# Chapter 3: Let the Primordial Mask Take This Opportunity to Leave
That's right, Su Xiao no longer planned to continue carrying the Primordial Mask. This was partly because using the current Primordial Mask came at a great cost, and partly because if he kept wearing it, the recently emerged "Original Sin" characteristic of this mask would gradually dissipate due to this confinement.
Rather than that, it would be better to let the mask develop on its own. Even if it truly crossed that nearly impossible step and became a genuine "Original Sin Object," it wouldn't matter. For Su Xiao, there was no risk in that.
Therefore, Su Xiao made a "Vow" with the Primordial Mask: for this confrontation with Black Rose, the Primordial Mask would let Su Xiao use it twice without cost. The current use by Dean counted as one of those.
After two uses, Su Xiao would remove all restraints on the Primordial Mask and provide it with the coordinates of the Gloomy Continent. The reason was that there was an Abyss invasion zone there that could lead into the "Abyss." Only by sinking into the "Abyss" could the Primordial Mask possibly take a further step forward.
But the current problem was that just after letting go of a "quasi-Original Sin Object," Su Xiao had opened a genuine big daddy from the Abyss treasure chest. The vast and boundless Nether aura confirmed to Su Xiao that this big daddy's strength was in no way inferior to the "Abyssal Jar" or the "Necronomicon," and was slightly higher than the Soul Crown.
To make an analogy, if the comprehensive danger level of Original Sin Objects was 90 to 100, then the "Abyssal Jar" and "Necronomicon" were both at the full value of 100, the "Soul Crown" reached 99.5, and the freshly opened "Nether Bone Ring" was also 100.
Besides sensing the vast Nether aura, Su Xiao looked a hundred meters away at Kaisa, who was in a state of unity with the jar. This guy had slipped that far away in an instant, which already said a lot.
"Kaisa, I have a business deal..."
Before Su Xiao could finish, Kaisa, who had just taken off the Abyssal Jar, was already over 200 meters away, his suspicious gaze seeming to ask: 'My dear friend, what did you just say?'
"..."
Using his Hunter authority, Su Xiao materialized a 30,000-denomination Soul Coin savings card. The next instant, Kaisa was right beside him.
"30,000, take this thing away."
"The weather is quite nice today."
Kaisa said with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky still filled with boundary thunder. Clearly, this wasn't Kaisa's strong suit. Back then, he and the Abyssal Jar had been like a turtle meeting a mung bean—they clicked. But now facing the [Nether Bone Ring], it was a different situation.
"No way?"
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Kaisa scratched his head and ears anxiously. He pondered for a moment and said, "I do have some ideas, but it's not even a matter of compensation. The problem is, if we sever the causal connection now, my dear friend, you would have to pay a great price. Why not use that box to trap it for now, let the causal connection ease, and then we'll think of something."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He took out a cigarette and lit it, tacitly accepting Kaisa's proposal.
"Time's about up. I'll go remove the sealing formation."
After leaving these words, Kaisa disappeared after taking just two steps, heading to the main hall of the ancient ruins to deactivate the formation that sealed spatial fluctuations.
This formation had been activated by Kaisa over there after Su Xiao entered the Divine Domain, with the purpose of preventing the Dawn God Cult from sending reinforcements. From the looks of it, the formation's effect was quite good.
A few minutes later, the murky yellow mist that had been spreading at the edge of the Divine Domain finally dispersed. As soon as the yellow mist cleared, a dull thud came from afar.
Thump, thump, thump...
Like pounding sounds from another space, they came one after another. The nearby space bulged outward with each impact, finally shattering a piece with a loud bang. Pale hands reached out from within, expanding the broken space into a spatial archway.
A short-haired old man in a red robe strode quickly into the Divine Domain. This was one of the three most powerful figures in the Saint Lan Kingdom.
The current situation in the Saint Lan Kingdom was: Black Rose held the most power, followed by Duke Gula, the representative of the royal family, and the High Priest of the Dawn God Cult, who had arrived in haste.
In terms of status, Duke Gula and the High Priest were not subordinates of Black Rose. The three parties were accomplices in wrongdoing, only Duke Gula and the High Priest didn't have as much power as Black Rose. It was hard to believe they were completely harmonious, but these three were indeed a community of shared interests.
Among the hundred-plus who had arrived, besides the leading High Priest, there were five priests of the Dawn God Cult, along with various divine envoys and missionaries—essentially the entire organization had turned out. The reason was that moments ago, they had discovered something terrifying: their source of faith had been cut off.
If it were just one or two people, it could be explained as insufficient faith or being abandoned by the deity. But the problem was that all believers of the Dawn God Cult, including the five priests and the High Priest, had lost the transmission of faith power from their deity. This could only mean something had happened to the deity.
Before this, none of the Dawn God Cult's high-ranking members had considered this possibility. They had been invited by Black Rose to discuss how to deal with the Law Destroyer who had come for revenge. During this discussion, two priests had even proposed summoning the Radiance God they worshipped to cast divine punishment on the Law Destroyer.
Now, divine punishment was out of the question. The Radiance God had been preemptively killed by the Law Destroyer.
Among the believers who had rushed to the Divine Domain, the leading High Priest's hands began trembling uncontrollably the moment he arrived. No one could sense it more clearly than him—their Dawn God Cult's deity had fallen.
"My god, where is he?"
A divine envoy spoke with a trembling voice. A young nun beside her quickly supported her, helping the nearly heartbroken divine envoy stay on her feet.
After arriving at the Divine Domain, all the believers confirmed that the Radiance God had fallen. Some had grim expressions, some had meaningful looks, and some knelt on the ground wailing.
After the initial emotional impact, the group led by the High Priest focused their attention on Su Xiao. The High Priest narrowed his eyes, and in his dark golden pupils was a sense of majesty second only to the Radiance God himself. There was no doubt—this was an old fellow who had hidden his strength, at least on par with the Northern Border Grand General.
"Revenge for our god!!"
A middle-aged divine envoy roared hysterically, so agitated that dense blood vessels burst in his eyes, and the veins and blood vessels on his neck bulged.
"Kill him!"
Another believer also roared. Just as the group of believers was about to charge forward to surround and kill Su Xiao, the leading High Priest coldly shouted, "Shut up! Fall back!"
Hearing the High Priest's rebuke, the Dawn God Cult's mid-to-high-ranking members instinctively shut their mouths and stepped back, then looked at the High Priest with surprise. They shut up and retreated because of the authority the High Priest had accumulated over the years, but the confusion in their eyes was questioning whether the High Priest's faith in the deity was sincere.
"Our god has not fallen. He was merely tricked by this villain into being transported to another world. This villain fears our god's majesty, so he used this deceitful scheme. I can still sense our god, though the connection is very faint."
Hearing the High Priest's words, the Dawn God Cult's mid-to-high-ranking members quickly stabilized their breathing. Among them, a young woman with a single ponytail and vertical pupils said, "That's right, I can sense it too. Our god is just very far away from us."
"That's right, I can sense it too."
"But... I don't feel anything at all, and the transmission of faith power has also..."
"It's because you're not devout enough. Shut up! Fall back!"
The vertical-pupil young woman shouted loudly, her intimidating presence causing a divine envoy to instinctively step back half a pace.
The High Priest looked the vertical-pupil young woman up and down, already deciding in his heart that when the opportunity arose, he would promote this subordinate to the position of priest.
"Priest, what should we do?"
The vertical-pupil young woman asked in a low voice. Hearing this, the High Priest said, "I can handle things here. You take the others back first."
With that, the High Priest handed a string of bone pendants to the vertical-pupil young woman. This was an heirloom of the Dawn God Cult passed down for many years. When the High Priest was not present, this item could be used as the High Priest's proxy, equal in rank to the five white-robed priests.
The Dawn God Cult members left the Divine Domain, some angry, some confused. When only the High Priest remained, he sat down on a crystal seat opposite Su Xiao, his expression both composed and calm.
"As the High Priest of the Dawn God Cult, can you still sense the Radiance God?"
Baha, perched on Su Xiao's shoulder, spoke.
"I can't. This evil god has finally fallen, much earlier than I had planned."
The High Priest's words were shocking. From his tone, it seemed that his becoming the High Priest of the Dawn God Cult, a position second only to the deity, was actually for the purpose of eliminating this god.
"Suffering makes people need the protection of gods. From another perspective, suffering can breed richer faith energy."
When the High Priest said this, his expression darkened somewhat. He continued, "The royal family sits high above, the new king is not yet ten years old, the ministers chase power and influence, and there's Black Rose hiding in the darkness. Even more terrifying, this kingdom has an evil god. If this continues, the Saint Lan Kingdom will surely be destroyed. Everyone on this ship will die without a burial place."
After saying this, the High Priest sighed, as if deeply distressed.
"So, even if we hadn't eliminated this evil god, you would have found a way to deal with it later?"
Baha spoke with a half-smile. It had seen people change their faces faster than flipping through a book, but it had never seen such a smooth faction switch.
"Of course. Otherwise, why do you think I became this High Priest?"
"Oh, well, you, I..."
Baha re-evaluated the High Priest. It thought it was shameless and thick-skinned enough, but after meeting the High Priest today, Baha felt that its own shamelessness was nothing but a fart.
"So, you're willing to help us deal with Black Rose?"
Hearing Baha's words, the High Priest smiled and shook his head, saying, "I will disappear as quickly as possible. With the Radiance God fallen, the Dawn God Cult will decline in a short time. The enemies I've accumulated over the years will all come knocking."
This was why the High Priest hadn't attacked earlier, and had made the other Dawn God Cult members retreat. After the Radiance God's fall, the Dawn God Cult's disintegration was inevitable. Under these circumstances, there was really no need to make an enemy of Su Xiao, a Law Destroyer. In the High Priest's view, about to be hunted by a large number of enemies, having one less enemy was one less.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. We won't meet again in the future..."
Before the High Priest could finish, Su Xiao had already taken out the "Radiance Divine Soul" from his God Hunter title. Before entering this world, he didn't know what a "Divine Soul" was. But when he cooperated with the Goddess of Fortune, he saw her "Fortune Divine Soul" and learned about the wonderful nature of "Divine Souls."
In short, any living being qualified to absorb a "Divine Soul" into themselves would transform into a divine creature. For example, absorbing the "Radiance Divine Soul" would make one a new Radiance God, though the strength would be very weak—initially around fourth to fifth rank combat power. It would take a long time to grow, plus sufficient talent and opportunities, to possibly reach the level of the previous Radiance God.
After hearing Baha's explanation, the High Priest smiled and shook his head: "It sounds tempting, and this so-called 'Divine Soul' does indeed have Radiance fluctuations. But how can you prove everything you've said is true? I need sufficiently credible evidence before I'll bet everything."
"No problem. Hey, Fortune, Goddess of Fortune? Hey, don't just eat snacks and watch the show over there. High Priest, let me formally introduce you. This is the powerful god who governs fortune—the Goddess of Fortune!"
Baha spread its right wing, and the High Priest followed its gaze to see the Goddess of Fortune with a large mouthful of pudding, her cheeks puffed out.
"?"
The High Priest was confused. He looked at Baha with a suspicious gaze, as if asking: 'This is a god?'
"Ahem~ A genuine god, no doubt about it. She is, she is... Hey! Stop eating first! I'm hyping you up over here, at least play along!"
Baha rubbed its face with its wing, so angry it was about to explode.
The Goddess of Fortune pointed her cream-stained index finger at the High Priest. The next second, the High Priest's hair stood on end. He looked up at the boundary thunder in the sky. He had a feeling that this boundary thunder was about to strike down at any moment.
Crack~
A bolt of boundary thunder as thick as an arm struck down, startling the High Priest. But in the next moment, this boundary thunder struck Su Xiao. What surprised the High Priest even more was that Su Xiao, who had been struck, showed no reaction to being attacked, as if being hit by it was completely inconsequential.
This was mainly thanks to the lightning control method developed by Kingsley. Other people's lightning control methods involved first condensing a lightning source or something similar. Kingsley took a different approach. In Kingsley's view, as long as you could withstand being struck by lightning and could attract lightning, that was lightning control.
Having witnessed the Goddess of Fortune's control over fortune, the High Priest confirmed that she was indeed a god. As it turned out, if you had real skills, even if you acted casually, you would still be respected by others—just like the Goddess of Fortune now.
The High Priest pondered for a moment and made a decision. Compared to letting the Dawn God Cult disintegrate and then being hunted by his former enemies, getting the "Radiance Divine Soul" from Su Xiao and then choosing someone with the aptitude to bear this soul, thereby allowing a new Radiance God to emerge, would turn things around. Even if the new Radiance God was far less powerful than the previous one, it could at least prevent the Dawn God Cult from collapsing. Moreover, the new Radiance God would most likely not be an evil god.
After thinking this through, the High Priest suddenly understood why the Law Destroyer had come to kill Black Rose but had chosen to kill the god first. This way, he had eliminated their strongest combat power while also creating internal division within the Saint Lan Kingdom.
Originally, the Saint Lan Kingdom had three controllers: Black Rose, Duke Gula, and the High Priest. Now only the first two remained.
Not only that, even if a new generation of Radiance God appeared, for a long time, the highest manager of the Dawn God Cult would still be the High Priest.
This also meant that the original three-party siege formation of royal family + Black Rose + Dawn God Cult against Su Xiao had become royal family + Black Rose vs. Su Xiao's team + High Priest.
Even more clever was that at this stage, even if the royal family and Black Rose racked their brains, they wouldn't imagine that the High Priest would stab them in the back. This meant the High Priest had a perfect opportunity for a backstab.
After the High Priest furrowed his brow and thought through all this, he began to hesitate somewhat—namely, if he helped Su Xiao deal with the royal family and Black Rose, would he be taken care of by Su Xiao as well?
"It's not just the two of us joining forces."
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing this, the High Priest was briefly puzzled, then seemed to realize something. He said:
"Hmm, and the little king. Though he's young, he is still the king. In that case, it's three against two. Our three sides against their two."
The High Priest became even more tempted. Compared to fleeing now and being hunted by a large number of enemies, he would certainly prefer to take a gamble and see if he could stabilize the situation. More importantly, if he succeeded, although the decline of divine power would be inevitable, he would also be an indispensable figure in the little king's court.
"Alright, I'll cooperate with you. But before we deal with Black Rose, you need to give me a few days to select someone with the aptitude to inherit this Divine Soul."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He simply tossed the golden-white Divine Soul in his hand to the High Priest. The High Priest was slightly surprised, but the Contract Parchment that appeared in front of him made him understand what was going on.
"A contract, huh."
The High Priest picked up the Contract Parchment, took out a magnifying glass to examine the patterns, tried to peel it open into multiple layers, and finally checked the back for any marks, etc. After confirming everything was fine, he signed the contract.
It could be seen that the High Priest had also tried to tamper with the contract, but the contract he signed now was a dual-layer contract. The so-called dual-layer contract meant first exchanging for a Contract Parchment, then applying resonant notarization on it, then splitting the contract into two layers, and drafting different content on each layer.
After that, the two-layer contract had one layer in the main space and one layer in an alternate space. Although the content of the two layers was different, they were of the same origin. After signing the "surface contract," the "inner contract" in the alternate space would also be signed simultaneously.
The characteristic of this type of contract was that unless one was a space-type, it was impossible to discover the "inner contract" that Baha had hidden in the alternate space through its spatial ability. The "surface contract" that the signer could see had no problems at all and could be checked freely.
"White Night, tell me your plan."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He raised his hand, and the next second, a wooden mask appeared in his hand. Not far away, Baha had already drawn a teleportation array and activated it.
With a dull thud, a figure appeared. After staggering a few steps, it steadied itself. It was the Platinum Archbishop.
"For this matter, you at least need to pay me five bottles of Sun Potion."
The Platinum Archbishop looked like he had an upset stomach. Originally, he had been in the VIP carriage of the train, but suddenly being teleported here—the experience could be imagined.
"..."
Su Xiao took out a dozen—that is, twelve bottles of Sun Potion. The Platinum Archbishop strode forward, picked up the Primordial Mask, and directly slapped it onto his own face. Crimson tentacles spread, and a few seconds later, the Platinum Archbishop had transformed into Su Xiao's likeness.
Su Xiao took out the "Radiance Spear" dropped from killing the Radiance God and, from behind the Platinum Archbishop, pierced through the center of his chest with the spear. After the Platinum Archbishop brewed for a moment, he drew out the remaining divine power within the "Radiance Spear," forming golden-white chains that bound his body. The final appearance was that 'Su Xiao' had been defeated by the Radiance God, with the "Radiance Spear" piercing through his chest, sealing his power.
Seeing this scene, the High Priest already knew the subsequent plan, but he pretended not to understand and asked, "Are we going to see Black Rose like this?"
"No, you're going to see the royal family's representative, Duke Gula. Also, don't pretend to be confused next time. There's no need."
Su Xiao finished speaking and glanced at the High Priest. The High Priest, whose face was already showing wrinkles, smiled.
That evening, in the rear district of the royal capital, within a manor covering a large area.
The setting sun was half-hidden on the horizon. The manor was mostly forest and flower fields. In the living room of a luxurious villa surrounded by this natural scenery.
Soothing music put people at ease. Duke Gula, wearing velvet pajamas, sat leaning back on the sofa, holding a glass of wine brewed at his own vineyard. Although the Saint Lan Kingdom no longer had a nobility system, due to his hereditary duke status, outsiders more often called this royal family member Duke.
Duke Gula stroked his chin, then looked at the High Priest opposite him and asked casually, "I heard something happened to your Dawn God Cult's deity?"
"Just a rumor. If our supreme Radiance had met with trouble, wouldn't I have fled in haste instead of having the leisure to enjoy dinner at your place?"
The High Priest spoke. Hearing this, Duke Gula smiled noncommittally.
"However," the High Priest changed the subject, setting down his wine glass and saying, "That Law Destroyer did indeed seek out our supreme Radiance, but he was too overconfident."
"You mean, that Law Destroyer has already been defeated by you?"
Duke Gula became interested and raised his hand to signal the servants and two guards in the room to withdraw. The following conversation could not be overheard by others. He always felt that there were spies planted by Black Rose around him.
"Gula, neither of us alone can bargain with Black Rose. But if the two of us together use this Law Destroyer to negotiate with her, what do you think she would be willing to give up?"
The High Priest pointed toward the door. Duke Gula was stunned for a moment, then realized that the High Priest had brought the person. He immediately ordered that the High Priest's two subordinates and the person they were escorting be brought in.
After a moment, a large metal cage was carried in. Duke Gula pulled off the thick cloth covering it. 'Su Xiao,' with the front half of the "Radiance Spear" piercing through his chest and his entire body bound with energy shackles, came into Duke Gula's view.
"You really have a way. If we use this guy to negotiate with Black Rose, she..."
Pfft!
A hand blade stabbed into Duke Gula's back, piercing through from his chest. His eyes bulged, filled with disbelief. Anyone else would have had no chance to stand behind him without guards, but it was different for the High Priest, who was of equal status—especially when they were about to discuss matters concerning huge benefits.
Duke Gula's pupils trembled. Even in death, he couldn't understand what the High Priest was trying to do. Before his vision sank into darkness, crimson tentacles spread toward him.
A few seconds later, the Platinum Archbishop, disguised as 'Duke Gula,' pulled the front half of the "Radiance Spear" from his own chest. He gave the High Priest a look to handle the bloodstains and body, then actively walked toward the door. As soon as he opened it, he saw the guards rushing over.
"How dare you!"
The Platinum Archbishop shouted loudly in his disguise as 'Duke Gula.' The guards quickly knelt on one knee. After 'Duke Gula' waved his hand, they all withdrew.
Meanwhile, in the sleeping hall of the royal palace, the little king was staring at Bubu Wang. Not far from him was the deeply sleeping queen.
Bubu Wang activated a projection, and Su Xiao's virtual projection appeared. The little king looked at the sleeping queen, then at Bubu Wang, and finally turned his gaze to Su Xiao. After locking eyes with Su Xiao for a few seconds, the little king made as if to call for help.
"A little king not yet ten years old, yet his soul is as strong as someone several decades old. Strange."
Su Xiao's words made the little king, who was about to shout, stop. He stared at Su Xiao.
Black Rose had eliminated multiple previous kings. These kings of the Saint Lan Kingdom naturally wouldn't just wait to die. To be precise, the soul of the current little king had actually been inherited from his father. Father and son had used this desperate measure to save the royal family's fate.
Black Rose naturally knew this, but killing this puppet king would cause too much trouble. Moreover, the Radiance God would not allow such a thing to happen. The power of a blood oath was something even gods wouldn't want to test.
"Who are you?"
The little king spoke with a composed demeanor.
"Law Destroyer."
"You are Black Rose's enemy?"
"Mortal enemy."
"Then we are friends."
"Hmm."
Su Xiao finished speaking, and his projection flickered before disappearing. Bubu Wang in the sleeping hall merged into the environment.
...
Within the Divine Domain, Su Xiao took off the projection bracelet. Starting from killing the Radiance God, he had completed the plan he had envisioned. This plan seemed unbelievable, but it was actually just a flanking maneuver.
While Black Rose was guarding the front, Su Xiao had already gone behind her faction and killed the Radiance God. With the Radiance God fallen, the High Priest's position became awkward to the extreme, forcing him to take a risk and choose to cooperate with Su Xiao. This cooperation led to Duke Gula, who held great power, being backstabbed by the High Priest, and then the Platinum Archbishop, wearing the Primordial Mask, disguised himself as Duke Gula.
In this way, the High Priest, 'Duke Gula,' and the little king were all standing behind Su Xiao.
Su Xiao planned to go to the royal palace tomorrow morning to participate in the kingdom council convened by Black Rose. After all, among the four people around that council table, the High Priest, 'Duke Gula,' and the little king were all on Su Xiao's side. It would be somewhat inappropriate if Su Xiao didn't show up.