Chapter 271: Bai Fu’s Full-Power Eruption — Crushing Strength
Kabaye’s palm was several dozen meters long, and it was a psionic summon beast of the strength-enhancement type to begin with.
When it swung its arm with all its might, the space swept by that palm seemed to distort at that very moment.
Zephyr sensed the danger.
But with such a short reaction window, there was no way for a Psionic Priest like him to dodge purely with speed.
He could only rapidly deploy a Psionic Shield while continuously creating new psionic pillars between himself and Kabaye’s palm to absorb the impact.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Zephyr conjured dozens of psionic pillars in succession, yet still could not halt Kabaye.
That massive, rough beast claw was like dark clouds suddenly blotting him out, and with a crisp crack that pierced straight into his bones, his body shot backward like a cannonball.
His Psionic Shield shattered along with the bones all over his body.
Yet Zephyr was, after all, a Domination-level Psionic Priest — his fragility was only relative when compared to other psionicists of the same rank.
Even while flying backward, he channeled vast psionic power into himself.
Under that psionic infusion, his bones and flesh regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye, and on his HP bar, the steep drop just now rebounded rapidly.
“That was close!”
Zephyr exhaled sharply.
Fortunately, he was a genuine war-of-attrition king.
Otherwise, this round of sparring would have ended with him being KO’d outright.
Granted, Bai Fu had injured him with a sneak attack, but however you put it, he had still lost in that moment — losing to a psionicist who had only just advanced to Domination-level.
How could he have the face to keep mixing in the Ethereal Realm Research Society after that?
Good.
Having endured Bai Fu’s sudden eruption, it was now his turn!
He wasn’t the only one thinking this way — most of the others shared the thought.
Bai Fu had exploded once already; surely she couldn’t…
Turns out she could!
At that instant, everyone was stunned to see the Prayer Angel Bai Fu had summoned second charge after Zephyr at near-blink speed.
In terms of sheer size, the Prayer Angel was smaller than Kabaye, and in terms of build, less brutish.
But only when seeing it up close did these top-tier Psionic Priests realize how terrifying it truly was — the aura it emitted far surpassed anything Kabaye could muster!
In truth, when she had first advanced to Domination-level, the Prayer Angel Bai Fu fused from her Prayer Card had been weaker than Kabaye.
The reversal was due partly to her updating the Prayer Card blueprint after returning to Ulysses Star, and partly to the over-the-peak buff from the Sprout of Divine Fire.
Could a +11 red card Prayer Angel not outclass a +10 orange card summon?
Money and experience were power, brother!
“Crap, crap, crap!”
Zephyr’s inner alarms blared.
Earlier, even when balanced, he had failed to avoid the sudden strike — how could he dodge now, off-balance as he was?
The Prayer Angel swung both fists, and in an instant, pummeled Zephyr thousands of times in an “ora ora ora” barrage.
The first thousand punches smashed his freshly-cast Psionic Shield into mist!
The remaining thousands ground his newly-regrown flesh and bone into powder once more!
“Damn it, I’ll blow us both up!”
Fury surging, Zephyr switched to a self-destructive fighting style, planting several psionic shock bombs right there, the blasts forcing him and the Prayer Angel apart.
“I can’t just sit here taking hits — I have to seize the initiative, reclaim the tempo!”
While restoring HP, he hurled one terrifying psionic skill after another toward Bai Fu, each like a natural disaster crashing down from the heavens.
Zephyr followed the traditional mage path — utterly unlike Bai Fu.
In large-scale army combat, his instantaneous burst was much stronger than Bai Fu’s before she obtained Ethereal Spirit Surge.
Psionic Legions were powerful, but still had to advance step-by-step.
His skills, on the other hand, struck straight down on enemy heads — simple and efficient.
Unfortunately, this time his opponent was Bai Fu.
Bai Fu had no quick-heal combat skills, but when it came to trading blows, she never flinched.
Skills to the face?
“Go ahead and hit me.”
She stood there, watching to see if he could kill her.
With Fictional Life and Void Shelter overhead, Bai Fu stood with arms crossed in a rain of psionic spells like falling stars, her face utterly indifferent.
The other Psionic Priests watching were dumbfounded.
Seriously, lady…
Thinking of Bai Fu’s past combat record and battle videos, the spectators realized they had nothing to say.
This was just how this woman fought.
Instead of worrying Bai Fu might get crushed by Zephyr’s attacks, better to worry about Zephyr over there.
Kabaye and the Prayer Angel struck from left and right, keeping Zephyr from staying in any one spot for more than half a second.
Even so, despite showing the nimbleness of a dancer on a blade’s edge, damage numbers kept floating up from above his head.
Bai Fu’s Psionic Legion, after all those buffs, was no joke!
Psionic beams wove together like a dense laser grid sweeping the starry sky.
Movement-restricting skills rained down in concert with the Eye of Sorrow and the debuffs from dark-attribute psionics, making Zephyr’s life miserable.
“Holy—”
“What is this?”
“She revived it again?”
The longer he fought, the more Zephyr’s shock and frustration grew, until even his breathing was ragged.
At first he had tried to cut down Bai Fu, but when she showed no fear, he switched to targeting the Prayer Angel.
Yet no matter how many times he smashed it to pieces, Bai Fu would pour psionic power into it and have it resurrect on the spot.
How was he supposed to fight like this?
Could the king of attrition really outlast Bai Fu until she drained herself dry?
“She really only advanced to Domination-level a few months ago?”
Even the usually-calm Painter was moved.
Some of the other Domination-levels exchanged dazed glances — among them were those far stronger than Zephyr, yet even they felt a chill.
If it had been them sparring with Bai Fu, even if they won, they’d have no pride in boasting afterward.
What kind of old fool, decades a Domination-level, would brag about barely beating a newcomer?
As time went on, the effects of the Eye of Sorrow, White Nightmare, and dark-attribute debuffs began to fully show on Zephyr.
Bai Fu checked the time — over two minutes had passed.
It was time to end this fight.
“Explode!”
She suddenly detonated the stacked layers of Extra-dimensional Verdict within Zephyr.
Since turning that talent from passive to active, its biggest upgrade was being able to time it perfectly.
Like now — from her higher-dimensional view, she saw a flaw in Zephyr’s psionic flow, and immediately triggered it.
The blast put him into a brief 【Off-Balance】 state, unable to channel any psionic power.
The Dark Force Field instantly invaded, locking Zephyr completely immobile.
It was over!
Zephyr’s face changed drastically.
Just as Bai Fu prepared to give him the ultimate experience with Dark Burn, Curse Lord Olsen stepped forward.
A wave of gray mist fell, instantly collapsing Bai Fu’s Dark Force Field.
Zephyr seized the chance to break free, anger boiling over — he tried to counterattack Bai Fu, but the gray mist coiled back, shattering the psionic energy he had just gathered.
“No need to keep going — this round goes to Bai Fu,” Olsen said coldly.
“I haven’t lost!” Zephyr shouted. “That hit wouldn’t have killed me. Give me time, and I—”
Bai Fu cut him off.
“You sure you haven’t lost? You do realize I still have a clone that hasn’t acted yet — or else…”
She gave him a meaningful smile, letting him ponder the rest.
Zephyr’s expression shifted again and again.
The clone… that Hei Fu clone.
He wanted to argue, but couldn’t find any ground.
With the power Bai Fu had just shown, if she added Hei Fu on top, his head would be flying.
Zephyr shut his mouth.
Damn it.
He’d come to help the Supernova Legion test Bai Fu’s strength, but instead of saving face, he’d exposed his backside.
He felt deeply, psychologically scarred — the Legion had better compensate him!
As for his grudge with Bai Fu…
Once he calmed down, his main feeling wasn’t hatred, but dread.
Bai Fu was growing too fast!
That was everyone’s unanimous thought.
What kind of monster was this?
This sort of playstyle was a blow to the self-esteem!
Of everyone present, the happiest was Whitney.
When the fight began, she had only hoped Bai Fu could perform decently and not lose too badly.
Never in her wildest dreams had she thought Bai Fu would be the one pounding Zephyr down.
At this rate, this investment in Bai Fu was paying off big time for her!
"Is there a possibility that by the time the Empire officially launches the Heroic Soul Plan, Bai Fu will have already advanced to Transcendent and become one of the project’s overseers? Then..."
No.
That was not the kind of thought she could afford to have.
She couldn’t set her expectations too high.
Even so, Whitney couldn’t stop herself from hoping.
The sparring ended there.
Zephyr was left speechless, and naturally, no one else would reject Bai Fu’s entry into the Ethereal Realm Research Society.
In fact, instead of refusing, they actively went up to make friends with her.
With Bai Fu’s combat strength being so exaggerated, her understanding of psionics was bound to be considerable.
And on top of that, Bai Fu was a special Psionic Illustrator who could create Prayer Cards, which made her even more worth befriending.
Although the Society already had one Transcendent-level Psionic Illustrator, the 【Painter】 wasn’t easy to approach.
And owing a favor to a Domination-level was always easier to accept than owing one to a Transcendent.
Her brief chats with these people were quite fruitful.
She exchanged some rare Prayer Cards for blueprints of higher-grade psionic storage devices, more foundational psionic advancement knowledge, and a few skill books that didn’t suit her fighting style but would be very suitable for Yulia or Players to learn.
Through these conversations, Bai Fu gained a preliminary understanding of everyone present.
To say “preliminary understanding” was actually to say she compared the favorability she saw through Apostle’s Spiritual Vision with the person’s actual words to judge whether they were sincere or not.
The one she became most wary of was the 【Painter】 whose true name she still didn’t know.
The seemingly kind and amiable Painter had, ever since she defeated Zephyr, had his favorability toward her steadily drop until it hit -29.
She didn’t know whether it was because he had some kind of relationship with Zephyr or because he had ulterior motives — either way, she needed to stay on guard.
What surprised Bai Fu was that Curse Lord Olsen, whom Whitney had described as not very approachable, actually seemed to have a favorable impression of her.
Olsen’s expression never betrayed his emotions when speaking, yet his favorability toward her was the second-highest in the Ethereal Realm Research Society, a full 31, labeled as 【Appreciation】.
She hadn’t expected someone who worked with curses to turn out to be such a stand-up guy.
Aside from Olsen, the highest favorability toward her came from a Domination-level Psionic Rune Warrior named Alexei, from the Empire, leader of an enormous mercenary organization.
"Interested in making a deal with me?"
As the exchange meeting neared its end, Olsen suddenly walked over.
Whitney, Yulia, and Anya all eyed the towering, skeletal-looking Olsen with caution.
Bai Fu replied calmly, "What does the Curse Lord wish to trade for?"
Olsen said, "I’m very interested in that black eye you summoned during your spar with Zephyr. If you’re willing to teach me the summoning technique, any curse I know, any knowledge I possess, any item I own, you may freely choose one. Of course..."
He paused, then, surprisingly, smiled. "My most-worn robe, my most-used curse sigil, and my daughter are off-limits."
That remark drew laughter from those nearby.
According to rumors, Olsen doted heavily on his only daughter.
Bai Fu didn’t laugh along.
She was seriously considering Olsen’s proposal.
The Eye of Sorrow wasn’t exactly her most guarded trump card, so trading it to Olsen was definitely worthwhile.
After all, Olsen was a Transcendent II, on par in strength with Annihilation and Chong Xiao.
Whether it was his knowledge, his curses, or his collection, anything he gave would be highly sought after.
What Bai Fu was debating was what to ask Olsen for in return.
A skill that extended the duration of Blessing of the Mind?
She could just use a Shameless Card to copy that — no need.
Cutting-edge psionic knowledge?
With the upcoming Empire Grand Exploration Plan, she could accumulate points and trade for it from the Empire — again, no need.
A tool to reduce the draconic activation of the Void Dragon Potion?
She could request that from the Empire as well, or even buy it at an irresistible high price.
After thinking it over, she realized there were only two things she truly lacked.
One was an advanced skill.
The other was the Void Resonance Consciousness.
The former could directly increase her combat strength.
The latter would let her quickly unlock the next stage in the chain of quests involving Scarlet Leaf, Scarlet Leaf’s elder sister, Rufas, and the Void.
That questline had very generous rewards, so completing it quickly would be a huge profit.
She decided to try for the latter first.
"I’d like to exchange for the Void Resonance Consciousness," Bai Fu said. "Would the Curse Lord happen to have it?"
"Void Resonance Consciousness?" Olsen frowned, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, but it will take some time. Half a month, how about that?"
"No problem."
Bai Fu agreed immediately.
On this trip to the Empire, she didn’t plan to leave right away.
She intended to open a branch office for Dark Moon Tide here to coordinate missions with the locals — that way she wouldn’t have to shuttle back and forth worrying about the Mechanics stealing intelligence.
Now she could build the branch while waiting for Olsen.
After the deal was settled, Olsen’s gaze turned to Yulia.
Yulia: "?"
Olsen said, "Your talent is exceptionally rare. If possible, I’d like to take you as my final disciple."
Bai Fu: "..."
Seriously? You’re trying to poach my right-hand woman?
This was her number one assistant, main wife, and most reliable partner — no way!
Yulia, perfectly in sync with Bai Fu, declined immediately.
She knew the secrets of her body couldn’t be casually revealed.
Besides, she didn’t need a teacher.
Her leveling relied on eating psionic crystals, and Bai Fu never let her go hungry.
If she encountered something she didn’t understand, she could always ask Bai Fu, who had never let her down.
Compared to an ordinary teacher, Bai Fu could also… cough, that was something best left unsaid.
Olsen was clearly disappointed, but didn’t press further.
After Olsen left, Alexei — the one with the highest favorability — also came over to greet Bai Fu.
He wasn’t here to discuss cooperation, just to establish rapport.
His meaning was that they were both in the mercenary or private military business, and could support each other in big jobs down the line.
Bai Fu smiled and nodded — in her line of work, an extra friend was never too many.
"When did you get so strong, boss?"
After the meeting, back aboard the mobile palace, Anya looked at Bai Fu with worship in her eyes.
"Your boss has always been this strong."
Bai Fu grinned proudly.
This sudden display had completely made her name, bringing plenty of benefits — but also no small risk.
Who knew how Titan Industries would react, but the Supernova Legion would definitely grow even more hostile.
She’d have to stay on guard.
"It’s necessary to move the headquarters out of Ulysses," she said.
On that note, Whitney strongly suggested she move it directly into the Empire.
But considering the Grand Exploration Plan and the coming conflict between the Three Universal Civilizations and the Apostle Holy City, Bai Fu vetoed the idea.
Moving to the Empire would mean much longer travel time to dispatch people to the Dark Zone — better to wait and see.
In the days that followed, Bai Fu rapidly completed the new branch office.
Meanwhile, the Empire reached a preliminary consensus on the Apostle Holy City.
The discovery of a new universal civilization was too significant to ignore.
Rather than wait for the enemy to strike first, it was better to take the initiative.
To better implement the Grand Exploration Plan, the Empire decided to commit more forces to the Edge Worlds.
However, the Empire did not intend to go to war with the Supernova Legion or Titan Industries at this time.
So it had already dispatched envoys to negotiate a new pact with the other two powers — a pact that might well end the Taim Civilization’s civil war.
Bai Fu nodded.
This intel from Whitney was crucial.
She needed to rack up as much contribution as possible before the war ended, so she could get the maximum payout when the main storyline settled.
A few days later, Bai Fu finally saw Olsen again.
He had brought the promised Void Resonance Consciousness — and along with him came his daughter, as well as…
What the—?!
Bai Fu’s eyes widened.
On Olsen’s daughter, she spotted the very skill she’d been longing for — one that extended burst duration.
【Blessing Specialization Lv1】: Extends the duration of blessing-type psionic skills by 50%.
And that wasn’t all — the other skills and talents on Olsen’s daughter were all excellent, full of various buff-type passives.
So the old curse master had a daughter covered head-to-toe in blessings, huh?
Bai Fu turned her head to look at Olsen, who was happily studying the summoning method for the Eye of Sorrow.
Your daughter is amazing — oh, I mean, your daughter’s skills and talents are amazing!
Forget it — just stick… no, just quickly copy it!
Bai Fu eagerly walked over to Olsen’s daughter.
Olsen immediately became alert.
Having lived for hundreds of years, he instantly noticed that Bai Fu’s gaze was off.
Then, he remembered certain rumors involving Bai Fu and romantic matters.
You damned brat!
My daughter is your fan, she came here specifically to see you — and what exactly are you planning to do to her?
While waiting for the Shameless Card’s loading bar to finish, Bai Fu noticed Olsen’s expression.
Hey, hey, what’s with that look?
Do I look like the type who likes eating fried noodles?
A few copies won’t even cost her a single piece of clothing — just copy it and be done.
Next time I get a new Shameless Card, I’ll come back and copy again!
Under Olsen’s glare, Bai Fu left, thoroughly satisfied.
"Next time, big sister will come visit you again."
Olsen: "..."
Better if you don’t!
After finishing her trade with Olsen, Bai Fu bid Whitney farewell and headed straight to the Star Pact’s Initial Gate branch with her team.
She could hardly wait to use the Void Resonance Consciousness to awaken Scarlet Leaf’s elder sister and find out what exactly Rufas had done.
While she was traveling, word of her beating Zephyr in the Ethereal Realm Research Society was gradually spreading.
Although Zephyr tried hard to cover it up, the other members of the Society still used it as gossip and leaked the story.
Zephyr’s face was dark as iron, but there was nothing he could do — he could only watch as he became Bai Fu’s stepping stone.
【Bai Fu is actually this strong?】
【Kaide’s loss doesn’t seem unfair now】
【Not just fair — he should be glad Bai Fu is a reasonable person who only acts against him with solid evidence. If it were someone else with this kind of strength, his head would have been smashed long ago】
"Another big wave of reputation points, thanks to Saint Fre!"
Bai Fu laughed and joked as she arrived at the Star Pact’s Initial Gate branch.
"What’s making you so happy?"
It had been a long time since Scarlet Leaf had seen Bai Fu, and the moment Bai Fu arrived, even her steps seemed lighter.
Bai Fu took out the Void Resonance Consciousness.
"Got something good — it can awaken the consciousness of your elder sister, who’s sleeping inside you."
"What?"
Scarlet Leaf was stunned, completely unprepared for things to develop this way.
Because of her sister’s death, she had felt guilty for many years.
It wasn’t until Bai Fu appeared that she had slowly begun to emerge from that suffocating shadow.
"Then let’s start right away!"
Following the item’s instructions, Bai Fu used the Void Resonance Consciousness on Scarlet Leaf.