Chapter 4044: Bounty

The Lord Train came to a stop, the doors opened, and Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang boarded. This was a detour to pick up Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang; Haha was further away and was already rushing toward Su Xiao's location.

As for Amu, his location was initially displayed on the team information upon entering this world, but after half an hour, the location marker grew increasingly faint until it finally vanished.

This certainly did not mean Amu had died; rather, Amu had entered a state of "detached gluttony." Looking at Amu's avatar in the team list, the edges were already burning with a faint, ethereal abyss black flame.

"Woof."

"Hmm."

"Woof woof."

"No rush."

"Woof."

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was still somewhat worried about Amu. It connected to the train's control device, and after Su Xiao sensed the area for a moment, he spoke.

"This direction."

"Woof."

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang barked, beginning to pinpoint the location. Su Xiao could sense the general direction of the abyss passage, and once Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang got within a certain range, it could begin precise tracking.

The Lord Train sped off. Before long, it arrived near a city. Since there were no high walls in this world, the train easily drove into the massive city. According to Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's tracking, this city was named "Yinfu City," and the North Port where they had been earlier was under the jurisdiction of Yinfu City.

How did Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang know this? The answer was that this world possessed a top-tier "Network Cluster," and the Empire's network cluster had already ascended into a "Super-Intelligent Network Cluster."

Simply put, it was highly intelligent, but it adhered to all "Network Regulations." It was smart, but that did not mean it possessed consciousness. The prerequisite for consciousness was a sense of self, and the Empire would not be so foolish as to allow such a "Network Cluster" to develop a self.

Theoretically, such a high-level "Super-Intelligent Network Cluster" should be unhackable. The problem was Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's abilities:

Skill 1, Heart of the Machine (Basic Passive, Lv. 90): This is a Tech-side/Mechanical branch basic skill. It enhances all technological mechanical creations manufactured and controlled, and "Intrusion Ability Tier +1"...

Skill 2, Mechanical Activation (Passive, Lv. EX): Mechanical creations manufactured by Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang enter a state of mechanical activation, gaining a 1200% increase in overall performance at the cost of appearing with weaknesses.

Skill 3, Cluster Effect (Passive, Lv. EX): The number of mechanical creations Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang can control is reduced by 99.99%, but Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's "Intrusion Ability Tier +3." Most known Tech-side faction networks cannot resist intrusion at this tier.

Skill 4, Mechanical Sacrifice (Passive, Lv. EX): All of Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's mechanical creations have their Strength, Agility, and Stamina attributes reduced by 99.99%, but Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's "Intrusion Ability Tier +5."

Skill 5, My Fate is Mine, Not Heaven's (Passive, Lv. EX): Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's Intelligence and Charm attributes both provide bonuses to "Basic Passive: Heart of the Machine," granting "Intrusion Ability Tier +2."

Skill 6, Intelligence Assimilation (Passive, Lv. EX): When Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang intrudes into any enemy network system, it will assimilate the enemy "Network Cluster's" intelligence level to a certain extent, causing the enemy's "Intrusion Resistance Tier -3."

Skill 9, Ah, I'm Dead (Passive, self-comprehended skill): After Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang merges with the environment, it can enter a state of feigned death, significantly enhancing its environmental blending effect (Hidden Tier extra +2). Furthermore, when Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang enters the feigned death stage, the enemy "Network Cluster" it has intruded upon will also passively enter a feigned death state, ceasing all operations at every level.

Skill 2, "Mechanical Activation," allowed Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang to build the most top-tier intrusion device—the military-grade laptop it was currently using. In reality, the interior was highly activated, with all performance metrics maxed out, capable of super-load operations when needed.

Did it end there? Of course not. In the bottom carriage of the Lord Train, there was a super terminal built by Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang. If Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's handheld terminal was the son, this 3.7-ton bulky train-mounted terminal was the great-grandfather.

While on the Lord Train, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was not controlling the handheld terminal, but rather the train-level large terminal.

If this were compared to a weapon, it would likely be at the Eternal level with a rating of over 8500. Combined with all of Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's abilities, it reached an "Intrusion Ability Tier +11," while also inflicting "Intrusion Resistance Tier -3" on the enemy.

With these factors combined, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's intrusion into the world's "Network Cluster" was truly a one-sided affair.

"Woof."

Xiang Bubu barked, meaning: "Boss, the Empire's Royal City, Star-Glow City, has noticed you. An organization called the 'Imperial Special Affairs Department' has stored your data in a highly alert and highly classified database."

"Find out the forces behind the Mechanical God Sect, the Royal Family, and the Three Ministers."

"Woof."

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang barked and began to focus on wreaking havoc on the Empire's "Network Cluster."

Su Xiao admired the scenery outside the train window. He did not yet know what was hidden behind the Empire, but the old King, Roald St. Adez, was indeed a rare, enlightened monarch. Setting aside the Empire's thriving economy, the fact that the frequency of war in this world had plummeted by 90% since he ascended the throne spoke volumes.

Whether the old King was a hidden schemer or a mastermind, no one knew. But if a schemer could hide their true nature for a lifetime, until they were old and near death, without ever revealing their plot, then one should judge them by their actions rather than their intentions.

"Woof."

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang sent the useful parts of the top-secret data from the "Network Cluster" to Su Xiao, who picked up the terminal at his side to review it.

Although the forces behind these three parties were powerful and held absolute authority, thousands of years of history would always leave traces. Moreover, two of them had no intention of hiding completely.

Behind the Mechanical God Sect were indeed the Gods. The problem was that the Gods' method of controlling their clerics was not through devout faith or other means; they truly provided them with perfect mechanical ascension paths, or rather, the opportunity to become gods.

As long as one had talent, joining the Mechanical God Sect meant having power, status, and authority. Given the massive population of intelligent beings in this world, the Mechanical God Sect never recruited externally; instead, one had to pass rigorous examinations to join.

Therefore, Su Xiao, who was initially hostile to the Gods, was effectively hostile to the Mechanical God Sect.

Next was the Royal Family, behind whom stood the "Soul Zhong Ta."

This was a force that had been renowned in both the First and Second Eras. One might ask, why didn't the Soul Zhong Ta leave a significant mark on history like the Ancient Dragons, the Sun, the Lords, or the Gods?

Was it because they weren't powerful enough? No, they were extremely powerful. Today, the Soul Faction of the Void Hegemon, Arcane Eternal Star, was like a twin brother to the Soul Zhong Ta of the past.

The problem was that the Soul Zhong Ta was too insane. Their core secret technique, "Ultimate Sublimation"—which involved opening "Spirit Holes" in one's head—allowed their strength to climb continuously. The price was that the more "Spirit Holes" one opened, the more extreme and insane their personality became. They would appear calm and normal, but once provoked, they would explode into madness and hysteria.

If one were to clash with the Soul Zhong Ta behind the Royal Family, it would certainly be a formidable enemy.

It went without saying that the Soul Faction of Arcane Eternal Star must have had dealings with the Soul Zhong Ta of this world long ago, perhaps even as early as the Second Era. Both sides likely agreed never to spread the "Ultimate Sublimation" technique, as it was a foundational treasure for both.

They might even have signed a treaty: once it was discovered that "Ultimate Sublimation" was circulating in the outside world, both sides would send people to exterminate the source.

With the backgrounds of the Mechanical God Sect and the Royal Family clarified, the last was the force behind the "Three Ministers." This one was also a heavyweight.

One of the several Abyss-born races, immortal and indestructible, representing the beasts: the "Luen Family."

They were the Three Ministers, or rather, the controllers behind the three great families of the Empire.

The Gods, the Soul Zhong Ta, and the Abyss-born Luen Family.

It could only be said that the situation in this world was no longer a "Hell" start; it was a reinforced "Nightmare" level throughout.

But for Su Xiao, this was, from a certain perspective, good news. If there were only the Gods in this world, he would be waiting for the pursuit of the Soul Master. The problem was that this world was controlled by the Gods, the Soul Zhong Ta, and the Luen Family.

Arcane Eternal Star was naturally unafraid of these three parties. The key was whether it was worth it, and the situation in the Void was already enough to keep Arcane Eternal Star overwhelmed, as a second giant abyss passage that could not be closed had appeared a month ago.

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang looked through the historical records of this world and found that since the Second Era, after the original unknown major power of this world was destroyed, no "Peak Supreme" had ever entered this world. This made one wonder: was this world repelling "Peak Supremes," or was there... a more miraculous reason?

This semi-transcendent world seemed even more complicated than imagined, and it gave Su Xiao a particularly familiar feeling.

After weighing the options, Su Xiao decided to fight these guys. If he didn't seize the opportunity to become stronger, then when the Soul Master attacked, being killed in a single exchange would be perfectly normal. "Supreme" and "Peak Supreme" were almost two different concepts.

Besides these secret intelligence reports, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang also discovered a major event through the "Network Cluster": a month ago, the world's diviners divined that a strange object had fallen into this world, named the 【Star Heart】.

Currently, the three major forces of this world were fighting tooth and nail over this 【Star Heart】. The property of this object was that if one was about to ascend to "Peak Supreme," absorbing it during the ascension could increase the success rate by 20%.

Even more critical was that this 【Star Heart】 that had fallen was the size of a soccer ball.

Su Xiao attempted to consult the Reincarnation Paradise with his current authority regarding the function of this 【Star Heart】. It was indeed as the wise men of this world said, capable of increasing the probability of ascending to "Peak Supreme." Given the specifications of this 【Star Heart】, it was estimated to be enough for two powerful individuals.

If it were only enough for one, the Gods, the Soul Zhong Ta, and the Luen Family might have been able to exercise restraint. But when the 【Star Heart】 was enough for two, the conflict escalated from personal competition to factional disputes.

The core issue was that, fundamentally, the 【Star Heart】 was a strange object for self-enhancement, and it wasn't only usable by those about to ascend to "Peak Supreme." Over 80% of power systems could use this thing.

With the resource consumption of the Technique-type, it naturally fell into this 80% category. The Reincarnation Paradise provided clear relevant data, and Su Xiao could use this 【Star Heart】 to enhance his three master abilities that had entered a state of solidification.

Fundamentally, the tier of the 【Star Heart】 was clearly higher than "Initial Skill Points," which made Su Xiao very interested in this object.

Just then, a prompt appeared.

【Bounty activated...】

【Your current Space-Time Power: 20898.5 ounces.】

【Your current world: Semi-transcendent/Native World/World of Gods.】

【Detected that you have completed your first Supreme-tier world and achieved a Reincarnation-level (SSSS-level) evaluation. This behavior will increase the level of your "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact" by an additional Lv. 3.】

【Because you have completed your first Supreme-tier world, your "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact" will receive a level increase, which is a base increase of Lv. 2 + an additional Lv. 3, totaling Lv. 5.】

【Recalculating the bounty multiplier for "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact"...】

【Increased from a 5x bounty amount to a 300x bounty amount, with a maximum world bounty amount of 5000x.】

【Detected that you have ascended to Supreme; the reward stage for "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact" has passed, and it will now enter the official stage.】

【The bounty content for the official stage is World Bounty/Event Bounty.】

1. World Bounty: A final bounty determined based on the current world, which can reach a 5000x bounty amount.

2. Event Bounty: Bounty content generated based on the time experienced in the current world, likely to be multiple-choice content, with only one selectable at a time.

Prompt: Only five Event Bounties can be accepted per world. The Hunter must choose carefully.

【Because "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact" has passed the reward stage before the Supreme level, subsequent bounty rewards, except for the guaranteed reward "Space-Time Stone Fragments," will no longer be limited to rewards fitting the Hunter, but will be changed to fully random rewards.】

Seeing this, Su Xiao felt it was a pity. The previous "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact" not only provided bounties but also roughly informed him of the hidden crises in the world. For example, in the previous world, "Bounty 4: Mouth of the Zhi: Eliminate the Progenitor" allowed him to guess that this was likely the final strong enemy.

Now it seemed this was not a loophole in the bounty mechanism, but a reward in terms of information. All of this, as Su Xiao ascended to Supreme and experienced his second Supreme world, no longer existed.

Of course, this "Hunter Bounty" was not without benefits. The bounty multiplier had been raised significantly, but the corresponding risk had also increased.

【Prompt: You have triggered the "World Bounty" for this world.】

【World Bounty: Whereabouts: Complete the writing of the Origin Codex and place it in the "Whereabouts" (Requires payment of a 50-ounce Space-Time Power bounty deposit to activate this bounty. Because the difficulty of this bounty is extremely high, upon completion, you will receive a 5000x additional bounty).】

A bounty worth 250,000 ounces of Space-Time Power—the difficulty could be imagined. The reason he could complete a similar bounty last time was mainly because the Dukain family had indeed declined.

Regarding the Codex mentioned in the bounty, Su Xiao was certain it was the "Origin Codex" he currently held. On the train, he took out the Codex and flipped it open. On the first half of the first page, there were blood-red characters. He had never seen these characters before; they must be the language of the Gods.

In the previous world, Su Xiao successfully rescued the White Dragon Lady and obtained a portion of "God's Blood." After using it on the "Origin Codex," it not only activated the object but also caused these divine blood characters to be automatically written on the first page.

Given the thickness of the "Origin Codex," it was estimated that a few hundred portions of "God's Blood" might not be enough to complete the writing. Of course, some powerful Gods should be able to write more than half a page, perhaps dozens of pages.

The core problem was placing the "Origin Codex" in the "Whereabouts." This "Whereabouts" was extremely confusing. The origin place of the Gods? That was a matter of the First Era; heaven knows where it was.

After pondering for a moment, it seemed he could only call for external support. The White Dragon Lady had already arrived at the Soul Library. Later, he would try to contact her and ask her to represent him in questioning the Ancient One. If even the Ancient One didn't know, it would be difficult.

Su Xiao attempted to activate the "Event Bounty" of the Hunter Bounty, and the relevant prompts appeared.

【Detected that there are three "Event Bounties" currently acceptable, totaling as follows:

1. Shadow of the Abyss: Close all abyss passages in this world (Pay 5000 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate this bounty; upon completion, you can receive an 8x bounty amount).

2. Star Heart: Obtain the "Star Heart" and bring it back to the Reincarnation Paradise, or use this strange object (Pay 10000 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate this bounty; upon completion, you can receive a 3x bounty amount).

3. Tyrant of Fate: Kill the Old Woman (Pay 20000 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate this bounty; upon completion, you can receive a 300x bounty amount).

Seeing the third bounty, Su Xiao suddenly felt malice rushing toward him. The total bounty amount reached 6 million ounces of Space-Time Power. As the saying goes, opportunity is for those who are prepared. Su Xiao decisively blocked this bounty. Whoever was prepared could go; although he didn't know who the Old Woman was, he could fully appreciate the weight of a 6-million-ounce Space-Time Power bounty.

He decisively accepted Bounty 1 and Bounty 2, paying a total of 15050 ounces of Space-Time Power. Speaking of which, after the "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact" entered the official stage, the returns were actually higher.

Now, two Event Bounties corresponded to 70,000 ounces of Space-Time Power, with a net profit of 55,000 ounces.

In contrast, the "Hunter Bounty: Blood Pact" of the previous world had a total amount of 49,000 ounces for Bounties 1 through 4, with a net profit of 39,200 ounces—only slightly more than Bounty 1 of this world.

The train drove out of the range of "Yinfu City." As they passed nearby towns or villages, the vast fields of golden wheat made one feel open-minded. Compared to strange mountains and scenery, this scene, though man-made, represented harvest and sustenance, making it even more beautiful.

But half an hour after the Lord Train began its journey, the endless wheat fields began to show signs of withering. As they continued, large areas of land became rotten and damp. This was not barren land, but fertile soil that had appeared excessively fertile after being supplemented by a small amount of abyss energy, leading to rot.

Excess leads to blockage, blockage leads to stagnation, stagnation triggers rot, and rot invites decay.

The world gradually became dim. Looking into the distance, a pitch-black wall stood in front. This pitch-black wall was not the first time he had seen one; was it a barrier built by the major power of this world? That was possible. The problem was that many abyss-spreading areas would have such black stone walls.

A steel fortress was located in front of the black stone wall, guarding the only entrance to the pitch-black wall. Su Xiao controlled the Lord Train to stop. The Imperial soldiers on the high walls of the fortress immediately noticed them.

The train doors opened, and Su Xiao walked off. Because he didn't have suitable combat boots, he simply didn't wear any before entering the abyss-spreading area. He took off the long leather coat on his upper body, letting it hang down due to the restraint of the waist belt.

He liked to be like this when entering an area of absolute darkness, as it allowed his "perception circle" to be most effective. In layman's terms, it allowed more skin to come into contact with the darkness.

Su Xiao walked toward the only entrance of the pitch-black wall. A garrison legion, driving a crystal-energy combat vehicle, drove over. This combat vehicle was like a steel beast, equipped with a living sniper cannon on top. The Empire had a law that this weapon could not be used to attack the intelligent races of this world during non-war periods.

Clearly, abyss-type creatures were not native to this world, so this was one of the main weapons of the Black Steel Fortress.

The combat vehicle stopped. The supreme commander of the Black Steel Fortress, an honorary second lieutenant of the Imperial Legion, frowned as he looked at the newcomer. A feeling of being very difficult to deal with rushed toward him.

"This... sir, this is a restricted area. You had better leave immediately."

The honorary second lieutenant was both tough enough not to lose the Empire's face and polite enough.

"That, too, is a restricted area."

Su Xiao, with one hand on the hilt of his blade, looked at the entrance of the heavily abyss-spreading area. Hearing this, the honorary second lieutenant laughed dumbly.

"That, of course, is not, but it is very dangerous there. I advise you to leave..."

"Oh, then I'm just passing through."

Su Xiao walked toward the only entrance of the pitch-black wall. Seeing this, the honorary second lieutenant's adjutant looked worried and asked, "Sir, should we..."

"Don't bother."

"But if he is also of the abyss..."

As he said this, the adjutant laughed at himself. Just looking at the guy who was about to start a massacre, it was clear he wasn't of the abyss. Since that was the case, whether he was a friend or foe was already very clear.

"Tell the five squads guarding the entrance that if possible, if this friend of unknown origin is seriously injured, save him if you can, provided you ensure the safety of our brothers. If you can't, then it's his bad luck. Entering the abyss-spreading area is ultimately his own choice."

After saying this, the Imperial honorary second lieutenant returned to the combat vehicle, and the adjutant answered "Yes" and began to deploy the troops.

Su Xiao walked into the abyss-spreading area a few minutes later. He looked around and saw many corpses of abyss-type creatures, as well as mottled bloodstains on the ground. It could be seen that the legion stationed here and the abyss-type creatures were engaged in a tug-of-war.

Of course, this was mainly because the abyss passage here was not large, only of small to medium scale, unlike in the Ancient Dragon Kingdom, where many abyss passages were medium to large.

Su Xiao walked forward for ten minutes and arrived at the center of the abyss-spreading area. He took out the device Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang had manufactured. It was about the thickness of a bucket, with a handle at one end and a metal suction cup structure at the bottom.

After pulling out the ring in the middle of the device, he threw it out. The strange device landed, the suction cup end expanded, and after a short charge, it hammered the ground fiercely, as if shaking the earth.

Thud~

A dark shockwave spread out. The dark-characteristic substances Su Xiao had prepared specifically for abyss-type creatures were shattered into tiny particles by the shockwave and spread to the surroundings.

The darkness that had been rustling around Su Xiao suddenly went quiet. It was only a few seconds, and Su Xiao was surrounded by blood-red eyes of various sizes, filled with malice.

Su Xiao slashed his palm with a small silver knife, and the moonlight erupted, immediately clinging to his long blade.

"Roar!"

A "Drowning Hidden" creature lunged at him, its surging body forming a giant mouth that could stretch like a python, and the thick aura of "resentment" rushed toward him.

This Drowning Hidden broke the standoff, causing hundreds and thousands of abyss creatures around to lunge at him. For a moment, Su Xiao was about to be swallowed by the darkness.

"Extreme Blade: Black Moon."

A pitch-black moon appeared in the sky, and Su Xiao slashed down.

BOOM!!!

Like a vast pitch-black barrier, it pressed down from above with terrifying force and vanished the next instant.

The abyss-type creatures lunging from the surroundings were instantly slashed into blood beads. Because of the terrifying force of "Extreme Blade: Black Moon," these black blood beads actually all bounced up. For a moment, Su Xiao was like being in the middle of countless black marbles of various sizes.

Su Xiao raised his long blade, and the dark blood from the surroundings immediately gathered. Don't forget, he was a Blood Gun Master with powerful control over this masterless blood.

"Extreme Blade: Sea of Blood!"

A pitch-black sea of blood surged with Su Xiao at the center. In this black sea of blood, there were dense slashing forces. A giant Spirit-Devouring Centipede that was too late to escape was instantly engulfed by the dark sea of blood that surged to a range of over ten kilometers.

The moment it was submerged in the pitch-black sea of blood, it was slashed into pieces by the dense slashes inside. Moreover, its black blood mixed into the sea of blood, further enhancing the power and range of the sea of blood.

Yes, this was the power of the ultimate technique "Heavenly Blade Slashing Shadow." Whether it was "Black Moon" or "Sea of Blood," they were not used rashly but based on the current environment and the ability system Su Xiao had mastered.

"Black Moon" was the slashing power of the Sword Master and the moon-type ability of the "Full Moon Blade."

"Sea of Blood" went without saying: Sword Master + Blood Gun Master.

As the pitch-black sea of blood killed more and more abyss-type creatures, its range actually filled the entire abyss-spreading area for a time.

At the same time, at the only entrance to the spreading area, the breach in the black stone wall, the honorary second lieutenant received an urgent report from his subordinates. As soon as he arrived, he saw pitch-black blood gushing out from the entrance of the abyss-spreading area. What shocked the garrison soldiers even more was that mixed in this pitch-black blood were the shattered shells, bones, and other remains of various abyss-type creatures.

A giant dog-like abyss creature rushed out from the gushing pitch-black sea of blood. It struggled desperately in almost complete despair, but after a few seconds, it was swallowed by the sea of blood, covered in fatal slash marks.

(End of chapter)