Chapter: 128 Points of Golden Skill Points
...
Without any hesitation, Su Xiao chose the 128 points of Golden Skill Points. While the Eternal Rank set was certainly precious, it fell far short of the improvement that Golden Skill Points could bring.
Su Xiao had no interest in the subsequent exhibition matches. However, he finally understood why so many spectators came to watch the Golden Arena. It wasn't for the championship clash; even watching the battle between Su Xiao and the Fanatic on the big screen, the audience only felt shock and fear. On the other hand, the exhibition matches after the championship were particularly popular with the spectators—exciting and thrilling, yet not frightening to watch.
[You are about to return to the Witch Realm. Teleportation begins.]
When the sensation of teleportation faded, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Baha all returned to the workshop in the backyard of the Falling Star City·Lord's Mansion. Bubu Wang approached Su Xiao and sniffed him, only relaxing after confirming his injuries weren't severe. Bubu yawned and went to sleep.
Su Xiao sat down on a single sofa and checked his gains. This time, he had obtained a total of 255 points of Golden Skill Points. No wonder some said that participating in the Golden Arena was the single greatest opportunity in a lifetime to acquire Golden Skill Points.
A few meters away, Alanna was intently inscribing a runic array. When she noticed Su Xiao's gaze, she said, "Lord Bai Ye, you're back early? This sealing array still needs some time to stabilize, at most until tomorrow."
"No rush."
Su Xiao leaned back and closed his eyes to rest. After dealing with the Fanatic, how to deal with Black Hole·Azler gradually became clearer. Just then, Serin pushed open the door and entered.
"Mr. Bai Ye, the matter you entrusted to me is done."
Serin took out a photograph. In the photo was the Dancer·Fular, sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket covering her lower body. This was clearly the weakness of Black Hole·Azler.
"How did you capture her?"
Su Xiao put down the photo and looked at Serin. It wasn't his usual glance; he stared at her intently. This made Serin feel a chill in her heart, but she braced herself and replied, "Thanks to Alanna's diviner friend."
"Diviner..."
Su Xiao continued to stare at Serin. She finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Mr. Bai Ye, have I done something wrong recently? I've been very honest, I swear. I have no improper intentions toward the Dancer·Fular."
"Mm, I know. Lead the way."
Su Xiao stood up and walked out. He brought Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha along, and drove with Serin to a manor owned by the Serin family.
The night was deep. At nine o'clock that evening, the car stopped on the gravel path of the manor. Su Xiao, in the passenger seat, slightly raised his hand. Bubu Wang, in the driver's seat, understood his meaning and didn't get out.
Arriving at a two-story small building in the backyard, Su Xiao stopped in front of the door and told Amu and Baha to wait there. Serin, who wanted to enter as well, was also left behind.
Knock, knock, knock~
Su Xiao knocked on the door. After more than ten seconds, a low male voice came from inside. After seeing Serin behind Su Xiao through the peephole, the man inside opened the door. This was a member of the Serin family's inner circle.
Under the gloomy man's guidance, Su Xiao passed through the hallway, went through the living room, and arrived at the inner hall. The furnishings here were classical. A slightly frail beauty sat in a wheelchair. Behind her, on the wall, hung an oil painting of a white flower blooming on an animal carcass, symbolizing a tragic and loveless ending.
The two family members Serin had brought stood on either side of the Dancer·Fular, a few meters apart. Su Xiao stared at the gloomy man among them. His gaze was almost the same as when he had looked at Serin earlier, only more subtle. He stepped toward the Dancer·Fular. When he reached her, he made as if to speak—
Clang!
'Extreme Blade: World!'
This was Su Xiao's fastest attack. He only needed to place his hand on the sword hilt to unleash this ultimate move.
The flash points of the slash were densely distributed around. The two family members on either side of the Dancer·Fular were cut to pieces. Bloodstains quickly appeared on the Dancer·Fular herself.
Su Xiao stepped forward, his right hand covered in a layer of crystal. Using his palm as a blade, he thrust it vertically through the Dancer·Fular's neck.
Buzz!!
A buzzing sound rang in Su Xiao's ears. After a brief moment of dizziness, the double vision in his eyes gradually merged. He pulled his hand out of the Dancer·Fular's neck. The Dancer·Fular stared fixedly at Su Xiao. Even though she sat in the wheelchair, blood flowing from her mouth and nose, her aura was no longer that of a frail dancer with a broken leg.
This was Black Hole·Azler! One of the leaders of the Dark God Cult.
"Was it... the Fanatic... who betrayed... me?"
The Dancer·Fular's psychic power made the surrounding space crackle. The entire building twisted and rose from the ground, slowly floating.
In the end, the Dancer·Fular was an incomplete powerhouse. She only controlled the power of 'Dark Blood: Mind,' so after a while, she lowered her head and died. The building she was in landed, nearly collapsing.
[Prompt: You have killed the Dancer·Fular.]
[You have obtained 12.6% World Source.]
[You have obtained Eternal Rank Chest: Black Hole·50% (This chest can be synthesized).]
[Prompt: You have gathered all parts of this chest. Synthesis can be performed immediately.]
[You have obtained Dark Blood: Mind (Sealed, this is one of the power sources of Black Hole·Azler).]
...
Drip, drip~
Blood dripped from Su Xiao's right ear. He felt as if his brain had taken a heavy blow. Although he had killed the Dancer·Fular in one strike, the danger involved was by no means low.
As for why the Dancer·Fular was Black Hole·Azler, that story begins elsewhere.
The Dancer·Fular indeed lost her left leg because of the Moon Witch's successor, Star Witch·Yuria. The starlight from dozens of kilometers away had precisely hit Fular. This might have been a coincidence, or it might have been someone's manipulation.
After that, the Dancer·Fular felt the world was pitch black. When she was about to jump from a rooftop to end her life, she happened to witness Black Hole·Azler's massacre during her fall. She was then taken away by Black Hole·Azler, and the story of their love began.
In reality, this was a false version. The true story was real up to the point where the Dancer·Fular was about to end her life. As she fell, just before ending her life, everything suddenly stopped. She was drawn into the darkness and met her future teacher, the previous generation of Black Hole·Azler.
The true Black Hole·Azler needed not only to control 'Dark Blood: Mind' but also to possess the 'Abyss Contract.' Only then was the power system complete.
At that time, the previous generation of Black Hole·Azler, who was too old and beyond saving, urgently needed a successor. But finding someone who could simultaneously bear 'Dark Blood: Mind' and the 'Abyss Contract' was no easy task. After selecting many people, Black Hole·Azler only found a youth who could bear the 'Abyss Contract,' who would later become the Fanatic.
The previous generation of Black Hole·Azler had to take a different path. He passed his power to two people separately. The one with the talent to inherit 'Dark Blood: Mind' was naturally the Dancer·Fular.
How could such a coincidence exist in the world? A starlight from dozens of kilometers away hitting the Dancer·Fular in Falling Star City was deliberately orchestrated by the previous generation of Black Hole·Azler. He wanted to make this young dancer despair. Only by losing everything could one more easily fall into darkness.
Not long after, the previous generation of Black Hole·Azler died of old age. From then on, the cooperation between the Dancer·Fular and the Fanatic began. Fular was clever. She didn't want to give up the prestige left by the previous generation of Black Hole·Azler. Under her weaving, the story of the Dancer·Fular and Black Hole·Azler falling in love was born.
The essence of this was that if someone wanted to deal with Black Hole·Azler, the best choice was to find his weakness, the Dancer·Fular. After finding her, the first thing to do was to intimidate and interrogate the Dancer·Fular about where Black Hole·Azler was. The Dancer·Fular, who only controlled the power of 'Dark Blood: Mind,' feared nothing more than the enemy attacking without a word and killing her in one strike.
Thus, interrogating her was no different from suicide. As long as someone talked to her, they would have their cognition altered by her psychic power and be controlled by her.
Most of the rumors and intelligence about Black Hole·Azler in the outside world were fabricated by the Dancer·Fular. Even the half-photograph that the Witch Guild had obtained earlier was bait she had deliberately released.
The reason Su Xiao saw through the Dancer·Fular's identity was thanks to Zuiyasi's wife, Ona. Ona's 'Marrow Parasite' also altered others' cognition.
Whether it was Zuiyasi or Ona, Su Xiao had a life-and-death bond with this couple. Just as he had taught them how to identify deadly poisons targeting the Ancient God system, Ona had told him that those whose cognition had been altered would have slightly disharmonious mental fluctuations. By gathering soul energy in the eyes and carefully staring at the head of the altered person, one could see a special wave-like mental fluctuation.
Before the Fanatic died, Su Xiao had seen this special mental fluctuation. That was why he had stared at Serin earlier. As it turned out, Serin hadn't had her cognition altered. But when he arrived at the place where the Dancer·Fular was imprisoned, the two family members guarding her had been altered. Combined with the content of the Fanatic's kill prompt, these clues made the situation easy to judge.
The Dancer·Fular and the Fanatic were destined to have only the Fanatic stand in the open, giving the impression that the Fanatic was Black Hole·Azler's enforcer. In reality, both the Dancer·Fular and the Fanatic were considered Black Hole·Azler, and both hoped to become the true, complete Black Hole·Azler.
This was why the Fanatic participated in this Golden Arena. He wanted to use the massive amount of 'Golden Power' obtained from being the arena champion to defy fate, bearing the 'Abyss Contract' while also absorbing 'Dark Blood: Mind.' Even if it meant killing his beloved, the Dancer·Fular, the Fanatic was willing to do so.
The Dancer·Fular had been waiting for this moment to happen. She had long set up mental traps. The two mental traps were: first, the Fanatic would explode his soul when he was about to die; second, at the moment he successfully absorbed 'Dark Blood: Mind,' the Fanatic would mentally kill himself. Then, the Dancer·Fular, whose soul and consciousness had already been integrated into 'Dark Blood: Mind,' would take over the nest, becoming the true Black Hole·Azler.
Neither of them was perfect, and it was precisely because they each had flaws that they loved each other. Unfortunately, both craved perfection, even if it meant losing each other.
Black Hole·Azler was no longer just a person's name; it also represented a greedy and perfect mind.
Su Xiao took out the 'Astral Disk' and 'Dark Blood: Mind.' He used the 'Astral Disk' to absorb this portion of dark blood. A mission prompt appeared.
[Main Mission·Second Ring: Black Blood (Completed).]
[You have obtained Soul Chest (Opening yields 5 to 30 Soul Crystals).]
[You have obtained Commission Certificate (1/5. After gathering this Commission Certificate, you can claim 3.5 million Soul Coins, 100 Soul Essences, 1 Power Source Matter, and 1 Vitality Source Matter deposited with the Void Tree by the Night Temptation Witch Guild).]
[Main Mission·Third Ring (Triggered).]
[Main Mission·Third Ring: Old Friend.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.93~Lv.???
Mission Brief: Defeat or kill Sha, and seize the portion of Dark Blood she possesses (Dark Blood: Will).
Mission Time Limit: 8 natural days.
Mission Reward 1: Gem Box (Opening yields a random gem from White quality to Eternal Rank·Full Score).
Mission Reward 2: Commission Certificate (1/5...).
Mission Penalty: Forced Execution.
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