Chapter 331: Dog Bites Dog, Bai Fu’s Calculation
When Bai Fu reached out, Dmitri was in the middle of discussing with the people from the Supernova Legion and Titan Industries how to use a propaganda campaign to boost morale.
“Oh, it’s Bai Fu contacting me.”
He raised his communicator.
The others in the conference room quickly urged him to bring Bai Fu into the virtual meeting room so they could discuss together how to carry out the propaganda.
As soon as Bai Fu appeared, she got straight to the point: “Forget about propaganda for now. I’ve thought of a way to destroy that new passageway carved open by the Holy City of Apostles!”
Her words instantly exploded in the virtual meeting room.
Even Dmitri, who had always placed extreme trust in Bai Fu, could not help but widen his eyes.
Saintess Bai Fu, this was no time for jokes!
To destroy that new passageway, brute force was the only option. But the problem was, if they had the strength to break through the defenses of the Holy City of Apostles, would they really be in such a passive situation now?
Bai Fu laughed. “With just the strength we have now, it is indeed impossible to destroy that passageway. But what if we borrow the power of the First Protocol?”
There were not many people in the conference room. All of them were the very core of the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations, those who had proven themselves reliable during the previous fishing operation. They were all people who could be trusted.
Therefore, Bai Fu did not conceal her plan of action.
After listening to her, Dmitri and the others were first stunned, then ecstatic.
It did not matter whether the Holy City of Apostles and the First Protocol would collude in the future. As long as they clashed now, then they truly stood a decent chance of destroying the painstakingly dug passageway of the Holy City of Apostles.
If the passageway was destroyed, then the Holy City of Apostles could only attack them head-on in the future.
That would buy them several months of time. In those months, under Bai Fu’s guidance, their strength would inevitably reach a higher level. They could also use the dark energy knowledge Bai Fu had obtained to develop a large number of highly targeted dark energy weapons.
Even if their luck was poor and they failed to destroy the passageway, just watching the Holy City of Apostles and the First Protocol bite each other would make the trip worthwhile—it would be a profit no matter what!
The look in Dmitri’s eyes toward Bai Fu changed.
If before it had been reverence, now it had transformed from reverence into veneration.
He no longer viewed Bai Fu as someone on the same level as himself, just slightly ahead. In his eyes now, Bai Fu was a godlike existence!
“To lead the Rebirth Empire to annex the Esper Garden and march to the peak—was Emperor Ignatz anything more than this?”
The feelings of Titan Industries’ president Delano and the Supernova Legion’s chief Fitz were far more complicated.
Damn it.
The Rebirth Empire really struck gold by being the first to establish ties with Bai Fu!
Fortunately, with foreign enemies pressing in, they could also benefit from Bai Fu’s guidance. Otherwise, facing the Rebirth Empire under Bai Fu’s blessing, what would they even have to fight with?
“Start preparing. I’ll notify you as soon as I receive the news.”
Bai Fu exited the meeting room, hurrying off to rendezvous with the Oathmaster.
After the war began, the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations had opened several fast routes, greatly reducing travel time.
Thus, in just half a day, Bai Fu and the Oathmaster, heading toward each other, met at the border between Titan Industries and the Empire.
“I was really worried before. Thank goodness you’re alright.”
The Oathmaster walked toward Bai Fu with a smile. She had originally intended to stand on tiptoe and pat Bai Fu’s shoulder affectionately.
But as soon as she raised her hand, her expression changed.
Something was off!
“Your aura…”
The Oathmaster noticed it—Bai Fu’s energy fluctuations had grown even stronger!
On the road to the Esper Garden, she had flared up once. Leaving the Esper Garden, she had flared up again. And now, just one day later, she had flared up yet again.
Was this even reasonable?
“How did you grow stronger again? Did you awaken some kind of cheat that doubles your strength every time you’re on the brink of death?”
The Oathmaster stared fixedly at Bai Fu.
Bai Fu rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you think I’m a Saiyan?”
The Oathmaster was envious. At this moment, she truly wanted to grab Bai Fu and take a little of her blood to study.
Even Apostles couldn’t open up like this. If they could, wouldn’t this world have already been ruled by Apostles, with everyone converted into their believers?
Bai Fu accepted the control rights of the Esper Garden from the Oathmaster, then contacted Ai.
“It’s time to move.”
“Leave it to me!”
Ai’s eyes gleamed with dazzling light. This was also the perfect chance for his revenge!
…
Tap, tap, tap!
The rapid footsteps jolted Death God Isaacs awake from his feigned nap.
He whipped his head toward the door and saw his trusted aide standing there with an excited look on his face.
“C-captain, good news! Word just came in from below—they accidentally spotted that traitor Ai at a spaceport in the Yanxu Star Zone!”
“What?”
Isaacs immediately stood up.
“Good, that brat finally showed himself. So he’s been hiding in the Yanxu Star Zone all this time? Showing up now must be due to the influence of the Holy City of Apostles. Haha, heaven is helping me!”
Isaacs laughed loudly as he reported the news to the leader of the First Protocol.
But since it was merely a traitor who did not know much about the organization, the leader did not pay much attention, casually assigning two idle Pathseekers to assist Isaacs before moving on to other matters.
The urgent priority was still to find a way to eliminate Bai Fu, that lawless woman!
Before setting out, Isaacs made a point of contacting Ai’s ancestor.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“No interest.”
“If I accidentally kill your descendant…”
“Then let him die. Anyone who opposes the First Protocol deserves death.”
Isaacs gave Ai’s ancestor a thumbs-up.
“Good. Properly deranged. But I like it!”
If members of the First Protocol weren’t “deranged,” how could they burst forth with such terrifying power?
Isaacs had been the one to bring Ai into the First Protocol, only for him to betray them in the end. He had never gotten over it.
Over the years, while others stopped spending energy to search for Ai, Isaacs never gave up.
What you cling to in your heart will eventually echo back.
This was “God’s” reward for his “deranged” persistence.
“Let’s go. This time, I’ll make sure Ai cannot live and cannot die!”
Fierce light flashed in Isaacs’ eyes as he led his men, flying swiftly toward the Yanxu Star Zone.
To him, this was a delightful hunting expedition.
Yet he never imagined that in reality, the roles of hunter and prey had already been reversed.
“I can sense Isaacs’ aura now. You may begin.”
Ai sent a message to Bai Fu.
…
“Exalted Apostle, we have thoroughly checked. It is impossible for Bai Fu to still be alive.”
Inside the Holy City of Apostles, in the sacred land, the Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits reported from the frontlines. The Supreme Apostle neither confirmed nor denied.
Was Bai Fu truly dead?
After what had happened before, he no longer dared to make guarantees the way the Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits did.
But even if Bai Fu was not dead, it would not be a big issue. Successfully defending the Temporary Stargate was already a victory, not to mention that they had also fished out Litt, the traitor.
The only thing that displeased him was that the Chief of the Tribunal had died.
Though the Chief of the Tribunal was not especially strong, he was obedient and reliable, able to handle matters the Supreme Apostle could not conveniently involve himself in. And now, he was gone. Finding someone to replace him would not be easy.
“I’ve already notified the people from Cathedral Number Two. Once they arrive, have them hand over matters with the Tribunal. Let the Tribunal’s men bring Enno back. For one who died in the glory of the Holy City, he deserves to walk upon a path of radiant flowers and receive the warmest applause. I will personally preside over his Ascension Rite.”
“Yes!” The Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits quickly responded. “By the way, Exalted Apostle, since Litt has been confirmed as a traitor, what about the others from Cathedral Number Four…”
“Right now, there’s no evidence proving they are also traitors. You don’t need to concern yourselves with them for the moment. Focus on the matter at hand. Don’t escalate things and stir unease among the other Cathedrals.”
“Yes.”
The Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits nodded.
Now was certainly not the time to continue targeting Cathedral Number Four. What mattered most was rooting out the ones who had caused damage within Cathedral Number Four.
Just as the Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits was about to end the conversation, someone suddenly came running up from behind.
“Lord, it’s bad—someone’s attacking!”
“Hm?”
Both the Supreme Apostle and the Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits were startled.
“Who’s attacking?”
The moment he asked that, the Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits wanted to slap himself.
Nonsense.
Who else could suddenly launch an attack at this moment but the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations?
He could not help but laugh. “They failed once already, only managing to escape thanks to Bai Fu stepping forward. And now, barely any time has passed, and they’ve come back again. Do they want to save Bai Fu, or have they decided they can’t continue like this and are going for a desperate, last-ditch battle?”
“How absurd!
The difference in our strength isn’t something that can be bridged by friendship, kinship, or teamwork!”
The Supreme Apostle said, “Shall I send some more people over?”
The Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits shook his head. “Exalted Apostle, there’s no need to trouble yourself. We’re more than capable of crushing them ourselves. Besides, haven’t you already sent the people of Cathedral Number Two?”
The Supreme Apostle replied, “Very well.”
The two quickly ended their conversation, after which the Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits left together with the messenger.
It was time to show the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations some true power!
The forces of the Holy City of Apostles surged out from the Temporary Stargate in full force. They wanted the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations to experience the fear of death.
But the way things unfolded was quite unexpected.
Wait—why had they only sent one ship, with barely more than a dozen people, and among those only three Transcendents? Were they mad?
Though puzzled, the forces of the Holy City of Apostles did not hold back once the fighting started. They did not even allow the enemy time to shout their declarations.
Why bother shouting? Just kill them outright! Kill them until they were trembling with fear, kneeling to beg for mercy, and willingly submitting to the Holy City of Apostles!
“?”
Inside the ship.
Watching the trembling shield, Isaacs was both shocked and furious.
“Damn it! No wonder that brat Ai kept running toward the Dark Zone. I thought he’d lost his mind and was fleeing blindly. Turns out Titan Industries secretly built a military base here!”
Heh.
Did they think that just because Titan Industries was backing them, he couldn’t do anything?
Isaacs wasn’t intimidated at all. He charged forward directly.
And then—
Shit!
Something was wrong!
Why were there so many Transcendents here? And wait—were these people really from Titan Industries?
As far as he knew, Titan Industries didn’t have this many powerful Psionic Priests!
The place where Psionic Priests were plentiful…
After exchanging blows for a while longer (read: getting beaten up), Isaacs finally realized.
The Holy City of Apostles!
Ai had lured him into a base of the Holy City of Apostles!
Though he did not know how Ai knew the Holy City had a base here, this was no time to dwell on it.
He needed reinforcements. Immediately. Otherwise, even as “Death God,” he would die here today!
Isaacs immediately sent a plea for help to the First Protocol headquarters.
When the leader received the message, he was left speechless.
Seriously, you guys…
While he was in the middle of plotting where to finish off Bai Fu, on this side they had already started fighting the Holy City of Apostles.
Speechless as he was, he could not ignore Isaacs’ distress call. He quickly gathered the nearby organization members close to Titan Industries and sent them to reinforce.
When the First Protocol reinforcements arrived, it was now the turn of the Holy City of Apostles to be confused.
“What’s going on? These people’s average strength seems higher than those the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations sent before, and they’re all unfamiliar faces. Did the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations still have such hidden reserves?”
The Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits felt a shiver of unease.
Fortunately, they still had the numbers advantage.
“The advantage is ours—kill them! We must crush the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations in one stroke so they can never fight back!”
Before long—
“Not enough, this reinforcement is still not enough!”
Receiving the latest message, the First Protocol leader frowned deeply.
Just how many forces had the Holy City of Apostles deployed?
You, you, and you—get over there!
The leader sent yet another group to reinforce.
And then—
The Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits was stunned.
More reinforcements again?
Had the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations activated some hidden trump card?
Luckily, the Supreme Apostle had sent Cathedral Number Two earlier. Without them, they might not have been able to hold on.
“Not enough! Still not enough! The Holy City of Apostles has reinforcements too!”
This time, the First Protocol leader was not just frowning—he was outright furious.
What did the Holy City of Apostles think they were doing? Did they believe they had such a massive advantage that they could wipe out both the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations and the First Protocol in one strike?
Fine.
Fine indeed.
The only reason he had not acted against them was because he considered Bai Fu the greater threat. Killing Bai Fu first was the safer play. But if they insisted on jumping out like this, then he would show no mercy!
In his fury, the leader dispatched the Fate Weaver along with the organization’s third-in-command.
And then—
“How is this possible? How could the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations still have such a hidden trump card?”
Now, the Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits truly could not hold on.
With no choice left, he rushed to request aid from the Supreme Apostle.
“What?”
The Supreme Apostle was dumbfounded.
What a joke. If the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations had been this powerful, would they really have been forced into such a disadvantage earlier?
“Are you certain they are really from the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations?”
This…
The Lord of the Hall of the True Spirits quickly ordered an investigation.
It would have been better not to check. Once confirmed, he felt his entire body go numb.
Damn it—it was that very same force threatening the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations from another front!
Though they now knew the ones before them were the First Protocol, the battle had already gone on too long. Both sides had suffered casualties to varying degrees. There was no stopping now.
“I’ll summon Cathedral Number One and Cathedral Number Five to reinforce!”
The Supreme Apostle was enraged.
He did not care who they were. Anyone who dared block the Holy City of Apostles’ path had only one end—death!
…
From a distance, watching the Holy City of Apostles and the First Protocol fighting with heaven-shaking ferocity, Dmitri and the others could not stop their eyelids from twitching.
“So ruthless.”
This battle was far fiercer than anything they had faced before.
Their gazes gradually turned toward Bai Fu.
This “upright and righteous” one—once she began scheming, she was truly terrifying.
Fortunately, Bai Fu was on their side. They had no fear of her turning her schemes against them, and watching dog bite dog was extremely satisfying.
Bai Fu ignored the gazes of Dmitri and the others.
Her focus was on the battlefield.
Killing Isaacs and destroying the new passageway—both of those rewards were exceptionally tempting. She did not intend to miss out.
At a certain moment—
Bai Fu suddenly stood up.
“It’s time to give the Holy City of Apostles a little surprise!”