Chapter 294: Death of the Apostle, Bai Fu in the Spotlight
Hearing the Painter give a definite answer, Rufas could not help but reveal a pleased smile.
What he had just said to the Painter about not underestimating his intelligence network was by no means posturing.
In the years he had been active in the Edge Worlds, not only had he concealed his own strength, but he had also concealed his forces.
The combined strike from the Three Universal Civilizations had shattered his All-Spirit Fellowship into fragments, yet the underground organizations he had secretly built still thrived.
The infamous assassin organization in the entire Supernova Legion, 【Liande】, was established by him.
The renowned industrial conglomerate in Titan Industries, 【All-Metal】, was established by him.
Even the somewhat well-known dance troupe 【Aurora】 and the investment company 【Zero Degree】 in the Rebirth Empire were also established by him!
Beyond these large corporations and organizations, Rufas indirectly controlled dozens of smaller companies and minor factions through various means.
Combined, the power these groups generated far surpassed the All-Spirit Fellowship he publicly led.
For so many years, his ability to live so carefree, maneuvering easily between major factions, owed much to the efforts of this hidden force under his control.
This time, the reason he had come to the Painter was because his spy planted inside the Rebirth Empire had sent word that the Painter had fallen out with the Empire, and that behind the Painter there was likely an Apostle.
Apostle?
The moment he received this message, Rufas’s eyes lit up.
To him, the most pressing matter was not troubling the Supernova Legion, the Apostolic Holy City, or Bai Fu, but rather finding a way to completely master the Void Lord Core within his body.
As long as he fully grasped it, his strength would advance another step. At that point, whether or not he could defeat the Supreme Apostle of the Holy City was uncertain, but teaching Bai Fu and the Supernova Legion a lesson would be no problem.
At first, Rufas’s plan had been to summon an Apostle through the Pillar of the True Spirit, then use the Apostle’s power to help him gain mastery over the Void Lord Core.
However, the Rebirth Empire had suddenly appeared and snatched away the Pillar of the True Spirit, forcing him to think of ways to reclaim it from them first.
Now, things were simpler. Since the Painter had an Apostle backing him, as long as Rufas could seize that Apostle…
What Pillar of the True Spirit? It was no longer needed. Wasn’t it better to cut out the middleman and save the markup?
Once he gained control of the Void Lord Core, Rufas’s next step would be to make trouble for Bai Fu.
“If I can snatch that relic she brought back from the Spiritual Sanctum out of Bai Fu’s hands, then even the Apostolic Holy City will not scare me!”
Indeed, after being framed by the Apostolic Holy City, Rufas quickly realized that the relic from the Spiritual Sanctum was most likely in Bai Fu’s possession.
But he deliberately offered no explanation, silently letting Bai Fu shoulder the blame.
This was not out of kindness, nor was it because he had any feelings for Bai Fu. He had no time for some ridiculous love story. He only wanted to become stronger and crush everything in his way.
Rufas refrained from clarifying because if others discovered the truth, they might go after Bai Fu first and steal the relic from the Sanctum, making it a hundred times harder for him to obtain it.
Better to let Bai Fu keep it for now. Although Bai Fu was growing rapidly, at best she was still just a Lord. Robbing something from a Lord was far easier than from an old monster like Demetri.
Gathering his thoughts, Rufas immediately piloted his ship to rendezvous with the Painter.
He could no longer wait to smash that Apostle behind the Painter to pieces.
Yes, Apostles were strong—but with the Void Lord Core in hand, Rufas was no slouch either. With the Painter’s support, and the option of hiring Corona for a hefty sum, he had little to fear.
Corona was the very definition of a “money-lover.” As long as the price was right, he would even punch himself.
To Rufas’s surprise, after talking with the Painter, he learned that the Apostle behind him had suffered a grievous wound that was extremely difficult to heal.
Heaven itself was helping him!
At that moment, Rufas sincerely thanked Bai Fu from the bottom of his heart.
If not for Bai Fu, the Painter would never have been forced to reveal the secret of having an Apostle behind him.
The Rebirth Empire had deceived him, the Supernova Legion had insulted him, the Apostolic Holy City had hunted him. Only Bai Fu had not troubled him—instead, she had brought him this crucial information!
Fumen!
Rufas made up his mind: when the time came to kill Bai Fu, he would use the simplest, cleanest method, allowing her to suffer as little pain as possible.
……
Rebirth Empire, Capital Ring, 【Shining Stars】 space city cluster.
After landing their ship, Bai Fu and Demetri headed straight for the Psionic Research Center.
Inside, she met Senate heavyweight Buvalo, as well as several Psionic Prayer-users she had seen before at the headquarters of the Ethereal Realm Research Society. Among them was Curse-Lord Olsen.
The moment he saw her, Olsen walked over with deep guilt: 「If it hadn’t been for my introductions, the Painter would never have had the chance to ambush you.」
Bai Fu smiled and replied: 「Although the process was a bit thrilling, I did indeed obtain the Prayer Card blueprint. Lord of Curses, you need not blame yourself.」
She comforted him with a few words. Then Buvalo spoke in a clear voice: 「Since everyone is here, let us move directly to the main topic.」
At once, all chatter ceased. Everyone turned their eyes toward Buvalo.
Of the thirty or so present, most knew only that the Empire had a special plan. Aside from a handful, they did not know what the plan actually entailed.
Under their gaze, Buvalo summoned the virtual image of Radiance, the mainframe. After a series of complex verifications, a massive virtual screen appeared before Radiance.
《Ethereal Realm Development Plan》
Bai Fu: 「？」
As the words faded, Radiance began to explain the details.
The plan was based on a special discovery by the Empire.
Roughly fifty years ago, while debugging dark-energy research equipment, an Imperial psionic researcher noticed that no matter how he adjusted the machine, its readings were always outside the normal range. At first, he thought the machine was faulty, but after expert inspection, he realized the problem was not with the device but with what it was observing—
A “constant” within the dark-energy equation had suddenly changed value!
Startled by this discovery, the Empire immediately organized a professional team to investigate. Through their research, they captured dark energy for the first time.
Yet that was not the most significant discovery. The crucial finding was that, through resonance with dark energy, the Empire located an independent lifeform that had escaped from the Ethereal Realm.
This “independent lifeform” referred to an entity capable of existing in the Ethereal Realm without relying on an Apostle.
From this lifeform, the Empire learned much about the Ethereal Realm.
For example, the conflicts between Apostles had risen to the surface, turning the Ethereal Realm into utter chaos.
For example, although Apostles were powerful and versatile, they still could not compare to a flawless Transcendent who had undergone five divine metamorphoses.
For example, the Ethereal Realm was a secondary space attached to the main universe. Unlike the ever-expanding cosmos, however, it remained constant. The tides of space produced by the clash of psionic energy and dark energy could not affect its stability.
These findings did not deepen the Empire’s understanding of dark energy, but they did grant a rough picture of the Ethereal Realm.
So even the mightiest Apostles were not as invincible as imagined.
So the Ethereal Realm was in chaos—hundreds of times more chaotic than the explored universe itself.
With these realizations, the Empire’s upper echelon began to form ideas.
Perhaps they could take advantage of this chance to develop the Ethereal Realm, channel its power, and allow the Empire to undergo a unique “Ascension”!
From the birth of this idea, the Empire had been secretly preparing. They had originally planned to implement the project two years later (Bai Fu estimated this to correspond with version 0 of the game), but external threats now forced them to launch it ahead of schedule.
This was risky.
After all, the Empire’s current understanding of the Ethereal Realm was still only theoretical. Starting early meant some security measures would not be fully in place.
Therefore, the Empire intended to slow the execution of the plan and narrow its scope.
This way, even if problems arose, the risks would be easier to manage.
Radiance’s explanation caused a stir throughout the research center.
Even Curse-Lord Olsen, who already knew a little of the plan’s content, could not help showing surprise after hearing the full picture.
This was an opportunity.
For the Rebirth Empire, it was an opportunity. For these Psionic Prayer-users, it was equally an opportunity.
If they could gain unique psionic knowledge or tools from this development project, their power would surely increase.
Bai Fu, however, remained calm. She was busy browsing a newly unlocked quest.
【You have triggered the Rebirth Empire Main Quest［Path to the Ethereal Realm (I)］】
【Quest Introduction: ……】
【Quest Objective: Complete the first-stage Ethereal Realm development task arranged by the Rebirth Empire】
【Reward: 1.5 billion XP, Contribution】
The first stage of the Ethereal Realm development quest was divided into two steps. The first step was to increase the synchronization frequency of the Dark-energy Seed distributed by the Empire. The second step was that, once all participants’ Dark-energy Seeds had been synchronized to a certain degree, the “counteracting effect” between dark energy and psionic energy could be used to open the gateway into the Ethereal Realm.
For Bai Fu, the difficulty of this quest did not lie in herself. She could increase the synchronization frequency of her Dark-energy Seed very quickly. The key was how much time the others would take.
She put away the Dark-energy Seed for now. After all, she still had several other quests left unfinished, so there was no rush to do this one.
After explaining the Ethereal Realm Development Plan, the remaining time was spent on supplementary work such as identity registration and confidentiality matters.
Several hours later, accompanied by Demetri, Bai Fu left the Psionic Research Center and took a stroll around the nearby Ethereal Research Institute.
It had been quite some time since she handed over Rufas’s Void Research data to the Empire. During this period, the Empire had invested considerable effort into perfecting the Void Converter blueprint.
As of today, the Empire was only one step away from fully completing the blueprint.
Void power was a form of energy no weaker than psionic power, and in destructive force it was considerably stronger.
If the Void Converter could be put to use, the Empire would be able to develop large quantities of Void weapons, and further, research and manufacture a whole army of Void warriors.
But though only one step remained, how long it would take to cross that step was impossible to predict.
Perhaps a researcher might have a flash of inspiration tonight and complete the blueprint.
Perhaps researchers might study it for eight or ten years and still make no progress.
“There’s no helping it. If I want to ascend to Transcendent soon, I’ll have to gamble on blueprints.”
Bai Fu felt a bit helpless.
Even though she now already possessed complete mastery of six branches of advanced psionic knowledge, gambling for a Colored Prayer Card blueprint was still a purely luck-based random event.
Recently, she had accumulated ten billion XP. She wondered if that would be enough to draw a Colored Prayer Card blueprint.
After leaving the Ethereal Research Institute, Bai Fu made a trip to the Empire’s homeworld.
The Empire had brought in two Lords whose advancement to Transcendent had been stalled by racial potential, hoping she could provide some guidance.
For her, it was nothing more than a small effort. So she did not decline. But to emphasize her image of “great toil and service,” when guiding the two Lords, she put on an Oscar-worthy performance.
Sweat poured down, her lips turned pale, her gaze went unfocused, her breathing was unstable, and for a time she seemed unable to control the psionic energy within her body…
This sight made Demetri’s eyelids twitch violently.
That strong of a reaction?
When he had seen Bai Fu guide Transcendents through divine metamorphosis before, though it took a long time, her body had shown no reaction. He had assumed it would be just as easy for her to guide these Lords.
He had underestimated it.
“Maybe you should stop?”
Demetri suggested. He worried that if something happened to Bai Fu, no other Transcendent would ever be able to receive guidance again.
Bai Fu waved her hand weakly and said in a feeble voice: “It’s fine, nothing serious. Just hold on and it’ll pass.”
The two Lords she guided had already been extremely grateful to her. Now, they practically regarded her as a reborn parent.
Sobs—it was so moving!
Half an hour later, Bai Fu wiped the sweat from her forehead. The Empire had immediately delivered a large batch of enhancement potions, from which she picked out some useful ones for the two Lords as a finishing touch.
“These should be enough. If it really doesn’t work, come find me again.”
Seeing Bai Fu sacrifice so much, the Empire, to show sincerity, immediately delivered several shiploads of supplies to her.
“You’re too kind, far too kind!”
Though she said they were too kind, Bai Fu had absolutely no intention of refusing the gifts.
Putting on a single performance in exchange for shiploads of materials to upgrade her Divine Staff, as well as earning a massive favor—this deal was worth it!
Bai Fu said: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll return first?”
The Empire’s host replied: “Once everyone’s Dark-energy Seeds have reached the required synchronization frequency, we will notify you.”
Bai Fu nodded and took a ship to leave the Empire’s homeworld.
……
Several days later.
In a dark-space zone near Titan Industries.
The Painter and Rufas floated in midair, overlooking the ruins below.
Both of them were scarred and exhausted, yet their faces could not conceal their excitement.
Success!
They had truly joined forces and killed that injured Apostle!
If not for the presence of others nearby, both the Painter and Rufas would have burst into wild laughter.
“I’ve already helped you kill the Apostle. Now it’s your turn to help me.” Rufas smiled and turned his head.
The Painter said: “What do you want my help with?”
Rufas replied: “It’s nothing difficult. I want to obtain the Crystal Orb of Secrets in the hands of the Sage.”
The Painter frowned: “Aren’t you on the same side as the Sage?”
Rufas laughed: “Not anymore.”
Heh.
A true scoundrel who stopped at nothing.
The Painter inwardly scorned Rufas, but agreed.
Just then, her communicator suddenly rang.
“What happened? Bai Fu? She… what?!”
The Painter’s face turned more solemn than ever before.
Rufas’s heart skipped a beat. After spending days with the Painter, this was the first time he had seen such an expression.
“What about Bai Fu?”
The Painter said: “A friend inside the Rebirth Empire told me Bai Fu has the ability to guide others in breaking through their racial potential.”
Breaking racial potential—that meant Bai Fu could help Lords advance to Transcendent?
Rufas immediately understood.
Such an ability was enough to disrupt the balance of the Three Universal Civilizations. No wonder the Painter’s expression had turned so grim.
Realizing this, he asked:
“Your friend must hold a high position within the Rebirth Empire, right?”
The Painter neither confirmed nor denied it.
Rufas pressed no further. He merely raised his wariness toward the Painter by several levels.
To be able to place a spy within the Empire’s core decision-making circle—what kind of power was that?
He knew the Painter was backed by some force, but now it seemed that force had far deeper roots than he had imagined.
The Painter paid Rufas no more attention. She worked her communicator, instructing someone to relay this news to Titan Industries. She believed Titan Industries would be very interested in helping her eliminate Bai Fu.