Chapter 65: Extinction Great Lord Descends!

"Xi Lian..."

Bai Hang whispered, "Regarding... the Persuasion matter... the master, although sometimes seems cold, the method might be... hmm, direct? But she is indeed trying to save everyone. You also saw Teacher Ke Xia's situation; without that approach, communication is impossible..."

Xi Lian's hand clasping her knees tightened slightly, her azure eyes lowered, long lashes casting a small shadow beneath them.

She knew what Bai Hang was talking about.

That seemingly cold Heimu Lady, the one who freed her from countless Locks (though the process felt odd).

Trusting a being linked to Iron Tomb, Emperor III and other Destruction concepts is undoubtedly a gamble.

But... thoughts kept circling.

Xi Lian finally inhaled deeply, as if making a resolve.

She lifted her head; though a trace of unease lingered in her azure eyes, a firm light shone more.

"Bai Hang Miss," her voice was soft yet unusually clear, "I... I am willing to try."

"Really?!" Bai Hang's eyes widened instantly, her snow‑white Fox Ears shot up with a "swoosh", Tail began to sway joyfully left and right, her face blossomed with a radiant smile, "Great, Xi Lian! Trust me, the master will find a way! I'll tell the master this good news right away!"

She almost clumsily pulled out her Communicator, excitedly began sending a message to Heimu Lady, even her typing fingers traced a lively arc.

Perspective shift.

A Xing stood before a rust‑spotted iron trash can, initially merely mechanically carrying out the "Mimic Star Core Essence" Task, her mind full of disdain for the bizarre act.

But as she turned over, a strange feeling quietly grew—a subtle anticipation of seeking unknown possibilities amid the chaotic waste, like a primal treasure‑hunting instinct unintentionally stirred.

(Seems... a bit interesting?)

She casually tossed a sweaty‑smelling torn sock aside, the motion unexpectedly carried a fluidity even she hadn't noticed.

At that moment, a dim yet unusually persistent golden light stubbornly pierced through a gap in the trash!

(Something!)

A Xing's eyes lit up instantly, that glow was far from ordinary!

Her previously perfunctory attitude vanished, replaced by an inexplicable excitement.

She worked harder to peel back the covering, reaching toward the source of the golden light—

Finally, her fingers touched a long, hard, rod‑like object.

Joy surged within her, she yanked it out forcefully—

No need to examine it closely.

Because the instant that thing left the trash shelter, a terrifying aura condensed of ultimate decay and salty stench surged, like a millennia‑sleeping beast suddenly awakening, crashing toward her like a mountain‑crushing wave!

That smell, like concentrated centuries of foot sweat mixed with rotting fish entrails, seasoned with the most fetid sulfur from deep within Beloberg mines, could be called the Extinction Great Lord's arrival in the olfactory realm!

"Ugh—!!!"

A Xing couldn't even discern the object's exact shape; her stomach churned, the water she just drank at the clinic turned into a sour sensation in her throat, she suddenly bent over, unable to stop dry‑vomiting, her complexion turning ghastly white in an instant.

That smell forcefully pierced her nostrils, rushing toward the Heavenly Spirit Dome, causing darkness to cloud her vision.

The impact of that smell was truly comparable to Ke Xia's Rising Dragon Fist, striking straight to the soul!

"Star! What did you find... Waaah! What smell?!!"

Standing a few steps away, still hesitating whether to intervene, San Yue Qi hadn't finished speaking when the spreading wave of terrifying odor struck her directly.

The pink‑haired girl felt an indescribable foul stench forcefully invade her nostrils, rushing toward the Heavenly Spirit Dome, with star‑like lights flickering before her eyes.

She didn't even have time to utter a full retort before she followed A Xing's footsteps, "plop" she knelt, joining the vomiting ranks, spewing more thoroughly than A Xing, nearly expelling bile.

Thanks to San Yue Qi's powerful Exploration‑driven survival instinct before losing consciousness, she forced herself to collapse onto a relatively clean patch of ground nearby.

She successfully avoided the tragic fate of lying atop her own vomit, merely lying there, emitting an unconscious whimper, like a Salted Fish that lost its dream.

Meanwhile not far away, a few miners who had just changed shifts passed by, initially curious about the two girls tinkering by the trash can, about to approach for a look—

"Hmm... what smell?"

"Damn! Run!!"

"Is that the legendary 'Eternal Salted Fish' that can smoke RiftCreatures to death?! Retreat! Quickly retreat!"

The burly men's faces changed dramatically, as if seeing a ghost, scattering at a speed faster than rushing to the cafeteria, with only one thought in their minds: Run! The farther from that trash can, the better!

As the victim closest to the "pollution source," A Xing, thanks to the Fusion of Beloberg beings' resilient traits (especially Jiepade's "even if the sky falls, stand upright first" willpower), stubbornly did not faint on the spot.

She only felt her soul trembling wildly under that smell's baptism.

A Xing gritted her throat and stomach against the burning, and the lingering terrifying odor that seemed to seep into every hair strand, her gaze fixed on the "culprit"—a shriveled, jet‑black Salted Fish emitting ominous golden light.

(Can't... can't leave it here... endanger humanity!)

She trembled, reached out, and with lightning speed, slipped it into the wristband that held an internal space.

"Swoosh—"

Like magic, the foul stench that had almost solidified in the air vanished instantly, as if everything just now had been a collective nightmare.

A Xing staggered to her feet, feeling as if she had just battled Ke Xia for three hundred rounds.

Her complexion remained somewhat pale, hair slightly disheveled, skirt dusted with a bit of ash, yet her back stood straight, her eyes even bearing a hint... of a strange "victory" glow?

Her posture, inexplicably carrying a dash of cool Lingering Aftertaste, perhaps due to the resilience maintained (even forced) in such extreme conditions, perhaps because of the decisive act of containing the "source of disaster."

If one ignores her just‑now vomiting while clutching the trash can, and the fact that the opponent was merely a Salted Fish.

She looked down at San Yue Qi, still lying half‑conscious on the ground, softly humming, and then at the spot where she had just "fought," her heart filled with complex emotions.

(So... the Pioneer's daily life is to engage in life‑or‑death battles with such... "rare treasures"?)

A Xing began to solemnly respect that official "Star," while also feeling an unprecedented pressure regarding her future "role‑playing" career.