Chapter 21: Devouring and Arrival
The battle ended, and the secret arts practitioners, clergy, and desperadoes gathered nearby all dispersed, each returning to their own places.
A kilometer away, a hooded figure hid behind a ruined wall, peering into the distance. After confirming their side had won, he walked toward District 3, muttering something under his breath.
This was Hughsiro. He had previously said he wouldn't come, his stance very firm, because he refused to fight alongside secret arts practitioners. But in the end, he still came.
On Twilight Mist Street, two nodes appeared before Su Xiao. The temporary coordinates were pulled out from the nodes and eventually vanished.
Su Xiao hadn't known before that after an enemy established temporary coordinates, the final victor could obtain rewards through these coordinates.
Even if Su Xiao had known, he wouldn't have given Eunice the chance to set up a third coordinate. Once the node count became 3 to 3, Eunice would have no restrictions at all.
If Su Xiao came to seize the last node, Eunice had to appear. It wasn't that Eunice was foolish, charging headfirst into a trap—she was forced to.
Once Su Xiao occupied four nodes, her mission would fail. Would the Eighth Rank Battle Angel, Eunice, accept that? The answer was no.
Eunice had considered many things and ultimately concluded that Su Xiao would at most use Primordial Soul Energy as a cost to ally with the Magic Association.
Ironically, it was actually Heaven's Punishment that killed Eunice. Heaven's Punishment had been showing off wildly at the Healing Church, not only getting himself killed but also getting his powerful teammate Eunice killed.
If Heaven's Punishment hadn't mobilized the Healing Church's forces earlier, there wouldn't have been Healing Church members versus Black Tower members—it would have been a purer personal grudge.
But since things had already happened, the Black Smoke Envoy could only grit his teeth and accept it. To calm things down, he took out the [Pure Soul Source], plus two promises—meaning Su Xiao could ask the Healing Church to do two things, but not anything; they had to discuss and decide together.
Of these two promises, the first was used by Su Xiao to obtain the "Greed Lantern," thereby gaining soul energy to bribe the Magic Association.
The second promise was to request the Black Smoke Envoy's assistance in dealing with Eunice. The Black Smoke Envoy immediately agreed because Eunice was Heaven's Punishment's accomplice, and he hated those two down to his very bones.
It could be said that the powerful Spider Empress, Eunice, was killed off by her own teammate Heaven's Punishment's showboating. If Eunice knew this, she would definitely shout at Heaven's Punishment, "You're playing me."
The two temporary nodes in front of Su Xiao disappeared, and a notification appeared.
[You have obtained Devouring Scroll ×3 (Immortal Rank Item).]
[You have obtained World-Class Treasure Chest ×1.]
[Devouring Scroll]
Origin: Void Tree
Quality: Immortal Rank
Type: Ability Removal/Ability Enhancement
Effect 1: Used on a certain ability you have mastered; this ability will be permanently removed.
Note: Each ability removal has a certain probability of permanently reducing True Stamina by 1 to 2 points.
Effect 2: Used on yourself. After use, you can "devour" a mastered ability. This ability will receive a significant enhancement but will disappear from the skill list and cannot be leveled up in the Skill Upgrade Hall afterward.
Rating: 1499 points (Immortal Rank item ratings range from 1000 to 1500 points)
Description: Are you really sure you can simultaneously control over a hundred abilities?
...
[Devouring Scroll] was a rare good thing. Su Xiao could confirm this. Many Sixth Rank, Seventh Rank, Eighth Rank, and even higher-ranked contractors needed this item.
[Devouring Scroll] could remove abilities you had mastered. For Su Xiao, this was useless—his abilities were just a few, all core abilities. But for contractors who relied on active skills to fight, [Devouring Scroll] was a necessity.
Many Seventh Rank contractors simultaneously controlled dozens, even hundreds of active abilities—so many that they themselves felt confused. Moreover, each active ability had different characteristics and carried different energies, making the energy inside their bodies a complete mess.
[Devouring Scroll] could solve this. Su Xiao didn't need Effect 1, but Effect 2 was something he could use.
He would completely "devour" a certain mastered ability, giving it a significant enhancement once, at the cost of disappearing from the skill list and being unlevelable in the Skill Upgrade Hall.
Su Xiao's three abilities—"Soul-Reaping Scythe," "Soul Thread," and "Supernatural Item Detection"—were all X-rank. To improve them, he could only consume Golden Skill Points.
This was very uneconomical. It could be said that these three abilities had reached their limit. Among them, Soul Thread could be maintained as is; increasing Soul Strength was equivalent to enhancing this ability.
In this situation, having the chance to significantly enhance these three abilities at once was the best choice.
Su Xiao used [Devouring Scroll] on the three abilities "Soul-Reaping Scythe," "Soul Thread," and "Supernatural Item Detection." Three [Devouring Scrolls] disappeared in his hand.
An indescribable feeling appeared inside him. It was very clear that the three abilities he chose to devour were gradually strengthening.
Feeling the changes in his body, Su Xiao walked toward District 3. After that, things were simple—find a way to leave the high-danger zone of the Western Continent and go to the Eastern Continent to fight the World War.
Su Xiao returned to the civilian house in District 3. As soon as he turned on the light, he saw Hughsiro sitting on the sofa, deep in thought.
"It seems you won. My promise is fulfilled; I'll leave tomorrow morning."
Hughsiro walked toward the bedroom. As soon as he entered, Su Xiao heard muffled sounds coming from the large cloth bag in the corner.
"You still haven't sold it? Hughsiro, why not let it go? You're the only direct descendant of the Magic Association; they wouldn't dare do anything to you anyway. Either kill it or release it."
"How can that be? I've been carrying it for days."
[New] Hughsiro's voice came from the bedroom, and Baha was speechless.
Su Xiao leaned back on the sofa. Having dealt with the Eighth Rank contractor, he felt much more relaxed.
He opened the World Contact Platform. When he first entered the world, this thing had already activated, but it only had the Divine Stick Team, Apocalypse Team, Death Team, and Su Xiao's Reincarnation Team—seven people total. No one had spoken the whole time.
When Su Xiao entered the Seventh Rank World Contact Platform, he found it was very lively. The madmen on his side were exchanging greetings with the Death Paradise side, looking like they were about to clash again.
The two sides were almost archenemies. Whenever a World War started, one of his side or the Death Paradise side would definitely be eliminated first.
Iron Donkey (Reincarnation Paradise): "Death Paradise's Hai Yizuo, come fight me one-on-one. Location: Infiru Racecourse."
Hai Yizuo (Death Paradise): "I'll be there in 10 minutes."
Philosopher (Apocalypse Paradise): "In this situation, isn't one-on-one a bit... stupid?"
Hai Yizuo (Death Paradise): "You bastard, you brought people."
Iron Donkey (Reincarnation Paradise): "Are those behind you primate reptiles? Not human?"
Traveler (Sanctuary Paradise): "Large-scale melee happening at Infiru Racecourse. Personnel on our side, please stay away."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "One-on-one, huh."
Rabbit Candy (Apocalypse Paradise): "Looking up to Big Shot Molei. What a coincidence, meeting again."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "Not really a coincidence. The Seventh Rank contractors participating this time are either at Demon Spirit Star or on Storm Sand Continent. No other Seventh Rank contractors joined. More than half of the top fifty in the Tree Arena can be found in this world."
White Night (Reincarnation Paradise): "Moon Apostle, see you in two days at the Eastern Continent."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "?????"
Shenfu (Sanctuary Paradise): "Not good."
Flame Master (Sanctuary Paradise): "I'm screwed."
Witch (Reincarnation Paradise): "Oh ho~"
Holy Word (Sanctuary Paradise): "This reaction... I have a bad feeling."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "Apocalypse Paradise wins (whispered shout)."
Furious Hound (Death Paradise): "White Night? Top 10 in the Tree Arena? Perfect, I can't find an opponent. I'll wait for you at Infiru Racecourse. Dare to come?"
...
Su Xiao closed the World Contact Platform. He had deliberately exposed himself. Although he wasn't sure if Moon Apostle was in this world, testing was a good choice. At the very least, he couldn't let the other party calmly summon moon-type familiars from the shadows.
If Moon Apostle changed hiding spots after seeing this message, there was a chance to expose his trail. As for the other party becoming cautious, that wasn't a problem. In the final melee, it came down to hard power. Moon Apostle would definitely pull out his trump cards.
There were several acquaintances this time. Su Xiao had never fought Shenfu before; he had only met him once in the Primordial Continent, and his abilities were still unknown.
As for Death Paradise's Furious Hound, Su Xiao had seen that name. Among the top ten in the Tree Arena, the other party had a spot.
Su Xiao didn't care about Furious Hound's provocation. He was in Smoke Capital and couldn't go to the "Infiru Racecourse" on the Eastern Continent.
As Su Xiao was thinking, the door was knocked. Masked Man Bass walked into the civilian house and sat across from Su Xiao.
"Calling me here so late, what's up?"
Masked Man Bass was in a good mood, having obtained a lot of Primordial Soul Energy today.
"Because of your rampage, how many people died on the Eastern Continent?"
"You..."
Masked Man Bass's voice turned cold.
"You really want to go back to the Eastern Continent, don't you?"
"No."
"Then forget it. The area-wide rampage you caused isn't hard to solve. Your mental energy is going berserk. Drink this; the berserk signs can be suppressed for one day."
Su Xiao placed a bottle of diluted [Ocean Essence] on the low table. When he first saw Bass, he was somewhat astonished. The other party's mental energy was stronger than anything he had ever seen—a nearly twisted mental energy fluctuation.
"This potion is a gift for you."
"You think I'll drink it?"
Masked Man Bass picked up the potion on the table, poured some out to test it, then was silent for a few minutes. Finally, he extracted a drop and injected it into his index finger, ready to cut off the finger at any moment.
If Su Xiao weren't cooperating with Hughsiro, Masked Man Bass would never trust Su Xiao.
About half an hour later, Masked Man Bass finally drank the potion. He leaned back on the wooden chair. Within seconds, snoring came from under his mask. He hadn't slept in half a month. Whenever he relaxed, his mental energy would spread out. He was an anomaly, an anomaly belonging only to Smoke Capital.
Masked Man Bass slept until the middle of the night before being woken up by Baha.
"I... fell asleep?!"
Masked Man Bass suddenly stood up, about to rush out of the civilian house. Based on his experience, all refugees within five kilometers should have already gone berserk, venting their violence, anger, and hatred.
"No one's outside. The potion should last about 23 hours."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Masked Man Bass listened quietly to the outside for a moment, then sat down and let out a long breath.
"Speak. What are the conditions? I need a long-term supply."
"I want to use your Magic Association's Space Tower to go to the Eastern Continent."
Through the intelligence Hughsiro gave, Su Xiao already knew about the Magic Association's transportation method: the Space Tower. It could reach the Eastern Continent's Space Tower in just a few seconds. The Magic Association used this method to transport Black Crystals.
"Impossible. You, me, and that Red-Eyed Woman are all anomalies. Don't think I can't sense your aura."
"Too bad."
Su Xiao stopped talking. Moonlight streamed in through the window.
"Can you... control your own aura?"
Masked Man Bass wavered. Being able to suppress mental energy berserk was a huge temptation for him.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. Blood energy spread around him, eventually forming a massive evil beast behind him. The evil beast grinned at Masked Man Bass.
Seeing this Blood Beast, Masked Man Bass knew that Su Xiao was different from him and the Red-Eyed Woman. He wasn't an "anomaly." The other party's aura was already a power he could freely control. Only those whose abilities went out of control were called "anomalies."
"What happened today, only those present will know. Right, Bass?"
"Right."
A smile appeared on Bass's face under his mask. He stepped out of the civilian house. Su Xiao brought Bubu Wang and Baha to follow. Amu and Beini were both on the Eastern Continent; they would meet up this time.
In the bedroom of the civilian house, Hughsiro lay on the bed, legs crossed, staring at the ceiling.
...
Smoke Capital, Magic Association Branch, Seventh Floor.
This was a Baroque-style building. The upper part had towering spires, while the lower part had a massive footprint.
Following a spiral staircase, Su Xiao went from the seventh floor to the room at the top of the spire before stopping.
This room was about thirty square meters. At the center of the floor, hundreds of black crystals were embedded, vaguely forming a 7-pointed star. In the Magic Association, 7 was considered a magical number, representing original sin, sealing, the claws of darkness, etc.
"Take this. Over there, say you're a servant responsible for handing over Black Crystals. No one on the Eastern Continent should recognize you. Follow the procedure I told you, and there won't be any problems."
Masked Man Bass tossed over a bag of Black Crystals. This clearly wasn't his first time doing this.
"Mm."
"It's already morning. Don't release your aura over there."
Masked Man Bass crushed a black crystal, scattering the black fragments on the ground. The Space Tower activated, and Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha disappeared from the 7-pointed star.
"What am I even doing, letting a monster like this go to the Eastern Continent? I've really... gone mad."
Bass smiled and took off his mask.
...
Surroundings were pitch black, as if countless black claws were tearing at space, making the spatial fluctuations chaotic.
When light appeared before Su Xiao's eyes, he was standing in a circular room—the top-floor room of a Space Tower.
It was exactly 6 in the morning. The nearby bell tower chimed, and bright sunlight poured into the Space Tower.
A secret arts practitioner walked up the spiral staircase. Seeing this practitioner, Su Xiao frowned. The other party was about Seventh Rank mid-tier strength. By the looks of it, he was even a small leader? Behind him followed several weaker practitioners, around Fifth Rank, all very respectful to the small leader.
This practitioner, if placed in Smoke Capital, would at most guard the Magic Association branch. If he dared to go out alone, he would be caught and sold by desperadoes in no time.
Clearly, the powerful secret arts practitioners were all sent to Smoke Capital to protect the synthesis of Black Crystals and compete for the Primordial Soul Energy after the Black Tide eruption. Those with mediocre strength were left on the Eastern Continent to avoid embarrassing themselves in Smoke Capital.
Through the window, Su Xiao saw the bustling streets below. He had successfully arrived at the Eastern Continent.