Chapter 422: The Witch is Above the Lord God - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Timing is everything. Upon sensing the powers of Si Li, Si Zui, and Si Heng, Si Wu’s heart steadied. He had been worried earlier about having devoured too many demon kings and evil gods in the Abyssal Hell, fearing his true form might suffer indigestion. But with Si Heng's power, such concerns vanished. However, first, he needed to acquire Si Heng’s powers. Si Heng wielded the powers of balance and equality. He could absorb any attack from an opponent, transforming, balancing, and neutralizing it, a truly troublesome ability. Even more vexing was Si Heng’s capacity to pull opponents to an equal level of strength for combat. Those unaware of Si Heng’s power often found themselves capsized in this pitfall. A person suddenly being leveled down from their immense strength would experience a sense of disparity. If unable to adapt promptly, they would expose vulnerabilities. Such a vulnerability could very well be fatal. Given his current capabilities, incorporealization, possession, corrosion, and seasonal changes had limited effect on Si Heng’s attacks. It seemed difficult to kill Si Heng swiftly in a short period. If the battle were prolonged, and a passing demon king or evil god stumbled upon them, he would be in danger. Defeating Si Heng required careful planning. Among the Twelve Deities, those who could counter Si Heng and potentially vanquish him in an instant were Si Tian and Si Ming. Yet their powers resided with Si Shu, and with Si Shu’s whereabouts unknown, relying on his power was impossible. Just then, Si Li arrived as well. Si Li’s power was more abstract and not something Si Heng could easily balance in a short period. An unbalanced Si Heng would perish swiftly. Thinking of this, Si Li’s figure faded away, disappearing for a moment before reappearing within an illusory temple. Si Li was present there. Si Li? Even as one accustomed to facing great storms, Si Wu fell into silence upon seeing the undead wielding Si Li’s power before him. “Si Wu, this is indeed a trap you’ve set up.” The undead elite spoke with a hollow, hoarse voice. His body had long decayed, leaving only a skeleton. Only when clothed did he appear somewhat normal; without clothes, he would be a mere sack of bones. Under such conditions, just speaking was a feat, leaving little room for complaint. Si Wu replied, “You knew it was a trap, yet came anyway?” The undead elite said, “The power resonates, I couldn't suppress it, how could I not come?” Si Wu retorted, “So, you're here seeking death?” The undead elite laughed, “I hope you can kill me! I’ve learned that the Twelve Deities, though they seem exalted and wield unimaginable powers, become tools, akin to parasites, forever imprisoned.” “That’s why the strongest, Si Tian, went mad; other members of the Twelve Deities also became somewhat abnormal.” Si Wu remarked, “You see things clearly.” The undead elite continued, “The powers bring many benefits, and many downsides; the most secret among them is that devouring the power of others and reaching this place brings qualitative advancement, correct?” Si Wu acknowledged, “I didn’t expect you’d even learn that.” The undead elite said, “So after all this delay, have you found my flaw?” Until now, Si Wu astonishingly hadn’t noticed he wasn’t the original Si Li, Du Yulin, suggesting maybe Si Wu wasn’t as formidable as rumored. Si Wu had significant deficiencies, but unfortunately, this intelligence likely couldn’t be conveyed. “If not, then it's my turn to act.” The undead elite held an ancient zither with one hand and strummed its strings with the other, unleashing chaos and harmony. Instantly, Si Wu’s surroundings transformed. Before him stood an ancient emperor, a sword in hand, exuding an imposing presence: “Upon seeing me, do you not kneel? Are you defying my decree?” Si Wu laughed, “Si Li, you’ve misjudged one thing.” Ignoring the influence of Si Li’s power, he immediately rushed to strike. Previously, he couldn’t possess or corrode the undead elite because being mere bones would offer no benefit, risking him turning into an undead. However, Si Li used his power to transform into a living being under the guise of an ancient emperor. That was his domain. Even if it was illusory, one shouldn’t forget that the void was precisely Si Wu’s power. In mathematics, two negatives make a positive—that's the principle. Not to mention, he was a god. In a flash, the undead elite, now the emperor, became possessed, with Si Wu grasping the original bone flame. "Ha ha ha!" Si Wu extracted Si Li’s power from the bone flame. The undead elite, upon losing Si Li’s power, returned to his skeletal form, placing a bony hand on Si Wu: “Ha ha ha, Si Wu, I've touched you…” Suddenly realizing something, Si Wu’s expression shifted drastically, and he immediately hurled the undead elite away. The undead elite landed, scattering bones across the ground. "The witch's toxin, you actually smeared Witch Su Miao's mixed poison on your bones." Seeing the poison coursing internally, Si Wu’s expression soured. If not for his special power and godly nature, the poison would have been lethal over time. “Si Li, you may die now.” “Come on, I’d like to see you try to kill me?” The undead elite laughed, “You can’t kill me; I'll just revive.” Si Wu gazed at the scattered bones, crushing the bone flame, then used Si Zui's power of seasonal change to envelop all the scattered bones. Three minutes later, the bones turned to ashes, dispersing entirely. “Becoming neither human nor ghostly, you came here seeking death; did you really think I wouldn’t see through it?” Si Wu sneered coldly, turning to leave, ready to find the next target. Not long after, an evil god appeared at the scene. He wandered around in confusion, trying to discern something before picking up some decayed ashes from the ground, tasting them… ... “Si Zui, I didn’t expect you’d come too.” Emerging from a corner as though by coincidence, Si Wu greeted, “What have you discovered?” Si Zui, taken aback momentarily, immediately opened a book: “Si Wu, I find you guilty, sentenced to death!” Instantly, an unseen power sought to bind Si Wu. In that moment, Si Wu felt trapped in a mire. A black scythe, symbolizing death, slashed down from the void. Si Wu smiled, “Si Zui, I’m not sure how you figured I’d target you, but you lack the power to judge a god, unless you become one.” Unleashing a multitude of powers, Si Wu forcefully broke free from the mire, shattered the death scythe, and appeared before Si Zui in a flash, penetrating his chest before solidifying into form. "You..." The black tome in Si Zui's hands dropped as he clutched Si Wu's arm, blood pouring from his mouth: “The silent Si Wu, when speaking, always deceives…” Si Wu said, “I see, you may now rest, Si Zui.” He grasped Si Zui's power. Just as he was about to take it, Si Wu unexpectedly found the power altered, difficult to extract. Upon closer inspection, Si Zui had crazily infused tremendous sin into his power over time. Damn, another madman! Si Wu decided to abandon this power. Lacking one power might slightly weaken his reviving form, but corrupt with immense sin would only promise future troubles. Suddenly, Si Wu recalled how Si Li had built the utopia, and Si Zui had lent help. When Si Shu transformed tens of thousands into books, Si Zui also aided. Not to mention Si Zui’s everyday gathering of sin across the lands. Madman! Damn it! Si Zui grinned, “With my sin, I curse you to a miserable death! Accept my power and my sin, hahaha!” In the next moment, before Si Wu could shatter Si Zui, Si Zui transformed into inky-black blood, dissolving away. Boundless sin drove through Si Wu’s body under the lure of Si Zui’s power. “Ah ah ah…” Si Wu cried out in agony. Endless sin entered him, throwing his powers off balance, his force surging, resulting in unbearable pain. Initially, Si Wu presumed Si Zui’s power entailed only the burden of tens of thousands. Only when it entered him did he realize. This was the burden of over a billion. No wonder Si Zui could never properly wield his power. This madman had been using his power to restrain that sin all along. Simultaneously, Si Wu deduced Si Zui’s scheme. Si Zui intended to harness the monumental sin as a path to godhood. Given time, he might have succeeded. Whether he’d emerge rational or fall into complete madness as a god was unknown. Madman... Si Wu struggled not to collapse. He had to quickly find Si Heng and obtain his powers. Luckily, it took Si Wu only a minute to locate Si Heng. Si Heng was locked in a standoff with two demon kings, his expression haughty and completely unfazed. The two demon kings had exchanged a few moves with Si Heng and realized his strength was on par with theirs, resulting in a stalemate. “What a perfect opportunity!” Si Wu darted out, a haunting violin melody accompanying him. “Si Heng, do you mind?” Si Heng momentarily paused, and when he regained his senses, it was already too late. “Si Wu…” He saw Si Wu’s ethereal form meld into his face, invading his body. Boom! Si Heng exploded with a tremendous sound. Si Wu gripped Si Heng’s powers and consumed them in one gulp. Instantly, a terrifying aura emanated from Si Wu’s body, the curse and sin bequeathed by Si Zui were completely balanced out and controlled. Witnessing this, the two demon kings who were previously confronting Si Heng didn’t think twice and turned to flee. In Si Wu's hands, a black codex appeared. “I declare you guilty, death penalty!” Immediately, the two demon kings were bound by invisible laws. In the void, the black scythe reappeared, swishing down to sever the heads of the demon kings. Raising his hand, Si Wu collected the cores from the two demon kings. He gazed into the void as if speaking to Si Zui’s lingering spirit, “This is how your powers are meant to be used.” Si Zhi, Si Sui, Si Heng, Si Li, and Si Zui—five powers had been reclaimed. The powers of Si Tian, Si Di, and Si Ming resided with Si Shu. Only Si Chen remained. Si Chen had previously encountered a massacre at the hands of the demon king council, his fate looking grim, making recovering his power difficult. Fortunately, Witch Su Miao was outside, enabling the Abyssal Hell to gather a sufficient energy boost. With any luck, a few more prime gods might fall. Si Wu, sensing the powers within him, looked towards the grand island in the skies. "Six powers will be enough to awaken my true form. Once revived, Witch Su Miao will be of no concern." … “Something’s shifting in the Abyssal Hell again, this aura is incredibly powerful, at least at the level of a prime god. Is some supreme treasure about to emerge?” “Who knows who’s fortunate enough to stumble upon it.” “Look, the Winged Demon God has ascended a grand island. Did he trigger this aura?” “I don’t know. Though the Abyssal Hell appears to have restructured, regaining its former glory, its laws remain chaotic and disrupt sensory perception.” “That’s good news then? I’m going in.” “…” The commentary-prone evil god paused, having only said half of what he intended. Although the chaotic rules within the Abyssal Hell disrupt the perceptions of the gods, making it uncertain who claimed any treasures, what if an immensely powerful entity could discern it? Moreover, so many prime gods had entered the Abyssal Hell; they aren’t just decoration. Claiming an opportunity in there is no easy feat. Not to mention, he hadn’t seen any demon kings or evil gods who entered, come back. This anomaly was alarming. Several of the demon kings and evil gods he knew personally. A few were those who would flee at the slightest gain, but none had exited—likely something had gone wrong. More terrifying was the fact that dead evil gods and demon kings didn’t trigger the phenomenon of a bloody rain. In such circumstances, determining the number of casualties inside was impossible. Suddenly, the evil god felt a pang of trepidation. He glanced afar, wondering if it was that fallen supreme god once critiqued and who had blood-sacrificed an entire universe. If that fallen supreme god wasn’t entering the Abyssal Hell, what was his intention outside? Could it be he intended to kill them all? No... The fallen supreme god’s target was the witch! … Su Miao was attentively observing the situation within the Abyssal Hell. Si Heng, Si Zui, and the undead elite holding Si Li’s powers lost their presence soon after entering the Abyssal Hell. It seemed they had been slain like Si Sui. Who could be responsible for this? Initially, Su Miao merely intended to spectate the ensuing chaos. However, every now and then, the same gaze fixed upon the Abyssal Hell, harboring increasing malice—breeding more and more hostility. Su Miao contemplated whether to launch a full-powered Starlight Burst at the Abyssal Hell to directly eliminate the threat. Suddenly, overwhelming malice emanated outside the Abyssal Hell. Without hesitation, Su Miao redirected the Stellar Staff. Void space collapsed! Boom! The void within the world appeared to undergo a cataclysmic collapse. The fearsome explosion swept in all directions, annihilating creatures below god-level. Above god-level, beings bore varying degrees of injury. Gods, in terror, fled in all directions. “Who dares?” “A god actually dared to attack the witch, courting death?” “Leave quickly—the space still collapses, damn it, who’s stirring trouble?” “Terrifying, this is a battle at the prime god level—no, beyond prime god…” … Sensing the law-based ripples dispersing from the battle, the gods grew increasingly fearful. This exceeded their understanding. Simultaneously, Su Miao discerned the identity of the attacker—it was the fallen supreme god who had blood-sacrificed an entire universe! The antagonist directly trod through the chaotic spatial currents towards Su Miao, dismissing the collapsing void: “Witch, hand over that divine spark; it’s not something you’re qualified to possess.” (End of this chapter)