Chapter 159: Have You Heard of the Land of Distortion?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159: Have You Heard of the Land of Distortion?
The Void Insect Hive.
A massive Void Tunnel manifested at the Central Port.
Xie Bai stepped out from within, hovering in mid-air for a moment as she looked down at the increasingly bustling scene below.
With the one she had just established, the Central Port now boasted three Void Tunnels.
They connected to the White Peak Territory, the Heavenly Mountain, and the World Tree.
By setting up a tunnel inside the World Tree, she could now teleport there directly through the Central Port whenever she needed to return, bypassing those tedious rituals.
The Diviner was dead, and for the time being, no other threats had emerged from the World Tree.
Furthermore, the World Tree itself possessed an incredibly enticing affix:
[Gift: Those who witness its existence may undergo a special challenge to receive a gift from the World Tree, with a chance to obtain a Branch as a reward.]
In the past, catching even a glimpse of the World Tree was no easy feat.
Under normal circumstances, as long as one didn't approach with the explicit intent to destroy it, the World Tree was quite tolerant of challengers who sought an audience.
Now that there was a dedicated tunnel, the World Tree could serve as a permanent dungeon for others to challenge.
While she wasn't entirely sure what the success rate of the challenge was, if she allowed the massive player base to participate, the overall returns would undoubtedly be substantial.
But speaking of players...
"The only places players can currently set as respawn points are the Aodu Empire and the Northern Territory. Searching for him shouldn't be difficult."
With that, Xie Bai left the World Tree tunnel and moved toward the entrance of the White Peak Territory tunnel.
She cast one last glance at the flourishing Void Insect Hive before stepping through.
*
White Peak Territory.
Xie Bai crossed the tunnel and arrived at the snow-covered plains she hadn't visited in a long time.
The White Peak Territory was still blanketed in white, though the Lord of White Peak who once guarded this place had long since departed.
Under Brandon’s reforms, the original lordship system had been abolished throughout the North.
The title of "Northern Lord" was now merely honorary; those who held it were supported by the Empire and tasked with the duty of defending the realm and marching to war whenever called upon.
In essence, it had become a mandatory mercenary relationship.
Since the departure of the various lords, Brandon had finished integrating the remaining territories, transforming them into a network of interconnected, easily accessible cities.
Xie Bai descended slowly from the sky, her bare feet touching the slightly chilled snow.
The snow was soft, carrying that crisp, clean touch unique to the North.
the former Lord’s manor had become a historical landmark. The subjects who once served there were long gone, and now, one could only occasionally see members of the Northern races visiting the ruins.
Xie Bai walked into the manor, found a quiet corner, and directly activated Boundless Floating Light.
Shua—!
In an instant, the radiance of Boundless Floating Light blanketed both the Aodu Empire and the Northern Territory.
With the enhancement of this skill, Xie Bai quickly locked onto the presence she was looking for.
[Taro Ball Is Not Round Lv.110]
The Land of Storms.
Sensing Taro Ball’s location, Xie Bai paused in slight surprise.
"That place... can still be set as a respawn point?"
Though surprised, she quickly accepted the reality of it. A second later, she opened the player map and selected the Land of Storms for teleportation.
Buzz—!
Her vision shifted.
Xie Bai arrived at the Land of Storms.
The Storm Curse that had plagued this place year-round had been mostly stripped away by White Robe and the Witch of Wind, Elise.
She happened to land in an area unaffected by the curse.
Before she could even spot Taro Ball, a figure slammed heavily into the ground in front of her.
Thud—!
[White Robe Lv.105]
White Robe scrambled to his feet. Just as he was about to flee, his eyes inadvertently met Xie Bai’s.
"Wait, you’re—"
Thud—!
Before he could finish, another figure crashed down beside him.
[Taro Ball Is Not Round Lv.110]
As the kicked-up snow slowly settled, Taro Ball stood up, unscathed. He turned to White Robe, his voice urgent.
"White Robe, given the current situation, I’m not confident I can kill him. But if it’s just taking you and Elise and making a run for it, I should be able to—"
His voice trailed off as he saw Xie Bai standing next to White Robe.
Taro Ball’s body froze instantly.
Before he could react, a powerful attack suddenly surged toward them.
BOOM!!!
By the time Taro Ball opened his eyes, Xie Bai was already standing in front of him, using Funeral Rites to forcibly repel the attack.
Blade clashed with invisible force, sending out a visible shockwave.
After parrying the blow, Xie Bai fixed her gaze on the opponent across from her.
[Cult Leader of Chaos Lv.126]
[HP: 2,002 Trillion / 2,500 Trillion]
The supreme leader of the Chaos Church had finally come face-to-face with Xie Bai.
Floating beside him was the bound figure of Elise.
"You are..."
The Cult Leader of Chaos was visibly stunned. He clearly hadn't expected Xie Bai’s sudden appearance.
He fell into thought for a moment, then, as if reaching a conclusion, he released Elise from the air.
The moment Elise fell, White Robe rushed beneath her and caught her securely.
Seeing this, Xie Bai slowly lowered Funeral Rites.
Observing that Xie Bai seemed to have lowered her guard, the Cult Leader of Chaos spoke:
"Young lady, there must be some misun—"
Before he could finish his sentence.
Xie Bai’s figure vanished from the spot.
The Cult Leader’s pupils constricted violently.
He didn't even have time to react before Xie Bai appeared before him, the edge of Funeral Rites already pressed against his throat.
In the next heartbeat.
-3,034.12 Trillion
The blade swept through.
The Cult Leader of Chaos's health bar was instantly emptied.
[You have slain the Cult Leader of Chaos Lv.126]
[Gluttony's Blessing triggered: Strength +180.4 Billion, Constitution +250 Billion, Intelligence +289 Billion, Agility +150.2 Billion]
[Inscription triggered: Uncrowned King has inscribed the Talent 'Chaos Affinity']
Seeing the kill notification for the Cult Leader of Chaos, Xie Bai finally let out a breath of relief.
"I didn't expect... this Cult Leader to be so easy to kill."
The Cult Leader of Chaos had been constantly whispering conspiracy theories in her ear before, yet now he had been ended by a single strike. It felt almost surreal.
If she had to summarize it, the Cult Leader of Chaos was...
"So weak."
After that brief internal critique, Xie Bai turned to look at Taro Ball and his companions.
Seeing Taro Ball standing there, she recalled the scenes she had glimpsed in his memories.
In the previous timeline, the Cult Leader of Chaos had taken advantage of the turmoil at the Heavenly Mountain and the distraction of the two Empires to trigger an uprising of Undead Behemoths.
While Brandon’s attention was entirely occupied by the beast tide, the Cult Leader had seized the opportunity to strike at Elise, intending to experiment on her Witch bloodline.
The result was Elise’s disappearance, and White Robe being re-corrupted by Chaos while searching for her.
And what Taro Ball was doing now was using his newly acquired power to prevent all of that from happening.
"You’re working quite hard," Xie Bai’s voice rang out in Taro Ball’s ear. "You just left the World Tree, and you’re already tirelessly grinding favorability here."
Hearing this, Taro Ball instinctively tried to explain.
But Xie Bai cut him off.
"Since you’re so diligent, I actually have a place that’s quite suitable for your training."
As she spoke, Xie Bai swung Funeral Rites, carving a rift in space.
She looked at Taro Ball and spoke flatly.
"Have you heard of the Land of Distortion?"
She paused.
"It just so happens that Falcant is probably looking for an assistant."