Roadside Ichijo

Roman Andre had never imagined his luck would be this good. While the enemy was somewhat numerous, quantity did not equal quality. If becoming a Mighty One was merely the entry threshold for this war of contention, then his opponents were like toddlers who had barely set foot over the doorsill, whereas he was a grown adult who had walked very, very far along the path of a Mighty One. When an adult clashed with toddlers, he would naturally wipe the floor with them in a one-sided slaughter. *Bang!* A gunshot rang out. The smile instantly froze on Roman's face as a bloody hole appeared in his forehead. Everyone aboard the Aska was dumbstruck. They all turned their gazes toward Nora—and the revolver in her hand. "Haven't we already confirmed he's an enemy? Since he's an enemy, just killing him is fine," Nora said calmly. Zhang Shou nodded and remarked sheepishly, "That makes sense, but somehow, Nora, you feel awfully brutal." "What did you say?" Nora looked at him. Zhang Shou's expression changed at once. "I said Nora, you truly are wise, mighty, and decisive in slaughter! There are still so many things we need to learn from you!" "..." Everyone stared at Zhang Shou, utterly speechless. At this moment, Nora could not be bothered to pursue the matter. She walked to the edge of the Aska, looked down at Roman's corpse, and spoke: "This portion of Calamity Origin is right in my hands. If anyone wants it... come take it. But remember, be prepared to die before you come!" Her voice radiated in all directions, focusing primarily on Roman's corpse. Any Mighty One who sensed the body would immediately hear her declaration. *** *Nora?* *All right... then!* At the same time a certain Mighty One heard Nora's overbearing declaration, Yu Xian also learned of it simultaneously. A look of perplexity crossed his face before he let out a long sigh. It was something his wife wanted; he could hardly contest it with her. After a brief moment of hesitation and wavering, he simply chose to give it up. Mainly, even if he wanted to compete, he couldn't beat Nora anyway. Normally, everyone would certainly support him. But when forced to choose between him and Nora, they would undoubtedly stand by her. Little Nora and Little Huangquan would defect without a second thought. Compared to Origin Return, he valued his family and friends far more. However, this meant the upcoming struggle for the origin no longer had much to do with him. He simply went back to eating melons and watching the show. On one hand, he followed the clash of Mighty Ones sweeping across the myriad realms; on the other, he observed the status of Luo Wei's Hero Party. Both sides had their own brand of entertainment, providing him with immense satisfaction. In truth, not all Mighty Ones in the myriad realms joined the fray—only about two-thirds. Yet two-thirds was already an immense number. In particular, those Mighty Ones who had lived for countless ages and could no longer feel any personal progress had long since warped mentally. To become an Origin Returner, there was nothing they wouldn't stoop to. For example, if they couldn't find anyone holding Calamity Origin, they would simply manufacture it themselves. Many worlds in the Tree Universe had been laid to waste by them in this manner. Of course, where there were wicked Mighty Ones, there were naturally more righteous ones as well. Though some Mighty Ones were also vying for the Calamity Origin, they couldn't stomach such atrocities, and so clashes repeatedly broke out among them. It was fair to say that the Tree Universe had not been this lively in ages, nor had the Mighty Ones been this active. Mighty Ones were scurrying everywhere. Figures who once might have been nearly impossible to encounter were now running rampant in the streets like stray dogs. "Liu Xiu, maybe 80 points." "Chen Daohai, 66 points, let's say." "Zhu Guagua should still get a 70." "Orpheedit, 85 points." Yu Xian wasn't purely eating melons; he was also surveying enemy intelligence. After all, Nora had entered the competition. Even though he had bowed out, he still needed to help her. By listing the potential, threatening rivals in advance, he could tip Nora off if she encountered them down the road, or step in ahead of time to intercept them. As he was diligently recording the Mighty Ones' profiles, a samurai sporting a shaved sakayaki hairstyle suddenly barged into the world. "?" Upon entering, confusion immediately showed on the samurai's face. He possessed an ability known as Transparent World, which allowed him to perceive the history of a world and discern everything that had happened in the past. When passing by this world, his Transparent World had detected the presence of the Calamity Demonic Dragon. As an experienced samurai, he had deduced that the dragon was bound to possess Calamity Origin, prompting his immediate breach into this world. Yet upon arrival, he found that the Calamity Demonic Dragon was gone. After a moment of bewilderment, however, he noticed Yu Xian's presence. After all, within this world, Yu Xian shone as brightly as a glowing lightbulb—he was far too obvious. In an instant, he appeared before Yu Xian, katana in hand, and barked, "Hand over the Calamity Origin, or be cut down!" As he spoke, Spiritual Pressure Armament surfaced on his body, coalescing into a layer of blue armor. At the same time, the katana in his grip shifted, radiating waves of murderous intent. "Hello there!" Yu Xian greeted him with a smile. The samurai remained unmoved, keeping to his stance, ready to draw his blade at any second. "Do I look like someone who possesses Calamity Origin? Its aura can't be concealed at all, can it?" Yu Xian said with a faint smile. The samurai frowned. He indeed felt no trace of Calamity Origin radiating from Yu Xian. "Then you must have hidden it away," he said immediately. Yu Xian sighed. "Where could I possibly hide it? Calamity Origin isn't like other origins. If kept on one's person, its aura is glaringly obvious. Stash it in something like a storage ring, and the spatial dimension would collapse in minutes. Where do you think I could hide it?" A spiritual spark could contain Calamity Origin because the two had been refined into one. Once extracted, storing Calamity Origin under normal circumstances was truly no easy feat. Without the dark room in the Zhen Realm, Yu Xian would likely have had to absorb it himself or pass it to Nora to absorb, masking its aura to the utmost. Yet even with the aura masked to the limit, at such close quarters with this samurai, it wouldn't have escaped notice. "Honestly, I arrived a step too late myself. My name is Yu Xian. What about you?" Yu Xian struck while the iron was hot upon noticing the samurai's hesitation. The samurai could verify that the Calamity Origin was indeed not on Yu Xian. Hearing that he, too, had arrived late, the samurai believed him sixty percent. After all, Calamity Origin was a burning coal; aside from a Mighty One absorbing it into their body, other methods of handling it were exceedingly difficult. No matter which world it was placed in, Calamity Origin brought sheer disaster. After a moment's thought, he reined in his hostility and said, "My apologies. Since the Calamity Origin is not on you, pardon the intrusion." "I already introduced myself. Leaving without introducing yourself is quite ill-mannered, don't you think?" Yu Xian drawled faintly upon seeing the samurai prepare to leave. The samurai had no choice but to say, "I am the Cockroach-man, Roadside Ichijo. Please treat me kindly!" *Cockroach-man?* Hearing that, Yu Xian blanked for a second. While he was dazed, Roadside Ichijo swiftly departed the world. He still had to track down the Mighty One who had seized the Calamity Demonic Dragon's origin; he had no time to waste chatting with Yu Xian.