Chapter 63: The Former Great Emperor
The severed-head greatsword grazed past Su Xiao's cheek, leaving a trail of blood as it immediately rotated downward for a slash.
Boom!
Black crushed stone flew up, the tattered cloth strips on the Butcher of Living Beings fluttering in the air.
Su Xiao stepped onto the spine of the severed-head greatsword. A massive force surged from beneath his foot, and he leaped backward several meters. The moment he landed, the greatsword swung toward him head-on.
The Butcher of Living Beings' blade absolutely could not be blocked head-on. Within the Greed Chapter, Su Xiao's Strength, Agility, and Endurance were fixed at 100 points. He was currently a spiritual body, not a physical one, so the consequences of being killed were not severe. Due to his high soul strength, he would at most suffer a headache for a while.
Compared to Su Xiao, the Butcher of Living Beings had far higher Strength and Agility attributes. Although his attacks were wide and sweeping, they showed no obvious openings.
With his Blade Technique at Lv.33, Su Xiao simply couldn't fight the Butcher of Living Beings. The first time he battled the Butcher, he lost in seven seconds.
To defeat the Butcher of Living Beings, Su Xiao had to seize an opportunity. Right now, aside from his Blade Technique, none of his other abilities were usable—that was the nature of the Greed Chapter.
Wisps of black smoke rose from the Butcher of Living Beings. He pulled the greatsword embedded in the ground. Despite his overwhelmingly oppressive physique, his speed was so fast it was almost impossible to react to.
The Butcher of Living Beings vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Su Xiao, the severed-head greatsword raised high, black light converging.
Su Xiao was very familiar with this move. He had "died" to it 27 times. It wasn't that he didn't want to dodge, but there was simply no chance to evade. When this slash came down, whether he dodged or not, it would generate a black shockwave. Getting hit would bind him in darkness, and then death was certain.
The greatsword came crashing straight down. This time, Su Xiao neither blocked nor dodged. Instead, he charged toward the Butcher of Living Beings and delivered a straight kick.
Bang!
A shockwave of air spread out. Su Xiao's kick landed on the Butcher's thigh, causing the Butcher's body to stiffen. The greatsword in his hand veered off course, barely grazing past Su Xiao's shoulder.
Before the greatsword even hit the ground, Su Xiao seized the moment and slashed toward the Butcher's neck. This was the closest he had ever come to victory.
The Life-Draining long blade struck the Butcher's neck. First, it cut through the broken armor plates, then through the flesh, and finally… it passed through a mass of black smoke.
The Butcher of Living Beings dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and vanished. Su Xiao stood still. The Butcher was now behind him. One move, and he might die out.
Blood splattered, landing on Su Xiao's neck. The blood was still warm—it belonged to the Butcher of Living Beings.
An intense sense of threat persisted from behind. Su Xiao didn't move, and neither did the Butcher. Time itself seemed to freeze.
With a crack, the armor split. The Butcher's greatsword swung toward Su Xiao, aiming for the back of his neck.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
A shockwave spread from Su Xiao as the center point. He twisted his body to the side with all his might, and the greatsword slicing from behind barely missed his face.
After dodging the incoming blade, Su Xiao took advantage of the Butcher being affected by "Time" and spun around for a side kick.
Bang! The Butcher of Living Beings was kicked down to one knee. Whenever Su Xiao chose a straight kick or a side kick, it was always when he could create an opening.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
A blue light flashed through the air, leaving a pale blue slash mark that lingered for several seconds before fading.
The Butcher of Living Beings remained on one knee. A diagonal cut appeared from his side to his shoulder, spanning his entire torso.
"The Empire… shall never fall."
The Butcher's deep voice rumbled. His upper body thudded to the ground, and the corpse slowly turned into black smoke. From start to finish, the Butcher only spoke those four words: "The Empire shall never fall."
Victory. After being killed 76 times and slashed 359 times, he had finally won.
As Bubu Wang put it, this wasn't the Greed Chapter; it should be called the "Self-Isolation Chapter." Even so, the moment Su Xiao defeated the Butcher of Living Beings, he felt an exhilarating sense of accomplishment.
The battles within the Greed Chapter truly reflected the growth of his Blade Technique. Here, all other abilities were sealed.
Su Xiao watched the Butcher of Living Beings gradually turn into black smoke. He didn't start extracting soul memories. Extracting the residual soul's memories was worthless and likely impossible.
Defeating the Butcher of Living Beings seemed to yield no rewards, but that wasn't the case. Fighting the Butcher honed Su Xiao's evasive abilities and his warning sense for danger.
After all, he had been slashed 359 times by the Butcher, nearly every strike a fatal blow. This sharpened his perception and prediction. When fighting the Alien King, he even predicted the attack trajectory of the Alien King's three inherited tails. Though he only succeeded once, it prevented him from falling into a disadvantage from the start.
Defeating the Butcher of Living Beings was just a step. When Su Xiao conquered all ten soul manifestations within the [Greed Chapter], the [Greed Chapter] would undergo a qualitative transformation.
Just as Su Xiao thought defeating the Butcher yielded no rewards, the Butcher's corpse completely turned into black mist. The mist surged and coalesced, eventually forming a black key that floated in midair.
Su Xiao stepped forward and grabbed the black key. A notification appeared.
[Notification: You have obtained the Butcher of Living Beings · Evil Emperor Soul.]
[Butcher of Living Beings · Evil Emperor Soul]
Origin: Undying Tomb
Quality: Legendary ~ Holy Spirit
Category: Item
Effect 1: Use this item to manifest the Butcher of Living Beings. The Butcher lasts for 1 hour.
Warning: The Butcher of Living Beings is an independent unit. Once manifested, it will attack any living creature within its line of sight, including the summoner.
Note: The Butcher's comprehensive attributes are determined by the summoner's Strength, Intelligence, and Charm attributes. As the Butcher belongs to the Evil faction, Charm attribute will impose a negative effect on it.
Note: Detected that the Hunter's Charm attribute is extremely low. This will grant a high positive boost to the Butcher and significantly increase its hostility.
Note: The Butcher's combat power ranges from 5th to 7th rank, depending on the summoner's bonuses.
Rating: --- (This item's rating cannot be fixed)
Description: The former Great Emperor has become the Evil Emperor who slaughters all living beings.
...
Looking at the black key in his hand, Su Xiao was fairly satisfied. Charm attribute had two sides. High Charm leaned toward the Lawful faction, while low Charm leaned toward the Evil faction.
Judging by the Butcher of Living Beings' appearance, he had nothing to do with the Lawful faction. High Charm would actually reduce his combat power when manifested, while low Charm would enhance it.
This item suited Su Xiao perfectly. If he manifested the Butcher of Living Beings, the Butcher would be extremely powerful. Strength, Intelligence, and Charm attributes all contributed to the Butcher's boost.
The only problem was that this guy was indiscriminate once manifested—anything alive was fair game for him to kill.
A good harvest. Su Xiao stared at the gray mist ahead. The third soul manifestation was coming.
The gray mist surged toward Su Xiao. A blurry figure flashed within the mist. Su Xiao felt the world spin, and then… nothing.
Sitting on the sofa in his exclusive room, Su Xiao looked at the Greed Chapter in his hand. The only known information was that the third soul manifestation was incredibly fast—absurdly fast.
Due to the physical limitations within the Greed Chapter, Su Xiao only caught a glimpse of a wide sleeve, deep green with exquisite embroidery. Beyond that, there was a hand with relatively slender fingers.