walked towards the deeper part of the passage. In the fluorescent light, their shadows continued to lengthen. Everyone had an expression of admiration and dared not speak, as the strongest among them was only at the Initial Stage Battle King.
After all, students who were truly powerful didn’t really care for this type of resource, and it was quite dangerous. Families wouldn’t dare let them come out. Not every family allowed their heirs to take risks like Chen Jia’er.
Walking out of the slightly dim, narrow passage, dazzling light poured down from the surrounding rock walls. In front of them appeared two old men wearing the clothes of Alchemy Masters.
In the middle, there was a formation resembling an operating console. Above the formation was a virtual screen displaying waves similar to an electrocardiogram, but the rhythm was tens of times faster than that of ordinary humans.
The sound of data kept ticking, giving one the illusion of being in an ICU.
“Why are you only arriving now?”
Upon seeing Su Jiu, an old man resembling a Viking stepped forward, glared at them, and chattered in a rapid Bear Language, pointing to two prism-shaped slots in the formation.
“Place two control keys inside, then activate the sacrificial formation next to it. If you delay too long and the crowd disperses, and there aren’t enough sacrifices, we can’t guarantee that the existing energy will be enough to awaken and control that thing.”
“Sacrifice…” Su Jiu took out two red prism crystals and played with them with a hint of amusement. In Bear Language, she slowly replied,
“Awakening that thing? Are you referring to the… Other who is lying inside?”
“Yes, we have activated this Other before.” The old man nodded, pointing to the virtual video data on the central instrument. He looked at the numbers flashing on it, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“…It seems the rhythm is speeding up?”
Then he pressed the red button in front of him and said to Su Jiu with great seriousness, “We need to speed up now, otherwise, there’s a high chance of a situation going wrong later. That thing inside that is neither human nor ghost, due to its high resistance to anesthesia, has a tendency to wake up prematurely.”
Ignoring the old man’s words, Su Jiu’s gaze fell on another video. Holding a loquat branch, she pressed the tabletop and said in a deep voice, “Are you saying you’ve already brought it back to life?!”
Above was a metal coffin with a slight rust, inscribed with four claw-like fixtures around it. In the center of the fixtures was a furry, eight-eyed mouse face, with a chilling expression.
The four corners of the coffin and the four corners below had handles. Eight thick, arm-width alchemy chains were folded and tied to the handles, and the chains began to sway.
Bai Zhi stared blankly at the coffin’s emblem. After a moment, some memories surged into her mind. She placed a hand on Su Jiu’s shoulder, held her head, and whispered, “This is the symbol…”
“It’s Plague!”
Startled by Su Jiu’s sudden aura, the old man resembling a Viking glanced behind her. Seeing Bai Zhi, who was already condensing a flower sword, he took two steps back and whispered, “You two are from the Raven, haven’t you done enough dirty deeds?”
Before Su Jiu could speak, Bai Zhi pulled her aside, raised her flower sword, and pointed it directly at the old man’s neck. She spoke in Dragon Country’s language, her eyes fixed on the emblem on the coffin, and said coldly,
“Do you know what you’ve resurrected?!”
