Bai Wu died.

As these words of a former Investigation Corps member, now a prisoner on Black Gold Island, put it:

"No one has seen Deputy Leader Bai since then... He’s probably indeed dead."

Jing Wu’s expression was very strange.

As someone who had been defeated by Bai Wu time and again, who once regarded Bai Wu as an ant, only to watch Bai Wu grow into a towering tree, becoming his own inner demon...

Suddenly learning that his inner demon was dead, he did not feel ecstatic.

The next second...

Jing Wu had a thought, and Disassemble Everything was activated; all the surrounding Evil Fallen were enveloped by the All Things Decomposition Domain.

A white light capable of turning everything to nothingness radiated from Jing Wu’s body.

He was like a white sun, melting everything away.

All the Evil Fallen were decomposed into their most essential energies...

But in the very next moment, Jing Wu had another thought.

These Evil Fallen, who had just been fighting to the death, striving to become servants of a god, had now, in a way, achieved their wish...

What appeared before Jing Wu was a Bai Wu wearing a blue and white uniform, carrying a large sword on his back, a long sword at his waist, with a dull expression on his face.

"Are you really dead, Bai Wu?"

The Twisted Master had already descended to earth. Yet, for so long on Black Gold Island, Jing Wu had received no news at all.

It was clear that he was never important.

On the contrary, Bai Wu’s death seemed incredible to Jing Wu.

How could such a person, who had become his arch-enemy, die so easily?

The Bai Wu before him, reconstructed and powerful, could not compare to the real Bai Wu; he was nothing but a puppet.

So the next second, this powerful puppet, merged with countless Evil Fallen... became one of the many specks of dust floating over Black Gold Island.

The truth of Bai Wu’s death no longer mattered to Jing Wu.

He had already lost the greatest value of living, the cause for which he had struggled for seven hundred years, had been taken by someone else.

And if what that Evil Fallen had said was true, perhaps in this story, he was the superfluous one. The great Twisted Master did not harbor any expectations for him.

Jing Wu decided to return to his chamber, guarding the island, waiting for the world to undergo various changes.

He did not know what would happen, but with the Twisted Master’s arrival, the world would surely be greatly affected.

But just as he took a step forward...

Powerful presences emerged at the edge of the island, entering his perception.

To the south of Black Gold Island, a massive Hydra, along with Nie Chongshan, Wu Jiu, Ark’s three section leaders, and Zheng Yue, a human, appeared in the waters near Black Gold Island.

Ark had once sailed into these waters, but they never landed on the island.

Jing Wu was very annoyed now.

The descent of the Twisted Master, Bai Wu’s possible death, these were supposed to be good things. He was surprised by Bai Wu’s death, but it was just surprise, not a sense of mutual understanding.

The greatest respect for an arch-enemy was to wish for their total annihilation.

But still, he was annoyed, annoyed by seven hundred years of futile effort.

At this moment, a group of people landing on the island would inevitably face Jing Wu’s wrath.

...

...

Black Gold Island waters.

Standing atop a large snakehead and looking out at the coastline, Jiang Zhu said:

"The captain once brought us close here, but he didn’t land. Even though you say that Jing Wu has been defeated by Bai Wu many times, Jing Wu on Black Gold Island might be much stronger than the Jing Wu we know of."

Despite his bulky appearance, Jiang Zhu was attentive to details.

Jing Wu was defeated time and time again, his body shattered, dead beyond death, but each time he resurrected on Black Gold Island.

This alone proved that Black Gold Island was, for Jing Wu, a true home ground that could enhance his power.

Wu Jiu nodded:

"We can’t compete with Jing Wu’s domain, and he must have already noticed our intrusion. The good thing is, there are no other strong enemies on Black Gold Island. When the time comes, Elder Gu will stay in the waters to provide support, and I’ll be responsible for holding off Jing Wu. The others will try to bypass Jing Wu and find the Doomsday Puzzle pieces."

"Our goal is not to be enemies with Jing Wu, just to seize the Doomsday Puzzle pieces."

Apart from Nie Chongshan, no one else objected.

Facing Jing Wu, whether the Jing Wu of the past or the Jing Wu on Black Gold Island, was definitely not someone Liu Bingshu, Li Xin, or Jiang Zhu could contend with.

This battle, only Nie Chongshan and Wu Jiu had reached this level.

As Black Gold Island drew nearer, Wu Jiu’s figure moved, turning into a red streak of light. Before the others had prepared to say anything, Wu Jiu had already arrived at the center of Black Gold Island.

Nie Chongshan trembled his demon wings, equally prepared to close in on Black Gold Island.

"Hey, big guy, don’t get in Wu Jiu’s way."

Nie Chongshan’s figure stalled, and the scenery around him suddenly changed.

Zheng Yue squinted one eye, glowering at Nie Chongshan with a warning attitude.

"Hmph, petty tricks, do you think you can trap me?"

"I’m not trying to trap you, but I’ve seen Jing Wu fight outside the High Tower. Forgive my bluntness, Wu Jiu is not showing off, nor is he overlooking your strength."

The usually lazy Zheng Yue suddenly became so serious, which quite surprised Nie Chongshan.

"Don’t interfere with him; the only one who can grapple with that terrifying power of Disassemble is Wu Jiu."

Nie Chongshan calmed down.

If it were Jing Wu from Mechanical City, Nie Chongshan was confident that after fusing with Liu Mu, he could handle it.

But facing Jing Wu, who had mastered Disassemble Everything and Reconstruction, a slight misstep could mean being easily killed in seconds.

But Wu Jiu wouldn’t.

After undergoing the Evil Fallen Transformation, just how fast Wu Jiu was, even he dared not assert.

Such speed would give Wu Jiu the advantage of remaining uninvolved in any fight.

With that thought, Nie Chongshan folded his wings.

"Hmph, then let that kid go."

Zheng Yue’s expression also eased, returning to his usual nonchalance and yawning:

"That’s more like it; with your strength, you should just focus on escorting everyone safely."

The Calamity lieutenants looked at Zheng Yue with surprise, finding this human not so simple. He seemed harmless on regular days, but at a critical moment, he could actually intimidate Nie Chongshan.

Gu Hailin also spoke up at this point:

"We shall stick to the plan; this mission is dangerous, so no slacking off."

Nearing the island, everyone got serious.

And at the heart of the island, the crimson figure had already come face-to-face with Jing Wu in his black robe.

...

...

In the heart of Black Gold Island, the Slave Hall.

What was recently a rather crowded Slave Hall, now only had two people left.

Facing the tall, slender figure in deep crimson in front of him, Jing Wu said coldly:

"You’ve got some nerve, daring to break into my territory."

Wu Jiu was that type of aloof straightforward man; he wasn’t one for pre-fight banter.

Ordinarily, Wu Jiu would have simply drawn his weapon.

But against Jing Wu, who had mastered Disassemble Everything and had previously forced him and Li You into constant retreat, Wu Jiu didn’t have the assurance of certain victory.

Especially since his aim wasn’t to defeat Jing Wu but to hold him off.

"What would Bai Wu do at a time like this?"

Wu Jiu activated role-play mode once again:

"It seems the battle at the High Tower left you with good recovery. I envy your resilience, no matter how much you’re beaten."

Jing Wu was taken aback:

"Who are you?"

"Guess?"

The battle at the High Tower was a turning point for Jing Wu.

Not many had witnessed the battle at the High Tower in an Evil Fallen form, and Jing Wu was confident he didn’t know the person before him,

"You are stalling for time. Someone has already set foot on this island. What are you here for?"

Not good, impersonating Bai Wu failed. Or perhaps, the other side wasn’t as foolish as assumed.

Wu Jiu was somewhat taken aback. In some ways, Jing Wu could be said to have acquired all the characteristics of failed villains, yet Jing Wu had his own growth.

"No matter who you are, intruding into my territory, death!"

There wasn’t any time for Wu Jiu to think; the moment Jing Wu had the thought, a burst of white light erupted once again.

An incredibly terrifying All Things Decomposition Domain unfolded in an instant, any opponent standing before this domain would be completely disassembled...

Except for those at the Origin Level, the All Things Decomposition was undoubtedly invincible.

But just when...

Jing Wu encountered an exception.

The instant Jing Wu had the thought, the Evil Fallen Transformation of Wu Jiu had already sensed the energy fluctuations around him.

"So slow."

Feeling the terrifying domain unfolding, Wu Jiu had no fear in his heart. The only thought that came to mind—

It was slow.

The last time he faced the All Things Decomposition Domain, Wu Jiu found that the expansion of the domain was only slightly slower than himself and Li You.

He almost didn’t escape.

At that time, the battlefield of the High Tower was divided into two by a ravine, and on the other side of the ravine were countless comrades; Wu Jiu couldn’t run away.

But now, without any burden, the All Things Decomposition Domain was not so fatal for Wu Jiu.

Especially after he obtained the full power of the Crimson.

The All Things Decomposition Domain seemed to be in a semi-stationary state.

At this moment, having mustered the courage to face death, those shackles-like inscriptions painted on his scarlet shell... were lifted for the first layer.

As if some limitation was removed, Wu Jiu’s speed was unprecedentedly fast.

He turned into a streak of crimson lightning, already far from the battlefield the moment the domain had yet to reach him.

Everything happened too fast.

So fast that even Jing Wu thought... the battle was already over.

When he deactivated All Things Decomposition, he thought that the slender, red figure had already turned into energy.

But very soon, Jing Wu realized something was amiss; he couldn’t reconstruct...

The crimson shadow reappeared, and Bai Wu’s plan was initiated once more:

"A few days apart, and your All Things Decomposition Domain has become this slack?"

Wu Jiu was talented.

He might seem overly serious, almost like a poker-face, conveying an aura of unwarranted authority, and his phoenix eyes would always give off the impression that a killing intent was descending. Even this kind of teasing expression was delivered with utter seriousness.

But as a result... it made Wu Jiu’s remarks deeply sarcastic to the extreme.

Jing Wu was furious but not careless, approaching Wu Jiu at full speed with the intent to activate All Things Decomposition close up, aiming for an instant kill.

But with one layer of restriction lifted, Wu Jiu’s speed was simply too fast.

The black and red figures began a chase, yet they grew further and further apart.

Red and black lines, on the battlefield of Black Gold Island, continued to twist and turn; they seemed to intersect several times yet ultimately never touched each other.

"Who on earth are you?"

Even his elder brother, Jing Yi, who was good at speed, might not be able to move this fast; Jing Wu was astounded.

"You guess?"

Wu Jiu, now addicted to Bai Wu’s ways, simply didn’t explain.

Jing Wu only remembered Bai Wu and Zero. In his view, Bai Wu and Zero were his biggest trouble.

The two also shared a deep friendship.

But if his research had been a bit more thorough, he would have discovered... there was another number one figure beside Bai Wu.

He watched as Bai Wu grew from an ant into his archenemy, believing that in this world, no one could emulate Bai Wu’s experiences and growth.

But in fact...

There was someone in this world who could.

Wu Jiu had now completely figured out Jing Wu’s speed; he couldn’t kill Jing Wu in this battle, but Jing Wu also definitely couldn’t touch him.

It seemed like a draw, but the one controlling the pace of the fight, even being advantageous and suppressing the other...

Was Wu Jiu.

There were several more restrictions on the crimson shell, but Wu Jiu didn’t lift them.

Because lifting these restrictions meant giving up something.

But now, this battle was completely dominated by Wu Jiu!

Jing Wu couldn’t believe that there was someone other than Bai Wu who could suppress him?

He, of course, did not know that Crimson, a creature from the third layer of the Well World, was such a terrifying entity.

Like the tyrant, Crimson was one of the few original Evil Fallen from the native Well World.

Unlike other Evil Fallen, they were not born in response to humans but were ancient beings that existed in this world and chose humanity on their own.

Bai Wu, who had defeated Jing Wu, was suppressed by the Seven Sins in the third layer of the Well World.

Even a single one of the Seven Sins had enough power to defeat Bai Wu at that time.

And Crimson was captured by a trap set by the Seven Sins working together.

When transforming into an Evil Fallen, Crimson was wholly unreserved towards Wu Jiu.

This also allowed that hero of the Well World to live in the human world with another soul.

"Ah, just this."

"It can’t be, it can’t be."

Wu Jiu, his face serious, spoke in a tone so flat it seemed as if he was merely reading aloud, without the slightest hint of questioning, constantly provoking Jing Wu.

But Wu Jiu was simply too fast.

Against such speed, Jing Wu was completely powerless.

Meanwhile, as the two tangled, on the other side of the ocean, a "hatching" returnee was steadily progressing toward Black Gold Island.

...

...

The Unknown Regions.

The team searching for the remnants of the immortal body has grown from two to three people.

Whether it was Alpha or Jing Yi, Li You didn’t like either very much.

But before Jing Yi joined, she could at least listen to Alpha’s ramblings; now there was nothing left but the pure journey ahead.

Such a journey made Li You feel quite bored.

She actually wanted to ask what her own end would be.

But at critical moments, she felt some fear, which always held her back from asking.

A great battle was imminent, and the last place Alpha had to go was where the "heart" was buried.

Only the final remnant body was missing before they could go there.

In Alpha’s deduction, the place for that momentous final battle was none other than the heart-burial site.

Denglin City.

However, at present, both Alpha and Jing Yi remained silent.

Not long before, Alpha seemed to sense something, suddenly falling into a thoughtful state.

Jing Yi was the same.

About ten minutes later, Alpha furrowed his brow, and Jing Yi was still lost in thought.

"I need you to go to Black Gold Island."

Jing Yi realized:

"An unexpected causality has emerged again... How is this possible?"

Alpha had not expected that a being who should have died would reappear.

"To think that the one who committed the Seven Sins was myself, my Pride allowed a mistake to survive until now."

Alpha had already calculated that Bai Wu was returning from the Well World; he did not know how Bai Wu managed to survive.

The only thing in this world that should still pose a threat to him was probably the method left by the High Tower Master to seal himself.

Theoretically...

He should not worry about Bai Wu. Even if Bai Wu became stronger in the Well World, he could not be compared to himself.

The High Tower Master, who spent decades in the Well, could not think of a way to break the twist, and could only settle for suppressing the distortion and putting the Well into a slumber.

Naturally, Bai Wu should not be able to do it.

But Alpha always had the feeling that Bai Wu was an outlier.

Jing Yi understood:

"I will head to Black Gold Island. Please continue to search for the Divine Body."

Jing Yi’s words fell, and his figure disappeared.

The situation in Black Gold Island underwent another change.