Chapter 92: Pandora's Box

Xu Zhi re-examined Pan Yuxian's profile.

"High intelligence, reclusive, with even a slight anti-human tendency. Although a genius revered in reality, she harbored unknown secrets, including a fondness for tragic villains."

Xu Zhi took a sip of tea. "She's the type who, when watching TV series or movies, wouldn't naturally side with the righteous protagonists. Instead, she'd adopt the villain's perspective, passionately cheering for tragic villains with dreams."

Li Shengjiang was an upright and honorable figure. But Pan Yuxian was completely different, with a more extreme inner world. She was determined to become a magnificent, celebrated villain, reveling in her own infamy.

"What a dream for a young girl," Xu Zhi said, taking a bite of an apple. "Do you want to become the next Medusa?"

At this moment, Pan Yuxian waited stealthily. She hid in the world passage, watching the 'silly' players re-form into Cthulhu-like evil gods and stride across the mountains before leaving. Only then did she secretly bring out her Rubik's Cube creatures.

She was a square, black and red iron brick. An iron brick creature was harder to move than a plump slime. Slimes even had strong antennae that could hammer the ground and bounce. Her creatures, however, were just individual rectangular, dark red bricks.

But none of this deterred her; she had considered this during evolution. Soon, she made her creatures bite the corners of the bricks in front of them, forming a long "brick snake" that wiggled their way forward, moving rapidly. She glanced at the colossal giant in front of her, then quietly headed in another direction. "I've seen the map; I'm going to Prison Island, 'Carlson Great Prison,' to rescue Charlotte, who is imprisoned there, her wizardry sealed away."

As she stealthily moved, she whispered, "Since my shape is a black box, my native name in this world shall be Pandora."

"Pandora's Box! It contains disaster, misfortune, deceit, plague, twisted fear, and the ultimate evil of the world. Those who open the box will wield terrifying power."

She couldn't help but whisper, "Charlotte, I'll wait for you to open my Pandora's Box. I want to share this power with you."

In the year 805 of the Babylonian Kingdom, a hundred days after the Alchemist Emperor's funeral rites, discordant voices emerged from various academies and wizarding sects. They refused to acknowledge Armin's succession as the next Emperor. After all, every successive Emperor had forged their path through bloodshed.

However, in less than three days, Armin, with swift and decisive action, donned her alchemical body, showcased her Level 7 Epic strength, and suppressed all dissenting voices.

On that same day, Gorgon Alchemy Island trembled violently, and the sea churned rapidly.

"I have returned." A woman in a wizard's robe emerged, strolling step by step from the sky towards the Babylonian Kingdom. This was a terrifying entity from the ancient dark ages, a forbidden monster from centuries of folklore that made children cry, a mythical figure whose name people feared to speak. Having lost the Alchemist Emperor's suppression, she finally re-emerged.

"Flower of Death!" Clouds churned in the sky, and a black rose blotted out the sun, casting its shadow over the entire Babylonian capital.

"Emperor of Death, Medusa!"

Armin's expression turned grim as she stepped out to face the challenge. Her Ripple Witchcraft, which used vibration to control sound waves, was eerily difficult to guard against. Wearing the alchemical armor forged for her by the Alchemist Emperor, she, despite being at a weaker epic realm, managed to resist this formidable epic-level powerhouse. However, after half a day of arduous combat, she was defeated.

"Grantham had a good disciple; she actually managed to wound me. I won't kill you. I will reclaim the Rose Kingdom on the mountain peak." Medusa lightly spat out a mouthful of blood, showing a hint of surprise, then turned and left. "Just like Lilith back then, you will once again govern the Babylonian Kingdom and regularly provide me with men."

Medusa's temperament was as it had always been. She always allowed her opponents to grow, for she needed a sufficiently powerful adversary. Just as the Alchemist Emperor once pressured her to break through to the Epic realm, she now needed someone to push her, to break the limits of humanity and achieve demigod status.

"I lost," Armin said with a bitter smile.

On this day, the Dark Age descended once more. Within just thirty years, Medusa reclaimed the Rose Kingdom, restoring the rule of the wicked witches. Wicked witches who had violated the three major witch commandments—those who had clung to survival, been hunted, and constantly preyed on men—now openly walked the streets.

That day, Medusa still sat in the throne room, her eyes slightly closed. "In the past, I was focused on power, pride, and arrogance. But now, I merely wish to become a god, to break through and achieve true immortality. I also clearly know that the era of wicked witches has ended; I am merely putting pressure on Armin now."

"Armin, you are not strong enough yet. Can you truly take that step and provide me with the opportunity for a breakthrough?"

Medusa took a deep breath. It wasn't that she hadn't pressed for the third bloodline expansion potion; Armin had told her it was all gone. Knowing she was about to re-emerge, how could Armin have left any for her? Besides, all the forbidden potions had indeed been used up at the time. The Alchemist Emperor had squandered the remaining phoenix blood by using it on seven young witches with extremely poor aptitude. The last portion was given to his disciple, Armin.

"The forbidden potion for becoming a god, to be re-refined, requires phoenix blood as an ingredient. However, over these past few centuries, the phoenix has gradually moved beyond its infancy, surpassing the Epic realm it was in back then and entering the demigod domain. No one in this world could match it anymore. That's why the Alchemist Emperor, after living his second life, tried to obtain phoenix blood again but was severely injured by the demigod phoenix."

Medusa frowned, whispering softly, "To become a god, must one first slay a god? However, I don't necessarily have to follow his path, using potions to elevate my life level. If I did, wouldn't that definitively prove I am inferior to him?" Medusa was, after all, an exceedingly proud woman. "If the Alchemist Emperor could forge a path to godhood, why can't I?"

At this point, news arrived from outside. "West of the Balchik Mountains, near the Great Desert, a Rose Witch alchemy laboratory suffered an inexplicable attack, and all contact was lost." Medusa dismissed it, assuming it was a rebellion by traditional witches, and sent someone to investigate.

A few more hours passed. "The Level 4 wizard sent to investigate seemed to have seen something terrifying. He went mad, frantically running outwards, bleeding profusely from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, dying a truly miserable death."

"Instant death? What terrifying thing did they see? Interesting, truly too interesting." Emperor Medusa sat on her throne, slightly frowning, tapping her fingertips. The witch ministers below dared not speak.

Another day passed. A Level 6 Legendary wicked witch went to investigate, and she too instantly went insane, babbling madly. She was discovered by passing witches and brought back to the Rose Royal Palace. She was the first to return alive, disheveled with unfocused eyes, as if she had witnessed something utterly terrifying and incomprehensibly horrific. She was completely mad.

"No injuries, no signs of struggle. Mobel is a Level 6 Legendary Witch, one of the strongest beings in the world. How could she suddenly go mad?"

"Even a Level 6 Legendary Witch..."

"What exactly did she see???"

In the Rose Palace, the witch ministers' faces showed horror, and unprecedented tension and fear spread among them. Humanity's oldest and strongest emotion is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear is of the unknown. The darkness hidden in the deep abyss below is something people wish to avoid, something everyone turns away from and refuses to confront, yet it possesses a powerful allure that draws everyone to explore it. Fear is unfortunate, yet also romantic.

"We must investigate!"

"Wizards are seekers of truth and rules!"

Countless witches felt both fear and excitement for the unknown.

"Witch Mobel is already mad; whether she can be saved is unknown," Medusa said, taking a deep breath. "However, I can read her memories to see what she experienced." Medusa gently stroked her forehead, and a hazy memory slowly surfaced.

It was a mountain forest. The witch was investigating when, in an instant, she saw a terrifying, indistinct creature, towering into the clouds. Just seeing it in that moment caused her mind to instantly collapse; she couldn't comprehend such a level of life. Countless chaotic foreign words flooded her mind, and then the legendary witch went mad.

Just one glance at it... and she went mad?

Even seeing this scene through memory, Medusa's face suddenly went pale. A surge of unprecedented terror and shock, a fear of death, welled up from the depths of her emotions. She quickly bit her lip, and her mind jolted, bringing her back to full consciousness.

"Emperor Medusa!" The surroundings nervously cried out; was she, too, affected just by viewing the memory?

"I'm fine." Medusa slowly returned to her throne, a trace of fright on her face.

"In that memory, I couldn't perceive its shape at all! What does it look like? A black mist? A pool of dark green sludge? It's indescribable! Unspeakable! Humans simply cannot observe its physical form! Because the moment one sees it, the brain cannot withstand it and collapses!"

An unobservable, inaudible, incomprehensible unknown creature? Medusa pondered for a moment, recalling the terrifying, chaotic, twisted, dark foreign languages she had just heard, as if some ancient evil, dark entity was whispering demonically beside her.

"Wow, someone else is here!"

"It's a beauty! Yosh! Hello, beautiful!"

"Huh? Why is it that as soon as they appear, they start violently spitting blood, look like they've had a nervous breakdown, and frantically run away when they see us?"

"Could it be that we talk too much?"

"Holy cow! It must be because we're too ugly! Blame Grandmaster Akina Mountain Speed for his twisted aesthetics!"

"Brothers, I'm tired. How much longer until we reach the Great Desert? Do we really have to go to the desert to fight the Phoenix boss, get its blood, and give it to Armin as a welcoming gift?"

Medusa heard these chaotic voices and couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of blood. What in the world is this thing?

This is its characteristic. She revealed a profound fear. "What chaotic thoughts! This creature is a living catastrophe! Is the chaotic language it constantly emits a form of mental curse?"