"If you can persuade the Drunken Flower Forest and Gu Fan, I can certainly join."
Bai Pu said indifferently, "However, I canât completely trust youâafter all, the attack and defense alliance we sign in this Celestial Human Warâs finals canât be notarized by the Spirit Realm Will."
Awakened collaborations can spend Spiritual Points for the Spirit Realm Willâs notarization, and those who breach the alliance will be punished by the Spirit Realm Will.
The severity of the punishment is directly proportional to the amount of Spiritual Points spent.
However, in the finals of the Celestial Human War, the agreements among five contestants can only rely on personal character and trust, without the Spirit Realm Willâs notarization.
Trust?
The five are in a competitive relationship, not only vying for the Celestial Human Title but also for rankings!
The first to be eliminated is the last candidate in rank, receiving the weakest "candidate skill."
If you manage to last until the last elimination, being the first candidate in rank, you will surely obtain the strongest candidate skill.
Of course, if there is a powerful presence that can crush others, it might force the other four to collaborate against them.
Currently, it seems the Cyan Vault carries significant weight, providing a precondition for Wild Ghostâs collaboration plan.
Wild Ghost chuckled, "Gangxin, if you donât want to participate, to eliminate unexpected factors, I will have to team up with others and eliminate you first. After all, we donât want you to reap the benefits while we attack the Cyan Vault. In one word, either sit at the table or become the menu."
"Seems I have no other choice. Senior Wild Ghost, can you find others?" Bai Pu asked.
"Just a tiny trick." Wild Ghost smiled faintly.
Bai Pu followed Wild Ghost and found Drunken Flower Forest.
Drunken Flower Forest, being a candidate from the previous Celestial Human Cyan Vault, naturally held hostility and readily agreed upon hearing they were to attack Cyan Vault together.
Wild Ghost led the way, flying through the mist, with Drunken Flower Forest wrapped in a gentle breeze, and Bai Pu following on a Magic Sand Flying Disc.
Drunken Flower Forest was quite cordial to Bai Pu, probably because they both have official backgrounds; Drunken Flower Forest is a Central Hub executive while Bai Pu is a Jiangnan Region executive.
During their flight, they encountered a two-headed flying dragon with a Heavenâs Mark.
Under Bai Puâs [Strong Enemy Detection], this two-headed flying dragonâs combat power exceeded the winged catfishâs by a few degrees, likely at the Level 8 Enhanced Warrior level.
However, in front of Wild Ghost, Drunken Flower Forest, and Bai Pu, the two-headed flying dragon still couldnât resist at all and was easily slain.
With the whistling wind, the massive body of the two-headed flying dragon slanted and plunged into the Abyssâs sea eye, leaving only a Heavenâs Mark in its place.
For a moment, the trioâs gazes focused on the Heavenâs Mark.
Bai Pu proactively said, "Both seniors, Iâll let go of this mark." Until now, he only had one mark.
Wild Ghost said indifferently, "Attacking Cyan Vault is the top priority; thereâs no need to damage our harmony over one mark. I wonât take it either; Brother Drunken Flower Forest, go ahead and take it!"
Drunken Flower Forest clasped his hands with a smile and raised his hand to absorb the mark into his palm.
They continued forward and quickly found the fourth collaborator under Wild Ghostâs lead: Gu Fan.
Gu Fan had already promised Wild Ghost, and seeing that Wild Ghost indeed brought Bai Pu and Drunken Flower Forest along, he was delighted.
Immediately, the four of them formed a team and marched mightily to find Cyan Vault.
During this, the Heavenâs Mark emitted several sensations.
Each sensation made the Heavenâs Mark scorch and then display the three-dimensional virtual graphic of the entire Catastrophe Abyss on Bai Puâs retina, with Bai Pu as the solitary green dot at the center and various red dots at other positions moving around.
Thus, Bai Pu could record the number of Heavenâs Mark of others.
Wild Ghost has 7, Drunken Flower Forest has 12.
As an Archer, Gu Fan has the most, having already captured 37, densely packed red dots gathered together, red to the point of purplish.
The remaining red dots almost all have only one Heavenâs Mark, evidently from mutant monsters of the Catastrophe Abyss.
Through the Heavenâs Mark, Bai Pu could also determine Cyan Vaultâs locationâapproximately three kilometers to the north, there are 18 Heavenâs Marks.
"The Heavenâs Mark becomes scorching hot every 10 minutes, showing the positions of other Heavenâs Marks. The display duration also gradually extends, first 10 seconds, then 20 seconds, and so on."
Bai Pu quietly calculated, "At this rate, after sixty times, the Heavenâs Markâs sensation will become permanently effective."
This time isnât particularly long, only 10 hours. As expected, the battle intensifies as the Celestial Human War progresses.
...
In the northern region of Catastrophe Abyss, within a thin mist.
The former Celestial Person Cyan Vault, wielding the Phoenix Wing Gilded Halberd and with a pair of Ice Wings fluttering on his back, agilely stabbed and fought against a whale-like monster.
The whale-shaped monster spat out one black water ball after another, leisurely floating toward Cyan Vault, quickly expanding and exploding, but all were blocked by a layer of pure white Ice Armor on Cyan Vaultâs body.
Eventually, the whale-shaped monster was drained of its blood by the Phoenix Wing Gilded Halberd and turned over, sinking into the abyss.
Cyan Vault reached out to grab a Heavenâs Mark and suddenly looked at the nearby mist, loudly saying, "Since youâre here, why hide?"
"Hehe, indeed worthy of being the previous Celestial Being, having some skills to see through my âGhost Spirit Curtainâ!"
The ghostly mist dissipated, revealing four people.
Wild Ghost stood at the forefront, with Gu Fan on the left, Drunken Flower Forest on the right, and Bai Pu at the back.
"Judging by your appearances, it seems youâve formed an alliance?" Faced with this adverse situation, Cyan Vaultâs expression didnât change much.
"Indeed, weâve allied to eliminate you first. Cyan Vault, you should understand the principle of the tall tree catching the wind." Wild Ghost smiled.
"An alliance? Interesting. Unfortunately, alliances in the Celestial Human War are destined not to receive the Spirit Realm Willâs recognition. Breaking an alliance is simpler than tearing a piece of paper. Iâm curious, among you four, who plans to withstand my counterattack?"
Cyan Vaultâs gaze swept over and looked at Bai Pu hiding behind the crowd, "Gangxin, youâre a Tank, right? But do you truly trust leaving your back to three potential enemies? Once I go down, those three will surely strike your back, and you know this better than I do."
Cyan Vaultâs gaze swept again, landing on Drunken Flower Forest, "Old Lin, weâve known each other for two decades, right? Do you think these newly acquainted people are more trustworthy, or am I, your old friend, more trustworthy?"
Drunken Flower Forest was slightly taken aback, "What do you mean?"
"Itâs simple: if you help me deal with these three, I can help you become the first candidate for the Celestial Human Title." Cyan Vault said plainly, "Or do you think, after eliminating me, youâre capable of winning the Celestial Human Title?"
"Of course, Iâm not sure." Drunken Flower Forest shook his head.
"Very well, not being able to obtain the Celestial Human Title, becoming the first candidate is the optimal choice, right?" Cyan Vault pressed.
"Cyan Vault, I advise you to stop trying to sway people here. No matter what, eliminating the strongest you will raise all four of our ranks by at least one position! Everyone, take action!"
With a shout from Wild Ghost, an invisible skeletal phantom turned into a black line and shot towards Cyan Vault.