Chapter 30: The Honorable Prisoners
A walnut-sized tree seed appeared in Su Xiao's hand. This was the Moon Tree Seed. He opened his task list to check.
[Hidden Task: The Dire Wolf's Last Wish]
Difficulty Level: Lv.68
Task Information: Successfully plant the Moon Tree Seed, and allow it to sprout and grow.
Task Time Limit: 10 days.
Task Reward: Wolf Soul Stone (Holy Spirit Rank, Full Rating Gem)
Task Penalty: Contract Brand Level reduced by Lv.5
...
Seeing this task, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised. This was the first time he had seen a penalty of reducing the Contract Brand Level. Or rather, was this really a penalty?
Assuming Su Xiao's Contract Brand Level dropped by 5 levels, would that mean he would descend to become a Sixth Rank Contractor?
Su Xiao quickly dismissed this idea. A drop in Contract Brand Level likely wouldn't reduce his rank, but would instead result in reduced rewards, such as lower World Settlement Rewards, reduced task rewards, and so on.
This penalty was undeniably severe; it would drastically slow down Su Xiao's rate of becoming stronger. However, judging from the difficulty of the hidden task and the penalty, the Wolf Soul Stone was definitely a very powerful Holy Spirit Rank gem. The reward matched the risk.
Su Xiao had a general understanding of the situation within the Source Divine Realm. Many years ago, the Ancient Gods were defeated and could only retreat to their lair, the Source Divine Realm.
The Tarin Kingdom and the Holy Guard Kingdom sealed the entrance to the Divine Realm. The Giant King, his people completely wiped out and his heart filled with despair, coupled with his promise to the Edric Royal Family, chose to guard the entrance to the Divine Realm.
After the Ancient Gods were defeated, the Divine Realm essentially became their prison. As for why the Tarin Kingdom didn't exterminate them completely, this involved a rather dishonorable matter. That was, where did the Tianba Clan, the main force that once fought against the Ancient Gods and emerged victorious, go?
During his time disguised as the old king, Su Xiao learned from the records stored in the royal palace that the Tianba Clan had actually also been imprisoned in the Divine Realm.
Because the Tianba Clan was too powerful and would also be eroded by Source Power, the Tarin Kingdom and the Holy Guard Kingdom had no choice but to deceive them, imprisoning them together with the Ancient Gods inside the Divine Realm, buying time day by day.
Inside the Divine Realm was the [Source]. As the representative power of the Tianba Clan, they would not abandon this power, nor would they allow anyone to destroy the [Source] within the Divine Realm. This was the most direct contradiction, leading to the Tianba Clan's rift with Tarin and the Holy Guard.
The Tianba Clan and a small number of Ancient Gods were imprisoned within the Divine Realm. Ostensibly, this was to let the Tianba Clan prevent the Ancient Gods from rising again, but in reality, it was to make the two sides fight. The best outcome would be that the Ancient Gods recovered and formed a stalemate with the Tianba Clan inside the Divine Realm.
This was also why the Dire Wolf cared about whether the Tarin Kingdom and the Holy Guard Kingdom still existed. Compared to those two, it feared and hated the Tianba Clan, who had turned it into that state, even more. Facing that invincible power, the Dire Wolf could only pin its hopes on its former enemies outside.
When the Tianba Clan realized they could never leave the Divine Realm, they became enraged. Their first act was to slaughter all the Ancient Gods. The only reason the Dire Wolf survived until now was that the Tianba Clan wanted to try combining Source Power with Divine Energy.
The result was not good. The Source transformation came more violently. As a failed product, the Dire Wolf was thrown into the Earth Palace to guard the exit leading outside, the exit that was firmly sealed by its allies.
Once the birds are gone, the good bow is put away. This was the truest portrayal of the Tianba Clan. However, if they ever got out, the outside world would learn that the Tianba Clan was an even more insurmountable existence than the Ancient Gods.
No wonder the Dire Wolf was unwilling to fight and did its utmost to suppress its own Source transformation, letting Su Xiao slay it. Regardless, the Dire Wolf was a god. Its pride did not allow it to become the enemy's watchdog.
What Tarin and the Holy Guard did was merely a temporary solution. The [Source] was inside the Divine Realm. Imprisoning the Tianba Clan here was equivalent to completely ceding the [Source] to them. From this, one could see how powerful the Tianba Clan was. The two great nations were forced into this decision out of desperation.
The [Source] was the core contradiction. Tarin and the Holy Guard advocated for destroying the [Source]. The Tianba Clan naturally would not allow this. They had already developed the Source Power to a very mature stage. They had sacrificed too much to master the Source Power.
Moreover, the allure of the [Source] was immense. If you asked the Tower Guardians in the Tarin Kingdom now, would they agree to destroy the [Source]? Their method of mastering Source Power was insignificant in the eyes of the Tianba Clan, like a baby just learning to crawl.
The Royal Blood was not only used to prevent the Ancient Gods from rising again but also to guard against the Tianba Clan within the Divine Realm.
Having figured this out, Su Xiao frowned. Without Ancient Gods to kill, [Divine Judgment] would have no chance to grow. This equipment needed to absorb the energy of extremely evil gods to evolve.
If Su Xiao's conjecture was correct, then there would be a large number of Tianba Clan members inside the Source Divine Realm. Killing one would yield at least 8 Soul Coins and one 'Ba Soul'. No matter how you calculated it, this was far more profitable than fighting Ancient Gods. No, the combat rewards of the two weren't even on the same level.
Walking out of the Earth Palace, Su Xiao felt somewhat heavy-hearted. The rewards for killing the Tianba Clan were indeed high, but the Tianba Clan's 'Seep' and 'Drown' abilities were too strong. Whether it was Amu or himself, once the Tianba Clan accumulated enough damage amplification effects on them, they could be taken down in just a few slashes or arrows. This was the power of the [Source].
More critically, the Tianba Clan was a race where Technique-type abilities were widespread. Within the Tianba Clan, cultivating techniques was practically like compulsory education.
Now that he had entered the Source Divine Realm, retreating would be too much of a loss. Su Xiao's idea was that even if exploration was truly impossible, he would still throw a big Pineapple (Apollo), rake in a large number of Soul Coins, and then retreat.
After walking through the passage of the Earth Palace for a few minutes, light came from ahead. The air was fresher. Going up the slope ahead would lead back to the surface.
Su Xiao took out [Source Water] from his storage space, along with the [Source] stored in a wooden box. It was worth mentioning that this wooden box was made from the roots of a failed Moon Tree cultivation.
He poured the [Source Water] onto the [Source]. A fluctuation occurred. Su Xiao immediately closed the wooden box and stored the remaining [Source Water] back into his storage space.
[Prompt: You have completed the Main Task: Source Water (First Ring).]
[You have received 4 True Attribute Points.]
[You have activated the Final Stage of the Main Task.]
[Main Task: Source Plunder (Final Stage)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.68
Task Information: Restore the Source to its complete state and obtain it.
Task Time Limit: 7 days.
Task Reward: Obtain the right of attestation for the Source. After attestation, the Source will belong to the Hunter and can be taken out of this world.
Task Penalty: All Attributes -5.
...
Seeing the task penalty, Su Xiao felt something was off. In most cases, the penalty for a main task was forced execution, but this time it was a penalty he could withstand.
Walking up the slope, Su Xiao exited the Earth Palace. Dazzling sunlight appeared before his eyes. The scene was idyllic, with green vegetation covering the ground and a nearby lake shimmering with blue waves.
"Boss, over here?"
Baha came running from a distance. That's right, running, not flying. Seeing this, Su Xiao confirmed one thing: the Divine Realm was indeed occupied by the Tianba Clan. Last time he encountered the Tianba Clan, Baha had concluded that in places with Tianba Clan possessing the 'Drown' characteristic, flight was prohibited.
"Did you see the Tianba Clan?"
"No."
Baha was unwilling to admit this fact itself, after all, it was almost shot down and stewed by the Tianba Clan last time.
"Cough~, alright, I did see the Tianba Clan. I ran into a squad earlier."
"Mm."
"But Boss, there's good news. I think I found the Blind Old Man."
"Lead the way."
Su Xiao, accompanied by Bubu Wang and Liu, followed Baha as they quickly moved forward. Within less than half an hour of walking through waist-high wild grass, a small wooden hut abruptly appeared on the wasteland. Nearby was a parasol tree, its yellow leaves scattered all over the ground.
Su Xiao had Baha stay alert in the vicinity. He approached the wooden hut and pushed the door, finding it unlocked.
Creak~
Pushing open the wooden door, Su Xiao saw that the hut wasn't big, less than twenty square meters. An old man sat on a wooden chair, covered with a tattered blanket.
"Not doing business today. Go back, Tianba."
A hoarse voice came. This was an old man with a face full of wrinkles. His eyes were a ghastly white; he was blind. His body, withered to just skin and bones, could no longer move freely and could only sit there.
"Not Tianba, huh? No matter. Bring me a Ba Soul, and I'll give you what you want."
The Blind Old Man laughed hoarsely. Judging by his words, he also did business with the Tianba Clan.
Su Xiao stepped forward and took out a 'Ba Soul'.
"You've brought something delicious. Give it to me, and I'll let you see my wares."
The Blind Old Man extended a hand like a withered branch. Su Xiao tossed the Ba Soul to him. As soon as he caught the Ba Soul, the Blind Old Man bit into it. Seeming to savor the delicious taste, he covered his mouth with his hand and devoured the Ba Soul in large bites.
After a moment, the Blind Old Man leaned back in his chair, satisfied.
[You have activated the Ba Soul Exchange Shop.]
[Warning: Do not harm the Blind Old Man, or it will trigger extremely serious consequences.]
[You can exchange the following items with Ba Souls. Total: 47 types.]