Chapter 57: Massive Improvement
With the opening of the [Abyss Chest (★)], a fist-sized crystal core, entwined with black and white colors, appeared before Su Xiao.
The moment he saw this object, Su Xiao thought he had opened another Daddy-level Original Sin Object. Fortunately, the chest-opening prompt indicated otherwise.
Crack, crack, crack~
A crystal layer climbed up Su Xiao's right hand, reinforced with multiple sealing runes. As he held up the [Twisted Entanglement Core] with one hand, he confirmed that this thing was closely related to Daddy-level Original Sin Objects.
After careful observation, he even felt that two Daddy-level Original Sin Objects were entangled and coiled together, trying to destroy each other... no, "destroy" wasn't quite accurate for Original Sin Objects. They had no concept of death; it was more like being annihilated into eternal silence.
What exactly caused two Daddy-level Original Sin Objects to fall into eternal silence simultaneously? Su Xiao recalled the clash between the Frenzy of Mousheng and the Abyssal Jar. Both were extremely powerful, and neither could do much to the other. They could make each other pay a heavy price, but unless an extremely unlikely opportunity arose, neither could force the other into eternal silence.
Thinking further about the Soul Library, the Ancient One's existence was as ancient as the Void's anomalous beings. Coupled with the Soul Library's profound heritage from the Void's First Era to the present, even they could only resort to sealing Original Sin Objects. This showed how difficult it was to destroy them and send them into eternal silence.
Su Xiao held the [Twisted Entanglement Core] higher. The appearance of this object confirmed one thing: to make a Daddy-level Original Sin Object fall into eternal silence, the only feasible method was through another Daddy-level Original Sin Object.
Or rather, the existence of the [Book of Original Sin] was proof of this. Su Xiao never expected that the current [Book of Original Sin] alone could forcibly seal five Original Sin Objects. He used the "Collector" within it to seal the Necronomicon, Scarlet Scepter, Nether Bone Ring, and Soul Crown.
As for why the Necronomicon was also in this group, although Su Xiao occasionally cooperated with it, as the owner of the Law-Destruction Fortune and Hunter's Mark, there was a mutual disdain between him and the Necronomicon.
Under normal circumstances, after obtaining the Necronomicon, Su Xiao would be unable to resist the desire for power, open this human-skin book, gain strength through the bizarre knowledge recorded within, and gradually fall into its trap, becoming a slave to the Necronomicon and offering all his resources.
The current situation was that every Soul Coin Su Xiao obtained was under his complete control. Under such circumstances, the Necronomicon naturally had some mutual disdain for him.
Su Xiao always had a clear understanding of himself. He firmly believed that his ability to seal five Original Sin Objects was partly due to the Law-Destruction Fortune and Hunter's Mark, but the greater reason was that he wasn't tempted by the powerful strength the Original Sin Objects offered. That kind of power, though quickly obtained, always came at a price.
Su Xiao looked at the [Book of Original Sin] floating nearby. The five Original Sin forces—dead gray, ghostly green, dark gold, scarlet, and black-red—were almost bursting out, indicating that the [Twisted Entanglement Core] held immense allure for the five Original Sin Objects.
Thinking about it, there weren't many Daddy-level Original Sin Objects in an era. These two Light/Dark Daddy-level Original Sin Objects likely appeared at the beginning of the Void's First Era. What caused them to fall into eternal silence was difficult to investigate.
Having the [Book of Original Sin] devour the [Twisted Entanglement Core] was naturally the best choice. The problem was that the current [Book of Original Sin] didn't have that capability. Devouring the secondary Original Sin Object, the "Scroll of Misfortune," was its current limit.
And that was only possible with the half-dead "Scroll of Misfortune." For now, the [Book of Original Sin] was best suited to devouring the [Original Sin Core].
Keeping the [Twisted Entanglement Core] and waiting for the [Book of Original Sin] to become strong enough to devour it seemed like a good choice. The problem was that the "Collector" connected to the [Book of Original Sin] was already showing a strong desire to plunder. Without it maintaining balance, the other Original Sin Objects couldn't be sealed.
Now, it was a choice of one out of five. Giving the [Twisted Entanglement Core] to one of the five Original Sin Objects seemed like a good idea. Giving it to the "Collector" seemed like a decent choice, but the problem was that this would skyrocket the "Collector's" hoarding obsession to an unimaginable level, possibly to the point where it would immediately break free from the [Book of Original Sin]. At that level of hoarding obsession, trapping four Original Sin Objects would no longer satisfy the "Collector."
Su Xiao flipped the [Book of Original Sin] to the fifth page and pressed the [Twisted Entanglement Core] onto the Soul Crown depicted there. Compared to the other four Daddies with a danger level of 100, the Soul Crown, with a danger level of 99.5, was the best choice. After the Soul Crown devoured the [Twisted Entanglement Core], it would surely become a new Daddy-level entity.
Among the Original Sin Objects Su Xiao sealed, the "Collector," Necronomicon, Scarlet Scepter, and Nether Bone Ring all had a mutual check-and-balance relationship. Only the slightly inferior Soul Crown was excluded, making the "balance" of the [Book of Original Sin] very poor.
The Soul Crown's ascension to Daddy-level would raise Su Xiao's sealing threshold to Daddy-level. From then on, Original Sin Objects that didn't reach Daddy-level wouldn't be considered for sealing in the [Book of Original Sin], to avoid poor "balance" leading to skyrocketing sealing pressure.
Additionally, Su Xiao had another idea. After the five Original Sin Objects were sealed in the [Book of Original Sin], their situations were roughly similar. Now, the Soul Crown, which was at the bottom, had obtained the [Twisted Entanglement Core]. Would the four Daddies—the "Collector," Necronomicon, Scarlet Scepter, and Nether Bone Ring—be happy?
If these four Daddies weren't happy, they would naturally target Su Xiao. But if they could target him, they would have done so long ago. Since they couldn't get to Su Xiao, they would all gang up on the Soul Crown instead. This was within easy reach.
The Soul Crown was in the critical moment of absorbing the [Twisted Entanglement Core]. Even if it got beaten up by the "Collector" and the other three, it would have to endure it for now.
With the five Original Sin Objects each busy with their own affairs, Su Xiao's pressure from sealing them would drop to an unprecedented level. Assuming the previous sealing pressure was 2,000,000, it would temporarily drop to 5,000 to 10,000.
Another point was that the Soul Crown, while absorbing the massive "Primordial Original Sin Power" from the [Twisted Entanglement Core], was being pummeled by the other four Original Sin Objects. As a result, two to three-tenths of the "Primordial Original Sin Power" it absorbed would spill out. This spilled "Primordial Original Sin Power" would be absorbed by the [Book of Original Sin], strengthening it.
This scheme of stirring up discord was so wicked it was laughable, but it was definitely the best solution at the moment. It temporarily alleviated the sealing pressure and provided an epic boost to the [Book of Original Sin].
There were still two chests left: the [Scarlet Chest: Ling Yao] and the [Soul Mage Chest]. Additionally, Su Xiao had the [Directed Acquisition: Once] authority. This was a reward from the Dark Star World, where he completed the "Resource Mission: Space-Time Power Struggle," and had kept it until now.
Su Xiao originally planned to use it to open the "Scarlet Card: Gray Gentleman." But after careful consideration, he abandoned the idea. He always felt that Gray Gentleman might not be completely dead. His soul was likely inside this Scarlet Card.
This method was extremely vicious. Under the certification of Reincarnation Paradise, no method could destroy this Scarlet Card, as it was a reward/benefit. If the soul was inside, it achieved absolute safety.
Gray Gentleman's only miscalculation was that he never expected Su Xiao to have developed a shadow of doubt about opening Scarlet Cards at low ranks. Every time Su Xiao opened one with excitement, he got shoes, socks, shampoo, body wash, or various unexpected new adult products. Anyone would have a bad impression of Scarlet Cards.
In reality, this situation was very rare. After Su Xiao entered Reincarnation Paradise and experienced a trial world, he inherited the Law-Destruction Shadow system. The more serious problem was that he was the only Law Destroyer at the time, and all the Law-Destruction Fortune was on him.
Why did Su Xiao only feel his luck was bad in the mid-to-late stages? Because there was no comparison in the early stages. He didn't know Battle Angels like Mo Lei and Hao Mei, who were so lucky they made you want to punch them. Opening Scarlet Cards and getting items like from a general store was actually very rare.
Under normal circumstances, even if contractors deliberately put a bunch of disgusting, non-supernatural items in their storage spaces, not many were drawn out.
[You have begun opening the Soul Mage Chest.]
[You have obtained: Iron-Blooded Pact.]
[Iron-Blooded Pact]
Origin: Land of Omens (Severe Abyss Erosion Zone).
Category: Pact Item.
Durability: 1/1 point.
Effect: Upon activating this pact, you will sign a contract with the Iron-Blooded Hounds of the Land of Omens, gaining the qualification to summon them to fight for you. In return, after each battle, you must pay a strong heart (minimum Absolute Strong rank heart) as compensation for this battle. If the payment is not made, you will suffer severe backlash from the Iron-Blooded Hounds.
Contract Prerequisite: You must survive an attack from an Iron-Blooded Hound for 30 minutes, or kill one Iron-Blooded Hound once.
Note: Due to your -25 Charm attribute, you do not need to undergo this trial and are automatically recognized by all Iron-Blooded Hounds.
Note: Due to your powerful blood energy (personal aura), you have natural favorability and trust from the Iron-Blooded Hounds.
Favorability and Trust: Initial 78 points.
Introduction: Are you sure monsters of this size... are hounds?
Price: Can be sold, transferred, etc.
Being able to survive in a severely Abyss-eroded area and occupy a fixed territory, the combat power of the Iron-Blooded Hounds was unquestionable. In return, the cost of having them assist in battle was high, requiring an Absolute Strong heart each time. Su Xiao was very satisfied with this compensation.
This pact only required an Absolute Strong heart, without specifying the race of the Absolute Strong. In that case, by cultivating a powerful Demon Flame Dragon body through the base camp's insect nest and extracting its heart without injecting a soul, wasn't that also an Absolute Strong heart? And a rare dragon heart at that.
There was no Iron-Blooded Hound that couldn't be appeased with a dragon heart. If there was, give it two. If it still wasn't satisfied, no problem. The cost of cultivating a soulless, powerful Demon Flame Dragon body was minimal in terms of bio-energy. A dozen or twenty dragon hearts were a trivial matter.
From the attributes of this pact, the Iron-Blooded Hounds had some intelligence, but they were violent and cruel. That didn't matter. Imagine, after Su Xiao summoned the Iron-Blooded Hounds multiple times and paid generously each time, accepting his summons would undoubtedly be a good thing.
Profit breeds competition, and competition highlights strength. If Su Xiao summoned the Iron-Blooded Hounds often enough, only the strongest few would be qualified to be summoned by him.
This kind of mercenary-style summon was exactly what Su Xiao needed. When facing dangerous unknown environments, he never sent Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, or Beini to scout. They were followers who had accompanied him to this point.
As Su Xiao activated this pact, a dark red iron-blooded contract mark appeared before him. He pressed his hand onto it.
Boom!
Blood smoke exploded. A group of Iron-Blooded Hounds, with blurry forms and bloodshot eyes, surrounded Su Xiao in a semicircle, staring at him. After a few seconds, they restrained their ferocity. Both sides had an evil aura, and a preliminary test was enough.
Without a trial, and only a brief test, the Iron-Blooded Hounds retreated, acknowledging Su Xiao as the pact holder.
[You have mastered a new skill: Iron-Blooded Hound Summoning, X.]
[This skill cannot be improved by any means. As there is no possibility or necessity for improvement, this skill will not be included in your personal skill list.]
Su Xiao picked up the [Scarlet Chest: Ling Yao]. This chest had a rich story. It dated back to the Eternal Light World, where Ling Yao foolishly chased and tried to kill him, only to be killed by him. It seemed like random foolishness after Ling Yao's fate was devoured by the Platinum Apostle, but it was actually a long-planned scheme by the Platinum Apostle.
Through Su Xiao, the Hunter, the Platinum Apostle managed to bring an "uncertifiable item" from Ling Yao's storage space—something absolutely impossible to take out of the Eternal Light World—out of that world through Su Xiao's kill reward, the Scarlet Chest.
Previously in the Witch Realm, the Platinum Apostle wanted to retrieve this chest. That was the first official confrontation between Su Xiao and the Platinum Apostle. After witnessing Su Xiao summon a sea of demon insects, the Platinum Apostle temporarily suppressed the idea of seizing the [Scarlet Chest: Ling Yao].
[You have activated Directed Acquisition: Once (this authority can only be activated on kill-type chest rewards such as Scarlet Cards, Scarlet Chests, Blood Keys, etc.).]
[Activation Target: Scarlet Chest: Ling Yao.]
[All items in this chest will be displayed to you in a list. You may choose one as the reward from this chest.]
All of Ling Yao's equipment, and even skills, were displayed before Su Xiao. He scrolled down. When he reached the bottom, a blurry card appeared. This crystalline card seemed half-hidden in mist. If not carefully observed, it would likely be overlooked.
[You have selected ???]
[You have obtained ???.]
Although Su Xiao expected this reward to be special, he didn't expect it to be this strange. He tried to check the item's attributes.
[???]
Origin: Dawn?
Quality: Paradise...
Category: Permanent Enhancement Item.
Effect: ???
Introduction: Death, transcendence, or... the ultimate. Those who crave the limit, how could they refuse such a challenge and temptation.
Price: Untradeable, non-transferable, non-abandonable, cannot be stored in storage spaces below Rank 10 (Hunters can store this item in their storage space).
Warning: This is an uncertifiable Dawn Paradise characteristic item. The Hunter can choose to submit it or reach the ??? at the Dark Ruins of Dawn Paradise to use this item.
Note: With the Hunter's current authority, you can apply for certification from Reincarnation Paradise to view this item's standard mode attributes. However, after this certification, you must bind with this item within 10 minutes. After binding, you must use this item.
Inspection Result 1: This item only has "Paradise-level" certification restrictions and poses no usage risk (this description only includes the usage process).
Inspection Result 2: This is a positive reward characteristic item, unique to Dawn Paradise. Due to Dawn Paradise's current situation, you need to prepare 186,000 ounces of Space-Time Power to charge the device activated by this item to complete this enhancement.
Inspection Result 3: As you are a Hunter, after successfully using the ??? device to complete the enhancement, the ownership of this device will change. Reincarnation Paradise has a 50.95% chance of successfully re-certifying this high-level device, thereby obtaining its composition, manufacturing, and driving processes, adding a new high-authority enhancement facility to Reincarnation Paradise.
Note: Inspection shows that the Hunter's use of this item has a probability of bringing benefits to Reincarnation Paradise. If you successfully enter the Dark Ruins of Dawn Paradise and reach the storage location of this device, the 186,000 ounces of Space-Time Power you originally needed to pay will be borne by Reincarnation Paradise at 99.99%. You only need to pay a total of 18.6 ounces of Space-Time Power to activate this ??? high-level device.
Note: Before the Hunter's Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence attributes all reach 800 points, do not go to the storage location of this ??? high-level device at the Dark Ruins of Dawn Paradise.
This item contained a massive amount of information. However, upon seeing that it required all Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence attributes to reach over 800 points before it could be used, Su Xiao put it away.
Checking the remaining resources, the over 100 Soul Crystals made Su Xiao frown slightly. In the past, Soul Crystals were always insufficient. This time, Soul Coins were scarce, with only 3,270 left. After some thought, he decided to sell the profit share from the World of Paintings.
[Yes/No to sell the World of Paintings authority profit. You can sell this item through the following methods.]