Chapter 9: Gains
The Book of Original Sin, which Xiao had been holding, returned to Su Xiao's hands. He placed the book on the table, his hands hovering over it as layers of sealing runes emerged, reinforcing the tome.
After getting to know Xiao, Su Xiao gained a deeper understanding of the Supreme Strong and learned one crucial thing: the "Supreme Peak" and the early, middle, and late stages of the Supreme rank were not the same concept.
A more straightforward way to put it is that Ranks One through Nine are actually the developmental phase. The Absolute Strong rank above Rank Nine is a buffer phase, a buffer before reaching the strongest echelon. This is why, even though both are Absolute Strong, the gap in combat power between Su Xiao and an ordinary Absolute Strong could be so exaggerated.
Advancing to the Supreme rank means officially reaching the peak echelon. However, this peak echelon has a wider range of combat power than the Absolute Strong rank. The gaps between a Newly Advanced Supreme, a Veteran Supreme, and a Top-Tier Supreme are considerable. As for the "Supreme Peak," it is the dream of ninety-nine percent of Supremes, yet it feels unattainable.
Not counting the Void's First Era, from the Void's Second Era to the present, the Supreme Peaks Su Xiao knows of are: Underworld God, Soul Master, Blade Demon, Immortal Elder, Deer God, Demon Hag, Spider Lady, and Moon Witch·Sesirix.
Whether there are other "Supreme Peaks" is unknown given Su Xiao's current intelligence channels. However, the above are the living "Supreme Peaks." If the deceased were included, there would be many familiar names, such as Green Gillian, Mawen Hua'erzi, the Old Law Destroyer, Star-Swallowing·Akas, Ximan·Aqide, Black·Moon Wolf·Hilaibuh, and Kaiser·Xiuna.
This is also why the Second Era is called the Law Destruction Era. At first glance, the Law Destruction Faction doesn't seem to have many people, but upon closer inspection, over half of the contemporary "Supreme Peaks" are here.
Corresponding these four echelons of Supreme with known powerhouses:
Newly Advanced Absolute Strong: Xiao, Sefeiliya, Blazing Sun Lord·Aishiluote.
Veteran Supreme: Witch Realm·President·Po. Yeen, Wind Sea Continent·Old Beast King (peak period), Feather Clan Chief, Star Clan Elder, Soul Clan Chief, an old immortal from the Holy Maiden Seat family.
Top-Tier Supreme: Grocery Brother·Suoensi (peak period, now severely declined in combat power), Eternal Light World·Four Giants (before being sealed in Eternal Light World), Demon Clan Chief.
Super·Top-Tier Supreme: Doom Star·Mother of the Night (about to reach Supreme Peak soon).
Supreme Peak: Underworld God, Soul Master, Blade Demon, Immortal Elder, Deer God, Demon Hag, Spider Lady, Moon Witch·Sesirix, Scarlet Lord·Eyixiu'er (before being sealed in Eternal Light).
...
Supreme Peak equals the pinnacle of power. This common knowledge persisted until the Second Era, before the appearance of the Supreme Being. Arcane Eternal Star's current glory is largely due to the Supreme Being's leadership.
Su Xiao is currently at the Absolute Strong rank, still separated from the Supreme Being by the Supreme rank. However, if he can find the "Sun Holy Emblem" on Blazing Sun Star this time, and then go to the Ancient Dragon Kingdom·Eboasi to obtain all the anomalies of the Sun God Clan and the Ancient Wyverns, he can use his most profound foundation to quickly pass through the accumulation phase of the Absolute Strong rank.
After tactfully confirming that Xiao really wasn't interested in becoming an Original Sin Object holder, Su Xiao regretfully put away the Book of Original Sin. To be honest, the pressure of sealing five Daddy Rank·Original Sin Objects was still immense.
The good news was that Xiao agreed to the previous bet. If Su Xiao could truly slay the "Distorted Beast God," who was an Undying, she would provide 500,000 Precipitated Glass. If Su Xiao failed, he would have to provide the secret medicine Xiao needed.
Under these circumstances, it was truly inappropriate to continue having Xiao deal with the "Distorted Beast God." Therefore, Su Xiao changed the assassination target to a Dark Scholar from the Great Library, named Rogeo. If the old monster from the Great Library had lived since the First Era, then Rogeo should have survived from the middle of the Second Era until now, barely clinging to life.
Although Rogeo's aura of decaying life force wasn't as strong as the old monster's, it far surpassed that of the other Dark Scholars in the Great Library.
The reason for eliminating this guy was his strong opposition to completely eradicating the Abyssal Spawn sealed in Twilight City. The reason was that Dark Scholar·Rogeo was currently the strongest expert in sealing arts within Twilight City. Therefore, the seals on the three Undying·Abyssal Spawn were maintained by him in the underground prison, reinforced about five to six times a year.
This meant that the resources needed for the seals, and their quantities, were all decided by this guy.
This wasn't just in Dark Scholar·Rogeo's own interest; it was the interest of the entire Great Library. The annual expenditure on reinforcing the Abyssal Spawn seals was paid by the Noble Faction, and it was an ever-increasing expense. According to the Noble Faction's finance officer, this expenditure accounted for 8% to 10% of the Noble Faction's annual income.
Not paying this money wasn't an option. Once those three Undying·Abyssal Spawn broke free, Twilight City would pay an even greater price.
This led to the situation where, when Su Xiao first arrived in Twilight City, he should have been ambushed. The pretext for slandering him was already prepared, but it was blocked by the Noble Faction led by Old Noble·Augustus. The subsequent negotiation with Su Xiao was conducted by Great Noble·Lucius. This actually contained a lot of information.
Looking at Twilight City, Great Noble·Lucius was a powerhouse second only to Blazing Sun Lord·Aishiluote and the old monster, at least on the surface. More "coincidentally," before Su Xiao even arrived in Twilight City, the hunting group under Great Noble·Lucius had been recalled.
The Noble Faction had reason to believe that the Undying·Abyssal Spawn that attacked during every Blood Night might have been lured by the Great Library using some insidious method. Decades ago, the Noble Faction had used a teleportation treasure left in the God Clan's treasury to banish six sealed Undying·Abyssal Spawn to an unknown location.
Yet, in just a few decades, Twilight City had sealed three more Undying·Abyssal Spawn. In contrast, the equally powerful Soul Academy and the Pantheon of Gods had each only sealed two Undying·Abyssal Spawn over a thousand years. No one would actively provoke these unkillable, extremely powerful, and insidious beings.
After reading the information on Dark Scholar·Rogeo, Xiao said calmly, "It's 10:45 now. I'll be back in half an hour. For lunch, no sweets..."
Xiao mainly outlined her taste preferences and a few foods she particularly detested, insisting on dining before 11:30. It seemed that assassinating a target of Dark Scholar·Rogeo's level was just routine for her.
Xiao was an assassin, but her aura wasn't gloomy or cold, just extremely difficult to perceive. In fact, this strongest assassin had a certain elegance and paid great attention to enjoying life. In her own words, she had too many enemies and might die any day, so she cherished every second she was still alive.
After instructing the waiting maid to prepare lunch, Su Xiao got up from the sofa. As he ascended the stairs to the second floor, he heard Bubu Wang's deep snoring. The entire second floor had been remodeled into a workshop resembling a painting studio. If anyone else dared to snore like that in a Scroll Master's workshop, given the Scroll Master's cold temper, they would have been kicked out long ago. But Bubu Wang not only wasn't kicked out, he even got some snacks.
The slightly hunched Scroll Master sat at his workbench. A mechanical loupe was embedded in his left eye, completely replacing its function. His four arms indicated he wasn't human. His graying, somewhat messy hair was tied into a thick braid. The long shoulder cape he wore was slightly tattered, sometimes obscuring his four arms.
"How is my old friend who runs the grocery store?"
"Dead."
Hearing this answer, the Scroll Master's hand paused. "Did he suffer?"
"Probably not easily. His twisted soul power expanded from within, and he finally burst."
"You Law Destroyers, can't you understand the pain of losing an old friend?"
The Scroll Master put down his rune-engraving pen and ran his rough index finger over the finished scroll surface.
"Even if the Soul Academy hadn't acted, I would have killed that old bug later."
"Oh? Even though he was my old friend, you wouldn't show any mercy?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't answer, but the Scroll Master already had his answer. He chuckled and said, "Who would have thought that the Corrosion Mage, who once controlled a large number of corrosive bugs without being eroded, would eventually become a corrosive bug himself, all to escape the end of life. I didn't come here because I owed a favor. I just wanted to see this world. Last time I was here, I painted a portrait oil painting of the first Sun King. Thinking back carefully, I'm also an old monster who wants to die but isn't quite willing to."
The Scroll Master spoke with a sense of emotion. Although he wasn't particularly powerful, he was a somewhat eccentric witness. He had witnessed the clash between the First Era's Sun and Ancient Dragons, and the Second Era's battle between Law Destroyers and Spellcasters.
Now, he had lived into the Third Era. However, the Scroll Master had lost many memories. It wasn't due to injury or anything; it was just that time was so long ago that unimportant memories had turned to bubbles.
Because the Scroll Master had lived for so long, almost all rumors and intelligence about him were inaccurate, leading to many versions of his deeds.
The real truth was that the Scroll Master had witnessed too much rise and fall. No, his true title wasn't Scroll Master, but Painter. Making scrolls was just a small hobby of his. Even if this small hobby ranked at the very top in its field, for the Painter, painting was what he was best at; everything else was just a small hobby.
Because of this, whether it was being imprisoned by the Scarlet Faction before or being semi-confined by Twilight City this time, the Painter didn't really care.
How long could the Scarlet Faction and Twilight City last? In his long life, the existence of these forces was but a drop in the ocean. He just needed to wait a while, and these forces that imprisoned or semi-confined him would gradually wither away under the baptism of time.
Moreover, his paintings required extremely rare pigments and canvases. Searching for them himself was time-consuming and laborious. By simply providing some casually made scrolls, these forces would respectfully help him find those extremely rare pigments and canvases. Why not?
Speaking of which, Rosa·Niye from the World of Paintings was also a Painter. She was one of the few warm tones in his long life. In a sense, she was his adopted daughter. But later, a great upheaval occurred in the World of Paintings, leading to Rosa·Niye's death. The Painter, sealed within the Eternal Light World, could only go along with this karma.
Fortunately, the Painter didn't forcefully interfere, which allowed the World of Paintings to produce Rosa·Niye's successor, Young Miss·Rosa·Aige.
In the last world progress, the mining team went to the new World of Paintings. Naturally, others couldn't meet Young Miss·Rosa·Aige, but Feihong, using the method Su Xiao had taught her, managed to see this Young Miss.
Under the Young Miss's cold but not hostile gaze, Feihong took a photo of her. The content was: the Young Miss sat on a high stool in front of an easel, her pale but slender fingers holding a paintbrush, painting an old knight clad in worn armor, wielding a large sword stained with black rust.
Su Xiao placed this photo on the table. The Painter's aged face showed no significant emotional fluctuation. He picked up the photo and said with a hint of nostalgia, "Is this little Niye's daughter?"
"Not exactly. There should be no blood relation, but the karmic bond is close."
"Oh, that's not bad."
The Painter stuck the photo onto a nearby display rack. He continued, "You came to me this time for a method to slay the Undying?"
"Yes."
"There is a method, but it requires some rare materials that are hard to obtain. The most difficult is the World Ink..."
Before the Painter could finish, Su Xiao took out a sealed bottle containing World Ink.
"It also requires a soul that doesn't belong to this world but is sufficiently special..."
As the Painter said this, Su Xiao took out the [Witch·Dark Crow Soul], a gain from challenging the Greed Chapter. Speaking of which, the [World Ink (World-Class Item)] was also obtained from defeating the Soul Manifestation·Trace King·Luximan.
"Plus a Curio with protective properties, preferably one that protects against the environment..."
Hearing this, Su Xiao took out the [Polar Day·Protection Stone]. He had originally thought this was for dealing with the Eternal Light World's daytime environment, but upon arriving there, he found a type of Protection Stone that wasn't too hard to obtain. So, this special Protection Stone had been kept until now.
The fact that he could produce whatever was needed made the Painter look at him. He simply wrote a list. The list contained over a hundred items. The Painter's implication was that it was unlikely to gather all the materials immediately. He wouldn't leave recently and would wait for Su Xiao to collect these items.
"Wait a moment."
Su Xiao took out a Soul Coin and flicked it with a *ding*. As it fell, it was caught by Kaisa, who was wearing the Abyssal Jar. In a state of unity with the jar and driven by greed, Kaisa could instantly appear anywhere in a world.
"My dear friend, what does Kaisa need to do?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak but handed the list of items the Painter needed to Kaisa. Kaisa scratched his head and ears, looking troubled. "These materials are a bit hard to get."
"300 ounces of Space-Time Power."
"My dear friend, it's not a matter of Space-Time Power~"
"500."
"I'll find a way to gather them as soon as possible."
"800."
Hearing this, Kaisa vanished on the spot. Ten minutes later, he reappeared, carrying a large cloth bag. "My dear friend, check if anything is missing."
This astonishing efficiency surprised even the Painter for a moment. After he checked the various materials Kaisa had procured, Su Xiao and Kaisa were kicked out of the studio. During this time, Su Xiao mentioned the payment for the Painter, but the Painter refused, saying that the photo Su Xiao had brought was the best reward for him.
Going downstairs, Su Xiao turned his head, and Kaisa had vanished into thin air. He arrived at the dining room and found Xiao already enjoying her lunch. Baha on his shoulder asked, "Lady Xiao, is the target eliminated?"
Xiao didn't speak, just continued enjoying her meal leisurely. As a top-tier assassin, she had professional ethics and never discussed work during meals. After the meal, Xiao took out a black book.
The book had an evil, nauseating aura. Su Xiao opened the cover, which was covered in black tentacles. Inside was a heart embedded in a decayed page, and it had stopped beating.
This was naturally Dark Scholar·Rogeo's heart. Su Xiao closed the book and had Amu dispose of it. He looked at Xiao.
"Dark Archbishop·Berheva."
Indeed, Su Xiao's second assassination target was actually an ally from the underground city alliance. This guy had defected to the Noble Faction as soon as he arrived in Twilight City, acting as if he wasn't familiar with the Law Destroyer·Bai Ye, only having exchanged a few words. This approach was very Dark God Cult.
In Su Xiao's view, Dark Archbishop·Berheva siding with the Noble Faction was normal. The problem was, if Su Xiao showed no reaction, the higher-ups of the Noble Faction would start having many thoughts. Twilight City was like a dark forest; showing any weakness would cause the wolves and beasts to swarm.
This was why Su Xiao had previously chosen the former noble·Albers as a cultivation target, allowing him to gradually gain power in the inner city. Previously, Dark Archbishop·Berheva acted as an intermediary, connecting Albers with the various great nobles. Now that was no longer needed. Albers directly acted as Su Xiao's agent in Twilight City, negotiating with Old Noble·Augustus.
If Dark Archbishop·Berheva had only defected to the Noble Faction, Su Xiao wouldn't have commissioned Xiao to kill him. The main issue was that this guy had started trying to contact the Archbishop of the Abyss. This had to be dealt with quickly.
In fact, deliberately revealing to him that the Archbishop of the Abyss was in this world was precisely to test his attitude, to avoid being misled by a few words when the Archbishop of the Abyss eventually came knocking.
Another issue was that having Xiao eliminate Dark Archbishop·Berheva seemed like overkill. However, the aftermath of this would surely lead to a full investigation by the Noble Faction. At that time, Su Xiao would have Bubu Wang subtly leave some traces of Xiao's assassination, letting the Noble Faction know that a Supreme-level assassin was cooperating with Su Xiao.
Under these circumstances, if the Twilight City nobles tried any tricks later, Su Xiao could have Bubu Wang, while blending into the environment, visit those troublesome nobles and make them realize that an invisible infiltrator had entered their residence. Their first thought would undoubtedly be that they were about to be assassinated by a Supreme-level assassin, instantly maxing out their psychological pressure.
In other words, by simply assassinating a Dark Archbishop·Berheva, Su Xiao could upgrade the "Lady Xiao Assassination Experience Card·1 Use Remaining" to a "Pseudo·Lady Xiao Assassination Experience Card·Unlimited Use."
[Tip: Your "Demon Devouring Constitution" has been activated.]
The Blade Demon Spirit had finished converting the "Undying·Abyssal Spawn Origin Energy" within the blade into Demon Spirit Source Matter. After Su Xiao took 50%, he and the Demon Spirit began absorbing this Demon Spirit Source Matter. Half an hour later, a prompt appeared.
[All your potential limit ranks have been permanently increased by +1.]
[Your Abyss Resistance has been permanently increased by +1 point.]
[The Blade Demon Spirit's Demon Spirit Strength has increased by 30 points.]
[Your Law-Destroying Blade·Dragon-Slaying Flash's durability has increased by 20 points, and sharpness by 30 points.]
...
The gains from devouring the "Undying·Abyssal Spawn Origin Energy" were substantial. Su Xiao checked his own data, scrolling down to find "All Potential Limit Ranks +37." To reach 800 points in the four main attributes of Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence, he first needed to achieve "All Potential Limit Ranks +45"; otherwise, the improvement of his physical attributes would stagnate.
Currently, the Demon Spirit Strength had reached 590 points, not yet at the point of losing control. With his current Soul Strength of 1130 points, as long as the Demon Spirit Strength was below 660 points, it was within the stable range. As for the secret method Green Gillian mentioned that could further suppress the Blade Demon Spirit, it was truly hard to describe.
Able to devour the Origin Energy of Abyssal Spawn again, Su Xiao contacted Old Noble·Augustus. The other party's attitude was quite enthusiastic, asking Su Xiao to wait a moment, as someone would visit him shortly.
Half an hour later, the door was knocked. Amu opened it to see Great Noble·Lucius, who had changed out of his battle armor and into noble attire. As the leader of the hunting group, even in noble clothes, Lucius gave off a sense of oppression. However, he was all smiles this time.
The reason was that Old Noble·Augustus had decreed that if the three Abyssal Spawn in the lowest level of the underground prison were successfully eliminated, 70% of the annual funds previously used to seal these Abyssal Spawn would become the year-end allocation for the hunting group.
The hunting group, which spent long years exploring the Dark Zone, lacked two things: first, people, specifically a constant influx of excellent new members; second, money. Exploring the Dark Zone was not only dangerous but also required a large amount of various supplies, such as medicine, high-quality weapons, and special armor.
Great Noble·Lucius was indeed young and promising, but when facing Old Noble·Augustus, the right-hand man of the Blazing Sun Lord, he had to put aside all arrogance. Moreover, Lucius deeply respected this leader of the Noble Faction.
Another point was that the allocation amount promised by Lord Augustus was six times the hunting group's current annual allocation. Therefore, to show sincerity and avoid offending the important guest with his rough words, Lucius dragged his sister along. So, his sister·Delona, dressed in a noble gown and looking quite displeased, stood beside him.
After his brother patted her back and threatened with his eyes that if she didn't perform well, the expensive gem necklace she had her eye on in the shop window would be lost to her, Delona put on a "sweet" smile. But because she was unwilling, she looked like she was being forced to work.
"Hello, I'm here to help willingly. Feel free to boss me around."
The slacker girl·Delona spoke. Because she was so listless, her brother patted her back again.
"My brother didn't force me to come. Really."
The slacker girl·Delona had a look of utter despair on her face. The Legion Commander·Lucius, who faced Abyssal creatures without changing expression, could only smile awkwardly at this moment.
Su Xiao brought Bubu Wang and Baha, and the group set off. After taking a car to District 3, Legion Commander·Lucius entered a steel factory. Passing through a workshop dense with steam and machinery covered in greasy stains, the group descended to the third basement level and took an elevator.
The elevator descended for at least ten minutes before gradually stopping. The pneumatic door in front opened with a *puff*, and a squad of fully armed guards blocked the way.
Lucius presented the relevant documents, but the guard captain tore them up and threw them at Lucius's chest, indicating that the underground prison was under the jurisdiction of the Great Library, and Old Noble·Augustus's approval was useless here.
"Big brother, step aside."
The slacker girl·Delona stepped forward. Just as the guards thought she was going to act, she sighed and sat down on the ground in defeat, looking like a salted fish who had given up.
An imperceptible wave spread silently. After just a few seconds of standoff, half of the guards also sat down on the ground, sighing in despair. One young man who had recently broken up with his girlfriend even covered his face and cried.
A particularly negative atmosphere permeated the area. The instigator, slacker girl·Delona, got up from the ground. "Let's go. They don't want to deal with us anymore."
This was the slacker girl·Delona's ability. It didn't have a specific name; it could be called the Slacker Aura. When she activated her ability, all targets within her range that she considered hostile would fall into a state of severe negativity and confusion.
This ability was innate and couldn't be improved through training; it only grew stronger as Delona aged.
This ability was actually very powerful. Its origin was that the previous Legion Commander of the hunting group, Delona and Lucius's father, had spent the first half of his life exploring the Dark Zone, encountering too much darkness and abyss. Once severely injured, he later passed the position of Legion Commander to his eldest son after exploring the Dark Zone, a move that was also highly acclaimed within the hunting group.
So far, nothing was strange. The key point was that shortly after this Legion Commander returned to Twilight City, his third wife became pregnant. Years ago, the chief physician at the Soul Academy had diagnosed that this lady was infertile.
After a subsequent diagnosis, the third lady was found to be perfectly normal. It was precisely because everything was normal that the Legion Commander's family secretly worried. Over ten months later, the third lady finally gave birth. After that, news about this matter abruptly ceased. It was only several years later that Delona's birth was announced very discreetly.
One theory was that the old Legion Commander had brought back some evil spirit from the Dark Zone, and Delona was the reincarnation of that evil spirit. Consequently, the entire family was very wary of the slacker girl·Delona. Only her brother, whenever he returned to Twilight City, would forcibly drag her out of the manor to let her wander outside, rather than staying cooped up in the backyard of the family estate.
In the corridor of the underground prison, the slacker girl·Delona walked at the front. The effect of her negative aura became more pronounced. Along the way, prisoners in cells began hanging themselves with their sheets, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
Taking the elevator at the innermost part of the underground prison's first level, the group arrived at the lowest level. A thick metal door blocked the way. Beyond this sealed door was the area where the three Abyssal Spawn were sealed.
"Everyone, step back."
Legion Commander·Lucius rolled his neck and shoulders. His aura surged, and his physical strength increased dozens of times in an instant. He delivered a straight kick.
Su Xiao was about to warn him, but Legion Commander·Lucius was too fast. This sealed door couldn't be kicked. Based on Su Xiao's rich experience in kicking doors and his advanced sealing knowledge, he could tell at a glance that this door had a force-resonance structure.
Boom!!
An explosion echoed, and wind pressure surged. Legion Commander·Lucius maintained his single-leg kicking posture. The sealed door in front of him rippled for a moment before settling.
"Brother, it didn't open."
The slacker girl·Delona moved to support her brother, who was still holding his kicking pose. Legion Commander·Lucius said, "Don't move. It's broken. Let me rest for a few seconds."
After a moment, Legion Commander·Lucius lowered his foot and let out a long breath. Then, he personally witnessed Su Xiao take out a crystal, smash it against the sealed door with a *crack*. The layers of sealing runes on the door flickered and disappeared. Su Xiao then pressed a mechanism beside the door, and the sealed door slowly opened.
The atmosphere froze for a few seconds. The slacker girl·Delona turned her head, holding back a laugh.
Mist billowed from the front. Su Xiao, having drawn his longsword with one hand, stepped into the mist. Dark blue smoke gradually climbed up his right arm and the blade.
After a brief silence, a soul-shaking roar came from within, followed by rumbling sounds. Nearly an hour later, silence returned from inside.
Bang!
A huge blood beast claw pressed against the side door frame. The dark, iron-sand-like attachments on it gradually evaporated, and the massive blood beast claw also dissipated.
A few seconds later, Su Xiao emerged from the fading mist. The blue gleam in his eyes caused the slacker girl·Delona's eyes to instantly turn pitch black, as if the power hidden within her was about to be awakened. But after a moment, the blackness in her eyes quickly receded.
Su Xiao didn't delve into the slacker girl·Delona's secret. He controlled the Demon Spirit to devour the three Abyssal Spawn one after another. Even though they had been sealed to their weakest state, he still needed a moment to rest.
Returning to the Painter's residence, Legion Commander·Lucius left a Void Tree-certified Soul Coin savings card and left with his sister.
[You have received a savings card with a limit of 1,500,000 Soul Coins.]
A large sum of Soul Coins was obtained, along with a slight increase in the completion progress of the "Abyss Mission·Gift of Death." Compared to these, Su Xiao just wanted to rest for a while. He leaned back in a single sofa to rest. When the setting sun shone in from the horizon, Bubu Wang nudged his leg.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, indicating that the Painter had finished creating the secret treasure.
Checking the time, Su Xiao decided to set off immediately for the "God Banishment Ground" to deal with the Distorted Beast God. His two good teammates had already left for that place. As for the Nature Maiden·Elukulu, her exact whereabouts were unknown for now, but she should also be in the "God Banishment Ground."
Su Xiao went upstairs to the studio and found that the Painter was nowhere to be seen. On the workbench lay a scroll. This was clearly the secret treasure the Painter had created. Opening it, he found it looked more like a scroll-sized painting. On the blank canvas, there was a ring in the center. It looked simple at first glance, but if the ring were magnified, it would be seen to be composed of billions of tiny runes.
[You have obtained the Boundary Ring.]
[Boundary Ring]
Origin: Blazing Sun Star·Painter.
Quality: World-Class.
Category: Painting/Curio/Equipment.
Durability: 30/30 points.
Equipment Requirement: Shadow of Law Destruction·Kukulin Bai Ye (Met).
Equipment Effect: Boundary Expansion (Active), expands a world domain with a diameter of 1000 meters, lasting 60 minutes.
Equipment Trait: Gradual Withering (Passive), this equipment cannot be repaired by any method.
Introduction: This is... a wondrous world within a painting.
Price: Can be sold, transferred, etc.
...
The effect of this equipment was simple: it expanded a 1000-meter world domain with no additional buffs. What did this have to do with slaying the Undying? The answer was that the Undying's "Undying Concept" was that it absolutely could not be killed within Blazing Sun Star.
When the [Boundary Ring]'s world domain was expanded, this area temporarily ceased to be part of Blazing Sun Star, becoming an independent small world. It was like blowing a bubble in seawater. Even if this small world had nothing and only lasted 60 minutes, within this small world, the Undying's "Undying Concept" would become invalid.
The [Boundary Ring] could be used a total of 30 times, more than enough to deal with the powerful enemies on Blazing Sun Star.
Everything was ready. It was time to go to the "God Banishment Ground" and usher in a bountiful harvest from this world. First, there were many Distorted Gods in the "God Banishment Ground." They were powerful and in a frenzied state. In return, killing these Distorted Gods would yield multiple benefits for Su Xiao.