New World Begins, Celestial Dynasty of the Vault of Heaven!

Life of Silence (Crown of Supremacy)—After equipping it, passively gain the effects of Life of Silence. Your attacks gain an additional 40% effect of ignoring immunity. At the same time, you may anchor any target you have attacked, lock down their area and fate, and initiate a designated deployment. During this period, the locked target cannot leave their current space and cannot reveal the fact that they have been locked in any form. This ability refreshes after every 3 deployments. It has high priority and cannot be exempted by permissions below Level 7.

The girl whose true codename was Qiqi generously showed Bai Cangshu her Crown of Supremacy ability.

Compared to Finality, or the damaged Fatalism in Bai Cangshu’s hands, this Title Ability was rather unremarkable.

Aside from its attack-ignores-immunity effect, it offered no boost to direct combat, let alone an effect like Finality’s active release, which could practically form the core combat ability of a powerful Reincarnator.

Yet correspondingly, this Title Ability also explained why the girl was nearly the most feared among the Supreme Experts, while also having killed the greatest number of top-tier Reincarnators.

She possessed formidable targeted hunting capabilities. If she went after targets weaker than herself, it would be utterly despair-inducing.

Whether in the real world or a deployed mission world, she could lock onto and enter them, prevent you from escaping, and stop you from leaking the news of being locked on in any form. This portion of her authority was already close to the confidentiality clauses of space itself.

Bai Cangshu could tell that although Life of Silence showed little emotion, she took this hunt extremely seriously. Otherwise, someone whose social skills bordered on "self-isolation" would never have been willing to cooperate with others.

Among the intelligence shared by both sides, some information regarding the Celestial Dynasty of the Vault of Heaven was also disclosed. It was a world that roughly fused together various East Xia god-and-demon and strange-tale worldviews, all unified beneath an extremely high-dimensional setting.

Even among the various Native Worlds that were gradually being unveiled, its difficulty ranked among the very highest.

The most crucial point was the so-called Heavenly Dao.

If compared to the Infinite Dimensional Space, it was probably like that incomparably vast world being shrouded by the Heavenly Dao, with everyone able to receive its prompts.

Rumor had it that in an even earlier era, there had even been something called Universal Comprehension. By the current age, however, it had become mortals passively receiving revelations from the Heavenly Dao.

At regular intervals, the Heavenly Dao scanned every realm. No foreign object could hide from it, which made that world an exceptionally difficult deployment target.

And according to what Life of Silence and Dong Xuri knew, the Celestial Dynasty of the Vault of Heaven’s primary enemies were not the current Infinite Dimensional Space at all.

The Reincarnators’ current progress was not particularly high. The Celestial Dynasty of the Vault of Heaven mainly faced the Primordial Dragon Court and Void Paradise.

The atmosphere inside the Black Tower was rather silent. Li Qingzi watched Jin Yue’an assist Heavenly Feast in gathering intelligence from all sides, but she could not understand why Mercenary Tao had chosen to involve himself in such an event.

"East Xia is also preparing to implement The Agency system. Reincarnators may soon begin to make their mark in East Xia as well."

Li Qingzi spoke of the current situation. In truth, she felt that Bai Cangshu should seize this excellent opportunity to cement the King of Ability Users title.

Many Reincarnators already knew about East Xia’s cooperation with Mercenary Tao. Although some of the highest-level gatherings did not acknowledge the claim, many more small and medium-sized gatherings were very willing to accept that title.

Mercenary Tao’s meteoric rise in such a short time, along with the fierce reputation he had carved out through slaughter, made many small and medium-sized gatherings feel reassured.

If they operated at this moment, Paradise would soon become the most terrifying Reincarnator gathering in East Asia.

At that point, not only South Korea, where she was from, and Japan, which had now effectively collapsed—even the region with the largest number of Reincarnators in the entire world would become Mercenary Tao’s territory.

No matter what, that was better than risking entry into a Native World.

Bai Cangshu knew why East Xia had established The Agency system. On one hand, its upper echelons hoped to develop and make use of the Reincarnators’ power, avoiding domination by forces like his.

On the other hand… Skylark had stepped forward during that previous disastrous battle and fought monsters and aliens, winning immense public support.

He had now become a hero in many people’s eyes.

Because of that, he had become the positive representative of Ability Users and was being pushed onto the world stage.

As he pondered, the instruments in the room flashed and immediately reported someone’s arrival.

"High-risk target codenamed Skylark has been detected entering Paradise."

On the screen, Dong Xuri successfully brought a young man dressed with a single-strap bag into Paradise.

Skylark frowned as he looked at the many Reincarnators gathered in this strange city. Large quantities of items unique to Reincarnators were displayed outside various shops.

Even the technological level here differed from that of the real world. Super-technological holographic projections appeared outside certain stores like signboards.

This Paradise was rapidly introducing things belonging to all kinds of mission worlds into the real world!

Skylark instinctively felt uneasy about this. He had encountered some dangerous mission worlds, as well as godlike beings with comparatively high power levels.

He already knew that so-called Derivative Worlds were not virtual data. On the contrary, those existences were likewise using every opportunity to extend their existence and influence into various worlds.

"Do these people really know what they’re doing?"

Skylark also saw some people indulging in pleasure, openly having sex naked in broad daylight. Within Paradise, Reincarnators were completely free from legal restrictions, and thus began revealing their true natures one after another.

That sight made Skylark even less optimistic about Paradise’s future.

Dong Xuri understood Skylark’s meaning, but he merely swept his indifferent gaze over everything and said,

"That sort of thing isn’t for people like them to think about, is it~"

Dong Xuri was a thorough worshipper of power. He did not believe that anything weak Reincarnators did could affect the world.

The only ones who could decide the world’s future had always been the few people at the very top.

After they entered the Black Tower, Skylark frowned at the fellow with half-black, half-white long hair, who sat suspended in midair and examined him with a scrutinizing gaze.

Satoru Gojo and Artoria, who had suddenly appeared during the previous battle and helped him, stood on opposite sides of the room.

When Satoru Gojo saw Skylark, he grinned and greeted him.

"Yo, not bad, mortal-kun. We meet again~"

Skylark frowned even more deeply. Though he did not know how Mercenary Tao had accomplished it, the act of bringing Plot Characters into the real world made him feel even more uneasy.

At some unknown point, this world seemed to have begun changing beyond recognition.

As he thought about it, he suddenly realized that the beginning of it all might have been when the man before him openly introduced the concept of Ability Users.

Reincarnators had begun acting with fewer and fewer restraints.

"Mercenary Tao, with your abilities, clearing the beacons should be easy, shouldn’t it?"

He suppressed his anger, and there was not the slightest fear in his eyes. That expression even made Life of Silence, who was immersed in using video games to suppress her urge to kill, look up.

Her eyes revealed her appreciation for Skylark.

"What a fine fellow~"

Bai Cangshu clicked his tongue and spoke, his evaluation completely different from when they had been in B711 World, because he could clearly sense the faint, illusory fluctuations around Skylark.

This fellow… was very close to that realm.

After saying that, Bai Cangshu rose and left, not even bothering to answer Skylark’s question.

Clearing the beacons naturally amounted to nothing for him, but the Reincarnators of this world were not yet so weak that they could not even deal with a few Contractors who had barely reached Fierce-tier.

With the right countermeasures, quite a few teams could handle this world mission.

But in reality, according to the intelligence provided by Heavenly Feast and Black Butler, the Reincarnators’ response had been shockingly poor.

Aside from one in Yingtian’s urban district in central East Xia, which Skylark and several small teams had managed to hold back, nearly every other invader and beacon bore signs of intervention by top-tier Reincarnators.

On the northern ice plains, after Tumi Flower Blooms had consecutively wiped out three teams dispatched by White Bear, she personally acted, killing the enemy with a single sword strike and completely erasing the beacon along with it.

At the beacon in the Mariana Trench of the Pacific Ocean, a Black Great Sun had descended. It was suspected that Great Sun of Finality had joined forces with several high-level teams and used Special Items to shatter the incoming Apostle’s AT Field before killing the nearby Contractors. This had also been the most troublesome location.

In the western Free Federation, the mysterious Saint Killer had acted, shooting the target dead with a single gunshot. The existence of this powerful item could no longer be concealed. At present, the only person who had been attacked but did not die was Mercenary Tao.

Moreover, rumors currently circulating in the Infinite Dimensional Space claimed that Mercenary Tao was trying to learn the other party’s appearance and true name so he could directly use the Death Note to Curse Kill them in revenge.

Therefore, no one in the western Free Federation had revealed the holder’s identity so far. Several top-tier Reincarnators whose identities had already been exposed all stated that it was not them.

Bai Cangshu walked to the window and looked out at Paradise. He was not satisfied with the Reincarnators’ current progress.

Although he did not believe in any Great Calamity of the End, nor was he interested in playing the savior, his heart kept beating.

Thinking of the monster Skylark had killed, which had most likely come from the Pacific Rim world, its blood had contaminated this world and left behind coordinates. In the future, this world might suffer monster attacks.

When that time came, humanity and the Reincarnators would probably grow somewhat…

Life of Silence turned her head and looked at Mercenary Tao standing beneath the sunlight. He was absolutely no Benevolent King, but perhaps the future world needed a cruel tyrant instead?

Special Reincarnator EX051, you have joined the Special Team · Silence.

Based on the team's strength evaluation, you will be deployed to a higher-difficulty world.

You have been affected by the ability of Crown of Supremacy · Life of Silence. Silence Hunt is about to begin.

Target locked. Target world anchored. Deployment is about to begin.

3

2

1...

Deployment begins!

Bai Cangshu, Skylark, and Life of Silence · Qiqi stood calmly in place. Only the crown above the girl’s head, gleaming with scarlet and jet-black radiance, shone brilliantly.

Bzzzz!

A stream of information shot into the sky. Dong Xuri, the nearest top-tier Reincarnator, Li Qingzi farther away, and Red Dust, who had just arrived in Paradise, all sensed the disturbance.

Red Dust pulled down the brim of his baseball cap and clicked his tongue.

"What a troublesome guy. But…"

He swept his gaze over the massive city, which now housed nearly a thousand Reincarnators, and a strange feeling arose within him.

He, too, could vaguely see a different world.

Perhaps this world was evolving.

He had heard that people had recently spotted a Special Creation suspected to be the Erdtree on White Bear’s ice plains. This world was becoming increasingly different…

Knock!

Knock!

The crisp tapping sounded as though it emerged from the deepest depths of his mind, gradually awakening his body’s other senses.

Bai Cangshu opened his eyes, and a waning moon in the sky came into view.

This was probably a city resembling ancient East Xia. Wooden buildings stood all around, grand yet exquisitely crafted. The streets were entirely paved with bluestone slabs. They were not particularly clean, but still far better than the filthy medieval Dragon Raja World from before.

"The air is dry, beware of fire!"

The night watchman’s call drifted from afar. Within Bai Cangshu’s perception, a somewhat hunched old man was walking down the long street from the other end toward his location.

Bai Cangshu turned his head. He was standing in a dark alley without any lights, and a white paper notice was pasted on the wall.

With a sweep of his gaze, familiar scarlet text appeared one line at a time.

World Loaded

Mission World: Native World · Nine Realms · ?

Mission Type: None

Challenge Difficulty: High ~ Unknown
(This world's difficulty range is extremely vast. Trial-takers, explore with caution.)

Time Limit: 30 days

Notice: Due to the effect of Proof of Sin and Karma, your appearance and identity information have been altered.
(Your appearance and identity will receive hidden three-dimensional adjustments.)

Notice: You have been granted Permanence: Language Comprehension in this world.

Heavenly Dao Scan Countdown: 167 hours 59 minutes
(Warning: The Heavenly Dao Scan will identify Reincarnator Marks. At that time, Reincarnators will be targeted by the World Will. Avoid danger and withdraw promptly.)

Notice: In this world, Reincarnators may apply to withdraw while in any non-combat state.

"On dark nights with strong winds, shut your doors and windows tight!"

The night watchman’s voice drew closer, but Bai Cangshu was contemplating the differences between this so-called Native World and Derivative Worlds, Secondary Worlds.

Not only had the milestones disappeared, but Reincarnators had also been granted the privilege of withdrawing at any time.

Step, step, step.

The hunched old man’s footsteps drew closer, and his breathing became clearer and clearer.

The old man in grayish-brown cloth had now reached Bai Cangshu. Bai Cangshu did not react, nor did he leak the slightest aura.

He was like the most naive and ignorant passerby, allowing the old man to approach.

Only then did the old man seem to notice Bai Cangshu’s presence. The clapper in his hand stopped knocking, and his head tilted to one side as he sniffed the air.

Stepstepstepstep!

Amid a burst of rapid footsteps, the old man seemed to activate a speed-up animation, appearing before Bai Cangshu with extreme speed and looking up at him.

His face was covered in pustules, with maggots crawling beneath them. Within his hollow eye sockets, a scarlet snake coiled.

"Young man, why are you out at night?"

"If you don’t obey, I’ll eat you!"

With that, the old man suddenly lunged at Bai Cangshu’s throat, but Bai Cangshu remained unmoved.

Puff!

A wisp of Blazing White fluctuation dissipated in the air. The old man seemed to bite nothing but air. The next instant, he immediately raised his clapper to strike it.

But as his hand came down, another hand had already seized the clapper first.

"Old man, would you mind telling me what happened here?"

Puff!

Before the old man could react, his body suddenly became light as he fell downward. His limbs, along with the snake in his eye socket, were directly torn out.

You have attacked a demon.

Based on your Spirit, you may obtain the following information:

The demon attacked you. Based on the ability Musō Tensei, you completely ignored the attack.

Your attack inflicted the effects of dismemberment, intimidation, and fear on the demon.

Bai Cangshu gently stroked the scarlet snake’s head. Within the Mantra, everyone within several kilometers seemed to be following some kind of rule and hiding inside their homes.

Most of those walking outside were strange creatures like this, disguised as humans.

And…

He looked at the clapper in his hand.

Magic Tool · Purple Bamboo Clapper

Quality: Rare

Description: A refining artifact unique to Native World · Nine Realms, possessing miraculous abilities.

Usage Requirement: Possess an energy system—mana, spiritual power, or Spirit attribute > 50.

Effect 1: After striking it, may inflict a soul-shaking effect on weak targets.

Effect 2: After striking it, may inflict a dazed effect on powerful targets.

Even a demon he could kill casually possessed an item like this…

"This world really is… rich in resources~"