Chapter 367 Witch, we didn't offend you. Why? - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Hidden Realm, Ice Wasteland. Su Miao sat sidesaddle on her alloy staff, flying toward the distant horizon. In this pose and outfit, she looked incredibly cute, almost ready to cosplay as a magical girl just by changing into a lovely performance costume. A moment later, Su Miao arrived at a valley. From afar, the valley seemed empty. But upon flying closer, it was filled with eerie grey mist. Eerie mist meant that peculiar creatures lurked within. Why did these creatures resemble mutated monsters? And why did those who resembled beast-transformed beings have the same aura as cannibals? Were they once humans? If so, it was truly terrifying. Considering it this way, the Hidden Realm seemed like Earth years after a catastrophic apocalypse. Nearly lifeless, full of sinister creatures, a world of despair without hope? In such a hopeless world, merely surviving was an achievement. What did the Void truly represent? Could it be connected to the gods of the Ice Wasteland? If she could gather information about the deities of the Hidden Realm, perhaps she'd better understand this world and find her parents' whereabouts more easily. Otherwise, finding her parents in this vast world would be as challenging as locating an asteroid in the endless universe. Looking down at the Void, Su Miao realized a new problem. When did she start investigating deities? Where did she get the courage? Despite being so weak, barely surviving a post-apocalyptic world took all her effort, yet she dared to trouble the gods of this realm. It's hard to imagine the transformation, even Su Miao herself couldn't comprehend it. Perhaps it was due to being repeatedly troubled by evil gods on Earth. However, thinking in another way, even if Su Miao didn't actively seek out the evil gods, they would eventually come for her. So, why not strike first and eliminate them, avoiding future troubles? Su Miao stopped, gracefully dismounting the alloy staff, standing in the void, her hands gripping the staff as she gazed at the strange grey mist in the valley, letting the starlight blossom. Boom! Dazzling starlight akin to a celestial river descending, covering the entire valley. In an instant, the valley was filled with wailing monsters as if Su Miao had inadvertently ignited a piece of hell, making the entire underworld wail in agony. Countless monsters struggled like fading smoke, bursting like fireworks in a flash. To an outsider, it might seem like a grand fireworks display. Su Miao stood in the void, watching silently. So this was the so-called Void? It's worth noting that the starlight she released just now wasn't the lethal, highly compressed magical starlight capable of killing the shadows of evil gods. It was merely for ambiance, purely used for purification. Yet, the eerie mist below ignited regardless... It showed that those peculiar creatures were similar to the ones that earlier attacked Lin Jiu Jiu. "Witch, we haven't offended you, why?!" An eerie creature engulfed in starlight struggled skyward, condemning Su Miao's vile actions with rage. Hearing the voice, Su Miao looked toward the creature, ready to cast another spell. However, the creature had exhausted all its strength merely to speak. Before she could act, it burned swiftly into ash within the starlight. A multicolored crystal core fell from the void, caught by Su Miao with a mage hand and stored in her magical space. Surveying the valley again, she noticed a field littered with crystal cores. Su Miao descended, collecting the crystals into her magical space before sidesaddling the staff once more, flying deeper into the valley. Soon, her view filled with aesthetically pleasing structures, resembling elven dwellings or perhaps an unknown temple. The place was beautifully intact. What was this place like in the past, how prosperous was it, and what happened to reduce it to this state? Flying through, Su Miao remained cautious of possible threats. Magic sensing! Detecting no imminent dangers, it seemed everything had been purified earlier. However, given that the starlight was merely for ambiance, any powerful beings hidden within might still pose a threat. Minutes later, Su Miao approached a temple, where piles of gold lay stacked mountain-high. Golden sands, coins, necklaces, rings, goblets, cutlery—various golden treasures. A rough estimate... Su Miao couldn't tell how much gold lay there. She had no intention of collecting it. The gold bore a distasteful aura, likely tainted by the earlier corrupt mist or something else altogether. Flying to another temple, the condition inside was far worse, with signs of a terribly fierce battle. But, wasn’t the damage too minimal? Su Miao raised a hand, releasing an ice arrow. It left a shallow dent on the temple floor... Magical beam! Using a stronger spell this time, it only made a slightly bigger dent. This was absurd. "Try another way." Hovering higher, Su Miao pointed her alloy staff skyward, conjuring a purple fireball over two meters wide. As the fireball neared descent, a magical array within the temple wove patterns, apparently activating a hidden enchantment in reaction to the fireball. "Witch, are you crazy?" A terrifying voice arose from beneath the temple ruins. "Don't you know you're supposed to protect historical relics?" Su Miao gazed at the ruins, puzzled. Something was indeed hidden below? But hiding like that couldn't be anything good. Most importantly, she sensed malice and intense resentment from this voice. "Uh-oh." Her heart skipped a beat. While focusing on the voice, her purple fireball accidentally expanded to over three meters in diameter. Letting it grow further might harm her, so Su Miao promptly released it downward, simultaneously maximizing her magical defenses to prevent backlash from the explosion. Moreover, although the fireball appeared purple on the outside, its internal temperature possibly reached 20,000 degrees Celsius, or even higher. Instantly, magical patterns in the temple intertwined as the fireball descended, astonishingly held in place by the magical array. But holding it wasn't enough. Having long been out of commission, and further eroded by the corrupt mist, even upon revival, the magical array failed to withstand the might of Su Miao's fireball. After a ten-second standoff, the revived array melted away, the fireball crashing down. A blinding explosion occurred, a destructive mushroom cloud arose, igniting everything in its path. When the cloud finally dissipated, the temple’s floor bore a meter-wide, ten-centimeter-deep crater. Despite lingering unimaginable heat, only such a slight mark remained. Compared to other impacts on the temple, Su Miao felt truly feeble. Might she need to restore the Silver Sword? Or unleash the full potential of Starlight Blossom? She pondered seriously while searching for whatever lay hidden beneath the temple. Something sneaky, another shadow of an evil god? Possibly not. If it were an evil god’s shadow, it would have already leapt out. "Witch, what exactly do you want?" The voice beneath the temple grew feeble. Yet, regardless of its words, Su Miao didn’t reply. Seeing she still pondered deeply, appearing ready for further action, the entity grew anxious. "Witch, could you already know about that matter?" the voice continued weakly. "I knew that plan was full of flaws, there was no way to deceive a foreign god who descended upon the Ice Wasteland." "They intend to kill you, seizing your heart, blood, and bones to achieve resurrection—a sinister scheme." ? The entity beneath the ruins called her a god? Su Miao was momentarily confused. She was just a witch. A very weak witch, who could only make a shallow dent in the ruins, how could anyone call her a god? Is there some misunderstanding here? Yet, besides her, no one else was present. The entity beneath the temple ruins referred to the god, and besides her, there was no one else. Su Miao's gaze became dangerous, contemplating whether to use Starlight Blossom to force whatever was hiding under the temple out into the open. The being had mentioned they attempted to resurrect and hadn't dared to show themselves until now. This could only mean one thing: they feared her power. Their true form was also a spirit. Starlight Blossom naturally countered spirits effectively. "Witch, I mean you no harm." The entity beneath the temple spoke, "I’m willing to divulge everything I know, just please let me rest in peace." Without hesitation, it continued, "I was unearthed by them. They informed me that a new god from another world was soon to descend upon the Ice Wasteland, a witch just approaching the threshold of divinity—easy to handle." "If she's easy to handle, why don't they confront her themselves?" "I wondered the same." "They detailed their plan: first, they’d give the owl sage occupying the Demon King’s castle a ridiculous prophecy to deal with you." "This owl sage once killed the Demon King in the castle and consumed his flesh—a ruthless figure indeed." "But over time, the sage’s mental state deteriorated. After devouring the Demon King, he constantly teetered on the brink of collapse, ready to become a new Demon King. Using him against you was the perfect move." "The reason was simple—the owl sage had an obsession with saving his kin." "He had once used the Demon King's power to halt his kin's transformation into monsters. While initially effective, prolonged use exacerbated the impact on him and his kin, and the situation was reaching a crux now, forcing his hand." "In such circumstances, the owl sage would surely believe in the prophecy against you." "Once the owl sage and you were both exhausted from the battle, they would ambush. That’s the essence of the plan." "Oh, and after they kill you, they plan to invade your original world. The Ice Wasteland is too barren, offering nothing. That’s everything—I've told you all I know." … Su Miao blinked. That was an overwhelming amount of information. Clutching her alloy staff, she questioned, "Who are 'they'?" Her posture suggested that if the answer didn't satisfy, more terrifying magical attacks would ensue, especially a Starlight Blossom. "I don't know who they are. I was only unearthed recently, but I do know where their lair is." The entity beneath the temple created a map of the Ice Wasteland from thin air using dust particles. The map was clearer and more precise than the one Su Miao had. It marked several points. These points corresponded exactly to the Voids throughout the Ice Wasteland. The entity beneath the temple said, "They reside in these places." Su Miao memorized the map. The air grew silent, theoretically implying she should take her leave after gathering such revelations. However, she remained, still poised for attack. "Oh, right, I have some treasured gifts for you. Please, accept them." The entity beneath the temple offered, "Among them is a divine energy gem and a travel journal." "The divine energy gem can replace the gemstone in your staff, augmenting its power considerably." "The travel journal belonged to a witch travelling through the Ice Wasteland 100,000 years ago." "I believe you will appreciate these gifts." Saying this, the voice sounded noticeably reluctant. A treasure box appeared in the air, opening to reveal a gem and an old-looking notebook. The gem was a brilliantly pure red, brimming with untainted energy. Moreover, the gem seemed to emit a distinctive rule-based resonance. "This gemstone contains a special power of rules." The entity beneath the temple explained. Its tone was filled with regret. The power of rules was invaluable to them. Focused on the divine energy gem, for safety, Su Miao entered an absolute rational state. Her eyes turned icy, her demeanor more graceful, exuding an indescribable pressure. Responding to this aura, the gem leapt from the box, emitting a daunting aura of power. Clearly, the gem had issues, but they were manageable. "Dare to escape, and I'll destroy you." Su Miao elegantly raised her hand, grasping the divine energy gem with a mage hand. The gem quivered slightly, offering no resistance as it was inserted into the alloy staff, replacing the worn magical gemstone. It was then she noticed the original gem had developed tiny cracks. Without a doubt, they were caused by the repeated use of Starlight Blossom. The item was excellent, and she was satisfied. (End of Chapter)