Chapter 2: Dominant Will (Passive): After selecting this trait, the upper limit of the clan level is Lv.100, but each time the clan level is increased, the evolution points consumed will rise. Each increase in clan level will bring greater comprehensive improvements. When the clan level reaches Lv.100, the Insect Race Dominant · Ultimate Ability will be awakened (among several of the strongest Insect Race ultimate abilities, an adaptive selection will be made).
...
Two choices lay before him. If he chose the first, the evolution points obtained from this batch of over 1,000 fungal carpets could elevate the Demon Insect Race to its limit, meaning each level increase would consume 50 evolution points.
However, if he chose "Dominant Will," the difficulty of raising the clan level would skyrocket. Raising it from Lv.90 to Lv.91 would consume 50 evolution points, from Lv.91 to Lv.92 would consume 100, and from Lv.92 to Lv.93 would climb to 150.
Calculated this way, if he chose "Dominant Will," raising the clan level from Lv.90 to Lv.100 would require a total of 2,850 evolution points.
But there was a problem: if he set the Queen-level as Jila's upper limit, even if she reached her peak strength, would she truly be a match for those world-destroying beings in the Eternal Light World?
Su Xiao had recently discovered an issue: although the Law-Destroying inheritance's Eternal Light World trial wasn't meant to be a trap for the new generation of Law Destroyers, for him, it had become a massive pitfall.
He said this because, during the Law-Destroying era, powerful Law Destroyers sealed world-destroying clans within the Eternal Light World, while the newly growing generation of Law Destroyers went there for trials. This back-and-forth kept the number of world-destroying clans in the Eternal Light World balanced at a stable level.
Some particularly terrifying world-destroying clans were trapped in specific areas within the Eternal Light World, preventing the new generation of Law Destroyers from having to face these horrors.
But after the Law-Destroying faction declined, even to the point of nearly severing its inheritance, naturally, there were no new generations of Law Destroyers to go to the Eternal Light World and clean out those world-destroying clans.
If it were just that, it would still be manageable. The number of world-destroying clans in the Eternal Light World would only decrease, not increase, and those ultimate horrors might even be trapped to death.
The problem arose when, after the ancestral Law Destroyers all died, the few Silver Moon Wolves also perished one after another. Fortunately, they left behind an inheritance, allowing outstanding individuals from other races to have the potential to become Abyss Wardens.
If it were only that, it would still be fine. The issue was that, in later generations, a genius-level Abyss Warden perfected the lost "Sealing Secret Art." When newly emerged Abyss Wardens encountered world-destroying clans they couldn't handle, or indestructible Abyss Spawn, they had to rely on this "Sealing Secret Art" to banish them to the Eternal Light World.
Within the Eternal Light World, the old monsters imprisoned by the ancestral Law Destroyers used various methods to lure the newly arrived world-destroying beings, eventually breaking free.
The old monsters imprisoned by the ancestral Law Destroyers, along with the world-destroying clans and Abyss Spawn banished to the Eternal Light World over the following millennium, plus other alien entities, and even extremely rare and dangerous anomalous existences—all of these added up.
One could imagine the situation in the Eternal Light World. This was also why the Shadow Devourer had chosen to back down earlier when it saw Su Xiao setting up the banishment array. This creature was well-traveled and had a rough understanding of what the Eternal Light World was like.
This was also why Su Xiao believed that merely setting Jila's upper limit to Queen-level would be insufficient to deal with the Eternal Light World.
Without much deliberation, Su Xiao chose "Dominant Will" as the development path for the Insect Race.
Not long after he made his choice, the retrieved fungal carpets finished absorbing, and the soul energy within was converted into evolution points.
[Prompt: The Mother Nest has gained a total of 725 evolution points.]
[Prompt: The Mother Nest has gained a total of 126,500 bio-energy points.]
Su Xiao attempted to raise the clan level and found that the evolution points were enough to elevate it to Lv.95. He chose to proceed. There was no need for the Mother Nest to mass-produce troops recently, and it didn't matter if Jila went into slumber.
After doing this, Su Xiao went alone to the underground floor of the ancient castle. He pushed open a hidden door in the wall and entered a secret room, where a demonic teleportation array had been specially set up earlier.
Boom!
The teleportation array activated. As the spatial mist gradually dissipated, the fresh scent of grass and trees came from the surroundings. Su Xiao arrived at the Wolf Burial Grounds on Floating Light Island. Since Floating Light Island was still an area where Abyss energy spread, few people came here.
The floating elemental light particles gave the Wolf Burial Grounds, located within a massive barrier, a warm hue. As he passed a tombstone several meters high, Su Xiao stopped. A bunch of wildflowers lay before the wolf grave. From the traces, these wildflowers had been picked nearby.
A faint trace of Abyss-like aura lingered in front of the wolf grave. Noticing this, Su Xiao knew that Demon Scythe · Tailide had been here.
Continuing forward, he arrived at a stone wall and knocked on a stone disc one meter above the ground.
"Dudu, gugu."
A pair of glowing white little bone hands reached out, seemingly intending to grasp Su Xiao's hand and bestow a buff on him, but Su Xiao casually brushed them aside.
"Dudu!"
Dudu Gugu seemed a bit angry. It turned out this little thing had a temper too.
Su Xiao took out the 8 oversized [Overlord Essences] that had been synthesized earlier at Dudu Gugu's, then took out the 26 [Overlord Essences] he had obtained this time. Using his finger, he wrote the Void number 10 on the stone disc, meaning he wanted to synthesize 10 [Overlord Essences]. These 10 [Overlord Essences] should be as large as possible.
The reason for this was naturally to exchange 10 oversized [Overlord Essences] for a first-tier Overlord Equipment. However, even among first-tier Overlord Equipment, there were differences in strength. He wanted to try if he could obtain a piece of Overlord Equipment with a full rating of 6,000 points.
Seeing that it was a synthesis of [Overlord Essences], Dudu Gugu, who had been sulking, became happy. The fee it charged for synthesis was not low, and the [Overlord Essences] it received were all eaten by it. This was Dudu Gugu's favorite delicacy, bar none.
Such a big deal was something Dudu Gugu encountered only once in several hundred years, so it took the synthesis very seriously. After a long time, it had synthesized all the Overlord Essences to their limit.
[You have obtained Overlord Essence · Extra Large × 10 pieces.]
Ten [Overlord Essences] lay on the stone disc, each the size of an apple. They seemed smaller than before but were more condensed, with black energy wrapping the outside and a deep, dark red glow emanating from within.
"Hand, hand, hand, grab hand."
Dudu Gugu's little bone hands were exceptionally white. Seeing this, Su Xiao placed his right hand on the stone disc, and Dudu Gugu's little bone hands grasped his.
[Prompt: Dudu Gugu attempts to bestow upon you the "Blessing · Good Fortune."]
[Bestowal failed.]
[Dudu Gugu attempts again...]
...
It turned out this little thing was unexpectedly stubborn. Last time, it had tried to bestow a good fortune buff on Su Xiao and ended up overdrawing itself to the point of temporary unconsciousness. It seemed to have taken this to heart and was now determined to redeem itself.
After stubbornly overdrawing itself to unconsciousness three times, Dudu Gugu seemed to accept reality.
[You have received Dudu Gugu's "Blessing · Guardian." Your physical defense +45 points, maximum health +5%, effect lasts 12 hours.]
When Su Xiao returned to the Lord's Manor via the teleportation array, it was already evening. In the dining room, he enjoyed dinner while browsing the information on the World Contact Platform. Because the Eternal Frozen Icefield had become an unregulated neutral zone, the contact platform was especially lively. Some contractors with old grudges had even arranged duels on the Eternal Frozen Icefield.
The result was hilarious. Neither side of the duel showed up, but a few people who had planned to play the role of the mantis stalking the cicada ended up in a small-scale brawl. Within a very short time, the names of these people in the World Contact List all disappeared.
Not long after, the marker representing the 30.95% "Initial Mark" suddenly moved on the contact platform's map. It not only left the Ice Palace but also briefly disappeared before reappearing.
This represented one thing: the largest piece of the "Initial Mark" so far had changed hands. Someone had snatched it from right under the ruthless man's nose. This caused some wavering violators and contractors to lose their restraint and join the competition.
Then a horrifying scene occurred. The names in the World Contact List suddenly vanished in large numbers, while the marker for the largest "Initial Mark" quietly settled on the vast icefield. Within a 1,000-meter radius, there wasn't a single person, not even an Icefield Clan member. It felt very much like the ruthless man had perished together with his competitors.
After several hours, an assassination-type contractor specializing in speed finally couldn't resist and seized that "Initial Mark." At first, others just watched, but when this assassin fled to the edge of the Eternal Frozen Icefield, a crowd couldn't hold back and began to intercept him.
A terrifying scene unfolded. The names in the World Contact Platform suddenly dimmed in large numbers before disappearing one after another. What was even more chilling was that the largest "Initial Mark" lay quietly at the edge of the Eternal Frozen Icefield, amidst the blizzard, with no one daring to approach.
All of this was clearly the ruthless man fishing. Whether the "Initial Mark" was stolen or changed hands midway, he had deliberately allowed it, all to make more violators succumb to greed.
In truth, by the ninth rank, violators were usually very restrained. However, without knowing about Shenfu's conspiracy, the ruthless man's mark almost represented the last hope of victory. The world mission corresponding to several million ounces of space-time power offered rewards enough to drive anyone to lose their reason.
As long as one became the final victor, violators could submit this world mission to the Void Tree.
Su Xiao had no intention of going to the Eternal Frozen Icefield because he didn't need to snatch the "Initial Mark" from the ruthless man. They were both Hunters of the Reincarnation Paradise. Some matters could be discussed later.
Shenfu's setup seemed unsolvable, but the premise was whether Su Xiao would ally with others. Indeed, only one person could be first, but why did one have to be the top? Ultimately, it was for the corresponding rewards. These rewards could be split between two people, especially since Su Xiao and the ruthless man were both Hunters of the Reincarnation Paradise, making it easier to divide the spoils.
Currently, the ruthless man had 30.95% of the "Initial Mark." Adding Su Xiao's 5.1%, while it surpassed the Beast King's top position, after Shenfu, that old fellow, revealed his trump card, it might not necessarily be enough.
In that case, the best approach was to find a way to obtain more marks. In terms of strength, the ruthless man was stronger than Su Xiao, but there was one thing Su Xiao might be able to do that the ruthless man absolutely could not: negotiate with the Beast King and obtain his 35% "Initial Mark."
Just an hour ago, a gift from the Eternal Ring City had been placed before Su Xiao. It was a steel feather, a steel feather from the old Beast King's cloak.
When the old Beast King was still the War King, he had a habit. Whenever he was about to fight an opponent to the death, he would remove a steel feather from his cloak and send it to that opponent. After he killed that opponent, he would retrieve it. To be precise, this was a habit of the Beast Clan · Steel Feather Family.
Receiving this steel feather signified the termination of the cooperation with the Beast King. As for whether the other party would reclaim his power, there was actually nothing to reclaim. If he couldn't take back the Beast Clan army under Su Xiao's command, he couldn't reclaim any power.
As for those Beast Clan armies located in the "Crystal Forest," not to mention that recalling them now would be an unimaginable loss for the Beast Clan, even if the Beast Clan high-ranking officials really wanted to recall them, they couldn't. Ergin, this turncoat, didn't even listen much to Su Xiao, let alone the Beast Clan high-ranking officials.
Su Xiao used the "Crystal Forest," which was certain to fall into his hands, as a bargaining chip. If the old Beast King won, it would belong to the new Beast King, the Knight Commander.
If the old Beast King lost, his 35% "Initial Mark" would belong to Su Xiao. More precisely, among all the current competitors, only Su Xiao had the qualifications and leverage to contend with the old Beast King. The old Beast King also only deemed Su Xiao worthy, preparing to face the last opponent of his life before his life's flame burned out.
However, before contending with the old Beast King, Su Xiao had another matter to attend to. The violator, Befuli, had 8.75% of the "Initial Mark." This was no small amount.
Although Shenfu had made all the diviners hide, Su Xiao had other ways to find Befuli. He sat cross-legged in meditation, waiting. When the silver moon hung high and it was nearly midnight, a small figure passed through the glass, gradually returning to solid form midair before landing on the table.
"Tsk~, found the target. How are you going to thank me?"
"..."
"Don't stay silent! I almost got caught... Boss, this way, put on a thick coat. It's snowing outside."
Holding a bottle of Elf Secret Medicine, the irritable little elf immediately changed his attitude, beaming with delight.
If one ignored this guy's foul language, smoking, drinking, inability to move when seeing little elf girls, and his exceptionally noisy drunken behavior, the irritable little elf, Diyagu's infiltration and tracking abilities were beyond doubt.
He had now found Befuli's trail. As Su Xiao had guessed, Shenfu wouldn't let Befuli be alone now. A total of four violator teammates were hiding with Befuli in the Sea Clan's main city.
Violators like Befuli would be extremely vigilant at this critical juncture. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would immediately flee. In the past, Su Xiao had ways to deal with this, but earlier, when dealing with Sefeiliya, Baha's space-sealing ability had already been used and was now in its cooldown phase.
Finding Befuli wasn't the hardest part. The greatest challenge was how to approach her while she had several teammates, secure a one-hit kill, and seize the "Initial Mark."
Su Xiao took out the [Violator] title. With this title, many difficulties could be easily resolved.
"Title Effect 1: Disguise (Passive) — After equipping this title, you will gain the disguise of an Apocalypse Paradise violator and activate the corresponding temporary mark.
Title Effect 3: Kill and Switch (Passive) — After killing a violator while in disguise, you can replace your disguise and impersonate this person.
Title Effect 4: Absolute Terror (Active) — When in this disguise state, facing only one violator, you can engage in a willpower check with this enemy. If the enemy fails this check, they will enter a "Terror of Will" state, losing the ability to speak for the next 10 minutes and having all means of communication sealed (this control ability has priority). You will deal an additional 20% defense-ignoring damage to enemies in the "Terror of Will" state.
Prompt: This ability has a cooldown of 2 natural days.
Prompt: If you successfully kill an enemy affected by "Terror of Will," this ability will immediately refresh its cooldown and enter an activatable state."
...
Su Xiao pinched the crimson [Violator] title between his thumb and forefinger. He released his fingers, and the title fell into his palm. As he clenched his right hand, crimson threads of light climbed up his arm, beginning the disguise.
The hunt had begun.