Chapter 264: Confrontation with a Transcendent, the Undying Bai Fu
If he hadn’t been spun like a top by Bai Fu, if he hadn’t realized that his downfall until now was all just Bai Fu’s act, then even if he had lost the qualification to seize control of the Taim Civilization, Kaide would still have refused Rufas.
As a Domination-level being, he still had a vast future ahead of him. There was no need to mix with an organization like the Ten Saints Council, which was simultaneously wanted by the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations.
At worst, he could just go far away, help another civilization rise, and stage a glorious return someday.
But now… he couldn’t be that rational.
The moment he thought of his current predicament, of the words his backer had just said, of the fact that all of this was thanks to Bai Fu, he felt an urge to blow everything up.
If he were to just leave now instead of finding a way to get revenge immediately, and watch Bai Fu rise higher and higher by stepping on him, sooner or later he would drive himself mad.
Unless…
Test the waters?
With that thought in mind, Kaide slowly raised his head.
“Strange… the dignified President of the All-Spirit Fellowship actually colluding with an organization like the Ten Saints Council. Aren’t you afraid I’ll just turn around and report you to the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations? That should earn me quite the credit.”
Rufas appeared utterly calm. “You won’t. You’re someone who values profit, and the Ten Saints Council can give you far more than the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations ever could.”
“So confident?”
“Why else do you think I’d be willing to cooperate with the Ten Saints Council?”
“Seems the Ten Saints Council’s secrets are far greater than I imagined.”
Rufas chuckled. “You’ve heard of the Cosmic Treasure that the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations all care about deeply — the 【Crystal Orb of Insight】, right?”
Kaide nodded.
Decades ago, the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations had clashed over the 【Crystal Orb of Insight】.
The 【Crystal Orb of Insight】 was said to be able to simulate the user’s optimal development path. Even for a Transcendent, it was a treasure that could drive one mad.
Many Transcendents, after advancing to the Transcendent rank, made no progress for decades — because they no longer knew how to get stronger.
A Transcendent held unparalleled power in their hands.
Each one was unique. Other developmental paths could only serve as references — copying them outright could lead to choosing the wrong path, blocking one’s road to ascension. That was why most Transcendents, once they hit a bottleneck, dared not act recklessly.
But with the 【Crystal Orb of Insight】, this fear would no longer be a problem.
Hearing Rufas’ words, Kaide’s expression changed. “You’re saying… the Crystal Orb of Insight is in the Saint’s hands?”
Rufas replied, “The Saint was originally the Empire’s partner. The reason he was suddenly wanted by the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations was because he stole the Crystal Orb of Insight that the Empire had just obtained.”
“Wasn’t it because he attacked the 【Radiance】 mainframe?”
“That was just the official story. The Saint attacked 【Radiance】 to divert the Empire’s attention so he could steal the Crystal Orb of Insight. In fact, he had chosen to partner with the Empire in the first place specifically for the Crystal Orb. But because this was such a humiliating loss, the Empire never announced the real reason. The Supernova Battle Group and Titan Industries knew the truth, but they also didn’t want the Crystal Orb in the Saint’s hands to fall into someone else’s — so they kept it secret too.”
Kaide suddenly understood.
Since the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations hadn’t made the truth public, the Saint, as the party involved, would never say a word — better to quietly make a fortune.
But one thing still puzzled him.
Why had the Saint come back now?
Could it be that he believed, with the Crystal Orb of Insight’s guidance, he could directly confront the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations?
Impossible. He was still a Transcendent after all; he shouldn’t be that stupid.
Rufas saw through Kaide’s thoughts at a glance and continued, “To shake off the Empire’s pursuit, the Saint fled into the Dark Zone. There, he encountered a universe-level civilization — the Holy City of the Apostles, a force no weaker than the Empire. He made a deal with them. This time, he’s returned carrying out the Holy City of the Apostles’ mission.”
Kaide fell silent.
He was weighing whether Rufas was lying to him.
If everything was true, then siding with Rufas and the Ten Saints Council was essentially siding with the Holy City of the Apostles.
That was a universe-level civilization. With them as his backer, even if Bai Fu fully sided with the Rebirth Empire, he would still have a shot at revenge.
Seeing Kaide still hesitating, Rufas added, “Even if you don’t work with us, we’ll still go after Bai Fu. She’s excellent fuel. But unless Bai Fu dies by your own hand, even if she dies, you won’t feel satisfied, right?”
That was true.
Kaide finally made up his mind — he would do something big with Rufas.
“I’ll take you to meet the Saint right now.”
Rufas sent him the coordinates, and Kaide turned his ship, heading deep into the starry sea.
…
Meanwhile—
Bai Fu was aboard her spaceship, tallying the spoils of this operation.
The Glorious Forces hadn’t been completely wiped out yet; some remnants were still trying to escape pursuit. But that no longer affected the overall situation.
She promptly settled all the sub-quests of the mission 【Fall of the Glorious Forces】. In short — claim the rewards first!
This battle saw Bai Fu take down 16 Calamity-class enemies from the Glorious Forces in one go. Adding in the bonus from Sub-quest 2, she raked in a total of 1.32 billion XP.
After advancing to Domination-level, defeating Calamity-class enemies didn’t yield much XP anymore.
She decided to use the billions of XP to synthesize new summoning cards and upgrade existing ones. As for leveling up her class… that XP would have to be squeezed out of the Players.
Players were like sponges — just squeeze hard enough, and XP would come out.
And since she had just advanced to Domination-level, it was the perfect time to hold a large-scale celebration event to get Players to generously hand over all their stored XP to her.
Sub-quest 3’s decapitation target was the Commander of the Glorious Forces. The rewards: 300 million XP, one random Psionic Construct Blueprint (Red), and two Void Dragon Potions.
Bai Fu tapped the blueprint.
In an instant, three options popped up before her eyes:
【1. Psionic Absorber (Red)】
【2. Mind Restraint Device (Red)】
【3. Mobile Palace (Red)】
The first was an automated device for absorbing and storing psionic power. But since she already had plenty of Players donating psionic energy for free, Bai Fu had no need for it.
The second was a mind-type weapon capable of forcibly altering a target’s faith — highly useful.
The third was exactly as its name implied: a psionic palace capable of moving, even traveling interstellar distances, fully able to replace a conventional spaceship.
Bai Fu’s gaze lingered between the second and third options.
After some thought, she chose the Mobile Palace. Mainly because her Psionic Attribute didn’t boost the Mind Restraint Device, and she didn’t need to forcibly convert followers. For control purposes, her White Nightmare and Black Night Infection were far superior.
The Mobile Palace’s greatest advantage as a means of transport was that it was immune to most Mechanics’ intrusions. As the wielder of the Virtual Heart, Bai Fu knew full well how troublesome high-level Mechanics could be. The last thing she wanted was for her spaceship to be turned into a remote-controlled bomb mid-flight.
【You have obtained a new Psionic Construct Blueprint [Mobile Palace (Red)]】
Next, Bai Fu checked the description of the Void Dragon Potion.
It could greatly boost Strength, Agility, and Constitution, and there was a decent chance it could awaken a Void Dragon’s innate talent — though it came with strict requirements.
“Fifty-one point eight percent chance of dragonification?”
Even with her Lucky Talent, Bai Fu wasn’t about to drink that recklessly. She needed to find something to suppress dragonification first.
Sub-quest 4’s destruction target was to annihilate the Glorious Forces. Bai Fu’s final contribution rate was 89.1%. The rewards: 1.782 billion XP, plot exploration progress, the Head of State’s skill cards 【Ultimate·Life Furnace】 and 【Planetary Rupture】, plus the special skill book 【Willpower Training Method·Fantasy Extreme Cold Hell】.
The skill cards needed no explanation. The training method, however, was valuable — it could raise Mental Resistance and Mental Attributes.
Unlike Heart of the Apostle and Path of the Apostle, this training method could be leveled by feeding it XP.
And it wasn’t just for her — once she mastered it, she could copy it for Anya, Vic, Cipris, and even the Players to use. After all, it was a skill book, not an awakening skill.
The reward for Sub-quest 5, Seeking Truth, was the precious Copy Card she had been eagerly awaiting.
She had already planned to use it to replicate a skill that could boost burst damage and sustain, but hadn’t yet found the right target — so for now, it went into storage.
After tallying her quest rewards, Bai Fu opened the game map to see where the Head of State was heading.
If his target was one of her two bases, she’d have to rush back ahead of him to stop him.
To her surprise, the Head of State’s target was neither the Tide of the Dark Moon base, nor the Taim Civilization, nor the Rebirth Empire.
“Huh? Where’s he planning to go?”
Bai Fu was a little confused.
Could it be that the Head of State had another secret base, or some hidden trump card?
She immediately activated the Virtual Heart she had planted earlier inside the spaceship the Head of State was riding when she spun him like a top.
Inside the ship, the Head of State sat quietly in the cockpit, adjusting his breathing, showing no unusual signs.
Bai Fu then accessed the ship’s navigation data and surveillance feed.
One look— and she was startled.
Damn, Rufas had gotten in cahoots with the Ten Saints Council, and even invited the Head of State to join?
What the hell— the Saint and the Rebirth Empire actually had such a grudge, and that bastard Saint had found a universe-level civilization in the Dark Zone?
Either piece of news was explosive enough on its own; together, for Bai Fu, it was a card she could trade to the Rebirth Empire for a lot of good things.
“I must contact the Empire Security Bureau immediately. Pull up Julian’s contact infor—”
Just then, Bai Fu suddenly noticed the lights in the cockpit went completely dark, and in her ears came an urgent in-game alert.
【Virtual Heart has been breached!】
Crap!
Bai Fu’s face changed drastically.
If even the Virtual Heart couldn’t hold, then the opponent was definitely a Domination-level Mechanic, or even a Transcendent-level Mechanic!
“Hurry, start the ship’s self-destruct protocol. Yulia, merge with me.”
Bai Fu issued the order without hesitation.
……
“Something’s happened. There’s something unclean on Kaide’s ship.”
At the fringes of the Edge Worlds, a man with an abnormally thin frame and a lollipop in his mouth showed a trace of surprise.
Standing beside him, Rufas asked, “The information leaked?”
“It’s already leaked, but it’s not completely beyond salvaging. I’ve already reverse-blocked the ship of the person who planted the backdoor. As long as we kill everyone on that ship during this time, it’s fine.”
“You plan to blow up the ship?”
“Blowing it up probably won’t kill that person. Judging by the backdoor’s level, it should be a Domination-level Mechanic.”
Hearing this, Rufas’ face darkened instantly.
Damn it, a Domination-level Mechanic— how the hell are you supposed to kill that?
It was over.
Soon, news of his secret collaboration with the Ten Saints Council would spread, and the location of the Ten Saints Council’s new hideout would also be exposed.
That jinx Kaide— fine if he brought bad luck on himself, but why did everyone who touched him end up unlucky too?
Rufas almost wanted to kick Kaide away right now.
The thin man shook his head. “What’s the rush? Who said I can’t kill a Domination-level Mechanic from afar? A Transcendent-level Mechanic is long past the point of just controlling machines.”
This was a world where “God” was real.
Mechanics who had grasped the power of “God” could transcend the boundaries between machinery, flesh, and spirit.
As he spoke, a square box appeared in the thin man’s palm.
“This little toy I made with the Virtual Invasion Seed and the Holy City of the Apostles’ Angel of Sorrow— even a Domination-level Mechanic is dead meat if they take a hit from it!”
He pressed lightly on the square box, and in an instant, countless silver-white threads stabbed into the portable console before him.
Seconds later, Rufas asked, “Well?”
The thin man bit his lollipop in half. “Interesting. I saw it clearly— the one who planted the backdoor was Bai Fu. She triggered the self-destruct in time and even tried to shut down the backdoor, but the virtual channel was already established. It’s too late. Her only ending is death!”
Although he couldn’t witness Bai Fu being blown to pieces with his own eyes, he had absolute confidence in his own skill.
“Bai Fu?”
Rufas was stunned.
Then the corner of his mouth twitched.
He had been planning to use Bai Fu as fuel to start the 【Descent Ritual】, and now she was just… dead?
Forget it— plenty of people could serve as fuel, she wasn’t irreplaceable.
Rufas said, “Even though Bai Fu’s dead, for safety’s sake, have the Saint relocate the hideout.”
“Suit yourself.” The thin man shrugged. “You go talk to him. I’m not going. I have no interest in that kind of lunatic.”
Rufas didn’t rush to contact the Saint. Instead, he called Kaide first.
He cursed Kaide out, then told him the news of Bai Fu’s death.
“Bai Fu… dead?”
Kaide froze, momentarily dazed.
He had accepted Rufas’ invitation precisely so he could kill Bai Fu with his own hands— and now he was being told she was already dead?
What a joke!
Bang!
Kaide slammed his fist into the floor.
Fine.
If Bai Fu was dead, then he would take revenge on those who supported her— the Arcane Library, the Star Pact, and the Rebirth Empire!
……
Even though her reaction was swift, the countless silver-white threads that suddenly shot from the control console still blasted Bai Fu away.
“What the hell?!”
Bai Fu stared in shock at the continuous in-game prompts before her eyes.
【You have suffered Psionic Corruption】
【You have suffered Virtual Rewrite Impact】
【You…】
In an instant, damage numbers floated above her head, thousands by thousands, dropping fast. Even though she had immediately activated Psionic Shelter and her Fictional Health Bar, it was useless.
The Fictional Health Bar emptied in moments, and she felt the world spinning. Strange, chaotic thoughts flooded her mind— for an instant, she even wanted to slit her own throat.
Bai Fu clenched her teeth hard.
She instantly pulled out the 【Ultimate·Life Furnace】 she had just looted from the Head of State.
Use!
Boom!
A thunderous sound roared from deep within her body, as if infinite energy surged in from all directions, finally condensing into a scorching vortex.
Her HP regeneration rate jumped nearly tenfold, the health bar climbing by tens of thousands at a time.
With this overwhelming life force surging through her, her mind cleared.
Without a second thought, she used Transform into Black Night, her body turning into an abstract existence. She abandoned most of the “Black Night” to block the silver-white threads head-on, while a small portion shuttled her dozens of astronomical units away.
【You have suffered…】
The damage prompts continued for dozens of seconds before stopping when her HP was down to just 5%.
“Good thing I have the Death Immunity talent, and used Transform into Black Night to dodge the second strike— otherwise I’d really be done for this time.”
As a half-energy, half-physical being, a sharp drop in HP didn’t inflict much in the way of debuffs. After cursing angrily a few times, she dove into the void to absorb void energy and recover.
A few minutes later, when she emerged again, Bai Fu was back to her lively self.
…Well…
Not exactly lively.
“My ship!”
Silent Night had been blown to pieces, and the Virtual Heart was damaged. It could be repaired, sure, but repair work wasn’t free. Even though she had plenty of money from robbing the Head of State, this was an expense she shouldn’t have had to pay.
Bai Fu’s hair practically stood on end from anger.
Less profit was a loss, and loss put her in a bad mood.
“Neither the Head of State nor Rufas has the ability for this, and the Saint isn’t a psionic-tech hybrid either. Damn it— who did this?”
While summoning one of the ships she had launched earlier from the Glorious Forces’ headquarters to come pick her up, Bai Fu kept monitoring the Head of State’s movements.
Don’t think just disabling my Virtual Heart temporarily means you can rest easy, Head of State. I’ll always be watching you— and you’d better believe you won’t meet a good end!
Before the pickup ship arrived, she received a call from Yin Zhu and the others.
“I’m fine. I’ve already shaken off the Head of State and am on my way back to Ulysses. We’ll talk about the rest when I return.”
“Spaceship? The spaceship exploded. Small matter, no need to worry.”
“Mm, La Nie? We don’t seem to have much connection, do we? The Administrator sent you here, and the Administrator contacted an old friend in the Empire?”
Bai Fu suddenly understood.
No wonder the Head of State hadn’t gone to seek the Rebirth Empire’s help, but instead colluded with Rufas and the Ten Saints Council— it turned out he could no longer get support from the Rebirth Empire.
She quickly expressed her thanks.
“By the way, could you help me ask the Administrator about something?”
Bai Fu suddenly thought of Yuan Yi’s broad knowledge— perhaps he knew who the person that attacked her was.
“Bai Fu, what is it you want to ask me?”
Suddenly, Yuan Yi’s virtual figure appeared beside La Nie.
Bai Fu told Yuan Yi about what had just happened to her.
“Silver-white threads? From your description, the one who attacked you is most likely the Transcendent Mechanic— Shadowstorm Corona. How did you provoke him?”
“I’ve never even met him.”
Bai Fu spread her hands, without directly explaining the situation. Now that she knew the other party was a Transcendent-level Mechanic, this wasn’t the kind of thing to say over a communicator.
She planned to first return to Ulysses, build the Mobile Palace, then let Black Fu take her place for interviews, host events, and appear publicly to boost her reputation— while she herself would personally head to the Rebirth Empire to meet with Julian.
Taking down the Ten Saints Council was certainly beyond her alone, but if she could invite the Rebirth Empire to join…
【I’ll slaughter my way through!】
“Could it be that Kaide has taken refuge with Corona? If I’m not mistaken, Corona hasn’t appeared for over a decade, and now his first appearance is to target you…”
Yuan Yi shook his head with a smile.
Compared to that, what he should be more surprised about was that Bai Fu had actually survived unscathed from Corona’s sudden attack.
What kind of foundation was this?
This Seeker Bai Fu’s original strength was far greater than he had imagined!
“A storm is coming.”
These old monsters were popping up one after another— even if there was nothing major, they’d still stir up something big.