Chapter 2829: Black Tide and Nodes

Smoke City, District 3. The morning sun rose from the horizon, marking the start of a new day. The streets gradually became bustling, the pedestrians looked relaxed, and street vendors were calling out their wares.

Everything seemed peaceful—a scene that should only exist in the Eastern Continent, yet it appeared here in District 3 of Smoke City. This was the result of years of effort by the Healing Church, which had "healed" Districts 1 through 3.

Tap, tap, tap.

A woman wearing a black court dress with a black cloth wrapped around her eyes walked down the street. She held a cane in her hand, tapping the ground ahead of her with every step.

A burly man with a broad waist blocked the black-clad woman's path. His face and neck were covered in crisscrossing scars. In his hand, he held a bread slice wrapped in oil paper, stuffed with smoked meat and fresh vegetables—a hearty portion that was barely contained.

This fierce-looking man grabbed the black-clad woman's arm and shoved the breakfast into her hand, then walked away without a word. He knew she was blind and didn't need her to know who he was. Having killed women, children, and even infants, he felt he had no right to speak to her—at least, that was what he believed in his heart.

The black-clad woman lifted her skirt slightly with one hand to bow, then continued on her way, occasionally taking a bite of the breakfast in her hand.

After passing several streets, the black-clad woman stopped in front of a two-story residential house. She was about to knock when the door opened.

"Red Pupil, looking at you in the daylight, you're actually quite pretty."

Xisilo looked the black-clad woman—Red Pupil—up and down. Red Pupil silently took a step back, looking somewhat disgusted.

"Still holding a grudge? Come in."

Xisilo led Red Pupil through the porch and into the living room. He took a ruby-topped cane from the bookshelf and handed it toward Red Pupil.

Red Pupil stepped back half a step and slowly shook her head.

"It's been washed."

"Oh~"

Red Pupil took the ruby cane and bowed slightly to Xisilo.

"I am a very gentle person toward women."

Xisilo sat on an old sofa, resting his hands on the backrest, preparing to start his flirting mode.

Red Pupil raised her cane and pointed it at the large cloth bag in the corner. Xisilo's flirting hadn't even begun before it ended.

"That's an Arcanist. Arcanists are poultry, scum—in short, they are everything except human."

At this, Xisilo seemed to recall something that made him very unhappy and snorted coldly.

"Has your God's Envoy arrived?"

Su Xiao walked out from the dining room, sat down, and lit a cigarette.

Red Pupil stood her cane upright on the floor. It stood on its own without support, and a wisp of black smoke drifted from the top.

"We meet again so soon, Bai Ye of the Black Tower."

The black smoke gathered into a mass. This was the God's Envoy of the Healing Church. The deity the Healing Church worshipped was one inclined toward darkness, sedimentation, and turbidity, yet the things they did were completely contrary to that style.

"The Falling Pillar Tide will erupt before 12:00. I want to know what method the Magic Association and the Steam Alliance use to collect Primal Soul Energy."

Su Xiao exhaled a plume of blue smoke. He wouldn't go looking for nodes in the next few hours, focusing instead on the Black Tide.

"Bai Ye, you've asked the wrong person. We never collect the Primal Soul Energy released by the Black Tide."

The God's Envoy's voice was ethereal. What he said was the truth, but that didn't mean the Healing Church lacked the means to collect Primal Soul Energy.

"Then, in exchange for a promise, I want the method you use to collect Primal Soul Energy."

"Of course. In that case, you can still make one more request of us."

"Hmm."

"Red Pupil, go to the basement of the auditorium and retrieve Item No. 13."

At these words, Red Pupil walked out of the house. About ten minutes later, she returned, carrying an old oil lamp covered in blackened erosion marks.

"As long as you bring it near Primal Soul Energy, it will absorb the soul energy itself. The absorption speed is very fast, capable of absorbing up to 5,000 units. Be careful; it is alive and very greedy."

Having said this, the cane standing on the floor fell over, the black smoke in mid-air dissipated, and Red Pupil left as well.

Su Xiao checked the time. There were five hours left until the Falling Pillar Tide and the appearance of the fifth node. Waiting was all that was needed.

Meanwhile, in District 5, which was still shrouded in darkness, the full moon had vanished. It was pitch black, and torches lit up the area.

At least several thousand outlaws were hiding in the shadows. Do not underestimate them; some possessed the strength of the top tier of the Seventh Tier, and some gang leaders were vaguely at the Eighth Tier level.

Besides these outlaws, the Magic Association had also arrived. Led by the masked man Bas, a full 153 Arcanists had gathered near Xiwu Street.

The Steam Alliance had also brought many people. Their side looked hostile; their representative in Smoke City, Iron Skull Kipling, had died miserably the night before, squeezed into a ball.

Besides these two parties, the Fate Church had also arrived with nine people. Their purpose for coming remained unknown, and what these people would do was a complete mystery.

Darkness shrouded the area, and the atmosphere was tense. Even the Magic Association dared not monopolize the Black Tide, as that would invite endless retaliation. To obtain Primal Soul Energy here was simple: rob.

Time passed slowly. Suddenly, a bright light pierced the darkness from the top of a high-rise building.

"Success!"

"Black Crystals can generate electricity! You Steam Alliance idiots, look!"

"Ahahahaha."

Cheers erupted from the top of the high-rise. It was the people from the Fate Church, cheering as they turned a crude searchlight. Metal rubbed against metal, creaking loudly.

Seeing this, the highly tense outlaws were so angry they wanted to kill. They had thought the Falling Pillar Tide was erupting in a special way.

The hundreds of people from the Steam Alliance were stunned. They were torn between competing for the soul energy about to erupt and seizing that Black Crystal power generation technology, which looked high-end—something even they, known for their technology, lacked.

It could be said that the people of the Fate Church, aside from not being very devout to their worshipped deity, were quite capable in other aspects; they were just a bit goofy in their style.

Boom~

A muffled sound came from above. Everyone looked up. The darkness shrouding District 5 converged toward the sky, and soon, sunlight shone in from the surroundings. The darkness above formed a circle, like a black hole.

Iron-sand-like energy poured down from the black hole, forming a black pillar about several meters thick. Upon hitting the ground, Primal Soul Energy spread outward. This was why the Falling Pillar Tide wasn't dangerous—the signs were too obvious.

Figures rushed out from the surrounding buildings. Some roared, others laughed wildly.

All the contenders swarmed toward the Primal Soul Energy. No one noticed that a node appeared on the street in the distance.

Eunice stopped in front of the node and tossed the temporary coordinate into it. Without any setbacks, the fifth node was occupied.

Nodes occupied by Samsara Paradise: 3.

Nodes occupied by Apocalypse Paradise: 2.

Remaining empty nodes: 1.

Compared to Eunice's side, the situation beneath the Falling Pillar Tide was extremely tragic. The spreading Primal Soul Energy was now only a hundred meters wide due to the sheer number of people scrambling for it. People kept rushing in, and corpses kept flying out.

Primal Soul Energy surged. Inside, visibility was less than two meters, perception was ineffective, and soul energy could not be used—doing so would mean instant death. One could only engage in brutal melee combat with cold weapons. The closer to the center, the higher the concentration of soul energy.

The scramble for Primal Soul Energy lasted from noon until around 3:00 PM before showing signs of subsiding. By around 4:00 PM, the Falling Pillar Tide dissipated, and the carnival ended.

The sunset shone from the horizon. The masked man Bas walked down the street, covered in the stench of blood, followed by nearly a hundred Arcanists.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

A voice came from the side of the street. The masked man Bas's gaze became sharp. He was carrying 6,275 units of soul energy and could not afford any mistakes.

"Bai Ye of the Black Tower? Are you here to... seize the soul energy?"

The masked man Bas's body tensed. To him, Su Xiao was an absolute powerhouse. If a fight broke out, he would have to bet everything to deal with him.

"Not at all."

Su Xiao tossed out an old oil lamp. With a *clack*, the lamp stood before the masked man Bas's feet, the soul energy swirling inside the lamp shade.

These 5,000 units of soul energy were obtained by Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang. From the moment the Falling Pillar Tide appeared, it had been lurking inside, using this old oil lamp to secretly absorb soul energy. During that time, it had been kicked four times, stepped on twice, and even shot with a crossbow bolt in the butt.

"Inside here..."

The masked man Bas placed one hand on the old oil lamp. Soon, the black glove on his hand tightened.

"5,000 units of soul energy, all yours."

"Such a good deal? Tell me, what do you want us to do?"

"..."

Su Xiao didn't speak, just smiled.

5:53 PM, District 5, Xiwu Street.

The first five nodes had all appeared here, so the probability of the sixth node appearing here was over 90%.

When the time hit 6:00 sharp, a node appeared on the street.

Su Xiao walked in from the end of the street with Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang and Bahamut. His pace wasn't fast, but he headed straight for the node.

"Yo, you actually dare to come."

Eunice stood on the roof of a small building by the street, spiders crawling beneath her feet.

Eunice had to be here because if Su Xiao occupied four nodes, she would lose.

With spider eyes growing on her forearms and forehead, Eunice looked down at Su Xiao and said, "So, you intend to rely on the Magic Association to deal with me?"

"..."

Su Xiao didn't speak. He drew his sheathed Dragon Flash, the tip of the scabbard resting on the ground.

Footsteps came from all directions. The masked man Bas walked in with nearly a hundred Arcanists.

Clang, clang, clang.

Metal sticks struck iron railings. Several hundred outlaws wielding various weapons emerged from the narrow street to the south, nearly crowding the narrow street.

On the east street, a cane tapped the ground. Red Pupil stopped a hundred meters away and lightly pulled down the black cloth over her eyes. Behind Red Pupil were nearly 300 clergy members of the Healing Church.

Eunice looked around at the encirclement, her pupils narrowing. She suddenly felt that the situation was starting to look bad; she had no idea where all these people had popped out from.

Bahamut swept through the air and landed on Su Xiao's shoulder. It raised its wings, pointed at Eunice, and shouted, "Smash her!"