Chapter 62: Meeting
The third Soul Skeleton was a shortcut. Although the prayer site where this Soul Skeleton was located wasn't particularly hidden, following the normal route, the chance of Su Xiao passing through here was extremely slim.
Without the prompt from the Prophet's Stone Tablet and tricking Uchi into joining his team, Su Xiao would never have been able to reach this place.
Su Xiao didn't know what was inside the Holy Sacrificial Hall. If there was a large group of Sun Warriors over there, teleporting in would be very dangerous.
"Uchi, do you know where the Holy Sacrificial Hall is?"
"Why are you going there? That place is dangerous, going there is suicide. Dealing with Rogash is more important."
As he spoke, Uchi slowly walked towards Su Xiao, his expression calm.
"Your friend Xi Wu is there, isn't he?"
"I couldn't fool you, Bai Ye. Listen to me calmly, don't go there. Let's deal with Rogash together. The reason you let me out of the dungeon was to have me scout ahead and help besiege Rogash."
"Is the Dark Mask in the Holy Sacrificial Hall?"
"Dealing with Rogash is more important. The Holy Sacrificial Hall and the Dark Mask are not important."
Uchi stopped walking. He knew he couldn't get any closer. The relationship between them was currently quite delicate.
Su Xiao's thoughts gradually became clear. The Dark Mask was very likely inside the Holy Sacrificial Hall. His promotion quest was probably related to the Dark Mask. The sooner he obtained that thing, the greater his advantage.
Considering that Rogash had been in the Royal City for a while, the Dark Mask might have already been taken by him. Given Rogash's modus operandi, this wouldn't be surprising.
"Uchi, get to the Holy Sacrificial Hall as quickly as possible. The Dark Mask might already be in Rogash's hands. The former strongest, Xi Wu, might have also died at Rogash's hands."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Uchi's expression turned somewhat grim.
"Can you get there immediately?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He didn't want to reveal too much about the 'Soul Skeleton.'
"What you said... makes sense. There might not be anyone else in the Holy Sacrificial Hall. I'll get to the Royal Palace as soon as possible and then find you to regroup."
Leaving these words, Uchi rushed off into the distance.
Only after Uchi disappeared from sight did Su Xiao activate the third Soul Skeleton. After paying 20 Soul Coins, the reverse-flow incense in the metal cup surged towards him, enveloping him, and the surroundings turned pitch black.
After a few seconds, the surrounding black mist gradually faded. Su Xiao was standing inside a grand hall. There were dozens of holes in the ceiling of this hall, allowing sunlight to stream in, casting large patches of light on the floor.
[You have arrived at the Holy Sacrificial Hall. This is the core area of the Kiliad Royal City.]
When the black mist around Su Xiao completely dissipated, the surrounding scene became clear. He was in a corner on the inner side of the hall, with a semi-activated Soul Skeleton sitting against the wall.
The patches of light on the floor were somewhat dazzling. A lion-skin rug was spread in the hall. At the innermost part was a stone platform. On the ground in front of the stone platform were scattered black marks. A shattered stone disc lay not far away.
The two huge metal doors of the Holy Sacrificial Hall were slightly ajar. There were no Sun Warriors here. Su Xiao felt both relieved and somewhat disappointed. In this kind of terrain, if several dozen Sun Warriors were gathered, he could reap a huge bounty. This terrain was too suitable for using Deathly Stillness to kill enemies.
[Tip: Promotion Quest: Second Ring has been completed. Third Ring has been activated.]
[Calculating time spent on Promotion Quest: Second Ring. Remaining quest time will be converted into World Source reward.]
[You have obtained 11.8% World Source.]
...
Seeing this prompt, Su Xiao was quite surprised. He had originally thought the second ring of the promotion quest had no reward. Now it seemed that wasn't the case. Completing the quest itself had no reward, but the remaining quest time would be converted into a reward.
This was the first time Su Xiao had encountered this type of quest. In the future, if he received a quest without a reward, he would strive to complete it as quickly as possible.
[Promotion Quest: Dark Hole (Third Ring).]
Difficulty Level: Lv.73 ~ Lv.75
Quest Briefing: Find the Dark Mask and resist the temptation from the mask, thereby destroying the Dark Mask.
Quest Duration: 4 natural days.
Quest Reward: Promoted to Eighth Rank Contractor, brand authority increased, access to some high-level facilities within Reincarnation Paradise.
Quest Penalty: All attributes -20%, immediate forced return.
...
It was similar to what he had guessed, but there were also deviations. From the quest information, once he touched the Dark Mask, it would be very difficult to resist its temptation. He would unknowingly put it on, and the consequences would likely be dire.
Although Su Xiao wanted to become stronger, he would never put on the Dark Mask. Becoming stronger required paying a price. Gradual strengthening was a process of continuous payment, while the power gained in a short time would have its costs accumulated, bursting out in a short period. The consequences were predictable.
Su Xiao guessed that Guild Leader Rogash should have thought of this as well, but the other party had been pursuing the Dark Mask all along. Did this mean Rogash had a way to offset the cost of wearing the mask?
According to Uchi, so far, only Xi Wu had worn the Dark Mask without undergoing a drastic personality change, only to eventually be driven by the mask.
Inferring from this, Xi Wu had some kind of ability to offset the cost of wearing the mask, and this ability was what Rogash wanted.
Earlier, while chatting with Uchi in the dungeon, Su Xiao learned that the Eternal One Xi Wu's offspring had been taken by Rogash. That happened the last time Rogash left the Holy Land.
The Eternal One Xi Wu was a strong person without ambition. Having his offspring taken made him very despondent, and he eventually put on the Dark Mask.
Coincidentally, Guild Leader Rogash didn't care much for his own two offspring. Hushiro was still alive, while Anier had likely died over a decade ago.
The key clue was: The Eternal One Xi Wu could wear the Dark Mask without cost, or at a relatively low cost. His offspring might have inherited this ability or constitution.
Assuming Hushiro and Anier were the offspring taken from the Eternal One Xi Wu, many things would make sense. After obtaining the Dark Mask, Guild Leader Rogash would likely head straight for Hushiro to take away some of his ability.
"Somewhat... troublesome."
Su Xiao muttered softly. Hushiro might have already been completely manipulated by Rogash, given the vast difference in their intelligence.
After activating the fourth Soul Skeleton, Su Xiao walked towards the slightly open metal door. There were a total of six Soul Skeletons, with two remaining, located in the Gallery and the King's Palace.
Considering that both the Kiliad Royal City Prayer Site and the Holy Sacrificial Hall had 'Soul Skeletons,' the Prophet's Stone Tablet was somewhat reliable. Thinking this way, the method it provided for destroying the Dark Mask also had some credibility.
The destruction method Su Xiao had inquired about was to destroy the Dark Mask while someone was wearing it. The key was the black hole on the mask.
The door of the Holy Sacrificial Hall was pushed open less than a meter wide. Su Xiao looked out through the crack. Outside the door was a long corridor with a red carpet on the floor.
As soon as Su Xiao stepped into the corridor, thin mist surged around him. He wasn't without a retreat route. He could simply go back into the Holy Sacrificial Hall, spend 20 Soul Coins to activate the Soul Skeleton inside, and teleport back to the 'Kiliad Royal City Prayer Site.'
After advancing several dozen meters, paintings appeared on the walls on both sides of the corridor. These paintings depicted men and women, some laughing, some maintaining a hysterical scream.
Tap, tap, tap~
The sound of Su Xiao's footsteps became more pronounced. In the mist ahead, a figure was vaguely visible sitting on a high stool. Judging by the posture, they seemed to be retouching a painting on the wall.
Getting closer, Su Xiao saw it was a young girl in a long dress. Her light golden hair was braided, and the braid, over two meters long, served as her paintbrush. She was modifying a painting of a face full of pain on the wall to one with a serene expression.
[Tip: You have entered the Gallery.]
[Warning: While in this area, do not attempt to use force, or the 219 paintings in the Gallery will all become your enemies.]
Footsteps came from the mist ahead. A man dressed in the formal attire of the Ganglu Royal Family walked out of the mist.
"Welcome to the Gallery. I am the administrator here, the Nightmare Prince."
...
Kiliad Royal City, King's Palace, Side Hall.
"I love you, I'll love you forever. Are you satisfied now?"
Hushiro was hanging upside down with a look of utter despair. Nearby, the Painful Wraith was staring at him with its completely black, pupil-less eyes, making Hushiro's heart tremble.
"Since you're not going to kill me, just let me go. What's the point of hanging me here?"
Hushiro sighed. This trip to the Holy Land was simply surreal.
"You... are not... the King."
The Painful Wraith suddenly spoke. It moved stiffly, step by step, until it was in front of Hushiro.
"I am, I definitely am! Why do you keep changing your mind..."
Before Hushiro could finish, he heard footsteps from his right. The footsteps were very heavy, and a sense of pressure emerged from the right.
The Painful Wraith retreated a few steps, its speed ghostly fast.
A robust figure walked out of the passage on the right. He was over three meters tall, with chest muscles as distinct as granite, and long golden hair as wild as a lion's mane.
"Another one."
Hushiro felt a sense of foreboding. Through visual observation, he could tell that this approaching golden-haired man was very strong.
"He... belongs... to me."
The Painful Wraith got down on all fours, its teeth grinding audibly. The golden-haired man ignored it, just walking forward step by step.
Cracks appeared on the ground beneath the Painful Wraith. It vanished instantly, reappearing in front of the golden-haired man, its withered hand with sharp fingertips clawing at his face.
Boom!!
It sounded like a thunderclap. The golden-haired man casually swung his hand, and the Painful Wraith that had pounced on him shattered into a mass of flesh and blood. These fragments shot backward like shotgun pellets, punching hundreds of fist-sized holes into the wall behind.
Hushiro's mouth gradually fell open. When he recovered from his shock, he relaxed his body. Although one shouldn't give up easily in a fight, the gap in strength was too great. Their power wasn't even in the same dimension. Facing death calmly would be more dignified.
The golden-haired man stopped in front of Hushiro. He crouched down his tall frame and placed one hand on Hushiro's cheek.
"You... you..."
Hushiro's pupils trembled. Tears streamed across his forehead and dripped from his hair.
A seemingly faint smile appeared on the golden-haired man's rigid face. He slowly raised his hand.
Pfft!
The golden-haired man's thick forearm pierced through Hushiro's chest, shattering his heart. But Hushiro remained motionless.
The flesh and blood of the golden-haired man seemed to boil, rapidly dissolving and merging into Hushiro's body, becoming Hushiro's power.
"Ah!!"
Hushiro roared. The chains binding him snapped. Before he could fall to the ground, an arm sprouted from his back, supporting him.
Scorching white vapor rose from Hushiro's body surface. After his feet touched the ground, the arm on his back melted back into his body. The power within him now seemed about to burst him apart.
"You've become stronger, Hushiro."
A figure had somehow appeared not far away, their long black hair flowing.
"Ro... gash."
Hushiro pressed one hand against his chest. He didn't know who the golden-haired man was, but the other had given him all his power, selflessly... just like a father.
Hushiro clenched his fists. With a thunderous boom, he shot forward as an afterimage, appearing in front of Guild Leader Rogash, and punched him in the face.
Thud!
Rogash's entire face caved in. He flew backward, crashing into the wall behind him. Stones flew, and dust billowed. Hushiro strode forward and waved his hand, the wind pressure from the gesture dispersing the dust. Guild Leader Rogash's upper body was embedded in the wall, unmoving.