Chapter 67: Battle of Souls?
The roaring in his ears continued unabated as Su Xiao walked along the streets of the dream world. A twisted, distorted figure flew in from the side, dragging a long trail of blood across the ground—it was a member of the Kodo School.
"L-Lord Bishop, please... tell me... did my death... really have... value?"
The dying man spoke, his eyes already losing focus. Bishop Noe strode forward quickly, grabbing the dying man's hand.
"It had value. Tell me your name. Your wife, children, parents—the Kodo School will take care of them. Speak quickly."
"Lord Bishop... my family... they were already corrupted into monsters long ago. The world... shouldn't be... like this!"
The dying man's eyes bulged with rage—an indescribable fury. There was no sorrow or fear, only anger.
"You're right. The world shouldn't be like this."
Bishop Noe spoke in a low voice. Confirming the man before him was dead, the indignation faded from his face. He had long since passed the age of hot-blooded impulsiveness. His reason for dealing with the Ancient God was simple—the Ancient God was affecting his ambitions, even his survival.
Su Xiao continued forward. Around him, Bishop Noe, the Execution Squad Captain, Shataye, Moon Spirit, and Amu also advanced. Amu had come to fight—for him, as long as he wasn't dead, there was no avoiding battle.
After traveling several hundred meters through the chaotic battlefield, three figures blocked the path ahead. They were three Beast Clan members, none of them weak.
"Who's staying behind to deal with them?"
Moon Spirit gripped her spear-blade tightly, clearly eager to fight. Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Baha, Bishop Noe, and Shataye all looked at Moon Spirit with confusion, leaving her bewildered.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Moon Spirit was full of question marks.
"Why leave one person to fight them?"
Baha looked at Moon Spirit, voicing his confusion.
"Shouldn't it be like that? The enemy sends someone to intercept, we leave one person to hold them off, and in the end, only Lord Bai Ye goes to face the Ancient God. That's how it always goes in the stories."
Moon Spirit looked as if this was only natural, leaving Baha speechless. He said:
"You're an idiot, you know that? We all go together and gang up on those three dumbasses. That's way better."
"Huh?! That... actually makes sense."
"Kill them."
Baha's loud shout stunned the three Beast Clan members. They had originally been in the midst of the chaotic battle. Even if they killed a bunch of small fry, their status wouldn't improve after the war. That's why they had stepped forward.
"Run!"
The three Beast Clan members shouted in unison, turned, and fled. But it was too late. Divine Maiden Shataye swung her scythe, and the Execution Squad Captain also advanced. Moments later, the three beasts were dead.
Su Xiao continued forward, soon arriving at the Gloomy Plaza. Beyond this was the Central Bell Tower, and after that, the Grand Cathedral.
The Gloomy Plaza was the quietest area. It was littered with severed limbs and broken bodies. A Kodo School member sat slumped against a flower bed, his steaming intestines dragging on the ground. His head had been sliced open diagonally, the cut surface smooth. Most of the surrounding buildings were destroyed, the breaks all clean and even.
A humanoid monster stood at the center of the Gloomy Plaza. Its entire body was covered in fleshy tentacles, each tipped with a curved blade. The blades emitted a faint glow, slowly cutting through the air as the tentacles swayed. Each time they passed, they left a black scar in the air.
"This monster... is strong."
Moon Spirit didn't intend to fight it alone this time. The tactic of ganging up might not be honorable, but it was truly effective.
Su Xiao looked at the flesh monster ahead. Its aura felt somewhat familiar to him. Then he realized—this was the Mother Goddess.
No matter what, the Mother Goddess shouldn't have directly sided with the Feather God. Given her current state, she had either been tricked by the Soul Bell Tower or schemed against by the Grand Sage, ending up like this.
"This is karma."
A voice came from nearby. The speaker wore tattered hemp clothes and leaned on a wooden staff as tall as himself—it was the Grand Sage.
"I don't understand karma, but I know this is what happens when you try to stay out of things."
An old man with an eagle-beak nose walked over. Su Xiao hadn't seen this person before, but he guessed this was likely the leader of the Soul Bell Tower—the Soul Elder. The reason? This old bastard had eight holes in his head—the most holes Su Xiao had ever seen on anyone.
"Kodo Fegamandi, a stinking bug is always a stinking bug. It can only hide in the darkness. Even if you've lived for centuries, you're just an undying stinking bug."
The Soul Elder was referring to Bishop Noe, but he forgot that the Grand Sage beside him had also lived for centuries and had similarly hidden away for centuries.
The Grand Sage was displeased, but with his depth of scheming, he naturally wouldn't say anything.
Among the three powerful enemies, the corrupted Mother Goddess was the most dangerous. The Execution Squad Captain walked toward the Mother Goddess, while Divine Maiden Shataye set her sights on the Grand Sage. The old knight had been killed by the Grand Sage—old grudges and new scores would be settled together.
Bishop Noe was prepared to continue enduring, but since the Soul Elder had called him out by name, he couldn't very well avoid the fight.
"Bai Ye, let's join forces and take down the Soul Elder."
Bishop Noe spoke in a low voice.
"Oh? Then later, will you fight the Ancient God with me?"
Su Xiao's hand rested on his sword hilt. He did indeed need a cannon fodder... no, someone to test the Feather God's abilities.
"Leave this to me. You go ahead."
Bishop Noe nodded solemnly at Su Xiao. What a joke—have him fight an Ancient God? He wasn't some monster-level powerhouse.
"Moon Spirit, cooperate with Bishop Noe and kill the Soul Elder."
Su Xiao had his reasons for this arrangement. Bishop Noe couldn't die easily—he was the leader of the Kodo School. If he died, a large number of Kodo School members would flee in disarray.
"Understood."
Moon Spirit charged forward, causing the Soul Elder's eye to twitch. According to his plan, he should have had a one-on-one fight with Bishop Noe.
Black flames surged. Having dealt with the blocking enemies, Su Xiao continued forward. Now, only Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha remained by his side. When it came down to it, they were the most reliable.
Passing through the Gloomy Plaza, Su Xiao arrived beneath the Central Bell Tower. Ahead was a street over 200 meters wide and several kilometers long. Countless humanoid stone statues knelt here.
Su Xiao walked among these statues. For some reason, waves of fear emanated from around him. The residual soul consciousness within the stone statues was all terrified of his arrival.
This made Su Xiao realize that these statues were likely residents of the spiritual world. The reason they feared him was probably due to the blood-energy projection within the spiritual world.
Finally, Su Xiao stopped in front of the Grand Cathedral. A sense of foreboding washed over him. The cathedral seemed like a vent, constantly spreading an ominous and eerie aura to its surroundings.
Su Xiao checked his main mission. The final stage of the main mission was different from what he had imagined—it wasn't about killing the Ancient God.
[Main Mission: Eye of the Star (Final Stage)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.79 ~ ??? (As time passes, the difficulty of this mission will increase significantly. When the difficulty severely exceeds the Eighth Rank, the Hunter will be forced to abandon this mission.)
Mission Information: Obtain the Eye of the Star.
Mission Time Limit: 6 Natural Days.
Mission Reward: Origin Stone: World (1/5).
Tip: Origin Stone: World is a unique existence that has been shattered. If pieced back together, it can be restored by consuming Soul Coins. Even at one-fifth, its effects far exceed 95% of complete, rare Origin Stones.
Mission Penalty: None.
...
Su Xiao confirmed that this was a main mission issued by Reincarnation Paradise. The dream world had already been certified by Reincarnation Paradise, so there was no need for mission-related disguises.
Just from the mission information, he could tell. 'Obtain the Eye of the Star'—only six characters in total. It was definitely a main mission from Reincarnation Paradise.
But there was one thing—the mission had no penalty. Su Xiao could choose to abandon it right now and return to Reincarnation Paradise.
Origin Stone: World. Su Xiao had heard the Tuanzhang mention this item before. The Tuanzhang had always wanted it but never had the chance to obtain it. Although only one-fifth remained, it was still effective without needing to be complete. The fragmented Origin Stone: World was far more powerful than ordinary Origin Stones, even surpassing many Origin Stones with unique suffixes.
Opportunity and risk were both laid out before him. The [Eye of the Star] required for the mission was in the Feather God's hands. The reason the Feather God had chosen to hide within the seal was precisely because of this item. The Feather God was avoiding the search of other Ancient Gods, including the Underworld God.
Su Xiao closed his mission list. He had broken the seal a few hours ago, meaning the mission difficulty was still within a controllable range. It was worth the risk.
Standing before the cathedral doors, Su Xiao pushed open the two massive metal gates. Black mist seeped through the cracks, carrying a bone-piercing chill.
Stepping inside the cathedral, Su Xiao looked ahead. A throne made of black tentacles sat at the far end, with the Feather God seated upon it, looking down from above.
The Feather God's flesh was exposed, its body surface seemingly covered in a layer of fascia. At the back of its head were backward-curving bone spikes. It stood over five meters tall, its dark yellow pupils filled only with indifference and cold stillness.
Unlike Baha's description, Su Xiao didn't see any black feathers on the Feather God. That might have been the Feather God's combat form—cold and aloof. Its normal form was dignified and cold, plus the most obvious trait of Ancient Gods—ugliness.
The cathedral was not an ideal place to fight. Once it was destroyed, the Feather God could fly freely. Su Xiao took out a stone ball. He planned to drag the Feather God to a place where it wouldn't dare to fly easily.
Just as Su Xiao was about to crush the stone ball in his hand, the Ancient God on the throne raised its arm and pointed at him.
A thunderous roar filled Su Xiao's ears, and the scene before him changed rapidly.
[Tip: You are about to enter the 'Hall of Souls.' This is an enemy domain (non-material world).]
[As the Hunter enters the 'Hall of Souls' as a soul, you are in a soul form. All your equipment cannot be brought here, and you can only use abilities related to souls and spirit.]
[Warning: As this is an enemy domain, if the Hunter's soul form dies here, your consciousness, body, and soul will all die. If the enemy's soul form dies here, their body will only suffer damage.]
[The strength of the Hunter's soul form in the 'Hall of Souls' will be determined by the Hunter's soul strength.]
[Tip: Your soul strength is 470 points.]
[Tip: Due to your excessively high soul strength, and the enemy having detected this situation, the enemy has forcibly expelled your soul form from the 'Hall of Souls.']
...
Su Xiao's vision returned to normal. He had originally planned to beat the enemy up inside the 'Hall of Souls,' but the enemy's danger perception was very strong. His soul form hadn't even entered the 'Hall of Souls' before being expelled.
Su Xiao's right hand tightened, crushing the stone ball in his grip. Chaotic spatial fluctuations spread throughout the cathedral. Since the enemy was unwilling to fight in the 'Hall of Souls,' it was time to change the battlefield—to a place where flying wouldn't be so easy, where flying would get you struck by lightning.