Chapter 33: Blazing Sun
The Origin-level inscription [Supreme Blazing Sun] with flowing solar patterns floated before Su Xiao. Just holding it in hand, he could feel the sun protection effect, let alone inserting it into the inscription base to fully release its characteristics.
The effect of [Supreme Blazing Sun] was simple and brutal: immunity to Solar Flame damage. The initial 55% was already decent, and if it could reach the limit of 75%, Su Xiao would have more ways to use Apollo, such as how he dealt with the Moon God back then.
However, to maximize the effect of [Supreme Blazing Sun], he needed a five-slot inscription base and four other Origin-level inscriptions. These four inscriptions had no specific requirements, as long as they weren't of darkness, abyssal, shadow, or similar characteristics.
Su Xiao put away [Supreme Blazing Sun] and looked again at the three names at the top of the stone tablet: Sun Archbishop·Silvis, Red-Eyed Woman·Hilide, and Beast Knight·Gar. These three names inevitably reminded one of the Platinum Archbishop trio.
Especially after the name Sun Archbishop·Silvis, a platinum mask was embedded, identical to the one worn by the Platinum Archbishop.
Even more puzzling was that the Abyss leader currently in Ghost Soul City also claimed to be named Silvis. Calling this a coincidence was a bit far-fetched.
The Abyss Passage that had opened here—if anyone said it had nothing to do with the Dark God Cult, absolutely no one would believe it. In other words, the Sun God Cult and the Dark God Cult in this world were mortal enemies incompatible as fire and water.
Under such circumstances, how could the ruler of the Dark God Cult use the name of this world's Sun Archbishop, Silvis? Even if he was born with that name, after becoming the ruler of the Dark God Cult, he would most likely abandon it.
Yet the current situation was not the case. Therefore, Sun Archbishop and Abyss Leader·Silvis must have some relationship unknown to outsiders. Or rather, after closing the Abyss Passage back then, the Sun Archbishop didn't die but changed his appearance and became Abyss Leader·Silvis?
This sounded absurd, but it wasn't impossible. The known intelligence was that this world's Sun God Cult, much like the Silver Moon Wolves, had taken it upon themselves for generations to resist Abyss invasion and Abyssal Spawn.
When the Abyss Passage was about to open, the Sun God Cult traded one for one with this Abyss Passage, preventing this world from being invaded by Abyss energy. The problem was that this resistance against the Abyss nearly severed the Sun God Cult's inheritance.
For a cult that didn't actively preach, didn't deceive people, didn't occupy territory, and even had no strict hierarchy internally—where titles were more like honorifics—whether it was the Alliance, the Northern Border Empire, or even the Saint Lan Kingdom, they all hoped it could continue to exist. This was why, even after being nearly extinct for so long, the Sun God Cult remained one of the Four Divine Cults.
The decline of the Sun God Cult was inevitable. Even without that Abyss Passage opening, it would have declined. Resisting the Abyss was terrifying. After the Thousand-Year War ended, fewer and fewer people were willing to join the Sun God Cult. Before that, those who joined were mostly loners whose families had died in the war and who had lost the will to live. Resisting the Abyss was indeed terrifying, but it gave them the motivation to keep living, making them feel that living was meaningful. Sometimes, while saving others, one also saves oneself.
Over 300 years ago, after the Abyss Passage opening incident, the glory of the sun dimmed, dimmed to the point where only the Sun Archbishop remained. The problem was that while the Abyss Passage was indeed closed, the Dark God Cult still existed, and their dark faith in the Abyss remained.
Since they couldn't be completely eliminated, it was better to change tactics. Instead of letting these guys run wild everywhere, become their leader and set boundaries for these motley crew. For example, they could try to summon Abyssal Spawn, but they must never attempt to open an Abyss Passage. This act would be considered blasphemy against the Abyss or something similar.
Telling these dark faith guys how dangerous opening an Abyss Passage would be—they wouldn't care; instead, they'd be more interested. But if they were told that this act was blasphemy against their dark faith, they would absolutely never do it.
Now, in the doctrines of the Dark God Cult, there was a rule against unauthorized prying into the Abyss. No matter how you looked at it, this rule included attempting to open an Abyss Passage.
After searching the Sun Temple, Su Xiao found nothing else of value. He wasn't surprised by this. The bottom layer of this remnant Sun Temple shouldn't be the final stage of this event mission. If he wasn't mistaken, the final stage of this mission was most likely in Ghost Soul City.
Su Xiao didn't plan to continue investigating this aspect. The Sand King and the Betrayer were both formidable opponents—that was the real business. It concerned both the main mission and a massive amount of Space-Time Power gains.
Moreover, Su Xiao's ultimate goal was the Betrayer's [Awakening Stele]. With the [Awakening Stele], he could use Law-Destroying Skill Points to master the various Law-Destruction active/passive abilities inscribed on it.
Especially after reaching the Eighth Rank, Su Xiao found that his Blood Qi abilities were catching up to his Law-Destruction abilities. It wasn't that Law-Destruction abilities were weak, but aside from his talent ability [Shadow Hunt], he hadn't mastered any new Law-Destruction abilities for a long time. Moreover, the Law-Destruction faction had a habit of stacking passives like crazy.
Absolute Magic Constitution and Spirit Shadow Constitution were both considered Law-Destruction passives. This showed how powerful Law-Destruction passives were. Although the process of mastering Law-Destruction abilities was dangerous, with a chance of sudden death, once mastered, many Law-Destruction passives started at X level, requiring only 7-8 Golden Skill Points to max out.
The main prerequisite for mastering Law-Destruction passives wasn't talent or anything else, but whether the body could withstand it. As long as it could be endured, it could be learned. Once learned, the initial level was X.
If it were the Law-Destruction era, Su Xiao's development would definitely be: after a tier of overall strength improvement, master one Law-Destruction passive, then continue improving strength. When his physique reached another tier, master another Law-Destruction passive.
Su Xiao could have mastered a new Law-Destruction passive as early as the Fourth Rank. The problem was, there was nowhere to learn it. Without the [Awakening Stele], even Mawen Hua'erzi couldn't help. However, this unscrupulous mentor still found a way for Su Xiao to master the Devouring Core and Azure Shadow King abilities.
With Su Xiao's current over 600,000 health points, 277 points of True Stamina attribute (naked), plus various Stamina-type passive abilities, the physique he had accumulated—after obtaining the [Awakening Stele]—he could master multiple Law-Destruction passives.
A more intuitive analogy was that every time Su Xiao's physique improved by one tier, he gained a "Law-Destruction passive ability" skill slot. Currently, he had about ten empty Law-Destruction skill slots, but nowhere to learn such skills.
As the saying goes, "accumulate thickly and release thinly." Su Xiao had been accumulating from the First Rank to the Ninth Rank. It wasn't that he could endure, but that he was forced to accumulate. Now, he was just one step away from obtaining the [Awakening Stele] to burst forth.
As long as he could obtain the [Awakening Stele], Su Xiao was certain that his Law-Destruction abilities would far surpass his Blood Qi abilities in a short time. Therefore, it was safer to deal with the traitors on the Hunt List first.
As for why not go directly to the Betrayer, first, because he couldn't be found, and second, to prevent the Betrayer from commanding other traitors. If, during a life-and-death battle with the Betrayer, the Sand King arrived, that nine-death-one-life battle would become ten-death-no-life.
Boom!
A loud noise came from above, as if some giant beast had leaped into the crater above. This meant that the Meteor Fire Land had reached daytime again, and those monsters had come out of their hiding places.
Su Xiao guessed that these monsters were eroded by the Abyss and gradually adapted to the extreme environment of the Meteor Fire Land. The super-giant barrier covering the entire Meteor Fire Land was used to trap them.
The environment of the Meteor Fire Land hadn't changed because the Solar Flame in the crater was all absorbed. This environment was an extreme condition created by Solar Force amplified by the Abyss, and it wouldn't dissipate easily.
Realizing this, Su Xiao began to draw an array diagram on the ground. He planned to return to the Alliance's Madhouse first to check if it was stable—that was the base camp—and then go to the border city of the Sand Kingdom to meet up with Kaisa and the others.
The teleportation array gradually took shape. Beside him, Sacred Hymn watched with interest. When she saw Su Xiao complete the final stage, she asked, "Is this... a teleportation array?"
"Yes."
"Is it stable?"
"Extremely stable."
"That's good. Don't let it be like your Reincarnation Paradise's teleportation—that's like getting hit on the back of the head with a hammer. The most important thing for teleportation is stability..."
Boom!
The teleportation array activated.
An hour later, in the Madhouse director's office, Sacred Hymn sat sideways on a single sofa, curled up her legs, hugged a pillow, and still looked somewhat resentful. The way she looked at Su Xiao carried the intense "concern" of a healing type.
"Rested well?"
Su Xiao put down the documents in his hand. During his absence from the Madhouse, nothing major had happened.
"Mm, let's go. Where's your Flame Dragon?"
"In the Desert Kingdom."
Hearing this, Sacred Hymn didn't even put on her shoes; she stood up and was about to walk out.
[Tip: You are currently in the execution phase of a faction mission. If you leave the Twilight Madhouse range at this stage, you will be deducted a large amount of faction reputation.]
Receiving this prompt, Sacred Hymn's smile became increasingly "gentle." She gritted her teeth and said, "You're ruthless."
A moment later, the two stood on the teleportation array. With a boom, the array activated.
When the spatial fluctuations subsided, Su Xiao found himself in a stone house built from piled rocks. The stone house was about a hundred square meters, with extremely simple furnishings. It looked like it was used for sacrificial purposes and had been abandoned for some time.
"Bai Ye, what did you find in the Scorching Desert?"
The Platinum Archbishop, sitting at a wooden table enjoying a lunch of cornbread and bean soup, spoke.
"I found an inscription and a stone tablet with your name, the Red-Eyed Woman's, and the Beast Knight's on it."
Su Xiao didn't hide this information. Since they were about to deal with the Sand King, if he were to play games with the Platinum Archbishop over what he saw in the Sun Temple, it would be better to lay the cards on the table—either part ways or cooperate without mutual suspicion.
"Writing my name? Ever since I can remember, I didn't even know what I was called."
The Platinum Archbishop spoke with a smile. He wasn't wary of this at all; instead, he was particularly interested.
"Silvis."
"That name sounds familiar. Am I called Silvis?"
The Platinum Archbishop stopped chewing, and the remaining half of his cornbread fell into the bean soup. Seeing this, he picked up the clay bowl of bean soup and drank it all in a few gulps.
"Of course it sounds familiar. Abyss Leader·Silvis."
The High Priest spoke. Hearing this, the Platinum Archbishop slapped his thigh and said in sudden realization, "No wonder it sounds so familiar. Bai Ye, are you sure I'm also called Silvis?"
"Not exactly, but behind that name is your platinum mask."
Hearing this, the High Priest said, "Of course it would be. The platinum mask is the symbol of each generation of Sun Archbishops. But the name Silvis is indeed a bit strange. Several hundred years ago, there was a Sun Archbishop also named Silvis. After Abyss Leader·Silvis took control of Ghost Soul City, many of us suspected that Sun Archbishop had changed his appearance and disguised himself as the Abyss Leader. But later, we found out it wasn't the case—the ability tendencies were too different."
The High Priest, being a shrewd person, naturally sensed the tense atmosphere and thus revealed all the information he knew to everyone.
"This isn't important. Actually, I'd rather recover my past memories. That time, when I and the Hunter Squad surrounded Hatred, Hatred took away a lot of my memories, leaving me very fuzzy about even my own name. My strength has greatly decreased."
"Cough~!"
The High Priest choked. He looked at the Platinum Archbishop in surprise and asked, "You've also had your strength greatly decreased?"
In this world's power ranking, first was the Betrayer, second was the Radiance God, third was Abyss Leader·Silvis, fourth was the Sand King, and fifth was the Platinum Archbishop.
"Mm, I used to be about the same as Silvis, a bit stronger than the Sand King. Now, if I fight alone, I probably can't beat the Sand King anymore. Alas, getting weaker and weaker."
The Platinum Archbishop sighed. This left the High Priest speechless. The Ghost Clan Prophet, lying sideways on a small wooden bed, pulled the blanket higher over his head, listening to his friend the Platinum Archbishop show off, which disturbed his sleep.
"I used to be able to beat at least 500 old Ghost Clan members. Now, I can only beat 420."
The "old Ghost Clan" the Platinum Archbishop referred to was naturally the Ghost Clan Prophet.
"Stop bragging. You used to struggle to beat 400 of me."
"Absolutely impossible. I used to beat 500 of you easily, not even out of breath after the fight."
"You're full of shit! You absolutely cannot beat 500 of me."
The Ghost Clan Prophet argued vehemently, but when the Platinum Archbishop invited him to a one-on-one fight, he suddenly felt sleepy again. He said, "Wait until I wake up," and pulled the blanket over his head to continue sleeping.
This time, before coming to deal with the Sand King, the Ghost Clan Prophet had stated in advance that once he entered the Desert Kingdom's territory, he would not divine anything. The reason was that it would awaken someone beside the Sand King.
The Ghost Clan Prophet's goal this time was to deal with that sleeping diviner beside the Sand King. Once the Sand King awakened that diviner, it would be the Ghost Clan Prophet's turn to act. Until then, he would not perform any level of divination.
Regarding this, Su Xiao chose to observe. From the Ghost Clan Prophet's series of actions, it seemed that this old fellow had a great grudge against the Sand King. Due to the Sand King's formidable strength and his army, the Ghost Clan Prophet had never had a chance for revenge. Now that a glimmer of hope appeared, the Ghost Clan Prophet chose to bet everything, showing how long he had endured.
Su Xiao sat down at the wooden table. He took out a map of the Desert Kingdom and spread it on the table. His current location was in a border area of the Desert Kingdom, a settlement called "Wusipu." This was a characteristic of the Desert Kingdom—few cities, mostly settlements of varying sizes, and some places were simply desert tribes.
The entire Desert Kingdom could be roughly divided into two parts: two-thirds desert and gobi, with the remaining third being oases, lakes, and so on.
The closer to the center of the Desert Kingdom, the richer the water resources. The royal city at the very center was called "Abundant Water Capital," where there was a continuously gushing spring that formed a ring river of oases around "Abundant Water Capital."
Looking down from above, one would find that the farther from "Abundant Water Capital," the more scarce the water resources. Settlements like "Wusipu" on the border were chronically short of water.
The most fitting description of the Desert Kingdom was: as long as you control the water source, you control everyone here. Indeed, all tribes willing to submit to the Sand King for generations were closer to the central oasis's "Abundant Water Capital," while those tribes that didn't obey the Sand King were all located in the surrounding arid zones. When these stubborn tribes ran out of water and were willing to grovel at the Sand King's feet, they could then move closer to the central oasis.
From the current situation, directly confronting the Sand King with an army was a losing proposition. First, this world wasn't suitable for insect race development. It was a Ninth Rank world with world consciousness. Plus, summoning Jila would result in warnings from the Void Tree, among other things.
Army tactics and assassination were both unlikely to work. Fortunately, Su Xiao had other strategies. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a vast fluctuation from within the team storage space, which subsided after a few seconds.
Su Xiao checked the team storage space and found that the [Blazing Sun Disk] had emitted the fluctuation. The disk had completed its upgrade.
[Blazing Sun Disk]
Origin: Sun Faction.
Quality: Origin Level (Growth Type)
Type: Auxiliary Equipment.
Equip Effect: Blazing Sun Force (Core·Passive), the holder of this equipment, when using Sun Miracles, Sun Techniques, Sun-characteristic equipment, items, explosives, etc., their intensity or damage value is increased by 20%.
Equipment Effect: Solar Force (Unique·Passive), this item increases its rating by 5 points every hour and can generate a "Sun Stone" of the same rating as this equipment. Each time a "Sun Stone" is generated, this equipment's rating will drop to 1 point.
Sun Stone: Contains pure solar energy inside. This is an ore/material/consumable. If used directly as a consumable, the effect intensity of different quality Sun Stones will increase with quality.
Growth Condition: Absorb Primordial Solar Energy.
Absorbed Primordial Solar Energy: 0%.
Rating: 1 point (This equipment's rating is extremely special, ranging from 1 to 3000 points).
Introduction: Go seek the falling sun. It is said that only a vast Transcendent Primordial World is expansive enough to bear the sun's fall.
Selling Price: Cannot be sold. Will be lost upon death.
...
The [Blazing Sun Disk] had grown to Origin Level. Seeing its equip effect, Su Xiao mentally defaulted this bonus to "Apollo damage +20%," as he indeed had no other Sun-characteristic abilities.
Besides this bonus, the equipment increased its rating by 5 points per hour, meaning 120 points per day. It would take 25 days to reach the maximum rating of 3000 points. At that point, it could generate an Origin-level "Sun Stone" with a rating of 3000 points. Even if this was a material/consumable, it was classified as an ore.
Whether using it himself or selling it for Soul Coins, it was a good choice. The best part was that this gain required no cost—just keep the [Blazing Sun Disk] in the team storage space.
As for upgrading the [Blazing Sun Disk] to a higher quality, that wasn't considered for now. Finding a fallen sun was too difficult.
Putting away the [Blazing Sun Disk], Su Xiao spoke, "Our method to deal with the Sand King is simple. Give this thing to him."
As he spoke, Su Xiao took out the [Soul Crown] and placed it on the table. The Ghost Clan Prophet, sleeping on the small wooden bed nearby, nearly kicked his legs and bounced up. Although it was a bit comical, it was a normal reaction. Even with Ninth Rank strength, seeing an "Original Sin Object" would make anyone's head buzz.
Not to mention the Ghost Clan Prophet. As soon as Su Xiao placed the [Soul Crown] on the table, the Platinum Archbishop and High Priest, sitting around the table, both stood up with a whoosh and stepped back repeatedly.
"Is this... the legendary Original Sin Object?"
The High Priest, well-traveled, guessed its origin after being enveloped by the [Soul Crown]'s fluctuation.
Sacred Hymn, who had just recovered from teleportation discomfort, turned pale upon sensing the Original Sin Object's aura. Sacred Hymn was a combat-type healing specialist. Besides being the strongest Eighth Rank healer, she was also one of the top-tier combatants at the Eighth Rank. Her courage far exceeded other healers. Judging by her reaction, she had encountered an Original Sin Object before.
"Everyone, calm down."
Baha spoke, meaning for the Platinum Archbishop, High Priest, and Ghost Clan Prophet not to rush out of the stone house.
"So this is an Original Sin Object?"
The Platinum Archbishop observed the [Soul Crown] on the table from the doorway, clearly not intending to approach. Although he hadn't experienced the [Soul Crown]'s power, the fluctuation it emitted was enough to make him revere it.
"You've never seen an Original Sin Object before?"
Baha looked suspiciously at the Platinum Archbishop. In its understanding, someone of the Platinum Archbishop's strength should have not only seen Original Sin Objects but also come into contact with them.
"I'm not that unlucky. This should be the first time in my life I've seen an Original Sin Object."
The Platinum Archbishop's words left Baha speechless. It sincerely felt that Original Sin Objects shouldn't be particularly rare at high ranks. But judging by the reactions of the Platinum Archbishop, High Priest, and Ghost Clan Prophet, it seemed otherwise.
"Bai Ye, if we can give this thing to the Sand King, maybe, maybe... let's think it over? If we could use the power of this crown, maybe we could defeat the Sand King more easily."
The High Priest came to the table, leaning left and right to examine the [Soul Crown]. He continued, "I often deal with various strange objects and have high resistance to this sort of thing. Maybe I can try."
As he spoke, the High Priest touched the [Soul Crown] with his index finger. He waited warily for a few seconds, but nothing happened.
"Mm, my resistance to this Original Sin Object is indeed not low. I'll give it a try."
The High Priest picked up the [Soul Crown] and moved to put it on his head. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
Bang!
Su Xiao suddenly punched the High Priest, sending his upper body half-buried into the ground. This sudden change startled the Platinum Archbishop and Ghost Clan Prophet, who had already approached the [Soul Crown].
"You're asking for death! The crown has chosen me! You're asking for death!"
The High Priest angrily stood up, sending broken stones and dirt flying. The next second, Cyan Steel Shadow Energy surged on his body surface, blue arcs of electricity surged, and the intense pain caused his pupils to rapidly contract. He stumbled back several steps, his face covered in cold sweat, his blue-tinged lips trembling.
"I, I just..."
"..."
Su Xiao raised his hand to signal the High Priest to say no more. Seeing this, the High Priest nodded with lingering fear. He didn't say words of thanks, but he no longer maintained his previous unique fake smile. If Su Xiao had ignored him, the High Priest would have certainly met a tragic end today.
Su Xiao was a Shadow of Law Destruction skilled in resisting the Abyss, a Hunter of Reincarnation Paradise, had nearly 300 points of True Willpower attribute, and possessed passive abilities derived from the Willpower attribute unique to Law Destruction, like [Fearless Shadow]. Yet even so, he maintained full vigilance and reverence when facing Original Sin Objects.
[Fearless Shadow (Special Reward): Completely negates Willpower invasion caused by Original Sin Objects and Abyssal Spawn.]
Even though Su Xiao had cooperated with the Necronomicon and withstood the [Soul Crown]'s Willpower invasion, he remained as vigilant as when he first encountered Original Sin Objects. As the saying goes, "good swimmers drown." Sometimes, the more you understand, the more familiar you become, the easier it is to become blindly arrogant, ultimately leading to a desperate situation.
The High Priest had nearly been bewitched, making the Platinum Archbishop and Ghost Clan Prophet even more wary of the [Soul Crown]. Yet even so, the three of them still occasionally glanced at the [Soul Crown].
The most terrifying aspect of this Original Sin Object wasn't directly forcibly controlling or bewitching others. Upon first seeing this crown, people would feel it was both dangerous and powerful, and would become vigilant. But soon, this person would start to fantasize, vaguely feeling that they were the protagonist of this world, this era. A dangerous item that others couldn't use might be an opportunity for them.
After this thought appeared, the person would try to touch the [Soul Crown]. At this stage, there was still no danger. Instead, they would find a power flowing from the crown, making them stronger. This change would undoubtedly make the person more convinced that they were the one the crown was waiting for.
When the person picked up the crown and put it on their head, the feeling of becoming the king of kings, with all beings prostrate at their feet, would quickly cause their mind to completely lose itself. After that, they would become a puppet of the crown.
"Bai Ye, you plan to 'gift' this thing to the Sand King?"
The Ghost Clan Prophet spoke with a deep gaze. At this moment, he was so close to revenge.
"Yes, but the question is how to present it, or rather, who will present it."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, everyone fell silent. Su Xiao himself couldn't do it. Going to see the Sand King now would be suicide—he would be surrounded and attacked by the Sand King and his army.
The High Priest, Platinum Archbishop, and Ghost Clan Prophet also couldn't do it. Among them, although the Platinum Archbishop was strong, facing the [Soul Crown], the stronger one was actually more dangerous.
After a few seconds of silence in the stone house, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, Sacred Hymn, the High Priest, the Platinum Archbishop, and the Ghost Clan Prophet all focused their gazes on Kaisa.
"Friends, I seem to be sick today. Now, whenever I walk..."
Before Kaisa could finish, Su Xiao tossed out a badge.
[Pioneer (Commemorative Badge): After use, increases Reincarnation Paradise reputation by 10 points (Since the Hunter's Reincarnation Paradise reputation is above 1800 points, you can trade, transfer, etc., this item).]
Kaisa quickly stuffed the badge into his bosom. He, who often bounced between probationary arbiter and full arbiter, especially needed items that could increase Reincarnation Paradise reputation.
"My dear friend, leave this to me. I have a way to become the Sand King's subordinate."
Kaisa grinned slyly. He first took out the Abyssal Jar and put it on his head, messed around in a state of "person-jar unity," then took off the Abyssal Jar, washed his hands several times, and only then tried to pick up the [Soul Crown]. After confirming there was no problem, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Bai Ye, I have a concern. Maybe it's because I don't understand Original Sin Objects well enough that I have this concern. I mean, what if the Sand King really resonates with the [Soul Crown] and becomes its holder? What then?"
The Ghost Clan Prophet spoke. His words made sense. First, there was Kaisa and the Abyssal Jar—a perfect match of collusion. Then there was Water Brother, who slightly resonated with the Primordial Source Mirror. If the Sand King really resonated with the [Soul Crown], the situation would be bad.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't answer the Ghost Clan Prophet's question. He simply took out the Abyssal Box and placed it on the table. Inside was sealed the [Nether Bone Ring]. The fluctuation of another Original Sin Object appeared. The High Priest and Ghost Clan Prophet beside the table were both stunned. They looked at Su Xiao with astonished eyes. Even the Platinum Archbishop felt a sense of "living long enough to see everything."