Chapter 41: An Ancient God with Dreams
The negotiation went smoothly. Through this ancient god believer, Su Xiao learned that the cult devoted to this ancient god was called the Twilight Extinction Cult. Its doctrine was to erase the sun and bring about eternal night.
From the fragmentary words of this ancient god believer, Su Xiao learned that there were originally two gods in this world—one governing the day, and the other the ruler of the night.
The two gods were opposed to each other, and their respective followers thought the other side were idiots and heretics, so they often went to war.
If it were just small-scale conflicts, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But after years of fermentation, the followers of both sides launched a decisive battle.
The final result was not a war of the century. The god governing the day suddenly fell, and to this day, no one knows the reason. Only one god remained, known as the Dusk God, an ancient deity.
Just as this ancient god was about to control its followers and plunge this world into eternal night, the pirates and the kingdoms stepped in. The result was mutual destruction.
The pirates and the kingdoms suffered heavy casualties, and the Twilight Extinction Cult fared no better, becoming hunted rats forced to hide in the shadows.
This outcome was undesirable for both sides. Therefore, the pirates and the various kingdoms sent representatives to negotiate with that ancient god.
After negotiations, the Twilight Extinction Cult obtained the right to preach, but it could not involve itself in certain important industries, such as maritime transport, grain trade, or land ownership.
Both sides knew this was not a long-term solution. But before core interests were touched, neither side wanted to completely fall out. The pirates and the kingdoms were only temporarily allied; they were already somewhat at odds with each other, so neither was willing to fight to the death with that ancient god.
It was for this reason that the Twilight Extinction Cult gained an opportunity to rise again. Now, the Twilight Extinction Cult had become a behemoth. They had put away their former arrogance, actively cooperated with the pirates and various kingdoms, and ceded many interests.
The pirates and the various kingdoms would not actively provoke the Twilight Extinction Cult. Although everyone knew the Twilight Extinction Cult was a scourge, no one was willing to step forward and clash head-on with them. The losses were not something any single party could bear alone.
It wasn't that no one advocated uniting to eradicate this cancer, the Twilight Extinction Cult, to prevent the constant overcast skies and the possibility that one day the sunlight would be completely blocked.
Unfortunately, before such a leader could emerge, they were strangled in the cradle by the Twilight Extinction Cult. The cult had deep roots in various kingdoms and pirate crews. The kingdoms and the three legendary pirate crews had an iron rule: once a member of the Twilight Extinction Cult was found among officials or crew members, they were to be killed without mercy.
Inside the first floor of the small building, the ancient god believer lying on the ground had turned to black ash. The information it possessed was very limited. The Twilight Extinction Cult had given it a simple task: lurk in Siren Harbor, wait for the Day of Eternal Darkness to descend, and at that time, a passage would open here, leading to a place called the Void.
According to what this ancient god believer said, the god it worshipped not only wanted to control this world but also planned to use this world as a starting point to gather strength, open a passage to the Void, and use the same method to preach there, ultimately ruling it.
Su Xiao had seen a homebody ancient god (Moon God), an ancient god who liked to inflict despair on people (Dominator · Sotos), an ancient god sucking on a world (Black Goat · Shub-Niggurath), and an ancient god trying to connect two worlds to return to the glory of old times (The Blind One · Azathoth).
But an ancient god preparing to attack the Void? This was the first time Su Xiao had encountered such a thing. This was an ancient god with dreams.
Even though the Law-Destroying Era had ended, the major races like Arcane Eternal Star, the Demon Race, the Feather Race, the Devil Race, and the Star Clan were not to be trifled with.
Su Xiao looked at the black ash on the ground. This was what remained after the ancient god believer died. It contained a very special energy, most likely originating from that ancient god.
The Twilight Extinction Cult was controlled by that ancient god. If Su Xiao continued to search for traces of the ancient god, it wouldn't be long before he was exposed to the Twilight Extinction Cult.
Su Xiao had never underestimated that ancient god, nor the Twilight Extinction Cult. Moreover, he felt that the Twilight Extinction Cult was more troublesome than the ancient god. The cult's influence was so vast that even that ancient god might not find it easy to control.
He took a navigation compass from his bosom. Using this item, Su Xiao could quickly find that ancient god. But whether it was worth it made him hesitate.
When searching for something or a specific enemy, the navigation compass was the most effective means, capable of playing a decisive role.
Thinking this, Su Xiao put the navigation compass away. This ancient god indeed had dreams, but it wasn't worth Su Xiao using the navigation compass.
Continuing the investigation would inevitably draw out the Twilight Extinction Cult, leading to a host of troubles. The safest approach was to go straight for that ancient god. As long as he killed it, the Twilight Extinction Cult would collapse on its own. When a god bleeds, no one continues to believe in it, let alone when it falls.
Moreover, all members of the Twilight Extinction Cult borrowed power from the ancient god. When the ancient god fell, the fate of these cancers could be imagined.
Su Xiao collected the black ash from the ground and began using Dragon-Slaying Flash to carve an alchemical formation on the floor—a formation designed to overload energy.
This type of formation was an emergency measure used when the main formation was damaged. Now, Su Xiao wanted to overload the energy within this black ash. If this energy came from that ancient god, the deity would definitely sense it.
A circular formation five meters in diameter was quickly carved. Su Xiao took out five Soul Crystals (Complete). He had obtained these during the first round of the Strongest Battle Royale, so they were not sealed in his storage space.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Xiao picked up the backpack on Bubu Wang's back. There were still twenty Soul Crystals (Complete) inside. He had obtained a total of fifty Soul Crystals (Complete) in the first round of the Strongest Battle Royale and had Bubu Wang carry twenty-five of them. Since the supplies he could bring were limited, it was only natural to carry things when possible, just in case. Now, these Soul Crystals came in handy.
Taking advantage of the fact that he was not in combat, Su Xiao opened his Reincarnation Paradise Mark and switched the equipped title.
After doing this, Su Xiao embedded the five Soul Crystals (Complete) at the edge of the formation. Then, at the center of the formation, he carved a smaller formation. This formation had some spatial properties. Unfortunately, Su Xiao was not proficient in this type of formation.
He sprinkled the black ash onto the formation, then stepped outside it, pressing one hand on the edge of the formation.
One Soul Crystal (Complete) shattered. Driving the formation required energy, and one Soul Crystal was enough. As for the remaining four, they were naturally used for "fishing."
Hum~
Black light surged on the formation, and viscous darkness gradually gathered above it. Seeing this, Su Xiao stepped back a few paces and began to wait.
He waited for a full five minutes, but nothing unusual appeared nearby. If that ancient god with dreams sensed the abnormal energy fluctuations here and was not greedy, then Su Xiao could do nothing about it. He would choose to leave Siren Harbor and search for the location of Terror Island.
Would that be the case? Of course not. The fact that this ancient god had created a cancer like the Twilight Extinction Cult showed that it was not the type to stay put.
Layers of energy ripples emerged. The darkness on the formation transformed into a large hand. As it pressed down, the Soul Crystals on the formation disappeared one by one.
Su Xiao just watched this scene without making a move. He was waiting for that ancient god to take all the Soul Crystals.
"The sacrifice really succeeded."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke. Hearing his words, Baha was momentarily confused but quickly caught on.
"We succeeded! The god really exists! What about the rest?"
Baha's acting was quite good, after all, he was Su Xiao's follower.
"Of course, sacrifice them all."
Su Xiao opened the backpack in his hand, crouched down, and poured the twenty Soul Crystals (Complete) inside onto the ground.
Time was too short, and he had been constantly on the move. Su Xiao knew this plan was not perfect, but he wanted to gamble once—gamble that this ancient god was greedy enough.
Creating an organization as cancerous as the Twilight Extinction Cult already indicated that this ancient god was very greedy.
Because Su Xiao was standing outside the formation, the twenty Soul Crystals were poured onto the ground outside the formation. This way, the ancient god could see them but couldn't reach them.