Chapter 33: The Gem
Upon seeing the notification regarding the Silent Extinction, Su Xiao's gaze turned somewhat grave. From the information on the Black King Bracer, he had long known that Silent Extinction had a true form.
When he first obtained the Black King Bracer, Su Xiao only felt that this piece of equipment was very powerful, especially the Silent Descent ability, which was practically a god-tier skill for group combat.
However, as his rank gradually increased, he began to realize that Silent Descent wasn't as invincible as it seemed. Instead, the weapon Silent Extinction became a major asset in his battles against powerful enemies. No matter how formidable an opponent's physique was, a few Extinction Bullets from Silent Extinction would erode and decay their defenses through the Silent energy.
By the time he reached the Ninth Rank, Su Xiao felt that the manifested Silent Extinction wasn't exceptionally overpowered either. Before finding the true body of Silent Extinction and absorbing this weapon with the Black King Bracer, the intensity of this move didn't reach the level of ultimate techniques like "Extreme Blade: World," "World Thunder," or "Straight Kick."
On the other hand, the Black King Bracer's ability to negate the dying state became increasingly useful for Su Xiao. Especially at higher ranks, after seeing the attributes of an Immortal Rank ring, he truly realized that the strongest ability of the Black King Bracer was its 100% negation of all debuffs caused by the dying state.
The dying state actually has two types. The dying state experienced by Contractors is a byproduct of their Mark. This isn't a weakening but rather an additional enhancement, because the small sliver of health in the dying state is an extra addition, not a deduction from the original health pool.
Suppose a Contractor's life force is 10 standard units. Then, sliding from 100% health to 10% would consume approximately 9.9 standard units, leaving the Contractor with just the last bit of life force.
The remaining 10% health upon entering the dying state is the life force retention effect attached to the Mark. In other words, during normal times when the Contractor has sufficient life force, this life force is slowly stored within the Mark. These stored life forces allow the Mark holder to hold on a little longer when they are severely injured and on the verge of death.
Because of this, the dying state is so debilitating: all attributes drop, vision narrows to a fraction, and they collapse to the ground, barely able to move. This is because their own life force is nearly depleted, and they are barely sustained by the slow release of life force stored within the Mark.
Therefore, this is not a weakening. Without the dying state, the Contractor would simply die. Having an extra 10% dying health bar allows them to hold on a little longer.
The Immortal Rank ring Su Xiao saw at the Great Gathering Place was called [Soul Bloom]. It had only one effect: upon entering the dying state, negate 50% of the dying debuffs.
When he first saw this ring at the Great Gathering Place, his initial impression was that it was a decent piece of equipment. Although it couldn't compare to the Black King Bracer, after seeing its price tag, he instinctively thought the stall owner was just showing off and wasn't serious about selling, because the item was priced at 1.95 million Soul Coins.
Su Xiao quickly realized that wasn't the case. A few Contractors were at the stall, sincerely negotiating the price with the owner. At lower ranks, one could occasionally encounter equipment that slightly reduced dying debuffs. But by the mid and high ranks, such equipment was nearly extinct. Some abilities that could reduce dying debuffs also began to gradually fail.
The reason the ring named [Soul Bloom] was priced so exorbitantly was that it still worked for high-rank Contractors. This made Su Xiao realize just how powerful the Black King Bracer's ability to negate the dying state was.
That the Black King Bracer had such strength didn't surprise him. The "Source of Silence" sealed within it had nearly caused the collapse of a massive world that had withstood the Abyss's invasion and had already become a Transcendent Primordial World.
Su Xiao looked at the Black King Bracer wrapped around his left forearm and hand. He flexed his fingers, mentally assessing whether he could continue to suppress this equipment, or rather, the "Source of Silence" within it, after the third seal of the Black King Bracer was released.
Even though the five seals of the Black King Bracer contained the "Source of Silence" within, under its influence, the strength of the Black King Bracer was still slowly increasing. He checked the current information on the Black King Bracer.
[Soul: King's Coronation]
Origin: Root: Dead Silence City
Quality: Origin Rank · Set
Category: Arm Guard
Durability: 229/240 points (Increased by 45 points)
Equipment Requirement: Only the King of Silence can wear (Condition Met: White King).
Basic Effect: Negate the dying state until death (This bonus has high priority).
Equipment Effect 1: Extinction (Core · Active): You can use the "Source of Silence" within this equipment to replicate one of the two strongest weapons of the Gloomy Continent, "Silent Extinction." Silent Extinction has a fixed initial attack power and contains 5 Extinction Bullets.
Tip: Extinction Bullets receive a small bonus from Soul Strength, increasing additional attack power by Soul Strength × 0.16 (increased by 0.01 ratio) and additional penetration by Soul Strength × 0.14 (increased by 0.02 ratio).
Extinction Bullet: An old-fashioned bullet composed of a large amount of Death Energy. If multiple Extinction Bullets hit the same enemy, the erosion of Death Energy will reduce the enemy's defense, causing subsequent Extinction Bullets to deal increasing damage. The first Extinction Bullet deals 100% damage, the second 120%, the third 150%, the fourth 200%, and the fifth 300%.
Tip: Extinction Bullets generate one per hour until the chamber of "Silent Extinction" is full (reaching 5 bullets), at which point generation stops.
Tip: If the true body of "Silent Extinction" is obtained, the Hunter can use this ability to devour the weapon, thereby greatly enhancing the overall strength of this ability.
Equipment Effect 2: Silent Descent (Core · Active): Upon activating this ability, the seal on this equipment will slightly open, releasing high-concentration Silent energy produced by the "Source of Silence." This rapidly assimilates the environment within a radius of 10 to 10,000 meters, temporarily transforming this area into "Root: Dead Silence City"...
Equipment Effect 3: Soul Nourishment (Core · Passive): Your Soul Power will slowly nourish your Willpower, permanently increasing your True Willpower.
Current "Source of Silence" Seal Level: Five Seals (Fewer seals make this equipment stronger).
Warning: If the seals are reduced to one, the "Source of Silence" will bring many uncertainties and dangers. Only when your own Soul Power is strong enough should you consider completely removing this seal effect and fully releasing the power of the "Source of Silence."
Rating: 3000+++ (As seals are removed, the quality and rating of this equipment will increase).
Introduction: Are you truly ready to face the Source of Silence that led to the decline of a Transcendent Primordial World?
Sale Price: Cannot be sold.
...
Su Xiao looked around. He was inside a dim, decaying building that reeked of rot. Judging by the style, it seemed to be a treatment center. The bedding on the beds was blackened and stiff, and the corpses on them were half-rotted, with withered flesh clinging to bones.
Every few steps, there was a bed with a corpse. Some wore half-armor, others wore sorcerer robes. Even after many years, their remains were severely decayed, but one could still see traces of the intense pain they suffered before death. Some had simply ended their own lives with a close-combat weapon in hand.
The scene here still showed the terrible impact of the Tyrant's parasite going out of control on his subordinates. To continue controlling his generals and legions, the Tyrant's transplanted parasite had absolute control over similar parasites.
From this, it could be seen that the Tyrant's obsession with this parasite wasn't just about controlling the Scarlet Power. After being abandoned by the "Soul Crown," the Tyrant's mental manipulation of his generals waned day by day. This parasite was undoubtedly a way to regain control of his subordinates and rebuild the Calamity Legion, or so the Tyrant believed.
Under such circumstances, when the Tyrant's own parasite went out of control, his generals and all elite warriors would inevitably face a catastrophic disaster.
An IV bottle filled with a yellowish-brown liquid hung on the IV stand. Su Xiao noticed a black precipitate inside the bottle that looked like dead insects. He formed a crystal dagger in his hand and tapped the bottle with the back of the blade. The black insects inside shattered from the vibration, turning into debris that floated upward.
This gave Su Xiao an idea. Darkness had a certain suppressive effect on Scarlet. Earlier, when fighting the City Lord's Wife, she had been trapped in her bedchamber by a dark zone.
Seeing the black insects in the IV bottle now, they were likely a creature with strong Dark attributes. After the parasite here went out of control, the Scarlet within the Tyrant and his subordinates would naturally also go out of control. The emergency measure taken by this treatment center was to use Darkness to resist Scarlet.
Darkness doesn't counter Scarlet; their relationship is more like incompatibility. More Darkness can envelop Scarlet, while more Scarlet can erode Darkness, turning it into Scarlet.
This characteristic was reasonable. One of the fundamental properties of Abyss Energy is Darkness. The Scarlet Power twisted from Abyss Energy being enveloped by Darkness was only natural.
Su Xiao arrived at the front hall of the treatment center. On a treatment table, he saw scattered papers and a parchment scroll stained mostly with blood. He opened it and found a circular ritual pattern. It was the simplest structure he had ever seen, just a scarlet circle with a core node in the middle.
Observing the bloodstains, Su Xiao rubbed them with his thumb. The blood was at most a few months old, clearly not from the time of the parasite outbreak.
The blood evaporated on Su Xiao's finger, revealing specks of scarlet within. This wasn't the blood of a normal creature. Being eroded by Scarlet to this extent, the person was likely completely devoid of reason.
This meant that the person who drew the ritual pattern and the person who left the bloodstains were two different people. They were probably hostile to each other. The one drawing the pattern was being chased by someone eroded by Scarlet and used this method to defend themselves.
Although the ritual pattern was simple, careful observation revealed that the lines forming the scarlet circle were actually composed of tens of thousands of micro-rituals. Because these rituals were so tiny, they combined to look like just a single line.
The more Su Xiao observed the pattern, the more he felt it was the work of a master of ritual patterns. Across all worlds, such a master would likely be among fewer than five.
Su Xiao walked out of the treatment center. As soon as he stepped outside, a starry sky came into view. This was no mere underground space; it was practically an underground world. In the starry sky above hung a circular blood moon.
Staring intently at the blood moon, he could faintly see a shadow on it. The shadow looked like a scepter. The part of the blood moon above the scepter was particularly vivid in its blood-red color, vaguely forming the shape of a crown.
Seeing this, Su Xiao felt puzzled. How could the Tyrant, with his abilities, create such an underground world in the Eternal Light World? Recalling Ligoga's account, he remembered that the Tyrant had discovered this place, not created it.
In fact, the most likely creators of this place were the Law Destruction Faction. But why would the Ancestral Law Destroyers spend a fortune to create such an underground world within the Eternal Light World?
Looking at the blood moon above, Su Xiao thought of a possibility. Creating this place was to further seal the Scarlet Monarch deep within the Sand Sea, in the Nightmare Land.
Su Xiao had noticed earlier that even though the Scarlet Monarch was trapped in the Nightmare Seal, a large amount of Scarlet Power was still seeping out. This meant that the Scarlet Monarch could continuously gather Scarlet Power through some method, even while sealed.
If left unchecked, once the Scarlet Monarch accumulated enough Scarlet Power, the Nightmare Seal might not be able to hold him. Therefore, not only did he need to be sealed, but his Scarlet Power also needed to be constantly drained.
These drained Scarlet Powers, even if released into the Eternal Light World, could cause significant problems. Thus, a place that could store large amounts of Scarlet Power without affecting any living beings was urgently needed by the Law Destruction Faction.
Commissioning the Smelters Dwarves to come to this world and create this underground world was the best choice. The Scarlet Power drained from the Nightmare Seal was released here, then crystallized through the rituals in this place, and finally sealed away.
For this reason, this space was divided into two layers. Originally, the upper layer didn't have Laughing Town. That was a consequence of the Tyrant discovering this place.
The upper layer originally only had a three-story building and the surrounding forest. That three-story building was likely the control room for this underground world.
This explained everything. After obtaining the [Moon's Radiance], the Tyrant had a way to quietly enter and leave the Eternal Light World. By then, the Law Destruction Faction had long since perished, the Moon Wolves were all dead, and the remaining Eternal Light Watchers were few and far between. No one could detect the Tyrant occasionally sneaking into the Eternal Light World.
By some stroke of luck, the Tyrant reached the entrance to the underground world. Because he held the [Moon's Radiance], which was also the key for the Moon Wolves to enter the underground world.
The Tyrant first discovered the underground world and then developed a craving for Scarlet Power. Later, after his disastrous defeat by the Witch Realm and on the verge of being abandoned by the "Soul Crown," he became utterly obsessed with Scarlet Power.
Su Xiao had previously wondered how the Tyrant could have so much Scarlet Power for research and absorption when he couldn't produce it himself.
Thinking about it now, the Scarlet Monarch was far more dangerous and powerful than estimated. The Nightmare Land in the Sand Sea alone wasn't enough to seal him. It also required the blood moon in the sky and this underground world to keep him trapped in the seal.
Therefore, the danger level of this underground world shouldn't be judged by the Tyrant's standards. It was hard to predict what terrifying monsters would spawn here.
A silent gliding sensation made Su Xiao tilt his head slightly to the right. Baha landed on his left shoulder, and then Bubu Wang appeared beside him.
"Boss, this place is bad news. There are weird monsters everywhere."
As soon as Baha finished speaking, the sound of clattering armor came in unison. Su Xiao immediately hid behind a pillar in front of a building beside the street.
He looked at the empty street, about ten meters wide. A squad of blood-eyed warriors in armor marched in a somewhat loose formation down the street. The leader was nearly four meters tall, with a pair of over two-meter-long double blades on his back. Each blade was as wide as a palm, with a sharp, blood-colored edge.
Behind him were six blood-eyed archers, each averaging over three meters in height. Their longbows were over 1.8 meters long, with spiral-shaped metal arrows that had blood-red tips.
Besides these blood-eyed archers, the squad also included a red-robed sorcerer holding a twisted wooden staff, and two obese, tall parasitic bodies covered in cracked armor with blood-red spikes sprouting from their backs.
At the rear of the squad was a blood-eyed giant. His armor looked as if it had been scorched, half-melted and stuck to his skin. In his hand was a metal club covered in spikes.
This vicious weapon was eight meters long. The blood-eyed giant was gripping the spiked club with one hand. What was chilling was that the handle also had spikes. Blood-stained spikes pierced through the blood-eyed giant's palm as he held it tightly.
What caught the eye was that the blood-eyed giant had the club resting on his shoulder. At the raised end, a figure was hanging upside down by chains, tightly bound by scarlet threads. It was the Darkness Devourer, its mouth sealed and hands tied behind its back.
"Ugh!"
The Darkness Devourer struggled with all its might, but it could only squirm like a hung cocoon. Its pitch-black eyes, with streaks of white light swimming within, seemed to say, 'Just wait until I break free.'
Seeing this, Su Xiao fell into thought. The Darkness Devourer was a bit simple-minded, but it shouldn't die in such a situation.
However, as a "good teammate," since he encountered it, he should give some help. Su Xiao formed a 20-centimeter crystal spike in his hand, then had Baha attach Spatial attributes to the spike, giving it silent flight and perception-blocking properties.
Su Xiao threw the crystal spike. The next moment, it pierced the Darkness Devourer's forearm, causing it to squirm in pain. It then used its other small hand to pull out the crystal spike and clutched it tightly.
The Darkness Devourer's eyes darted around, quickly spotting Su Xiao behind the stone pillar. Its smiling gaze was full of confidence, as if saying, 'Bai Ye, I'll meet up with you soon.'
Su Xiao watched the patrol squad walk away. He noticed a problem. These blood-eyed warriors and red-robed sorcerers were clearly patrolling with a purpose. Did this mean there was a ruler here?
Whoever was ruling this underground world, it wasn't good news for Su Xiao. Either they were after the Scarlet Monarch's power, or they were simply a fanatical worshiper of the Scarlet Monarch. In either case, they would try to open the seal deep in the Sand Sea.
Su Xiao decided to first find Silent Extinction and also investigate the ruler of this place. If the other party might actually release the Scarlet Monarch, he had to kill them before they acted.
He had only just killed one of the Four Giants of the Lightless Temple. Three powerful enemies remained. He absolutely couldn't let the Scarlet Monarch break free from the seal. Moreover, there were numerous World-Destroying Rank clans, including the most troublesome World Borer, which he had no time to deal with. This made every second in the Eternal Light World potentially life-threatening.
From the moment Su Xiao entered the Eternal Light World, things seemed smooth, but it was like walking a tightrope. One wrong step, and he would be doomed.
Just as Su Xiao was about to step out from behind the pillar, he noticed a notification appear. Since it wasn't very important, it was in the corner of his vision. Plus, his attention had been on the passing patrol squad, so he hadn't noticed it.
Opening it, Su Xiao understood what was happening. Because this area was one of the most dangerous super-dangerous zones in the world, the Void Tree had provided a team recruitment function.
Team recruitment didn't mean he could team up with other Contractors anytime. Instead, upon entering this area, the list on the World Contact Platform would change. In the list, all Contractors not in this area would have their codenames shown in gray, while those in this area would have their codenames shown in white and be placed higher on the list.
Checking the World Contact Platform, Su Xiao found that although he had only opened this area recently, many people had already come. It made sense. The world had been open for a while. Those who had been building up their strength had already broken through the 300-point attribute barrier and advanced to Absolute Strength Rank. People like Brother Ruthless, the Puppeteer, Black Demon, Demon Scythe · Tylid, and the Priest were certainly among them.
Among them, Black Demon made Su Xiao feel he should be more cautious. He and the chubby Black Demon were friends, but whether the chubby one was still there was uncertain. He even suspected that Black Demon might have both Abyss characteristics and Original Sin Object characteristics. Whether the other party was friend or foe would depend on the situation upon meeting.
By checking the list on the World Contact Platform, Su Xiao knew who had come. First, the three members of the Magic Soul Team. Their arrival wasn't surprising. Su Xiao had intercepted their mission earlier. If they had completed the final mission of the Scarlet Castle, they would likely trigger a related mission for the underground world.
Speaking of the Scarlet Castle mission, the minimum difficulty was Ninth Rank top-tier strength. Although the bosses in the castle were all Absolute Strength Rank, following the mission flow, they could find up to three Absolute Strength Rank helpers. If handled properly, the Beast of Reason on the third floor and the Scarlet Eldest Son on the fourth floor could even become allies.
Thus, the Magic Soul Team of three, plus five Absolute Strength Rank helpers, and using the method provided by the Mechanic Creator to dispel the Scarlet Mist in the bedchamber, would eventually have eight people fighting the City Lord's Wife without the Scarlet Mist. This was the most reasonable and easiest way to clear the Scarlet Castle.
Su Xiao, on the other hand, had maxed out the difficulty of this "dungeon" and then smashed through it. No wonder two of the five bosses in the Scarlet Castle had fled.
In fact, it was because Su Xiao was fast. The Scarlet Guard Captain on the first floor didn't have a chance to run. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already kicked into the wall.
As for the Scarlet Elder on the second floor, the old guy also wanted to run, but the Scarlet Guard Captain lost too quickly, leaving the Scarlet Elder no time to escape. By the time Su Xiao reached the second floor, the Scarlet Elder had no choice but to face him.
Seeing the Magic Soul Team of three here, Su Xiao contacted the Witch · Lilia among them. He had cooperated with her before and could arrange a meeting to see if she knew more about the Monarch's Treasure, given that she was a Causality-type Diviner.
Besides the Magic Soul Team, Black Demon and Demon Scythe · Tylid were also here. Su Xiao guessed that these two were hostile. Tylid was probably hunting Black Demon here. She would use her demon scythe to kill Abyss-type beings that harmed life. The chubby Black Demon wouldn't kill innocents, but Black Demon would.
Brother Ruthless and Xi'er's names were also white on the list, indicating they were here too. In the Wind Sea World, Brother Ruthless's operational skills had already been seen. This time, with a teammate, he would surely be even more capable.
Don't be fooled by Xi'er's identity as a Healing-type · Poison Milk. A long time ago, she was considered by many top Ninth Rank assassins to be the strongest assassin below Absolute Strength Rank, the face of the same-rank Assassination System. Although she didn't admit it and insisted she was a Healing-type.
Besides them, the most troublesome enemy, the Priest, had also come to this underground world. The Moon Witch, who had also come, was likely cooperating with the Priest. Su Xiao wasn't particularly wary of this Charm-type Violator.
The Priest's arrival made Su Xiao change his mind. As a "good teammate," he had to immediately rescue the Darkness Devourer and tell it the good news: its archenemy, the Priest, had arrived.
Just as Su Xiao thought of this, he sensed ripples appearing beside him. This wasn't a Spatial ability, but it somehow achieved remote movement through some principle. He looked toward where the ripples spread, and it was the Witch · Lilia.
Lilia was still dressed as a witch. Although her clothes weren't revealing, her lazy, voluptuous figure was captivating. As soon as she appeared, she looked puzzled and asked:
"Bai Ye, why haven't you gone to seize the Sacred Gem? Everyone who came to compete for the Monarch's Treasure has gone to seize it. The gem is in the Tyrant's palace."
Hearing this, Su Xiao looked confused. He hadn't heard that the Monarch's Treasure included the [Sacred Gem] and knew nothing about its properties.
Learning that Su Xiao hadn't heard of the [Sacred Gem], this time it was the Witch · Lilia who was surprised.
"If I could choose any treasure from the Monarch's Treasure, I would definitely choose this gem. It's a World Rank gem with a rating of 6000 points."
After hearing this, Su Xiao became very interested in the [Sacred Gem]. A World Rank gem with a full rating of 6000 points—such a treasure couldn't be missed.
Lilia's subsequent explanation gave Su Xiao a better understanding of the [Sacred Gem]. Although it was a gem, it wasn't for socketing. Instead, it was used on oneself. After use, the gem's effect would persist like a passive ability until the holder died, at which point the gem would detach and wait for the next holder.
As for the gem's effect, it was powerful: +30 points to Luck Attribute and an increase in Luck Attribute equal to twice the holder's Charm Attribute, with a maximum bonus of 200 points to Luck Attribute.
Upon hearing this effect, Su Xiao's interest in the gem vanished. As a rare World Rank · Full Rating gem, it only increased Luck by 3 points, and the subsequent attribute actually reduced Luck by 42 points. It was simply ridiculous.