Chapter 26: The Four Pillar Gods
Inside the main hall of the ancient ruins.
The originally open windows and doors were sealed shut, making the spacious structure airtight and pitch black. Combined with the circles of ritual candles on the floor and Kaiser kneeling in the center in 'pious' worship, it had the full flavor of summoning an evil god.
However, some aspects of the setup were quite amateurish, such as the ritual blood and the details of the ground patterns. The placement of the ritual candles in particular—counterclockwise in the inner circle and clockwise in the outer circle—was a glaring flaw.
It was precisely this mix of strictness and imperfection that made it seem more authentic, making evil gods more willing to descend into such rituals.
In layman's terms, evil gods also prefer easily fooled mysticism novices over dealing with seasoned believers. The former are easy to trick, while the latter, though seemingly devout, are actually motivated only by profit.
To further enhance the atmosphere, Su Xiao gave Kaiser a dose of [Depressive Suppressant]. After drinking this potion, several of Kaiser's organs entered a state of low-to-medium vitality. Unless one was a specialized alchemist, the first impression of Kaiser would be that he looked very weak, suffering from severe 'hidden ailments.'
Although the initial experience of taking this potion wasn't pleasant, it had no lasting side effects. Otherwise, Kaiser wouldn't have agreed to play the lead role. For this guy, personal safety came first, money second.
Since they were fishing, they had to set the trap thoroughly. No matter how you looked at it, Kaiser appeared to be a poor wretch who had been ambushed, fleeing with his family fortune, and in desperation, resorting to the evil knowledge in an ancient tome to summon an evil god and escape his predicament.
Evil gods loved being summoned by such desperate fools. Taking payment without delivering services was an unspoken rule among evil gods.
In this regard, ancient gods were different. Though ancient gods were eerie, indifferent to mortals, and even sucked the life out of worlds, as long as one devoutly worshipped them, they could gain power in exchange. Although this power would ultimately bring calamity and consume the user, at least power was given—unlike evil gods, who took payment and did nothing.
In the silent main hall, Kaiser worshipped and muttered in goblin language, but after half an hour of this, nothing happened.
Seeing this, Kaiser stood up. His demeanor changed, and like a goblin shaman, he began a primitive-style ritual dance, fully embodying the look of someone desperately trying anything.
Just then, a sinister wind suddenly rose. The candle flames on the ground dipped low, nearly extinguishing.
Dark red blood mist spread through the air. With its appearance, an evil and vast conscious wave pressed down, causing the reliefs on the walls to begin distorting. The various strange beasts depicted seemed ready to break free from the walls at any moment.
The blood mist condensed, forming a humanoid figure nearly three meters tall. Many bloodshot eyes opened on the arms of this being. Though only an ideological manifestation had descended, it was clear that this evil god's form was similar to that of humans.
Many evil gods who had established cults were enlarged versions of human forms. This was to make it easier to attract human followers, as people instinctively distrust beings with terrifying appearances.
The evil god who had descended was called Ancestor·Feld. From this title, it could be inferred that among the Four Pillar Gods of the [Initial Temple], he was likely the decision-maker. The other three pillar gods only had vague titles, unlike Ancestor·Feld, who had a clear divine name.
Ancestor·Feld's incarnation floated in midair, looking down at Kaiser. Only after Kaiser hurriedly knelt and worshipped did Ancestor·Feld's suffocating majesty recede somewhat.
"Mortal, state your wish."
Ancestor·Feld spoke in an obscure language, but the accompanying unique mental fluctuations allowed one to understand it.
Clearly, this was an old evil god, well-versed in tricking sacrificial victims. He had even avoided the inconvenience of language barriers.
Hearing this seductive voice, seemingly from the deepest abyss, Kaiser acted 'terrified and respectful,' kneeling with his forehead pressed to the ground, his body trembling.
Meanwhile, in a stone hut a kilometer away, shrouded in black mist released by the [Abyssal Jar], they were safe from detection by Ancestor·Feld.
Inside the stone hut, Molei and Yueshitu, who were intently watching the terminal, silently praised Kaiser's acting skills upon seeing his performance.
Su Xiao wasn't watching the terminal screen. He was adjusting a device that resembled a helmet, made of bone and covered in translucent wires.
Back in the main hall, Ancestor·Feld looked down at Kaiser for a moment. Seeing how terrified Kaiser was, almost fainting, and the large necklace of soul crystal cores around his neck, Ancestor·Feld knew he had hit the jackpot.
"Such an insignificant ant dares to summon us to this distant place."
Ancestor·Feld raised his hand as if to strike, but Kaiser, kneeling opposite, shuddered and quickly presented an exquisite wooden box with both hands, stammering:
"O supreme being, th-this is... this is my offering to you."
Kaiser was so 'nervous' he could barely speak. Seeing this, Ancestor·Feld was slightly displeased. Compared to what this ant offered, he was more interested in the soul stone necklace the fool wore. Such a wealthy idiot was rare.
Seeing Ancestor·Feld silent, Kaiser quickly opened the wooden box, revealing its contents. The object was a few times larger than a walnut, semi-transparent, appearing crystalline yet indestructible. It was a complete [World Core].
Upon seeing this [World Core], Ancestor·Feld almost widened his eyes, but at the critical moment, he steadied himself, his expression unchanged, though inwardly shocked by the ant's wealth.
"This is an offering for you. Are you satisfied?"
Kaiser raised the wooden box higher as he spoke.
"Somewhat satisfied."
Ancestor·Feld's gaze toward Kaiser softened slightly. It was proven that, no matter where, the power of money was very effective.
"I'm glad you're satisfied. Although this is just a small gift for you, if it weren't precious enough, it wouldn't befit your status."
Hearing Kaiser say this was just a small gift, Ancestor·Feld remained silent for over ten seconds. Kaiser's status in his eyes had risen from a fat sheep to a treasure trove.
"State your wish."
Without any visible movement from Ancestor·Feld, the wooden box in Kaiser's hands flew up and landed in his grasp.
"O supreme being, it's like this... my whole family... my whole family was..."
Kaiser's tears and snot flowed freely. Hearing this, Ancestor·Feld thought the situation was too cliché, but upon reflection, it made sense. Unless one wanted revenge, no one would summon an evil god.
"I understand your misfortune. I will make your enemies pay, but you must also pay an equivalent price. This price could be your heart, your brain, or even your soul."
"Th-this!"
Kaiser showed some panic. Seeing this, Ancestor·Feld knew in his heart that this was settled.
"O supreme being, can I use something else instead? Like using my property to replace this price?"
"Rules cannot be broken. However, if you believe in me, that is a different matter."
Ancestor·Feld's tone implied that this matter was difficult to handle. To get it done, one either paid the price or paid more.
"I believe in you! By the way, this is the true offering I prepared for you. This has been passed down in my family for over ten generations."
Kaiser picked up a large black box beside him. Ancestor·Feld's aura tried to penetrate it but was blocked by the box.
This surprised Ancestor·Feld. The [World Core] earlier was already precious, and now even the container was so extraordinary. What could be inside...
Ancestor·Feld had forgotten how many years it had been since he last felt such emotion. He was actually looking forward to the treasure inside.
The black box floated up and stopped before Ancestor·Feld. With his manipulation, the lock was pulled open by soul power, and the box creaked open.
A seemingly ordinary black clay jar sat quietly inside the box. Ancestor·Feld looked suspicious. For some reason, he felt this thing looked, somehow, a bit familiar?
Ancestor·Feld searched his memory. Suddenly, text and illustrations from an ancient record surfaced in his mind. This object was called the [Abyssal Jar]!
Ancestor·Feld's eyes widened. He immediately prepared to retreat into the spatial passage he had come from, but it was too late.
A terrifying suction force appeared. The next moment, Ancestor·Feld, who had only descended as an incarnation, had his true body forcibly dragged into this world.
Crackle~
Su Xiao suddenly appeared behind Ancestor·Feld. A crystal layer covered his right hand and forearm, with black smoke from the [Abyssal Jar] swirling outside.
Su Xiao swung his arm sideways, striking Ancestor·Feld's back. Ancestor·Feld was sent crashing diagonally into the stone floor.
Pale blue arcs of electricity surged over Ancestor·Feld's body. He seemed momentarily stunned, then terror filled his eyes as he recognized Su Xiao as a Law Destroyer.
After the double strike of [Abyssal Jar] + Law Destroyer, a sinister tome made from the skin of various creatures appeared. The [Necronomicon] was pressed onto Ancestor·Feld's chest the next instant.
With a tearing sound, gray smoke drifted. The [Necronomicon] sank into Ancestor·Feld's body. His eyes bulged to their limit. The immense torment at the soul level caused his body to twist, and translucent tendrils sprouted from all over him.
From the moment Ancestor·Feld opened the black box until he was controlled by the [Necronomicon], the entire process took 1.7 seconds. Even more devastating was that from the first sight of the [Abyssal Jar], he had been paralyzed by its control. Once the [Necronomicon] was imprinted inside him, it was a death sentence.
Kaiser, who had been trembling earlier, now grinned slyly, rubbing his hands together as he approached Ancestor·Feld and picked up the exquisite wooden box that had fallen.
"You... you all!"
Ancestor·Feld was furious. By now, he naturally understood what had happened. These bastards had deliberately lured him here.
With a creak, the main hall door opened. Molei and Yueshitu entered and closed the door behind them.
Yueshitu stared intently at Ancestor·Feld. As soon as she entered, she recognized this evil god as her enemy. Originally, among her summons, besides Xianlulu, there was a permanent summon named Duoduoyi.
Xianlulu and Duoduoyi were the first summons to follow Yueshitu. Her deep feelings for them went without saying. Xianlulu specialized in buffs, Duoduoyi in defense. Countless times during Yueshitu's early ranks, she had relied on Duoduoyi to turn danger into safety.
"Ancestor·Feld, do you... remember me?"
Yueshitu clenched her fists, facing Ancestor·Feld directly.
"Who are you?"
Ancestor·Feld glanced at Yueshitu, then ignored her.
Yueshitu was so angry she could have died on the spot. Sometimes, after defeating an enemy, the most damaging thing wasn't their sneers, but their casual "Who are you?"
"How dare you..."
Yueshitu's composure shattered. Molei quickly pulled her aside, patting her back and saying, "Calm down, calm down. Let's not get angry with a fish."
"So it's about hatred."
Ancestor·Feld spoke in a cold tone. After figuring things out, he was no longer angry. The lineup ambushing him was truly beyond his ability to resist.
[Abyssal Jar], [Necronomicon], Law Destroyer, and the infamous goblin arbiter of Reincarnation Paradise, also known as the Fraudster.
"Whatever she paid, I'll double it."
Ancestor·Feld spoke. It was proven that evil gods indeed lacked the spirit of ancient gods. Every ancient god Su Xiao had encountered was ruthless and spoke little.
"Evil god bro, you might be mistaken. We're not after you because we got paid."
Baha spoke. Hearing this, Ancestor·Feld looked confused.
"We're simply hunting you down. We lured you here for that purpose. Please don't misunderstand—we're not here for justice. That has nothing to do with us. Too bad you're a humanoid evil god, so we can't stir-fry you. The evil god heart I ate last time... I still miss that taste."
Baha swallowed as he spoke. Stir-fried evil god heart with peppers was truly a perfect dish. Even several big bowls of rice wouldn't be enough.
Ancestor·Feld looked at Baha with a strange expression. Evil gods had always considered themselves superior beings. The idea of being hunted was unacceptable to him.
"Get on with it. Death is nothing."
Ancestor·Feld closed his eyes, waiting for death. But a few seconds later, he felt a bone helmet being placed on his head.
"Evil god bro, we heard that your [Initial Temple] has four pillar gods. Besides you, there are three others. Think about it—if you die alone, how lonely would that be? Our conscience would trouble us. As they say, family should stay together. Even if the four pillar gods are to be stewed, they should be in one pot. Original soup for original ingredients."
Baha was a master at messing with people's minds. Now, his goal was to make Ancestor·Feld's emotions fluctuate enough.
"Don't worry. As an evil god, you'll definitely get your just deserts. Otherwise, you'd lose face. After you die, I'll find a good family and turn your skull into a chamber pot, sending it to them. That's your atonement."
"You!"
Ancestor·Feld's eyes widened, his emotions becoming unstable.
"Don't get excited, bro. If you don't like the chamber pot, how about another style? What about an ashtray? Much more modern and trendy."
Baha's words almost made Molei and Yueshitu laugh out loud. In this serious situation, they struggled to maintain their composure.
The bone device on Ancestor·Feld's head activated. Energy threads connected to it floated up, intertwining to form a phantom resembling Ancestor·Feld.
The device Su Xiao had made was primarily for replicating mental fluctuations. Normally, replicating Ancestor·Feld's mental fluctuations would be impossible, but now he was bound by the [Necronomicon].
Since they were fishing for evil gods with the [Necronomicon], [Abyssal Jar], and Kaiser, they might as well go big. Either wipe out the so-called four pillar gods in one go, or implement an even more thorough plan.
Su Xiao's method was to use a certain characteristic of the [Necronomicon] to replicate an incarnation of Ancestor·Feld. This had already been achieved.
Energy threads connected to Su Xiao's right fingertips. He turned his gaze to Kaiser, who understood immediately. Kaiser pulled a bundle of ragged cloth strips from his chest—the [Foul Footwrap].
The ragged cloth strips stretched out on their own, then one end sank into the air, opening the spatial passage that Ancestor·Feld had used earlier to manifest his incarnation.
Opening such a cross-world spatial passage normally cost a lot, but some genius had invented the [Descent-Type Spatial Array Diagram], significantly reducing the cost.
A few minutes later, the yellowed cloth strips tightened. Seeing this, Su Xiao sent a command to the temporarily replicated evil god incarnation. The command's content was: 'Summon, Hardship, Share, Abundance, Feast.'
Which world the [Initial Temple] was in, Su Xiao didn't know, but he was certain that this spatial passage likely led to the heart of the [Initial Temple].
Thus, by using Ancestor·Feld's mental fluctuations to send mental information there, it would hardly arouse suspicion. Since the distance was vast, the mental information transmitted would naturally be limited. They had to keep it brief, using keywords.
Summon, Hardship, Share, Abundance, Feast—these five mental meanings would be understood by the other three pillar gods as long as they weren't idiots. Simply put, Ancestor·Feld had found something good here but couldn't handle it alone, so he was summoning the other three to solve it together and share the spoils.
As for verifying authenticity, Ancestor·Feld's true body was already here, showing how great the benefits were and that it wasn't dangerous. As for the possibility of being kidnapped, if someone told the three pillar gods that, they would look at the speaker with pitying eyes.
With these factors combined, the remaining three pillar gods would likely send incarnations or clones to investigate first.
From their perspective, this carried almost no risk. But they didn't know that the [Necronomicon] could use their incarnations or clones as mediums to drag their true bodies over.
The best outcome was that all three remaining pillar gods sent incarnations. This probability was low. More likely, only one pillar god would come to investigate. After confirming it was safe, the other two would come. However, this required a high level of trust among the three pillar gods.
Ancestor·Feld clearly realized something. Though seemingly controlled, he suddenly floated up, attempting to shoot into the sky and escape.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rang out. Ancestor·Feld remained in his upward posture, but the [Necronomicon] imprinted in his chest manifested. Translucent tendrils at the edges of the [Necronomicon] burrowed into the surrounding flesh.
Ancestor·Feld crashed heavily to the ground. To have achieved this much while in such contact with the [Necronomicon] was already remarkable.
Ancestor·Feld's entire body began to decay. His hand trembled as he raised it, slowly reaching for the [Necronomicon] at the center of his chest.
Clang~
Su Xiao drew his blade with a slow, practiced motion, moving behind Ancestor·Feld.
Pfft.
The long sword sliced cleanly through. Ancestor·Feld's not-very-large but heavy head fell to the ground.
Such an effortless decapitation was partly due to the sharpness of the [Dragon-Slaying Flash], but more so because the [Necronomicon] had weakened Ancestor·Feld.
[Prompt: You have killed Ancestor·Feld.]
[You have obtained Golden Skill Point ×2.]
[You have obtained the Divine Fortune Soul Coin Pouch (opening yields 250 to 12,500 Soul Coins).]
[You have obtained the Soul of the Deity·Ancestor (special item).]
...
Su Xiao's Law-Destroying talent, [Shadow Hunt], didn't activate. His kill reward included [Soul of the Deity·Ancestor], meaning the enemy's soul power had been sealed and turned into a reward. The [Devouring Core] in his body couldn't absorb the enemy's soul energy to convert into soul power.
After Su Xiao's kill reward was secured, the [Necronomicon] wasn't slow either. The corrupted blood within Ancestor·Feld had been drained dry by this sinister tome.
With a pop, Ancestor·Feld shattered. The fragmented flesh and bone were sucked into the [Abyssal Jar]. Kaiser's hand swept out, catching an evil god heart.
Molei and Yueshitu witnessed all this. They exchanged glances, suddenly understanding the essence of this evil god fishing operation.
Though Su Xiao and the others acted quickly, spatial reactions appeared simultaneously. Three incarnations descended into the main hall.
The most unexpected yet reasonable scenario occurred: the remaining three pillar gods all descended as clones.
This was because of mutual distrust among the three pillar gods. Each feared the other two might collude with Ancestor·Feld to monopolize the benefits in this world.
The three pillar gods had different forms. Dark Demon·Hash was covered in black scales, with bat-like wings, a beast-like form.
The other two were the Black Pharaoh and the Countess. The Black Pharaoh was a skeleton draped in a black robe, a heavy skeletal image.
The Countess's overall appearance was very close to human, except she was over 2.45 meters tall, with proportions matching her height. She wasn't thin and tall but large, distractingly so. Her wide-brimmed hat and whalebone dress gave her a Victorian style.
The three pillar gods descended simultaneously, just in time to witness Su Xiao decapitate Ancestor·Feld with one strike, followed by the [Necronomicon] and [Abyssal Jar] devouring Ancestor·Feld completely.
Among the three, the Countess was the most knowledgeable. She immediately retreated, preparing to flee into the spatial passage behind her. Facing the [Necronomicon] and [Abyssal Jar] and choosing to run was not shameful at all.
Unfortunately, ideals were beautiful, reality was cruel. All three pillar gods felt excruciating pain at the soul level, followed by a strong pulling sensation. Their true bodies were forcibly dragged over.
With a rustle, the [Necronomicon] opened. Handling three evil gods at once required some display.
A gray domain expanded, flashing briefly, as if replicating everything within it.
Along with the gray domain, Dark Demon·Hash and the Black Pharaoh vanished. These two evil gods, having just appeared, didn't even have time to speak before they disappeared, trapped in the gray domain by the [Necronomicon].
Crimson divine blood splattered. The Countess took half a step back, her entire left arm gone. The divine blood flowing from the wound had an irresistible allure, as if it were everything in the world.
The Countess leaned back, falling into the spatial passage behind her. She felt like she was plunging into a dark void, but this brought her a sense of safety. Escape, flee this forbidden zone of gods immediately.
Just as the Countess fell into the spatial passage, a sound of breaking wind came. A hand wrapped in crystal layer reached for her face. She tilted her head back, and the fingertips brushed past her cheek.
The Countess's soul trembled. She was certain that if that hand caught her, today would be the last day of her divine life.
As she fell, the Countess looked up at the spatial opening diagonally above. She saw, outside that opening, a Law Destroyer covered in blood aura, blue light in his pupils. Beside him was the [Necronomicon] emitting gray mist. Further left was the [Abyssal Jar] releasing black smoke. At the far left was a small old man with brown-yellow light in his eyes and a sly smile—the infamous Fraudster.
The Countess firmly memorized this scene. The [Necronomicon], [Abyssal Jar], Law Destroyer, and Fraudster were cooperating to hunt evil gods. This news had to be spread immediately. Otherwise, after these four tasted success today, the evil god faction would have no good days ahead.
In the main hall, the spatial passage gradually closed. Su Xiao turned his gaze to Kaiser and asked, "Was the recording successful?"
"Hehehe, fairly successful."
Kaiser pulled out a worn POS machine. After a series of button presses, the machine began printing a receipt.
Did Su Xiao, the [Necronomicon], [Abyssal Jar], and Kaiser really let the Countess escape? Of course not. If that happened, Su Xiao's alchemy studies would have been wasted.
The array he had set up earlier was now activated. It had no other function than to amplify the spatial fluctuations of the evil gods' return journey. These amplified fluctuations could be captured by Kaiser using one of his 'three divine artifacts,' [Endless Greed], allowing him to print a receipt with spatial coordinates.
In other words, Su Xiao and the others had deliberately let the Countess escape. The [Initial Temple] didn't just have four pillar gods—they were merely the strongest four. There was a whole nest of evil gods there. Now that they had coordinates, would the [Necronomicon] possibly not go?
In Su Xiao's left hand was the receipt. In his right hand was a charcoal box containing a small section of tree root—a fragment of [Mansheng's Frenzy].
Su Xiao wasn't sure what the [Necronomicon] would do next, so he prepared this countermeasure.
The [Necronomicon] floated before Su Xiao. The [Banishment] attached to it quickly peeled off. The [Necronomicon] opened to an illustrated page. On the ancient illustration, a dragon-eye-sized seed began to materialize. After this fluorescent green seed fully materialized, it turned into liquid absorbed by [Banishment].
Su Xiao sensed that the fluctuations representing the [Necronomicon] on [Banishment] quickly dissolved, finally losing all connection with the [Necronomicon] and returning to its previous state of effortless control.
Su Xiao manipulated [Banishment] to fly back before him. Clearly, the [Necronomicon] had erased the mark it left on [Banishment] and even used that mysterious fruit to strengthen it.
Seeing this, Su Xiao released the receipt in his hand. The receipt was drawn to the [Necronomicon] and burned. Then, the [Necronomicon] vanished. It had certainly gone to the [Initial Temple]. The psychological shadow of the evil gods and their followers there would be immense, especially for the Countess.
As soon as the [Necronomicon] disappeared, Kaiser grinned slyly and pulled out another receipt, sticking it on the [Abyssal Jar]. The next second, the [Abyssal Jar] also faded into the air. For the [Initial Temple], this meant double the 'joy.'