Chapter 263: The Charm of Saint Fufu, Three Punches Shattering the Head of State’s Dream
Bai Fu not dying was already shocking enough, but what was even more shocking was that the reappearing Bai Fu had actually become a Domination-level.
What kind of development was this?
Everyone’s minds were in chaos.
Those Glorious Forces members confronting Bai Fu were no exception, but although they were in chaos, they still hadn’t lost their focus.
At this moment, how could they dare lose focus?
Not long ago, they had still been clamoring to kill Bai Fu. Now Bai Fu had suddenly become a Domination-level. Could they not be thinking about striking back?
Under the threat of death, the Glorious Forces members had their vigilance fully cranked up.
“I think…”
The Glorious Forces Commander forcibly suppressed the shock and fear in his heart, attempting to negotiate with Bai Fu.
Having dealt with the Head of State countless times, he knew full well how terrifying the power of a Domination-level was—power he absolutely could not resist. Therefore, once he realized Bai Fu was a Domination-level, the concept of “escape” simply did not exist in his mind.
How could he run?
He didn’t have any item capable of instantaneous teleportation.
Trying to run by spaceship was even more of a fool’s dream.
Although even a Domination-level could not match the speed of a fully activated spaceship, the problem was that Bai Fu would never give him the chance to fully start it up.
He’d probably be smashed into bits by Bai Fu before he even got back to the ship.
“At this point, don’t you think it’s a bit late to talk peace?”
Bai Fu sneered, cutting off the Glorious Forces Commander.
She lightly waved her right hand.
At her signal, the gigantic beast Kabaye, summoned from the Ethereal Realm, once again opened its maw.
Boom!
A massive psionic beam instantly pierced through the starry river.
A Calamity-class from the Glorious Forces, unable to dodge in time, took the beam head-on.
When the surging energy dissipated and everyone looked again, there wasn’t even a scrap left.
The Glorious Forces Commander felt his scalp go numb.
Although the one who died was only a weak Calamity-class, how long could even an upper Calamity last against this level of attack?
He didn’t have time to ponder the question, because Bai Fu was already driving Kabaye straight at them.
The massive beast streaked across the void, plunging into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
A dozen or so Calamity-class members of the Glorious Forces gathered together, attempting to raise an energy shield to block Kabaye. Kabaye didn’t use any flashy techniques—just a simple, brutal swipe of its massive claw. That claw, brimming with terrifying force, came crashing down. The energy shield didn’t last even a second before shattering.
Snap!
A Calamity-class who failed to dodge was snatched up in Kabaye’s palm. He struggled desperately, his power crashing against the claw like waves, but it was useless. In just a few seconds, he was crushed into a ball of minced flesh.
This was a one-sided slaughter.
In the face of Kabaye going all out, the Glorious Forces were simply too insignificant.
From start to finish, the battle lasted less than five minutes. It would have ended even faster if not for Kabaye’s limited speed and Hei Fu not joining in.
Amidst countless shocked or fearful gazes, Hei Fu flew up to the Glorious Forces Commander, who was tightly gripped in Kabaye’s claws.
“You… what exactly do you want?”
The Commander trembled. Since Bai Fu hadn’t killed him immediately, she must have another demand.
Hei Fu smiled and said, “You must be curious how I found your headquarters, right? That’s right—an insider told me. Not only did he tell me where your headquarters is, but he also told me who the true founder of the Glorious Forces is.”
“!”
The Commander’s pupils shrank violently.
The true founder—that was the Head of State, wasn’t it?
Within the entire Glorious Forces, the number of people who knew this secret could be counted on one hand. Could one of them have secretly defected to Bai Fu?
The Commander’s mind was filled with suspicion. He wondered if Bai Fu was lying.
At that moment, Bai Fu’s voice suddenly sounded in the private comm channel. She spoke only a single name—
Head of State.
Boom!
Like storm waves crashing ashore, all hope was washed from the Commander’s heart.
Bai Fu had seen through everything long ago. While they had thought themselves clever, they had already fallen into Bai Fu’s trap.
“If you’re willing to cooperate and tell everyone in front of the camera the founder’s true identity, I can make your death less painful. If you’re not…”
Murderous intent flowed from Hei Fu’s eyes.
This time, her voice rang out on the public broadcast channel.
Everyone watching the livestream had their curiosity piqued.
From Bai Fu’s words and the Commander’s expression, it was clear that the true founder’s identity was far from ordinary.
Who could it be?
For a moment, speculation spread wildly across the net.
And the true culprit, the Head of State, went pale after seeing the livestream.
From the Commander’s change in expression, it was clear that Bai Fu wasn’t bluffing.
So… when had Bai Fu found out it was him?
Had she been acting all along while with him?
Had she questioned the Commander and attacked the Glorious Forces headquarters just to obtain ironclad proof?
What Saint, what pure white hero—Bai Fu was an actress! She had deceived everyone!
Raging fury surged in the Head of State’s heart.
In that moment, he understood many things.
It wasn’t bad luck at all—it was Bai Fu sabotaging him from the shadows!
This was the planning of over a decade! This was his life’s desire! Everything had seemed to go according to plan—until Bai Fu appeared, a bug in the system.
That bug had to be eliminated. She could not be allowed to find evidence. As long as he killed her before she found proof, there was still a sliver of a chance to turn things around.
The Head of State rushed toward the Glorious Forces headquarters at even greater speed.
Time passed slowly.
After a fierce inner struggle, the Commander finally decided to speak. Either way, he was dead; dying outright was better than being tortured to death.
“I’ll talk.”
He gritted his teeth.
At that moment, all viewers pricked up their ears, afraid to miss a word.
“It’s the Head of State! The one who founded the Glorious Forces is the current Head of State of the Taim Civilization—that man named Kaide!”
What?
The moment that name left the Commander’s mouth, time itself seemed to pause for an instant.
Then, like a volcanic eruption, the entire Taim Civilization shook.
The revelation was too unexpected.
Before the Commander spoke, some had guessed a notorious star-level fugitive, some the Free Star System Alliance, some even one of the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations—but few had guessed the Head of State. After all, the Glorious Forces had played a big role in the Head of State’s terrible public image during his term.
Hei Fu zoomed the livestream camera in close to her face: “That’s right—it’s the Head of State. The reason the Glorious Forces have never been eradicated all these years is because the Head of State has been passing them intel. He founded the Glorious Forces in order to…”
Hei Fu then laid out the Head of State’s plan in detail.
“It was him?!”
Niesen shot up from the couch, both shocked and furious, with a lingering sense of fear.
If not for Bai Fu—if she hadn’t exposed the Head of State’s true face—he would have become a stepping stone. He would have died at the Head of State’s hands, with no outsider knowing the truth. The Head of State would then have claimed revenge as a pretext to annex his forces and ascend to the throne of the Taim Civilization, becoming the final victor.
Niesen’s gaze toward Bai Fu changed.
Saving people from fire and water—this was a true Saint!
And it wasn’t just Niesen. All factions participating in the Taim Civilization’s “battle royale” felt their favorability toward Bai Fu soar at that moment.
Head of State, this old schemer, was truly loathsome.
Except for those whose interests aligned with him, no one wasn’t cheering for Bai Fu.
Watching the constant stream of prompts about Reputation and Favorability rising, Bai Fu smiled.
At this stage, as long as she could withstand the Head of State’s counterattack, this round of battle could be considered a complete success.
Although she was more than 20 levels lower than the Head of State, she wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Her racial bonuses far outstripped the Head of State’s, and her class bonuses were also higher. Even if she couldn’t beat him, she could still rely on transforming into Night and traversing the Void to escape. This was the perfect chance to use the Head of State for practice—see where exactly she stood among the Domination-levels.
Bai Fu charged straight into the Glorious Forces headquarters.
Ying Fu commanded the Psionic Legion, crushing the garrison inside the headquarters like dry weeds before a storm.
The panicked Xilich tried to flee, but under high-dimensional surveillance, there was nowhere to hide, and the Psionic Legion soon dragged him out.
“Tell me the location of the warehouses where you usually store supplies, and the places the Commander frequents.”
Facing Bai Fu’s questioning, Xilich confessed everything, down to the last detail.
Bai Fu began her looting spree.
While looting, she sent orders to mobilize Players to wipe out the other Glorious Forces branch bases. For places the Players couldn’t cover, she entrusted Niesen and Lister to harvest them.
The Glorious Forces were already in a state of total collapse; if they didn’t act fast, the people in the branch bases would escape.
While looting the headquarters, Bai Fu found a sealed file cabinet in the Commander’s private recreation room. Inside were all kinds of evidence of his communications with the Head of State.
“So this is the hidden secret the mission mentioned? Looks like this old fox of a Commander wasn’t any better—he had already prepared to jump ship at the first sign of trouble. Too bad it happened so suddenly, and he ran into me needing to grind Reputation, leaving him no time to flee.”
Bai Fu shook her head with a smile.
She loaded the looted supplies into ships, then used the Virtual Heart to pilot them toward Ulysses.
These things would be the capital for the rise of the Silent Court.
After finishing all this, she didn’t immediately make the Commander’s evidence public. Instead, she secretly added some extra “seasoning.”
……
Bai Fu’s livestream had paused for now, but the storm stirred up by these two broadcasts had only just begun.
The Glorious Forces had reached their end.
Bai Fu had advanced to Domination-level.
Either of these events alone would have caused a sensation in the Taim Civilization.
When they happened together, intertwined like a double helix—and with the added ingredient of Bai Fu being forced to the brink by the Glorious Forces’ moral coercion—the commotion even spread to the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations.
“Bai Fu didn’t die, and she advanced to Domination-level?”
Whitney, a senior partner of Dimensional Capital, was so shocked upon receiving the news that she accidentally spilled her drink.
She stood up, her voice involuntarily rising, completely losing her composure.
This was the first time the secretary bringing the news had seen her like this, but it was understandable—who wouldn’t be shocked by such news?
Before investing in Bai Fu, Ms. Whitney’s most optimistic projection had been for Bai Fu to reach Domination-level in two or three years. Who would have thought she’d do it in less than half a year?
“A genius—an absolute genius! Even if we can’t get a share of that Imperial project, investing in her alone will never be a loss!”
Whitney immediately took action.
“Get me the Director of the Security Bureau and the leader of the Rust Corps!”
Since Bai Fu had clashed with Taim Civilization’s Head of State Kaide—backed by a radical Imperial faction—Whitney had to act fast to exert influence, to prevent Bai Fu from being struck down by the Empire and fleeing to another civilization.
And Whitney wasn’t the only one moving now.
Upon receiving the news, Yin Zhu was overjoyed.
Bai Fu had truly advanced to Domination-level!
Whether or not she kept her Star Pact membership, this was monumental good news for the Star Pact.
In short, Bai Fu must not be allowed to die at the Head of State’s hands.
Yin Zhu immediately contacted the Oathmaster, requesting his assistance.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Edge Worlds, inside the vast Arcane Library, Yuan Yi opened his eyes.
“Bai Fu advanced to Domination-level this fast? She really is a Seeker—there’s no other explanation. A pity my help reached her too late.”
He shook his head helplessly.
Who could have guessed Bai Fu would advance so quickly?
But it wasn’t too late yet.
Yuan Yi contacted La Nie, telling him to send aid to Bai Fu: “I have a few friends in the Rebirth Empire with some influence. You don’t need to worry about pressure from them. If anyone gives you trouble, tell them to come find me!”
La Nie nodded.
It had been a long time since he’d seen his teacher so forceful. Still… it was a bit irritating—his teacher’s affection had been split again!
……
Some were working behind the scenes over Bai Fu’s conflict with the Head of State, while others were simply celebrating her advancement.
“What the hell?!”
Andras fell right out of his chair.
Was this the “surprise” Bai Fu had promised him?
He had invested in a Domination-level!
Andras rushed out of his office—not to share the joy with anyone, but simply to bask in the eyes of admiration and reverence.
As he walked the corridor, exclamations came from all around.
From this moment, the Origin Consortium’s status in the Edge Worlds would rise yet another level, and Andras would have the final say in the Consortium.
Not convinced?
Go invest in a Bai Fu of your own!
The civilizations of the Initial Gate Star Cluster were just as excited.
Bai Fu was the cluster’s very first Domination-level. Given her deep ties to the cluster, from now on, the often-mocked “backwater” Initial Gate Star Cluster was about to take off.
There had been many cases in history of a single Domination-level or Transcendent leading a civilization to rise.
“I knew Bai Fu could do it!”
“You knew nothing. Weren’t you just worrying she’d die?”
“Heh, you misheard.”
The NPCs’ banter drifted into the Players’ ears.
Even though they knew Bai Fu was the “protagonist,” after playing plenty of games where even protagonists could die, the Silent Court Players had still been panicking when they learned she’d jumped right into the Glorious Forces’ trap.
Fortunately, the dust had now settled.
【Fufu number one in the world!】
【Yes yes yes, Fufu’s thigh just got thicker again. I love meaty thighs like that—hugging them is just so comfy】
【Dream on. You think you can hug Fufu’s thigh?】
【Digging-Treasure, stop sulking and start streaming already】
【Coming, coming】
At that moment, the Excavation-Princess’s backache was gone, her dizziness vanished, and she started streaming with a round of praise.
First praising Bai Fu.
Then praising herself.
【Nyeh nyeh nyeh, I told you all Fufu was the Sovereign of the Shadowed Night. Until today, plenty of you didn’t believe me. Now you do, right? All hail the Sovereign of the Shadowed Night’s return!】
【Plot analysis—accept no substitutes for Excavation-Princess!】
【Alright, enough praise. Let’s read some comments—comments from the game’s net. Let’s see how these NPCs are praising Fufu】
Excavation-Princess clicked open the Taim Civilization’s most famous news site—only to be stunned to see that the top headline had changed since she’d last checked ten minutes ago. It now read—
【The Secret Hidden in the Glorious Forces Headquarters—Records from the Glorious Forces Commander—Bringing You the Truth about Head of State Kaide!】
What?
She clicked in.
And was instantly floored—this was practically the blood-and-tears history of every working stiff!
The specific complaints were as follows——
The Head of State withheld wages from Glorious Forces members, even from the Commander;
The Head of State dangled big promises before the Glorious Forces members, saying that as long as they followed him and worked hard, one day everyone could become a high official;
The Head of State PUA’d the Glorious Forces members, telling them most of them were only living well thanks to his training, so they must repay him well;
The Head of State threatened the Glorious Forces members, saying that once you’re a Glorious Forces member for a day, you’re one for life, and anyone who didn’t follow him on the path to “whitewashing” would be doomed.
After reading these records, the Head of State’s already terrible reputation hit rock bottom.
【I originally thought the Head of State was a ruthless hero, but now it’s clear—he’s nothing but a petty man】
【Terrifying. Thank goodness Bai Fu exposed Kaide’s true face, or just imagining such a petty man becoming a “hero” to lead a civilization forward makes me see no light in the future】
【Petty man + origins, this Glorious Forces combo is truly unbeatable】
【The Rebirth Empire must be blind, cooperating with someone like this?】
Excavation-Princess was red-hot with anger.
The onlookers were red-hot with anger.
The Head of State, seeing the news, was also red-hot with anger.
Damn it, his reputation was already black enough, but Bai Fu still had to add fuel to the fire and smear him. If he were really like that, the Glorious Forces would already be full of moles.
“Bai Fu, get out here!”
Glaring at the wreckage of the Glorious Forces headquarters, the Head of State roared in the universal broadcast channel.
An immense wave of qi energy rippled from his body, sweeping in all directions. Soon, he found an area where the energy fluctuations were far stronger than elsewhere.
Bai Fu?
The Head of State suddenly turned around—
—and saw Bai Fu standing with arms crossed on Kabaye’s shoulder.
Beside Kabaye were hundreds of thousands of psionic summons shrouded in deep-purple flames, and directly above them, light points emitted by Prayer Cards converged into a massive, angular unknown entity shaped like a paper-folded nun.
“This is…”
The Head of State’s face grew darker.
They hadn’t even exchanged blows yet, but he could already feel a distinct pressure.
It made him uneasy. He had been a Domination-level martial artist for a long time, while Bai Fu had clearly only recently advanced—how could her energy fluctuations be this exaggerated?
Was it an illusion, or was Bai Fu deliberately misleading him?
The Head of State had no time to think further—Bai Fu had already launched her attack.
To test her strength, Bai Fu held nothing back, using every asset she could.
The Prayer Angel formed from fused Prayer Cards and Kabaye charged at the Head of State, with the Psionic Legion unleashing psionic blasts at the same time.
Rumble!
Psionic energy surged like a celestial flood, instantly engulfing the Head of State.
This strike roared through the stars, but in truth, it caused him no real harm. As a Domination-level martial artist, his body was far from ordinary—his qi energy shield spread out like a great umbrella, and no matter how the psionic torrents battered it, it did not shatter.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly easy either.
Under the ceaseless impacts, the outer layer of his qi shield crackled like the stormy surface of a primordial planet.
“Hah!”
The Head of State gave a forceful shake, deflecting the incoming psionic energy elsewhere.
Before he could rest even for a moment, the Prayer Angel and Kabaye were upon him. Four arms struck at once, fists and palms wrapped in burning psionic energy. At first glance, it looked like heavenly fire falling, and under the crushing force, the space beside the Head of State twisted and trembled as if on the verge of exploding.
“Get lost!”
The Head of State’s fury surged. He had thought he could finish Bai Fu in seconds, yet suddenly he was the one at a disadvantage.
With qi energy as support, his body swelled rapidly, flesh and skin turning crimson like a fire giant.
Bang bang bang bang!
In an instant, the Head of State threw more punches than Bai Fu could possibly count. Qi and psionic energy intertwined, triggering explosion after explosion. The power was so immense that an ordinary Calamity-level touched by it would be annihilated.
“What terrifying single-target burst damage… so this is a Domination-level martial artist?”
Bai Fu frowned slightly.
She was far from her peak right now—first, Hei Fu wasn’t here; second, she hadn’t yet filled her Psionic Legion to capacity.
After becoming a Domination-level, the number of psionic summons she could control had increased tenfold, and the performance of her Prayer Cards had also improved greatly. But at the moment, she was probably only exerting a little over half her full strength.
At this rate, she definitely couldn’t win.
Martial artists were like living beasts, with something like a stellar core inside—endurance terrifyingly strong. Right now, the Head of State looked suppressed, but once her Psionic Legion, Kabaye, and the Prayer Angel were all destroyed, the situation would reverse.
“Looks like I’ll have to use that precious Shameless Card to steal an endurance-boosting skill. A person’s gotta have stamina, right?”
Bai Fu patted her chest.
She had already decided not to keep fighting him.
The test results were basically in—her burst damage was stronger than the Head of State’s, even though he was more than 20 levels higher, but if it came down to a fight to the death, he still had the better odds.
No matter.
Once she leveled her skills and Prayer Cards and completed the mission to wipe out the Glorious Forces, she could come back to teach him a lesson.
But although she was ready to flee, Bai Fu didn’t run right away.
Opportunities to beat up the Head of State didn’t come often—she had to take advantage, especially since she’d already sacrificed her Prayer Cards.
Bai Fu immediately started a livestream, then gave Kabaye and the Prayer Angel a death order.
Thus, the whole star domain had the pleasure of watching a grand show——
Kabaye and the Prayer Angel flanked him left and right, swinging in unison, slapping huge palms across the Head of State’s face. Like spinning a top, they slapped him until he twirled madly in place.
The Head of State’s rage and blood boiled over, like an overinflated hydrogen balloon—but he endured.
After sending Kabaye back to the void realm, the pressure on him dropped sharply. The suppressed flames of qi flared violently, spanning hundreds of kilometers. Everything grazed by the energy wave was blasted into nothingness.
“Bai Fu, you’re dead… huh?”
The Head of State froze.
He looked left and right. In the starry sky there was no Prayer Angel, no Psionic Legion, no Ying Fu, and no Bai Fu—only the shattered remains of the Glorious Forces headquarters.
Bai Fu had run!
Show off, then run—what a rush!
“Ahhhhhh!”
The Head of State was about to go mad with rage. He was so furious he started punching himself.
Kill, kill, kill… but there was nothing left to kill—only a barren star system.
No.
He would not swallow this humiliation.
The Head of State immediately contacted the Rebirth Empire bigwig backing him.
He realized that with his own power alone, it would be difficult to kill Bai Fu.
“I need help.”
But this time, the result was completely unexpected.
“Dimensional Capital has been lobbying everywhere—even Annihilation and Chongxiao have gotten involved. The Arcane Library of the Edge Worlds and the Star Pact also seem to be on Bai Fu’s side. We can’t provide you any support beyond intelligence right now.”
Crack!
The Head of State crushed the communicator in his hand.
Intelligence?
What the hell was the use of that?
Of course he knew he could block Bai Fu in the Initial Gate Star Cluster—but what was the point of blocking her if he couldn’t kill her?
The Head of State was furious, and so were his backers.
Damn it, their investment had gone up in smoke. In the current situation, the Head of State would never become the ruler of the Taim Civilization. This kind of scheming petty man really wasn’t worth trusting—he wasn’t even as good as the dazzling Bai Fu.
But turning to support Bai Fu now was impossible.
One had to have some dignity.
On the other side, after his outburst, the Head of State hurried toward his ship.
He knew he had to deal with Bai Fu as soon as possible—dragging things out might mean he’d no longer be her match.
Given the current situation, he’d have to ally with others—but with whom?
As he pondered, the ship’s communicator suddenly rang.
“Perhaps you need my help.”
“Who?”
“Lufas.”
The Head of State’s pupils shrank.
The President of the Myriad Souls Society, one of the three Transcendents of the Edge Worlds?
“You want to help me deal with Bai Fu? If it’s just you, it might not be enough—Yuan Yi and the Oathmaster are both on her side.”
“Then how about adding the Ten Saints Council?”
“！”