98: Chapter 98 Bridge of Helplessness

Tianyuan Arena, Core Control Room.

Tian Heng stood before the eye of destiny, watching the light screen displaying the changing odds.

[Su Bai's Championship Odds Changes]

[Pre-match: 1:5000]

[After first round match results announced: 1:3000]

[After Shen Zhao's profile was released: 1:8000]

[After the match started: 1:10000]

[Match at 10 minutes (War God fallen): 1:5000]

[Match at 20 minutes (God of Plague escorted): 1:2000]

[Match end (Su Bai wins): 1:800]

"From ten thousand to eight hundred." The corners of Tian Heng's mouth curled up slightly. "This change in odds can rank in the top three in the history of the Zhuangyuan Hegemony Competition."

"Indeed." The voice of the eye of destiny remained emotionless. "And this is only the beginning. According to my calculations, if Su Bai continues his crushing dominance in the second round, his odds will drop to within 1:200 before the third round."

Tian Heng raised an eyebrow.

"Your evaluation of him is that high?"

"It's not an evaluation," the eye of destiny said. "It's data analysis. The amount of information Su Bai revealed in the first round is extremely limited. Less than half of his Ten Great Yin Marshals were deployed, the loss rate of his five major races' main forces was less than five percent, and his strongest Hero Unit, the 'Ghost King,' never used his full strength throughout the battle. The upper limit of his true strength cannot be estimated at present."

Tian Heng fell silent.

He looked at the greyish-white name on the light screen, and the image of Su Bai never having moved a single finger from beginning to end surfaced in his mind.

"Cannot be estimated..." He repeated those words softly, an inscrutable light flashing in his eyes. "Then let's see how much can be forced out of him in the second round."

Tianyuan Arena, Winners' Bracket Rest Area, Lounge No. 019.

Su Bai opened his eyes.

The door to the Time Acceleration Chamber slowly opened before him.

It was a spherical space about ten meters in diameter, with inner walls forged from 'Space-Time Crystals' that could adjust the internal time flow to ten times that of the outside. Staying inside for a day would only mean an hour had passed outside.

He stepped inside.

The door closed behind him.

The space was silent, save for the sounds of his breathing and heartbeat.

Su Bai sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the Netherworld World.

Greyish-white Yin Qi surged like a sea.

He stood at the world core, looking at the law that was currently condensing.

Six Paths of Reincarnation (Prototype).

A ring-shaped phantom composed of countless points of light floated in the deepest part of the world core. The phantom rotated slowly; every point of light represented a soul, and every rotation represented a cycle of reincarnation.

But the phantom was still very faint and blurry, like an unfinished painting.

It needed time.

It needed Power Of Faith.

It needed the world level to increase.

Su Bai took a deep breath, shifted his gaze from the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and looked at his world panel.

[Current Power Of Faith: 58,111 points]

[Daily Power Of Faith Production: 8,000 points]

[World Level: Sixth-Order]

[World Diameter: 2,450 km]

[Hero Units: Ten Great Yin Marshals (Ghost King Sixth-Order Peak, Black and White Impermanence Sixth-Order, Ox-Head and Horse-Face Sixth-Order, Four Great Demon Underworld Envoys Sixth-Order, Day Wanderer and Night Patroller Sixth-Order), Lan (Fifth-Order 5-Star), Mushroom King (Fourth-Order), Shadow Blade (Fourth-Order), Frost King (Fourth-Order), Chen Ming (Fourth-Order Peak), Ghost Bride (Fourth-Order), Sadako (Fourth-Order), Slit-Mouthed Woman (Third-Order)]

[Common Units: 500,000 Mushroom People, 800,000 Shadow Demons, 150,000 Ice Crystals, 1,500,000 Naga, 4,500,000 Humans, 2,769 Yin Soldiers, 200 Soul-Hooking Ghosts, 12,000 Ghost Soldiers]

[Buildings: Ghost Gate Pass, Yellow Spring Road, Hall of Impermanence, Tongue-Pulling Hell, River of Oblivion]

[Special: Six Paths of Reincarnation (Prototype, estimated 7 days to completion)]

Fifty-eight thousand one hundred and eleven points of Power Of Faith.

Eight thousand points of daily production.

Su Bai looked at those numbers, calculating silently in his heart.

The prototype of the Six Paths of Reincarnation still needed seven days to complete. But the second round of the elimination tournament might start in just a few hours. He couldn't wait seven days.

However, he didn't need to wait.

Because the Six Paths of Reincarnation was the foundation of the Netherworld World, but its complete form required the Seventh-Order to support it. He was only at the Sixth-Order now; even if the Six Paths of Reincarnation were completed early, he wouldn't be able to use it.

So, there was no rush.

What he needed to do now was something else.

Su Bai raised his hand, linking his consciousness with the world core.

[Bridge of Helplessness]

[Power Of Faith Consumption: 50,000 points]

[Description: A bridge connecting both banks of the River of Oblivion, the mandatory path for souls to be reincarnated. Once built, it will have the following effects:]

Effect 1: Soul Crossing: All souls crossing the River of Oblivion must pass through the Bridge of Helplessness to enter reincarnation. Meng Pos Pavilion is located on the bridge; souls must drink Meng Po Soup to forget their past lives before crossing.

Effect 2: Meng Po's Station: After the Bridge of Helplessness is built, the Hero Unit 'Meng Po' can be created. Meng Po will be stationed by the bridge, brewing Meng Po Soup and guiding souls to reincarnation.

Effect 3: Three-Life Stone: The 'Three-Life Stone' will automatically generate at the head of the bridge, where souls can see their past, present, and future lives.

Effect 4: Wangxiang Platform: The 'Wangxiang Platform' will automatically generate at the end of the bridge, where souls can take one last look at their hometown before entering reincarnation.

Effect 5: Ox-Head and Horse-Face Enhancement: After the Bridge of Helplessness is built, the escort efficiency of Ox-Head and Horse-Face is increased by 100%, and they can directly escort souls to the bridgehead.

Fifty thousand points.

Su Bai fell silent.

Fifty thousand points of Power Of Faith in exchange for the Bridge of Helplessness, Meng Po, the Three-Life Stone, the Wangxiang Platform, and the Ox-Head and Horse-Face Enhancement.

Was it worth it?

It was beyond worth it.

But once fifty thousand points were spent, his Power Of Faith would only have over eight thousand points left.

Furthermore, the Six Paths of Reincarnation still required Power Of Faith to accelerate its progress.

He hesitated for a few seconds.

Ultimately, he clicked confirm.

[Confirm Creation: Bridge of Helplessness]

[Power Of Faith Consumption: 50,000 points]

[Remaining Power Of Faith: 8,111 points]

The entire Underworld Space began to tremble.

By the banks of the River of Oblivion, a stone bridge extended from both sides toward the center. The bridge was forged from greyish-white stone, its surface wide enough for ten horse carriages to pass side-by-side. The railings were carved with eerie runes that emitted a faint blue light, identical to the runes on the Ghost Gate Pass.

At the bridgehead, a small pavilion rose from the ground.

Meng Pos Pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, a large cauldron was taking shape. The cauldron was pitch black, with the three ancient characters for 'Meng Po Soup' carved on its body. Inside, the water of the River of Oblivion was being drawn by some force, turning into wisps of mist that condensed, settled, and concentrated within the cauldron.

To one side of the bridgehead, a massive stone rose from beneath the ground.

Three-Life Stone.

The stone's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the figures of countless souls. Those figures flowed within the stone—past, present, and future lives; three lifetimes were all contained within.

At the end of the bridge, a high platform rose up.

Wangxiang Platform.

The platform was a hundred zhang high; standing upon it, one could see the hometown of a soul's previous life. Even if separated by ten thousand worlds, even if divided by life and death, it could be seen.

The Bridge of Helplessness was complete.

The moment the Bridge of Helplessness took shape, the bodies of Ox-Head and Horse-Face jolted simultaneously.

Their auras didn't increase, but a new line of text appeared on their skill panels.

[Escort Impermanence Enhancement: Can directly escort souls to the Bridge of Helplessness bridgehead, ignoring any spatial lockdowns. Escort distance extended to ten times. When fighting on the Bridge of Helplessness, all attributes of Ox-Head and Horse-Face are increased by 50%.]

Su Bai looked at that line of text, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

But what he looked forward to even more was something else.

He raised his hand, linking his consciousness with the world core.

[Hero Unit Available for Creation: Meng Po]

[Prompt: Bridge of Helplessness has been built, creation available]

[Power Of Faith Consumption: 50,000 points]

Su Bai looked at that line, and his eyelids twitched.

Fifty thousand points.

He only had eight thousand one hundred and eleven points now.

He took a deep breath and closed the interface.

No rush.

He would wait a few days until the daily production accumulated fifty thousand points before creating Meng Po.

He looked up toward the Bridge of Helplessness.

The greyish-white stone bridge spanned quietly across the River of Oblivion. Meng Pos Pavilion at the bridgehead was empty, and the large cauldron inside was still condensing the river water.

But Su Bai knew that soon, there would be a figure there.

A hunched old woman, wearing a grey robe, holding a bowl of Meng Po Soup, saying to every passing soul:

"Drink it, forget your past life, and go to your next."

He withdrew his gaze and looked at his remaining Power Of Faith.

8,111 points.

He then turned his attention to the mortal realm of his Netherworld World and discovered an interesting occurrence among the human race.