Free Web NovelChapter 336: Chapter 140: A Warning from the 6th Level
(Thanks to book friend Clothes Rack Cool Shorts for the hundred thousand reward, our book has gained another Alliance Hierarch! Hooray!)
High Tower’s third level.
The terrifying laughter wasn’t the focus of attention, it was the message related to the annihilation of both armies ninety years ago that stunned everyone when the masked madman announced it in the form of riddles.
"Return Roulette malfunctioning... leading to not a single soldier from either army returning? How is that possible?"
"Right... It should’ve been because the region they went to ninety years ago was too dangerous..."
"Wait, no matter how dangerous, it shouldn’t result in a group of people going out and dying straight away... haven’t we also seen those who conquered the red zone?"
"But why would it happen? Why would there be a problem with the Return Roulette?"
"Rather than that, do you guys know what the Guard Army is? Didn’t the team leader call for the Guard Army?"
The captains and members of the Garrison Corps and Investigation Corps were discussing heatedly, the entire scene was already in a state of mayhem.
Qin Zong was most shocked; he didn’t know whether the words out of Bai Wu’s mouth were true or false. It had always been the Qin Family who provided the Return Roulette, not just the Return Roulette, but also various materials for exiting the tower. If it was true...
Then what unforgivable crime had the Qin Family committed back then?
After all, the head of the Qin Family ninety years ago had already died, and the current Qin Family members were at least innocent, right?
They were innocent, right?
This thought kept recurring in Qin Zong’s mind like a looping command, so much so that Qin Zong’s gaze no longer fixed on the masked strange person, but instead he looked towards his sister, Qin Yi.
Qin Yi said:
"Spewing bewitching nonsense, you are insulting the martyrs of my Qin Family!"
"Martyrs what? Can you even call them martyrs? Do you think you are the martyred Baltan clan?"
Disdain filled Bai Wu’s eyes.
Of course, the other party couldn’t catch on to this reference. Seeing the masked madman’s remarks fermenting, Qin Yi and Qin Xuan both knew that they had to figure out a way to take down the masked madman.
"Honored guests, do you plan to watch this unfold indefinitely?" Qin Yi was speaking to a few Guardians seated in the guest section on the side.
The Qin Family’s Guardians had not yet arrived at the third level, but those of several other families had.
However, this remark clearly didn’t sway Wang Su, Pang Li, or Zheng Yue. Liu Hu, on the other hand, felt some fighting intent towards this masked madman.
Qin Yi said:
"Aren’t you afraid that he’ll spill secrets about your families too?"
This sentence did have some effect.
Whether the riddles spoken by the masked madman were true or false, several Guardians, as well as the people of the Qin Family, knew the truth.
But Qin Yi’s words were tantamount to admitting some things, and Qin Zong suddenly felt it difficult to breathe.
He had never meddled in the family’s true business, but he also always believed that even if those businesses couldn’t be made public, they weren’t too evil.
If a family has a wealth of resources, it’s natural to have some grey industries.
But he suddenly realized that perhaps the Investigation Corps and the Garrison Corps were just a facade wrapped around an evil core.
"Stop him, and my Qin Family will be extremely grateful!"
"Oh, you want to fight me? Fair warning, I’m very dangerous, so you’d better give it your all from the start."
Wang Su and Pang Li remained unmoved; clearly, the other party was targeting the Qin Family, and they had the backing of one of the eight major families. They weren’t so naive as to be provoked by the Qin girl’s few words. Although they were worried about the man continuing to release explosive information, they could always intervene when it came to that.
But Liu Hu was different; he always had a straightforward mind.
Sequence 256 Extreme Shadow. Sequence 257 Tyrant, Sequence 259 Vajra Indestructibility, Sequence 400 Overload Form, Sequence 755: Iron Armament, and the Talent Sequence 100: Winner as King.
A series of terms related to direct confrontation determined Liu Hu’s fighting method.
The Tyrant and Overload Form greatly increased Liu Hu’s power in an instant, and his whole body shone with a metallic luster—Iron Armament!
As if ushering in the battle between the two, the lights on the ceiling suddenly all turned on at that moment.
The people on the fifth level finally restored the third level’s power supply; darkness was dispelled in an instant, and the sudden brightness made people slightly uncomfortable.
Bai Wu and Liu Hu felt no such discomfort.
Bai Wu had exchanged blows with Liu Hu before, provoking him in a sparring match, but later the team captain stepped in, barring the way in front of Liu Hu.
Back then, he wasn’t sure he could have stopped Liu Hu, but now it was different.
After acquiring the Angel Envoy, Bai Wu had never used the "Overclocking" mode it provided. According to Zero’s information, this device could boost his power by 1500% for a short period!
He was also grateful that his opponent was a straightforward brawler like Liu Hu. If it had been Pang Li’s Demon Shadow Form or Zheng Yue’s Mirror Flower, Water Moon, it might not have been so effective.
At the same time, Liu Hu’s display of hostility allowed Bai Wu to immediately master the same Sequences.
Extreme Shadow, Tyrant, Vajra Indestructibility, Overload Form, Iron Armament! These Sequences, not originally belonging to Bai Wu, were now all his in this moment.
Terrifying power surged within Bai Wu’s body, and Liu Hu’s lightning-fast punch seemed like slow motion in Bai Wu’s eyes.
He could see the fist disrupting the air, twisting and disturbing the flow, each frame of the wave’s motion seemed to be split apart.
Everything in sight slowed to a crawl.
It seemed all the sounds in the air were separated into different threads, and in that instant, they entered a state of detachment; the dust particles dancing in the air looked as if they had frozen in place.
Even the process of dispersing the darkness was no longer completed in an instant, but instead showed a trajectory from top to bottom.
Bai Wu wondered if this was the state Captain would be in when his speed reached its ultimate limit, or when Lin Rui deployed temporal power?
It was as if the world had suddenly become "sluggish," and the information that was originally too fast to sense was now all gently presented before Bai Wu’s eyes.
Although he knew that all powers had their price, and he would be very weak for a while, and Angel Envoy would be unable to enter this state for a while, Bai Wu had already planned everything.
Whether it was the next actions on the fifth layer, or Yan Jiu’s whereabouts, he had arranged it all. For a short time, he did not need to face any battles.
Liu Hu swung a terrifyingly powerful punch at Bai Wu, but for some reason, a hint of doubt arose within this reckless person.
He watched Bai Wu’s movements, which seemed light and airy, starkly different from his own domineering approach.
Just like when walking by the river, being caressed by the smooth water grass. Or on a day when breezes stirred the willows, stretching with a yawn in the gentle spring sunlight.
The two had only just touched before the fight had already completely ended.
Liu Hu lay on the ground, his punching hand suffering from bone fractures due to the immense pain.
Masked Strange Person stood on the ground, seemingly without having done anything.
Even the Qin siblings, Yan Family father and son, and even Qin Zong couldn’t see what had happened.
Because everything happened too fast!
Only a few Guardians were left, faces filled with shock.
"No one among us should be faster than Liu Hu, right? Just talking about close combat abilities, even Yan Zizai without using his Sequence isn’t his match," Wang Su said.
This woman held a whip in her hand, ready to act and seize an advantage if Liu Hu’s punch had forced the Masked Strange Person back.
Although the other party hadn’t threatened the Wang Family, she found a certain pleasure in interrogating this person.
And Pang Li’s shadow had become irregular; as daylight broke and electricity was restored, the darkness beneath everyone’s feet dispersed, but a dark mass still lingered under Pang Li’s feet.
But at this moment, Pang Li gave up some thoughts, and his shadow began to shrink bit by bit, gradually returning to a normal person’s shadow.
"Unapproachable. Why, looking at you two, it seems you’re still planning to make a move?" Zheng Yue knew about Bai Wu.
He also knew Bai Wu had gotten treasures in Mechanical City. Though lazy, he was one of the twin Supreme Killers.
Any piece of armament from Mechanical City was a treasure, let alone a gift from the city lord?
Moreover, hitting Bai Wu meant hitting Wu Jiu. Xie Xingzhi had disappeared, and the Xie Family was likely involved too.
It was too frightening; better to sleep comfortably.
So Zheng Yue didn’t act. Originally Pang Li thought, if Zheng Yue used Mirror Flower, Water Moon, they had a chance.
But Zheng Yue had no intention of taking action at all.
Therefore... Liu Hu was the only one getting beaten up.
Defeating a Guardian with one move... and the strongest close combat Guardian of the Liu Family at that, made the Qin siblings realize the seriousness of the problem. freёweɓnovel.com
"I told you I’m very dangerous, don’t just attack me on a whim," Bai Wu said.
Liu Hu also clearly saw Bai Wu’s counterattack—ordinary, yet with a despair-inducing power and speed.
Although Bai Wu would have liked a good fight, he was ready to leave.
Activating Angel Envoy was not for the sake of slaughter, but to ensure a smooth retreat, making sure no one could hold him back. Especially since he had to display powers beyond their comprehension... in order to clear some suspicion.
As for the others present, Yan Family father and son were insignificant and would naturally be settled by Yan Zizai in the fall.
And the Qin siblings, while they did not get along with Qin Zong, were still blood relatives, and now was not the time to deal with the Qin Family. freewebnovёl.ƈom
Bai Wu thought Qin Zong’s subsequent reaction was yet to be observed.
Now that he had rescued Yan Jiu, Bai Wu’s mission was complete.
The real drama was on the fifth level...
He left the cleanup to Yan Zizai, who by now, with Xie Xingzhi’s help, had likely gone to the fifth layer.
The moment the exchange rings touched, Xie Xingzhi had already taken action and headed to the entrance between the third and fourth layers.
The activation condition for Bipolar Transposition was to be visible or for one’s presence to be sensed by the other party.
Xie Xingzhi’s role... was as a coordinate point.
With Bipolar Transposition, all of this could be completed while everyone was still bewildered.
Thus ended the bride kidnapping.
Bai Wu picked up his cloak and said to Qin Zong:
"It’s time for me to go. This world may not be as good as we think, but when we find that it is indeed very bad, don’t despair. Otherwise, what’s the point of our existence?"
A gust of wind swept around Qin Zong.
Masked Strange Person’s laughter echoed once again throughout Mingyu Estate, gradually fading into the ether.
Until the laughter had finally vanished, everyone was left feeling as if what had just happened was a dream.
Qin Zong stood there dazed, and people thought he was struggling to accept reality because the bride had been taken away.
But only a very few understood that the Captain wasn’t distressed about the loss of the bride.
Rather... the Captain was questioning the entire world.
Because Lin Wurou and others often ventured out of the tower with Bai Wu and Wu Jiu, they too had seen true evil.
Back in the Food Domain, Yin Shuang had learned of the incidents that occurred ninety years ago.
Such an incident had occurred at the wedding scene of the Investigation Corps leader, the wedding naturally no longer necessary to continue.
Ming Che’s reaction was swift, knowing that nothing he said at the time would be useful, he could only arrange for people to leave quickly.
But when everyone was leaving the Mingyu Estate, something else happened—
Bodies lay haphazardly around the perimeter of Mingyu Estate, the majority of them in civilian clothes. Although the people did not know where the bodies came from, they somewhat guessed that these were likely from the so-called Guard Army.
The siblings from the Qin Family looked ashen-faced.
The bodies of the Guard Army were all carrying weapons from the Xie Family, weapons that were actively presented as engagement gifts before the wedding, when the Xie Family received the news.
The weapons, of course, had no issues and were even better than those the Xie Family usually sold.
Xie Yingjie knew too well how to remove any suspicion from himself, his image as a person solely devoted to scientific research firmly established in people’s hearts.
However, as they looked at these terrifying weapons, someone suddenly thought: were these weapons aimed at us during the Corps leader’s wedding?
The idea wasn’t voiced, but more and more people started to think about it, and combined with some words from the Masked Strange Person...
They suddenly felt the fear that comes with escaping from the jaws of death.
As people gradually left the wedding scene, Ming Che began to handle the aftermath, whether it was dealing with the bodies or wrapping up the wedding itself, there were many tasks to be done.
The captain and elite members of the Garrison Corps changed frequently, but he alone had never been replaced, which proved his abilities were recognized by the managers and even the rulers.
Ming Che thought to himself that, with such a big incident occurring at Mingyu Estate, the High Tower would likely not be peaceful for the next few days.
But he did not know that the events that unfolded on the third floor, compared to what happened on the fifth floor, were inconsequential.
...
...
The fifth floor of the High Tower.
When Yan Zizai returned to the fifth floor, the Guardians of the major families were still on the third floor.
At this time, people had just begun to leave the wedding scene.
He had enough time to go to the Yan Family and settle things with Yan Zhao.
Looking at the Black Towers, Yan Zizai’s feelings were complicated.
He hated Yan Zhao and knew that Yan Zhao had become so evil that not even Shudu Prison could contain him.
But for him to personally kill Yan Zhao... that still posed a considerable challenge. However, after witnessing Yan Jiu’s speech at the wedding venue, Yan Zizai finally came to a realization.
He still did not consider personally killing Yan Zhao, but Bai Wu had found a helper and Yan Zizai hoped this helper... was strong enough.
Inside the Yan Family Manor, countless people were killing each other, many lay on the ground injured, with some already dead due to severe wounds.
The entire Yan Family Manor was shrouded in a black filter, as if everything around had lost its color.
In the black and white scene, the manor lay in ruins. The confrontation between two top experts made the tower’s structure unable to bear the burden.
As Yan Zizai approached the forbidden area of the manor, a powerful aura washed over him, and the shattered containers indicated the brutality of the battle.
Yan Zizai thought he was going to witness a top confrontation between two humans, but when he actually saw the scene before him, he found that these two... seemed like two powerful Evil Fallen.
In the black and white world, a white-haired man in evening dress manifested many characteristics only seen after Evil Fallen Transformation.
Perfect Mutation Entry, Absolute Regeneration. A person with this entry would display many tumors.
In a certain area, on Evil Fallen named Dandelion, there were such tumors.
Even though Evil Fallen could not exist within the High Tower, the moment Yan Zizai saw this man, he felt like he was seeing an extremely powerful Evil Fallen, both in aura and appearance.
"Is this... the being Bai Wu said could directly confront a ruler? This face... it’s so strange."
Despite his body displaying tumor-like growths, Cain’s face showed no changes.
His face was indeed strange, possessing that sort of distinctiveness that made it instantly recognizable, because before the apocalypse seven hundred years ago, his facial contours were not found among the people of Sheng Country.
On the other side of the sea, there were many with similar faces.
What truly surprised Yan Zizai was the Patriarch of the Yan Family, Yan Zhao.
This person, who had always seemed like a teacher and a sage to him, now presented as something neither human nor ghost.
Yan Zhao, formerly handsome and always mysteriously charming, now devoid of any beauty?
His body was severely mutated, and if this was outside the tower, Yan Zizai would not doubt that Yan Zhao... was definitely a severely mutated Evil Fallen.
The two figures looked like humans yet also like Evil Fallen, and their battle had not ended. To be precise... Yan Zizai arrived just in time.
The two were fiercely fighting, with no clear winner in sight.
Both sensed someone approaching the battlefield, but neither could afford to be distracted.
Cain displayed many abilities of the Evil Fallen, but what he did not expect was that Yan Zhao, who had studied the coexistence experiment of Evil Fallen and humans for seven hundred years... also mastered the powers of the Evil Fallen!
Perfect Mutation Entry: Demon Mastery.
Perfect Mutation Entry: Two Faces, One Mind.
Perfect Mutation Entry: Shared Injury.
Perfect Mutation Entry: Heart of the Curse.
A series of terrifying entries were all imprinted on Yan Zhao’s body.
If the human form of Yan Zhao was no match for the human form of Zhong Xu, then the Evil Fallen form of Zhong Xu was absolutely no match for the Evil Fallen form of Yan Zhao.
To be exact, Yan Zhao wasn’t truly an Evil Fallen either; he had spent seven hundred years discovering a method to become a Semi-Evil Fallen.
Yet the secret of the Semi-Evil Fallen still remained out of reach.
He could only transform into an Evil Fallen in this imperfect state.
But as he transformed into an Evil Fallen, Yan Zhao realized some of his characteristics were disappearing, and certain traits of the Yan Family were fading away as well.
In a distant airplane, Jian Qiu had always thought that it was her descendants who, following Yan Zhao’s indications, had severed their connection with her.
Hence, she was left with only half a heart.
But the reality was that Yan Zhao’s body was in a state between human and Evil Fallen, and he had been maintaining this balance using medication.
However, a few years ago, he found that this balance was slowly starting to tilt, and as he became more like an Evil Fallen, Jian Qiu’s curse on Yan Zhao’s descendants seemed to be gradually weakening.
As the two half-human, half-ghost entities continued to attack at low altitude, the terrifying residual energy left its mark within the manor.
Yan Zizai widened his eyes, relying on the Eye of the Scales and the Eye of Insight to watch the ensuing battle.
The confrontation between Cain and Yan Zhao had already surpassed the scope of humanity.
Both of them bore too many powerful entries, and Yan Zizai had no doubt that if these two were to completely undergo Evil Fallen Transformation, they would be dominant forces even outside of the tower.
"No wonder he has been obsessed with human body research for seven hundred years... It’s just a pity... that he ultimately failed to comprehend this secret."
As if he had already seen a certain future, Yan Zizai chose not to take part in this duel, turning instead to leave.
The two combatants, caught in the throes of their battle, also underwent a shift in their mindset due to Yan Zizai’s actions...
Yan Zhao, of course, sensed that familiar presence, but if Yan Zizai had returned from Shudu Prison, then it either meant that Yan Zizai had lost his humanity and was very likely seeking revenge against him.
Or it meant... that Yan Zizai had been rescued from prison by someone!
Either way, it was a disadvantage for him. Especially now... as the threat from his opponent was escalating.
Cain’s assault was getting progressively stronger, and on his monstrous flesh, eyes of crimson—the Leviathan’s Eye—sprouted.
An additional two hands split out from Cain’s back.
What Cain had always made Lilith and all the disciples feel was that... his true form was very weak, apparently because his true form had been the only weak point after visiting the sixth floor of the High Tower.
But who could trust the words of a deceiver? His true body was indeed weakened by the sixth floor, but more precisely, the creature from the sixth layer had planted a mark into his soul.
Far from being a weakness, his true body was actually one of his trump cards!
However, the effect of this mark had always prevented Cain from using his full abilities for extended periods.
He was supposed to be the strongest among the original seventy-two people, as a disciple of a certain individual. If not for his inability to restrain his curiosity about the sixth floor, the very dynamics of the High Tower could have been completely different!
Cain, now exuding a formidable threat, along with Yan Zizai lurking in the shadows, instilled a significant sense of crisis in Yan Zhao.
Using the enormous barrier created by the Heart of the Curse, Yan Zhao pushed Cain back, then pierced his own body with barbed fangs.
Shared Injury: the damage he sustained would simultaneously spread to enemies within a certain range.
Yan Zizai seemed to have seen this coming, hence he extricated himself from the area.
On Cain’s body, those parts with crimson eyes... all closed their eyes due to the tremendous pain they endured.
At that moment, Yan Zhao had a brief respite...
He took out the last tube of reagent, his greatest achievement in seven hundred years.
From the moment he exhibited signs of an Evil Fallen transformation in his body, Yan Zhao had absolute confidence in his "new Semi-Evil Fallen physique"!
"I can surpass the Judge! Although this body will become ugly, I will prove that the direction of my seven hundred years of research is the correct one!"
"Xie Yingjie! Qin Ye! Wang Jue! Zheng You... All of you will be trampled under my feet!"
As the reagent entered his neck, the balance Yan Zhao had been desperately maintaining between man and Evil Fallen finally shattered at this moment!
Cain sensed something was wrong and tried to stop Yan Zhao, but under the influence of his many perfect entries, Cain was unable to break through for the moment.
Countless mixtures of Evil Fallen and human serums began rapidly spreading, devouring, and mutating within Yan Zhao’s body!
Cain, facing a formidable opponent, was also feeling a sliver of excitement, "I have to admit, among you eight guys, you’re somewhat interesting. Come on, show me just how powerful your trump card really is!"
It was as if a showdown of the century was about to unfold.
The battle between two humans wielding the power of the Evil Fallen seemed to have entered its final stage!
But just at this moment, a sudden dramatic change took both Cain and Yan Zhao by surprise.
For seven hundred years, at the pinnacle of the High Tower’s fifth layer, 900 meters above, the ceiling bearing the other side of the sixth layer’s world... suddenly reacted.
The entire ceiling of the fifth layer abruptly shifted from white light to red light!
Initially perplexed, Cain quickly came to a realization... His expression turned teasing, and as he looked at Yan Zhao, there was a touch of playfulness and even a hint of pity.
The crimson light seemed capable of eradicating all distortions as divine punishment! At this moment, every Eternal Being within the fifth layer of the High Tower raised their heads.
