Chapter 44: Praise the Sun
After sealing the last glass column, the Apollos soaking in the solution bubbled one after another, emitting a unique aesthetic. A total of 21 glass columns were sealed. Why not 26? The reason was that 20 of these columns, each half a meter thick and one meter tall, contained 100 Apollos each, while the final specially enhanced column held a full 600 Apollos.
This specially made "Sun Column" was no longer something that could be thrown; it had to be pre-set, then immediately evacuated before activation and deployment. Otherwise, even if one threw this thing with full force, the explosion would come rushing back in no time. In simple terms, the blast radius of this thing exceeded its throwing range.
That wasn't a problem. Weapons are dead, but people are alive. As long as the power was sufficient, there was still a way to use it.
Although the 2,600 attempts didn't achieve 100% success, Su Xiao used his temporary authority to sell some items from his storage space, bringing the total number of finished Apollos to exactly 2,600. If he could return to Reincarnation Paradise this time, there would be a 200% reimbursement, so of course he had to stock up more.
Su Xiao stored all the glass columns containing Apollos into the team storage space. After confirming there were no other issues, he began constructing the Demon Race's spatial array diagram.
Moments later, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha stood on the spatial array diagram, and the array activated.
Boom!
A dull explosion spread out, blasting a pit at the location of the spatial array diagram, as if an anti-tank mine had been detonated, sending dirt flying everywhere.
When the spatial fluctuations faded, Su Xiao took a few deep breaths, and the discomfort from the teleportation disappeared. Having used the Demon Race's spatial array diagram for so long, Su Xiao was close to fully adapting; after a bit more use, he would be able to do it without changing his expression.
Ahead was the gap in the fog wall on the south side of the ancient capital. Without a word, Su Xiao stepped into the Death Domain and rushed at full speed toward the location of the black shell. This was a moment of racing against time.
When Su Xiao arrived at the only breach in the black shell, he used the Hunter's tracking ability to sense that the aura intensity of Huishenshi had grown much stronger than before.
It was easy to imagine that the other party had been preparing this since advancing to the seventh rank. To reach today's step, there must have been a long-term layout and planning.
Thinking about it this way, the power system Huishenshi chose must have been one that could adapt to suddenly gained power. After setting up for so long, if he couldn't use the power well after obtaining it, that would be completely inconsistent with Huishenshi's style.
Huishenshi released the Death Domain, killing many contractors, and later more violators were killed. But strangely, Huishenshi's kill merits were only a little over 200 points, as if killing those violators didn't grant him corresponding kill merits.
Where did those violators go? Connecting this to Huishenshi's rapidly growing aura, the fate of those violators was self-evident; they most likely became nourishment for Huishenshi's advancement to a higher level.
This point wasn't important now. Although Huishenshi's plan was about to succeed, Su Xiao already had a "countermeasure" and a "plan," both of which were particularly hardcore.
Su Xiao arrived at the breach in the black shell. Without wasting half a second, he took out the [Sealing Scroll] and activated the sunlight amplification ability sealed inside. To enhance the effect of this ability, he consumed 50 ounces of Faith Power: Sun to activate it.
A warm radiance appeared on Su Xiao's body surface and gradually sank into him.
[Tip: You have received the Sunlight Amplification effect. For the next 120 seconds, the power of the Sun Miracles, Sun-type items, abilities, etc., you use will be additionally increased by 59% to 61.8%.]
As expected, Faith Power: Sun was more effective. However, Su Xiao felt that for what he was about to do, the amplification limit provided by the Sunlight Amplification effect might be exhausted after just one round of enhancement. The so-called 120-second duration was based on a steady, slow output of amplification.
Detonating a glass column containing 100 Apollos, i.e., a "Sun Column," required amplification energy far beyond what the Sunlight Amplification effect currently on Su Xiao could provide.
The lethality of 100 Apollos exploding together was too exaggerated. To amplify their power by 59% to 61.8%, matching energy was necessary. "Transcendence" didn't mean one could defy energy laws and world principles.
Su Xiao took out the Sun Lord title and removed the "Sun Ring" fixed to its edge.
Ding~
Some Faith Power scattered, falling like golden sand. The "Sun Ring" in Su Xiao's hand expanded to the size of an apple. When he released it, the "Sun Ring" adhered to the center of his chest and gradually sank into his skin.
Golden flame patterns appeared on Su Xiao's body surface, as if he were burning with faint golden Sunfire. Although the amplification amount of the Sunlight Amplification effect didn't increase, the duration skyrocketed, soon exceeding 17 natural days. This was because a large amount of Faith Power: Sun was now on Su Xiao's body surface.
At this moment, Su Xiao felt the power of the Sun system and that power within reach, but he didn't touch it. Once he chose to accept it, there would be no turning back, causing irreversible and massive changes to his ability system.
This power was strong, but it wasn't what he sought. He didn't know where the path of this power led, and then his heart would naturally become confused. But in practicing the Blade Dao, he had never been confused for a single second.
Borrowing was fine; mastering was unnecessary. When Su Xiao had this thought, the golden light in his eyes instantly shifted to the blue of Cyan Steel Shadow. This was an essential difference, representing that he hadn't been tempted by the power of the Sun; he was just using the Sun Ring as a piece of equipment.
Su Xiao took out a "Sun Column," grabbed the handle at the top with one hand, and threw it with full force.
Bang!
The "Sun Column" broke through a wave of air and flew into Dawn Paradise. Black chains coiled around it, putting the "Sun Column" into absolute concealment. This was the residual power of over 50,000 Space-Time Power.
Sss~
The exterior of the "Sun Column" was eroded into a gaseous state, and the Apollos inside scattered out, with nearly 50 of them eroded into waste.
Compared to last time when only one Apollo was thrown in, this "Sun Column" thrown in this time triggered a higher level of defensive measures from Dawn Paradise. Unfortunately, Dawn Paradise was no longer the big daddy it once was; it was a Paradise faction that had been defeated by Reincarnation Paradise.
Boom!
A deafening explosion spread out. Small suns appeared one after another and then expanded within Dawn Paradise.
A total of 572 figures rushed out, pouncing from all directions toward the about-to-bloom sun. Before they could even get close, the shockwave scattered them.
Light patterns manifested around the area, forcibly sealing the blooming small suns within. With such massive energy colliding and fissioning in such a narrow space, the sound was especially chilling.
When everything calmed down, the last golden spark was wiped away. Dawn Paradise had withstood the first "Sun Column." As a price, the scene here became even more dilapidated. Originally only black, white, and gray, it was now leaning toward a fading gray-white.
Outside the breach in the black shell, Su Xiao, waiting for the subsequent commotion, found that the first attack was thwarted. He had already expected this. He simultaneously activated "Sun Column No. 2" and "Sun Column No. 3," holding one in each hand, and threw them both into Dawn Paradise.
As soon as Su Xiao threw the "Sun Columns," faint black chains as thick as a little finger coiled around them. These black chains were very subtle. After the "Sun Columns" successfully broke through Dawn Paradise's defense layer, the black chains vanished.
The two "Sun Columns" flew into Dawn Paradise with a whoosh. The same scene occurred: the outer shells were eroded into a gaseous state, and a large number of Apollos scattered out. Compared to last time, fewer than 30 Apollos were eroded into waste this time.
Boom!!
Over 170 Apollos exploded simultaneously. Cracks began to appear on the light pattern network that manifested around them. Space was burned through, becoming tattered.
Before the sun fully bloomed, chains made of white light coiled around the light pattern network. As they tightened, the Sunfire inside was extinguished.
When everything calmed down, Dawn Paradise became even more dilapidated. The remaining buildings began to collapse and turn to ash.
Outside the black shell, Su Xiao waited a few seconds but heard no subsequent explosion sounds. This made him feel a sense of awe. No wonder it was a Paradise faction; even in such a dilapidated state, throwing in 300 Apollos barely got a reaction.
Su Xiao activated two more "Sun Columns." He exerted force with both arms and threw them out. After waiting 2 seconds, the loud noise and shockwave came simultaneously.
Boom!!
Su Xiao felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. A faint golden-red light seeped from inside the black shell ahead. This was Apollo finally unleashing its full power, exploding wantonly within Dawn Paradise.
Sunfire spewed out from the 3-meter-wide hole in the black shell. Nearly 200 Apollos exploding in a sealed environment with a diameter of over ten kilometers—the scene was imaginable.
By now, Dawn Paradise was a sea of fire. The 572 auras, i.e., 572 enemies, were running on all fours, darting around in the flames, roasted to ashes.
Using these 572 humanoid monsters to block the hole in the black shell was the best method. Unfortunately, this hole wasn't just an entrance; it was also an invasion of Dawn Paradise to some extent. Within the several hundred meters inward from this hole, all humanoid monsters entering this range would suffer a confusion state.
Interestingly, this hole was an "old wound." Last time, when Tuanzhang led the top-tier contractors of their side to attack, this was the entrance.
Dawn Paradise turned into a fire domain. Everything was blazing red. It wasn't that Dawn Paradise's defense mechanism was breached, but that it had shrunk its defense range to bring stronger defense mechanisms.
Inside a skill upgrade pod protected by light patterns, the impact force from the Apollos made Huishenshi, in the darkness, open his eyes. Feeling the intensity of the tremors and the heat seeping in from the surroundings, Huishenshi's gaze turned serious.
When Feng suddenly appeared inside the skill upgrade pod, Huishenshi realized the situation was more severe than he had estimated. At the same time, he received a warning prompt.
[Warning: Do not open the skill upgrade pod. This device is in an extreme environment, and the space within the surrounding area is highly unstable. Do not attempt to use spatial abilities or items.]
This warning indicated one thing: over 170 Apollos had created a living forbidden zone. Many places had their space burned through, showing the severity of the situation.
Boom!
A loud noise came. Huishenshi felt the skill upgrade pod he was in jolt. A large section of the metal pod wall ahead turned blazing red, causing the temperature inside the skill upgrade pod to skyrocket.
Boom!
Another explosion. The top of the skill upgrade pod bulged downward. The high heat caused the metal material to clatter.
Boom!!
Cracks appeared in many places inside the skill upgrade pod. Through the cracks and the light patterns outside, Huishenshi saw that Dawn Paradise was now filled with flames. No, even the air seemed to contain a substance like "fire liquid," filling the place and maintaining a terrifying temperature that could instantly vaporize energy.
When quantity reached a certain level, it brought qualitative change. A total of over a thousand Apollos had exploded within Dawn Paradise. This caused Dawn Paradise to abandon the defense of most facilities, focusing on defending the skill upgrade pod where Huishenshi and Feng were.
Inside the skill upgrade pod, Huishenshi took out an ice soul and pressed it against the front pod wall. This ice soul, which could withstand any eighth-rank flame ability and high temperature, turned into steam in just 2 seconds.
Seeing this, Huishenshi's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. With his current physique and overall strength, he could withstand the temperature inside the skill upgrade pod, but Feng couldn't hold out much longer.
Feng was very important. Until Dawn Paradise recovered to a certain extent, Feng couldn't die. Once Feng died, more than half of Huishenshi's previous preparations would be wasted.
In the high-temperature environment, Feng's small face was already covered in sweat. Looking at her gradually dazed eyes, if she stayed in this harsh environment for a few more seconds, her already not-so-bright head would become even more carefree.
Huishenshi took out a gem emitting cold air, squeezed it until it cracked, letting the cold air inside disperse to alleviate the high temperature inside the skill enhancement pod. He had to admit one thing: he was trapped here, trapped in the Dawn Paradise he had personally welcomed here. This place... seemed about to become his grave.
Huishenshi took out an object—it was a World Core. He had obtained this from Arcane Eternal Star, or more precisely, from the Supreme Being.
Unlike the magical arrogance shown by Mage Sage Seraphilia and others, the Supreme Being had met Huishenshi long ago, not underestimating him because of his strength at the time. After confirming that Huishenshi wasn't lying, that side had sponsored a large amount of resources for free.
For Arcane Eternal Star, as long as Su Xiao, the Law Destroyer, died, these resources weren't wasted. No, it was a huge profit. Because Su Xiao was a Hunter of Reincarnation Paradise and never went to the Void without certainty, Arcane Eternal Star couldn't find an opportunity to assassinate Su Xiao.
Sending same-rank spellcasters was just throwing them away. So cooperating with Huishenshi was a very good decision.
Huishenshi had originally planned to freeload resources from Arcane Eternal Star. Unfortunately, judging by the current situation, his freeloading had failed, and he could only confront Su Xiao head-on.
Boom!
Another loud noise came from outside. This time, the skill enhancement pod Huishenshi was in nearly lifted off the ground. Fortunately, Huishenshi took out a World Core. After Dawn Paradise devoured this World Core, its overall defense intensity recovered somewhat.
...
Outside the black shell, Su Xiao stood by a river of magma, peering into the blazing red hole. This really was a Paradise faction. He had already thrown in 13 "Sun Columns," and it still hadn't exploded.
To think, in the past, a single Wrath of the Blazing Sun: Apollo was a big killer. Now, with this "temporary cheat," he could throw them in 100 at a time.
Bubu Wang and Baha had already retreated far away. The area near the black shell's breach was still scorching hot, but Su Xiao found that he didn't feel it. He suspected this was because the Sun Ring had temporarily merged into the center of his chest. He even felt that if he walked into Dawn Paradise now, he could last over ten seconds in the fire domain before dying.
This was astonishing. Over a thousand Apollos had exploded inside. This was clearly the wonderful use of the Sun Ring.
Su Xiao didn't plan to use this wonderful use again in the future. Who knew how many Soul Coins he would have to spend this time to completely cleanse the Faith Power: Sun from his body.
Moreover, this method of temporarily fusing with the Sun Ring was very dangerous. With a slight negligence, "Divinity" would appear inside his body. By then, the cost to cleanse the "Divinity" from his body would be unimaginable.
While thinking, Su Xiao threw two more "Sun Columns" into Dawn Paradise. The loud noise followed immediately.
Su Xiao waited a moment, then threw two more "Sun Columns" in, as if they were free.
Boom!!
Boom!!
The earth trembled.
[Announcement: Due to special reasons, the location of the World Negotiation will be changed. The World Store will be transferred to the Southern Continent: Sun Wetland: Mushroom Village.]
Su Xiao closed the Void Tree announcement and looked at the black shell ahead. He didn't believe this thing could still hold out. He fixed three "Sun Columns" together with crystals and threw all three into Dawn Paradise.
After throwing the "Sun Columns," Su Xiao turned and ran into the distance. His current state indeed wasn't very afraid of high temperatures, but if the black shell was shattered and the shockwave spread out, the impact from the explosion would still be a fatal threat to him. He wasn't immune to all high temperatures now, only to Sunfire and the high temperatures it produced.
This was more like a supernatural trait temporarily granted by the Sun Ring, not physical resistance.
Su Xiao hadn't run far when he felt a tremor from behind. He looked back and saw that the semicircular black shell, over ten kilometers in diameter, still wasn't shattered, but its top had been blown open. Like an erupting volcano, it continuously spewed out liquid formed by Sunfire under high pressure—a substance like golden magma.
Su Xiao estimated that these black shells were also part of Dawn Paradise, or rather, its external defense. The previous bombardment with Apollos seemed like a killing move, but it was just the prelude.
Taking advantage of the space inside Dawn Paradise being burned through and the external space not yet having problems, Su Xiao activated the pre-prepared Demon Race spatial array diagram at the fastest speed. The other side of this array diagram was outside the fog wall gap on the south side of the ancient capital.
What Su Xiao was about to do next, even he didn't know the consequences, so it was definitely right to hide far away. Although the ancient capital was vast, he felt this place wasn't safe.
Su Xiao took out a glass column nearly 2 meters thick and 8 meters tall. Inside the solution of this column were a total of 600 Apollos.
This wasn't the end. Su Xiao expelled the Sun Ring that had merged into his chest, pressed it against the giant glass column, and infused 80% of the Faith Power: Sun accumulated inside into the solution in the column.
Gurgle~
A large number of bubbles emerged from the giant glass column. Su Xiao re-merged the Sun Ring into his chest, then pressed one hand onto the giant glass column, applying the Sunlight Amplification effect. This consumed another chunk of the Faith Power in the Sun Ring, leaving less than 5%.
This still wasn't the end. Su Xiao took out the [Sunfire: Detonation Imprint] and used it on the giant glass column. He had two of these detonation imprints, originally for research and reluctant to use. Now, he decided to use one to enhance the power of this explosion.
"Bubu."
"Woof!"
Bubu, who had almost become a tech dog, installed a propulsion device onto the giant glass column. Bubu had two major advantages: 1. The Bana Dwarf Clan of the Void had a particularly good relationship with him, at the level of close friends, and the Bana Dwarf Clan was on the tech side; 2. As long as Bubu Wang wanted, he could learn alchemical mechanics, mechanisms, etc.
Bubu had already been preparing for a while. He quickly installed it, and Baha, who had been waiting, activated the ignition device. The giant glass column was propelled into the sky at high speed. What kind of power this thing would have, even Su Xiao didn't know.
Su Xiao activated all the Apollos inside the giant glass column, then fully activated the teleportation array diagram. The array diagram, already in a standby state, activated, and Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha disappeared.
Things had developed to this point because Su Xiao had only won one move against Huishenshi. Through the beautiful monster born from the Abyss, he had obtained a piece of intelligence:
'Remember, Dawn is your only chance. It's not a symbol, but a name.'
Without this clue, there would be no talk of successful reporting, subsequent breaking of the black shell seal, etc. Su Xiao wouldn't even have known what Huishenshi was doing inside the black shell, putting him in absolute passivity.
The spatial fluctuations faded. Su Xiao appeared outside the gap in the south side fog wall. Many auras appeared around him. He found that most of the contractors who had been in Mushroom Village had come here, obviously having discovered the anomaly in the ancient capital.
"Brother Bai Ye, what form is this? Sun form?"
The leader of the National Football Team spoke from not far away. Su Xiao nodded but didn't respond. He and Bubu Wang both took out soundproof earplugs, while Baha slipped into an alternate space.
Meanwhile, in the center of the ancient capital, a pillar of fire fell from the sky. It was the giant glass column, which fell directly into Dawn Paradise through the hole in the top of the black shell.
Boom!!!
Because the initial explosion was contained, when the Sunfire first expanded, its shape was like a sword of the sun, standing between heaven and earth, looking particularly spectacular.
The black shell covering over ten kilometers shattered with a sound. Sunfire and white radiance burst forth from within. At this moment, Dawn Paradise truly became light.
At the same time, outside the fog wall gap on the south side of the ancient capital.
Su Xiao looked at the enormous sun in the distance. Even from this far, he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. Then, he received a prompt.
[Tip: You have been classified by Apocalypse Paradise as a key monitoring target: Ultra-High Risk Unit.]
PS: (Recommending a friend's book, titled "Navy Hero," Feiwen gives a milk sip here.)