Chapter 8: Formidable Enemy
Regarding the contract demands from the high-level officials of Twilight City, Su Xiao and Wood firmly opposed. How could they be required to sign a contract just for acting as representatives of Twilight City to retrieve the "Sun Source Stones"? Therefore, the two asked Zuiyasi to help relay a message, informing the high-level officials of Twilight City that signing a contract was impossible. However, the high-level officials of Twilight City were uncompromising on this matter. The reason was their worry that if the team retrieved the "Sun Source Stones," they might not hand them over to Twilight City. Hence, their attitude toward signing the contract was particularly resolute.
Seeing the high-level officials of Twilight City so determined, Su Xiao and Wood had no choice but to "reluctantly compromise." Both parties agreed to sign the contract the next morning in the Council Hall of the inner city. Their actions rendered the series of statements made by the Daughter of Nature, Elukelu, unreliable. For instance, the rumors outside claimed that Su Xiao and Wood were "Contract Masters" and that signing a contract with them would come with certain costs. The high-level officials of Twilight City indeed did not know the rumors from the myriad realms, but they personally experienced the attitudes of Su Xiao and Wood. How could a Contract Master be so resistant to signing a contract? Even if it were a feigned refusal, it wouldn't be taken to this extent.
This is one of the greatest weaknesses of human nature: people tend to instinctively doubt cooperation that comes to them proactively. Conversely, if they have to work hard to obtain it, they harbor no doubt and instead rush to finalize it. The high-ranking noble responsible for this matter clearly fell into this thinking trap. By the next morning, Su Xiao, Zuiyasi, and Wood boarded an extremely luxurious carriage heading to the inner city. Such carriages were generally only used within the inner city because the outer city was too vast.
At 8 a.m., the carriage stopped in front of the Council Hall in the inner city. The spacious grounds were paved with yellowish-brown stone slabs, the fountain in the pond creating a splashing sound. At the center of the grounds stood a tall sculpture—a figure wearing a crown, both hands resting on the hilt of a great sword, with a long beard tied up and clad in battle armor. This was the first Sun King, the one who led the Sun God Clan to its peak. The confrontation between the Sun King and the Ancient Dragon King was the pinnacle of the First Era, and records of it are now rare. Su Xiao did not know the Sun King's ultimate fate, but the Ancient Dragon King, also known as the Ancient King, likely lost to the Sun King; otherwise, he wouldn't have later appeared in the Witch Realm.
Apart from the royal palace in the central district, the Council Hall in the inner city was essentially the power center of Twilight City. It housed over a dozen councilors, all high-ranking nobles from the inner city. Of course, if the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot, stepped forward, these nobles would have to bow their heads in submission. However, the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot, residing in the central district's royal palace, rarely made an appearance for years.
This also meant that the officials of Twilight City usually worked on the second to tenth floors of the Council Hall. They were the ones who frequented this place, while the high-ranking nobles only showed up for important meetings.
As Su Xiao and the others alighted from the carriage, a woman with an unremarkable appearance but a capable demeanor approached and asked, "Are you the three here to sign the contract?" For this type of negotiation, Wood naturally took the lead. Dressed in a dark purple suit, Wood shook hands with her politely. After preliminary negotiations, the two chatted and laughed as they walked into the Council Hall. During this time, the capable woman named Bedia didn't forget to explain the day's contract details to Su Xiao and Zuiyasi.
As an ordinary person, Bedia possessed no charm abilities or high charm attributes, yet interacting with her gave a sense of relaxation and comfort. Presumably, working under a high-ranking noble required such strengths. Speaking of which, who among the three good teammates stepped forward for negotiations depended on the person they were dealing with. For a socialite like Bedia, it was Wood. If the other party was unscrupulous and prone to reneging, it was Zuiyasi. If the other party was impossible to negotiate with, it was naturally Su Xiao.
Zuiyasi and Wood tried their best to keep Su Xiao from stepping in because, after negotiating with him, it was uncertain whether the other party would still be breathing.
Guided by Bedia, Su Xiao and the others arrived at a small meeting room inside the Council Hall. Someone was already seated there—the Daughter of Nature, Elukelu. Her long, light red hair was half-tied, and the color change reflected her mood: deep red when angry, light gold when happy, light black when downcast, light blue when murderous, dark blue when intensely murderous, and milky white when confused.
At first glance, the Daughter of Nature, Elukelu, appeared merely somewhat pretty, not breathtakingly beautiful. However, as one spent time with her, she seemed increasingly charming—a feeling that couldn't be described by mere appearance but rather as seeing the most beautiful face imaginable.
Yet, such unparalleled beauty did not stir Su Xiao's heart. His approach to enemies was clear: given the chance, he would definitely kill them with one slash. Even hesitating for 0.1 seconds would be a mistake.
Why did the Daughter of Nature, Elukelu, join the Twilight City team? The answer was that she didn't want to. This time, Arcane Eternal Star sent two groups: one of over a hundred spellcasters led by Soul Lord, and the other consisting solely of Elukelu.
The two groups had different goals. Soul Lord's group aimed to eliminate Su Xiao, the greatest current threat to Arcane Eternal Star, while Elukelu's objective was a treasure of Blazing Sun Star called the "Dark Moon Ring." The "Dark Moon Ring" was not in the Southern Continent but located in the "Ancient High Tower" northwest of the Northern Continent's underground city. The problem was that going alone to the "Ancient High Tower" to obtain the "Dark Moon Ring" had a very low success rate, and traveling with other Arcane Eternal Star absolute powerhouses would attract unnecessary attention and trouble.
The high-level officials of Arcane Eternal Star knew the contractors of various paradises all too well. Once these contractors discovered that Arcane Eternal Star had sent a team of powerhouses, they would immediately target them and look for opportunities to swoop in. Thus, when Su Xiao and Kaiser fabricated the news that Blazing Sun Star had an "Origin Stone: World," Arcane Eternal Star also benefited. They had actually wanted to come to Blazing Sun Star for a long time and even had the power to destroy this world—it was a question of whether it was worth it. From the era of Law Annihilation to the present, the number of absolute powerhouses and supreme powerhouses in Arcane Eternal Star seemed not to have increased.
This was highly unreasonable. On Arcane Eternal Star, spellcasters poured massive resources into the "Zhongshi Academy." In the past, 70% of the output from Prosperous Star and the Black Maple Tree was devoured by the "Zhongshi Academy." It was precisely this unfathomable foundation that forced all major forces in the void, including the Demon Clan and the Feather Clan, to bow to Arcane Eternal Star's dominance.
Another point: the number of powerhouses a faction possessed directly affected its fortune. The most direct manifestation of this was how it dealt with daddy-level Original Sin Objects. Previously, when Su Xiao gave Original Sin Objects to the Sea Clan, their clan's fortune nearly collapsed. As a result, the Sea King now had a decent personal relationship with Su Xiao. If there were any friction in future matters, Su Xiao would find it hard to directly send Original Sin Objects. In contrast, Arcane Eternal Star had received all of Su Xiao's Original Sin Objects except the Scarlet Scepter. Although Arcane Eternal Star seemed to wear a pained expression, their fortune didn't nearly crack. This could only mean that the number of powerhouses in Arcane Eternal Star was far more terrifying than imagined.
Presumably, if the hidden strength of Arcane Eternal Star weren't strong enough, the major forces in the void would have long united to destroy them. The increasingly severe Abyss invasion in the void was the fault of the spellcasters. Arcane Eternal Star didn't choose to openly attack Blazing Sun Star for the "Dark Moon Ring"—not because they dared not, but because of a cost-benefit analysis. This time, many people entered Blazing Sun Star, forcing the world's three major forces to temporarily tolerate the influx of outsiders, which naturally became Arcane Eternal Star's best opportunity.
To put it more clearly, Soul Lord brought people to besiege Su Xiao, while the independently acting Elukelu was responsible for obtaining the "Dark Moon Ring." Elukelu's optimal solution was to join the Twilight City team. Among the enemies the team would later face were the High Tower Knight Commander, and this was the second boss to be dealt with right after the first boss, the Aberrant Beast God.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Elukelu was the first to join the team, and to her surprise, the subsequent members included the enemy of her faction, a Law Destroyer, along with his two accomplices.
Now, the contract was signed. Either she breached it or she maneuvered around the Law Destroyer, Bai Ye. As for the idea of solo-killing a Law Destroyer of the same rank, as an elemental spellcaster, Elukelu would never be so foolish. Conversely, if Elukelu could maneuver until Soul Lord entered this world, using her position as a coordinate, Soul Lord would find it easier to hunt down Su Xiao—or even instantly soul-transmit to her side. At that point, a supreme top-tier against an absolute powerhouse would be a certain kill.
As an elemental spellcaster, Elukelu possessed the best survival abilities among her peers. Additionally, she carried one of Arcane Eternal Star's treasures, the "Golden Law Ring," the strongest life-saving treasure among their artifacts. From this perspective, Elukelu's choice to stay in the team and maneuver against Su Xiao was quite reasonable. If Soul Lord later succeeded in killing Su Xiao, she could then proceed to the "Ancient High Tower" to secure the secondary objective, the "Dark Moon Ring."
Regarding the "Dark Moon Ring's" function, it could to some extent suppress the opening of Abyss passages. Presumably, the increasingly severe situation of the uncloseable Abyss passage in the void's Green Wetlands had prompted Arcane Eternal Star to target this legendary treasure.
The meeting room door opened, and a man in a black cloak and dark silver battle armor walked in. His gaze was somewhat gloomy, indicating he didn't want to participate in today's affairs but was forced to attend due to constraints from other parties. This man was named Luciwa, a hereditary high-ranking noble. Unlike other nobles, he was the combat powerhouse among them, with strength at the top tier of absolute powerhouses. This gave him a considerable status among the cunning old foxes of the nobility. More importantly, he was the legion commander of the Hunter Group.
Across Blazing Sun Star, aside from the Old Guardians composed of Sun Knights, the Hunter Group had the strongest combat power. This legion roamed outside the city year-round, and astonishingly, they entered the "Lightless Zone" annually. Having explored the "Lightless Zone" over 60 times, the legion's members needed large-scale replenishment each year. Yet, this didn't stop the Hunter Group and their legion commander, Luciwa, from their conviction to explore the "Lightless Zone."
Powerhouses like Luciwa believed that inheriting the "Blazing Sun Blood" was no longer the best way to maintain Twilight City. Instead, they needed to address the root issue: the "Lightless Zone," which continuously emitted Abyss energy. Only by solving the persistent Abyss energy invasion could Blazing Sun Star gradually restore its former glory. No one in Twilight City denied Luciwa's view. A recognized fact was that within this world's Sun faction, the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot, was the strongest, followed by Luciwa.
More importantly, Luciwa's soldiers differed from the city guards who gained power through "Beast Hearts." Although Luciwa's soldiers also gained power through "Beast Hearts," they frequently explored the "Lightless Zone," making fighting monsters a daily routine.
Luciwa, who rarely returned to Twilight City for rest, was now dragged into the schemes of the old foxes, naturally in a bad mood. However, as he sat down, he suddenly sensed something off about the person opposite him. For a moment, Luciwa felt he wasn't in Twilight City but in the Abyss mist of the Lightless Zone, facing a massive, looming blood beast.
At that moment, Luciwa's complaints about the old fellows lessened. After locking eyes with Su Xiao for a few seconds, he pulled out a flat metal flask, unscrewed it, and was about to drink when a hand covered it.
"Just yesterday, the doctor told you not to drink for the next month... Lord Luciwa." The socialite, Bedia, spoke with a smile. Due to the authority of his childhood sweetheart and the wife who bore him a son and a daughter, the legion commander Luciwa, who had faced Su Xiao's blood aura with a cold gaze, silently screwed the flask shut and tucked it back into his bosom.
"Here's the contract. If there's nothing wrong, you two sign it. Of course, you don't have to. I suggest you don't—those old fellows are all troublesome." Luciwa, brought out as a scapegoat, didn't care whether Su Xiao and Wood signed the contract. Su Xiao picked up the contract and quickly noticed something off. It seemed Twilight City had a contract expert, but their skill level was lacking.
Using the data comparison of the paradise factions:
Su Xiao: Contract Master lv.96.
Wood: Contract Master lv.96.
Twilight City Contract Expert: Contract Specialization lv.45.
Su Xiao picked up the contract pen and wrote "Law Destroyer Kukulin Bai Ye" on it. No one noticed that the contract, while maintaining its thickness, had become 59 layers. Wood took the contract pen, seemingly reading its contents, tapping the pen tip on the table beside him. Simultaneously, the contract parchment, now subtly transformed into 59 layers, began to change its properties.
"Contract... signed." After writing his name on the contract, Wood spoke his catchphrase. Almost simultaneously, on the 58 layers beneath the surface, each bore the signatures of several cunning high-ranking nobles. This contract was drafted by these nobles, and now Wood's contract causality spread naturally implicated the nobles hiding behind the scenes.
The contract parchment lay quietly on the table. Wood pushed it aside. Zuiyasi had signed it yesterday, so it should naturally be shown to him now. However, Zuiyasi didn't intend to touch the contract—in fact, he didn't even want to look at it again, fearing that a single glance might inexplicably bind him to several contracts.
It wasn't that Zuiyasi was overly cautious; he had considerable trust in his two "good teammates'" contract abilities. Before meeting them, he occasionally used contract parchment with binding power. Now, every time he saw contract parchment, he felt it might suddenly split into dozens of layers.
"You two actually agreed to sign this contract. Should I call you reckless or courageous?" Luciwa frowned, feeling something was off.
Hearing this, Zuiyasi glanced at the contract on the table. He had never felt his two "good teammates" possessed courage. These two disappeared quickly when danger arose. Instead, he felt the high-level officials of Twilight City were the truly courageous ones.
"Never mind. Everyone has their own choices." Luciwa stood up, leaving his wife Bedia as his representative. He himself went to rest, having spent two months deep in the Lightless Zone without a moment's sleep.
"Since everyone has signed the contract, prepare to head to the 'God Exile Land.' If the intelligence is correct, your first formidable enemy is there." Bedia took out four maps, giving one each to Su Xiao, Zuiyasi, Wood, and Elukelu. After studying the Southern Continent map for a moment, Su Xiao asked, "Where is the Scroll Master?"
"Mr. Bai Ye, what do you mean?" Bedia looked puzzled, as if she truly didn't understand.
"Find someone who can make decisions to negotiate with me."
"Alright, please wait a few minutes." Bedia instantly switched between feigning ignorance and being informed. She continued, "Everyone, on behalf of the old nobles of Twilight City, we have arranged a temporary residence and a feast for you. Please follow me."
The old nobles Bedia referred to were one of Twilight City's three factions. However, compared to the old nobles, Su Xiao preferred to cooperate with the Great Library. The reason was that the Great Library and the monarch faction controlled by the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot, were somewhat hostile, which might be exploitable.
The meeting room was left with only Su Xiao. He leaned back and meditated. Suddenly, a dark, thick perception came from his right. He opened his eyes and looked in that direction. Several kilometers away stood a large bell tower—the location of the Great Library.
Gazing at the distant bell tower, Su Xiao's intention to cooperate with the Great Library sharply decreased. Compared to cooperating with a sage fallen into the Abyss, he preferred to scheme with the cunning old foxes of the noble faction. At least the latter's judgment wouldn't be compromised.
Although it was only a distant perception through meditation, Su Xiao had gained a preliminary understanding of the Abyss energy studied by the Great Library. They were dealing with a type of "Abnormal Abyss Energy"—dark, filthy, and pervasive like viscous black liquid. More importantly, the decaying aura within the bell tower suggested multiple escapes from death, surviving in an ugly manner, with the stench of corrupted life force. It seemed the blind sage of the Great Library was not, as rumored, someone who took over a hundred years ago.
It was highly possible that this ultimate ancient undying was from the era of the first Sun King—a monster surviving from the void's First Era to the present.
Tap, tap, tap—the sound of a cane occasionally hitting the ground came. The door opened, and an elderly man with a slightly hunched back, dressed in luxurious yet somewhat old-fashioned clothes, entered the room. He was clean and dignified but, unlike other nobles, seemed frugal in his daily life.
A person's attire and demeanor could be disguised, but not their aura. This representative figure of the noble faction, the old noble Augustus, exuded only fatigue. Seeing this high-ranking noble and combining it with the aura of the old monster in the bell tower, Su Xiao deduced that the intelligence given earlier by the Dark Bishop, Berhwa, in the underground city was inaccurate. The situation in Twilight City was not as complicated as expected.
The factions here were indeed three, but it was more like a covert struggle between the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot, and the old monster of the Great Library. As for the old nobles, rumored to be neutral, they actually fully supported the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot. In fact, the soul figure of the nobles, the old noble Augustus, was the most trusted confidant of the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot. The Blazing Sun Lord trusted only two people: the current leader of the Sun Warriors and the old noble Augustus.
The relationship between the Blazing Sun Lord and the old monster was complex. They were covert enemies, but the monarch faction couldn't do without the power gained through "Beast Hearts," and the Great Library held the core of this secret art. Strangely, the Great Library dared not openly provoke the monarch faction. Without the monarch faction defending Twilight City, the Great Library's destruction was only a matter of time.
"Mr. Bai Ye, this old man has a feeling that you will bring a different outcome to Twilight City—whether good or bad, I don't know. I'm not a prophet." The old noble Augustus, with a face full of wrinkles and age spots, spoke. His seemingly cloudy eyes actually held wisdom that made the dark scholars of the Great Library extremely wary.
"Let me clarify one thing: we did not imprison the Scroll Master. He came here by appointment, but his old friend wasn't worth it. Those arrogant fools couldn't understand what the Sun God Clan sacrificed for this world." The old noble Augustus showed some anger but then smiled like a kind old man and continued, "Since those fools are all dead, we have no reason to keep the Scroll Master from leaving, nor to prevent him from meeting his old friend."
The old noble Augustus was stating his stance. Why lower his attitude from the start? Naturally, there was a purpose.
"Thank you." Su Xiao naturally understood the implication of the noble opposite him and gave him a way out. With this opening, the old noble Augustus said, "A verbal thanks isn't as good as some practical action." He stroked the gem on his cane with his thumb—a gift from the Blazing Sun Lord, Ashrot, which he treasured.
"I've heard a legend that Law Destroyers can slay the immortal Abyss Spawn. I wonder if this legend is true?" The old noble Augustus's phrasing was quite skillful, using a legendary rumor to replace the fact that he had set up informants in the underground city. No one liked being watched by hidden informants, and since the negotiations were going smoothly, blindly showcasing the strength of one's intelligence network would only cause displeasure.
"Perhaps it's just a rumor." Su Xiao naturally wouldn't immediately admit that he could slay Abyss Spawn. To demand a high price in a deal, feigning ignorance was a tried-and-true tactic.
"In my opinion, Bai Ye, you can do it. I've also heard that after Law Destroyers slay Abyss Spawn, they can strengthen themselves. Deep in the underground prison of Twilight City, three Abyss Spawn are sealed. I think Bai Ye shouldn't miss this opportunity to enhance himself." The old noble Augustus's words were wonderfully phrased. It sounded like he was asking Su Xiao for a favor, but it came across as Twilight City providing Su Xiao with an opportunity to grow stronger. In this situation, how could Su Xiao still ask for compensation?
"There is indeed such a claim." Su Xiao's response made the old noble Augustus's cloudy eyes brighten slightly. He realized that this young Law Destroyer was not easy to deal with. This retreat to advance left him waiting to hear what the other party would say next.
"For a talented Law Destroyer, devouring the source energy of Abyss Spawn can indeed strengthen oneself. But I am clearly not exceptionally talented. I'm just a Soul Severing Shadow who needs to slowly transform the source energy of Abyss Spawn using a Devouring Core." If Green Gillian had been present when Su Xiao said this, she would have gritted her teeth and punched him in the chest hard enough to break a few ribs.
"Although I can't help you slay those three Abyss Spawn, I have some achievements in sealing and can provide assistance in that area." Su Xiao's words made the old noble Augustus across the table smile and shake his head. But he couldn't directly dismiss Su Xiao's face, as he still hoped for his help in slaying Abyss Spawn. So he politely asked, "Assistance in sealing? How would you prove your expertise in sealing?"
The old noble Augustus probably didn't realize he had fallen into Su Xiao's trap. It wasn't that this old fox wasn't cunning enough, but the trap Su Xiao had set was beyond the cognition of any intelligent being.
"Can I prove it with this Book of Original Sin? I've used it to seal five Original Sin Objects." "?" The old noble Augustus was instantly stunned. In his long life, this was the first time he had such an expression. Especially since Twilight City had one Original Sin Object, he understood better than anyone how absurd, outrageous, and inconceivable it was to seal five Original Sin Objects. As for whether this was boasting, the "Book of Original Sin" placed on the table was the best proof—undeniable by anyone.
But a fox was still a fox. The old noble Augustus quickly accepted this reality-shattering situation. His smile became even more kind, and he casually stroked the gem on his cane with his thumb, signaling the several absolute powerhouses hiding in the shadows and the over a thousand inner city guards outside to retreat. Surrounding Su Xiao here? Absolutely not! In the old noble Augustus's current judgment, he had decided one thing: this Law Destroyer could die anywhere but not in Twilight City!
From then on, the old noble Augustus's negotiations became noticeably less hypocritical and more sincere and kind. In the end, both parties agreed that for each Abyss Spawn Su Xiao helped Twilight City slay, the noble faction would pay 500,000 Soul Coins. Since this world had been isolated from the outside for too long, they had no Soul Coins? That wasn't a big problem. Su Xiao introduced Kaiser to the old noble Augustus. If Twilight City didn't have Soul Coins, didn't they have secret treasures? Selling them to Kaiser, who often carried large amounts of Soul Coins, would solve the issue.
Calculating this way, Su Xiao would earn about 600,000 to 700,000 Soul Coins for each Abyss Spawn he helped Twilight City slay. As for Twilight City trading with others for Soul Coins, that was unlikely. Arcane Eternal Star hadn't entered yet, and contractors, hunters, and battle angels—who among them would have so many Soul Coins in their storage space upon entering a world?
To put it vividly, the combined Soul Coins of dozens of contractors at this stage couldn't even reach 200,000. Moreover, killing enemies in this world yielded Sun Gold Coins, not Soul Coins, further reducing the contractors' channels for earning Soul Coins. Su Xiao's eventual hostility with Twilight City in the later stages of this world was almost inevitable, so naturally, he wanted to extract as many benefits as possible now.
However, Su Xiao had already instructed Kaiser to hold back a bit. For subsequent transactions with the Soul Academy and various divine cults, Kaiser could go all out, letting these two factions experience the infamous fraudster's prowess.
For now, Su Xiao couldn't yet help Twilight City slay Abyss Spawn. The Demon Spirit in the underground city hadn't finished absorbing the "Immortal Abyss Spawn Source Energy." Checking its progress, it would likely be completed in a few more hours.
Su Xiao left the Council Hall and headed to the manor where the Scroll Master was staying. He wanted to ask if the other party had thought of a way to slay the immortals.
...
God Exile Land, Edge Area.
A scorching wind howled past. This was an endless Gobi desert. Traveling here felt like being melted by the blazing sun above. The rocks, melted like candles on the ground, indicated that prolonged exposure to the sun here would indeed cause one's body to melt like a candle.
Several figures were moving across the Gobi desert. They were the "big brain" trio: Tyrant, Immortal Brother, and Star Devourer. This big brain team represented the Soul Academy, meaning their first formidable enemy was the Bloodthirsty Beast. However, there was a problem: where was the Bloodthirsty Beast located?
Actually, compared to the Bloodthirsty Beast's location, the big brain team had a more serious issue. Tyrant, Immortal Brother, and Star Devourer each held a map of the "God Exile Land." What made their heads buzz was that the three had split up for a while and hadn't bought maps from the same place. Thus, the maps in their hands looked completely unrelated, and none of them trusted the others.
Because the maps were different, they had already fought. Star Devourer was bruised and swollen, Immortal Brother had tissues stuffed in both nostrils, and Tyrant only had a black eye—clearly, the heaviest hitter had won.
"We seem to be lost," said Star Devourer, who had an absolute IQ advantage in the big brain team.
"Impossible. The path I chose couldn't possibly be wrong." Tyrant glared at Star Devourer, then looked around. It seemed he also felt he had bought a fake map. He took off his big shoe and threw it up, deciding to use the most luck-dependent method: throwing the shoe to choose a direction.
Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows, the three arbiters—the "three scumbags"—were tasked with secretly assisting the big brain team in overcoming each formidable enemy. Kaiser was fine, having experienced many troubles, but Toad and Rat were already dominated by the big brain team's intelligence, wearing pained expressions.
What made Toad and Rat even more incredulous was that after Tyrant threw his shoe all afternoon, they actually encountered a major boss: a thousand-meter-tall towering tree. However, this wasn't the big brain team's target. They were here for the Bloodthirsty Beast, while this powerful boss was the target of the Priest team—the Tree King.
Half an hour later, Tyrant, Immortal Brother, and Star Devourer were all peacefully hanging upside down from the tree's branches. If their survival abilities weren't extremely strong, they would have been wiped out. The Tree King's strength far exceeded expectations. This major boss, faced at the start, had combat power at the peak tier of absolute powerhouses.
To be more precise, this major boss had true strength, stamina, and intelligence attributes all at 800 points, along with a plethora of X-rank abilities. It was much harder to deal with than anticipated. Its absurd strength came from a permanent Abyss system buff called "Sun Distorted Nourishment," similar to a passive ability. As long as it was within this world and the sun was in the sky, the Tree King was extremely powerful.
Additionally, its other core ability made it immune to swarm tactics. This was why Blazing Sun City, despite having a large number of pseudo-absolute powerhouse combatants, wouldn't easily provoke this entity. As for even stronger supreme powerhouses, in most cases, having them temporarily avoid confrontation came at a very high cost—one that was becoming hard to bear.
Attempting to deal with the Tree King at night was not feasible. At night, it gained a permanent Abyss system buff called "Blood Moon Empowerment," making it an immortal. The difficulty of killing it was maxed out. It was better to deal with it during the day when it could be killed.
The miserable state of Tyrant, Immortal Brother, and Star Devourer fell into the eyes of the Priest trio hiding in the shadows. The three exchanged glances and decided to change targets. The three major bosses of the "God Exile Land"—the Tree King, the Bloodthirsty Beast, and the Aberrant Beast God—had no fixed requirement for which specific team had to face which starting boss.
The Priest trio quietly left and headed to the area of the "Aberrant Beast God." An hour later, they returned to the Tree King's area and decided to face this one instead. The reason was that the "Aberrant Beast God" was even more troublesome.
The Tree King only had immortal characteristics at night, whereas the "Aberrant Beast God" had immortal characteristics both day and night, along with an absurdly long skill list. The "Aberrant Beast God" had a core ability: each time it killed a formidable enemy, it would devour them and steal one of their abilities. A chaotic skill system would normally reduce combat power, but it had an ability where the more skills it had, the stronger its physical attacks powered by force characteristics became.
This meant that although the "Aberrant Beast God's" true strength attribute appeared to be 800 points, under the enhancement of thousands of skills, it possessed earth-shattering, terrifying power. An immortal with such terrifying power—no wonder the Priest trio didn't want to face this major boss.
From the strength of the "Tree King" and the "Aberrant Beast God," one could imagine the power of the Bloodthirsty Beast, which was on par with them. It was now clear why the various teams previously sent by the world's three major forces had been so thoroughly crushed.
Meanwhile, on a wasteland burning with ethereal flames dozens of kilometers away, Xiao gazed at the "Aberrant Beast God" sitting on a pile of bones, tall and tearing at monster flesh. She fell silent for a moment, then ultimately decided not to attack this immortal.
She took out a list with three names: Aberrant Beast God, High Tower Knight Commander, and Soul Lord. She had already seen the Aberrant Beast God. If the High Tower Knight Commander was even harder to deal with, the difficulty was unimaginable.
When she first received this assassination list from Su Xiao, Xiao only felt the last target was unreliable. Now, it seemed none of the assassination targets on this list were reliable. This assassination commission was as hellish as it gets.
Xiao watched the "Aberrant Beast God" tearing and chewing monster flesh for a while, pondered for a few seconds, then turned and left. She decided to go back and ask the employer to change the first assassination target. She was an assassin. She could accept a powerful target, but not one that was fundamentally unkillable.
Meanwhile, in the inner city of Twilight City, within a scenic mansion—the Scroll Master's residence in the inner city—Su Xiao sat on the living room sofa, glanced at the time, and wondered why Xiao hadn't returned yet. Could she really be attempting to assassinate the "Aberrant Beast God"? According to Twilight City's intelligence, it was an immortal. This newly ascended supreme-level strongest assassin probably wouldn't be so foolish as to try assassinating an immortal, would she?
Space rippled nearby, and Xiao appeared, clad in her gray-white feather cloak. As soon as she appeared, she said bluntly, "You can't give me a target that can't be killed."
"Who said that beast god can't be killed?" Baha, perched on Su Xiao's shoulder, spoke, unleashing its full "taunt skill." This made Xiao frown and say, "It's an immortal. As long as it's on Blazing Sun Star, it can't be killed. I tested it with an immortal that could only shuffle around in decay—no way to kill it."
"Then how about a bet? If we slay that beast god, you pay us 500,000 Precipitated Glass. If we fail, my boss immediately provides the secret medicine you need." Baha's proposal tempted Xiao. For others, 500,000 Precipitated Glass was impossible to produce, but don't forget, over half of the Hunter Guild's commissions paid in Precipitated Glass. As one of the Hunter Guild's representative figures, Xiao had naturally accumulated a large amount.
In terms of wealth in Precipitated Glass, Xiao was undoubtedly in the top tier of the void's myriad realms. So, for her, 500,000 Precipitated Glass wasn't an exceptionally huge expense. However, Xiao didn't immediately agree because she felt a strong sense of being fleeced. But the problem was, between dealing with the beast god and being fleeced, she could only choose one. Frowning slightly, she asked, "What do you need so much Precipitated Glass for?"
"To buy more 'Original Sin Cores' and use them to upgrade my Book of Original Sin." Su Xiao didn't hide his intentions. In fact, there was no need to hide matters concerning the Book of Original Sin. No one would attempt to steal daddy-level Original Sin Objects. If someone did, please immediately tell Su Xiao where that person was. No need for them to go through the trouble of stealing—what if something happened on the way? The Dawn Team would deliver directly. Five Original Sin Objects, take your pick. The prerequisite was having a tough enough life.
To date, Su Xiao had never encountered—no, never even heard of—any such destined person.
"What is the Book of Original Sin?" Xiao asked with a puzzled expression. Su Xiao didn't speak. He took out the Book of Original Sin, and the next second, it appeared in Xiao's hands. Xiao was instantly stunned.
"I see you have an affinity with Original Sin Objects. How about choosing one that suits you? I have a friend who can get along with Original Sin Objects... ahem, coexist harmoniously with them." Su Xiao's rare kind attitude didn't win Xiao over. Holding the Book of Original Sin with one hand, she didn't dare act rashly while staring intently at Su Xiao. If looks could kill, Su Xiao would have been stabbed several times.
Meeting Xiao's murderous gaze, Su Xiao couldn't help but lament the decline of human kindness. He was so kind as to offer her a "treasure," yet all he got in return was a fierce, angry glare.