Chapter 3636: The Crown

Inside the royal palace, which was not exactly luxurious but possessed a majestic aura, the Sand King stood on the steps before the throne. He wore the Soul Crown, his upper body bare, and scales were beginning to spread across his right arm. Most importantly, he held the throat of a dried corpse in one hand—this corpse was the Sand King's most trusted and valued subordinate, his Minister of the Right, Kaga.

What outsiders did not know was that when the Sand King first arrived in the Desert Kingdom, possessing neither power nor influence, Kaga had followed him. To this day, Kaga had never harbored a second thought, yet such a loyal subordinate had been killed by the Sand King's own hand.

Before the palace doors, the Minister of the Left, Pewen, and dozens of royal guards, having rushed to the scene upon hearing the Minister of the Right's wails, were now staring in shock at what had transpired within. They did not know the specifics, only that their King had just killed the Minister of the Right, Kaga.

In truth, compared to the Minister of the Left and the guards, the Sand King himself was bewildered. His last memory remained in his bedchamber the previous night, tossing and turning, then ordering the guards to bring him the crown. He had picked it up, but what happened after that, the Sand King seemed to remember, yet it felt very hazy.

But one thing could not be faked: the barrier that had prevented the Sand King from making even the slightest progress for nearly a hundred years had been shattered at this moment. He even felt that if he took two more steps forward, he could reach the strength of that traitor.

This made the Sand King think: if his strength could continue to advance at this current speed, then maintaining his faction was not actually important. From the very beginning, the Sand King had not wanted to be a ruler; he wanted to use the massive resources a ruler could command to give himself a chance to strike at the "Supreme Power."

At this current rate of growth, there was really no need to seek afar. For instance, continuing to expand the Desert Legion, then inciting conflict between the Alliance and the Northern Empire, letting them go to war, and finally reaping the benefits to rule the three great territories of the Desert, the Alliance, and the Frozen Lands—wasn't the purpose of all that to reach the Supreme Power? Now, he had a faster way.

Although he had figured this out, the Sand King was not prepared to abandon his current forces immediately. He keenly discovered that his strength had broken through the bottleneck that had trapped him for a hundred years because he had absorbed the Origin Life Force and Origin Power of his confidant, the Minister of the Right, Kaga. The combination of these two was called Life Source.

In fact, any creature strong enough to a certain degree possessed Life Source. However, once Life Source was extracted, it would quickly dissipate. There was one exception: for instance, the exotic beasts on the Transcendent Native World, the Wind Sea Continent, possessed such a vast amount of Origin Life Force that it reached an exaggerated degree. When these powerful exotic beasts were killed, their massive Life Source would dissipate, and there was a probability it would crystallize. This was the 【Life Source】 that could be preserved for a long time. White Cow needed this thing badly to suppress the old wounds within his body.

Precisely because of this, 【Life Source】 that could be preserved for a long time after crystallization was very rare and very expensive.

The Sand King naturally knew what Life Source was. He thought, it was this crown that gave him the ability to devour and absorb the Life Source of others. After roughly confirming this, his gaze became increasingly calm.

As for the guilt of killing the confidant who had followed him for many years, the Sand King did feel it, but only for a very short time; he had no real feelings about it. He had even betrayed his own savior and mentor, Marvin Waltz; a subordinate who had followed him for years was nothing, and he cared even less.

Snap, snap~

The lower half of the Minister of the Right, Kaga, withered to the point of brittleness, fell, and upon hitting the ground, shattered directly into powder. This scene further stimulated the Minister of the Left and the dozens of royal guards standing more than ten meters away at the palace entrance. Although every one of them had hands stained with blood, the one who had died was the Minister of the Right, Kaga.

"Kaga, time really can change many things."

The Sand King's tone was somewhat desolate, and his gaze and demeanor made people feel his sorrow, as well as a hint of the coldness from the past.

"Pewen," the Sand King looked at the Minister of the Left. He placed the withered corpse of the Minister of the Right, Kaga—now only half a body—on the steps and continued, "Find a good place to bury Kaga. Don't bury him near the royal capital; I don't want to see him again."

Having said that, the Sand King walked toward the side door. His back looked somewhat desolate, the desolation of being betrayed by his most trusted person.

Seeing this, the dozens of royal guards in the palace guessed what had happened: surely the Minister of the Right, Kaga, had secretly defected to the Alliance or the Northern Empire, and now that the matter had been exposed, he had been killed in the palace.

The royal guards indeed thought so, but the Minister of the Left, Pewen, did not have such thoughts at all. She knew many things, and in her view, no matter what, Kaga had no reason to betray him; it was a matter that made no sense.

Even if Kaga had truly betrayed him, the current Fengshui Capital would never be as peaceful as it was now. There was only one possibility: Kaga had not betrayed him, but the Sand King he followed, for some unknown reason, had killed him. Precisely because of this, that wail just now had sounded so desperate and unwilling.

The Minister of the Left, Pewen, scanned her surroundings. There was not a trace of a struggle in the palace. If Kaga had been a traitor, once discovered by the Sand King, he would at least have fought back desperately. But in the palace now, let alone traces of a fight, there wasn't even a hint of energy lingering in the air. This meant the life-and-death struggle just now had been decided in a very short time.

Suddenly, the Minister of the Left, Pewen, remembered the Sand King's fury yesterday evening when he saw that black crown, and his order to behead the quartermaster who had presented it. But this order was changed not long after it was issued, and the quartermaster was imprisoned in the dungeon of the Holy Sand Castle.

Just now, the Minister of the Left, Pewen, had seen with her own eyes the Sand King wearing that black crown presented by the quartermaster yesterday. This was simply too abnormal. No matter how one looked at it, it was not Kaga who had betrayed him, but the Sand King, who had obtained the black crown, who had developed some problems.

The Minister of the Left, wearing a silver metal mask, narrowed her eyes. She had already decided on one thing: to leave the Desert Kingdom immediately, go to the Alliance, and seek shelter for a period of time with her best friend, Silver Face, from her time in the Antler Organization.

Having made this decision, the Minister of the Left walked out of the palace. She subconsciously glanced at the side palace door. With just one look, she saw a tall, burly figure standing in the darkness of the dim corridor connected to the side palace door. Those eyes, which had turned completely pitch black—black to the point of being hair-raising—were staring at her. This made the Minister of the Left's scalp tingle instantly, and she subconsciously quickened her pace.

"Pewen."

The Sand King in the dim corridor spoke, causing the fast-moving Minister of the Left, Pewen, to stop. Cold sweat had soaked her undergarments. Death felt like the breath of a giant beast blowing from behind her, lifting her soft hair.

"You all withdraw first. I have important matters to discuss with Pewen."

The Sand King spoke while standing in the dim side corridor. Hearing this order, the group of royal guards quickly exited the palace. The captain of the guards, Sowa, slowly closed the double doors of the palace. When only a narrow gap remained, Captain Sowa saw the Minister of the Left, who was facing him with her back to the Sand King, gradually close her eyes beneath her silver mask.

The palace doors slammed shut. Pewen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She spread her arms to the sides, and two arm blades, identical to Silver Face's, popped out from the upper side of her sleeves.

Pewen turned to face the Sand King directly and suddenly discovered that, after just one night, the Sand King's changes were so great. The opponent's height had reached at least 3.5 meters. His originally brown pupils had turned completely pitch black, with no white sclera at all. His wine-red, tough short hair had also turned into pitch-black long hair draped over his back. That hair was so deep black that it seemed as if every strand had a life of its own.

At this moment, the Sand King, wearing the Soul Crown, added a touch of evil to his usual oppressive aura, like a... Mad King whose mind had fallen into the abyss!

"King, I have worked for you for so long. I ask for nothing in return now; let me go."

The Minister of the Left, Pewen, spoke in a tone that was almost a plea.

"Pewen, what are you saying? You are my most beloved and trusted subordinate. If I didn't already have a woman I deeply love, you would definitely be my Queen."

As the Sand King spoke, he grinned, revealing white, ghastly teeth. Those pitch-black eyes seemed to be looking at bait that had fallen into a trap.

The next second, the Sand King appeared in front of the Minister of the Left, Pewen.

Puchi!

Pewen's arm blade pierced into the Sand King's chest, but she felt the sensation of the strike was wrong—it was too tough. She looked closely and found that only the tip of the blade had pierced into his flesh, less than a centimeter deep. Her full-force strike had only caused a superficial wound to the Sand King.

Pewen's arm blade failed to severely injure the Sand King, but the Sand King's large hand had already grabbed Pewen's head from the side. The Sand King, who was over 3.5 meters tall, easily gripped Pewen's head with one hand, causing her silver mask to creak. Even more terrifying, she felt her whole body become incomparably relaxed, while at the same time, she was rapidly weakening.

"In this world, except for that Shadow of the Abyss, no one can kill me. The Radiance cannot, and that abyss creature who calls himself the Abyss Leader, named Silvis, cannot either."

As the Sand King spoke, the Minister of the Left, Pewen, withered away, turning into sand and scattering on the ground. Only a silver mask remained, gripped in the Sand King's hand.

"Antler Silver Face."

The Sand King exerted force, crushing the silver mask in his hand. At the same time, the metal mask, as if it had been chewed, turned into a lump of residue.

The Sand King felt at this moment that he was the 100% compatible wielder of this Original Sin Object. He had completely possessed this Original Sin Object called the Soul Crown. He was not being controlled by its will; rather, he was using this Original Sin Object.

"Sowa."

The Sand King spoke. Captain Sowa, who was waiting outside, pushed the door and entered. Although Captain Sowa noticed the sand on the ground and the metal ball that looked as if it had been chewed, he did not immediately think that this was the remains of the Minister of the Left, Pewen.

"Go and bring the person who presented the crown. His name is..."

"Caesar, my lord. That quartermaster is named Caesar, and he has served as a quartermaster under you for over ten years."

Captain Sowa reminded him respectfully.

"Hmm, go and bring him. Wait, look up at me. What changes are there in me compared to before?"

The Sand King, sitting casually on the throne, spoke. Hearing this, Captain Sowa looked up, trembling with fear.

Captain Sowa, kneeling on one knee, carefully looked up at the Sand King for a while. His real thought was: 'King, even your hairstyle has changed. You're asking what changes there are?'

"King, I don't see any changes, only that you feel... more powerful."

Captain Sowa had long since noticed something was wrong, so he naturally followed the Sand King's meaning.

"Hmm, very good. Go."

The Sand King was quite satisfied. The subordinate's answer made him even more certain that it was he who was controlling the crown, not the crown controlling him. The memory blank from last night until now was likely his adaptation and compatibility period with the Soul Crown.

Had the Sand King's IQ plummeted? Of course not. The Sand King's current situation was very normal; this was the terrifying aspect of the Soul Crown. This crown never forcibly controlled its wielder; instead, it made the wielder mistakenly believe they were controlling the crown, and then they would subconsciously rationalize some unreasonable aspects in their own minds.

For example, the memory blank from midnight last night to this morning—in the past, the Sand King would have been immediately alert, but now that he was wearing the Soul Crown, he naturally rationalized this matter himself.

"Someone come."

The Sand King ordered more than a dozen royal guards to enter the palace and accompany him to the more spacious training hall, meaning his strength had improved, and he wanted these royal guards to surround and attack him to test the degree of his strength increase.

An hour later, when Captain Sowa brought Caesar and pushed open the door to the training hall, they saw the ground covered in sand and empty armor, or weapons scattered on the ground with traces of damage.

Seeing this scene, Captain Sowa's heart skipped a beat, but he knelt on one knee with a calm expression and said, "King, the person has been brought."

"Very good."

The Sand King opened his pitch-black eyes and looked at Caesar, whose temperament was somewhat treacherous and wretched. For some reason, compared to their last meeting, he felt Caesar was more pleasing to the eye this time, especially when he thought of the Soul Crown the other party had brought him; he found Caesar even more pleasing.

"You are very good. From now on, you will hold the position of Minister of the Left."

The Sand King immediately promoted Caesar, directly elevating him from quartermaster to Minister of the Left.

"Thank you, Great King."

Caesar was beaming with joy. The Minister of the Left of the Desert Kingdom was in charge of finance, which was much better than the position of quartermaster.

"As for you, Sowa."

The Sand King looked at Captain Sowa. That gaze was like looking at a delicious delicacy with the effect of a perfect tonic. Captain Sowa almost couldn't help his legs from trembling.

"Don't let me down."

The Sand King spoke to Captain Sowa with deep meaning. Apparently, he was not prepared to kill this captain yet, but was keeping him for his usefulness.

"Yes, yes, yes, this subordinate will definitely swear loyalty to the King until death."

"Hmm, your family has already been moved to the mansion in the back city district. The living conditions there are better."

Hearing this, Captain Sowa's scalp almost exploded. His plan had been to take his parents, wife, and two children and flee the Desert Kingdom once he left the palace. Now, he dared not flee. He was truly not afraid of death, but he was terrified of his family meeting with misfortune.

"Thank you for the King's great kindness."

Captain Sowa changed from kneeling on one knee to kneeling on both, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground.

"Hahaha, hahahahaha!"

The Sand King laughed in an uncharacteristic way, his long hair climbing on the throne as if it had a life of its own.

'Mad King!'

The kneeling Captain Sowa thought of this term through gritted teeth. At this moment, using "Mad King" to describe the Sand King could not be more appropriate.

"King, this subordinate knows a few talents who are good at treasure hunting and would like to recruit them."

Caesar said with a smile, rubbing his hands. Hearing this, the Sand King felt quite interested. Caesar introduced these talents in detail and suddenly said at the end:

"By the way, look at my memory; there is also a healing talent that I would like to recommend."

"You handle it yourself."

The Sand King spoke without even lifting his head. Caesar nodded repeatedly to thank the Sand King for his trust. In fact, the treasure-hunting talents were just to attract attention; the real purpose was the last sentence: recommending a healing talent.

Just as Caesar was speaking with the Sand King, over ten kilometers away at the farm manor, the dining table in the banquet hall was laden with freshly cooked food. Drai, Silver Face, Veronica, and the Red-Eyed Woman were devouring it; even the Red-Eyed Woman, who usually cared about etiquette and maintained a ladylike demeanor, was chewing with exceptional speed, while the energetic Veronica had already started eating with her hands—she was nearly starving to death.

According to the coordinates Silver Face had received, they had traveled all the way from the Northern Territory. Not to mention seeing people, they hadn't even seen many animals along the way. Combined with the high stamina consumption from traveling at full speed, this was what had driven Veronica to such a state of hunger.

"Look at how hungry you are. Eat slowly. Also, where did the Beast Knight go?"

Baha spoke up. Veronica, who was holding a lamb leg, looked over suspiciously and asked, "What Beast Knight?"

Hearing this, Baha felt suspicious, but he flapped his wings, letting Veronica continue her meal.

Su Xiao emerged from his meditative state and opened his eyes. He had naturally heard the conversation just now, especially the line Veronica had uttered: "What Beast Knight?" It was truly too suspicious.

At the moment, neither the Platinum Bishop nor the High Priest was present, as they had gone to investigate the situation at Holy Sand Castle, while the Ghost Prophet wore an expression as if he had heard nothing at all.

What was truly baffling was that after Veronica said "What Beast Knight," Drai and Silver Face around the table also cast suspicious glances, as if they didn't know why Baha mentioned a Beast Knight either; they had never heard of this person before.

The Red-Eyed Woman was equally confused; it felt as if she didn't remember there ever being a Beast Knight either.

The situation at hand was not that the Beast Knight had been killed by an enemy or anything else, but rather that apart from Su Xiao, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha, no one else remembered the existence of a person named Beast Knight.

Su Xiao thought that this must be a follow-up to the "Land of Meteor Fire" mission, because he had passed the Sun Trial, reached the Sun Temple, and seen that stone tablet, which had led to this situation.

The reason Su Xiao was certain of this was because of the shelter's recording function. Previously, when he and Saint Poetry had gone deep into the Land of Meteor Fire and spent a day in the shelter, a Ghost Scorpion had come outside and laid eggs on the exterior of the shelter. A Sun Knight wearing heavy armor had used a scepter to smash all the scorpion eggs climbing on the shelter, and before leaving, had performed the "Praise the Sun" gesture. That tall figure in armor was simply too much like the Beast Knight.

Now that the Beast Knight had suddenly disappeared, Su Xiao couldn't figure out the specifics. Regarding the missions related to the Land of Meteor Fire, it wasn't a matter of him skipping too many steps; he hadn't accepted the mission at all. The key mission item, the Temple Key, had been replaced by a direct kick.

As for why everyone else present didn't remember the Beast Knight while Su Xiao himself, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha all did, Su Xiao was certain this was due to the Reincarnation Paradise's notarization. The power level that made everyone forget the Beast Knight was very high, but it was not higher than the Reincarnation Paradise's notarization. As for Saint Poetry, who also had Paradise notarization, she hadn't acted with the team before and had never had any impression of the Beast Knight.

After weighing the pros and cons, Su Xiao decided not to meddle. As long as he could confirm that the Platinum Bishop was a trustworthy collaborator, that was enough. As for other aspects, he wouldn't dig too deep; everyone had secrets, and constantly getting to the bottom of things would most likely lead to a falling out.

Su Xiao had reached a conclusion in his mind, while Saint Poetry, sitting next to him, felt a bit panicked because she had suddenly received several notifications just now.

【Notification: You have joined the Desert Kingdom faction.】

【You have been promoted to the Sand King's healer.】

【Because the Alliance and the Desert Kingdom are semi-hostile factions, you cannot be in both factions simultaneously. You have been forcibly withdrawn from the Alliance faction and have become a faction traitor.】

【Warning: The enemy unit within 10 meters of you, Kuku Lin · Bai Ye, is the Dean of the Alliance · Dusk Asylum (Alliance high-level official). This unit is highly hostile toward you. Eliminating him will grant a massive amount of faction reputation.】

Seeing these notifications, Saint Poetry's gaze became increasingly solemn. If she had other types of abilities, she could still infiltrate the enemy and deal a heavy blow at a critical moment. The problem was that she had just advanced to the Ninth Tier, her combat abilities hadn't developed yet, and only her healing abilities had reached the upper-middle tier of the Ninth Tier. Having her infiltrate behind enemy lines as a healer—no matter how one looked at it, this didn't seem like part of the plan.

If it wasn't part of the plan, Saint Poetry thought, she must have fallen into an enemy trap, and the Hunter sharing the room with her right now was someone she didn't seem able to beat.

"Bai Ye, tell me, what should we do if there's a traitor among us?"

"Kill them."

"What if that person became a traitor for no reason?"

As Saint Poetry spoke, her expression became quite interesting.

"..."

Su Xiao turned his head to look at Saint Poetry next to him. After a moment of silence, he said, "Did Caesar manage to get you to join the Desert Kingdom faction?"

"You... arranged it?"

"Yes."

"I'm a healer, what am I supposed to do joining the enemy faction?!"

"When I fight the Sand King to the death, you will heal him."

"Ah?!"

Saint Poetry was confused, very confused. After carefully savoring this sentence and confirming she hadn't heard wrong, she looked at Su Xiao in bewilderment.

"You'll know when the time comes. You are the protagonist of that deathmatch."

Baha spoke with a touch of mystery, which made Saint Poetry even more confused. Just then, the Ghost Prophet, who had been dozing on the bench, sat up. He sat there, staring blankly ahead.

At the same time, at the top floor of Holy Sand Castle, the Sand King stood before an altar. On this altar lay a trough-bed that looked somewhat like a coffin, inside which lay a beautiful desert woman. However, she was currently in a deep sleep; this was the Sand King's Queen, a powerful diviner.

The Sand King cut his palm and used his bleeding hand to press against the crystal ball on the front of the trough-bed. The next instant, the light flared brilliantly. The beauty inside the trough-bed felt her brows and eyes tremble slightly, and a few seconds later, she opened her eyes.

"I have encountered some trouble and need you to divine for me."

The Sand King helped the Queen sit up from the trough-bed. Once the Queen had passed the confusion of just waking up, she immediately noticed the Sand King's massive change, as well as the crown on his head.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Fengshui City, at the farm manor.

The Ghost Prophet, who had been sitting blankly on the bench for a moment, spoke: "Law Breaker, promise me one more time that you will slay the Sand King."

"Either I die, or he perishes."

Su Xiao spoke in a calm tone. He didn't make a strenuous promise; in fact, his tone was even a bit flat. It was precisely this flat tone that made the Ghost Prophet feel it was credible. He had seen too many people who made empty promises or even swore deadly oaths, only to fail to deliver.

"Very well. You are responsible for killing the Sand King, and I am responsible for eliminating the strongest diviner in this world."

The Ghost Prophet opened his hands, and spatial fluctuations appeared. A crystal bottle ten centimeters high fell into his hand. This was clearly a bottle of Abyss energy so concentrated it had become liquid.

The Ghost Prophet pulled out the stopper and tilted his head back, drinking the liquid Abyss energy in the bottle in a few gulps. He knew he didn't have much time left, so he immediately tore off his braided beard and pulled out a strand of hair from it; this was the hair of the Desert Kingdom's Queen.

"Sand King, this is just like when you took my wife away back then."

The Ghost Prophet smiled. His body, which had withered to skin and bones in a short time, looked like a vengeful spirit. He crossed the fingers of both hands, clamping that strand of hair tightly between his palms.

Snap!

Blood splattered from all over the Ghost Prophet's body. In fact, he wasn't just a diviner; he was also a Causality-type, which was highly feared. This was also why the Ghost Prophet believed so firmly that Su Xiao could kill the Sand King; as a Causality-type Ghost Prophet, he had already sensed that Causality-type abilities were of no use at all against Su Xiao.

At the same time, on the top floor of Holy Sand Castle, the newly awakened Queen, after absorbing the source life force of everyone within a 1-kilometer radius other than the Sand King, had eyes that became lively, and she immediately raised her hand to grab the crown on the Sand King's head.

Snap!

Blood and minced flesh splattered everywhere. The Queen shattered in front of the Sand King, splashing his entire body and face with blood and flesh. This scene was remarkably similar to when he had casually used his ability to blast the Ghost Prophet's wife to pieces, splashing the Ghost Prophet all over. One could only say, unless necessary, never provoke a Causality-type.

Why didn't the Sand King cut the weeds and eliminate the roots? Actually, there was no such possibility; the Sand King didn't even remember there was such a nobody.

Even with the Sand King's composure, he was stunned by the scene before him. He wiped the flesh and bloodstains off his face, looked at the blood on his hands, and soon calmed down. He could even backstab his life-saving mentor; a Queen he had once loved naturally couldn't touch his heart, not to mention he was about to become a Mad King.

The Sand King picked up a damp towel to wipe the blood off his face. He walked to the window and looked down at the hundreds of personal guards in the back courtyard of Holy Sand Castle. He no longer needed these lackeys who had done many dirty jobs for him. By the window, his black long hair fluttered, and the Sand King grinned, a smile that made one's hair stand on end.

On the outskirts of Fengshui City, at the farm manor.

Drip, drip~

Black blood dripped from the Ghost Prophet's fingertips. He had fallen into a drowsy state. In his final moments, the Ghost Prophet's trembling hand pulled an envelope from his bosom, handed it to Su Xiao, and said weakly:

"You must, make that, arrogant guy, pay, the price."

"Yes, I will."

Hearing Su Xiao's guarantee, the light in the Ghost Prophet's eyes dimmed completely.

Su Xiao lit a cigarette and had Amu, Drai, and Silver Face go to bury the Ghost Prophet. There were many flower fields nearby, which could be considered a decent resting place.

【Notification: The Hunter List has been updated.】

Upon receiving this notification, Su Xiao manifested the "Hunter List · Blood Contract" and immediately saw that the original "Defector (Sand King) · Bounty 800 ounces of Space-Time Power" had disappeared and had been replaced by:

"Mad King · Bounty 1300 ounces of Space-Time Power."