Chapter 298: Proof that Rufas and Bai Fu Were in Cahoots!
According to Rufas’ original plan, he intended to wait until he had fully mastered the Void Lord Core, raising his power to the stage of four Divine Moltings, before attempting to capture Bai Fu.
That way, even if he failed, he could still rely on his superior strength to retreat safely, without worrying about stumbling into a trap and needlessly losing a body.
But an unexpected change occurred on the Painter’s side, prompting Titan Industries to make a move against Bai Fu.
ㄴThis couldn’t be allowed!
Titan Industries was one of the Three Universal Civilizations. If Bai Fu was truly captured by them and locked away in the Black Chamber, the difficulty of Rufas scheming after Bai Fu’s powers and the Cosmic Treasure she carried would increase tenfold.
He couldn’t wait any longer. He had to strike hard immediately!
Rufas devised two plans.
The first was to seize Bai Fu before Titan Industries could.
The second was to ambush Titan Industries after they succeeded and snatch Bai Fu from them.
He thought for a long while, but ultimately dismissed the first plan.
The main issue was lack of time.
He had plenty of confidence he could defeat Dmitri. Though both had undergone three Divine Moltings, Rufas had molted much earlier, and in addition, he possessed a host of Void abilities.
But even if he could win, it would take considerable time.
If Titan Industries suddenly arrived while he was still locked in battle with Dmitri, that would spell disaster.
Better to ambush Titan Industries’ path.
After their fierce battle with Annihilation, Titan Industries was bound to be exhausted. That would be his chance. They would never expect him to strike then. By the time he snatched Bai Fu and bolted, the risks would be minimal.
"It’s all about exploiting an information gap!"
Rufas’ thinking was flawless.
And Rufas’ execution was flawless as well.
He stationed himself right on Titan Industries’ retreat path. His appearance was so sudden that Thunderblade, Zero, and Xuequan—who had been busy shifting blame onto one another—froze and stared at him blankly for ten whole seconds.
Normally, ten seconds was more than enough time for a Transcendent to accomplish many things.
Forget one Bai Fu, Rufas could have abducted ten Bai Fus in that time.
But what he hadn’t accounted for was—
Bai Fu? Where was his Bai Fu that was supposed to be here?
He scoured the spaceship inside and out with every means at his disposal, yet he found not the slightest trace of Bai Fu. Forget Bai Fu—he didn’t even see a “human” resembling her, nor any tool capable of concealing someone!
Standing in the ship’s corridor, Rufas vividly enacted a scene of “Drawing his sword, looking in all directions, heart bewildered.”
After several seconds of silence, Rufas lifted his head, faced Thunderblade, and asked very seriously: "Where is Bai Fu?"
Thunderblade instinctively replied: "Didn’t catch her."
I’ll be damned…
Rufas flushed with fury on the spot, rage surging skyward, his hair standing on end and sharpening his head into a spike.
Didn’t catch her?
In that moment of silence earlier, he had considered countless possibilities.
Perhaps Titan Industries had anticipated this and split into two groups after succeeding—one to draw attention, the other to quietly spirit Bai Fu away.
Perhaps they had deployed a special teleportation device to whisk her off the instant they succeeded.
Or perhaps he had simply failed to recognize some tiny mechanism capable of hiding her.
In his imagination, Titan Industries was formidable and cunning. But now they were telling him it wasn’t that complicated at all—they had simply failed.
Damn you to hell!
Rufas cursed outright.
Then what was he even doing here?
In an instant, Rufas realized he had to flee.
At the same time, Thunderblade and the others came to the same realization: damned Rufas had invaded, and his target was Bai Fu. Beat this bastard!
"Home of the Lost!"
Thunderblade roared.
This time, Xuequan’s cooperation was flawless. Before Thunderblade even finished shouting, she had already summoned forth the Home of the Lost.
That was how angry she was.
As the granddaughter of the Chairman of the Industrial Committee, Xuequan had always been proud and aloof. Yet this time, not only had Bai Fu scared her into retreat, but Thunderblade and that broken robot Zero had spent half the time mocking her. She had been simmering with rage with nowhere to vent it.
Oh, Rufas—you came at the perfect time. Let her vent it all on you!
With the Home of the Lost active, Rufas’ spatial-shuttle talent, the same as Bai Fu’s, lost its ability to lock onto coordinates.
He flashed once, only to land awkwardly right between Thunderblade and Zero.
Damn it…
Thunderblade and Zero weren’t about to show him courtesy. They immediately called upon everyone aboard to strike Rufas together.
And so, a great battle erupted.
Rufas truly was stronger than Dmitri. Even so, only by throwing everything they had at him could Thunderblade and the others barely fight him to a draw.
But that was enough. They didn’t expect to kill Rufas outright—only to stall him until Titan Industries’ reinforcements arrived. Then Rufas would be finished.
If they could kill Rufas, this trip wouldn’t have been fruitless.
As for falling out with the Rebirth Empire over Bai Fu, that wasn’t their problem to consider right now. The blame lay with the internal spy who leaked their plans!
If not for him, the Empire and Bai Fu wouldn’t have been forewarned. And if they hadn’t known, even if Bai Fu had suddenly slain Gagliani, they still would’ve had a huge chance to capture her. At worst, they could have stalled and called in reinforcements.
Rufas panicked.
Titan Industries could afford to drag things out. He couldn’t.
There was no choice. At this point, if he wanted to escape before reinforcements arrived, he had to use the Psionic Source Point he had just obtained from an Apostle.
That Source Point had been meant to help him suppress the Void Lord Core’s power. Using it now wouldn’t completely drain it, but it would certainly have consequences.
Rufas was consumed with wrath—wrath that made him thirst for blood.
Today, not only would he break free, he would leave Titan Industries with a bloody lesson!
Thunderblade and the others had never imagined Rufas had such a trump card. By the time they realized, it was already too late to turn things around.
"If only Gagliani were here, we’d never be so passive."
But what meaning did that hold now?
Under the stimulation of the Source Point, the Void Power within Rufas boiled over.
With every gesture, he could summon terrifying power from the Void Dimension. With a wave, space itself became like putty in his hands.
Under the combined assault of Void Power and Spatial Severing, the frailest among the trio—Xuequan—was the first to collapse.
No!
Stay here any longer, and she would surely die!
Xuequan gritted her teeth and made the same choice as before—
ㄴYou take care now!
"？"
Damn it!
Watching Xuequan vanish, Thunderblade and Zero’s heads nearly split open.
How were they supposed to fight with a teammate like this?
Even with three working together, they couldn’t withstand Rufas’ sudden eruption of power. Now, with one of them fleeing, there was no way.
In that instant, Thunderblade and Zero both realized they were most likely done for.
But the good news was, when faced with the choice of staying to kill them both or chasing after Xuequan, Rufas chose the latter.
"What do we do now?" Zero looked at Thunderblade.
Cool it.
Things had already escalated beyond saving—how could they possibly chase after Xuequan?
Thunderblade sneered.
If the Chairman insisted on accountability, he could just walk away from Titan Industries altogether.
Zero asked: "Then how do we report to the Committee later?"
Thunderblade replied: "Just report truthfully. How could this be blamed on us? Who could have predicted Rufas was really in cahoots with Bai Fu? The moment Bai Fu was in danger, he came faster than anyone—even faster than Oathmaster and Yuan Yi. Damn it, what rotten luck."
Zero opened his mechanical mouth.
Truly, no one could have predicted this.
Back then, the Apostolic Holy City had claimed Rufas was Bai Fu’s backer. They had all thought it was nonsense. But now…
Enough.
Let’s go.
After a quick discussion, the group dragged their wounded bodies and sped toward the nearest planet with interstellar flight.
……
Elsewhere.
Xuequan fled.
Rufas pursued.
The chase lasted a full ten minutes.
In the end, Rufas still couldn’t catch her. Though poor in battle, Xuequan’s escape skills were top-notch.
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Her illusion skills and endless tools frustrated Rufas to no end. Fearing interception by Titan Industries’ reinforcements, he was forced to abandon the pursuit.
"Damn you all, this isn’t over! I’ll be back!"
Rufas cursed furiously and flashed away.
It was only long after Rufas left that Xuequan dared to reappear.
Although Rufas hadn’t killed her, he had left her gravely wounded. She urgently needed to find a safe place to rest.
Reuniting with Thunderblade and the others was out of the question for now. She would hide on a nearby inhabited planet for a while, then return to Titan Industries.
Just as Xuequan gloomily prepared to leave, she spotted a very familiar spaceship.
Wait—that was the ship Bai Fu and Annihilation had been aboard, wasn’t it?
Why was it here…
"Didn’t expect this—love around the corner!"
Bai Fu chuckled.
She and Dmitri had come because they suddenly sensed the energy fluctuations of a Transcendent battle. They assumed the Empire’s reinforcements had arrived and clashed with Titan Industries, so after discussing it, they decided to approach and take a look. To their surprise, they stumbled upon the isolated Xuequan.
Perhaps this was fate!
Look, Xuequan was injured. Why not…
Bai Fu called to Dmitri, and the two of them charged straight at her.
"Don’t come any closer!"
Xuequan’s face drained of color, panic-stricken as she tried to flee once again.
Her strength surpassed Gagliani’s, but only slightly. Against Dmitri, she had no power to fight back. Her only reliance lay in her illusions and escape tools.
Unfortunately, before Bai Fu’s 【Heart of Supreme Purity】, her illusion arts were drastically weakened.
Trying to run?
Heh!
"Kabaya, block the path!"
Surrounded and spun like a top by Bai Fu and Dmitri, Xuequan finally screamed as her body was shattered. Her soul was locked away by Bai Fu using the power of the Paradise Ark, becoming Gagliani’s companion.
"Bai Fu, I was wrong!"
Even her soul voice trembled within the “glass orb” prison.
"It’s not that you know you were wrong—you’re just afraid of dying. But don’t worry, I won’t kill you."
Bai Fu smiled soothingly to calm Xuequan’s fear.
What an excellent candidate for forced labor—killing her outright would be such a waste.
Although killing her would yield a massive amount of XP, Bai Fu thought it more profitable to keep Gagliani and Xuequan alive.
First, she wasn’t yet ready to launch all-out war against Titan Industries. After all, the Apostolic Holy City and the Painter were still major external threats.
Second, more than XP, what she craved now was resources—especially materials that the Sacrificial Staff could devour. The Empire had such resources; as another Universal Civilization, Titan Industries surely did as well. She planned to exchange Gagliani and Xuequan for resources powerful enough to upgrade the Sacrificial Staff into a Cosmic Treasure.
These were two Transcendents—surely Titan Industries wouldn’t be stingy?
If they refused, then Gagliani and Xuequan would be sentenced to forced labor even harsher than the Beast God endured.
If she didn’t squeeze every last drop out of them, she wouldn’t be Bai Fu, the white-faced black-hearted!
At that moment, Dmitri suddenly said: "This woman is the granddaughter of Titan Industries’ Chairman. With her, the Empire will have more leverage in negotiations with Titan Industries."
So that was the case?
Bai Fu’s eyes lit up. Her blackmail plan suddenly felt much more secure.
Paradise Ark + Sacrificial Staff, and if she could later seize the Esper Garden, then with three Cosmic Treasures in hand, even facing opponents like Rufas alone, she would have no fear.
Bai Fu felt her future was dazzlingly bright.
Dmitri said: "I’ve already arranged a rendezvous with the rescue team. No time to waste—let’s go."
Bai Fu nodded.
After so much fighting, it was time to check on the progress of her Life Sublimation.
Back on the ship, Bai Fu waited nearly twenty minutes. At last, the Life Sublimation progress bar reached 100%.
Ding!
A game notification sounded.
【You have completed a special sublimation, stepping into a brand-new realm of life. Your race has been changed to [Eternal Night (Exclusive Race)]!】
【Race transformation complete. You have gained Stat Bonuses——
Strength +322, Agility +341, Constitution +517, Intelligence +276, Spirit +281, Inspiration +892】
【[Eternal Night (Exclusive Race)] is a special advancement of [Aberrant Night Watcher (Bai Fu)] and inherits all of its characteristics.】
Reading this, Bai Fu sighed in relief. She had worried the evolution might erase some of her favorite talents, such as 【Become Night】 and 【Super Aggregation】. One was her top escape ability, the other greatly boosted her HP recovery. Losing them would have been a shame.
But not only had her previous abilities carried over, the new race unlocked several new ones.
Each 1 point Constitution = +20 HP. Each 1 point Inspiration = +30 Psionic Value.
New Talent: 【Ethereal Adaptation】
New Talent: 【Pure Baptism】
New Talent: 【Seed of Divinity】
The effects of the three new talents were remarkable.
【Ethereal Adaptation】: Bathed in the Ethereal Realm’s psionic wash, Bai Fu was now fully attuned to its space. She could walk the Ethereal Realm freely, like an Apostle.
This was a perfect prerequisite for exploring the Ethereal Realm.
【Pure Baptism】: Having taken another step on the path to the God of Psionics, Bai Fu’s harmony with psionics deepened. From now on, her efficiency in learning, analyzing, and crafting psionic knowledge and artifacts doubled. Her Psionic Knowledge Chain’s attribute bonuses were also adjusted so Strength, Agility, Intelligence, and Spirit now had equal ratios.
【Seed of Divinity】: A unique talent that paired with 【Birth of a Divine Envoy】, unlocked from 《Frontier Knowledge: Divine Theory》. It drastically enhanced any 【Divine Envoy】 she created. Normally, only summoning-path Psionic Priests used this, but conveniently, Bai Fu also practiced summoning.
Moreover, 【Seed of Divinity】 could evolve further. Once it bloomed and bore fruit, the Divine Envoy could grant attribute boosts back to Bai Fu.
"Excellent!"
Bai Fu’s eyes sparkled.
The only pity was that since she hadn’t undergone a single Divine Molting yet, she could only designate one Envoy (Shadow Bai).
She opened her Attribute Panel.
【HP】: 2,252,437 / 2,252,437
【Psionic Value】: 3,234,819 / 3,234,819
【Qi】: 107,775 / 107,775
【Stats】: Strength 3524, Agility 3551, Constitution 6129, Intelligence 2622, Spirit 4307, Inspiration 10418
Compared to when she had just fused the Enhancement Potion developed from the Beast God, her stats had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
Her Inspiration rose by 1900, HP by 34%, Psionic Value by 120%.
With Life Sublimation complete and her racial potential unlocked—this was a true Transcendent!
Bai Fu stretched out her right hand.
Psionic power pulsed in her palm, and space itself bent like a toy.
Even without the Sacrificial Staff, she could now defeat Gagliani or Xuequan.
"A seed nurtured for years finally blossomed today!"
At that moment, Bai Fu felt she had grown taller and grander.
As she reveled in boundless joy, Dmitri once again widened his eyes.
Another wave of Transcendent energy—and this one was even stronger than the one from an hour earlier. Unlike before, he was certain this time it came from Bai Fu.
"It hasn’t even been that long, and she’s grown even stronger?!"
Dmitri’s face was filled with shock.
When he had first heard Bai Fu killed Gagliani, he had already doubted reality. Now, he was at a total loss for words.
Bai Fu always surpassed expectations. Truly, comparing oneself to her was maddening!
Dmitri couldn’t even muster jealousy.
Silently, he drew out his communicator. Whatever else, he had to report these changes to the Imperial Senate.
Meanwhile, with Dmitri contacting the Imperial Senate, and Thunderblade and the others linking up with Titan Industries’ reinforcements, a storm stirred up by Bai Fu swept across the entire explored universe—reaching even the Apostolic Holy City.