The Appearance of a Divine Artifact (Six Thousand Words)

"You can do that?"

Clearly, Record Player Miss fell silent after hearing Xiao Xiao's five wishes.

Something feels off, yet it also seems quite reasonable.

I set two hard standards for him: to use his imagination and to adhere to the logic of reality. He did adhere to them, especially the part about the logic of reality. He only wanted things that were powerful, but theoretically, I could give him. After all, as a special item of the wish-granting type, it would be too much if I couldn't even give him something within the limits of Black Gate City. But as for the part about using his imagination...

... Was he overdoing it a bit?

"Record Player Miss is truly amazing..."

Xiao Xiao, however, expressed his delight at her silence, saying, "I appreciate the principle of handling business strictly by the book."

"In the future, we can carry forward this principle. It's not just me; it's also reasonable to expand our business outwards."

"This is a good opportunity to advertise for someone else!"

"..."

"?"

The Record Player Miss was suddenly horrified. "He wants to expand his business elsewhere?"

He even vaguely imagined this guy desperately trying to bring in customers for him, boasting about the magic of the Wish-Granting Record Player, and then taking away 10,000 points from every customer he brought in. He was so damned. What was he doing all this for?

It was to fight against the despicable capitalists, and to show that they were angry.

But now, he has actually become part of the capitalists?

She was truly unwilling inside, but the current situation didn't allow her to think about it any further.

What can we do?

We've made our own choice, so we'll just have to put up with it...

Meanwhile, as everyone in Black Gate City prepared to withdraw from the battlefield, and as the endless Aberrant Creature savagely and greedily devoured the penultimate Branders, Yang Jia's gaze had already turned towards Xiao Xiao. She was emanating an indescribable eerie aura, and everyone seemed to hear the suppressed sound of surging water irritating their eardrums underwater.

The air around Yang Jia became distorted inch by inch.

As if it were just an illusion created by their eyes, everyone could actually see that around Yang Jia, there were endless twisted laws and mental energy bundles rapidly surging in from all directions, all converging on Yang Jia's body, like a black hole that devours everything.

The moment Yang Jia opened his eyes, he was about to attack Xiao Xiao.

However, at the very moment when all the boundless power around her converged into her body, her previously indifferent yet empty eyes suddenly revealed a look of surprise and disbelief. Her movements abruptly ceased, and her eyes closed slightly. The surging spiritual power around her made her appear like the eye of a tsunami, yet her expression remained as still as water...

What is she reading?

Xiao Xiao's Eye of the Seer noticed Yang Jia's subtle movement and also stirred slightly.

It was born.

The sole Branders, influenced by Mysterious Source.

This means that all the power of the Mysterious Source will fall into the hands of an ordinary person.

Previously, some people described the Branders as slaves, which is quite reasonable. By extension, slave owners are a collection of vast wealth, status, and secrets. However, if a slave owner wants to attack others, he can only drive his slaves to do so. The slave owner's own combat power is negligible. And now, this slave owner only has one slave left.

During the recent devouring of the Branders by the Aberrant Creature legion, the slave owner's wealth was completely consumed, benefiting the Aberrant Creature. Therefore, Yang Jia's current power is immense, but not complete. However, another point is...

Authority!

This is the complete version.

At this point, Yang Jia, as the sole Branders, had already obtained complete authority.

This means that, to some extent, she has already gained a perspective as high as that of the Mysterious Source. The essence of the Mysterious Source is now within her body. Coupled with this authority to control all corresponding powers, Yang Jia suddenly saw some truths that she could not have imagined before, truths that could only be seen by someone at the level of the Mysterious Source.

The astonishment on her face stemmed from this:

So that's what the Mysterious Guidepost was all about...

The singularity is actually in that place...

So, if the Old Chairman's Noah Project continues to move forward, then...

Countless secrets were suddenly revealed to her brain without any warning, and Yang Jia's thoughts almost stopped for a moment. At that moment, she subconsciously looked at Xiao Xiao, as if her brain and reason had also become clear for a moment under this shock. She subconsciously wanted to say something to Xiao Xiao, but before she could speak, her reason was once again distorted by the Mysterious Source.

A massive mental field seemed to cover the entire battlefield. She took a step forward, and the whole world trembled in response.

An attack from Mysterious Source.

At this moment, Yang Jia is the Mysterious Source, carrying one of the most fundamental powers in this world.

Her approach even caused a change in the nature of the scattered spiritual energy around her. In a daze, everyone seemed to see a huge river winding from the desolate starry sky, flowing far and wide into the endless starry sky.

In the starry sky, there is a gigantic gate, swallowing the river and the starry sky, as if representing the end.

And the black shadow stands on the black river, a lone boat carrying all the secrets since time immemorial.

"It's here..."

As Yang Jia took that step forward, all the monitoring instruments in the temporary command center of Black Gate City simultaneously sounded an alarm.

As you can see, all the values are stretched to the extreme, resulting in a blood-red color.

They couldn't see the details of that battlefield, but when they defined that area as part of Black Gate City, they activated some satellite-level monitoring teams to collect all the changes in the mental energy field in that area. Then, through some specific algorithms, they projected a huge image onto the blank wall in their conference room.

So they also saw the river, and on the river, the men in black rowing small boats.

This bizarre scene made everyone instinctively hold their breath.

"The Mysterious Source closest to real humanity..."

The Shepherds lowered their voices and slowly began to speak, "The ferryman of the River Styx leading to Hell..."

"The ferryman? Mister Du?"

Beside the Shepherds, Senior Investigator Mr. Wild Dog was suddenly startled and turned to look at him:

"Why, again, is it related to hell?"

"The top secret of the Black Forest Biological Laboratory is that the information is blocked using the keyword 'hell'."

"That madman... the core of Special Investigator Mr. Xiao's spiritual power is also marked with the word 'hell,' and now, as we force a next-generation Mysterious Source to the point of revealing itself in reality, what appears is also hell..."

"I don't understand why our fight against some kind of spiritual invasion has led us to become associated with hell?"

"..."

"No, we are not getting involved with hell."

The Shepherds looked at him and said slowly, "We are just connecting with the fundamental nature of the human spirit."

"To glimpse the deepest part of the human spirit is to glimpse hell."

"..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh, but the laughter wasn't genuine joy.

It was more like a bitter smile after some terrifying conjecture had been confirmed. As he smiled, he stared intently at the mental energy data recorded on the monitoring equipment, and slowly said, "Our world was once considered Paradise, because we lived a life even better than those fictional Paradise. However, we almost forgot the most important thing..."

"Paradise is an ice cream cone built on top of hell..."

"Sweet and delicate."

"But it melts very easily, and the faster it melts, the easier it is for people to see the hell beneath the ice cream rim."

"And we..."

"..."

He paused, and remained silent for a long time, before slowly uttering a prophetic answer:

"Our research is about piercing through this sweet facade, step by step, and approaching the cruelest hell."

"Congratulations everyone, we have made great progress."

"Now, we have seen the gates of hell."

"..."

"..."

"That's terrifying..."

As Yang Jia drew closer, Xiao Xiao became serious, as if facing a formidable enemy.

At this moment, Yang Jia seemed to have become the center of the entire battlefield. Her body was radiating endless spiritual power, and even if one only glanced at her, one could read a trace of secret from the spiritual power emanating from her. This was because her body contained the most terrifying source, like ink, which could stain anything that came near her.

This truly lives up to the title of the only Branders.

Xiao Xiao almost had to use the power of Mind Burst to maintain his normal thinking in front of her.

So, he stepped forward to meet Yang Jia who was coming towards him.

Around them, the Aberrant Creature legion that had completed its mission was gradually dispersing under the command of Rabbit Boss, barely suppressing its greed. However, they were unwilling to retreat too far. Xiao Xiao and Yang Jia seemed to be at the core of the mutation.

Compared to the power emanating from Yang Jia, Xiao Xiao was utterly insignificant.

The three-headed hellhound was already trembling, with two of its heads showing fear and shrinking their necks in terror.

Only the one on the far left has its neck stretched out long, while its head droops to one side.

... I was so scared I fainted.

The Butcher behind Xiao Xiao also seemed to feel the immense pressure. He kept trying to swing the chainsaw in his arms, but failed repeatedly. Xiao Xiao could hear the Butcher's angry roars and feel his determination to swing the chainsaw, but the chainsaw had already begun to melt and collapse before it even reached Yang Jia. It was extremely vulnerable.

"This is not the kind of confrontation we should be engaging in at our level."

Xiao Xiao sensed their fear and pain, and whispered to himself, urging them to leave.

So he found himself alone facing Yang Jia, yet he appeared even smaller. The spiritual energy field emanating from him was even weaker than that of the Aberrant Creature beside him. Nevertheless, he steadily moved forward, meeting Yang Jia with remarkably firm steps.

Thump, thump.

The sound of a heartbeat echoed in the arena; in this chaotic flow of consciousness, everything flickered as if its voltage was unstable.

Only the beating heart remained unusually firm and steady.

"Gazing at the night sky, I lost myself."

"The stars have returned to their places; the past is gone."

"The past is gone, the end times are here."

"The seal has been destroyed and has awakened."

"..."

A strange and eerie melody suddenly rang out, and the voice of the Record Player Miss flickered across the entire battlefield.

This means that the time for making a wish has begun.

Xiao Xiao, who seemed weak and helpless, suddenly found himself surrounded by images and options.

Yang Jia was at the center of the battlefield, radiating influence over a vast surrounding area. But as Xiao Xiao walked forward, the entire Black Gate City began to boil. High-rise buildings, roads, and crowds all melted into a black tide, creating endless waves. Xiao Xiao walked on these waves, surrounded by countless abstract figures and objects, as if they were his subjects...

... Or perhaps a sacrificial offering!

"Bite..."

10,000 points were deducted, and at the same time, countless images appeared before Xiao Xiao's eyes.

Black Gate City Forbidden Items Museum.

In his eyes, a series of S-level items flashed by. Under each option was a special item powerful enough to be called "forbidden". Further down, their origins and functions were recorded, as well as the dangers they posed.

When Xiao Xiao made his wish, he wanted the most powerful weapon in Black Gate City.

The Record Player Miss was even more straightforward; she actually opened the Black Gate City's forbidden items museum directly.

In a state of Mind Burst, Xiao Xiao looked at these things in surprise, and even saw the little girl from the Rotten Kingdom that he knew. He saw her wearing a clean white dress, looking at him with gentle eyes and a hint of gratitude. However, Xiao Xiao saw the words "growing up" after her name, so he just nodded slightly to her.

We can't choose her yet.

He tapped his finger repeatedly, selecting several items in succession.

Each item is S-grade, and ranks among the top items in the Taboo Museum.

As Xiao Xiao was walking forward, a golden brooch suddenly condensed on his chest. Then, sensing something, he slowly raised his right hand, and from the surrounding black tide, a pale hand slowly emerged, holding a platinum ring, which was presented to Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao reached out, took it, and put it on his finger.

A dark red box slowly grew from the ground in front of him, and then quietly opened.

Xiao Xiao reached into the box and took out a dark red wooden cane. Seemingly finding it amusing, he casually swung it a couple of times.

The scene was small, and no one recognized the three things.

But Xiao Xiao seemed to have become very confident. He raised his head, looked at Yang Jia opposite him, and nodded with a smile:

"We can begin!"

"..."

"You think you can fight against me now just by borrowing a few special things?"

Yang Jia's face was expressionless as she said softly, "It seems that your awakening time is too short."

"So short-sighted that they don't even understand what power is."

"..."

"That's enough!"

Xiao Xiao looked up at Yang Jia seriously and smiled, "Even at a time like this, you still care about me so much?"

Yang Jia paused for a moment, then her pupils suddenly contracted.

Splash...

She didn't even make any obvious movements, but with the change in her eyes at that moment, the spiritual power in front of her suddenly surged and gathered together, as if all the spiritual power around her had been forcibly pulled over and condensed into one place. Under the terrifying willpower, it was forcibly intertwined and fused together, weaving into a dark red spear that quickly stabbed towards Xiao Xiao.

Along its path, the ground and buildings were torn apart by this force, forming huge ravines.

Even to strangers, the blood-red world no longer existed, revealing the true, gray surface of the earth.

That's because wherever this power passes, all spiritual power is swept away.

At this moment, Xiao Xiao's expression darkened slightly, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

Yang Jia didn't even use the power of the physical imprint; he merely used his consciousness to drive a mental surge, which already reached this unimaginable level. Even the Butcher's chainsaw couldn't match the height of this mental surge...

This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a high-level impact of force.

So he steeled himself, abandoning even the thought of dodging, and faced the spear head-on with his chest.

Boom!

The spear of spirit struck Xiao Xiao.

Everyone around, including the Rabbit Ears, was instinctively horrified and wanted to cover their eyes. They couldn't imagine what would happen if such power struck a person. The most reasonable outcome would be to pierce the person through with a spear. However, being pierced through directly would be lucky. The more reasonable scenario would be that the person would be torn apart by the spear and turned into a pool of blood and flesh.

But what happened next was completely unexpected.

Xiao Xiao didn't know whether he couldn't dodge it or was powerless to dodge it; he simply stood there, enduring the impact of the mental spear.

But just as the spear of spirit struck him, the brooch on his chest emitted a golden light. This light, like ripples of water that could spread continuously, instantly reached Xiao Xiao's feet and then spread throughout the entire Black Gate City.

Little by little, it grew weaker and weaker until it disappeared without a trace.

Xiao Xiao stood quietly, his body not swaying at all, nor showing any sign of pain.

Yang Jia's eyes flickered slightly.

She wasn't alarmed by it, but it undoubtedly represented a phenomenon beyond her comprehension.

Xiao Xiao noticed the change in Yang Jia's expression and sighed inwardly:

"She really only knows how to act recklessly..."

"..."

He wished to Miss Record Player Miss for the most powerful defensive item in Black Gate City, and Black Gate City indeed gave it to him.

This brooch is one.

[Special Item: Queen's Tear Brooch]

[Rank: S]

[Note: The brooch comes from the royal family of a distant small kingdom. This kingdom was once powerful, leaving its mark all over the world. In those regions that were once ravaged, generations of people were born who were loyal to the royal family. They admired the royal family, worshipped them, and learned their etiquette, their language, and everything about them.]

They relished everything about the royal family, especially the brooch that had been worn by the Queen during the royal family's most glorious period. They believed it to be the most precious jewel in the world, representing the highest status and the epitome of nobility.

[Note: People have a habit of placing others on the throne and then kneeling below to serve them!]

Ha! Eunuchs are infertile, yet they never lack offspring!

[...]

This is the most powerful defensive weapon in the Black Gate City Taboo Museum. It is unknown where Black Gate City obtained it, as Black Gate City does not have the environment to produce such a thing, but this special item does indeed contain terrifyingly powerful energy.

What is the most powerful defensive item?

Status!

Shields, bulletproof vests, or even the so-called "advance and defense" are not the ultimate defense.

Only a supreme position can provide a defensive force that isolates everything.

Wearing this brooch, Xiao Xiao would not be able to withstand Yang Jia's mental attacks at all. All the attacking forces were transferred away by the brooch before they even came into contact with Xiao Xiao, and the entire Black Gate City shared the burden of the attack. This was because Xiao Xiao, who wore this brooch, was already supreme in the mental realm, and he represented the nobility of Black Gate City.

"Black Gate City and Mister Du represent two different schools of thought on the Mysterious Source..."

Xiao Xiao realized this, so he wasn't as surprised as Yang Jia.

He simply sighed softly, slowly raised the scepter in his hand, and gently pointed it at Yang Jia in front of him.

What just happened?

At this moment, outside this battlefield, in a place still shrouded in mist.

The Hell Organization, which had been paying close attention to this battlefield for some time, had already deployed two warships not far away. One of these was the ship that had taken away their Vice Captain earlier. However, even after taking the Vice Captain away, they did not leave but quietly observed the situation. Meanwhile, other cities, pirate organizations, and some secretive groups also rushed to this battlefield.

"A divine artifact."

On the Hell Organization's ship, there were also many people who could no longer understand the confrontation. They asked questions one after another. At the bow, before Xiao Xiao's confrontation began, White Devil tore off the paper strips on his face one by one to avoid obstructing his vision.

Upon hearing the question, he replied in a low voice, "Only those weapons that surpass S-rank and directly affect the Mysterious Source are qualified to be called divine artifacts. It seems that the foundation of Black Gate City far exceeds our imagination... When we attacked Black Gate City back then, we only thought about obtaining the Mysterious Guidepost. We were too hasty... This city is very ambitious. It actually has such a collection."

"My old friend is fighting against the sole Branders of the secondary Mysterious Source."

"When the Branders has the only such prefix, she is no longer a slave, but an emperor."

"She controls the most core and complete authority of a Mysterious Source!"

"But my friend also obtained these special things, possessing the capital to confront the real-world embodiment of the Mysterious Source head-on, using an entire city as capital, much like an uncrowned crown prince fighting against a minister who holds the power of a nation..."

"..."

As he spoke, he slowly furrowed his brow.

Looking towards the direction where the great Black Gate City is located, a question lingered in my mind:

"But I don't quite understand..."

"What exactly is Lao Xiao's relationship with Black Gate City that he can gain such trust and support from her?"