Chapter 42: Arrival
The solemn silence within the temple was shattered by a beastly roar from afar. The sound carried both the majesty of a deity and a hint of hoarseness and weariness.
Hearing this roar, Su Xiao had already taken out a vial of potion.
「Dragon Blood Potion: After use, maximum health increased by 15%, physical strength increased by 10%.」
Not only that, Su Xiao also drew the Silver Moon Blade, slashing it across his right palm. No blood appeared; instead, moonlight splattered down, and the Moon Blade's effect was successfully applied.
「Moon Blade (Passive): Within 30 minutes, increase weapon sharpness by 120 points, increase weapon attack power by 30 points.
Moon Blade (Active): During the Moon Blade's duration, you can activate this ability again. After activation, the weapon sharpness and attack power bonuses from this ability will double (increasing weapon sharpness by 240 points and weapon attack power by 60 points). For the subsequent 30 seconds, your movement speed, attack speed, and reaction speed all increase by 35%, and weapon attacks will additionally deal damage equal to 3.2 times your true agility attribute, ignoring defense (inflicting 842 points of moonlight damage).」
Just as the Moon Blade's enhancement was complete, Su Xiao snapped his fingers. The crisp *pop* was especially ethereal, and soul fragments scattered.
「Soul Blade: Soul Resonance: Sharpness: Increases weapon sharpness by an amount equal to 50% of your own soul strength (the upper limit for this equipment bonus is 300 sharpness points).」
Zuiyasi and Wude, seeing Su Xiao use potions and stack buffs, pretended not to notice. When it came to equipment comparisons, the two of them combined couldn't match Su Xiao alone. Su Xiao was from the Reincarnation Paradise faction, with many stable and convenient channels for trading various equipment and treasures.
Just the Trade Market within Reincarnation Paradise was something other factions found hard to achieve. With such free and convenient trading conditions, without absolute deterrence and notarization, problems would arise within days.
Zuiyasi and Wude had also heard the beastly roar. Both now wore serious expressions, knowing in their hearts that they had been tricked this time.
Both Zuiyasi and Wude were certain that there were treasures within the Birth Sanctum. However, the problem was that to obtain this treasure, they first had to defeat the deity here.
Even considering the upheaval of the Divine Era, the sealing of this world as an eighth-rank world limiting the Eternal Life God's power, and the Eternal Life God's massive loss of combat power from sealing the Dead Silence Origin for so many years, the fact remained that a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
If Su Xiao had told them all this truthfully, Zuiyasi and Wude's attitude would definitely be: "Good brother, you wait for us at that Supreme Sanctum, we'll be there in 5 minutes," and then, while Su Xiao wasn't looking, they'd turn around and retreat, leaving Dead Silence City overnight and going back to their respective homes.
When 'good teammates' cooperate, all information is certainly shared during the process. The problem was that they had reached the final critical juncture. According to convention, it was time to "share the blessings." Back in the World of Paintings and the Treeborn World, Su Xiao had been tricked by these two dogs at the last moment into "sharing the blessings" together, nearly dying. This time, it was only fair to return the favor.
This was also the wonderful aspect of cooperating with 'good teammates.' Including Kaiser, the four of them had an unspoken understanding: no matter what kind of backstabbing occurred in the final stage of this cooperation, they would still cooperate when they met next time, selectively 'forgetting' some of the previous matters.
In truth, Su Xiao hadn't tricked Zuiyasi and Wude. He had narrated the facts in a mixed manner. For example, while explaining the Eternal Life God's power, he also mentioned that the Black Maple Tree mother tree in Dead Silence City had most likely left behind tree seeds. If it had left seeds, they were 100% in one of the Supreme Sanctum's treasure vaults.
Therefore, before coming to the Supreme Sanctum, Zuiyasi and Wude had ample psychological preparation for the Eternal Life God's power. But when they heard this beastly roar that seemed to come from afar, their simultaneous thought was: Something's wrong. This time, they had definitely been tricked by this Law-Destroying dog.
Both looked back at the triple doors behind them. The doors were locked, and the spatial fluctuations around them were exceptionally solid. Space was sealed. Getting off this ride now was impossible.
Although they had been tricked, neither Zuiyasi nor Wude regretted coming. Or rather, if Su Xiao had truly decided not to come, choosing to give up on settling the score with Dead Silence and just drag things out, then Zuiyasi and Wude would have been the ones to trick him into coming, so that in this battle, someone could face the Eternal Life God head-on.
The reason was that this place most likely contained Black Maple Tree seeds. Both Zuiyasi and Wude had factions behind them. Although neither of these guys were good people, they chose to repay the factions and races that had nurtured them.
This could be seen from Wude previously going alone to the World of Paintings with the Abyssal Jar. In truth, at that time, Wude's thought was that even if he died in the World of Paintings, he had to leave the Abyssal Jar there. Otherwise, the decline and destruction of the Demon Race were only a matter of time.
He just hadn't expected to meet Kaiser that time. The meeting of Kaiser and the Abyssal Jar was like lightning meeting fire, a perfect match.
Thus, both Zuiyasi and Wude were determined to get their hands on the Black Maple Tree seeds this time. They spoke of the danger and being tricked, but in their hearts, they were willing to come. This was an opportunity for their factions and races to rise.
"Bai Ye, if we win this time, you can't compete with me for the tree seeds."
Zuiyasi said half-jokingly.
"Alright."
Su Xiao wasn't perfunctory. He truly wouldn't compete. His Black Maple Tree had already grown to nearly 7 meters tall. Plus, he had personally experienced the high cost of nurturing a Black Maple Tree sapling. Any slight neglect, and the sapling would die on him.
"Then if we win, Zuiyasi and I will 'allocate' the ownership of the tree seed. But speaking of which, we still can't be sure if there are tree seeds in the treasure vault."
As Wude spoke, he took out a pitch-black crystal, tossed it into his mouth, causing his pupil flame to change from deep green to black-green. This made him emit a slight aura of the Abyss. It seemed that the Demon Race had gained considerable benefits from being plagued by the Abyssal Jar for so many years.
"I guess there are."
Zuiyasi spoke, taking out a relatively primitive syringe. Holding it like a dagger, he stabbed it into his chest, injecting the dark red Ancient God soul blood into his heart.
Both Zuiyasi and Wude knew that this time, they would have to fight for their lives. Unlike any previous joint siege against a powerful enemy, this time they had to use all their trump cards.
*Crack, crack~*
Large cracks appeared on the crystal skylight at the top of the temple. The discolored, no-longer-transparent crystal skylight exploded with a bang.
Large pieces of crystal fragments and gray, fluffy matter fell together. Before these fragments hit the ground, a figure had already descended first. It crashed down with a boom, creating a shockwave that pulverized the falling debris into dust.
"Roar!!!"
Layers of sound waves mixed with gray flames spread out, causing the surrounding space to ripple like water. This was the Eternal Life God.
It was said that when the Eternal Life God fought against powerful Abyss enemies on the Abyss battlefield, he was a hundred meters tall during battle, and his beastly roar could tear the sky and crack the earth.
But in the subsequent upheavals, the Eternal Life God's power was continuously weakened. Finally, along with other powerful beings, he sealed himself within this world. This dealt the greatest blow to the Eternal Life God. The world-sealing barrier was created with his divine blood. Otherwise, relying solely on the many powerful beings of this world, they couldn't have sealed a Transcendent Primordial World into an eighth-rank most dangerous world.
Today, the Eternal Life God appeared to be over five meters tall. Even so, he was still the undisputed strongest of the eighth rank, the eighth-rank peak that no one could surpass.
This was only natural. The Eternal Life God had once been evenly matched with the Underworld God. Even after enduring numerous eras and multiple reductions in combat power, and finally being bound by the upper limit of combat power in an eighth-rank world, this deity was different from those miscellaneous divine beings. He was a true god, a true god who had protected a Transcendent Primordial World.
With the Eternal Life God's appearance, the entire Dead Silence City underwent changes.
In the Grand Cathedral district, the ancient bell hanging from the cathedral's top began to swing on its own for some reason, emitting a long, resonant chime.
Inside the Grand Cathedral, Gulu, who was sitting on a chandelier ready to observe the situation, noticed that the stone disc at the center of the cathedral had activated. The stone disc rotated on its own, causing a stone pillar covered in grooves to rise. Several weapons were inserted into this pillar, including a heavy conical spear and a two-handed great axe.
However, there were more empty grooves on the stone pillar. Judging by the shapes, these grooves originally held spiral spears, great swords, and bow-blades.
As this stone pillar rose, the Dazhujiao, sitting on the stone throne on the second-floor landing, cast his gaze towards it. His murky, dim eyes initially showed confusion, but soon, the murkiness completely faded. His withered, chicken-claw-like hand grasped the armrest of the stone throne.
With a *crack*, the armrest of the stone throne shattered. The seat was already empty. Looking at the stone pillar, the withered figure of the Dazhujiao was already standing before it.
On the chandelier not far away, Gulu, an assassination-type contractor, felt her perception screaming in alarm. For the first time, she realized that this half-dead old man in the Grand Cathedral was such a powerful hunter.
"How dare I turn my blade against my god."
The Dazhujiao grasped the hunting knife inserted in the groove of the stone pillar and pulled it out. The serrated blade was stained black with Dead Silence blood.
Holding the hunting knife and wearing tattered robes, the Dazhujiao walked towards the teleportation device inside the Grand Cathedral. The next second, the teleportation device was activated, its fluctuations enveloping the entire Grand Cathedral. Except for the Demon Blacksmith who was forging, all living beings in the Grand Cathedral were teleported to the 「Atonement Hall」.
At the same time, on the high wall that divided Dead Silence City in two, a Dead Citizen with long, pale white hair, nearly 3.5 meters tall, stood there. Around it were the remains of a large number of Pale Hunters that had been reduced to residue.
The seal was broken, the Dead Silence Origin had awakened, and the Dead Citizens within the city were all enraged and awakened to their maximum potential.
"Roar!!"
The Dead Citizen with long, pale white hair let out a roar that spread throughout Dead Silence City. Accompanied by this roar, the high wall that divided Dead Silence City in two collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Looking down from above, one would see an extremely horrifying scene. Within the city, whether Dead Citizens, Tree Erosion, or Dark Mediums, all swarmed madly towards the direction of the 「Atonement Hall」.
The stone tablet sealing the Dead Silence Origin had been shattered. Whether Dead Citizens, Tree Erosion, or Dark Mediums, none had any resistance to the Dead Silence Origin. They would use every means possible just to take a bite of it.
……
Within the Polluted Land.
In this underground structure, the ground was covered with tainted blood. The Dead Citizens sleeping here became restless and chaotic. However, the pure white light at the center prevented them from rushing out. After a short period of agitation, they continued to sleep here.
……
In front of the main gate of the Atonement Hall.
This was the only passage leading to the Supreme Sanctum. The black mist walls on either side of the main gate stood like a second high wall deep within Dead Silence City, towering between the earth and the sky.
At this moment, over a thousand Church Knights were formed into a phalanx, guarding the main gate of the Atonement Hall. Behind them stood Saint Heart One, holding a spiral long spear. To be precise, it was Saint Heart One, formed by the fusion of five members of the Saint Song Group.
Footsteps echoed from within the Atonement Hall. Saint Heart One turned his head and saw the Dazhujiao walking out from a side hall.
"Before I came, I swallowed over a dozen Source Stones. So, Saint One, you need to kill me in a quarter of an hour to prevent me from being assimilated. Young people nowadays are truly remarkable, making artificial Source Stones that look so authentic. Unlike in our time, the fakes were all defective products."
As the Dazhujiao spoke, he pulled an old-fashioned short hunting rifle from behind him. Holding a hunting knife in one hand and a hunting rifle in the other, he stood there, as if he had once again become the Church's Chief Hunter.
……
Inside the temple, with the Eternal Life God's appearance, the place became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The pressure this true god exerted was too strong.
Su Xiao looked at the Eternal Life God several tens of meters ahead. This deity was about 5 meters tall. This meant that if he wanted to use a powerful kick, he would need an opportunity. The size difference was significant; the opponent was more than twice his height.
The deity's posture as he stood was somewhat similar to a human's, standing upright. However, in other aspects, he was more inclined towards a beast.
The Eternal Life God's body was covered in sparse but seemingly flowing gray fur. He had antlers like a stag's, with multiple branches. The corners of his mouth were split almost to his ears, indicating he could use this as a weapon, opening his maw wide to deliver a fatal blow to his enemies.
For some reason, the Eternal Life God had no eyes. The area where eyes should have been was smoothed over, covered with holes emitting gray smoke. His head fur was swept back, giving him a wild and beastly feel.
What was most daunting were the Eternal Life God's hand claws. These claw-like limbs, resembling hands, had torn and crushed countless powerful enemies. As for this deity's divine abilities, there was no need to worry now. If those abilities were still usable, this battle would be impossible to fight.
The Eternal Life God stood there, his time running out. Sealing the Dead Silence Origin was never an easy task. To have persisted for so many years was already remarkable. No, it should be called a miracle.
It was precisely because of this that the immortality that the Dazhujiao, Saint Priest, Old Monster, and others had obtained from the Eternal Life God grew weaker and weaker, until finally, it was almost nonexistent.
This was why the Old Monster had schemed in the High Wall City, using a ritual to summon the Extraterrestrial Being: Daughter of Pain, in order to seize her immortality. The result was that he did seize the immortality, but within an hour, the Old Monster was killed by Su Xiao.
But even if the Eternal Life God couldn't compare to his former power, the problem was that Su Xiao hadn't yet advanced to the ninth rank. His confrontation with the Eternal Life God was the result of multiple factors.
Su Xiao pressed his hand on the hilt of his blade. He didn't act rashly. The sense of crisis coming towards him was too strong. The feeling that if he drew his blade, his head would be shattered was too intense.
Just then, the Eternal Life God standing opposite suddenly raised his hand claw, pointing the tip of his index finger claw at Su Xiao.
[Prompt: You have received the acknowledgment of the Eternal Life God (True God).]
[You can make the following choice, choose one.]