Chapter 3635: Sand King

In the small stone house, the fluctuations of two "Original Sin Objects" diffused, causing the air in this place to seem to freeze, which also led to everyone in the stone house, except Su Xiao and Caesar, appearing exceptionally nervous.

"So, your plan is to give these two Original Sin Objects to the Sand King?"

The High Priest spoke, his expression having a hint of worry. If the plan was really like this, he wouldn't even prepare to go to the "Fengshui Capital", which was the central royal capital of the Desert Kingdom.

"Give the crown first. If it doesn't work, then give another one."

Su Xiao's index finger tapped the Abyss Box, and the Nether aura inside followed with subtle fluctuations.

"If, I say if, if the Sand King not only fits the Soul Crown, but he also fits this second Original Sin Object?"

The Ghost Prophet spoke.

"Heh~, guess what to do."

Baha spoke with a smile. Hearing this, even the Platinum Bishop had his eyes twitch. He looked at Su Xiao suspiciously, estimating in his heart that Su Xiao shouldn't be able to summon a third Original Sin Object.

"Let's not talk about this for now. I estimate that just this crown alone, the Sand King won't be able to withstand it."

The Ghost Prophet, who was somewhat hunched and looked old, changed the subject. Mainly, the more he listened, the more he felt creepy. At the same time, he quietly sized up Su Xiao. Regarding the Law-Extinguisher's method of dealing with enemies, he had a new impression: when in doubt, just send an "Original Sin Object". This was something no one could withstand.

The plan was finalized. Everyone would first arrive at the central royal capital of the Desert Kingdom, "Fengshui Capital", and after figuring out the general situation of the forces under the Sand King, they would act according to circumstances. Although before, Su Xiao had some understanding of the forces under the Sand King through the intelligence channels of the Alliance Hunter Corps, seeing it with his own eyes was believing.

Su Xiao took out a soul crystal core. Although he felt a bit of heartache, he still took out the spell-engraving knife and engraved a small teleportation array map on this soul crystal core. When the time came, just draw a simple teleportation array and use this soul crystal core as the central node to constitute a one-time teleportation array.

Although this method was convenient to use, the teleportation experience, well~, was relatively hard to describe. Saint Poetry had experienced the "one-time demon teleportation array" before. Her original words were that she felt she had broken through the boundary of the dimension. Of course, this was Saint Poetry's high-EQ way of speaking. To put it bluntly, it was: 'This old lady felt she almost died.'

The Ghost Prophet had a covenant object, which allowed him to move in space at will, but there were many restrictions. For example, except for himself, even if he brought a very small insect, he couldn't perform spatial movement.

Su Xiao threw the soul crystal core engraved with the teleportation spell to the Ghost Prophet. Seeing this, the Ghost Prophet took a deep breath, then held his breath. A few seconds later, his figure began to blur and finally disappeared.

The reason for going to "Fengshui Capital" by teleportation array was not only because it was fast, but also to hide his tracks. At the moment, "Fengshui Capital" was completely controlled by the Sand King. Even the homeless people on the street who seemed unremarkable could be eyes and ears under the "Holy Sand Castle".

The so-called "Holy Sand Castle" was actually the royal palace used by the Desert Kingdom for generations. This was a very ancient country. In the ancient period when the Alliance and the Northern Territory Kingdom had not yet been established and the kingdoms were still in chaos, the Desert Kingdom had already completed the general unification of the tribes. The Holy Sand Castle located in "Fengshui Capital" was the center of power.

Initially, the Holy Sand Castle was more like a council institution. The chieftains of the major tribes in the desert served as the leaders of the Desert Kingdom. This system continued until the Defector came to this world. A few years later, the Defector became the Sand King and gradually became the dictatorial monarch of the Desert Kingdom by controlling fresh water.

Su Xiao could be sure that at the current stage, he couldn't enter the Holy Sand Castle. Not to mention entering, even getting close would be detected by the Sand King's subordinates.

After some investigation, Su Xiao already knew what the Sand King wanted to do. The previous Black Rose wanted to achieve "Peerless Foreign Qiangzhe" through the resources of the Holy Lan Kingdom and the disaster caused by cooperating with the God of Radiance. The result was that Black Rose did it, but just after succeeding, there was a slight deviation and she was sent to the Eternal Light World by Su Xiao for "training".

Black Rose was a member of the Law-Extinguishing Camp before, so her vision was naturally not low. And the Sand King to be dealt with at the moment, would his vision be low?

The Sand King's vision was naturally not low. His ambition was so big that he wanted to swallow the whole world. The Desert Kingdom at the moment seemed backward and poor, but after Caesar secretly explored it, he found that "Fengshui Capital" was well-equipped with troops. In this vast desert, the Desert Kingdom had no enemies. Why consume such material and human resources to cultivate this desert army?

The answer was only two: 1. Unite with the Northern Territory Empire to attack the Alliance, 2. Unite with the Alliance to attack the Northern Territory Empire.

Except for these two possibilities, there was no other need to use this scale of desert army. The Sand King wanted to swallow one of the Alliance and the Northern Territory Empire? No, this guy was clearly going to win over one of them first, crush the other, and then turn around to mess up his ally. The name Defector was not called for nothing.

If the Sand King ruled the three vast territories of the Desert Kingdom, the Alliance, and the Northern Territory Empire, the amount of resources he could obtain afterward might be enough for him to step toward the "Supreme Foreign Qiangzhe".

Black Rose's goal was "Peerless Foreign Qiangzhe", which was the level of Lingfeng King and Saintess Seat. The Sand King's ambition was bigger, intending to become a "Supreme Foreign Qiangzhe", which was the level of the Underworld God, Soul Lord, and Deer God.

Just as Su Xiao was pondering these, the teleportation array he had just drawn on the ground lit up with faint light, which made everyone in the room have complex expressions.

Su Xiao, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha all stood on the teleportation array. The Platinum Bishop hesitated for a few seconds and also stood up. The High Priest stopped talking, and finally stood up too. Everyone's gaze focused on Saint Poetry. Saint Poetry shook her head; this was her last stubbornness.

A moment later, amidst Saint

When the teleportation was complete, the Platinum Bishop straightened the mask on his face and took a deep breath; he had already somewhat adapted to it.

【Hint: Your space resistance has been permanently increased by 12 points.】

"Ugh—"

Saint Poetry received this hint while dry-heaving. She was a bit dazed at first, then immediately relieved.

The floral fragrance of an early autumn night diffused through the surroundings. Su Xiao was in a doorless warehouse, which was shrouded in a thin, film-like barrier—evidently the method of the Ghost Prophet to prevent the loud noise generated by the teleportation from attracting the attention of the farm owner.

Leaving the warehouse, a flower field bathed in moonlight came into view. It was the thorn flower unique to the Desert Kingdom, blooming once a year. The stems were thorny, the sap had medicinal value, and the roots, once dried, ground into powder, and stir-fried, made a drink with a flavor similar to coffee.

Looking around, Su Xiao saw a dwarf wall about half a meter high enclosing a large area. Green land was very precious in the Desert Kingdom, with each plot having a corresponding deed, and the deed for these hundred acres of green land belonged to a local farm owner named Kerba.

The value of such prime green land, capable of growing thorn flowers and Sanka trees, was self-evident. Furthermore, Kerba was not just a farm owner; he was also a famous wealthy merchant in "Fengshui Capital."

Su Xiao looked toward the castle surrounded by the flower field. Since it was already the second half of the night, every room in the castle was pitch black. The farm owner Kerba, along with his three wives and seven children, resided here.

"Boss, the guards are all taken care of. They won't wake up for at least 48 hours."

Baha flew over silently and landed on Su Xiao's shoulder. Dealing with a dozen guards of a wealthy merchant was a trivial matter that Baha could handle with ease.

Su Xiao's group walked toward the castle a hundred meters away. After pushing open the main door and entering, they saw a row of guards lying on the banquet table in the main hall. The snoring of these guards rose and fell, and the foot odor of one fellow permeated the main hall.

Following the spiral staircase up to leave the foot-odor zone, Su Xiao stopped in front of a bedroom door. Looking at the pure metal door locked from the inside, and then considering the fairly good public security of "Fengshui Capital," this farm owner Kerba must have done many guilty things to have custom-ordered this bedroom door.

Su Xiao took out the Eye of Mystery and attached it to the door lock. A few seconds later, with two crisp clicks, the door opened in response.

Su Xiao, Amu, Baha, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, Caesar, the Platinum Bishop, the High Priest, and the Ghost Prophet walked into the bedroom. They gathered around a large bed, and lying on this bed was the middle-aged, somewhat flabby farm owner Kerba, with two beautiful young women in his arms. Judging by their age, these were likely not Kerba's three wives.

"Hey, wake up."

The High Priest poked Kerba's double chin with his staff. Unexpectedly, Kerba remained completely unaware, continuing to snore like thunder. Seeing this, Amu pulled out the Dragon Heart Axe. The large axe fell naturally, the blade half-sinking into the floor with a thud.

Kerba kicked his legs and woke up in a fright. He blinked his sleepy eyes and looked around at the people standing by the bed, nearly going into shock on the spot. This couldn't be blamed on him; not to mention Amu, who was holding the Dragon Heart Axe as if he had come to claim a life, the Platinum Bishop in a bright red robe wearing a platinum mask was quite terrifying. Beside them were two old men with god/ghost-like appearances (the High Priest and the Ghost Prophet), further aside was Caesar wearing the Abyss Jar, and finally, Su Xiao, who was half-shrouded in darkness, had -17 charm, and seemed to have blood energy permeating around him.

It was currently the second half of the night. The moment Kerba opened his eyes and saw this lineup, his first thought was that he had probably died in his sleep and this was the legendary Underworld.

"A-a few Underworld Envoys, I... I haven't done anything bad, you must treat me leniently."

Kerba said this subconsciously, but he immediately realized something was wrong. The furnishings around him looked like his bedroom no matter how he looked at them; upon closer inspection, it was indeed his bedroom.

"Everyone, the safe is over there. Please take everything inside, my lords, don't be polite, just don't take my life."

Kerba had already closed his eyes while speaking, acting as if the room was too dark for him to see the appearances of Su Xiao and the others. Clearly, Kerba's ability to possess his current assets was no accident; his adaptability and intelligence were not low.

Seeing Kerba's reaction, Su Xiao knew that the following matters would be easy to handle. He went to the safe, opened it, took out two bags of gold coins, and threw them to the two beautiful women huddled in the corner covered by a sheet.

"Shh."

Baha made a gesture to keep quiet. The two women held the money bags with both hands and nodded repeatedly, simply covering their heads with the sheet to minimize their presence as much as possible.

Click, click, click~

A crystal chair formed by the bed. Su Xiao sat on the crystal chair, looking at Kerba with a calm gaze.

Ten seconds later, Kerba was covered in cold sweat. Half a minute later, Kerba was completely falling apart, his heart rate dropping to 30–40 beats per minute.

"They exhausted their family wealth to entrust me to peel off your skin."

Su Xiao spoke. Hearing this, Kerba returned to normal, as if relieved of a burden, and said with anger in his eyes: "It was clearly them who..."

Su Xiao raised his hand, indicating that Kerba did not need to say more. In fact, Su Xiao didn't know what was going on, but it was unlikely for someone who hadn't done anything guilty to reinforce their bedroom door to an armored level, with window glass made of Level 4 crystal from the Alliance.

"Do something for me."

"Yes, yes, not just one thing, ten things are no problem."

Kerba agreed with exceptional readiness; after all, this was a matter of life and death.

Su Xiao raised his hand, and Amu handed over a portrait. Su Xiao held the portrait up to Kerba and asked: "Do you recognize this person?"

"I don't recognize him."

"..."

Su Xiao made a move to get up and leave. Amu immediately swung his axe, preparing to chop off Kerba's head. Amu didn't care about anything else; as long as it was Su Xiao's instruction, he would do it.

"I recognize him!!"

Kerba shouted. The axe blade stopped less than a centimeter from his neck. The sharp blade made him feel horrified, and his throat, which was about to be chopped, throbbed with pain.

"He, he is the Quartermaster of Fengshui Capital, Gabuchi. I was at a banquet with him just a few days ago. We are close friends; he is my good friend."

"Very good. Invite him to your castle tomorrow at noon."

Su Xiao sat back down, and Amu moved the Dragon Heart Axe away.

"But, he is my old friend."

"Hmm?"

"This scoundrel often commits evil deeds. Even if he is my friend, he should be punished!"

By the end, Kerba was righteous and stern. It wasn't that he had abandoned evil for good, but that Amu's Dragon Heart Axe was once again pressed against his neck, which had strengthened his conscience.

When the sky was just beginning to brighten, Kerba's entire family had been tied up without exception and locked in his bedroom. Kerba himself sat in the main seat of the banquet hall, with Amu behind the chair responsible for 'protecting' the safety of this farm owner.

In the banquet hall, Su Xiao sat cross-legged on a single sofa meditating. Since his "Heart Meditation" ability reached Lv. 90, he found that this ability was exceptionally difficult to improve, but conversely, every level gained was a significant improvement for himself.

Time flew to noon. The main gate of the farm courtyard was open, and the guards and servants looked normal. However, if one observed carefully, they would find a very inconspicuous bump on the back of their heads, representing that their actions were being controlled by the High Priest like puppets on strings.

A car stopped in the courtyard. Vehicles were rare in the Desert Kingdom and were all shipped by sea from the Alliance. The price was dozens of times higher than in the Alliance, so those who rode in vehicles in the Desert Kingdom were either rich or noble.

Quartermaster Gabuchi got out of the car. This middle-aged man with a small round hat and a thin build was one of the most trusted confidants of the Right Imperial Minister under the Sand King. Precisely because of this, he was able to sit in the position of Quartermaster of Fengshui Capital. Don't underestimate this position; it was not only a lucrative post but also held considerable power, especially given that Fengshui Capital was secretly stationing troops.

Quartermaster Gabuchi threw his small round hat into the car. The reason he came here alone was that he and Kerba had been colluding... ahem, had been cooperating for a long time, and both of them had made a fortune.

"This damn weather, it's hot as hell."

Quartermaster Gabuchi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, walked into the cool castle, and followed the spiral staircase, familiar with the way, to the banquet hall door on the third floor of the castle, pushing it open and entering.

"Kerba, you called me here in such a hurry, is there something else..."

Quartermaster Gabuchi's words were cut short. He suddenly felt something was wrong. He looked around with shifty eyes and found that the windows had been sealed, and the door behind him had slammed shut, with solid ice clinging to the outside.

"You actually dare to plot against me, you've got some nerve, Kerba."

Quartermaster Gabuchi pressed one hand against his lower back and spoke through gritted teeth, while Kerba, sitting in the main seat of the banquet table, said nothing.

"Let the people you hired come out. There's one thing I never told you: Lord Right Imperial Minister promoted me not only because I have a good head on my shoulders, but also because I have more martial strength than I look."

As Quartermaster Gabuchi spoke, he drew a short blade from his lower back. He stared at Kerba opposite him, but he was puzzled to find that Kerba was frowning and slowly shaking his head at him.

"Oh, so you're saying you're quite a fighter?"

A different space opened, and Baha flew out from it, followed by Su Xiao, Amu, the Platinum Bishop, the High Priest, the Ghost Prophet, and Saint Poetry walking out from the different space.

The next second, Quartermaster Gabuchi, who was standing with his back to the banquet hall door, had already hidden the hand holding the short blade behind his back, cold sweat seeping from his forehead. He was terrified at that moment. Among the five people in front of him, he recognized three—not that he wanted to recognize them, but he had seen them in the newspapers: Alliance Twilight Asylum Director Kuku Lin Bai Ye, Sun God Sect Chief Archbishop Platinum Bishop, and Dawn God Sect High Priest Trivikram.

Quartermaster Gabuchi swallowed hard. He was certain that if he made any move to call for help or any other suspicious action, his head would bid farewell to his body.

"Everyone, I am..."

Quartermaster Gabuchi's words were only half-spoken when a hood was placed over his head. This item was called the 【Deceiver's Hood】.

The moment he was covered by the 【Deceiver's Hood】, Quartermaster Gabuchi's figure suddenly became straight, until he was like a stick. He fell straight to the ground, his body twitched, and then he stopped moving.

Caesar, who was one with the jar, put his hands together, muttering in Goblin language, his body trembling as yellow smoke emerged. A miraculous scene occurred: Caesar's appearance, aura, and so on actually began to transform into Quartermaster Gabuchi. This was the wonderful use of one of Caesar's three divine artifacts, the 【Deceiver's Hood】.

To be precise, this was not a disguise by Caesar, but a temporary conceptual replacement of Quartermaster Gabuchi's existence. In the eyes of others, although Caesar was still Caesar, in everyone's impression, Caesar had been the Quartermaster in Fengshui Capital for a long time. This was the effect of replacing existence.

Two hours later, the 'Quartermaster Gabuchi,' having eaten and drunk his fill, drove away from the farm and headed toward the back city area of Fengshui Capital. Everything looked very normal.

The sunset of the evening hung on the horizon, reflecting the desert-style city of Fengshui Capital in the twilight. Among the uneven buildings, a towering structure was very conspicuous. This was a building with a long history, named "Holy Sand Castle."

At this moment, in the council hall of "Holy Sand Castle," a group of ministers and dignitaries retreated respectfully. On the throne cast from black iron, a figure with a bare upper body and a right arm completely covered in golden scales sat on the throne. He was burly, over 3 meters tall, with wine-red hair that added to his formidable appearance. His eyes were so pitch-black that they were frightening; it seemed that just by making eye contact with him, one couldn't help but kneel and bow. That aura clearly indicated that when facing this person, only by kneeling on the ground could one feel a little peace of mind.

That's right, this formidable king was the tyrant who ruled the entire Desert Kingdom, the Sand King.

Standing on the left and right sides of the Sand King were a man and a woman. The man was one-eyed and thin, his aura like a venomous snake lurking in the dark, his single eye coldly staring at the enemy. This was the Sand King's Right Imperial Minister, Kaga.

The Left Imperial Minister on the other side of the throne was in charge of finance, taxation, etc. The silver metal mask she wore on her face was very similar to the one worn by Silver Face; it seemed they both came from the Antler Organization.

"After waiting for so long, we are finally going to wait for the Alliance and the Northern Territory to go to war again."

The Sand King spoke in a deep voice. Hearing this, the Left and Right Imperial Ministers on both sides bowed their heads in agreement.

"Kaga, is your soul injury any better?"

The Sand King picked up the metal wine cup on the throne's armrest and drank the fine wine in the cup in one gulp.

"It's better, King."

Right Imperial Minister Kaga did not appear overly respectful. After all, there were no outsiders present now, and being overly respectful to the Sand King would instead appear distant and alienated.

"In a few days, I will go to Saint Lan. I heard there is a famous doctor there who can suppress soul injuries."

"I dare not trouble the King to go personally; I will go instead."

"A famous doctor who can cure soul injuries is rare even in the Void, let alone here."

As the Sand King spoke, the Left Imperial Minister beside him refilled the empty wine cup in his hand.

Clearly, the Sand King was not a pure tyrant. The several capable ministers under his command were all loyal to him. If the Sand King were a tyrant who did nothing, it would be impossible for him to rule the Desert Kingdom for so many years and build a Desert Legion capable of contending with the Alliance and the Northern Empire.

However, whenever the night was deep and quiet, the Sand King would recall a scene from the past: the scene where he used a sharp sword to pierce the back of the heart of the already severely injured Marwen Waltz. The look of astonishment and regret in the other's eyes when he turned to look at him was recalled over and over again in his nightmares.

"Little brat, you look like you're about to starve to death. Do you want to come with me? You'll have enough to eat, and there's meat."

The child who was once starving to death on the side of the road could never forget this sentence. Even now that he had become a king, he could not completely forget it.

The Sand King betrayed the Law-Extinguishing faction in the most decisive way. The reason was very simple: the Sand King wanted to stand on the winning side, and the defeat of the Law-Extinguishing faction had reached an irreversible point. There were too few Law-Extinguishing Shadows.

"King, a confidant of mine has a treasure he wants to offer to the King. I wonder..."

Right Imperial Minister Kaga's words pulled the Sand King back from his memories. The Sand King raised his hand, signaling to forget it. For so many years, there had been too many people offering treasures, and there were rarely any good things he needed. Moreover, when facing these treasure offerers, as a king, he generally had to reward them with something. If he rewarded too little, it made him, the king, look stingy; if he rewarded too much, he lost out. It was both depressing and there was nowhere to complain.

"Ahem~, this time it really is a treasure."

Saying this, Right Imperial Minister Kaga smiled helplessly and awkwardly, while the Left Imperial Minister beside him turned his head and snickered.

"Oh?"

The Sand King's interest was piqued. He pondered for a moment. This subordinate had followed him for so many years, and the other party had recommended this treasure offerer twice; refusing again would inevitably be inappropriate. He waved his hand slightly, signaling Right Imperial Minister Kaga to bring the treasure offerer in.

Before long, Right Imperial Minister Kaga brought the timid Quartermaster Gabuchi into the council hall. Quartermaster Gabuchi—no, it should be Caesar's acting was explosive—he knelt on the ground with a bit of fear and expectation.

Seeing Caesar kneeling on the ground, the Sand King on the throne frowned. For some reason, after seeing this person, he felt inexplicably disgusted, uncomfortable everywhere. Compared to the treasure the other party offered, he wanted to immediately order him to be dragged out and beheaded.

"Great King, I accidentally found a treasure to offer to you. Please take a look."

Caesar opened the exquisite wooden box he was holding. A black crown appeared in the Sand King's line of sight. The moment he saw this item, the Sand King's pupils contracted rapidly, and he stood up from the throne with a whoosh.

"Someone! Drag this person out and behead him!"

The Sand King shouted. A dozen personal guards slammed the door open and, without a word, grabbed Caesar's hands and feet and carried him out.

"Throw this thing into the deep trench at the border. No, throw it into the farthest sea area."

The Sand King pointed to the wooden box on the ground. A personal guard covered it, picked it up, and walked out of the council hall. Just as this personal guard reached the door, the Sand King gradually calmed down from his rage. He made a move to speak, but held back.

Just as the personal guard holding the wooden box was about to close the door of the council hall, the Sand King ordered: "Come back."

Hearing this order, the personal guard who was about to close the door stopped, returned to the council hall, knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and waited for the Sand King's disposal.

The Sand King paced back and forth in front of the throne. Finally, he ordered his ten personal guards to strictly guard this item and not to throw it away for the time being. Although the Sand King realized that this item was most likely an Original Sin Object, there was also a concept of compatibility with Original Sin Objects. As long as the compatibility with a certain Original Sin Object was high, this was not a disaster, but a great opportunity. The Sand King vaguely felt that his compatibility with this crown was very high, but the reason in his heart made him not rashly touch this item.

Time passed unconsciously. At 11:00 PM, in the bedroom of Holy Sand Castle, the Sand King on the bed opened his eyes. Moonlight shone on him from the open floor-to-ceiling window, and the night wind blew the thin gauze curtains. The Sand King gently rubbed his forehead with one hand. A moment later, he ordered:

"Someone."

As soon as the words fell, the personal guard guarding outside the bedroom walked into the bedroom and knelt on one knee.

"Go, bring that crown here."

After the personal guard received the order, he soon brought the wooden box and opened it. The personal guard knelt on one knee and offered the wooden box with both hands.

The Sand King looked at the crown in the wooden box, becoming more and more entranced. Finally, a smile appeared on his face, and he said: "I am the monarch you are waiting to serve."

After saying this, the Sand King picked up the Original Sin Object, the Soul Crown. When he came to his senses, he had already put the Soul Crown on his head. What surprised him even more was that he felt only a moment had passed, and the sky was already bright. What puzzled him even more was that he found his strength had taken a big step forward. However, it seemed he was clutching something in his right hand. He raised it to look, and it was a withered corpse. The expression of this corpse was extremely distorted, and in those shriveled eyes, it seemed to be full of disbelief.

The Sand King looked carefully and finally confirmed that this was his confidant, Right Imperial Minister Kaga.

"King, what... what are you doing?"

In the throne hall, the Left Imperial Minister, whose body was shaking like chaff, spoke. Behind her were dozens of bewildered personal guards.