Chapter 314: Is This the Body of Bai Fu’s Apostle?
The Holy Land of the Holy City of Apostles.
Not long after Sui Xi set out, the assistant of the Supreme Apostle immediately reported the news to him.
“Your Excellency, Saint Sui Xi has already departed for Rayas.”
The Supreme Apostle said: “Just report to me once a day on her situation. How are the Tribunal and the Ten Saints Association preparing?”
The assistant respectfully replied: “The Ten Saints Association has already mapped out the route. This morning, the Tribunal dispatched the first batch of people to verify it. Once verification is successful, we can immediately cross the Dark Zone and directly strike at the rear of Titan Industries.”
Speaking up to this point, the assistant could not help but laugh.
“The three cosmic-level civilizations could never have dreamed that while we were building a transfer station in the Tub Galaxy, we were also secretly opening up another route that leads straight into their backs.”
The Supreme Apostle nodded with indifference.
He had always liked making multiple preparations in all that he did.
This time was no exception. In order to attack the three cosmic-level civilizations, he had dispatched three separate forces.
Yet at the start, the one he had most favored was Cathedral Number Four, heading for the Tub Galaxy. The one he had least favored was the Tribunal’s force.
But the one he had most trusted had ended up exposing itself early because of an accident, and had even been played by that mysterious Bai Fu, forced to watch helplessly as the Black Hole was blown up. Meanwhile, the least favored force had now become the smoothest in progress.
Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.
As the saying went: misfortune might be a blessing in disguise.
Looking back now, all Bai Fu had managed after all her efforts was merely blowing up a Black Hole. She had not caused any substantial loss to the Holy City of Apostles—in fact, she had indirectly helped them.
Her actions in the Tub Galaxy, and the waves of chaos she had stirred up recently, had drawn too much attention, creating the perfect opportunity for the Holy City of Apostles to work in the shadows.
“If Bai Fu knew this, I wonder what she would think?”
The Supreme Apostle was not a man with malicious hobbies, but he was quite interested in the act of wounding hearts without spilling blood.
The next time he met Bai Fu, he must applaud her—for the contribution she had made to the Holy City of Apostles.
“You may leave. I wish to be alone for a while.”
“Yes.”
After the assistant left, the Supreme Apostle stood in place for over ten minutes before turning and heading into the depths of the Holy Land.
Passing through a corridor with over a dozen gates, he entered a gloomy chamber—utterly different from the grand magnificence of the Holy City of Apostles.
This chamber was a secret room unknown even to the Number Four Apostle.
At last, the Supreme Apostle stopped before a sapling of intertwined black and white, which from above looked like the taiji of yin and yang fish.
He reached out, carefully sensing it.
“The number of Faith Seeds is still short by 19.2512%.”
“And then there is the Divine Flame—it is lacking even more.”
“But none of this is a problem. I have already found the Key of Destiny. As long as I seize any one of the three cosmic-level civilizations, by that time…”
For the first time in a long while, a smile appeared on the Supreme Apostle’s face.
In cooperating with the Ten Saints Association, he had given them enormous aid, yet apart from granting him the usage rights of the Crystal Orb of Secrets, they had not accomplished a single thing. Worse still, the emergence of Rufas had robbed him of the cosmic treasure he had coveted for ages.
By his temperament, he should have already taken ruthless action against the Ten Saints Association.
That he had tolerated them until now, not only sparing them but repeatedly giving them opportunities, was entirely because they had brought him one person—
Sui Xi!
“I will ultimately become the true sovereign of this starry sea!”
Black and white reflected in the Supreme Apostle’s eyes, radiating a demonic aura that chilled the bones.
……
At the same time.
Somewhere in the Rayas star region.
“As expected, their souls have all been tampered with.”
Looking at the group of senior researchers of the Holy City of Apostles who had just been captured, Bai Fu let out a helpless sigh.
She had anticipated it, but she had not expected the Holy City’s secrecy measures to be this thorough.
All these senior researchers carried a special buff called 【Dark Energy Toxin】. Anyone who tried to unlock the “locks” on their bodies to forcibly read their memories would be corroded by the toxin.
The Dark Energy Toxin had two effects.
The first: it could gradually “solidify” the victim’s body, ultimately turning them into dark energy residue.
The second: it could steadily erode the victim’s strength, causing their rank to fall.
These two effects were extremely stubborn, unavoidable even for transcendent-level Psionic Priests.
To completely break this toxin, one must have both a profound understanding of dark energy and extremely strong hands-on skill. Missing either would mean only waiting helplessly as the toxin destroyed them.
Bai Fu’s hands-on skill was naturally superb—anyone who had seen it would vouch for that.
But as for her understanding of dark energy…
It could be said that while her breadth of knowledge was adequate, her depth was sorely lacking, since she had not yet mastered advanced dark energy knowledge.
The good news, however, was that while she could not uncover why the Holy City of Apostles was forcibly transforming Faith Seeds, she did manage to learn from them where advanced dark energy knowledge was kept.
“Each cathedral has advanced dark energy knowledge. Right now, the most hollowed-out one must be Cathedral Number Four, since the Fourth Candidate Apostle is busy in the Tub Galaxy with several Transcendents.”
Cathedral Number Four lay relatively close to the Holy City’s core region. For Bai Fu, infiltrating it was not too difficult.
The problem was—stealing advanced dark energy knowledge would definitely trigger alarms.
And once alarms were triggered, reinforcements from the Holy City would soon arrive.
“Icon-class Mothership!”
The instant this name surfaced in her mind, Bai Fu’s expression darkened.
During her interrogation of the senior researchers, she had also uncovered another piece of intel: the Icon-class Motherships of the Holy City of Apostles could warp instantly across billions of light-years.
Like sending a single arrow into the clouds—an army would answer the call!
So although Cathedral Number Four seemed empty now, if a fight broke out, within half an hour, dozens of Transcendents would swarm there.
“No wonder the mission rewards are so high. This task is far harder than expected.”
Bai Fu opened the newly triggered quest.
【Journey of the Pathseeker】
【Quest Description: …】
【Quest Objective: Steal any advanced dark energy knowledge from the Holy City of Apostles】
【Reward: 15 billion XP, rare skill [Devouring of Dark Energy]】
【Devouring of Dark Energy】 was a sustained-burning skill that used dark energy. It granted a massive boost to Inspiration and could drastically reduce an enemy’s mana recovery rate, even preventing it altogether—a truly formidable ability.
Such a skill was a chance encounter not to be sought, wholly worthy of the label “rare.”
Bai Fu coveted both the advanced dark energy knowledge and this skill. So she was not deterred by the difficulty of the mission.
The mission was hard—but she was not one to shy away!
She was only there to steal, not to kill. Once she obtained the target, she could simply have Hei Fu summon her back.
Thus, the key now was to locate where Cathedral Number Four kept its advanced dark energy knowledge—before reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, the trip would be wasted.
It was worth noting: although called a cathedral, Cathedral Number Four was actually a colossal structure larger than common red giant stars. To find hidden advanced dark energy knowledge within such a massive place would be no easy feat.
“Before taking action, I must first confirm where the advanced knowledge is stored. I also need to stir up enough commotion to distract the Holy City, so they cannot immediately deploy Icon-class Motherships to reinforce Cathedral Number Four.”
Who should she ask about the location of the knowledge?
Bai Fu opened the game map.
The highest-ranking Apostle from the Rayas star region was already in her custody. Clearly, no useful intelligence could be extracted here.
Better to search elsewhere. If all else failed, she might even try contacting Senlan again, the one she had tricked before, and perhaps…
“Eh?!”
Bai Fu exclaimed in surprise.
Her unusual reaction drew the attention of everyone around her.
“Big Sis, what happened?” Ying Fu asked, looking at her curiously like a little child.
Bai Fu smiled and said: “A seed planted years ago now seems ready to blossom and bear fruit.”
Just now, she noticed that the light point representing Sui Xi flickered once. When it reappeared, it was already in the starry skies near the Rayas region. Judging from this, Sui Xi was clearly heading for Rayas.
As a Saint of the Holy City of Apostles, Sui Xi should know how to find the advanced dark energy knowledge in Cathedral Number Four, right?
“We’re going!”
……
“The ship will land in one minute, the ship will…”
The mechanical electronic voice echoed repeatedly throughout the cabin.
Sui Xi gazed with excitement at the land beneath her feet.
Ever since joining the Holy City of Apostles, she had long awaited this moment.
Although she was now exalted as a Saint of the Holy City, most of the Apostles still looked down on her, thinking that as an outsider she had no right to ascend in a single step and become the disciple of the Supreme Apostle.
To be honest, she herself also found it strange why the Supreme Apostle had chosen her. Her talent was indeed excellent, but compared to the “monsters” of the Holy City, she was still far behind.
But she did not dwell on it.
Whatever the reason the Supreme Apostle had chosen her, this act had brought her into the core circle of the Holy City of Apostles.
Now, what she needed to do was seize this opportunity to prove herself, to further raise her status within the Holy City.
Only then would she have a chance to reach the fragment of the True Spirit Molt in their collection, and complete the mission entrusted to her by Bai Fu’s Apostle.
Speaking of Bai Fu…
Sui Xi recalled the news she had received not long ago.
That news further confirmed that Bai Fu was indeed an Apostle, and also hinted that the Holy City of Apostles concealed another Apostle.
She had once wavered, torn between continuing to serve Bai Fu, or instead following the Apostle hidden within the Holy City.
But in the end, she had chosen to help Bai Fu.
She followed the Apostle not for their power, but because she hoped the Apostle could reshape this war-torn starry sea.
She had never met the Apostle of the Holy City, and could not judge whether they were good or evil. But even if that Apostle were kind, surely they could not be kinder than Bai Fu.
Soon, the ship landed on the ground.
Accompanied by the Domination-level being traveling with her, Sui Xi disembarked. Waiting respectfully outside the ship was the colonial governor stationed in Rayas by the Holy City of Apostles.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Sui Xi went straight to the point.
She was not here for sightseeing, but to suppress the remnants of civilizations seeking revenge on the Holy City.
Dealing with such remnants demanded speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
“Take me to the scene.”
Sui Xi was swift and decisive.
Half a day later, she had already sorted out the situation and arranged her plans.
While awaiting her subordinates to execute the orders, she stepped into a tavern rich in Rayas cultural flavor.
Traveling was tiring, and she had busied herself long enough—some relaxation was due.
Sui Xi sat down on a stool.
Before she could even order, a fair hand suddenly reached out.
“I’ll treat you.”
She frowned.
A pickup attempt?
How annoying.
“No need, I have money myself.”
As she tried to push away the hand before her, she finally caught sight of the figure beside her.
“B-B-B-Bai…”
She froze.
This face could only belong to Bai Fu’s Apostle—so why was she here?
Bai Fu chuckled: “Relax. Aside from you, no one can see my real appearance. Speak freely, the others won’t notice anything. I used Illusion Arts on them when I entered.”
“Bai Fu’s Apostle, I’ve missed you so much!”
Sui Xi clenched her sleeve nervously in excitement.
Bai Fu nodded: “You’ve worked hard. I had wanted to contact you for a long time, but never found the chance—until today, when you arrived here. You came to investigate the Rayas raid, right? Actually, that was my doing. I disguised myself and deliberately misled the Holy City.”
Upon hearing this, Sui Xi grew even more excited.
They had not met for years, yet Bai Fu confided such a secret to her without a shred of doubt.
Such trust…
Shameful indeed.
She had once considered distancing herself from Bai Fu’s Apostle. What kind of person was she?!
Of course, she could not imagine that Bai Fu trusted her simply because her Favorability rating toward Bai Fu was as high as 99.
Ninety-nine! If that was not enough for trust, then what was?
Sui Xi said nervously: “Bai Fu’s Apostle, since you did this, doesn’t my presence here ruin your plan, I…”
Bai Fu replied: “Don’t worry. You didn’t ruin my plan—in fact, your arrival helps me a great deal. I want to ask you something.”
She shared her plan to raid Cathedral Number Four, but did not mention that her true goal was the advanced dark energy knowledge. She casually dropped a question when speaking of it.
To her delight, Sui Xi indeed knew where the knowledge was.
In fact, there was no hiding at all—each cathedral had a dedicated place for storing knowledge. But such information was known only to insiders.
Bai Fu asked: “How are you faring in the Holy City?”
Sui Xi answered: “Very well. I’ve gained the appreciation of the Supreme Apostle. This is my first time leading an external mission.”
“I see. But it must still be dangerous. My strength has recovered faster than expected, so even if you don’t continue infiltrating the Holy City, it wouldn’t matter.”
Bai Fu placed her hand over Sui Xi’s.
A warmth surged through.
Hiss!
Sui Xi’s breathing quickened, her cheeks flushed, and her legs tightened involuntarily.
Bai Fu’s Apostle was too good to her!
“Bai Fu’s Apostle, I have an unreasonable request, I…”
“Speak.”
“May I hug you?”
Sui Xi looked at Bai Fu with eyes full of yearning.
Bai Fu smiled: “Of course.”
She leaned over and embraced Sui Xi.
Sui Xi’s body shuddered violently, then gradually relaxed.
In that brief embrace, she cast aside all thoughts and wholeheartedly savored the moment.
So this was what an Apostle’s body felt like.
After a while, Sui Xi released Bai Fu, her gaze now even more resolute.
“Bai Fu’s Apostle, rest assured, I will definitely get that fragment of the True Spirit Molt from the Holy City for you!”
Her tone was firm, unwilling to accept persuasion.
Bai Fu said: “Then leave me a Soul Copy. That way, even if you suffer mishap in the Holy City, I can find a way to resurrect you.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Sui Xi agreed, not the least bit worried about what Bai Fu might do with her Soul Copy.
After placing Sui Xi’s Soul Copy into the Paradise Ark, Bai Fu and Sui Xi discussed a new plan.
Since Sui Xi wanted to prove herself in Rayas, Bai Fu would let Ying Fu cooperate with her in staging a performance—raising both Sui Xi’s and Van Buren’s status in the Holy City, while diverting attention to Rayas to create her chance to raid Cathedral Number Four.
“Bai Fu’s Apostle, don’t worry, I won’t let your efforts go to waste!”
Sui Xi’s face was filled with loyalty.
After a few more words, Bai Fu rose to leave.
At the doorway—
Yulia, who had been waiting all along, sighed speechlessly.
“She’s so dazzled by you she can’t tell north from south.”
Bai Fu spread her hands: “I didn’t harm her, did I?”
Though she had deceived Sui Xi’s feelings, she was in fact helping her.
Apostles were never good things.
Had Sui Xi truly followed an Apostle, her end would most likely have been to flash her HP bar before the Players and then be swarmed and beaten to death.
“Alright, let’s head to Cathedral Number Four now.”
Bai Fu quickly left with Yulia and Anya, leaving Ying Fu behind in Rayas to assist Sui Xi.