Chapter 412: Chance Encounter

As a thought flickered, Leiketon saw the opponent's veins suddenly burst, a pool of deep green‑almost black fluid splashing everywhere, emitting a strong stench like sewage in a foul gutter.

Under the Eye of Secrets, Leiketon saw straight through the nature of that sewage—it was merely a mass of bacteria and viruses clustering together, reproducing and spreading at an incredible speed, and in a moment it covered the whole area.

With the veins rupturing, the doll‑like body instantly withered, as if all its nutrients had been fed to those viruses.

He rasped in a low, hoarse voice:

"This is merely a dispensable duplicate of mine, consider it a greeting gift; next time we meet I'll give you an even larger present."

Boom! A blazing white spear with a golden‑red trailing tail instantly pierced the opponent's body, exploding outward and raising a wave of crimson flame.

The searing heat of the fire wave scorched everything around, instantly vaporizing the black liquid of bacteria and viruses on the ground.

Leiketon lifted his body and waited a moment; his brows furrowed as the residue wasn't fully cleared—what did he use to cultivate these life‑force bacteria?

As a thought drifted, Leiketon spread his palms outward, generating countless brilliant star‑shines that instantly glowed with a pale gold light, layer upon layer expanding outward, bearing a strong solar aura and purifying power, gradually cleansing all the bacteria and viruses below.

Having done all that, his body twisted in midair and vanished instantly.

Three to four hundred meters away on the ground, a pale‑purple eye suddenly appeared, its pupil formed by an illusory symbol of stacked doors; the eye twisted for a moment and turned into Leiketon's silhouette.

These were marks he had left beforehand; within a certain range he could use them to teleport his position.

In midair, Crow Anu flapped its wings and flew over, as usual perching on Leiketon's shoulder.

"Boss, where are we heading next?"

"Let's go check the river; hopefully it hasn't been polluted yet, otherwise the plan would have to end before it even starts."

Leiketon frowned slightly as he answered, feeling an uneasy sense that things might spiral out of control.

Crow Anu gave a human‑like nod, then said:

"That person just now was somewhat terrifying, and gave off a very annoying vibe."

"Annoying? Why?" Leiketon tilted his head slightly, giving the crow on his shoulder a glance.

"He is someone who does not respect death; I instinctively despise him."

Crow Anu shook its head, as if it too was unclear about the matter.

On Long Tail Island at the southern tip of the Rosside Archipelago, Leiketon's prophet duplicate simulated the mysterious ability to reenact "Cinderella," altering its appearance, demeanor and aura, and appeared here.

It was tracking Yalina Soren; the ageless witch had been severely injured by the lightning struck by the Lord of the Storm last time, and none of her witch companions seemed willing to look after her, perhaps she was evading the Witch Church, lingering at sea during this period.

According to the revelation from the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, the ageless witch should have been lingering in the waters around Long Tail Island and Dili Nius Island.

The prophet duplicate took a freshly bought ticket and boarded the passenger ship bound for Dili Nius Island, the first island south of the Rosside Archipelago; the voyage took about ten hours. Though the distance between the islands isn't great, the proximity to the Furious Sea makes the route rather winding.

He didn't intend to rush to find her; witches are also adept at divination, possessing high intuition, especially since she is a Tier‑3 ageless witch—sometimes going with the flow is more efficient than active pursuit.

On the deck, as his gaze drifted casually, he spotted two familiar faces at the bow, curled his lip, and moved toward them.

Phoenix, clad in a black trench coat and looking slightly gaunt, stood beside a lady with dark‑gold eyes and flaming red hair, who wore a pale‑red long dress and a large brown cloak draped over her shoulders.

Before the prophet duplicate could approach, the two at the bow turned their heads as if sensing his presence.

When their gazes fell on him, he lightly rubbed his fingers, dispelling the spell that concealed his true form, revealing his original appearance for a brief moment; then he re‑simulated the spell, altering his looks again.

"Long time no see, Mr. Phoenix, and weren't you supposed to be on the Southern Continent? Using a mission as an excuse to travel?" As he spoke, his gaze landed directly on Xia, his tone like a teacher catching a student skipping class.

Xia twitched the corner of her mouth, offering a half‑hearted smile; her aura spread, forming an invisible spiritual wall around her, then she calmly spoke:

"As a qualified member of the Church, how could I possibly do such a thing?"

"I'm investigating the newly emerged 'Crimson Queen' at sea; she's a follower of the primal moon and most likely a Warlock King!"

Leiketon nodded thoughtfully, staring at Xia's face for a while.

Xia cooperatively flicked a strand of hair blown to her forehead by the sea breeze, and in a slightly lazy voice said, "What are you looking at? Did you meet someone who looks a lot like me?"

Xia's off‑hand remark sparked a slight inspiration in the prophet duplicate; meeting Xia wasn't a coincidence—she could help him track down the ageless witch.

The prophet's intuition made him confident in his guess; after a slight nod he chuckled lightly and said:

"I did encounter one; I'm hunting her—she calls herself Yalina Soren."

"I recall you never mentioned your surname; is she your sister? Her age doesn't quite match—maybe she's an elder in your family?"

Xia's smile suddenly turned cold, her voice sharpening as she said:

"Hunting her? She's been a demigod‑level witch for a long time; are you sure you're hunting her and not courting death?"

The prophet duplicate gave a slight nod, ignoring Xia's words, and continued:

"Precisely, she's now an ageless witch, though she was struck by the Lord of the Storm before; she survived, but her condition isn't great."

"Let's talk elsewhere; witches excel at divination and have strong spiritual intuition—excessive malice might alert her."

Phoenix, who had been silent beside them, suddenly spoke.

Hearing the prophet duplicate's "we," his gaze lingered meaningfully on both him and Xia, then he chuckled, turned, and headed toward the ship's cabin.

Above the gray mist, within an ancient, grand palace.

Streaks of deep red light suddenly surged, devolving into slightly blurred silhouettes that scattered, sitting on either side of the weathered long table.

Leiketon leaned back slightly, turning his head toward the seat on his left belonging to Azke, where a vague figure lounged gracefully on a high‑back chair.

The "Hermit" Jiadeliya opposite the weathered long table also immediately directed her gaze to Azke's spot; seeing the figure appear today, she let out a sigh of relief.

He's here today as well; after last time's exchange, asking him for a trade of mythic creature blood won't seem too presumptuous.

As a thought drifted, she heard Justice Audrey's usual bright, cheerful voice: "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

After Audrey's greeting, everyone in turn saluted the "Fool" at the head of the weathered long table, followed by Audrey and Fors, while Jiadeliya and others displayed several pages of the Russell Diary.

Craine didn't spend much time on the diary; after a short while he made the manifested diary in his hand vanish, then leaned back against the chair's backrest and said evenly:

"You may begin now."

The "Hermit" Jiadeliya looked around, not intending to speak yet; that would seem too eager.

"The Hanged Man" A'erjie looked around, and seeing no one speak first, he chuckled and said, "I need the Ocean Singer's demon elixir formula."

(End of Chapter)