Chapter 10: Soul Vine
After about half an hour of scouting, Su Xiao had a general understanding of the situation on the outskirts of the Penitent Heights. The outermost slums were a free zone, with no guards, but plenty of thieves and bandits, and even the trafficking of intelligent races was common.
Not everyone living in the Penitent Heights was a strong individual. Over 80% of the residents here had little combat ability, and there was severe interracial mixing. Clearly, these residents were born in the Penitent Heights. In the dangerous Black Abyss, they had no choice; the Penitent Heights was the only place they could survive.
The residents on the outermost edge were not only extremely poor but also served as ultra-cheap labor. In fact, the area they occupied made up more than four-fifths of the entire Penitent Heights, while the remaining less than one-fifth comprised the outer perimeter, the courtyard, and the central area.
Su Xiao not only figured out the general layout of the Penitent Heights but also gained some understanding of the ruling forces here. There were three major ruling factions: Black Marsh, Asaka, and the Ancestor.
These three were all the major powers in the Penitent Heights. As for the other small and medium-sized forces, they were too numerous and mixed, and Su Xiao didn't consider them.
Black Marsh occupied the outer perimeter of the Penitent Heights. The few who had blocked Su Xiao earlier were members of Black Marsh. All their members wore some kind of "token," some tattoos, some rings, or even a hat. Based on Su Xiao's guess, this was probably some kind of energy identification device.
Black Marsh was the largest force in the Penitent Heights in terms of numbers. Over 80% of the residents in the outermost slums were registered with Black Marsh.
To put it nicely, Black Marsh was a large armed organization. To put it bluntly, the Black Marsh force was an upgraded version of the scavengers. Their weapons were more advanced, they had more people, they were more cunning, and they even had their own territory.
Scavengers were notoriously despicable, betraying even their own kin. But when they encountered Black Marsh troops, they would all kneel in submission, having been traumatized by past killings.
Dirty, ruthless, like a pack of hyenas—that was the impression Black Marsh gave outsiders.
As for the other two forces, Asaka and the Ancestor, Asaka was an assassin group occupying the courtyard of the Penitent Heights, while the Ancestor was the most mysterious and had the fewest members, occupying the central area.
Su Xiao walked along the slum streets, tossing an iron-black coin in his hand. This was a coin issued by the Black Marsh force. These hyenas controlled the water source of the Penitent Heights, and their currency could be exchanged for fresh water at a high rate, making it widely circulated in the surrounding areas of the Penitent Heights and even one of the most commonly used currencies.
Compared to Black Marsh and the Ancestor, Su Xiao was actually more interested in the assassin group Asaka. Black Marsh was too chaotic and mixed, and the Ancestor was a force he had almost no chance of joining. Thus, Asaka became the best choice.
Asaka was located in the courtyard, seemingly with a decent territory. However, Black Marsh had sealed off the surrounding residents' access, which to some extent made it harder for Asaka to recruit new members.
Yet, the Asaka force didn't seem to care about this. When they looked for new members, it wasn't like Black Marsh, which would fool people for a few months and brainwash them. They needed to train assassins who could complete missions independently.
Black Marsh (Hostile) → Asaka / Ancestor.
Asaka (Ignoring) → Black Marsh / Ancestor.
Ancestor (Absolute Contempt) → Black Marsh.
This was roughly the relationship map of the three major forces. If Su Xiao wanted to join Asaka, he first needed to pass through Black Marsh's territory. For these hyenas, anyone who didn't join them was an enemy.
"It seems there's really no way to deal with these hyenas."
Just as Su Xiao was considering whether to sneak through the outer perimeter of the Penitent Heights and enter the courtyard area, a roar came from the sky.
A flaming meteor, about a hundred meters in diameter, fell from the sky. Trailing a wisp of magma behind it, it seemed not to have been summoned from high above but from deep underground.
The roar grew more piercing. Moments later, Su Xiao felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. In the distance, the meteor's impact point scattered like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, with red-hot magma splashing at least dozens of meters high.
This scene, like a movie special effect, occurred about a dozen kilometers away, roughly at the position near the courtyard close to the central area.
As soon as the magma-trailing meteor landed, an extremely ominous aura began to spread across the Penitent Heights. This aura was deathly still, but surprisingly, it was also highly aggressive.
"Roar!!"
Over a dozen pitch-black, several-meter-thick gray vines shot up into the sky. These vines intertwined, quickly fused together, and their surface began to crack extensively.
With a crisp crackling sound, the surface of the intertwined vines shattered, revealing a crystal-clear body. Several vines tightly coiled together, forming a shape like a giant python—dangerous, mysterious, and ready to devour.
With the roar of the vine python, a visible shockwave spread out. This shockwave came extremely fast, almost instantly reaching Su Xiao.
With a buzz, Su Xiao stumbled back a few steps.
[The Hunter has been affected by the Soul Shock effect. You will be stunned for 18 seconds (originally 60 seconds; due to the Hunter's excellent soul strength, 70% of the stun effect has been negated).]
[The Hunter has been attacked by the Soul Vine (Growth Stage 89%). Do you wish to attempt to obtain information on the Soul Vine?]
...
As the buzzing in his head faded, Su Xiao's vision returned to normal. Being forcibly stunned for 18 seconds was certainly unpleasant. This was the longest-lasting strong control ability he had ever endured—not psychological, mental, or physical, but a direct shock to the soul.
This ability's control effect was extremely formidable, but it actually had no damage. It was a shock, not an impact. Aside from feeling a bit dizzy earlier, Su Xiao was now back to normal.
It was only then that Su Xiao noticed the second prompt from the Reincarnation Paradise.
"Attempt to obtain."
[You are attempting to obtain information on the Soul Vine (Growth Stage 89%). This action may lead to hostility with the native force 'Ancestor.' Do you wish to continue?]
Su Xiao pondered for a few seconds before choosing to continue. The central area was most likely already in chaos, so the Ancestor force wasn't as dangerous as it seemed now.
[Attempting to obtain information. Apostle's Eye activated. Judging...]
[You have obtained 13% of the Soul Vine's information.]
Name: Soul Vine (Overlord-level Plant)
Category: Ancient Plant (Growth Stage 89%).
Health: 72.88%
Skill 1: Soul Root System (Passive, Lv.70): The Soul Vine can absorb, refine, and purify 'Soul Power' through its root system. While the Soul Vine absorbs 'Soul Power,' there is a high chance of generating Soul Crystals.
Skill 2: ???
Skill 3: ???
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Skill 12: Soul Fruit (Passive, Lv.85): When the Soul Vine enters its mature stage, it will spontaneously bloom and bear Soul Fruit.
Tip: Soul Fruit is an extremely rare resource. Consuming it can greatly enhance soul strength and has a chance of awakening a new talent ability. The minimum rank of this talent ability is S-rank, and the maximum is SSS-rank (the current talent ability Soul Devourer is S-rank; SSS-rank is the top-tier talent ability).