Chapter 50: Rare Title
In the backstreets of the Sea Clan main city, within a damp and chilly narrow alley.
A figure wearing the long robe of a Sea God Church high priest, with specks of blood on his face, sat slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. Once a man of considerable status within the main city, who had thrown his weight around relying on the Sea God Church's prestige, he was now like a dog that had lost its home. His face, slick with oily sweat, twitched with rage, and his eyes, fixed on the entrance of the alley, betrayed his current state of panic and fear.
The Sea God Church had been crushed in a short time. Though it wouldn't be completely destroyed, its middle and upper echelons had been nearly entirely replaced, signifying that the Sea King had firmly grasped power.
Looking at the cooperation between Su Xiao, Shenfu, and the Sea King, it seemed the Sea King bore the highest risk with no direct benefits. But that wasn't the case. In the long run, the Sea King gained the most from this.
First, he had dealt with the Sea God Church under a legitimate pretext. Now, the Sea God Church followed the Sea King's lead without question. The Elder Council had already latched onto the Sea King's coattails, meaning he was now in complete control.
It must be said that the Sea King had chosen his timing well. If the Beast King hadn't declined to his current state, something would have gone wrong in the whole affair. It wouldn't have played out as it did—starting with a high-profile opening, dividing the spoils, and then quietly wrapping up.
Overall, Su Xiao successfully rescued the Dwarf King, Shenfu obtained 20.3% of the "Initial Mark" fragments, the Sea King secured his power, and the Dark God Cult took the blame.
Now, both the Beast Clan and the Sea Clan had established Dark God Cult eradication departments. The reason was that the Dark God Cult had not only broken the seal on the Wolf God but also conspired with the Sea God Church to assassinate the Sea King.
That's right, the Sea King was ruthless. He not only pinned the assassination attempt on the Sea God Church but also framed them for colluding with the Dark God Cult to carry it out.
If it were just the former, it would be an internal power struggle within the Sea Clan. The Sea King would have handled it quietly, enduring the nuisance. But once the charge of collusion with the Dark God Cult was substantiated, the Sea King could deal with the Sea God Church however he pleased, as it was clearly an act of betrayal.
However, the high priest now barely surviving in the alley had no intention of letting things end this way. His gaze grew darker as he considered how to escape and how to turn the tables later.
But just then, the high priest heard a dull thud. He looked toward the slanted space ahead of him, where black flesh had begun to grow. Thick, finger-sized black tentacles extended out, writhing wildly and eerily.
"Ancient... God!"
Terrifying fear spread across the high priest's face. As someone who had once been part of the ruling class of the Wind Sea Continent, he knew better than most how terrifying high-ranking Ancient Gods were.
A bloodied skeleton crawled out from the black flesh. The skeleton had some flesh on it, and its internal organs were relatively intact, but its head was especially gruesome. Aside from the bare bones and brain, only two eyeballs remained in the eye sockets.
"Lost... lamb."
The skeleton tilted its head to look at the high priest, causing a loud buzz in the priest's mind. His vision narrowed until he plunged into endless darkness.
The skeleton struggled forward, each step seeming like it might fall apart. When it reached the high priest, if it looked back, it would see a trail of dissolved flesh scattered on the ground.
The high priest's eyes had lost their luster, and saliva dripped unconsciously from his mouth. The skeleton raised its hand, and as its bony hand pressed down on the high priest's head, the man rapidly withered, turning into a dried corpse in an instant.
After absorbing this life force, the skeleton's body grew more flesh, and some areas even developed skin. A smile gradually appeared on its aged but not decrepit face.
If one looked closely, they would see that at the center of its organs, within the ribcage, a golden chalice was embedded. Fleshy tentacles from various organs connected to this chalice, making it the core.
"I thought I'd receive a top-tier Original Sin object, but instead, I got the Candle Woman. Truly ruthless, old friend."
Shenfu's face wore a kind smile. As an "old friend," he had some understanding of Su Xiao's methods. He had deduced that after luring the world-destroying entity, the Shadow Devourer, over to Su Xiao's side, retaliation would come simultaneously. Being outmaneuvered by Su Xiao was acceptable to Shenfu. They were both "old friends," fully aware of each other's troublesome nature.
Shenfu had two plans this time. First, to obtain enough "Initial Mark" fragments. His purpose here differed from others. While others came due to summons, he had obtained entry qualifications for the final reward of this mission.
Why was that? It involved Huishenshi. Though Huishenshi was dead, he had once stored something that was a supreme treasure for Violators in a certain location.
The function of this item was simple: severance. More precisely, it was a top-tier authority of the Void Tree. Its function was to sever the brand, allowing one to shed all the conveniences of notarization, completely rid oneself of the Violator identity, and all the corresponding consequences.
The reason Huishenshi didn't use it was simple. While being a Violator was a high-risk identity, having the Void Tree's brand notarization allowed entry into mission worlds, access to the Great Gathering Place, and use of the Void Tree-certified Attribute Enhancement Pods. Aside from the different method of receiving missions, there wasn't much difference from regular Contractors.
Shenfu sought this item not for immediate use but for when his strength reached a certain peak.
One of the rewards for the final winner of the "Initial Mark" this time was a "ticket" to that treasure vault. Shenfu had been there before, but after the Treeborn World incident, only through this "ticket" could one go there again.
That was why Shenfu risked his life to seize the "Initial Mark." Of course, Shenfu had another plan, one to offset the risks of obtaining the "Initial Mark."
To get that 20% "Initial Mark," he would inevitably face the world-destroying entity, the Shadow Devourer. Shenfu didn't want to face this opponent because it would destroy him physically. Even if he had to be destroyed, he preferred a different method.
The best way to avoid the Shadow Devourer was to lure it to Su Xiao's side, giving Shenfu a chance to steal the "Initial Mark."
But this was Shenfu. Would his plan be so crude? Of course not. Knowing Su Xiao, his "old friend," Shenfu was sure Su Xiao could roughly deduce the situation. And Su Xiao's revenge was always immediate if possible.
Shenfu estimated that he would almost certainly receive an Original Sin object. Whether it was the "Necronomicon" or the "Nether Bone Ring," once he held the "Golden Chalice" and received such a top-tier Original Sin object, he would be finished.
So Shenfu came up with a plan. He infused most of his Divine Blood Source into the "Golden Chalice." Moreover, the "Golden Chalice" wasn't a top-tier Original Sin object. If the "Necronomicon," "Nether Bone Ring," and "Abyssal Jar" were 100-point danger level Original Sin objects, the "Golden Chalice" was around 70-80 points.
This was why many powerhouses were stunned when they saw Su Xiao holding three Original Sin objects. Holding three was already unbelievable, but two of them were the "big daddies" of Original Sin objects—the "Necronomicon" and the "Nether Bone Ring"—and the remaining one, the "Soul Crown," was also extremely troublesome, with a danger rating of at least 99.5 points.
As for Original Sin objects like the "Primordial Mirror" and the "Golden Chalice," their danger level was around 70-80 points. That was why Brother Shui could, to some extent, use the "Primordial Mirror."
More importantly, don't be fooled by Su Xiao holding three Original Sin objects. He had a fundamental difference from other holders: he never directly used them. He never flipped through the "Necronomicon," never wore the "Soul Crown," and never put on the "Nether Bone Ring."
It was this baseline reverence and caution that allowed Su Xiao to maintain his current situation.
But this also highlighted Kaisa's incredible nature. He could safely use the 100-point danger level top-tier Original Sin object, the "Abyssal Jar," and even seemed to be in cahoots with it.
This wasn't talent but focus. To this day, Kaisa's personal combat power was pitifully weak. This guy, due to extreme fear of death and unwillingness to die, had always developed special survival abilities.
Kaisa's wealth-gathering ability was obvious to all. Where did all the resources he gathered go? The answer was: all used to develop special survival abilities.
This resulted in Kaisa having full compatibility with the "Abyssal Jar" from the start. One would passively kill its holders, having gone through countless holders, while the other had unmatched special survival abilities. They were a perfect match, colluding and working together.
Shenfu's plan was different. He didn't expect to perfectly synchronize with an Original Sin object like Kaisa. He aimed for coexistence. Don't think a 70-point danger level Original Sin object wasn't lethal. The "Golden Chalice" was like a dull knife cutting flesh, slowly draining the holder.
So Shenfu took a gamble. After infusing a large amount of his Divine Blood into the "Golden Chalice," he embedded this Original Sin object into his body, connecting his organs and even his soul to it.
Shenfu's only goal was to drag the "Golden Chalice" down with him in the few seconds before his demise. Even if he couldn't completely destroy the Original Sin object, he would severely damage it. It was either coexistence or mutual destruction.
For external threats, Shenfu thought of top-tier Original Sin objects. Both the "Necronomicon" and the "Nether Bone Ring" were qualified.
Thus, the situation after offending Su Xiao was covered. Using the Original Sin object Su Xiao sent, he would force the "Golden Chalice" to coexist with him before death. That was Shenfu's plan. Since he would be slowly drained by the "Golden Chalice" anyway, he might as well be decisive.
The result was that instead of a top-tier Original Sin object, something of equal danger level arrived. For this, Shenfu nearly exhausted all his resources to prevent this "lady" from following the causal threads and devouring all the Ancient God soul seeds he had planted.
In the dim alley, Shenfu pressed his hand against his ribs, feeling the "Golden Chalice" that had temporarily coexisted with him. Even if it wasn't permanent coexistence, it was enough.
Just then, several figures stopped at the entrance of the dark alley. They all wore robes with obvious magical energy fluctuations, clearly Spellcasters.
"Found him. He's here. The Original Sin aura is strong. No mistake."
Several Spellcasters stared at Shenfu with murderous intent, causing his smile to grow even kinder.
...
Lord's Manor, fifth-floor greenhouse of the castle.
Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the floor, meditating. Just then, a notification appeared. Opening it, he found it was a preset alert. He opened the world communication platform list and saw that Shenfu's name had changed from gray to normal, indicating the old man had come back to life.
Su Xiao wasn't surprised at all. On the contrary, he would have been surprised if Shenfu had died like that.
However, letting Shenfu hide in the shadows was a hidden danger. Naturally, he had to be driven into the open.
Su Xiao didn't know Shenfu's exact location, but given the vastness of the Sea Clan main city, Shenfu was likely still there. That made it easy—just a little provocation.
The Sea King wouldn't allow this humanoid Ancient God to stay in the Sea Clan main city for long, not knowing what he was planning. Meanwhile, the Spellcasters there were extremely sensitive to Original Sin objects. A humanoid Ancient God carrying an Original Sin object would be hostile to both the Sea Clan and the Spellcasters. With Kaisa's behind-the-scenes efforts and the Sea Clan nobles' provocation, everything would fall into place.
Su Xiao didn't know whether the Sea Clan or the Spellcasters would find Shenfu first. He hoped it was the latter. Despite Shenfu's kind appearance, his vengefulness was strong beneath that smile.
Shenfu had just narrowly escaped the Candle Woman. If he was cornered by the Spellcasters at this stage, he would be severely damaged even if he didn't die. His hatred for the Spellcasters would surely skyrocket.
This way, the plan to jointly ambush the Absolute Strong Spellcaster could include Shenfu. It would be both revenge and a chance to claim the kill reward for defeating an "Absolute Strong." Shenfu wouldn't miss it.
Interestingly, if Shenfu was allowed to lurk in the shadows, Su Xiao would be the one to suffer. But if both were in the open, Shenfu would lose more often.
Su Xiao took a wooden box from his storage space. Opening it, the soft padding inside held ten "Primordial Fragments."
He had gotten one from White Bull, one from the previous world progress, two from seizing the family heirloom in this world, two from the Abyss Shop exchange, three from the Secret Pattern Master after rescuing the Dwarf King, and one from the trade with the Candle Woman.
This was indeed a Transcendent Primordial World. The "Primordial Fragments" that usually took a long time to accumulate were now only four short of what he needed to advance to "Absolute Strong."
Su Xiao took out the "Secret Treasure Box," which had a chance to yield 1-3 "Primordial Fragments." He hesitated whether to let Molei try her luck.
The risk was that if the misfortune level reached "Catastrophe Level," it wouldn't be worth it.
But compared to this, another matter was more urgent: the [Pseudo: Law-Destroying Blade: Demon Spirit Will (Unawakened State)] he had forged. The creation of this blade represented two things. First, the plan to scam the Hunter Guild had completely failed, and the intended counterfeit Law-Destroying Blade hadn't been made.
The gain was that Su Xiao might be able to develop an extremely powerful Demon Spirit.
[Law-Destroying Blade (Pseudo)]
Origin: Law Destruction Faction / Wind Sea Continent / Dwarf King.
Quality: Origin Level.
Category: Longsword.
Durability: 1200/1200 points.
Attack Power: 1-10.
Equipment Requirement: No one can normally use this weapon.
Rating: 3000++++ (Origin Level equipment rating is 1500-3000 points).
Description: A weapon forged by a legendary blacksmith. Even with masterful craftsmanship, it is merely a replica. However, within this blade lies an unexpectedly born Demon Spirit Will. This will cannot exist independently; its fate is to be devoured by the Demon Spirit one day. But this is only the beginning. Those with weak will are unworthy of possessing a Demon Spirit. Those with weak souls are unworthy of awakening the Demon Spirit's will.
...
Indeed, the weapon's exterior was a facade, but the Demon Spirit energy within was incredibly powerful. Su Xiao tried to check the equipment's more detailed attributes and got a value: if the Blade Demon Spirit within Dragon-Slaying Flash devoured this Demon Spirit energy, the Demon Spirit's strength would increase by at least 100-130 points.
Currently, the Demon Spirit's strength was only 87 points. This was after gaining 15 points from mastering the "Demon Spirit Awakening" ability and devouring two indestructible Abyss Spawn.
Such a large increase came with corresponding risks: sufficient soul strength was required, or the Blade Demon Spirit would likely backlash.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about this. He had 710 points of soul strength. However, the Blade Demon Spirit was still digesting the Abyss Spawn's source energy. He had to wait for that to finish before proceeding with the devouring.
Su Xiao stored the Demon Spirit Awakening [Pseudo: Law-Destroying Blade: Demon Spirit Will (Unawakened State)] into his storage space and then contacted Molei through the team channel.
After waiting over half an hour, Molei slowly pushed open the door. Sitting on the carpet, she yawned sleepily and asked, "What's up?"
"Interested in opening this?"
Su Xiao took out the "Secret Treasure Box," which gradually woke Molei up. She had the treasure chest achievement chain quest.
This achievement quest was quite interesting. Everyone could only do it once in their lifetime. The content was: the more types of treasure chests opened, the richer the quest reward, and it could accumulate continuously. Molei had received this achievement quest back when she was Second Rank and had been saving it ever since. This made Yueshitu and Hao Mei think she was ruthless—how could she resist the rewards?
Hearing Molei boast about this quest, Su Xiao was quite interested and casually asked how to trigger it. But Molei stammered and finally blurted out: "If I tell the truth, you can't hit me."
Hearing this, Su Xiao basically knew what attribute triggered this quest. It must be Charm. He decided not to ask further to avoid ruining his mood for the day.
"Last time you opened a chest, you had so much negative luck. Better not."
Molei frowned as she spoke.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't respond. Seeing this, Molei made a move to open the chest.
Almost simultaneously, Su Xiao felt something he usually couldn't sense: fortune. At this moment, he could suddenly perceive it. Misfortune hung around him like countless invisible, icy needles. If Molei opened the chest, this misfortune would immediately strike.
"Stop."
Su Xiao said. Molei, who was prepared, stopped opening the chest.
Su Xiao could clearly sense that if Molei helped open this chest, "Catastrophe Level" misfortune would definitely descend. It wouldn't be worth it.
"Phew~ I said don't open it. What if you get struck by lightning later and drag me into it?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak, just smiled at Molei, which made her shiver. She explained, "Don't mind me. I mean, when you're unlucky, you get struck by lightning. Ah, no, anyway, it's a friendly reminder. But speaking of which, is getting struck by lightning exciting?"
The consolation from someone who would rather break their legs was always memorable. Su Xiao asked casually, "You're a Battle Angel of Apocalypse Paradise. Have you ever obtained an Apocalypse Paradise Violator's brand?"
"Of course not."
Molei answered with a normal expression. Seeing this, Su Xiao knew she definitely had one. When Molei lied, her aura would unconsciously become a bit uneasy, something she hadn't noticed herself.
Su Xiao took out a bottle of permanent enhancement potion and placed it on the floor in front of him. As a little rich girl, Molei remained expressionless, crossing her arms as if she had seen it all.
Tap, tap, tap, tap~
Bottle after bottle of enhancement potions were placed on the floor. Molei's crossed-arm, proud gaze gradually turned into one-handed head-scratching, and finally, chin-stroking hesitation.
"Actually, I really don't have that kind of brand. But Yueshitu does. Wait a moment, I'll go hit her... ahem~ I'll go discuss it with her. Discuss until she agrees."
Molei quickly left. A moment later, in a warm and cozy bedroom, Yueshitu was sleeping soundly. In her dream, Molei was taking her to eat delicious food. Clearly, Molei often did this, which was why Yueshitu dreamed of it.
Suddenly, Molei grabbed Yueshitu's small shoulders and shook her while urgently saying, "Bad news! An enemy has come knocking! That Violator brand you saved, give it to me quickly! I'll deal with it!!"
After a bout of shaking and anxious calls, Yueshitu was completely confused. Even more confused, she took out a brand. Before she could understand what was happening, only she remained in the bedroom.
"w(?Д?)w"
Yueshitu paused for a moment, gradually realizing she had been tricked. But then she thought, she might as well go back to sleep. When Molei came back, she would tell her what price she sold it for. Anyway, she had no use for that thing and had almost forgotten she had it.
...
The Title Forging Disc materialized. After trading several energy manipulation and mental system potions for the Violator brand, Su Xiao naturally planned to try forging the title he had in mind.
First, he used the [Apocalypse] title to absorb the Violator brand into it. Then, he embedded the [Apocalypse] title, the [Holy Flame Alchemist] title, and the three saved unaffiliated six-star titles onto the Forging Disc.
He attempted to activate directional synthesis and received a notification: this forging had no Soul Coin cost but had a failure probability.
Previously, synthesizing five titles had a 0% failure rate. This synthesis was clearly special. Su Xiao felt he could give it a try. His fortune had been good lately, and he had no other options. Besides, the failure rate was indeed very low.
The title synthesis didn't take long. While waiting, Su Xiao began considering another matter. Since the plan to fleece the Hunter Guild had failed, it was time to prepare for killing the Absolute Strong Spellcaster.
As for the target, it was a choice between Sefeiliya and Dean Guya.
This couldn't be done recklessly. Besides preparing a group of elite Human Clan heavy cavalry boosted by the Sun Lord title, he needed several key figures for this battle.
First was the Voodoo Warlock, Baze. His voodoo could poison even Su Xiao, the Holy Flame Alchemist, and Shenfu, the humanoid Ancient God, showing his skill in this area.
Shenfu also needed to be brought back on board. His ability to reduce poison resistance was crucial. He could even reduce the Wolf God's resistance, so he would definitely work on an Absolute Strong Spellcaster.
Additionally, there was another key figure: the strongest-tier diviner in this world. This diviner was the adopted daughter of Grand Commander Kane. Originally, she had a spot in the team heading to Floating Light Island, but considering the Wolf God's soul power was too strong, she wasn't included.
That's right, she was not only a diviner but also skilled in soul poison. Her soul poison was on the same level as Baze's voodoo. For this reason, Grand Commander Kane had never agreed to let Su Xiao meet this diviner, both fearing Su Xiao would scheme against her and that she might poison Su Xiao.
If this team was formed, Sefeiliya or Dean Guya would face voodoo + poison + soul poison, plus Shenfu's poison resistance reduction. Even an "Absolute Strong" would have a hard time against this lineup.
[Notification: Synthesis complete.]
[Synthesis failed.]
[Due to the synthesis success rate being as high as 99.2%, even though the forging synthesis failed, it wasn't a complete title shattering. The title synthesis completion has reached over 96%.]
[You have obtained Title Fragment: Violator. Do you wish to consume enough Title Source Energy to reform this title?]
[You have paid 1 unaffiliated six-star title to extract Title Source Energy.]
[Title reformation complete. You have obtained Special Title: Violator.]
[You have obtained Commemorative Title: Perseverance (Obtainable if title synthesis fails when the success rate is above 99%).]
[Do you wish to claim this commemorative title?]
[As it was not actively claimed, this title has been automatically stored in your title slot. You may retrieve and admire it at any time.]