Chapter 4032: Gazing

Su Xiao sat atop the Lord Train, watching the embers that drifted continuously upward into the sky. Although he had won this battle, he had gained a deeper understanding that after ascending to the Supreme Tier, his accumulation at the Supreme level was insufficient.

This kind of accumulation, built up over time and through combat, clearly could not be forced through resources alone. Everything has its pros and cons, and Technique Masters are no exception. While gaining combat power equivalent to the late-stage T0 tier, they also lose the possibility of becoming infinitely stronger simply by piling on resources.

However, nothing in the world is absolute. Su Xiao now has an opportunity: the "Ascension Ritual" corresponding to 【Above the Master】, which is not the highest tier. By paying 120,000 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate it, he can undergo a fusion metamorphosis of three "Master-level Technique Abilities" that have reached Lv. 95, gaining a "Technique-type" ability that transcends "Master-level" and belongs uniquely to Su Xiao.

This is his only chance to catch up on this level of time-based accumulation, but it also requires a massive amount of resources.

The Blade Technique Master and Close Quarters Combat Master abilities are manageable, as both have already crossed the Lv. 95 threshold. Although the subsequent resources required are terrifying, they can at least be resolved. The "Source of Blood" required for the Blood Gun Master has only one method of acquisition: slaying the "Fierce Beast · Fei," and it must be slain with his own hands.

The only good news is that there is still one "Fierce Beast · Fei" remaining in the entire Star Realm, located deep within the Ancient Battlefield.

When Su Xiao returns this time, he must go to the Ancient Battlefield and fight that "Fierce Beast · Fei" to the death.

Crushing a bottle of "Crimson Potion" and letting it seep into the skin on his hands, Su Xiao frowned. He had just slain the Dukain Ancestor, but until now, no kill notification had appeared.

Su Xiao took a few deep breaths to adjust his state, then reopened his Intuition's "Absolute Perception Circle." This perception circle, which used to be as natural as breathing or heartbeat, now placed a significant burden on him. He had been too severely injured by the Dukain Ancestor; those Abyss insects had gnawed not only on his physical body but also on his soul and even his personal causality.

Because of this, Amu was currently lying in the Lord Train playing dead. Amu had also been severely injured in this battle, but Amu, having absorbed a large amount of "Abyss Source Matter," was too resilient and fierce. The scene of it biting off one-third of the Dukain Ancestor's head with its final bite seemed to destine it to have the qualifications to possess an "Abyss Stomach" in the future.

Su Xiao stepped forward, but after only a few steps, his "Absolute Perception" detected something wrong.

Clang!

The long blade slashed through, cutting a black mark into the air. The spatial rift was sliced open, and Baha flew over to maintain the opened spatial rift.

Inside this spatial rift, which resembled a black-and-white world, an Abyss insect was crawling with wounds all over its body. It was actually already dead, but a force of will drove it to crawl toward the gradually disappearing "Abyss Near Zone." This was the deceased Dukain Ancestor.

It can only be said that the Dukain Ancestor's journey from an Abyss insect in the First Era to achieving "Supreme Peak" in the Second Era was truly not a matter of luck or Abyss talent; initially, it didn't even possess something as basic as intelligence.

Seeing the current state of the Dukain Ancestor, Su Xiao thought of a possibility: the opponent wasn't even considered alive, let alone at the Supreme Tier. He took a scroll out of his storage space.

【Sealing Scroll · Nothing】

Origin: Reincarnation Paradise

Quality: Eternal

Type: Sealing Scroll.

Effect: After killing an enemy, this scroll can be used to strip away one of the enemy's abilities and seal it. After sealing, this scroll will permanently transform into a "Skill Scroll," and the ability it possesses will be the sealed ability.

Hint: The maximum level of ability that can be sealed is Supreme Tier · Lower-Middle echelon.

Hint: Sealing an ability requires consuming 1.2 million HP and 100,000 Mana. If HP/Mana is lower than this requirement, forcibly using this scroll will have a high probability of leading to death from exhaustion of vitality.

Score: 5999 points (Eternal-level item scores are 3000–6000 points)

Introduction: Unbelievable, to have such extreme potential.

……

Having recovered to over 50% of his own state, he attempted to use this 【Sealing Scroll · Nothing】 on the Dukain Ancestor in its Abyss insect state.

His HP and Mana plummeted suddenly, and the scroll in his hand exploded, turning into transparent threads that submerged into the body of the semi-transparent Abyss insect. A moment later, the Abyss insect stopped moving completely.

【You have slain Dukain Ancestor · Bain.】

【You have gained 500,000 Empress City Reputation points.】

【You have gained 30,000 Hunter Coins.】

【You have gained Abyss Treasure Chest · Dukain.】

……

The Abyss insect within the spatial rift turned into embers and drifted away. The energy threads wove together to form a scroll. Compared to a normal skill scroll, this scroll was much smaller, only half the size, but its semi-transparent texture resembled ice and jade.

【You have gained Immortal Will (Skill Scroll).】

【Immortal Will (Passive, Lv. EX).】

Type: Passive skill.

Prerequisite: None.

Effect: After mastering, gain "Absolute Will."

Hint: This skill has extremely low compatibility with you and differs from the willpower characteristics of the Blade Technique Master. After mastering this skill, it may cause the immunity to mental and spiritual control effects derived from your Blade Technique Master to fail to a certain degree, or even fail completely.

Sale Price: This is a highly rare and powerful ability with "Absolute" characteristics. You can choose to submit it to your current Paradise faction, or use it as a basis to submit 30,000 ounces of Space-Time Power to the Tree of the Void to select a passive ability that also has "Absolute" characteristics but is of a different type from the Tree of the Void's treasury.

……

Through the death battle with the Dukain Ancestor, Su Xiao gained a new understanding of Intuition's "Absolute Perception." "Gaining a 50-meter diameter resident state of 'Absolute Perception' range"—a simple and direct skill effect, yet it allowed him to avoid fatal attacks more than once during the death battle.

Especially with "Absolute Perception" + "Perfect Block," during the fight with the Dukain Ancestor, Su Xiao felt that if his Blade Technique ability hadn't just reached its current level, he would have had some confidence in parrying the opponent's "Death Sentence" with a single slash carrying the "Perfect Block" effect, deflecting the opponent's "Instant Death Effect."

As for why Su Xiao didn't try it, he never believed in breaking through during a death battle. He knew exactly what kind of luck he had; he didn't have that kind of good fortune.

Putting away 【Immortal Will (Passive, Lv. EX)】, this "Absolute characteristic" ability was not suitable for Su Xiao. Trading it for another one with 30,000 ounces was acceptable.

Come to think of it, having kept 【Sealing Scroll · Nothing】 for so long, he didn't expect to be able to use it on an Abyss descendant. It was also fortunate that the Dukain Ancestor possessed "Immortal Will," entering this strange state after being slain.

【You have completed Bounty 4 · Mouth of the Insect: Eliminate the Ancestor.】

【Due to the multi-fold bounty + bounty correction of "Hunter List · Blood Pact," you will receive a bounty with a total value of 25,000 ounces of Space-Time Power.】

【You have gained Space-Time Stone Fragment × 0.】

【You have gained Elemental Blade (This item is equivalent to the value of 25,000 ounces of Space-Time Power in this judgment).】

【Hint: This is the bounty for this task, an item that must be obtained.】

……

【Elemental Whirlblade】

Origin: Reincarnation Paradise.

Category: Spiral Dagger / Causality Ruin / Elemental Weapon.

Real Durability: 1/1 point (Permanently consume this weapon after destroying the Origin Clan Emblem).

Attack Power: 1–1.

Equipment Requirement: None.

Equipment Effect: Causality Punishment (Core · Passive), can be used through this weapon to destroy the "Origin Clan Emblem" of Abyss descendants.

Introduction: All weaknesses lie in the origin; immortality is merely that the root has not yet been destroyed.

……

A spiral-shaped dagger appeared in front of Su Xiao. He put away this weapon. This was not due to the favor of Reincarnation Paradise or good luck, but because "Bounty 4" and "Bounty 5" this time were linked characteristic bounties.

"Bounty 4 · Mouth of the Insect: Eliminate the Ancestor (Requires paying a bounty deposit of 3000–5000 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate this bounty)."

"Bounty 5 · Eternal Exile: Find the 'Dukain Family · Origin Clan Emblem' and destroy it through the only method (Requires paying a bounty deposit of 50 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate this bounty; because the difficulty of this bounty is extremely high, upon completion, you will receive a 5000-fold additional bounty)."

Su Xiao boarded the Lord Train, and the train started, heading for the ruins of Molten City.

Not long after the train started, three people appeared on top of the ruins in the distance. The Soul Master among them pushed up his narrow-framed sunglasses and asked with a smile:

"Father, with an opportunity like this, are you still not going to make a move? He is our biggest competitor from here on out."

Hearing this, the Priest smiled kindly and shook his head: "He is your competitor, not mine. I am no longer on the list, and besides, Bai Ye and I have never been opponents; we are 'friends who have been through life and death together'."

Watching the departing Lord Train, his eyes held a profound meaning. His body gradually turned into grayish-white ash, drifting in the wind. The space—no, it should be the world—that came into contact with this ash withered and shriveled. This was clearly the world in this dotted area dying.

Judging from his aura, the Priest's control over power was still unstable, which was because he had become stronger, or rather, this old guy had already used "Initial Death" to devour all five "Taboo Marks," possessing a complete "Death Mark."

"I'll go."

Aurora spoke. Her gaze toward the Soul Master could be described as seductive. It was unclear whether she was truly attracted to the Soul Master or if she was influenced by this before the Soul Master lost his Soul Mark.

"Don't go."

The Soul Master spoke with a calm expression.

……

The Lord Train stopped. After Su Xiao stepped off the train, he looked in the direction he had come from. Unfortunately, the enemy hidden in the dark did not make a move; otherwise, the "Eye of Greed" would have a new holder.

Seeming to sense this situation, the Original Sin item located in an unknown place, which possessed the Original Sin of Greed and had a certain causal connection with Su Xiao, quietly abandoned this causal connection. As for targeting Su Xiao, the "Eye of Greed" would not do that.

It did not want to enter the "Book of Original Sin" and experience the treatment inside.

Su Xiao walked into the council hall of the Dukain family. Although it was in ruins, it had not collapsed. Arriving at the innermost part, the dark flowing barrier here had already been broken by the battle, allowing him to walk directly into the "Abyss Near Zone."

This "Abyss Near Zone" had dissipated over a large area, but darkness remained on the inner side. Su Xiao arrived at the giant hall of the Dukain family. This giant hall was already covered in cracks, and the metal door seams were mostly shattered, allowing him to walk directly inside.

The ancient council table in the center of the giant hall had been shattered, and the high seats symbolizing the Council Chief and council members had also shattered into black stones. Su Xiao stopped in front of the Abyss black wall at the innermost side. Black smoke emerged from the hole in the wall. He attempted to walk into it, triggering the core effect "Abyss Walking" of the 【Abyss Shadow】 title.

"Title Effect 3: Abyss Walking (Core · Passive), after entering the Abyss, you will not be eroded by the environment, and you will not emit the aura of a 'Stranger'."

This effect triggering was definitely not a good thing. Su Xiao quickened his pace and arrived in the darkness. With the Abyss vision provided by Intuition, he saw a stone tablet more than ten meters high and pitch black all over standing in front of him. This was the "Origin Clan Emblem" of the Dukain family.

The "Origin Clan Emblem" he imagined was at most the size of a book, because according to what Lady Scorpion revealed, every position on the "Origin Clan Emblem" was exceptionally precious. Abyss clans engraved their own "Causal Life Source" on it, and then they joined the Dukain family.

A slash mark slanted across the entire "Origin Clan Emblem." It didn't take much thought to know that this must be the masterpiece of some Abyss Shadow, which was why the Dukain family gradually declined.

For anything, power is limited. The "Origin Clan Emblem" of Abyss descendants is the same; the more "Causal Life Source" engraved on it, the more dispersed the power of this family becomes.

Su Xiao estimated that there might be some Abyss descendants with hundreds or thousands of clansmen. These types of Abyss descendants belonged to the easier-to-deal-with kind and didn't catch the eyes of the previous generation of Law-Makers.

And several major Abyss descendants, such as Bronze and Rune, belonged to those with few clansmen, where the "Origin Clan Emblem" was concentrated on the powerful, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Su Xiao raised his hand and gripped the air. At the same time, the rich elemental power spreading in the Cold Zone above was drawn by Su Xiao, who was inside the Dukain giant hall, and quickly gathered. If this Law-Maker were to utilize elemental power, there would inevitably be some backlash, but what this Law-Maker was doing clearly did not fall into this category.

Before the "Origin Clan Emblem," a massive amount of natural elemental power converged. Su Xiao had originally intended to form a Blade of Sealing, but with the prototype of the 【Elemental Spin Blade】 already in mind, he decisively chose to construct that instead.

Before long, an 【Elemental Spin Blade (Pseudo)】 composed of a massive amount of natural elements appeared in Su Xiao's hand. If this were the "Origin Clan Emblem" of Dukain in its peak state, this 【Elemental Spin Blade (Pseudo)】 could not possibly destroy it, but this was the "Origin Clan Emblem" that had been severely damaged by Shiman Archid and had failed to recover even after half an epoch.

Crack!

The 【Elemental Spin Blade (Pseudo)】 pierced into the "Origin Clan Emblem." Several beautiful colors belonging to the natural elements formed corresponding cracks on the "Origin Clan Emblem," allowing elemental light to shine through from within the fissures.

Boom—!

This "Origin Clan Emblem," which had stood from the First Epoch until now, shattered with a roar. This also signified that the Abyss-descended Dukain family had been thoroughly ended.

Vague screams drifted through the surrounding air; they were the members of the Dukain family previously killed by Su Xiao. Now, they were to welcome true death.

Su Xiao took out the 【Elemental Spin Blade】. In the judgment, this item was valued at 25,000 ounces of Space-Time Power. Although it couldn't be used this time, it would certainly be useful for dealing with other Abyss-descended clans later, as not all "Origin Clan Emblems" were as dilapidated as the Dukain family's.

The "Origin Clan Emblem" crumbled into rubble, and ninety-nine percent of the black stone dissolved, leaving only a piece the size of a sugar cube, which landed on the metal cover on the ground with a 'clang'.

Picking up this "Black Stone Block," Su Xiao discovered that this thing was dark yet warm, heavy yet light, which suddenly reminded him of something.

【Special Mission: Dudugu's Secret Mission (Only one stage).】

Difficulty Level: Lv. 92.

Danger Level: Lv. 5.

Mission Brief: Find the Red Stone Block, Black Stone Block, and Blue Stone Block, and hand the three types of stones to Dudugu.

Hint: When you are within 1,000 meters of these three types of stones, a mission tracking response will be triggered.

Red Stone Block: Scorching yet icy, smooth yet rough.

Black Stone Block: Dark yet warm, heavy yet light.

Blue Stone Block: Hard yet fragile, gorgeous yet dim.

Mission Deadline: 150 natural days (no restriction on the world).

Mission Reward: Dudugu's exclusive equipment.

Mission Penalty: Slapped on the palm three times by Dudugu.

……

This thing was very much like the "Black Stone Block" for this mission, but the mission's danger level was only Lv. 92. Clearly, Su Xiao's direction for opening this mission was starting to get strange.

After all, according to his experience in finding this "Black Stone Block," the difficulty of this mission should be Lv. 99—no, Lv. 100 would not be an exaggeration.

When he meets Dudugu later, he can try to see if that little guy recognizes this "Black Stone Block."

Besides that, there was one more thing. The metallic clink when the "Black Stone Block" landed earlier made Su Xiao squat down and wipe the dust off a metal cover with one hand. This thing had been pressed under the "Origin Clan Emblem," but the patterns on it were clearly in the civilization style of ancient dragons.

Su Xiao observed the object and discovered a keyhole on the left side of the metal cover and a circular notch on the right, which looked...

He took out the 【Ancient Dragon Relic Key】 and the 【Sun Holy Emblem】, inserting them into the left and right sides respectively.

Rumble.

The metal ground began to tremble, and the metal cover opened to both sides. The secret that the Dukain ancestor had never opened was now revealed. It wasn't that the Dukain ancestor couldn't destroy it by force; it was that if he took it by force, he would get nothing.

A codex with a metal cover, 10 centimeters thick, over 60 centimeters high, and over 40 centimeters wide appeared before Su Xiao's eyes.

【You have obtained the "Origin Codex."】

【Origin Codex】

Origin: Land of the Gods.

Category:???

Effect: Sealed...

Rating: -- (This item will not be notarized for rating).

Brief: The origin secrets of the gods are within it.

Price:???

……

This thing was extraordinary, but the problem was, where was the White Dragon Lady? Since entering this world, Su Xiao had not found any important clues about the White Dragon Lady. Even now, after slaying the Dukain ancestor, he still hadn't discovered her tracks.

Fortunately, the mission time limit hadn't expired yet. Su Xiao temporarily closed the prompts related to the main mission and pondered this matter while walking out of the Dukain Great Hall.

The problem should lie with the Dukain ancestor. Initially, Lady Scorpion coveted the Ancient Dragon Treasury because she had been squeezed too hard by the Dukain ancestor. Having managed a large force like the Empress City for so many years, she hadn't even saved up the resources to ascend to the rank of Dukain Council Chief, which showed how severely she had been exploited.

One could imagine that Lady Scorpion must have harbored secret hatred for the Dukain ancestor, and it was nine-to-one that it was Lady Scorpion who manipulated the darkness to bind the White Dragon Lady to this world.

Lady Scorpion knew that among the several councilors, her combat ability was at the bottom. If the White Dragon Lady's accomplices really dared to come to the Ancient Dragon Kingdom to save her, their combat power would certainly not be something she could face directly.

Since that was the case, she simply diverted the disaster, notifying the Council Chief about the White Dragon Lady, who was in a frozen state for self-preservation. Council Chief Ergubaya feared the family ancestor and told the Dukain ancestor about this.

The last clansman of the Ancient Dragon faction was very meaningful to the Dukain ancestor, especially since it wanted to recover its former power by devouring this Transcendent World. What prevented it from quickly devouring this world was the Frigid Zone above.

Ultimately, this was a Transcendent World established by the Ancient Dragon faction. Its world origin was filled with the cold corresponding to the ancient dragons. More precisely, the "World Core" that had deeply integrated into this world was filled with cold power.

When the Abyss invaded, the location of this world's "World Core" became obvious. That's right, the reason the Frigid Zone above hadn't been invaded by Abyss power was because that was where the "World Core" of this world was located.

Su Xiao could roughly guess the Dukain ancestor's approach: instead of going to the trouble of using the Ancient Dragon Lady to get that "World Core" which was useless to it, it was better to let the White Dragon Lady, as the last ancient dragon descendant, accommodate and master this "World Core."

Once this "World Core" became private property, the Frigid Zone would be quickly eroded by the Abyss. As soon as this situation occurred, the Dukain ancestor could devour the world origin of this world completely in just a few months, and it wouldn't be long before it recovered its peak power.

Crystal layers spread under Su Xiao's feet. With a muffled sound of teleportation, Su Xiao arrived at the Frigid Zone above. The elemental power here was exceptionally dense, even though all the "Sector-level Space Wormholes" had been closed.

A large number of spirit shadow threads as thick as a little finger were constructed and nailed into the space, allowing Su Xiao to step into mid-air. He was currently in the most central area of the Frigid Zone. If the frozen White Dragon Lady had been brought here, this area closest to the "World Core" was the most likely place.

Su Xiao closed his eyes and felt his 50-meter-diameter "Absolute Perception Circle." Faint, peculiar frozen aura remained, which he perceived. The White Dragon Lady had been here, but now she was nowhere to be found.

It was even possible that while he was in a life-and-death battle with the Dukain ancestor, someone had come here and taken the frozen White Dragon Lady away. This person was likely the Dukain ancestor's confidant—no, a collaborator was more likely. If it were a confidant, they would likely have taken the opportunity to strike when Su Xiao was weak just now.

The scope of the Dukain ancestor's collaborators was actually very small. The likes of Ancestral Spirits couldn't catch the Dukain ancestor's eye, and the powerful people of this world had already been wiped out by the Dukain family. Therefore, this collaborator was more likely an outsider—that is, among this batch of Qiyuezhe who had entered this world.

The Priest.

Soul Master.

Mo En.

These were the three candidates Su Xiao thought of. Among them, Mo En was excluded; this guy was in the friendly sequence on the World Contact Platform, and the probability of him collaborating with top-tier evil like the Dukain ancestor was too low.

And, this style of seemingly going poorly the whole time but still being able to become the final winner was just too familiar.

Yes, Su Xiao basically confirmed that the Dukain ancestor's collaborator was the Priest. Even in the eyes of the Abyss-descended, the "Initial Death" could not be underestimated. Becoming a collaborator was not a loss of the Abyss-descended's pride.

He took out the communicator and dialed. This was the communicator to contact the Priest. It was interesting to say that although both sides were hostile, neither had thrown away the two communicators. After all, both knew that hostility was temporary, and interest exchange was the main topic.

Soon, the call connected, and Su Xiao asked straight to the point:

"Where is the person?"

"With the Soul Master."

The Priest didn't hide it. It seemed he knew very well that after Su Xiao slew the Dukain ancestor, he would know all the hidden details.

"Congratulations, you obtained the Soul Mark."

Su Xiao's words brought a hint of a smile to the Priest's tone: "Congratulations to you too, for destroying the first "Origin Clan Emblem" in your Slayer destiny."

"……"

After a brief silence, both sides hung up the call almost simultaneously.

The train started. Su Xiao leaned back on the single sofa, feeling the bright red secret medicine gradually recovering his injuries. Threads of spirit shadow, so thin they were almost transparent, emerged and submerged into the wounds on his chest, beginning cell-level suturing. If the subsequent negotiations didn't go well, there would be another battle to fight.

Seven hours later, in District 1 of Empress City, a man and a woman walked out of a mansion, warmly seen off by the pot-bellied owner. Among this man and woman, the man wore narrow-framed sunglasses, had golden short hair combed back, wore white casual clothes, and black gloves on his right hand, with a smile on his face—it was the Soul Master.

Aurora, in a black robe with ink-green eyes, showed a hint of worry and asked: "Is it really feasible?"

"Not quite sure, but the Priest suddenly abandoned all subsequent benefits, which must mean there are too many risks hidden within. If things are not doable, we will also retreat."

The Soul Master pushed his narrow-framed sunglasses. The Priest's sudden exit made him feel that the situation was becoming increasingly ominous.

"But that Soul Source is too suitable for you."

"Living always gives one a chance, but life only happens once, and besides..."

As the Soul Master said this, he just happened to turn the corner of the pedestrian street. The next second, he saw the man sitting on a bench diagonally opposite, holding a meatball skewer in his hand. Beside the man were a dog, a minotaur, and a magic eagle. They were sitting side-by-side on the bench, each holding a meatball skewer—no, wait, the minotaur had grabbed a whole handful; he was clearly a foodie.

"Aurora, if I say I will cover your retreat, do you believe me?"

"I suppose I believe it."

"Hmm, then you can turn around and run now."

As the Soul Master spoke, he quickened his pace toward Su Xiao. Watching his back, Aurora struggled in her heart several times before finally choosing to follow. In Aurora's view, this was clearly the soul brand in the consciousness space constantly influencing her.

"It seems you have become the winner, Mr. Bai Ye."

The Soul Master spoke with a smile.

"……"

Su Xiao didn't speak, just eating the grilled meatballs that Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang had just bought. He could perceive that the Soul Master in front of him was not easy to deal with, especially the Soul Master's soul power, which was exaggeratedly vast.

This was the most vast and tyrannical soul power Su Xiao had ever seen. It was no longer madness; it was extreme hysteria, as if it wanted to plunder and swallow all souls.

Contrary to this power, the Soul Master himself maintained a smile and a peaceful temperament. Su Xiao had seen many people who faked smiles, but the Soul Master was truly maintaining a smile and politeness to leave a good impression on others.

"Mr. Bai Ye, as a Blade Master, my situation actually cannot be hidden from you. Aurora didn't listen to me and refused to run. I don't want her to die, so I can only compromise with you."

The Soul Master's words made Aurora behind him frown slightly. She frowned and pondered what was going on. Since entering this world and reaching an initial cooperation with the Soul Master, she had been following him. Even now, if she didn't travel with him, she would feel a faint sense of palpitations.

"Aurora is the anchor point I re-found. She cannot have anything happen to her, absolutely not."

The Soul Master took a deep breath and continued: "That frozen ancient dragon descendant is in District 30 of Empress City, in a space rift deep underground in a winery. Oh, by the way, Mr. Bai Ye, are you interested in selling the Soul Source you are about to obtain to me? I can definitely pay you a price that will satisfy you."

The Soul Master's attitude could be described as quite weak, compromising to the point of even being willing to give up competing for the top spot on this world's leaderboard.

This was too abnormal. One had to know that the Soul Master and the Priest had almost destroyed the Sanctuary City of Doan before. With this bizarre compromise, there were only two possibilities.

1. The Soul Master knew about the means Su Xiao and Caesar had prepared—that is, at the last moment, they could boost the Empress City's reputation to over 80 million points. Of course, this was based on Su Xiao successfully defeating the Dukain family.

2. The Soul Master was about to collapse. He simply had two personalities, or rather, he had two souls: a rational soul and a frenzied beast soul. While they coexisted, they could also suppress each other.

The rational soul, which was the "Soul Master," could use a person as an anchor point to constantly stabilize his own situation, thereby continuously suppressing the "Frenzied Beast." As for how strong the "Frenzied Beast" was, it was hard to estimate.

These two sides weren't just suppressing each other for a while; they were trying their best to press the other into the soul consciousness.

If the anchor point, Aurora, died, the Soul Master would be pressed into the soul space for who knows how long. Perhaps the next time he woke up, the Astral Great Event would have already started. This was the price of absorbing a large amount of souls with a forbidden mark.

In that case, the Soul Master would really have no game left. Compared to that, choosing to compromise decisively was undoubtedly acceptable. Moreover, there was still a chance to buy the 【Soul Source · Unique】.

After all, after this time, the Soul Master and Su Xiao would have a common enemy: the Priest. The Soul Master had been pitted too hard by the Priest this time. Before that old thing ran away, he gave the Soul Master things that looked like bargaining chips but were actually all dangerous.

As for how Su Xiao found the Soul Master, it was because of the 【Flame Core】 held by Aurora. Previously, Su Xiao had signed a contract with this inanimate object, the content being that he could sense the location of this object. Although he could only sense it once, it was enough.

This couldn't be blamed on Aurora; this 【Flame Core】 was one of the spoils she received after they won a complete victory in the Sanctuary City of Doan.

"I want to leave this world, but before that, I have something to do."

The smile on the Soul Master's face had a hint of tenderness. Seeing this, Aurora behind him suddenly felt a sense of ominousness in her heart.

The Soul Master came to Aurora, took out a ring, and said sincerely to her: "Are you willing to be my wife?"

"?"

Aurora was completely stunned.

Su Xiao, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, and Baja each took a grilled meatball from Amu's hand, becoming melon-eating spectators—ah no, meatball-eating spectators.

Aurora's expression was almost distorted. She was very sure that there was something wrong with her now—a big problem. When she first cooperated with the Priest and the Soul Master, she was mostly guarding against the Priest, but now it seemed the Soul Master was even crazier. Compared to the "Frenzied Beast" in his body, this so-called rational personality was a complete lunatic.

A thin, emerald-green short blade appeared in Aurora's hand. She prepared to trigger her ultimate life-saving means through death to escape this terrifying and unknown situation.

The sharp blade slashed across Aurora's neck. This weapon would absorb all the vitality of the person whose vital parts were injured. Coupled with Aurora's ruthlessness—she almost cut her neck completely—she fell into a pool of blood on the ground a few seconds later.

"Sigh."

The Soul Master sighed. He stroked Aurora's throat with one hand. The surrounding blood seemed to reverse, quickly drilling back into Aurora's neck, and the wound healed rapidly. In just a few seconds, Aurora was resurrected on the spot, failing to trigger the life-saving item.

Seeing this, Su Xiao was certain that the Soul Master was not of the time system. Zui Yasi was of the time system, and that guy's time-system ability felt different from this. The Soul Master's ability was more like reversing Aurora's future, letting the future where she died be swallowed by something unknown.

Aurora, who had been resurrected, stood blankly on the spot for a few seconds. Her gaze was confused, looking... a bit dull?

The Soul Master took out the ring again, still with the same lines. After Aurora was stunned for a few seconds, her pupils suddenly constricted. Taking advantage of the brief relaxation, she immediately committed suicide with a blade, still wanting to break free from this death loop through that life-saving means.

A moment later, Aurora was resurrected again.

Repeating it over and over again—at first, Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang and Baja were still eating meatballs and watching the show, but before long, they felt a chill down their backs. This situation of repeating over and over was becoming increasingly creepy.

When Aurora was resurrected for the 20th time, she stood there, looking at her surroundings in confusion, saliva flowing from the corner of her mouth. The Soul Master took out the ring again. This time, there was a "Ξ" mark on the ring.

The Soul Master's head leaned close to Aurora's ear and whispered: "Ms. Aurora, are you willing to become a Rule-Breaker of the Dawn Paradise?"

"I, I..."

Aurora was drooling, her eyes hollow. She said "I" for a long time; it seemed the previous pain made her subconscious dare not refuse again:

"I... am willing."

As soon as Aurora's words fell, the Holy Light Paradise mark on the back of her hand began to gradually dissipate, and the black "Ξ" mark belonging to the Dawn Paradise appeared on the back of Aurora's hand.

Aurora cooperated with a Rule-Breaker, so she was willing to become a Rule-Breaker? Of course not. At the Supreme level, choosing to become a Rule-Breaker was relatively rare. As for cooperating with Rule-Breakers, that was truly common at the Supreme level.

Su Xiao's hand pressed on the hilt of his blade. If he could strike, he would have slaughtered the Soul Master without hesitation.

The Reincarnation Paradise and the Dawn Paradise were hostile—this was a well-known fact. As a Hunter of the Reincarnation Paradise, his hostility toward a Rule-Breaker of the Dawn Paradise was a natural factional hostility.

The key was that from the moment they met just now, the Soul Master's body began to become a bit transparent and had the black protective light of the Dawn Paradise, representing that the other party had already submitted the main mission and entered a state where he could return to the Dawn Paradise at any time. Striking now was meaningless.

Or rather, the Soul Master had long guarded against being slaughtered in the street by Su Xiao, a Blade Master capable of slaying the Dukain ancestor, so he had long completed the main mission to ensure nothing went wrong.

As for why he changed his mind about slaughtering the Soul Master, it was because this guy, through some unknown means, had actually become someone who recruited people for the Dawn Paradise.

This situation was ten or a hundred times more dangerous than the Soul Master having powerful combat strength and firm backbone. As long as this guy was given time, there would be more and more Rule-Breaking Supreme powerhouses in the Dawn Paradise. And, it was not yet certain whether this thing could pull powerful people from non-Paradise factions into the Dawn Paradise as Rule-Breakers.

The Soul Master and Aurora faded into the air; they were teleported away by the Dawn Paradise.

Seeing this, Su Xiao stood up. The grilled meatballs from the street stall were unexpectedly delicious. The Astral Gourmet Guide would have one more snack.

That evening, in District 30, at a space rift deep underground in a winery—the Soul Master hadn't lied about this point, or rather, since the clues had reached this level and Su Xiao's team had Celine of the Causality system, telling such a lie was meaningless.

Walking into the space rift, cold air hit his face. Not far ahead, the frozen White Dragon Lady was teleported away by the Reincarnation Paradise.

【You have completed the hidden mission: Dark Redemption.】

【You have obtained God Source Blood (World-class item).】

……

Just as this prompt appeared, the announcements of the Void Tree appeared one after another.

【Announcement: This reputation leaderboard will enter the settlement stage.】

【Settlement complete. Current first place: Reincarnation Paradise · Bai Ye.】

……

【Hint (Void Tree): You have become the first place on this reputation leaderboard.】

【You have obtained the following rewards:

1. Random Overlord Equipment Chest (After opening, you are guaranteed to obtain Overlord equipment ranked 30–50).

2. Supreme Passive Scroll Chest (★★★).

3. Soul Source · Unique (This is a supreme source, currently located in the Void Tree's inventory).

……

The confrontation on the reputation leaderboard ended in an unexpected way. Or rather, when Su Xiao's faction reputation became "Empress City Reputation," the Priest and the Soul Master knew that things were not doable. After all, they were collaborators guarding against each other and simply couldn't beat the combination of Su Xiao and Caesar—the Hunter + Arbiter.

And, what the Priest and the Soul Master were really plotting, they had actually already obtained. The Priest's "Death Mark" needed no more words; this old guy was now difficult to deal with to the extreme.

What the Soul Master obtained was the means to "recruit" powerhouses for the Dawn Paradise. One didn't need to think to know that every time he successfully pitted a powerhouse into becoming a Rule-Breaker—who, although unwilling, had to accept their fate and join the Dawn Paradise lineup—the Dawn Paradise would definitely reward the Soul Master with a large amount of benefits. This would allow the Soul Master's already not-weak combat strength to accumulate rapidly.

This seemed to make his own power system increasingly chaotic, but in fact, the Soul Master was preparing to kill the "Frenzied Beast Personality." Anything reaching the extreme would derive power. When the Soul Master made his own power system chaotic yet tyrannical, the Devouring system would beckon to him. Once successfully transformed into the Devouring system, he would be very difficult to deal with.

However, compared to these, Su Xiao discovered a problem: the 【Origin Codex】 he had obtained earlier began to resonate violently just now after he deposited the 【God Blood】 obtained from completing the hidden mission into his storage space.

Su Xiao took out both. The next second, the container of 【God Blood】 shattered, and the dark red god blood adsorbed onto the 【Origin Codex】, being quickly absorbed. The attributes of the 【Origin Codex】 also changed.

【Origin Codex】

Origin: Land of the Gods.

Category:???

Effect: Sealed. Needs enough God Blood to be completely activated.

Rating: -- (This item will not be notarized for rating).

Brief: The origin secrets of the gods are within it.

Price: Cannot be sold, cannot be traded, cannot be abandoned, etc. Death will definitely result in dropping it.

Warning: Because you have initially activated the 【Origin Codex】, you will be watched by the gods whenever you enter any world later.

……