Chapter 602
The twisted giant eye, a manifestation of terrifying power, seemed to notice Xia'er’s gaze. It slowly shifted, turning to look in Xia'er’s direction.
**Chapter 308: The Murderous Witch (4115 words)**
“What is this...?”
Sada'na, emerging from the shadows, appeared shaken by the scene they had just witnessed. Salas’s expression was one of sheer terror; she could no longer comprehend what she was seeing.
In contrast, Lei Mei'dai's and Xia'er’s reactions were relatively calm.
The commotion before them was reminiscent of the moment Xia'er summoned the half-heart of a dark worm. It seemed that the power of death was no stronger than that of the dark worm.
Lei Mei'dai, however, stared into the distance with an impassive expression, lost in her thoughts.
“Shall we leave?” Xia'er glanced at Lei Mei'dai beside her.
At this point, Salas had collapsed to the ground, and if she stayed any longer, she would likely succumb to a mental breakdown.
Yet, judging by Lei Mei'dai’s demeanor, she didn’t seem concerned about what the distant harbinger of death might do.
“No need,” Lei Mei'dai shook her head and replied, “We still have to clean up.”
“Clean up?” Xia'er echoed.
“The harbinger of death has begun to waver on the path he intended to take. It won’t be long before the ‘seed’ completely abandons him,” Lei Mei'dai explained. “He is no longer a qualified ‘symbiote.’”
Abandoned...
Buzz—
A faint humming sound emanated from afar, and Xia'er turned her gaze toward the twisted figure standing before the enormous illusory gate in the sky.
A maddened scream echoed in Xia'er’s mind; the figure seemed to be enduring immense suffering, enveloped by a concoction of blood and flesh, which it was continuously absorbing.
The harbinger of death was expanding at a frenzied pace, like a balloon being filled with water.
But this process didn’t last long. Suddenly, the harbinger’s body burst apart with a thunderous roar.
Blood and flesh scattered in all directions, showering the main city like a rain of blood.
The followers, still prostrated on the ground and untouched by the explosion, slowly raised their heads, stretching out their hands to welcome the “holy water” from above, as if it were a divine gift.
The blood dripped onto the followers, quickly absorbed by their bodies.
Above, dark clouds swirled ominously in the wake of the explosion, and a cacophony of wails filled the air.
At the very center of the explosion, a heart-shaped object, its surface riddled with strange holes like the surface of an alien world, pulsated quietly in midair. Countless droplets of blood seeped from its surface, as if expelling unnecessary impurities.
The moment Xia'er laid eyes on that heart, a sense of déjà vu washed over her... A multitude of images flashed through her mind.
She recalled Shiren, who had been completely corroded by the potion, Mond, whom she had driven to madness in simulations, and herself after consuming the “Source of Cholera” potion...
Xia'er had seen these dense, barnacle-like twisted holes among the side effects of the “poison maker” path.
This was the uniqueness of the “poison maker” path... and similarly, that of the “healer”...
As if to validate Xia'er’s conjecture, the ‘seed,’ still in the process of self-purification, began to restore its surface holes after expelling the blood, even altering its shape.
A round, blood-like crystal sphere, glistening with an almost ethereal sheen, floated in the air, slowly descending.
Vibrant life energy surged from within that sphere, and even Xia'er could feel her own strength replenishing. In just a fleeting moment, she sensed herself returning to peak condition.
She felt healthier than ever... even her mindset felt like it was about to burst, driving her to step forward, toward that strange blood crystal sphere.
“There has always been a debate in the tower regarding two major academic factions.”
Lei Mei'dai suddenly spoke up. Though she wasn’t looking directly at Xia'er, it was clear her words were meant for her.
With the harbinger of death transformed into blood rain, she could finally relax and discuss things that were previously off-limits.
In Lei Mei'dai’s view, the once-believers of the harbinger of death, now referred to as “angels,” had descended into utter madness, while the “messengers” began to twist grotesquely.
They greedily licked the blood rain falling from the sky, but the rain would eventually cease, and that would mark the beginning of slaughter.
Some ascenders and metamorphs, who had not been consumed by their faith, did not go mad from the backlash. Instead, they turned their attention to the “seed,” which continuously drew them in.
Whoever claimed it could become a “symbiote,” a new deity.
Calmly, Lei Mei'dai continued:
“The Storm School, led by the ‘Theory of Balance,’ believes that ‘there is a rhythm of breath within the eye of the storm.’ They advocate for maintaining the current balance, believing that the rampage of ‘symbiotes’ and ‘seeds’ is a necessary process for the self-balancing of extraordinary energy.”
As she spoke, Lei Mei'dai pointed toward the distant land, which was clearly on the verge of becoming a desolate wasteland, and continued:
“This is also part of the balance, so there’s no need to interfere... After several decades or even centuries, the ‘seed’ will find a new ‘symbiote,’ and life will be reborn here, giving rise to new faith and new civilizations, until a ‘symbiote’ fully merges with the ‘seed’ and becomes a deity. At that point, everything will be fixed, and it will all come to an end.”
Pausing for a moment, Lei Mei'dai then turned her gaze toward Xia'er and said:
“The other faction, the Dark School, centers around the book ‘Dawn.’ They believe that the power of the ‘seed’ unconsciously leads ‘symbiotes’ down a dark path, advocating for intervention in all ‘symbiote’ actions... to impose rules on the deities.”
“Some extremists even argue that, when necessary—like with the current harbinger of death—they can preemptively guide or even directly kill a ‘symbiote,’ allowing the ‘seed’ to merge with another ascender.”
“They believe that on the wrong path, successors will only exacerbate the mistakes... Just like now, the ascender of the harbinger of death has once again obtained the ‘seed,’ and they can only continue down the path of death without any change.”
“This will trap the development of this land in a vicious cycle, and the people here will continue to believe meaninglessly, only to die meaningless deaths.”
Listening to Lei Mei'dai’s words and observing the horrific scene in the distance, Xia'er recalled the God of the Dead Star in the Abyss.
He had drawn part of the power of the “Cocoon of Light” from the remnants of “Uniqueness.” Although his own power still stemmed from the Eternal Silence’s voice, Moros, he had forged his own path of “Candle,” radiating a faint light that brought hope to the villagers...
But if she had to choose between these two paths, Xia'er wasn’t sure what she would pick; neither faction aligned well with her views.
“Miss Witch, I want to know, in the future, which faction’s theory will prevail and be put into practice?” Lei Mei'dai asked Xia'er earnestly.
The playful expression that had previously adorned Lei Mei'dai’s face was gone. At this moment, her aura seemed to merge with that of the dark worm, and Xia'er even felt a hint of pressure emanating from it.
This was Lei Mei'dai asking Xia'er, not just for herself, but on behalf of the Tower Academy and all intelligent beings, including deities—where is the future?
Knowing this in advance could prevent much unnecessary death and suffering.
Xia'er looked down at the girl before her, who was gazing at her with such seriousness, and took a gentle breath.
Through their brief time together, Xia'er could tell that Lei Mei'dai held a significant position in the Tower Academy.
Moreover, she was likely to become the foundation of the future potion system, a unique influence.
This meant that any advice Xia'er offered to Lei Mei'dai could greatly impact the future; even a small piece of information could lead to monumental changes.
This was something Xia'er did not wish to see.
Gazing at Lei Mei'dai’s earnest expression, Xia'er slowly began, “Whatever I say to you will have a significant impact on the future; your influence is immense.”
“So, you’re satisfied with the future?” Lei Mei'dai asked, looking at Xia'er.
“Are you from the Dark School?” Xia'er inquired, studying Lei Mei'dai.
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