Chapter 433 Leaving the Earth Universe - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

Su Miao looked at the pile of magic notes on the table, inexplicably feeling as if she had unwittingly participated in a college entrance exam. She counted them—31 books of various sizes and a stack of A4 paper sketches of magic circles. This was reminiscent of how her desk had looked at the end of her own college entrance exams. There were many rough drafts among them. Su Miao rummaged through her magical space and found an intelligent photocopier. This photocopier appeared somewhat antiquated, resembling the large, cumbersome, essential machines found in offices a hundred years ago—bulky, but invariably reliable. Moreover, this model could swiftly read text from book pages and input it into a computer for intelligent formatting. This feature was reportedly developed by an archaeological team for scanning ancient manuscripts. A few minutes later, the scanned information was displayed on the screen. To facilitate readability, Su Miao connected her holographic computer to the intelligent photocopier system. Instantly, 26 screens appeared above the photocopier, each displaying parts of the notes. Su Miao rapidly read, verified, deleted portions, and then consolidated content. This activity consumed her entire afternoon. In the end, she had a brand-new set of magic notes printed on A4 paper. Now, she wouldn't need to flip through numerous books to read her magic notes. Though, this magic notebook was 8 cm thick, making it somewhat inconvenient to use. As for magical books, up to this point, there were complex ones like "Blood Magic," and others like Pei Xiaomiao's "Book of Destiny," Su Cheng's "Catalogue of Records," and Si Zui's "Codex of Darkness." Su Miao pondered for a moment and decided to turn her magic notes into a magical book. This way, she wouldn't need to compile them afresh periodically. Out of caution, Su Miao made two additional copies to prevent the loss of a single book leaving her without backups. With backups secured, Su Miao commenced an experiment. First, she infused some law threads into the magical notes... Thirty seconds later, the notes exploded. Ah, this. Su Miao fetched a pile of A4 paper and decided to study them first. Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli watched as their elder sister Su Miao delved into research mode without daring to disturb her. Truthfully, since Su Miao began constructing the magic town, they had sensed it. Though she was the familiar elder sister Su Miao, the distance between them and her was growing. Thus, during this period, they trained and studied with increased diligence. Unconsciously, three months passed. Su Miao surveyed the coarse magical notes in front of her, regardless of the result, it was barely completed. Now, it was time to depart for the Astral Sea. On this day, a light rain fell outside, and Su Miao laid out an assortment of delicacies on the table. Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli gathered around, surprised and somewhat apprehensive as they eyed the feast. Even though Su Miao occasionally did this, this time felt distinctly different. Su Miao said, "Let's eat!" Despite their doubts, Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli wasted no time when it came to eating. Half an hour later, the entire spread was devoured. Ever since they gained strength, their appetites had grown significantly, with no notion of their limits. "Xiao'an, Jiujiu, Luoli, I will be leaving Earth for some time," Su Miao announced. Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli were startled, a hint of worry flashing in their eyes. "Your Highness, is it the Inner World?" Su Luoli asked. Su Miao shook her head. "No." Although rich in resources, the Inner World was no longer of significance to her. "I'm heading to a very dangerous place this time; bringing you along would be fatal." Su Miao's expression remained calm. Xia Xiao'an inquired, "Sister Su Miao, may we know where?" After pondering a bit, Su Miao responded, "The Astral Sea." Lin Jiujiu asked, "Where is the Astral Sea, Sister Su Miao?" Su Miao explained, "It's a very distant place, requiring travel across the universe, traversing the river of time—truly far." Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli were bewildered. They understood every word Su Miao said, but together it was incomprehensible. If one had to liken it to something, it mirrored the language of novels they usually read. Crossing universes they could somewhat grasp from their understanding of parallel and multi-dimensional universes, but crossing the river of time was truly beyond their comprehension. Su Miao continued, "In the future, once your powers are strong enough, you'll come to understand." Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli nodded. "I've arranged for you to connect with Shelter No. 1. During my absence, you may choose to go there or stay at the camp. Regardless of whether you go to Shelter No. 1, the shelter will reach out." "Additionally, the campgrounds I've left on Earth—do check on them periodically." Regarding this, one must mention the report from Shelter No. 1. Due to the mutated trees she left behind, many abilities users who attempted to breach them lost their lives; those plants were fiercely aggressive! Hence, someone needed to manage it, and the task was well-suited for Lin Jiujiu, Xia Xiao'an, and Su Luoli. The three nodded. "For the magic town, I've granted you safety permissions. It's evolving into a world straddling fantasy and reality. Feel free to explore it, but don't become ensnared." "If anything attempts to emerge, handle it accordingly." "…" "Will something attempt to come out, Sister Su Miao?" Xia Xiao'an asked. "Visit it together, and you'll understand," Su Miao suggested. Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli nodded. They planned to visit the next day. Meanwhile, Su Miao pulled several spatial storage devices from her magical space. "These contain various supplies. Plan their usage wisely." Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli examined the spatial devices on the table, suspecting that Sister Su Miao might have given away the bulk of her reserves. And indeed, that was almost the case. Su Miao didn't elaborate further. In fact, she seemed to no longer require food and water for survival. Su Miao had explored this after she gained the ability to kill the demon king, but eating and drinking were habits she couldn't easily abandon. Moreover, dining with Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli brought her joy. Thus, she distributed most of her resources. According to AI calculations, Su Miao's supplies could sustain Shelter No. 1 for twenty years. Divided among Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli, the resources would last even longer. Then, there was another matter. Previously, Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli needed protection. But the past was in the past, and the present is now. Su Luoli had attained the rank of a royal mutant. Though severely injured by Da Xi Wang, she remained vigilant, wary of history repeating itself. Even after twice journeying around the world to slay powerful adversaries online and killing a few mutant royals, Su Luoli didn't feel particularly strong. The same went for Lin Jiujiu. Having witnessed high-level scenarios with Su Miao, she had often fainted in battle, entirely oblivious to the power that understanding and mastering the celestial authorities could yield. Xia Xiao'an's experience with the evil god had left a significant psychological imprint. If not for Su Miao’s timely concoction of the Purity Mind Elixir, Xia Xiao'an might have transformed into an unspeakable abomination. Thus, Xia Xiao'an remained unaware of her own strength. Reflecting on Xia Xiao'an and Lin Jiujiu's recent report about their advancement to martial grandmasters amused Su Miao. They seemed absolutely clueless about the true might of a martial grandmaster. As of now, it's merely a mechanical concept. Certainly, if Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli intended to enter the Inner World, their current power wasn't sufficient. It was time to let them soar and grow independently. Su Miao gently patted Xia Xiao'an's head, then Lin Jiujiu's, and finally Su Luoli's. "Alright, it's time for me to go!" After packing her belongings into her magical space, Su Miao retrieved the Starry Radiance Staff and headed downstairs. "Sister Su Miao!" Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli hastened after her, trailing her to the villa's entrance. Su Miao smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Tears welled in Xia Xiao'an, Lin Jiujiu, and Su Luoli's eyes. "Yes, Sister Su Miao, we will wait for you here!" With a wave, Su Miao ascended thirty thousand meters into the sky in a single step. From high above, Su Miao gazed down at Earth and took out her phone to capture a photo. The Earth was indeed beautiful, even as it teetered on the brink of apocalypse. Su Miao took another step, leaving the atmosphere and stepping into the cosmic void. Here, she saw those gray mists. These mists were continually spreading towards Earth, eroding and destroying in their path. Metaphorically speaking, they were akin to the toxic substances produced when cells age, the decay's byproducts when matter rots, and the chief culprits of Earth's universe descending into doomsday. Su Miao took several more photographs and proceeded deeper into space. In this expanse lay a stargate. This stargate was a relic left by ancient deities. The deity who left the stargate had long since drifted who-knows-where, leaving the gate abandoned for countless ages until today, when someone finally arrived. Affected by the gray mists, the energy reserves of the stargate had dwindled to below 50%. Such a level would suffice for ordinary interstellar teleportation, but reaching Su Miao's intended destination required a little extra. Waving her Starry Radiance Staff, a massive surge of magic was channeled into the stargate, reawakening it from its long slumber. Per the manual, Su Miao adjusted the coordinates and teleported in an instant. It was a distinctly unfamiliar starlit expanse. Standing amidst the cosmic void, Su Miao could see countless galaxies, none of which were observable from Earth. Without wasting time on sightseeing, Su Miao immediately deployed spatial laws to sense everything around her. According to Xin Miao Miao's intel, there was a way here for her to enter the river of time. Through the river of time, she could easily exit the universe encompassing Earth and reach beyond. This method was chosen for its safety, secrecy, and the low likelihood of attracting the Astral Sea’s attention. After all, intercepting someone on the river of time would be madness. Leaving Earth’s universe without utilizing the river of time would definitely trigger a contingent from the Astral Sea to encircle and hunt her down. The Astral Sea was exceptionally adept at this. To the Astral Sea, Earth's universe was already mere fodder, like grasshoppers trying to jump out and rebel—would they let them live until the next year? "This must be it." After searching for a moment, Su Miao found the spatial node mentioned by Xin Miao Miao. Taking a deep breath, Su Miao swung her Starry Radiance Staff forward, carving a pitch-black spatial rift. Peering through the rift, Su Miao saw the chaotic space turbulence and the river of time hidden within it. At the sight of the river of time, a realization dawned upon Su Miao. The so-called river of time was essentially an endless stream of principles—a river of laws, or perhaps, a river of the Dao. Su Miao entered the spatial rift, arriving at the bank of the river of time. Standing there, she gazed at the river of time, feeling as though she were facing the vast ocean. Humanity seemed so insignificant. Even a quasi-supreme deity felt insignificant here. Su Miao stood by the river for seven days and nights. The torrent of myriad laws—what a thrilling sight. She was slightly curious about the effect on a quasi-supreme placed within the river's torrential flow. Just then, Su Miao saw a supreme deity's corpse slowly drifting past. The body emitted a faint glow, attempting to catch Su Miao's attention. After a brief glance, Su Miao averted her gaze. In an instant, the body was swept away to an unknown destination. "The dead pass by like this, relentlessly day and night..." A phrase unexpectedly emerged in Su Miao's mind. Could the ancient Confucius have stood by the river of time, watching a procession of drifting corpses? With an understanding smile, Su Miao took a step forward, firmly planting her foot on the river of time. She had accomplished the first step. Now came the crucial second step. The river of time had two functions: connecting the past, present, and future, and enabling temporal traversal. Xin Miao Miao had specifically warned Su Miao against attempting to traverse the river of time to address past calamities at their source. Doing so would create numerous problems and could trigger even more terrifying disasters. Moreover, others might use this method to hunt her past self. "Your current past is protected. Whoever dares cross the river of time to kill you will themselves be killed." "But stepping out of your present into the distant past is like deliberately sending your weaker self into danger," Xin Miao Miao had explained. Su Miao nodded, signifying she understood. She would only employ the temporal traversal function, akin to using a wormhole for cosmic travel, avoiding such problems. With her footing established on the river of time, Su Miao confirmed her coordinates and steadily walked toward the distant goal. After an indeterminate journey, Su Miao sensed a gaze upon her. "Who dares trespass the river of time? Where is your exit permit?" A colossal Stone Man, towering ten thousand feet high, had opened its eyes on the river's bank. He glanced at Su Miao and promptly shut his eyes again. "Ah, it's the witch. Nothing to see here. You're free to go." (End of Chapter)