Free Web NovelChapter 405: Chapter 22: The Seven Deadly Sins - Envy
(Due to a random inability to update for the Silver Alliance, progress is 47/100.)
Bai Wu wondered inwardly if he had exerted too much effort?
He had earnestly simulated every emotion that should be present among the fervent followers in various mythologies, associated with religious worship that he could think of.
However, upon further consideration, it really didn’t matter to this person...
"They were created by me, and you pledge loyalty to them, by nature, you are pledging loyalty to me, I need you to directly obey my orders."
"It is undoubtedly my honor!!"
"I need the owners of Talent Sequence 12 and Talent Sequence 10, to come to the sixth layer and sprinkle their blood upon the trunk of the Soul Tree, so that their souls may become the fruits of the Soul Tree."
The amount of information was a bit overwhelming.
Bai Wu first responded with a mix of dismay and excitement, while also pondering the problems involved.
"Talent Sequence 12 is Temporal Return. Temporal Return is like a mini-Reincarnation, not as powerful as the full Reincarnation. And Talent Sequence 10—Ten Thousand Phantasmal Bodies, I also don’t know its function. It’s not described on the Sequence list."
Bai Wu was well aware that he now possessed Prayle’s Eye, five Guardian Spirits, Angel Envoy, and an Innate Force that had reached its limit.
But against the top ten Talent Sequences, he wasn’t necessarily assured of victory.
It was unclear whether the individuals with the top ten Talent Sequences even existed.
Perhaps that was a domain even the creatures at the Well Level did not know, because up to now...
In the records of the High Tower for the past seven hundred years, the most powerful individuals had never entered that domain.
The Talent Sequences belonged to humans, but did people actually possess the top ten sequences? It seemed like a forbidden area that only humans could step into, yet no one had ever stepped in.
What Bai Wu didn’t know was that the combined effect of Talent Sequence 4 and Talent Sequence 7 could even seal this creature.
The top ten Talent Sequences had already become a different realm altogether.
The Talent Sequence 8, Parasitic Heart Demon, that he encountered on the blood-red path was merely a weakened version simulated by a seventh-layer creature according to its understanding, and placed in a scene with almost no intelligence.
Yet even so, the threat it posed to Bai Wu was so significant that Bai Yuan openly declared that he couldn’t complete that path on his own.
Even when facing Lord Jing Wu, he had never been so absolutely denied.
The power of the top ten sequences was something Bai Wu was beginning to sense.
So much so that he suddenly felt that humans might become a strong force in this twisted world.
But he quickly thought of something else, overturning this idea:
"In the end, it all depends on chance. Indeed, the top ten Talent Sequences are very powerful, but they are as difficult to achieve as ascending to heaven, and the creatures at the Well Level also have powerful entries. Especially those most terrifying Legendary Tier Mutation Entries."
There is a hierarchy among Legendary Tier Mutation Entries, and Bai Wu guesses that certain top-tier entries would have significant usage limits.
Just like the Legendary Tier Mutation Entries, Disassemble Everything and Reconstruction.
If Lord Jing Wu could use these powers, Mechanical City would have been ruled long ago.
The shelter in Baichuan City would not have been established.
One could even go further back to the time at the casino, when there was no way he could defeat the God of Wealth himself.
But it seems that while these two powers are very strong, the conditions for their use are also very stringent. The smith and the merchant only control a part of them.
Perhaps only on Black Gold Island can one see the most powerful Lord Jing Wu and the true power of these two entries.
As for Reincarnation, Infinite Proliferation, they are currently unsolvable to Bai Wu.
As for what the creatures of the seventh layer need these Sequences for, Bai Wu was clueless.
"I will fulfill my master’s mission, but my power... is too weak. The owners of these sequences... may not be something I can deal with. This humble servant hopes to receive some guidance from You."
The utterly undignified Bai Wu, seemed to have become the slave of the seventh-layer creature completely.
Cain couldn’t believe that such a person, who not long ago had spoken confidently to him in the Investigation Corps office, confronting him and holding the upper hand, had now degenerated so much.
Now? The Bai Wu of today was simply a soulless puppet!
My fated rival has fallen to such depths? Cain’s feelings were complex, displaying a rare expression of genuine emotion.
On one hand, he hoped Bai Wu would be weaker, making it easier for him to control, on the other hand, he wished Bai Wu was strong enough to make their confrontation more interesting.
Regarding dignity, Bai Wu did not care much.
If it’s the captain’s dignity, he must defend it.
Because the captain is a hero, and a hero can die to protect their dignity. But his own doesn’t matter.
Bai Yuan once said that anything could be equated to some unit of measurement, converted into a commodity with a clear, marked price.
This is a transaction, I pretend to be your devout believer, and you give me some benefits of being your follower.
And Bai Wu was very confident that he could maximize these benefits. So dignity? It did not exist.
You laugh at me for lacking dignity, I laugh at you for being too easily deceived. In a previous life, even the richest man could play the bootlicker to an internet celebrity, pursuing profit isn’t shameful.
Cain could feel that Bai Wu was about to reach some agreement with the monsters on the seventh floor.
He felt uneasy, but he didn’t dare to do anything... This feeling was terrible. Right now, Bai Wu was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
"Walk through the spiral corridor, and in the palace I built, you will find a duplicate I made. Take it. It will give you power."
"About the possession of Sequences, it has never been recorded in human history. Do they truly exist, great master, could you guide me?"
Bai Wu was overjoyed. He didn’t know what the duplicate was, but he knew he had played the scene right.
Jing Si gave a Full Moon Fragment, so a monster from the seventh floor shouldn’t give something too stingy.
And he could also use this opportunity to obtain other information.
"At the end of the spiral corridor, there’s a stele that records the Talent Sequence periodic table. Those blue Sequences represent the ones that have already been mastered by others. They must still be alive in this world. Find them, and bring them to me."
Bai Wu translated it in his mind:
Surface mission—find them and bring them.
True mission—find them, protect them, prevent them from being taken to the High Tower.
He agreed very quickly.
Without a doubt, the entities of the seventh floor and Jing Si were the most powerful beings he had come across so far.
There was no need to calculate the gap, just knowing that these were monsters he absolutely shouldn’t conflict with at the current stage was enough.
Only by carefully starting the game under a disparity of information, carefully developing, and cautiously yet crazily growing in the gaps between information and information could he advance.
Bai Wu still knelt on the ground, waiting for the seventh-floor monster to ask further questions.
Although he now had a mission, this monster certainly wanted more intelligence.
Especially about those at the Well Level. They could establish a connection with this monster, but perhaps the High Tower had blocked this feeling.
Soon, Bai Wu’s guess was confirmed.
"How is Jing San doing? What is Jing Wu up to?"
This was a golden opportunity to smear Jing Wu, but the first thing Bai Wu thought of was... why didn’t it ask about Jing Yi and Jing Liu?
A bad feeling surfaced; perhaps this monster, sealed by the High Tower, wasn’t as easy to deceive as imagined. Or perhaps it had been deceived but also had its own plans.
These questions were not something Bai Wu could directly ask.
He replied truthfully, recounting how Jing San was in reincarnation, sealed, and also how Jing Wu was constantly expanding his power.
Of course, Bai Wu included a bit of personal bias.
"Lord Jing Wu harbors great enmity towards me, and I do not know what that lord intends... Perhaps it has a more profound plan, but many times, the tasks ordered by Lord Jing Er have been delayed due to the interventions of Lord Jing Wu."
Fanning flames was one of Bai Wu’s traditional skills.
"It possesses the most powerful weapons but cannot control them. A waste. More trouble than it’s worth. You can tell Jing Wu, the day I return to the human world, all its efforts will be rendered meaningless."
Certainly, calling them useless was a bit unfair. Jing Wu was also continuously searching for the High Tower.
On the other hand, Jing Er, despite sending out Travelers, was really the one confined to his own narrow view of the world.
If not for being schemed against by Jing Liu, Bai Wu felt Jing Er could stay inside forever.
As for the most powerful weapon, maybe it was what he had thought of earlier—Disassemble Everything and Reconstruction.
This was indeed an unsolvable ability, but again, such terrifying power might not be completely under Jing Wu’s control.
Jing Liu might be overwhelmed by the Power of Causality. Maybe Jing San played with reincarnation too much and ended up reincarnating himself.
Infinite Proliferation was terrifying, but Shen Shuyue had become a stranger to Lizhi and others because of it. Perhaps these Legendary Tier Entries all had significant disadvantages.
"Great master, I have remembered your revelation, and I await your further orders."
Bai Wu did not want the conversation to end there. However, the seventh layer monster had already lost the desire to talk. Evidently, although Bai Wu was the first person from the "Well" it had waited for over many years, it still held doubts.
Therefore, before Bai Wu completed his mission, it did not intend to reveal too much to him.
["Remember your mission, find the people with Talent Sequence 12 and Talent Sequence 10, whether through deception or hunting, bring them here."]
The oppressive feeling in his mind completely vanished.
Bai Wu was somewhat unsatisfied, after all, he hadn’t pried any more valuable information, and he was sure the other party had left.
"It’s a pity that, constrained by the role I played as a Bootlicker, I couldn’t ask too many questions. I’ve been kneeling for so long, only to exchange for a weapon. Alas, the monster of the High Tower’s seventh layer doesn’t know how to be considerate."
Bai Wu stood up, not worried about being seen in his true form.
He was very sure, even if it was the monster from the seventh layer of the High Tower, even if it was the creator of a Well Level being, its abilities inside the High Tower were quite limited.
It was just that Bai Wu’s gaze no longer fell on those Sequence languages.
Having successfully bluffed his way through, Bai Wu also felt quite fortunate; the High Tower was too powerful, so much so that for seven hundred years, nobody from outside the Well could get in, and the Demon Kings within could not get out.
Though he did not know who the Demon King actually was or what it looked like, Bai Wu was certain he was one step closer to the truth.
Now, it was time to look at the spoils of war.
The "replica" mentioned by the mouth of the Demon King.
Bai Wu turned around, still in a dramatic flair, and said:
"I just seemed to have received a Divine Revelation. So these fruits on the trees... are they hiding human souls? Can you tell which one is yours?"
"The owner of Absolute Dissolution is also on this tree? So this is nourishment? But why doesn’t the creature above come down to feed? Can we assume that the monster... can only go up, not down?"
Cain’s face looked very ugly.
Why is this person’s topic change so awkward? Is he not going to explain any of what just happened?
"Why do you have to pretend? Or was the scene just now where it seemed you were possessed by a ghost, an act for my benefit? Actually, you already know the secret of this tree. To think that I was the one being kept in the dark."
Cain really hoped Bai Wu was just putting on an act.
If Bai Wu served the sixth layer’s monster, the situation would be very unfavorable for himself.
Bai Wu smiled and said:
"Ah, you are really clever, I can’t deceive you. Just think of it as an act for you. Moreover, haven’t you also been deceiving me? Trying to make me one of the fruits on the tree."
Cain had complex feelings.
He had been trapped for a long time before he learned that language; had Bai Wu already mastered it?
"So you’re saying... you’ve comprehended the Sequence language? Or had you been here before? Otherwise, how could you possibly have mastered the Sequence language."
"The truth is, this is my first time here. As for learning languages, isn’t that standard issue for the Investigation Corps? No one seriously takes that much effort to learn a language, do they? Oh, you are from the Garrison Corps, no wonder."
"..."
Bai Wu was very satisfied with the aggrieved expression on Cain’s face and continued:
"Now this Soul Tree is right here, and indeed, I know all of its secrets. Yes, I was playing along with you earlier. You really are full of lies. I will tell you a piece of information, and you can guess whether I’m lying to you or not."
"What information?"
"If you cause any kind of damage to this tree, you will compensate for the loss, even more than what was lost. The fruits of the Soul Tree contain souls, and if you take your soul from it, you will lose new souls. So I advise you, it’s best to continue exploring the way with me, not to dwell on this tree, or wait until you are ready to do so."
After finishing his words, Bai Wu began to look for the next scene, the spiral corridor, a staircase structured like DNA spirals leading up to a palace six hundred meters in the sky.
Stone Forest, Blood-Red Path, Soul Tree, Spiral Corridor, Silent Palace—these scenes, seven hundred years ago, only the tree existed. The other sceneries all appeared in the sixth layer later on.
Cain didn’t know what lay beyond.
Now that he believed Bai Wu had some connection to the sixth layer’s original creature, Cain regarded Bai Wu with full wariness.
He now stood in front of the Soul Tree, looking at the enormous fruit that contained part of his soul.
If he swallowed that fruit, he could return to his peak state!
But... he dared not do so.
Bai Wu was also certain that in the end, Cain would not do it.
Cain was still useful, there were many secrets about him, and it would be a waste if he was simply tricked by this tree; that’s why Bai Wu told him such important information.
Indeed, after a minute of silence, Cain began to pursue Bai Wu’s footsteps.
The two once again walked side by side toward the next scene, the essential path to reaching the final Bastion—the Spiral Corridor.
The winding Spiral Corridor, like the staircase to heaven, when Bai Wu and Cain were about to reach the summit of the corridor, Bai Wu had a feeling...
The Spiral Corridor was indeed not dangerous, but during the climb, he felt that time was changing. In fact, it was not only time that was changing.
The seemingly simple structure of the Spiral Corridor was actually quite complex. With every step Bai Wu took, there were many changes hidden within.
The winding trajectory and curves were also constantly changing, as if preventing someone from reaching that palace.
The process of climbing became increasingly long, yet this lengthiness was also imperceptible.
As time ticked by second by second, there were several times along the way when Cain felt as though he might never be able to leave the Spiral Corridor.
But Bai Wu led the way without any hesitation; with Prayle’s Eye, Bai Wu was getting closer and closer to the palace.
However, Bai Wu was also frowning deeply, as if he had encountered some trouble.
"I can no longer tell whether the look of surprise on your face is feigned or real." freёwebnovel.com
Cain looked at Bai Wu, who wore a puzzled expression while Bai Wu’s gaze was fixed on the final palace.
Cain asked again:
"The place we just passed through, it seems to hold some kind of secret?"
"The Spiral Corridor, a place you cannot leave without me."
Cain wanted to ask more, but Bai Wu was not in the mood to explain too much:
"Don’t ask so much; if you ask, it’s because I’m omniscient."
Bai Wu was not omniscient, and he soon had a question:
"How long have we been here?"
This question surprised Cain and then he realized too. It seemed like they had walked for a long time. He took out his pocket watch:
"It seems like two days? Yes... it should be two days."
Cain was not certain, this imperceptible lengthiness had dulled his grasp of time, as if they had not walked long, but the pocket watch in his possession showed that two days had passed.
Bai Wu took out his cellphone, his brow even more furrowed:
"I know it’s been two days, but don’t you think... something is strange with the dimension of time? We shouldn’t have taken two days to walk a few hundred meters."
Cain also realized this problem, the hands on his pocket watch were moving unusually fast.
He didn’t know if the clock was broken or if... there was something inherently wrong with this place.
This issue didn’t bother Bai Wu for long, after all, the palace was right in front of him, which he was definitely going to explore.
"Let’s keep moving."
Within the endless spiral, the two humans seemed to be ants stuck in an hourglass, and just when they were about to reach the end, the spiral brought them back to the starting point.
The process seemed like a dead loop. With each loop, the dimension of time quietly changed.
Bai Wu had to admit that the design of the Spiral Corridor was very clever, or perhaps the entire sixth floor was a place of "rationally twisted" that Bai Yuan spoke of, but all of this could not escape the scrutiny of Prayle’s Eye.
Time and again, Cain felt they had returned to the starting point, seemingly never able to reach the palace, with time constantly accelerating. The hands on the pocket watch were also speeding up.
Fortunately, Bai Wu finally led Cain out of the Spiral Corridor.
After what seemed like dozens of cycles of returning to the starting point, when actually each climb was different, Prayle’s Eye finally guided Bai Wu out of this eerie corridor maze.
The grand palace was finally in front of his eyes.
[Regarding the secrets of the Sequence and the most powerful Spirit Possession object, it is hidden in that palace. You may read those secrets, but they won’t be of much help in understanding this world for you, much like showing a missile blueprint to an ancient craftsman.
However, there are no dangers in the Spiral Corridor and the Silent Palace. And that bronze axe in your hand that can cause Dizziness in opponents but is actually extremely unfriendly to you, Unlucky, can finally be replaced.
So I have both good news and bad news for you.
The bad news is, the long exploration should come to an end. The huge sixth floor consumes a lot of time; if you weren’t an Eternal Being, if not for my help, you might have died of old age by the time you walked out of the Spiral Corridor, and the outside world has changed a lot by now. Perhaps it’s time you went back to take a look.
The good news is, at the end of the Spiral Corridor, you will receive a replica of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Rest assured, unlike the replicas from your adventure in Xuanhui City—
This is a high-quality replica of Envy from the Seven Deadly Sins, not inferior to the real thing.]
