Chapter 47: Luck
Obtaining the World Core of this world did not cause any changes, not even a related notification. Seeing this, Su Xiao stored the World Core of this world away.
[You have slain the Divine Incarnation.]
[You have obtained 60,000 Sun Gold Coins.]
[You have obtained 31.56% World Source.]
[You have obtained 8 Golden Skill Points.]
[You have obtained an Eternal Grade Chest: Divine Beings.]
[You have obtained a Source Matter Chest (has a chance to drop upon defeating a powerful enemy).]
[You have obtained a Corrupted Divine Bloodstone (Source of Filth/Sealed Object).]
...
[Corrupted Divine Bloodstone]
Origin: First Era · Heart of the Divine Beings.
Category: Source of Filth / Sealed Object.
Effect 1: This Divine Bloodstone can be used to forge a weapon. This weapon will inflict high-intensity erosion and contamination effects on Divine System units, excluding Ancient Gods. Divine System units struck by this weapon will have their Divine Blood and Divine Soul infected with "Divine Corruption," leading to subsequent berserking, mutation, death, etc.
Effect 2: This item can be sacrificed to the "Lord of the Old Days," resulting in benefits/death. The final outcome will be determined by your method of sacrifice.
Warning: This item is a highly contaminated/erosive substance. Without corresponding sealing methods, do not touch or hold this item for extended periods.
Introduction: A strange substance born from the decayed Divine Blood of the Old Gods. It must be preserved in a proper manner; otherwise, it will bring great calamity to its owner.
Selling Price: -100,000 Soul Coins (this is the sealing fee).
...
This item was quite special. If he sold it to Reincarnation Paradise after returning, he would have to pay 10,000 Soul Coins out of pocket. Moreover, holding this item for a long time would subject him to erosion.
Su Xiao's inner feelings remained completely calm. He took out a charcoal box, released it, and let it float before him. He held his hands in a grasping gesture around the charcoal box, and strands of Spirit Shadow Threads emerged at his fingertips, rapidly winding around the box.
This was his greatest advantage in Sealcraft. Other seal masters needed to use "physical mediums" to achieve sealing, while he only needed to use Spirit Shadow Threads as that medium. Although Spirit Shadow Threads were composed of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, thanks to the "Proud Song" ability, they could exist in a state between "energy body" and "physical entity."
Seal masters chose "physical mediums" precisely because they couldn't find a medium that existed between "energy body" and "physical entity" while achieving a control rate of over 65%. It wasn't that no materials existed between "energy body" and "physical entity," but none could reach this control rate. Among such materials, the highest known control rate was 53.66%.
As for Su Xiao's Spirit Shadow Threads, he had 100% absolute control, after all, this ability was initially developed to suture his own internal organ damage, and later reached the level of suturing at the cellular level.
Why were seal masters so fixated on materials between "energy body" and "physical entity"? This was because the final result of a sealing medium was to transform into a sealing rune. Compared to "energy bodies," physical substances, when transformed into sealing runes, were inferior in terms of ductility, conductivity, and most importantly, stability and toughness.
To put it in more relatable terms, if you wanted to form a pattern on a water cup, the effect of laser engraving would far surpass that of sticking a sticker on it. Especially over time, stickers tend to peel off, curl at the edges, etc.
For sealing runes, the fusion compatibility between the "physical medium" and the "sealing container" was a crucial point. Therefore, some expert seal masters, in order to achieve higher fusion compatibility between the "physical medium" and the "sealing container," would even choose a "sealing container" with slightly lower strength to accommodate the "physical medium," thereby achieving higher fusion and completing the seal.
This might seem like cutting corners, but it was actually the difference between 10 (medium strength) + 10 (container strength) = 20 (final seal strength) and 10 (medium strength) × 5 (container strength) = 50 (final seal strength).
Spirit Shadow Threads, existing between "energy body" and "physical entity" with 100% controllability, were the dream-level "medium" for all seal masters.
This was also why Su Xiao's Sealcraft progressed so rapidly. Seal masters spent 70% of their time on the selection, creation, exploration, and application of "physical mediums" and "sealing containers," whereas he, thanks to the Law Destroyer inheritance, skipped this step entirely.
When Su Xiao chose a "sealing container," he didn't consider fusion compatibility with the medium at all. As long as the material was sturdy enough and had good sealing, anti-penetration, anti-erosion, and anti-leaching properties, it could be used to make a "sealing container." Hence, his idea of using "Uvakala Metal," also known as "Dark Gold," to forge a sealing container.
Su Xiao held his hands in a grasping gesture. Strands of Spirit Shadow Threads wrapped around the charcoal box, successively transforming into layers of seals. After 10 seconds, a total of 18,500 layers of seals enveloped the charcoal box, which didn't look bloated, as if it were merely coated in a layer of amber.
His Sealcraft had improved again. To be safe, Su Xiao took out the "Book of Original Sin" and sealed the [Corrupted Divine Bloodstone] on the eighth page.
Having dealt with this last remnant from the Divine Incarnation, Su Xiao leaped onto the dragon's back. His injuries caused pain throughout his body, so he sat cross-legged on the dragon's back.
It had to be said, the riding experience on the Storm Flame Dragon was far better than on Barbatos. Sitting on Barbatos's back was like sitting on a rough rock surface. In contrast, sitting on the Storm Flame Dragon's back, the dark blue feathers weren't exactly soft, but they could be considered comfortable.
He wondered if Barbatos had found out that Su Xiao often summoned the Storm Flame Dragon but rarely summoned him. Last time Barbatos saw the Storm Flame Dragon, the look in his eyes from the height difference clearly said: 'Kid, you better watch yourself from now on.'
Controlling the Storm Flame Dragon to lower its flight altitude, they approached the head area of the World Giant. The Giant Brother, lying on the ground, tried to get up but failed. Golden light particles scattered from his body, and the life flame at his core gradually extinguished, indicating the Giant Brother was on his last legs.
"Uvagu, Pulong (Giant language)."
After saying this, the light in the Giant Brother's eyes faded. Su Xiao could understand this Giant phrase; the other was saying: 'Friend, farewell.'
Having fulfilled all his wishes and finally able to rest in peace, the Giant Brother's body gradually broke apart and scattered. With a bang, the Golden Force erupted. Then, the World Giant's Giant Heart dried up, contracted, and turned into a seed the size of a fist. Upon contact with the Golden Force, this seed began to take root, burrowing deep into the earth. Soon, it connected with the earth's veins and grew into a small sapling.
This sapling grew rapidly. After a few minutes, it became a thousand-meter-tall giant tree. This was a World Tree.
This seemed to suggest that every World Tree ever seen was once a Golden Giant who had guarded the world. Regrettably, the Golden Giants, also known as the World Giant race, were cursed with "Fate Severance" during the First Era when they fought against the Divine Beings. "Fate Severance" meant that the World Giant race lost the possibility of reincarnation.
The population of the World Giant race was actually very difficult to expand. Every World Giant, upon death, would transform into a World Tree. The World Tree would grow by absorbing the World Force of its world. When it became tall enough, a World Giant would be nurtured within the World Tree's trunk. Generally, one World Tree would nurture only one World Giant, rarely two simultaneously, and extremely rarely three.
Therefore, the World Giant race had always been few in number. This was perhaps the price for World Giants being so powerful upon reaching adulthood.
To this day, no World Giant had ever become a heinous criminal. The birth of a World Giant absorbed a large amount of World Force from its world. It seemed to be a cycle: after being born and reaching adulthood, the World Giant would silently watch over its world for many years until it slowly aged and transformed back into a World Tree.
In a high-tier world, if you killed the World Child, as long as you were strong enough to withstand the world's backlash, it would be fine. But if you killed the World Giant of that world, then brace yourself. The world's consciousness of that world, if not unendingly hostile, would strike you with World Lightning until its World Force was depleted, and it would drastically reduce the killer's Luck Attribute within that world.
The terrible curse cast by the Divine Beings before their departure prevented World Trees from nurturing World Giants any longer. The only hope now was the World Tree in the Elf Kingdom, maintained by the little elves using "Space-Time Power." But even that World Tree's ability to eventually nurture a World Giant was uncertain.
Below, centered around the World Tree, the land that had been barren due to the battle's aftermath was gradually covered with flowers and grass. Within just over ten minutes, the scene before them was full of vitality.
Su Xiao gave the Storm Flame Dragon a mental command to patrol. Soon, a sacrificial ground appeared below. The entire Dead City had been leveled, with only this sacrificial ground, surrounded by a tree wall, remaining intact.
He had the Storm Flame Dragon lower its altitude. Shortly after, Su Xiao arrived at the entrance of the sacrificial ground. The circular tree wall ahead was several hundred meters high, seemingly formed by intertwined roots. The entrance showed traces of dark erosion and decay, turning the originally arched doorway into an irregular shape. This place was the "Ancient Dragon Sacrificial Ground."
The reason Su Xiao knew of this place's existence traced back to when he delved into the Dark Moon Nightmare, reached the "Moon Altar," and encountered a Whisperer there. The other party had given him key mission information and a gradually dissipating "Ancient Dragon Mark."
Although Su Xiao had successfully received this first ring mission named "Mark," he found that the mission's certifying party was the Void Tree. With his -??? Void Tree Reputation, the subsequent mission completion rate was very pessimistic.
When doing missions, one had to be flexible. Su Xiao's Void Tree Reputation was indeed very low, but he could find a few teammates to raise the team's average Void Tree Reputation, thereby achieving a high mission completion rate. After inviting Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei, this plan succeeded.
Furthermore, Su Xiao had jumped this mission from the first ring all the way to the final stage, and during each ring, he achieved a high completion rate. Now, finally at the last ring, it was time to reap the rewards.
[Side Mission · Final Stage · Ancient Dragon Sacrificial Ground.]
Mission Certifying Party: Void Tree.
Mission Level: Lv.95.
Danger Level: Lv.89.
Mission Brief: Go to Dead City · Ancient Dragon Sacrificial Ground and slay the Ancient Wyvern.
Mission Time Limit: Before the end of this world progression (due to this mission's characteristics, there is no judgment related to mission completion speed).
Mission Reward: Upon completion, rewards will be settled based on the accumulated mission completion rate.
Current Accumulated Mission Completion Rate: 830% (total accumulated from the first to the third ring).
Failure Penalty: None.
...
Su Xiao contacted Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei. After the three requested a spatial coordinate, they quickly arrived.
The spatial fluctuations subsided, and Molei, Yueshitu, and Hao Mei appeared. The smiles on Molei and Hao Mei's faces suddenly froze, and Yueshitu turned to run back into the teleportation channel but was caught by Molei.
Why were the Apocalypse Sisters so shocked? It was because the overwhelming amount of Apocalypse Paradise blood-red notifications made them numb. The Apocalypse Sisters were currently in the late middle stages of the Ninth Rank, with an average brand level of Lv.85, while the area level here was Lv.95. This wasn't just a difference of 10 levels; the improvement from Ninth Rank to Absolute Strength was too great.
Therefore, entering a Lv.95 danger zone with a brand level of Lv.85 was like a level 10 character in a game entering a level 90+ super late-game dungeon. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that even the smallest mobs in this area could one-shot the player.
Conversely, if a level 10 player was about to complete one of the top-tier missions in this massive dungeon, the mere thought of the rewards would cause a massive dopamine rush, bringing joy from the inside out.
Just as Su Xiao was about to enter the "Ancient Dragon Sacrificial Ground," Molei behind him seemed to remember something and said, "Wait, Bai Ye. I have some buff items. I'm not sure if they'll work."
Molei took out a delicate small pouch, opened it, and picked out a few badges. Some she used immediately, while others didn't meet the usage prerequisites.
[Notification: Your team member · Molei has used an Apocalypse Commendation Badge. This mission's reward is increased by 15%.]
[Your team member · Molei has used a Promotion Commemorative Badge. This mission's reward is increased by 8%.]
[Your team member · Molei has used an Eternal King Badge. This mission's reward is increased by 23%.]
[Your team member · Molei has used an Apocalypse Badge. This mission's reward is increased by 50%.]
...
Judging by the size of the pouch in Molei's hand, there were at least a dozen badges inside. If they could be used, Molei would definitely use them all on this mission.
Su Xiao walked into the Ancient Dragon Sacrificial Ground. The three sisters waited by the entrance, peeking in. Hao Mei was at the top, Molei a bit lower, and Yueshitu at the very bottom.
Ignoring them, Su Xiao walked into the sacrificial ground surrounded by the circular tree wall. Pale ash drifted in the air. The ground of this sacrificial ground was like a large plate. A weary, aged, pale Ancient Wyvern lay prostrate at the center. It was too weak; parts of its body, like the tips of its wings or the latter half of its long tail, had already begun to petrify.
As if sensing Su Xiao's arrival, the Ancient Wyvern's eyes opened slightly. Its dimmed radial pupils still faintly showed traces of its former power. The Ancient Wyvern seemed to want to raise its head and let out one last roar, but it was too weak, only emitting a hoarse, low dragon's growl.
Clang...
Su Xiao calmly drew the long blade from his waist. After activating the domain of [Realm Circle], dark blue smoke clung to Dragon-Slaying Flash. Having just slain the Divine Incarnation, the Blade Demon Spirit should have entered its dormant phase. But now, the Blade Demon Spirit's demon spirit strength was as high as 740 points. Having only killed an enemy a short while ago, forcibly awakening the demon spirit to slay again was also possible. Doing this occasionally posed no risk, but doing it frequently would reduce the demon spirit's strength, even lowering the kill line.
Pfft!
The long blade pierced the Ancient Wyvern's head. The invasion of the Blade Demon Spirit gave the Ancient Wyvern a bit of strength. It reared up, facing the sky.
"Roar!"
The dragon's roar echoed through the sky. With a crack, black lightning filled the sky but vanished in an instant. The Ancient Wyvern's raised body and head crashed down, slamming heavily in front of Su Xiao, sending out a surge of wind pressure.
Su Xiao held the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash with one hand. As he withdrew the long blade, the Blade Demon Spirit returned to the blade. Having slain the undying Ancient Wyvern, it quickly petrified, turning into a pale rock-like statue in the blink of an eye.
[Side Mission · Final Stage · Ancient Dragon Sacrificial Ground (Completed).]
[You have obtained 1 Primordial Core.]
[You have obtained a Star Gem (This gem cannot be used for socketing. It can only be used when enhancing an Eternal Grade weapon, ensuring a 100% success rate for this enhancement. After completing this enhancement, the gem will be depleted and shatter).]
[You have obtained a Lucky Item Chest (Opening this chest grants a random top-tier lucky item with spirituality).]
...
The rewards were quite generous. Su Xiao looked at the Apocalypse Sisters at the entrance of the sacrificial ground. Golden light burst from their bodies repeatedly. This was the phenomenon that occurred when the Apocalypse Paradise brand permissions were upgraded.
The Reincarnation Paradise brand didn't have such flashy upgrade effects. When permissions were upgraded, only a secondary notification appeared. A secondary notification meant it didn't appear directly in front of Su Xiao; he could see it when checking his notification list.
Currently, the Apocalypse Sisters truly looked like level 10 players being carried through a level 90+ dungeon, leveling up like crazy. Speaking of which, ever since the Apocalypse Sisters completed a nearly impossible Apocalypse Paradise mission in the World of Paintings, they were considered, if not exactly "favorite daughters," then at least Battle Angels under special care in Apocalypse Paradise's judgment.
And this time, they were promoted from specially cared-for Battle Angels to the level of "favorite daughters." A Ninth Rank contractor completing a top-tier Absolute Strength mission with the highest evaluation was simply outrageous to think about.
The Apocalypse Sisters didn't dare stay long. Originally, this was a mutually beneficial cooperation, but the three sisters had earned too much, so much that they felt it was unreal. Therefore, at their insistence, 99.99% of the profits from the "Dark Gold Mine" they were mining would go to Su Xiao. As for the 0.01%, Molei had a habit of collecting high-grade ores, and encountering "Dark Gold" this time, she naturally wanted a piece.
A cold wind blew. The Ancient Dragon Sacrificial Ground began to decay. It seemed that without the Ancient Wyvern, this place wouldn't last long. Su Xiao pressed one hand to the ground, and a summoning array appeared. He used this to end his summoning of the Storm Flame Dragon · Dis, sending it back to the Witch Realm, where Dis's overall strength could still grow.
The "Law-Destroying Teleportation Array" beneath his feet activated. With a loud bang, Su Xiao appeared in the backyard of the mansion in the inner city of Twilight City. A crystal wall formed by Proud Song appeared. He supported himself with one hand on it. After a fierce battle with a powerful enemy, teleporting such a long distance with the "Law-Destroying Teleportation Array" was still somewhat stressful.
Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha, who had been waiting here, followed Su Xiao into the mansion. Shortly after, in the inner hall on the third floor, Su Xiao leaned back on a single sofa, relaxing a bit.
This trip to Blazing Sun Star had been incredibly intense. The Beast Deity, the High Tower Knight, the Nun, the Divine Incarnation—any one of these powerful enemies could have been a final boss, yet he had fought them all in succession.
[Notification: The Abyssal Shadow title has completed its current tempering.]
Su Xiao hadn't waited for the [Abyssal Shadow] title to finish tempering before using it to boost his combat power. This time, he had equipped the [God Hunter] title. "When fighting against Divine units, deal an additional 30% to 40% True Damage" was indeed strong enough. However, if the Divine Incarnation belonged to the Abyss System enemy, equipping [Abyssal Shadow] would be safer.
[Abyssal Shadow]
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Quality: ★★★★★★★★★
Limit Tempering: Four times.
Category: Title · Ultra-High Rarity.
Title Effect 1: Wrath Shadow (Passive). When fighting against World-Destroying existences and Abyss System enemies, deal an additional 40% True Damage.
Title Effect 2: Dark Shadow (Passive). Each point of your Abyss Resistance increases your body speed by 0.7% and Health Points by 3000.
Current Body Speed Increase: 65.1%.
Current Health Points Increase: 279,000 points.
Title Effect 3: Abyss Walker (Core · Passive). When entering Abyss Erosion Zones, Extreme Dark Zones, and other "Severe Abyss Spread Areas," as well as "Near Abyss Areas," you will not be subject to environmental erosion.
Introduction: This is... the Wrathful Shadow in the Abyss!
Selling Price: Cannot be sold.
...
Seeing the attributes of [Abyssal Shadow], Su Xiao looked forward to seeing how strong this title would be when it reached "Limit Tempering · 5 times." It was important to know that "Limit Tempering · 5 times" was the highest strength a title could achieve. If one relied on luck to temper an ordinary Nine-Star title, the success rate wouldn't even be 0.1%.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about this. He planned to create five "Limit Tempered · 5 times" attribute-less Nine-Star titles as secondary titles to maximize the success rate of [Abyssal Shadow] reaching the strongest tier of titles.
Having increased his Health Points by nearly 280,000, Su Xiao's Health Points reached 2.73 million. He checked his mission list and found that several missions had moved to the top, indicating they had been completed.