Cao Qi’s Destined Death, the Black King Appears (4K)

A Demon King born merely from the binary opposition of good and evil had already become the Final Trial of Humanity in the Little Garden World. Yet the Stairway of Binary Paradox he possessed was clearly not limited to good and evil alone.

Bai Cangshu watched Knight Sister’s body shift into an adult form. This was a sign that she was using her true power. He understood that both this stairway and the heart within his body contained truly rare power.

Stairway of Binary Paradox—the pinnacle of binary paradox, the truth of the world’s spiral

First Tier: Stairway of Good and Evil, ascent complete (Heart of the King, Heart of Nothingness)

Second Tier: Please select a direction of ascent

A: Stairway of Light and Darkness; Requirement: Stairway of Light and Darkness factor, or any sacred artifact, ability, or trait embodying authority-level or higher light and darkness

B: Stairway of Life and Death; Requirement: Stairway of Life and Death factor; Authority of Life, Death (already possessed · Death Intent Senluo)

C: Stairway of Life and Anti-Life; Requirement: Stairway of Life and Anti-Life factor, or any sacred artifact, ability, or trait embodying authority-level or higher life and anti-life domains (Life Equation and Anti-Life Equation temporarily unavailable)

"A stairway that can actually change… this is truly… unheard of…"

Knight Sister’s voice was clearer in her adult form, but at this moment, she sounded as if she were murmuring, her tone drifting.

Looking at this terrifying stairway, which had nearly shattered everything she had previously understood about stairways, she gained many new insights as well.

According to conventional understanding, a stairway was a construct that condensed various abilities and traits into footholds, allowing climbers to use those nodes as support and gradually reach the genuine power at its peak.

In other words, once the peak of a stairway was fixed, all authorities, abilities, and traits beneath it would be arranged into successive levels.

The deeper and more powerful the strength, the longer the stairway beneath it.

But this stairway, whose length was already beyond comprehension, actually allowed the power of every level to be chosen.

Knight Sister judged that this was likely because the peak of this Power Tier was an extremely abstract concept.

She began to wonder whether every stairway that reached Level 13 or higher was this kind of construct.

They no longer focused on specific authorities or might, but instead became wholly abstract concepts.

They rose directly from domains such as life, elements, and even fate, to the very concept of "binary paradox."

Bai Cangshu looked at the Heart of the King and Heart of Nothingness within the First Tier. This was probably why he had somehow successfully opened this stairway.

The essence of two paradoxical powers had converged within his body, allowing him to step onto this stairway and possess extraordinary power from the very beginning.

Perhaps the power level of the Stairway of Binary Paradox was not fixed. If his First Tier had been a binary paradox like "water and fire," then he probably would not have gained power with such broad applicability.

Bai Cangshu’s thoughts stirred.

Use the Stairway of Light and Darkness factor to ascend the Stairway of Binary Paradox?

Warning: After use, you will completely lose this stairway factor and will be unable to continue ascending the Stairway of Light and Darkness. (This operation is irreversible.)

He had obtained this stairway factor from Solomon’s Scarlet Drop Card, and now he discovered that it could indeed be used for climbing.

But after Knight Sister’s reminder, it was obvious that every level of this stairway could be selected. Therefore, the power system of one’s true self was not something that benefited from climbing as quickly as possible.

On the contrary, he should place more valuable binary paradoxes within it.

Judging from the power Solomon had displayed, the Stairway of Light and Darkness probably allowed one to wield both light and darkness, holy and demonic attributes.

It could allow him to command two opposing elements at once and gain derived authorities.

It would most likely also derive power traits related to healing and corrosion.

However, Bai Cangshu’s recovery ability and immortality were already at quite high levels. What he wanted was a broader "range of targets" and stronger "immunity."

On the foundation of a sufficiently high Life Level, he would become a powerful Martial Artist with no weaknesses at all.

From his current perspective, the Stairway of Light and Darkness could not provide help in that regard.

Heart of the Silver King

Type: Material; Bio-Implant

Quality: World's Rare Treasure

Description: The heart of a powerful being awakened to true power, the lone king's heart that carried out the will of a king

Usage Requirements: Constitution Attribute >50; Spirit Attribute >50

Effect 1: When possessing the King's Heart, may wield Heart Light · All Things Re-emerge

Effect 2: Cannot be affected by authority-level or lower mental interference abilities

Effect 3: Another Heart—gain one additional life (each use of this ability will subject the Reincarnator to extremely intense erosion of will; after each activation, the bonuses of the King's Heart will be temporarily lost, and it cannot be used again until the King's Heart has re-condensed)

Effect 4: Cannot be appraised as a material while serving as a Bio-Implant

After appraisal, the Heart of the King had unexpectedly simple effects, but every attribute was immensely powerful.

Judging from the effects alone, Bai Cangshu felt that Mad King’s heart was actually even more powerful than Black King Luffy’s arm.

Its immensely powerful immunity to mental interference was exactly the kind of ability Bai Cangshu needed most.

Meanwhile, the resurrection effect of Another Heart and the Heart Light ability attached to this heart could each serve as the core ability of a World’s Rare Treasure-grade item.

"What a pity. A powerful being capable of nurturing such a heart actually fell so early…"

Knight Sister’s adult form clearly had a more forthright personality. Bai Cangshu could distinctly sense her longing for powerful opponents—it was the recognition one powerhouse had for another.

Bai Cangshu recalled Mad King’s life. His smile remained as he nodded and said,

"Yeah. He really was a… unlucky guy."

Bai Cangshu waved and left the Rank Management Office. During this period, he had not acquired sufficiently powerful materials to obtain traits and continue climbing God’s Staircase.

The power Knight Sister occasionally revealed had also filled him with curiosity about this longest known stairway.

At the same time, he wanted to know just what stage Knight Sister’s true strength had reached.

Mad-tier! The answer appeared almost immediately.

Moreover, with a space like Void Paradise that could also deploy Contractors appearing, Bai Cangshu began to wonder whether Knight Sister and those other "NPCs" in the space would participate in battle.

He had gradually discovered the complete power system of Infinite Dimensional Space. Yet it was precisely because he had seen the Reincarnators’ true power system that he increasingly felt how weak Infinite Dimensional Space was.

Or rather, how weak this generation of Reincarnators was.

Compared to the total number of Reincarnators, the number who had truly touched the higher echelons of Reincarnator power was pitifully small.

This generation of Infinite Dimensional Space had probably only begun not long ago. Compared to the clearly more mature Void Paradise and the Primordial Dragon Court he had glimpsed once, Infinite Dimensional Space was as frail as a child.

Among all the Reincarnators he had seen, the only one Bai Cangshu had encountered who had fully integrated every power system was Mad King.

That man had seemed to appear out of nowhere. The abilities of a King’s Authority wielder, the energy born from them, the authority obtained through advancement, and then an even deeper touch upon essence, allowing him to master his own Heart Light Pulse.

Mad King seemed like the purest kind of Reincarnator, having completely crossed the First Tier, Second Tier, Third Tier, and Fourth Tier granted by the space.

Without any rare abilities or special sequences, he had once driven someone like Bai Cangshu—who had nearly perfected every tier—to the brink of death.

Perhaps that was the kind of Reincarnator Infinite Dimensional Space truly wanted.

One that required little expenditure of information, yet could grow rapidly.

Bai Cangshu believed that the most crucial link among them was probably this so-called "essence."

With his head lowered, Bai Cangshu was extremely conspicuous in the Slum Area. Mercenary Tao’s Fierce Reputation had long become known to everyone, and after his battle with Mad King, his status as one of the most elite Reincarnators had been completely established.

As these Reincarnators watched Bai Cangshu approach the Goddess’s Abode, the two enormous white jade lions almost fawningly moved aside to clear a path. They could not help wondering just how many High-level Singularities Mercenary Tao possessed.

Furthermore, news that Mercenary Tao intended to form a faction had already spread. After exchanging glances, the group began searching even more diligently for items Mercenary Tao might need.

One of them wore a purple robe, with large areas of skin exposed.

Gutting Hunter looked at the special item in her Backpack, then at Mercenary Tao’s disappearing figure. She almost felt that this was Heaven’s Will ordained in the unseen.

Blessing of the Flesh God (A+)—After receiving this blessing, flesh gains an extraordinary increase in its capacity to withstand damage. However, when injured, the Flesh God will consume a portion of the flesh.

It was rumored that Mercenary Tao possessed an ability similar to Super Saiyan transformation and thus had an intense desire for stronger flesh. This blessing should be quite valuable to Mercenary Tao.

Gutting Hunter swayed toward Mercenary Tao’s stall. More than dozens of teams had gathered there, and everyone at the gathering was trying every possible way to make a deal with him.

Sen Xia returned with the Professor to Azure Sky’s gathering space. The vast blue sea roared with especially violent waves, while the white jade-like estate was more crowded than ever.

The members of Azure Sky had somehow already completely assembled.

What made the Professor hesitate even more was that he saw several unusual figures here.

Three figures stood in the center of the estate. Even though the white jade estate was bathed in sunlight, the three still seemed to stand within shadows.

Light could not illuminate the space around them at all. From afar, they looked like three black silhouettes.

Sen Xia gripped her sword and instinctively drew it half an inch. The sword’s cry rang through heaven and earth, but she sheathed it again the next moment.

This Swordplay System Reincarnator, who could contend head-on with a Supreme Expert, walked expressionlessly toward the estate. The Professor crushed several gemstones to obtain information, and his face immediately turned terrified and pale.

When they reached the center of the estate, Loman, dressed in white robes, saw that the two had returned safely. A faint smile appeared on his sorrow-filled face.

Sen Xia nodded to him, then said to Cao Qi, who sat in a chair among the crowd with his usual weary and indolent expression,

"Sorry. I failed to suppress Tan Zhishan. That battle ultimately ended when Life of Silence entered the fray, Mercenary Tao awakened, and Void Paradise invaded reality."

Sen Xia’s expression remained calm. The blond man in white beside her slapped a hand over his forehead.

"I say, Sen Xia… Boss Cao told you to mediate. Do you know what mediation means…?"

He sounded somewhat helpless.

Yet Cao Qi burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears nearly streamed down his face.

"Hahaha, I told you that with Sen Xia’s personality, she would definitely fight Tan Zhishan. You people are still too young. You don’t understand Sen Xia…"

He laughed happily, but few others could bring themselves to laugh with him.

Sen Xia also stared coldly at the enormous clock that had appeared above Cao Qi’s head.

Azure Flames burned at each point in time.

The flame at the very top had already gone out.

Merely looking at it gave her an intensely ominous feeling.

She held her breath and closed her eyes. Illusory ripples spread outward from behind her, and an icy, terrifying sword intent emerged.

The so-called path of martial arts leading to the Dao, the so-called mastery of technique becoming akin to law—were nothing more than simple markers to Reincarnators.

Swordsmanship Specialization: Lv.10+

In an instant, every member of Azure Sky felt as though their skin were being painfully pierced. Loman covered his mouth, wanting to stop her but also harboring hope.

Heaven and earth suddenly fell silent, then a terrifying silver line erupted.

Ring!

A silver crack appeared across the illusory clock. Then came the sound of space shattering, accompanied by a powerful suction force and the howl of rushing air.

But Cao Qi did not move. He merely waved a hand, and space began to heal.

"It’s useless, Sen Xia. Rather than doing this, think about what choice you should make if this happens again, so you can protect everyone…"

He spoke in a lecturing tone. Sen Xia silently sheathed her sword and stepped aside.

"Next time, I will kill Tan Zhishan."

She did not think there was anything wrong with her "lecture." She was clearly stronger, so what was wrong with the stronger side telling the weaker side to withdraw and end the incident?

The one at fault was clearly Tan Zhishan, who was so weak that he could not even properly assess his own strength.

Cao Qi burst into laughter again.

Seeing that even Sen Xia, Azure Sky’s second strongest combatant, could do nothing, Loman’s eyes finally reddened as he turned away.

"You went to the world of Saint Seiya?"

Through the Sequence Ability of a Special Reincarnator, the Professor had seen the moment Cao Qi was struck by a golden arrow and recognized it as a weapon from the world of Saint Seiya.

The weapon that slew Athena had struck Cao Qi. Once the flames on the clock fully went out, Azure Sky’s president, one of The Three Supreme Kings, the most powerful Reincarnator who had maintained order in the real world… would die.

Cao Qi glanced at the Professor but said nothing. However, one of the people standing within the shadows spoke.

"It was merely a weapon designed in imitation of that concept, probably made specifically to kill people like you."

"A special ritual that even the Life Equation cannot use to revive you. It seems your death is already a destined future… Sorry, we cannot save you either, Cao Qi."

The speaker stepped out of the darkness. Light fell upon him. Long black hair hung behind his back, and a cross-shaped scar marked his chest.

What drew the Professor’s attention even more was that he only had one arm.

Warning: Special unit · Black King Society has appeared. Please evacuate immediately.

The Professor shuddered. The moment the other party stepped out of the shadows, the prompt refreshed before his eyes. How could he not know the identities of these three?

The Black King!

There had always been rumors that the Black King Society and Azure Sky had countless hidden ties. Now, it seemed those rumors had been confirmed.

The Black King truly had a special relationship with Cao Qi!