Chapter 42: Family Mansion
Inside the dim building, Water Brother sat expressionlessly. Due to the darkness, his face couldn't be seen clearly, but it was likely not a good look right now.
After obtaining the "Primordial Mirror," Water Brother knew this was an opportunity where fortune and misfortune intertwined, as well as a unique means to deter enemies. But at this moment, he witnessed what it truly meant to be an Original Sin object holder.
Water Brother could hold the "Primordial Mirror" not only because he was blind, but because on his soul level, he simply didn't perceive that concept. Thus, the negative effects of the "Primordial Mirror" rarely affected him.
Now, however, Water Brother witnessed someone simultaneously holding three Original Sin objects without any abnormality. It seemed the holder wasn't influenced by these three Original Sin objects at all.
"How... did you manage that?"
Water Brother's tone carried doubt and confusion. Holding one Original Sin object made him feel constantly on the edge of life and death, with his perception ability growing rapidly. Yet this Hunter before him held three Original Sin objects.
"If you tell me the method, I'll abandon all my tasks that are 80% complete—32 branch tasks in total, all targeting the Twilight Madhouse and the Sun Faction. I'll then assist you free of charge until this world progress ends. All benefits I generate during that time will be yours. Without signing a contract, I'll promise this by any means."
Water Brother was practically a branch mission fanatic. Taking on over 30 branch tasks simultaneously wasn't something ordinary Contractors could do. He was quietly making a fortune.
"Without a contract, how can I trust you?"
"If I sign a contract, you can trust me, but I'll be close to death."
Water Brother's stance was firm. Even if it meant abandoning the deal, he would never sign a contract. This was the ultimate method to counter a 'Contract Grandmaster.'
"You misunderstand contracts."
"I don't misunderstand contracts. I once had someone who wasn't exactly a friend—his name was Grey Gentleman. Once, he deep-dived into our Death Paradise's Primordial World. I received a hunting mission and nearly fell into his contract trap. At that time, he was 'full of praise' for your contract skills."
Speaking of this, Water Brother still felt a lingering fear. He had experienced Grey Gentleman's contract traps and nearly got caught. And Bai Ye, whom Grey Gentleman 'praised,' was surely even more dangerous.
"Grey Gentleman and I are mortal enemies. He's just slandering me."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette as he spoke, his demeanor as relaxed as if chatting with an old friend.
"I'll take your word for it... for now."
Water Brother's stance remained firm. Cooperation was fine, but absolutely no contract.
The situation was actually easy to understand. Neither Su Xiao nor Water Brother had good intentions, but neither wanted to oppose the other—it was too costly. The problem was, given the circumstances, whichever side backed down would suffer.
"The method for safely holding Original Sin objects isn't exactly a secret. I can tell you."
Hearing this, Water Brother's heart sank, but after a moment's hesitation, he assumed an attentive posture.
"Think of Original Sin objects as creditors—creditors who come for your life. Every time you use an Original Sin object, you accumulate karma. It's like repeatedly borrowing from this creditor. One day, they'll come to collect."
"That analogy... is quite fitting."
Water Brother nodded thoughtfully. Seeing this, Su Xiao continued:
"You only have one life. Since they're creditors, they don't want bad debts."
After hearing this, Water Brother frowned deeply, feeling both that it made sense and that it was nonsense.
"You're saying I should find another Original Sin object?! Turn one creditor into two?"
"No. I mean you should find a way to get more lives, more creditors? What a stupid idea. Original Sin objects can easily split your life."
"You..."
Water Brother nearly broke down, but quickly calmed down and said, "Sorry, I lost my composure."
"Once touched by an Original Sin object's karma, you think you can escape? Find a way to make your karma so vast that the Original Sin objects disdain you."
"Oh~?"
Water Brother's sightless eyes widened slightly. He could sense this was valuable information—life-saving information.
"Thank you."
Water Brother took out a translucent blue crystal and tossed it to Su Xiao, who caught it.
[Prompt: You have obtained Awakening Stone.]
[Awakening Stone (Law-Destruction Exclusive Gem): Can deeply enhance Law-Destruction abilities.]
...
"When I was at the Fourth or Fifth Rank—I don't remember exactly—I bought this at the Trade Market. To be precise, it was a throw-in. Useless to anyone else."
Water Brother finished speaking and made to leave. The next moment, a pigeon-egg-sized oval amber was tossed to him. At its center was a strand of hair-thin black energy—very little, but giving an exceptionally strong feeling.
"This is?"
Water Brother held the amber between two fingers, sensing the hair-thin substance within, vaguely familiar.
"This is a trace of Original Sin. When that mirror tries to swallow you one day, throw this to it. It will delay your death, testing if you have more Original Sin. It'll definitely save your life temporarily."
The trace of Original Sin Su Xiao tossed out came from the [Original Sin Sprout] he had obtained. He had cut off a small section, feeding the rest to the [Bloodthirsty Battle Armor].
"Aren't you going to tell me some information about Abyss Lord Selvis?"
Hearing this, Water Brother turned and walked into the darkness deeper inside the building. When he was half-submerged in the shadows, he said, "Sorry, I don't have the habit of betraying my collaborators. Even if... our partnership has now ended."
With those words, after a few taps of his blind cane on the ground, the darkness fell silent.
Looking at the darkness ahead, Su Xiao was in a good mood. He hadn't gotten the answer he wanted, but he had gotten the result he wanted. If Water Brother had revealed information about Abyss Lord Selvis, then in the subsequent developments, if Water Brother didn't withdraw, Su Xiao would have found a way to eliminate him.
If the other party could betray Abyss Lord Selvis's information, why couldn't they betray him later? Su Xiao always had self-awareness. He never thought he was so special that a few words could make others lose their intelligence and become utterly devoted.
The current situation was that although Water Brother chose to end his cooperation with Abyss Lord Selvis, he wasn't prepared to stab him in the back. This also meant that if Su Xiao cooperated with him later, even if they parted ways due to differing opinions or interests, at least he wouldn't get a knife in the back.
Su Xiao surveyed the temporary base camp's furnishings—old, rotting furniture, peeling moldy walls, abandoned bird nests in the chandelier above. This place needed serious renovation before it could serve as a temporary base camp.
Before coming, Su Xiao had contacted a local small company skilled in such matters through connections at the Golden Bank. They promised that as long as the money was right, they'd make the place grand and luxurious by noon.
Just as Su Xiao was about to take out his communicator, a sense of crisis suddenly came from above. Crystal layers formed on his body surface.
Boom!!
A pitch-black gravity beam descended, smashing vertically into the temporary base camp, blowing up the three-story building. The surrounding courtyard turned into a crater, and the walls shattered and scattered.
Amid the flying building debris, Su Xiao, covered in crystal layers, flew backward. With a crack, he grabbed onto a steel building spire. Amid the screeching sound of twisting metal, he stabilized himself.
With a crackling sound, the crystal layer on Su Xiao's body shattered. He stood on a rooftop half a kilometer from the temporary base camp, which was now a huge crater.
Looking at the dark clouds above, Su Xiao didn't need to think hard to know this attack was likely the work of the Dark God Cult.
"Roar."
A dragon's roar came. Storm Flame Dragon Dis landed on the rooftop. Su Xiao leaped onto its back and said to Bubu, "Lock onto the Dark God Cult's headquarters and provide me with real-time coordinates."
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang merged into the environment. Seeing this, Su Xiao commanded the Storm Flame Dragon to take off.
Meanwhile, on the top of a steel giant tower several kilometers away, several figures in black robes were looking at the distant crater. One Dark Believer asked, "Chief Priest, won't doing this provoke that madman?"
In this Dark Believer's view, the director of the Twilight Madhouse was a madman. No sane person would provoke Black Rose, Nightmare King, Radiance God, Sand King, and others.
"So what if we provoke him? This is Ghost Soul City, our territory."
Black-Robed Chief Priest Howders spoke. As one of the main forces in the prison break at the Madhouse, after returning to Ghost Soul City, his status in the cult had risen significantly. Becoming a Bishop was possible.
The Dark God Cult had strict hierarchies. Abyss Lord Selvis was naturally the supreme leader. Below him were the Bishop positions and Elders, then Black-Robed Chief Priests and Gray-Robed Chief Priests, and below them were Priests, Devotees, Formal Believers, and New Believers.
Bishops and Elders seemed equal in rank, but their actual power differed greatly. Bishops had both strength and ability, plus a combination of cunning, cruelty, and ruthlessness to reach that position. Elders had strength and seniority—surviving decades as a Black-Robed Chief Priest qualified one for Elder status.
Below them, a Black-Robed Chief Priest could cause considerable panic in a city of the Alliance. Gray-Robed Chief Priests were less threatening—at least they couldn't summon Abyss Spawn, but they could summon troublesome otherworldly monsters.
Further down, Priests had some fame within the Dark God Cult, but frankly, they were just high-level lackeys. Devotees were ordinary members of the Dark God Cult.
At the Formal Believer tier, they were cannon fodder for Devotees and Priests. New Believers, even lower than Formal Believers, were worse off—completely like lab rats. A straightforward ranking was:
New Believers (Lab Rats) → Formal Believers (Cannon Fodder) → Devotees (Advanced Cannon Fodder) → Priests (Rare Cannon Fodder) → Gray-Robed Chief Priests (Not cannon fodder, but scapegoats) → Black-Robed Chief Priests (Cancer-level figures) → Bishops/Elders (Cancer-level figures that trouble both the Alliance and the Northern Border Empire) → Abyss Lord Selvis.
Black-Robed Chief Priest Howders looked at the distant crater. Upon learning that the director of the Twilight Madhouse had arrived, he immediately decided to strike the enemy hard before anyone else. While the merit of rescuing Hatred was still fresh, he would earn another great achievement and leap to the Bishop position. As for consequences, he didn't care. Besides, even if the other party was a Law Destroyer, a newly arrived Law Destroyer in Ghost Soul City might be strong, but wouldn't act immediately.
In fact, Black-Robed Chief Priest Howders had studied Su Xiao's actions in the Saint Lan Kingdom and Desert Kingdom. He found that Su Xiao wasn't reckless, especially just arriving in Ghost Soul City—he definitely wouldn't charge in blindly.
Black-Robed Chief Priest Howders certainly hadn't lost his mind and wanted to fight Su Xiao. He had planned that as soon as Su Xiao attacked, he would escape under the cover of his cannon fodder subordinates.
After waiting a moment, Howders found no movement in the distance. This made him wonder—could the madhouse director, like a powerful dragon not crushing local snakes, have temporarily retreated? Thinking this, Howders could barely contain his excitement. His Bishop position was practically secured.
Boom!
A black-blue streak shot straight into the sky. It was Dis, covered in black-blue dragon feathers, flying almost vertically upward until breaking through the clouds.
Seeing this terrifying flight speed, Black-Robed Chief Priest Howders was startled, but finding it wasn't heading toward him, he felt much relieved.
At this moment, above the clouds, Su Xiao stood on the dragon's back. A forearm-length glass cylinder appeared in his hand, which he crushed with one hand, splashing liquid Apollo everywhere.
Su Xiao's hands formed a grasping motion, gathering the liquid Apollo between them. Using his Soul System ability, Soul Crystal Spear, he released soul energy to envelop the liquid Apollo. He pulled his hands apart, creating a "Sun Soul Crystal Spear." Initially just over a meter long, when perfected to nearly four meters, Su Xiao held it in his hands.
Crack!
Thunder roared. Su Xiao often attracted lightning in his dragon-riding state. Fighting in this form, even without actively drawing World Lightning, lightning would gather in the sky—a constant trait of the dragon-riding state.
An ancient ring was worn on Su Xiao's right index finger. Named [Ancient Killing Ring], its core ability was:
[Equipment Effect 2: Hills' Power (Passive, Unique): When attacking enemies at range, triggers Hills' soul power, enhancing the ranged attack (enhances bullets, arrows, etc.).]
...
After Bubu Wang locked the position, it sent the coordinates of the Dark God Cult's headquarters, the Gloomy Grand Cathedral, to the team channel. Seeing these coordinates, a Blood Qi Shadow formed above Su Xiao, and a Soul Strongbow appeared in its hands.
Su Xiao tossed up the "Sun Soul Crystal Spear." The tall Blood Qi Shadow used this spear as an arrow, aiming diagonally downward from tens of thousands of meters high. Attacking a specific biological target, Su Xiao wasn't confident, but hitting a grand building—he was very confident.
Crack, crack, crack~
The Soul Greatbow was drawn to its limit, creaking. When the Blood Qi Shadow's momentum was fully charged, Su Xiao commanded it to release the bowstring.
Boom!
The bowstring thundered. The clouds within a hundred meters were instantly dispersed by the air blast. The "Sun Soul Crystal Spear" turned into a flaming streak, striking the Gloomy Grand Cathedral diagonally below.
Boom!!!
The Gloomy Grand Cathedral was instantly engulfed by Sun Flame. The surrounding ground surged like water waves, and buildings above turned to debris. Given Ghost Soul City's vastness, nearly half the city felt the tremor and the terrifying roar.
When everything settled, though the Gloomy Grand Cathedral still stood, the Abyss Spawn statue on its top tilted and then fell, crashing to the ground. The hundred-meter-tall cathedral's outer walls showed fine cracks. From above, within a 1.5-kilometer diameter, everything was flattened. This meant most of the Dark God Cult's lower and middle members' residences were destroyed. Some lower and middle members were even killed by the explosion's shockwaves.
Crack, crack, crack~!
The Soul Strongbow was drawn again. Su Xiao commanded the Blood Qi Shadow to release the bowstring. Another "Sun Soul Crystal Spear" shot toward the Gloomy Grand Cathedral.
Black mist surged from the cathedral's windows, forming a giant hand that grabbed at the incoming "Sun Soul Crystal Spear." Another loud explosion spread.
But seconds later, another dull sound came from above—a third "Sun Soul Crystal Spear" shot down. The black mist hand reformed, meeting the spear.
After firing a few more arrows from above the clouds, Su Xiao removed the Killing Ring from his index finger. His mood, which had soured from the earlier ambush, gradually cleared. He mentally commanded the Storm Flame Dragon to fly toward the east side of Ghost Soul City to find a suitable building for a base camp, temporarily renting it.
At this moment, on the steel giant tower, Chief Priest Howders was looking up at the departing Storm Dragon. When he shifted his gaze to the distant Gloomy Grand Cathedral still emitting black mist, dizziness washed over him. If the cult's Elders and Bishops found out that he had provoked the Law Destroyer first, leading to this retaliation, those old bastards would skin him alive.
"What happened today must not be spread."
Chief Priest Howders spoke in an icy tone. Hearing this, the dozen or so followers around him lowered their heads, indicating they would never tell.
"Forget it. I don't trust you. You'd better shut up forever."
Black flying insects emerged from Chief Priest Howders' sleeves and collar. These insects resembled horseflies, but their mouths were circular with multiple layers of sharp small teeth, and their tail ends were like tiny leeches, capable of burrowing into flesh, bringing intense and horrifying pain.
The dozen or so followers couldn't even scream, let alone escape. They were enveloped by the black insects, devoured in an instant until nothing remained.
...
Ghost Soul City, East District.
Su Xiao looked at the three-story apartment building ahead. It seemed quite suitable—enough rooms for living, a common area on the first floor, and cheap rent. This area was a slum within Ghost Soul City, so chaotic that even local civilians couldn't live normally.
Entering the apartment's first floor, Su Xiao found it reasonably clean. He sat on a single sofa, checking the countdown for the expanded arbitration. A few minutes remained before this arbitration expansion would proceed. He wondered what form the Strongest Warrior Battle would take after arbitration.
The earlier attack, Su Xiao could confirm, wasn't a decision by the Dark God Cult's high command, but by some eager middle or high-ranking member. The reason was simple—this was Ghost Soul City, where the Dark God Cult's headquarters stood. Exchanging attacks on headquarters would leave them at a loss. As long as Su Xiao's side had no casualties, spending some Gulan to replace a building was nothing.
[Prompt: Expanded arbitration officially begins.]
[Prompt: For this arbitration, the Void Tree is the neutral arbiter, and Reincarnation Paradise is the arbitration adjudicator.]
[Arbitration Scope: Entire Ghost Soul City.]
[Arbitration Factions: Alliance Faction, Dark Faction, Yog Family, Merchant Alliance, Ghost Clan.]
[The above five factions are all formally qualified to send teams into the danger zone: Family Mansion and the danger zone: Ancestral Underground Palace.]
[Warning: You and Abyss Lord Selvis, due to individual combat power exceeding the critical points of the above two danger zones, entering either zone will cause explosive overflow and collapse.]
[Through arbitration, you and Abyss Lord Selvis are both prohibited from entering the "Family Mansion" and "Ancestral Underground Palace." However, you and Abyss Lord Selvis will obtain Faction Leader functions and obligations.]
[Faction Leader Function: You can grant temporary Void Tree marks to team members you designate, allowing them to obtain kill rewards or trigger special tasks within the "Family Mansion" and "Ancestral Underground Palace."]
[Faction Leader Obligation: Except for teams designated by the Alliance Faction, Dark Faction, Yog Family, Merchant Alliance, and Ghost Clan Faction, you are prohibited from allowing any outsiders to enter the "Family Mansion" and "Ancestral Underground Palace." Once discovered, you can conduct targeted hunting against them until killed. During this period, you can make them an "Enemy of the Alliance," hostile to all units of the Alliance Faction.]
[Prompt: Only you and Abyss Lord Selvis possess Faction Leader functions. The other three factions (Yog Family, Merchant Alliance, Ghost Clan) cannot designate personnel to form teams. The Void Tree will select suitable candidates from these three factions to form 3-5 person teams.]
[Prompt: The five teams each have 1-5 members, with combat power limits specified.]
[This competition has been re-arbitrated into three stages.]
Stage One: The five teams enter the "Family Mansion," searching for Ancestral Treasures while obtaining the Underground Palace Key.
Prompt: Whichever team obtains the Underground Palace Key will receive a fixed material reward, or 2 ounces of "Abyss Precipitate."
Prompt: If all members of a team die within the "Family Mansion," that faction is eliminated and cannot participate in subsequent competition stages.
Stage Two: Remaining teams use the Underground Palace Key to enter the "Ancestral Underground Palace" beneath the "Family Mansion."
Prompt: The "Ancestral Underground Palace" contains more Ancestral Treasures but is also more dangerous.
Stage Three: Teams within the "Ancestral Underground Palace" must search for and compete over the "Ancient Emblem," ultimately bringing it out of the "Ancestral Underground Palace." The faction obtaining the "Ancient Emblem" is the winner of this competition.
[Prompt (Void Tree): The areas for this competition, "Family Mansion" and "Ancestral Underground Palace," are extremely rare regions. After the competition, both areas will be stripped from this world by the Void Tree.]
[Prompt (Void Tree): Based on the total value brought by this competition, final material rewards will be given accordingly.]
[Prompt (Void Tree): The winning faction of this competition will receive Primordial Fragment × 1.]
[The following members are the advantaged participants of this competition.]