Chapter 68: Dungeon Slayer
After seeing the attributes of [Soul Scythe: Death Sentence], Su Xiao understood what the core enhancement of Immortal-rank equipment was. For example, the core passive of [Soul Scythe: Death Sentence] was that each time it injured an enemy, it would reduce the enemy's maximum health.
Su Xiao's maximum health was 100%. Once injured a few times by [Soul Scythe: Death Sentence], it would drop to 65%. Even if he drank a recovery potion, he could only recover to 65% at most. This was extremely lethal in battle. The name 'Death Sentence' was very fitting.
Once injured by [Soul Scythe: Death Sentence], aside from having high enough soul strength to allow soul injuries to heal naturally, the only option was to rely on potions like [Holy Fire Baptism] that restored soul damage.
[Soul Scythe: Death Sentence] also had another characteristic: if the enemy's soul injury remained unrecovered for a long time, it would permanently reduce their maximum health to 65%.
Perhaps there was a way to recover after returning to Reincarnation Paradise, but as for the cost, it would undoubtedly be very high. In such a situation, the [Holy Fire Baptism] potion, which could restore permanent soul damage, would be very useful.
In the attributes of [Soul Scythe: Death Sentence], all other attributes were in normal colors, except for 'Equipment Effect 2: Death Sentence (Core Passive),' which was in dark gold font. It even seemed to have soul flames slowly burning on it, making it very conspicuous.
When fighting an enemy wielding [Soul Scythe: Death Sentence], the effectiveness of recovery items and healing-type contractors would be reduced by more than half.
With maximum health reduced to 65%, even if a healer's healing output was off the charts, the effect wouldn't be significant. A tank-type contractor would cry themselves to death in the bathroom upon seeing this weapon.
Su Xiao was very much looking forward to the core enhancement of Dragon-Slaying Flash. After all, each Immortal-rank equipment had a different core enhancement, which made Immortal-rank equipment more distinctive.
He still had 243 Soul Coins left, not enough to exchange for other desired items. Just as Su Xiao was about to leave the right side hall and head to the Ring Water Altar for a decisive battle with Rogesh, he noticed some changes in the soul skeleton ahead.
On the metal cup held by the soul skeleton, six gems had all turned blue. Previously, this soul skeleton hadn't been like this. Only the two soul skeletons in the 'Prayer Place' and 'Holy Sacrifice Hall' had all six gems on their metal cups blue. The other soul skeletons had half of their gems still glowing white.
Su Xiao touched the gem on the metal cup with his index finger. He sensed that this gem was connected to a certain place.
Among the six gems, except for one that didn't have this feeling, the other five all did. Su Xiao thought of a possibility and focused his mental energy on the first gem.
The reverse-flow incense overflowing from the metal cup spread toward Su Xiao. His surroundings turned pitch black. After a few seconds, the darkness gradually faded, and he found himself in a prison cell, with a soul skeleton in front of him.
This was the Pain Dungeon, and the soul skeleton ahead was the first one Su Xiao had activated.
Realizing this, Su Xiao understood that the six soul skeletons were now connected to each other, allowing him to teleport between the six locations with soul skeletons without consuming Soul Coins.
Su Xiao planned a route in his mind. After completing a certain task, he wouldn't return to the palace but would go to the Prayer Place in Chiriade Royal City, which was closer to the Ring Water Altar.
Su Xiao walked deeper into the Pain Dungeon. He needed to return to the underground passage and go to the large stone house in the desolate village. Dudu Gugu was there. Returning to the large stone house to obtain Dudu Gugu's buff was crucial before the decisive battle with Rogesh.
Meanwhile, in the central district of Chiriade Royal City.
Shenfu stood before a stone well. He took out a cloth bag containing over two hundred seeds and poured all the seeds into the well.
This stone well was about seven meters wide, pitch black inside, and bottomless. More than ten seconds after the two hundred-plus seeds fell into the well, thick vines as thick as an arm grew wildly.
As soon as these vines emerged, Shenfu took out a scepter—the Judgment Scepter. This was the reason he had cooperated with Rogesh.
After Shenfu took out the Judgment Scepter, the wildly growing vines in the well coiled toward him, wrapping him inside and continuing to grow upward.
Before long, these intertwined vines formed a pillar-like structure made of plants, towering between heaven and earth.
Sunlight scattered down, absorbed by these vines, and ultimately converged. The entire sky dimmed, and the 'sun' in the sky seemed to lose its color.
Crack~
A crack appeared on the 'sun.' Golden liquid flowed down from the sky like a waterfall, pouring onto the vine pillar and being absorbed by it. Shenfu was at the very center of the vine pillar. What he coveted was the sun of the Holy Land, or rather, the energy within the 'sun.'
Shenfu's goal was to use a unique vine in the Holy Land to convert the energy within the 'sun' into solar power with plant characteristics.
He wasn't trying to absorb this solar power or become a Sun Warrior. Instead, he wanted to use this solar power, which had been filtered by plants and gained life + burning light, to wash away the ancient god power within him. This would prevent this power from continuing to erode his body and corrupt his mind. He wanted to completely control this power.
If Shenfu truly succeeded, he would be the first human to master ancient god power without being influenced by other high-ranking ancient gods and without being eroded by ancient god power. No one had ever achieved this. Never.
From the beginning, Shenfu hadn't been worshipping ancient gods. He was a shepherd of the gods, but he liked to secretly eat the lambs—elegantly and slowly tearing off a piece of raw meat, placing it in his mouth to chew slowly, and finally smiling as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a napkin. This was Shenfu.
Desolate Village, Large Stone House.
Su Xiao pressed his hand against the stone plate on the wall. Several small, cold bone hands were grasping his hand, performing the buff on him.
Su Xiao's current true Strength, Agility, and Stamina attributes were all 194 points. Dudu Gugu could temporarily increase these three attributes by 4 points, bringing them to 199 points. Additionally, after Su Xiao activated the Dragon Hunter Set, these three attributes would increase by 5 points within five minutes.
This way, Su Xiao's true Strength, Agility, and Stamina attributes would all reach 200 points. Breaking through 200 points was temporarily impossible.
This was the strongest state Su Xiao could achieve at this stage. He tossed a piece of Soul Crystal Fragment into his mouth and began to wait.
More than half an hour later, Bubu Wang led Amu into the large stone house. For some reason, after Su Xiao returned to the large stone house earlier, he noticed that the 'sun's' burning light had weakened. A few minutes later, it reached a level where he could move freely in the Holy Land even without drinking Sun Potion.
This was likely Shenfu's doing. It could be said that this inadvertently helped Su Xiao. Amu, as a major combatant in Su Xiao's team, would increase the chances of victory in the battle against Rogesh if he were present.
After Amu arrived, a smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. The hidden concern he had been worried about earlier was now resolved. Since Shenfu wouldn't intervene, as long as he dealt with the other hidden concern, he could focus on dealing with Rogesh.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao walked toward the secret passage on the stone house wall. He didn't close the passage after leaving. Others would still come to this large stone house. Letting the jailers in the Pain Dungeon deal with these people was the best choice. He was about to start a battle with Rogesh, so he needed to conserve his stamina and maintain his peak condition.
At this moment, in the warm forest outside the desolate village, several figures were hiding behind trees, watching the desolate village from a distance.
"Is this really okay? This is a seventh-rank high-risk area."
"No problem."
A very magnetic male voice came. It was a man with his hair meticulously combed, wearing a striped suit.
"You guys, don't get any ideas."
Yueshitu, hiding behind a tree, spoke. Near her was Molei.
In fact, Molei and Yueshitu had already explored the ancient capital of the Eastern Continent. After almost getting heatstroke, the two climbed the Sun Ladder and reached the top floor. Yueshitu's stealth-type summon was the first to spot Amu.
Seeing Amu meant they were close to Su Xiao. After staking out for five hours, the stealth-type summon in charge of surveillance conveyed a message to Yueshitu: that Minotaur had entered the 'door.'
Upon hearing this news, Yueshitu was very happy. She had almost been killed by Su Xiao before, and this time she was taught a lesson by Black Demon. Therefore, she decided to play the role of an old schemer, observing from the shadows and waiting for an opportunity.
"Is it really okay? I feel like this place has big problems. It's not somewhere we should be."
Molei looked around. It was just a wetland forest terrain, yet she inexplicably felt uneasy.
"It's fine. With those guys around, if anyone dies, they'll die first."
Yueshitu secretly pointed at a few people not far away—five men and one woman, all contractors from Apocalypse Paradise. Yueshitu was very clear about the motives of these six: they were all waiting to take advantage of the situation.
"That person is moving."
"Follow."
The men and women behind the trees quickly moved forward. Seeing this, Yueshitu and Molei followed.
The group first entered the desolate village, then arrived at the large stone house, where they discovered the still-open secret passage.
After discussing for a moment, the eight entered the secret passage and arrived at the Pain Dungeon. They hadn't gone far when they saw a broken skeleton.
The scattered bone fragments on the ground emitted a white glow. A metal cup was placed on the ground, with the words 'Don't Touch' written beside it in crooked letters.
"Don't touch. Continue exploring forward."
Molei stopped the suit-wearing man who wanted to pick up the metal cup. Although the suit-wearing man was displeased, he didn't show it. Traveling with beautiful women, especially when these two beautiful women were also very strong, naturally meant he shouldn't offend them easily.
The group began to delve deeper into the dungeon. More than ten minutes later, they reached the front half of the dungeon.
Behind a half-collapsed wall, low growls could be faintly heard. Hearing this sound, all eight became alert.
"Roar."
A withered jailer, holding a large cleaver, charged at them at an extremely fast speed.
Bang, bang, bang...
Blood-red droplets pierced through the jailer's body. The jailer fell to the ground and shattered.
Molei immediately received a notification. Seeing this notification, her body stiffened. She swallowed and said:
"Killing this jailer rewarded 7 Soul Coins."
"!"
Yueshitu felt as if struck by lightning. She and Molei exchanged glances, both understanding the other's meaning: retreat, leave here immediately.
"Just a small fry like this? 7 Soul Coins? This is a high-yield area."
The suit-wearing man was clearly obsessed with mining and hadn't thought about certain things.
The group also noticed a jailer holding a large single-edged axe crawling on the ceiling, which was covered in black grime. When it reached directly above the eight, it silently dropped.
Pfft!
The large axe, stained with dried blood and flesh, swung down, cleaving a contractor holding a small round shield in two. The armor and defensive gear on his body were as thin as paper.
Earlier in the dungeon, Shenfu had almost been instantly killed by a few jailers working together. With Shenfu's strength, even with tentacle defense, he barely survived a few hits.
Warm blood splattered onto Yueshitu's face. She had already guessed this would happen. Killing a mere grunt-level enemy rewarded 7 Soul Coins. How dangerous could this damn place be?
The axe-wielding jailer, having succeeded in its strike, was like a dungeon slayer. It swung its large axe horizontally, the wind howling. The axe swung at an incredibly fast speed, making one wonder if it was a hidden boss.
With a squelching sound, the large axe cut into the suit-wearing man's body. An arm flew off. The axe was stuck in his bones and flesh, the blade only 5 centimeters from his heart. The suit-wearing man let out a miserable scream, no longer caring about maintaining his composure in front of Molei and Yueshitu.
"Roar."
The jailer roared, its eyes turning golden-red. Its entire body looked like broken ceramic. The 'Dungeon Slayer' was about to self-destruct.
Boom!
Flames exploded. Yueshitu and the others were blasted back. Debris and broken iron railings flew everywhere. The suit-wearing man's corpse crashed into a prison cell.
The Holy Land of Chiriade taught these people a lesson: without eighth-rank strength, don't even come to the fringe areas. There were even more dangerous areas ahead, such as 'Chiriade Royal City,' 'King's Palace,' and 'Gallery.'
Compared to the axe-wielding jailer, the axe-wielding brother was practically a little brother.
Above the city wall, Su Xiao turned off the feed from the mechanical bee. Yueshitu had too many space-type items. Once in danger, she would immediately use a space-type item to escape.
Su Xiao arrived before the soul skeleton on the city wall. He touched the third gem on the metal cup with his index finger. The black reverse-flow incense enveloped him. A few seconds later, the darkness faded, and he arrived at the Prayer Place in Chiriade Royal City.
Following the route provided by the Nightmare Prince, Su Xiao moved between buildings. He hadn't gone far when he noticed marks on the wall. These marks were very fresh.
Seeing these marks, Su Xiao had a bad feeling. He quickened his pace. The surrounding buildings became sparser until finally, there were no buildings at all.
The Ring Water Altar was located on the east side of the royal city. This had once been a recreational area for the royal family, forbidden to commoners.
Su Xiao stopped near a large rock. A blood-soaked figure was sitting against the rock. Thickening blood dripped from the figure's chin.
"Uchi."
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing his voice, Uchi slowly raised his head, opening his dim, misty eyes.
"Bai Ye, you're here. Cough, cough, cough. I... was careless. I met an old friend and thought we could kill Rogesh together. I didn't... fully trust you. Heh heh heh heh."
Uchi grinned, revealing blood-covered teeth.
"Rogesh didn't come after me. He... never saw me as an enemy. He didn't take me seriously. This is weakness, and also shame."
After saying this, Uchi lowered his head. He wasn't dead, but he was beyond saving. All his internal organs had turned to mush. His entire inner cavity was like a kettle, filled with this mush.
Su Xiao continued walking forward. When he stopped, he was standing at the top of a circular valley. The valley was several hundred meters in diameter. The surrounding rock walls were very steep, almost vertical, covered in moss.
The axe-wielding brother, his armor twisted, lay to the side. His blood flowed down the rock wall, leaving a large red mark.
Su Xiao looked down into the valley. The valley floor was flat rock. A waterfall cascaded down, creating a layer of water about ten centimeters deep on the stone surface, roughly ankle-deep. Any excess water flowed away through stone holes in the surrounding rock walls.
This was the Ring Water Altar. The waterfall, the moss covering the rock walls, and the shallow water on the ground made the scenery very beautiful. Beneath this beautiful scenery, Rogesh, with long black hair reaching past his knees, stood before the waterfall.
Su Xiao leaped down from the top of the valley. Before he landed in the water, his descent slowed. His feet touched the water, sending ripples spreading outward.
The ripples spread toward Rogesh. Ripples also appeared under Rogesh's feet. The two sets of ripples met.
Boom!
Blood Qi and soul energy surged violently. Red and black collided, eroding each other. Each occupied half of the Ring Water Altar. The water droplets splashing in the air froze in place.
Rogesh, wearing a dark mask, turned around. The eyes beneath the mask were very calm. He met Su Xiao's gaze.
"Bai Ye, have you come to avenge Hushiro?"
Rogesh spoke in a calm tone.
Clang.
The long blade was drawn. Su Xiao said nothing. He wasn't here to avenge Hushiro. Everyone made different choices. Hushiro had made his choice and died because of it.
Su Xiao had come here only to kill Rogesh. That was all. Either he would die in battle here, or Rogesh would be slain.