After a brief rest, Yaxiu continued driving toward the uncharted expanse to the left of the White Ox. Since the White Ox progressed counterclockwise, to its left lay the interior of the Time Continent—the region most likely to harbor main cities.
Ever since the Oasis War, Yaxiu and his companions had traversed the territories of Blood Tomb, Spider Tower, and Star Hall in succession. Spider Tower needed little explanation: though the Empress Commander was most probably still out campaigning, Yaxiu and the others naturally prioritized safety. They sped through while collecting sorcery power, clocking out the moment their time was up without working a single minute of overtime.
Meanwhile, they possessed maps for both Blood Tomb and Star Hall. Taking advantage of the fact that the war was still in its opening round and the various factions required time to muster resources, they rushed to plunder the resource points marked on their maps. Yet despite moving immediately—and possessing a distinct talent for robbing, looting, burning, and slaughtering—an average of two out of every five resource points were already picked clean.
As time went on, the hit rate for intact resource points would only dwindle further.
Tonight, having left the Star Hall territory, they arrived in unfamiliar faction lands. Without a map, they couldn't even scrounge up scrap. Thus, the scheme hatched days ago was put back on the agenda—find the main city of another faction, lure Spider Tower over to trigger a war, and then reap war profiteering by collecting Soul Summoning sorcery spirits, Commander Manuals, and maps!
If they could assemble a complete set of Time Continent maps, they might even unravel the truth of the Seven-Colored Tail and unlock the grand prize of a shortcut to the Void Realm's third layer!
Yet the question remained: where were the other factions' main cities?
The main cities of both Star Hall and Blood Tomb were positioned close to the inner side of the Time Continent. Yaxiu therefore drove into the interior to try his luck. He didn't necessarily have to locate a main city itself; past experience indicated that Heroic Spirit Legions invariably patrolled the perimeter of any main city, so finding those patrol legions would naturally lead them there.
Reasonably speaking, with the exploration efficiency of their sports car, running into a Heroic Spirit Legion several times a night was par for the course. Yet Yaxiu and his companions had wandered the interior for nearly two hours without spotting a single one. Back when they had wanted to avoid them, the Heroic Spirit Legions had dogged their steps like stalkers; now that they actually sought them, not a single one was anywhere to be found.
Now that "No Toilet Paper While Pooping" was no longer in effect, Yaxiu couldn't even shift the blame. He had no choice but to admit this was his own poor decision—
"Watcher, you're leaking."
"Huh?" Yaxiu instinctively glanced down at his crotch.
"I mean your Soul Summoning sorcery spirit is leaking," Sonia said, pointing at the spirit resting on Yaxiu's shoulder. It was currently flashing with purple light, smearing across the surrounding air like a watercolor brush.
Yaxiu froze for a moment upon seeing it, then looked down at his Void Realm Map—there was truly no Heroic Spirit Legion nearby, nor any indication of a main city!
Yet this reaction from the Soul Summoning sorcery spirit was unmistakably a stress response triggered by the Secret Incarnation entering a main city's boundary—much like the territorial rejection a kitten displayed upon wandering into another cat's domain!
Not around them, and not on the ground. That left only one possibility.
The three looked up toward the sky, but the curtain of reverse golden rain veiled all secrets. That dazzling golden radiance was the finest safeguard against prying eyes. After a moment's thought, Yaxiu said, "Get ready."
Sword Princess and the Witch instantly entered combat readiness. The sports car deployed its Wicked Edge blades and began spouting toxic mist, carving ring after ring into the ground like doughnuts. As the car circled, the Soul Summoning sorcery spirit painted the surrounding space, tearing purple breaches through the golden curtain of rain.
"To think you actually found the Garden's main city. I assumed you would strike Blood Tomb or Star Hall first~"
Although they had prepared themselves mentally—and this was precisely the outcome they had anticipated—hearing the Empress's lazy voice still sent a chill across their scalps, setting their bodies on edge. Looking back, they saw Denzel and an Eight-Eyed Weaving Spider emerge from a web. She remained in the form of the Maiden of Secret-Peeking, a spiderweb blindfold wrapped around her eyes and white bandages doing little to conceal the luscious curves of her body as she reclined indolently atop the spider.
"Garden happens to be best at defense, though," Denzel said, lifting her chin to peer upward. "Fighting them is the biggest headache... Hey, don't run off! Since you took the initiative to come to another main city, that means you want to cooperate, doesn't it?"
"That's right." Yaxiu kept his eyes glued to the Void Realm Map, not daring to let his guard down for a second. The moment any Heroic Spirit Legion drew close, he would flee immediately. "But I don't trust you."
"In this world, self-interest is far more dependable than trust," Denzel said with a chuckle. "My little lover, tell me what you want. What you sorcerers desire is just Commander Manuals, maps, and Soul Summoning sorcery spirits—the sort of spoils commanders drop, right? Such things are utterly useless to us. We can hand them over to you."
As she spoke, more and more Heroic Spirit Legions marched out of the webs. Thunderous footsteps rumbled from behind the curtain of rain, forcing Yaxiu and the others to pull back a bit farther. "I still don't trust you."
"Then what do you propose?" Denzel rested her chin on her left hand and smiled. "You certainly won't agree to sign a contract, so how about we gather the spoils and hand them over to you? You're welcome to state your terms and suggestions; everything is negotiable. After all, we currently have virtually no way of reclaiming the Secret Incarnation from you, and your speed far exceeds ours. Aside from cooperating, I don't really have any other options—"
"Then tear up our contract," Yaxiu said abruptly.
"Hmm? What contract?" Denzel tilted her head. "The one where you promised in the wooden cabin to entangle yourself with me until death?"
"The compulsory contract you forced us to sign," Yaxiu said evenly. "Since you have no intention of reclaiming the Secret Incarnation, cancel the contract. Otherwise, it only proves you're still scheming against us."
After a moment of silence, Denzel shook her head. "I don't have the power to tear up that contract—"
"Goodbye!"
Yaxiu drove off without a shred of hesitation. Tempting though the Empress Commander's terms sounded, he was certain they were riddled with traps!
If they followed the Empress Commander's train of thought and attempted to use their wits to hammer out an agreement that was as 'safe' as possible, they would inevitably end up trapped by her a third time. The Empress had already demonstrated that she excelled most at dealing with clever people—especially those who considered themselves smart yet couldn't rein in their greed!
More importantly, the Empress possessed terrifying insight into human nature. Last time, she had nearly fractured their team and driven a wedge between them and the Witch. How could Yaxiu dare keep speaking with her? If they continued talking, she would probably manipulate Sword Princess into becoming even more jealous, suspicious, and clingy.
Thus, Yaxiu would rather take the risk of scavenging along the fringes of the battlefield than strike a bargain with the Empress. The woman was practically a black widow spider; staying clear of her web was the only right choice.
...
Watching the sports car carve a purple streak through the rain and disappear, Denzel let out a soft laugh. "You really did get a little smarter..."
"So they really weren't bait you laid out?" a voice sounded from nearby. "To think there are sorcerers capable of wresting a conceptual incarnation from the poisonous widow's grasp."
"Laugh if you want. I won't kill an ally," Denzel replied, glancing back. "At least, not yet."
More Heroic Spirit Legions continued to emerge from the web, but these were starkly different from Spider Tower's troops. Their overall color palette was dominated by black and green, their armor heavy and hideous. Most of the soldier types wore shackles—some around their necks, others binding their limbs—resembling a hovering mass of nightmares. If Spider Tower's legions were mysterious and dangerous, these were wild and ferocious, like escaped convicts bent on smashing everything to pieces.
The one speaking with Denzel was completely concealed in black-and-green armor, wielding a greatsword in one hand and a short blade in the other. Beneath his visor, only a pair of dark green pupils was visible.
Yet Denzel knew him intimately. After a millennium of war, it was hard not to be familiar with each other—the chief commander of Oasis, the Wanderer!
Both having participated in the very first Grand Investiture of the Six Nations, Denzel and the Wanderer were undoubtedly the most senior Heroic Spirits. Over thousands of years, as faction borders shifted, Spider Tower had bordered Oasis as well, and countless battles had erupted between them. Denzel had even killed the Wanderer once, though he was simply resurrected afterward.
"The soul fragments I retrieved don't support the function of laughter."
"Then are you ready?" Denzel asked calmly. "According to our alliance pact, your Oasis is responsible for the second vanguard wave during the city assault. But before that, we have to bring Garden down... Webbing isn't suited for that sort of work. You can deploy the Silent Spiral, right?"
"No problem," the Wanderer said. "However, before that, we need to discuss another matter of cooperation—one regarding reality."
"Reality?" Denzel raised an eyebrow. "What does reality have to do with us?"
"A slight issue arose in our subordinate nation recently. We hope to borrow some people from your nation."
"If something happened in your subordinate nation, what does that have to do with you? And if a problem cropped up there, you could just have the Senluo Azure Lord—"
Denzel paused, a sudden realization dawning on her. "You can't mean...?"
"Leave aside descending into reality; the Azure Lord's condition has deteriorated to the point where He cannot even contact the Weaver directly. That is why He commissioned me to contact you." The Wanderer made no attempt to conceal it. Reduced to borrowing personnel from another country, no amount of evasion could disguise his god's weakness. "As the price for your support, Oasis is willing to throw its full strength behind helping Spider Tower achieve victory in this Investiture War."
"Aren't you afraid the Weaver will seize the chance to infiltrate your nation?" Denzel couldn't help asking.
"Over the millennia, Void Realm passages have opened countless times. Mutual infiltration has occurred innumerable times already; once more won't make a difference. Furthermore, compared to the Weaver's infiltration, the malignant disease festering within our nation is far more intolerable."
"Just what happened in your nation?"
"The Four Pillar Gods," the Wanderer answered succinctly.
Denzel's expression grew somewhat grave. "Is the Azure Lord's condition also tied to the Four Pillar Gods?"
The Wanderer shook his head, though whether that signified a denial or that he didn't know was unclear.
"Then what sort of support do you need?" Denzel asked. "A few Legendary Sorcerers? Or perhaps an entire legion?"
"The Azure Lord's intention is that since we are borrowing people anyway, He wishes to resolve all trouble in a single stroke," the Wanderer said. "We wish to borrow your nation's most precious treasure."
"The Gospel."
Chapter 458