Chapter 43: The Source
Su Xiao stood on the roof tiles of the porch, with Bubu Wang beside him, in a state of environmental integration. As for Baha and Amu, they were on standby a hundred meters from the main entrance. As for Beini, after dealing with Xi, that cat had already gone off to continue treasure hunting.
The matter of Xi was completely resolved. This allowed Su Xiao to focus all his energy on Main Mission 1. Even so, the danger level of Main Mission 1 exceeded his expectations.
The sky was gradually darkening. It was around 6 PM, with some time left before complete nightfall.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang let out a low bark, signaling that he would take the lead in scouting ahead.
Standing on the porch, Su Xiao surveyed the orderly arranged pavilions within the Abyss Serpent Mansion. Most were two or three stories tall, with A-frame roofs, and the ground below was paved with square stone slabs.
The Abyss Serpent Mansion was very quiet. The hundreds of pavilions seemed empty, and between these buildings, there were eight stone paths, each of the same width, all leading to the back mountain of the mansion.
Finding Obo here wasn't too difficult, after all, Obo had a physique comparable to a giant. Unless he lay motionless somewhere, he could be found quickly.
Bubu Wang trotted briskly along the stone path between the pavilions. Moss grew thick on the walls on both sides, caused by the excessive humidity within the Abyss Serpent Mansion.
Su Xiao leaped silently between the pavilions, beginning his search for Obo among the buildings.
After leaping over just a few pavilions, Su Xiao stopped, crouching by the eaves of a roof. Below, dozens of Tianba Clan members walked in formation. Their exposed skin was covered in slime, heavily eroded by the Source.
There was no doubt: if discovered and held back by these dozens of Tianba Clan members, Su Xiao would be dead. Over a thousand Tianba Clan members lived in the Abyss Serpent Mansion.
Based on his speculation, Su Xiao believed that the Tianba Clan originally had no Source power within them. They had only gained control of the Source after drinking the "Source Water," and derived the abilities of Soak and Drown.
While gaining this power, they were also continuously eroded by the Source, leading to impaired consciousness and greatly reduced perception.
The Tianba Clan at the Front Guard Village had clearly only recently drunk the Source Water. Their minds were still clear, so they were stationed at the very front.
Those heavily eroded by the Source were sent to the Abyss Serpent Mansion to prevent them from going mad or mutating, which would cause destruction in the Eternal Moon City behind. Eternal Moon City was the foundation of the Tianba Clan.
If the Tianba Clan at the Front Guard Village were warriors, then the Tianba Clan in Eternal Moon City were civilians. They hadn't drunk the Source Water and were the main labor force of the Divine Kingdom, producing ornate robes, fine weapons, and so on. The Tianba Clan civilians made all of these.
As for the Tianba Clan in the Abyss Serpent Mansion, they existed somewhere between guards and monsters. From the fragmented words of the four gatekeeping Tianba Clan members, Su Xiao learned that the production site of the Source Water was within the Abyss Serpent Mansion.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao quickened his pace. Once he found Obo, he would start considering how to obtain Seventh Rank Soul Coins to exchange for [Divine Judgment] and [Heavenly Walk].
Half an hour passed quickly. Using his Spirit Concealment state, Su Xiao searched most of the Abyss Serpent Mansion but still found no trace of Obo.
Just as Su Xiao leaped onto the roof of a three-story pavilion, he heard conversation coming from the building below.
"I... might not be able to hold on much longer."
"Hold on for two more Spring Overflows (1.7 months)."
"Impossible. By tomorrow morning, I will..."
"How could that be."
"Soak erodes faster than Drown. It's an honor to become a Soak. Do it now, tonight, right now. Let me die as a Tianba before I turn into a monster."
"I..."
"Do it! The Source is driving me to keep living. I don't want to... completely become a monster."
The pavilion fell silent for a moment, then came the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh and skin. Soon, a Tianba Clan member in loose robes came out, carrying a corpse on his shoulder, heading towards the back mountain, leaving a trail of deep blue bloodstains.
Watching the Tianba Clan member walk away, Su Xiao frowned. He couldn't understand why the Tianba Clan would drink the Source Water. After all, within the Divine Kingdom, the Tianba Clan had no external enemies.
Just as Su Xiao was about to continue searching for Obo in the mansion, Bubu Wang sent a message: he had found Obo. Obo was in the back mountain.
Upon receiving this news, Su Xiao headed for the back mountain. After leaping between the buildings for a few minutes, he arrived before a bamboo grove.
Just as Su Xiao was about to enter the bamboo grove, he sensed that the Tianba Clan member he had seen earlier was approaching from a distance, carrying a corpse.
After waiting a moment, the Tianba Clan member carrying the corpse entered the bamboo grove, then passed through a crevice between two mountains, arriving at a stone forest.
Su Xiao followed slowly behind. Before long, the Tianba Clan member went deep into the stone forest, arriving before a blue pool.
This pool was about five meters in diameter, perfectly circular, surrounded by a circle of sculptures, all stone carvings of the Tianba Clan.
"Source reverse flow, cycle of life and death..."
The Tianba Clan member knelt on one knee before the blue pool, pressing one hand on the corpse of his kin.
Blue light particles drifted up from the Tianba Clan corpse, gradually sinking into the pool. The corpse began to dry out, eventually turning pale white, like weathered rock.
Seeing this, Su Xiao understood why the Tianba Clan drank the Source Water. The water in the pool was the Source Water itself. These Tianba Clan members were passing on power, or rather, they were accumulating Source energy within the pool.
The grief-stricken Tianba Clan member knelt before the pool for a while.
Hiss~
The characteristic tongue-flicking sound of a snake came. A black serpent, formed entirely of energy, crawled out from a crevice in the rocks. It entered the pool, and its black scales emitted a faint blue glow.
The pool water's blue color faded slightly. The energy serpent crawled out of the Source Pool and disappeared into the rock crevice.
The kneeling Tianba Clan member witnessed all of this. He looked at his own hand, already covered in slime. It might not be long before the Source energy within him was absorbed into the Source Pool.
This Tianba Clan member carried his kin's corpse away. Before leaving, he bowed respectfully towards the rock crevice where the energy serpent had disappeared.
Su Xiao stood behind a stone pillar. He didn't need to guess to know that the energy serpent was released by the Abyss Serpent. The Abyss Serpent needed Source energy, and the Tianba Clan willingly became vessels to amplify the Source energy, thereby providing it to the Abyss Serpent.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang gently bumped Su Xiao with his head, signaling for him to follow.
The stone forest wasn't too large, surrounded by a circular valley. Before long, Su Xiao saw Obo lying among the rocks, sound asleep and snoring loudly.
Obo was sleeping soundly, even drooling, a silly grin on his chubby, honest face.
Su Xiao approached Obo's head, with Bubu Wang following closely.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang's bark startled the sleeping Obo awake. He opened his eyes in confusion and immediately saw Su Xiao standing beside him.
According to the prompt from the Reincarnation Paradise, a friendly smile appeared on Su Xiao's face, to avoid scaring off the fat giant Obo again.
Obo might have just woken up. After a moment of dazed confusion, fear gradually appeared in his eyes.
Clang!
The long blade was drawn. The smile vanished from Su Xiao's face. Friendly negotiation was completely useless. This key guiding character, Obo, would try to run the moment he saw him.
"If you try to escape again, I'll cut you into three pieces."
Su Xiao changed his approach. As soon as he spoke, Obo, who had been about to get up and flee, stopped. His honest, big face twisted in conflict for a moment, and finally, Obo plopped down on the ground with a thud.
Clearly, friendly negotiation was more effective after drawing the blade. The effect was immediate.