Chapter 408 The Goblin Demon King is Coming - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Forbidden Area, Abyss of Taboos? Su Miao had just learned a new term from the Underworld. Who would have thought there would be a place even the great demon king feared? Shouldn't a demon king be fearless against heaven and earth? Little did Su Miao know that Earth, designated as World 16, had just been marked as a forbidden area by the Demon King Council of Mist Island. Once the great demon king Ke Lai Te fell, it would be officially labeled as a forbidden area, and no demon king would dare enter willingly. The surrender of the great demon king Ke Lai Te prompted the remnants of the demon king's legion to wail in submission. However, Su Miao ignored the demon king legion's surrender. The combat mechs continued their pursuit and extermination. For the domain of the magical town, the demon king's legion served as excellent nourishment. Moreover, although the domain had stabilized after using Starlight Bloom continually to kill the great demon king, it was still severely damaged, and its self-repair required a significant amount of energy. Lastly, had she not established the magical town here on a whim for experimentation, would the 8 million-strong demon king legion have obliterated the Earth completely? Destroying Earth meant annihilating her home, which must be prevented at all costs. As for the great demon king Ke Lai Te standing before her, he was a latecomer with no malice, and he surrendered decisively, leaving Su Miao in a bit of a bind. "What kind of organization is Mist Island?" "Your Highness, Mist Island is an organization founded by three great archdemons, known as the Demon King Council. The council's regular meeting place is an island floating in the sky, perpetually shrouded in mist, which is why it's called Mist Island over time." Ke Lai Te, the great demon king, answered every question. As the Demon King Council had no clauses prohibiting leaks once formed, he saw no issue with speaking more to save his life. "Your Highness, please forgive me, but I cannot speak the true names of the three great archdemons. Doing so would alert them." "…" Just mentioning their names would alert them? How powerful. The great archdemons… Should she go to Mist Island and have them cooperate in an experiment later? No, that's too dangerous. She should summon them at another time, making experiments safer. [This idea is too dangerous; I'll think about it later.] Su Miao asked, "Is Mist Island currently located near the passageway?" The great demon king Ke Lai Te's heart jolted. "Yes, Your Highness." Doesn't that mean the distance is quite close? Su Miao looked at the Si Chen Platform, debating whether to go over and possibly launch a Starlight Bloom at Mist Island. However, thinking it over, Ke Lai Te might have arrived so quickly due to demons keeping constant watch near the passageway—her entry into the Underworld might be immediately detected. In that case, it would have to wait. Su Miao asked, "The great demon king who recently died here, La Ka, mentioned something about a Forbidden Witch before his death. Do you have any clues?" Forbidden Witch? Just hearing the term made Ke Lai Te, the great demon king, turn pale instantly. He took several seconds to calm down. "Your Highness, the Forbidden Witch is an entity that should not be mentioned in the Underworld. Mentioning it would alert Them, causing Them to come and hunt the Forbidden Witch, and any forces related to it would also be purged by Them." Which meant he didn't really answer anything. Su Miao was dissatisfied with this answer. "What are They?" The great demon king Ke Lai Te shook his head. "It's indescribable and beyond specific expression. The only certainty is that They are unspeakable and incredibly ominous. If encountered, you'd definitely know." Su Miao nodded slightly. "Hmm, do you think I'm the Forbidden Witch?" The great demon king Ke Lai Te's face turned even paler. "Your Highness, I truly don't know. La Ka must have mentioned that term to incriminate you." Incriminate her? Su Miao blinked, not overly concerned. It seemed there were no problems for now. How should she handle this great demon king before her? Killing him would require using Starlight Bloom, which she had already used multiple times with great energy consumption, leaving her with little magic power. Using it again wasn't impossible, but it would consume more of the magical town domain's stored energy. However, doing so would be somewhat counterproductive, potentially putting her into a state of sleep to recover her magic power. This crucial time could instead be spent optimizing magic and understanding laws. Sleeping would be a waste of time. But not killing him posed its own issues—a real dilemma... If this demon king were obedient, he might collect some magical herbs for her in the Underworld, helping to save her some time, and perhaps she could spare his life. After all, she couldn't enter the Underworld for now, and synthesizing a magical potion to heal Xia Xiao’an couldn't be delayed. Su Miao scrutinized the great demon king Ke Lai Te, remaining silent. The great demon king Ke Lai Te was utterly terrified, as the witchy highness before him hadn't yet dictated how she would control him. Was it because she hadn't decided whether to kill him? What to do? Moreover, if this highness were indeed the Forbidden Witch, he might face purging anyway, dying regardless. The great demon king Ke Lai Te steeled himself and said, "Your Highness, to demonstrate my loyalty, please accept a portion of my divine soul." He voluntarily offered a part of his divine soul. After relinquishing part of his divine soul, the great demon king Ke Lai Te became somewhat weakened, with more fear in his eyes. If the witchy highness crushed this part of his divine soul, he would be left either dead or crippled. But without taking such a measure, he couldn't be at ease. Su Miao glanced at the divine soul of the floating great demon king and casually stored it into a magical space. "Regarding the magical herbs I mentioned earlier, I'll leave it to you to collect them in the Underworld." "Yes, Your Highness!" The great demon king Ke Lai Te immediately complied, knowing he had survived. Though one of the herbs he needed to retrieve would require him to venture into the Abyss of Taboos, which could cost him his life, it was still better than dying here. "Hmm, you may leave now," Su Miao said. "If you stay here any longer, I might end up killing you." The great demon king Ke Lai Te shuddered from head to toe, hurriedly nodding in response. However, turning around, he found himself bewildered once more. With an elegant gesture of her alloy staff, Su Miao had already sent the great demon king Ke Lai Te to the Si Chen Platform, where the spatial passage to the Underworld lay right ahead. "Your Highness, I will return immediately upon finding the magical herbs." After stating this, the great demon king Ke Lai Te swiftly entered the spatial passage, speeding back to the Underworld. The fright from earlier had nearly cost him his life—but surviving was an indescribably good feeling. Yet, recalling the earlier events still filled him with an overwhelming terror. Returning to the Underworld, the great demon king Ke Lai Te's first instinct was to hurry to Mist Island. To ensure his survival, he needed to formally register World 16 as a forbidden area, preventing any consequences regarding his prior disclosures. Although there were no explicit rules on Mist Island to constrain this, being cautious when it came to matters of life and death was wise. But after flying for a while, the great demon king Ke Lai Te was stunned. Where was Mist Island? How could such a massive island have disappeared? "Damn, those bastards all ran away!" ... In the Underworld, a terrifying commotion erupted in the long-silent Abyssal Void, dormant for countless millennia. Brilliant divine radiance shimmered from its depths, heralding the emergence of treasure. The phenomenon was massive, causing significant turbulence. Even many ancient beings pushed aside coffin lids that hadn't moved for eons and crawled out from the depths. But regarding exactly what occurred in the abyss, only Si Shu, who feigned discovering the phenomenon and arrived swiftly, knew the truth. Si Shu, advancing as she surveyed the void, was somewhat astounded. What used to be a lifeless and barren Underworld suddenly saw the emergence of many terrifying entities. Demon kings, evil gods, archdemons, unspeakably bizarre beings, incomprehensible phenomena, and the ultimately unfathomable unknowns. [Gasp.] [All I did was light a match—how did it feel like I had torn the heavens down?] Seeing the multitude of terrifying entities, Si Shu had to momentarily pause her steps, hesitating whether to continue forward. If only that mysterious blonde girl had explained things clearly, she wouldn't have acted so impulsively. However, the scene before her confirmed one thing for Si Shu. Had she not heeded the advice then, she might have perished inside. The only thing left to verify was whether Si Wu would arrive. "Oh, beautiful lady." A Goblin Demon King descended from the sky, wearing an eccentric tailcoat as he greeted Si Shu with a bow. "I wonder if I am fortunate enough to mate with you and bear a litter of adorable little goblins to inherit my demon king castle." "..." Si Shu observed the Goblin Demon King before her and opened her book: "Tell me, are you happy?" The Goblin Demon King replied, "So rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. My true name is Goblin Demon King Aratu Celinstad." "..." Si Shu, with a peculiar expression, asked, "Have you ever been sad?" The Goblin Demon King stared directly at Si Shu, suddenly erupting in rage, "Woman, you're trying to trick me!" His body expanded to ten zhang high and continued to grow. But in the next moment, the Goblin Demon King felt an overwhelming gravitational force suppress him, preventing further growth. How could this be possible? The Goblin Demon King attempted to resist, but a new wave of attack was already upon him. To his horror, he found himself seemingly anchored to the ground, unable to break free, as if beneath him was not mere earth but an inescapable abyss. Unhurried, Si Shu turned the pages of her book, her pupils turning gold as she gazed forward with decisive force. Instantly, the Goblin Demon King knelt on one knee, emitting wails and cries of agony. "Who... who are you?" "…" Si Shu took a deep breath as the pages of the book flipped rapidly in front of her, revealing the phasing out of various empowered beings, transforming into pure energy. Soul Extraction! In an instant, the Goblin Demon's soul was forcibly stripped away. But being a demon king, the Goblin Demon King fiercely struggled, and the two engaged in a standoff. With a cold snort, Si Shu locked eyes with the Goblin Demon King. In that instant, he experienced a momentary daze. He found himself within a barren dreamscape. Here, in his bewilderment, he glimpsed a mysterious blonde girl. The mysterious blonde girl seemed surprised, then pointed a finger at the Goblin Demon King. In an instant, his soul shattered like stardust. Si Shu stepped back, bewildered as the Goblin Demon's ignited soul burned. Trying to use Si Ming's power, she couldn't fully extract the Goblin Demon's soul and resorted to Si Tian’s power, thrusting him into an immediate dream. Given her limited control over Si Tian’s power, constructing the dreamscape made her recall the mysterious blonde girl. Yet unexpectedly, recalling the mysterious blonde girl triggered a response. Merely a point from her, and the demon king's soul disintegrated. The Goblin Demon King's soul in the real world ignited and vanished in an instant, leaving Si Shu astonished. The combination of using Si Shu, Si Di, Si Ming, and Si Tian’s powers almost left her utterly drained. Especially Si Ming Pei Xiaomiao's soul-extracting power—immense yet excessively consuming. No wonder Pei Xiaomiao rarely uses it in usual times. And while maneuvering the Goblin Demon King into dreams using Si Tian wasn’t much, the mysterious blonde girl's gesture within her dream could have been either a warning or amusement. Regardless, it nearly depleted her remaining energy, annihilating the demon king with a point. This was a huge consumption. The battle had already attracted the attention of several demon kings and evil gods; she couldn't remain here any longer. Pointing to the corpse of the fallen Goblin Demon King, Si Shu saw it transform into a book. The title read: "Goblin Demon King Aratu Celinstad." Since his soul had perished during the transformation, the book contained many blank pages and was incomplete. However, this was irrelevant. Si Shu merely intended to intimidate the lurking demon kings and evil gods. Indeed, upon witnessing this scene, they all moved on. [The consumption is too great, plans need adjusting.] Si Shu quickly departed. Minutes later, her figure was gone. Unbeknownst to her, shortly after she left, Si Shi, cloaked, appeared nearby. Sensing the residual power in the ground, he muttered as if speaking to himself: “Si Shu hid her powers well, quietly absorbing the powers of Si Tian, Si Di, and Si Ming.” “Si Zhi, aren’t you afraid?” In the shadows, Si Zhi emerged, laughing: “Si Shi, don’t hide behind others' actions to mask your hypocrisy. You plotted against Si Chen, leading him to be cornered by the demon king army for his power, didn’t you?” “And now, you wish to entangle me in schemes too—shameless.” Si Shi chuckled: “Si Zhi, trying to indoctrinate me with your convoluted logic won’t work. I don’t believe you haven’t discerned something.” Si Zhi remarked, “Your hypocrisy taints this world, Si Shi. If you desire something, just take it; pretending otherwise is exhausting, isn’t it?” “All members of the Twelve Si are vessels for power. Whoever’s power matures is ripe for reaping.” “Si Tian’s power matured first, hence his early demise.” “Si Ming’s power is mysterious, beyond comprehension.” “Si Di’s power matured after a battle with the witch.” “All these powers are perfectly demonstrated within Si Shu; the powerful goblin demon king killed without hesitation.” “Si Shi, you assumed control over everything, only to find Si Shu surpassed expectations.” “How does it feel to be so off your calculations?” “Just a reminder—you look utterly ridiculous, haha!” Si Shi's face darkened. Si Zhi continued, “Oh, will you say the Twelve Si must ultimately narrow to one survivor? Act now, or face inevitable death? I assure you—I’m unconcerned, but you clearly are.” (End of chapter)