Chapter 3: Soul Master
The three members of the Dark Bishop had originally prepared themselves for a life-or-death battle against this intruder who had reached the Supreme level. In fact, the Dark Bishop and Afia were already prepared to fall here in Sanctuary City today, because the opponent was a Blade Grandmaster. When a Technique Grandmaster of this type reaches the Supreme level, although they don't possess many world-shaking abilities, they are exceptionally formidable against other powerful beings.
The Dark Bishop and Afia had considered many possibilities, but this scene was not among them. If this [Flame Core] was genuine, then this was the ultimate treasure that their Sanctuary City·Doan had sought for a millennium—no, ever since the Dark Descent not long after it began.
A light source capable of illuminating Doan for two entire epochs, and possessing solar characteristics, meant that those long-sealed seeds requiring sunlight to grow might have a chance to break through the soil once more. That represented harmless food and a gradually brighter future.
This was no longer simply a matter of a pie falling from the sky. It caused even the Supreme-level Dark Bishop and Exploration Captain·Afia to feel a chill in their hearts. As for Pain High Priest·Zdenek, he still wore an expressionless, deadpan face, but his inner thoughts were likely far from calm.
"You..."
Afia looked at Su Xiao, momentarily unsure how to continue.
"This supreme treasure called the [Flame Core]," the Dark Bishop said, pressing down on his cockscomb-like hair and smoothing it back before continuing, "You're really just giving it to us like this?"
"..."
Su Xiao remained silent. His silence only made the Dark Bishop and Afia feel even more uncertain.
"Don't you need this thing yourselves?"
Su Xiao spoke, and as soon as he finished—
"We desperately need it."
"We absolutely need it."
"We need it."
The Dark Bishop, Afia, and Pain High Priest·Zdenek each spoke in turn. The Dark Bishop glanced at the others, gave a wry smile, and said:
"This... sir..."
"Law Destroyer."
Su Xiao stated his identity. In a world ravaged by the Abyss, the reputation of the Law Destroyers was generally quite favorable.
"Oh? You're a Shadow of Law Destruction?"
The look in the Dark Bishop's eyes changed, though he asked with some doubt: "The last time I left the Ancient Dragon Kingdom, I heard in the Void that the Law Destroyers had been wiped out. Are you one of the survivors?"
"No. I happened to inherit the system by chance."
"Oh~, I see."
The Dark Bishop nodded. The more Su Xiao gave such a brief explanation, the more credible he found it. Sometimes, an overly perfect background actually concealed great danger. Ask yourself: under what circumstances would one need a background that aroused no suspicion at all? The answer: when harboring ulterior motives.
"So, what brings you to Eberath this time?"
The Dark Bishop's inquiry had become direct, indicating that the initial probing was no longer necessary.
"I have a question."
Su Xiao's hand unconsciously rested on the pommel of his blade—a habitual gesture.
"Please, ask."
Afia spoke.
"Am I a guest, or an enemy?"
"Of course, a guest."
Afia answered decisively.
"Since I'm a guest, then why was I interrogated on the street?"
As soon as Su Xiao said this, the Dark Bishop and Afia both looked somewhat embarrassed. Still, the Dark Bishop had thicker skin. He rubbed his cockscomb hair and said:
"This way, please."
The Dark Bishop led the way. With one of the Four Pillars of Sanctuary City guiding him, the journey was naturally smooth. Walking along the streets, Su Xiao got a general view of Sanctuary City·Doan.
The entire sanctuary city was enclosed by a circular high wall. In the distance, one could see pitch-black walls like heavenly barriers. Above, there was a canopy-like curtain emitting a faint glow, protecting the entire city within.
Because the curtain's light was too dim to serve as illumination, it at most brought the city's brightness to that of a moonless night. For a place plunged into complete darkness, this was already a rare blessing.
The buildings within the city were arranged in a relatively orderly fashion. Since the overall layout was circular, with the central area higher and the outer areas lower, streets radiated outward, leading to the central Prayer Square.
This was a massive square over two kilometers in diameter, paved with stone slabs. At its center stood a hundred-meter-tall statue of the first City Lord of Sanctuary City, Wen·Tayumaz.
Behind this statue rose a thousand-meter-tall giant torch tower, undoubtedly the tallest structure in the city.
With a population of several hundred thousand and no ability to expand outward, land was precious. Yet, under these circumstances, they still reserved such a vast Prayer Square, showing its significance. Without hope in their hearts, enduring under the darkness was impossible.
Though far away, Su Xiao could vaguely sense that at the root system of the towering [Torch Tower], there was some powerful entity. Yes, root system—the torch tower had complex metal roots extending deep underground, covering the entire sanctuary city. This was likely a large-scale defensive formation, preventing the darkness from encroaching from below.
Sanctuary City had three major factions: the Dark God Cult, the Mechanical School, and the Pain Church. These three factions had no competitive relationship and did not participate in the city's various administrative affairs. The city was governed by the [City Council], and the [City Council] was overseen by the current City Lord.
Theoretically, the highest authority in Sanctuary City was the [City Council]. However, there was an unspoken rule: successive City Lords would only be selected from among the three major factions or their subordinate families.
More precisely, the [City Council] was jointly established by the three major factions to minimize conflicts among themselves, thereby avoiding disasters that none of them could bear.
The current City Lord was named Vaughn, who rarely left his residence, reportedly due to poor health.
The headquarters of the three major factions were all near the Prayer Square. The Dark God Cult's headquarters was called the [Gloomy Cathedral], a five-story, imposing black building. The semi-molten black walls gave it a distinctly Abyssal style. It was worth noting that the Dark God Cult hated the Abyss Descendants but not the Abyss itself—the Abyss was their source of power.
The Mechanical School's headquarters was called the [Ascension Hall]. It didn't look particularly grand, but its actual floor area was the largest, with over four-fifths of it built underground.
The Pain Church's headquarters was called the [Flesh Fortress]. These people, who used self-mutilation as a source of power, were both pessimistic and fanatical. They always believed that Sanctuary City would one day meet its end. Though they had become inhuman monsters on the inside to protect this place, they still wanted to protect the last embers of humanity. Thus, their headquarters, the [Flesh Fortress], was the only safe haven after Sanctuary City was swallowed by darkness.
Every year, the Pain Church selected several dozen "Embers" from among the city's residents to replace the "Old Embers" who had reached the age of 30 and were returned to regular resident status.
The annual selection of "Embers" by the Pain Church was a grand event in Sanctuary City. Becoming an "Ember" naturally came with a price: at least 15 hours a day spent inside the [Flesh Fortress], the remaining 7 hours spent in group activities accompanied by priests, and only the last 2 hours for rare free time.
Moreover, with a total of 100 Embers, their free time within the city had to be staggered, with no more than 20 Embers allowed to go out individually at any one time.
Even so, the city's residents were still eager for Ember status. First, it meant barely filling one's stomach without heavy labor. Second, there was a small portion of meat each week, two portions of grain staples each month, five sets of decent clothing each year, and various other daily necessities.
Basically, one Ember could support a family of 5 to 7 people, allowing them to live a life of mere subsistence—and only subsistence.
As for how to become an Ember, it required not only passing the Pain Church's assessment but also meeting strict standards for appearance, purity of human bloodline, fertility, and so on.
Yes, not everyone in Sanctuary City was one hundred percent human. Half-elf and half-giant hybrids were not uncommon. Across the Star Realm, the Elf race, Giant race, Human race, and Star race were all major ethnic groups distributed across various worlds.
As for why the [Pain Church] was so fixated on pure-blooded humans, it was because, over the long course of dark invasion, it was discovered that humans had the strongest resistance to [Dark Corruption].
As for what [Dark Corruption] was, it was an ability possessed by all Abyss Descendants, though its specific characteristics varied. For example, the [Dukain Clan] of this world had a [Dark Corruption] ability of Domination.
After being subjected to this [Dark Corruption], one's heart and soul would gradually be eroded. Initially, one would be forced to become a servant of the [Dukain Clan]. But as the [Corruption] deepened, the corrupted individual would gradually become willing, even unshakably devoted, becoming a servant of the [Dukain Clan] from the inside out, worshiping these Abyss Descendants and willing to sacrifice everything for them.
This was the horror of [Dark Corruption]. It didn't just subdue the will; it was a deeper transformation.
The [Dukain Clan] represented darkness and domination. Besides this terrifying domination characteristic, when the darkness descended upon the world they controlled, the purer the darkness, the stronger they became. Moreover, this strength was permanent and ever-increasing.
This was why the [Dukain Clan] coveted this world. What could be better than enveloping a Transcendent Primordial World to amplify their darkness? If anything, it would be enveloping the entire Star Realm in the darkness of the Abyss.
Faced with the power of the Abyss Descendants and their [Dark Corruption], Sanctuary City had no strength to launch an expedition. Holding the city was the limit of what they could achieve, and even that was precarious.
Beyond external dangers, food was also scarce in Sanctuary City. There was virtually no light here, and only a few types of fungi and moss could grow in such an environment. A fungus called [Gray Fern] was the city's main food source.
This fungus could grow in darkness, appearing like vine-like fungi. As long as supports were provided, [Gray Fern] could climb very high. When growing, its texture was soft, similar to enoki mushrooms—soft yet tough—but it would spread like ivy, covering a large area.
This fungus was toxic, and long-term consumption would be fatal. However, after being harvested, dried in the shade for a period, ground into powder, and stir-fried at high temperature, it became non-toxic, with a texture similar to whole wheat flour. When mixed with water, it could be steamed for consumption.
However, because the processing of [Gray Fern] was not industrialized, some [Gray Fern Powder] still retained a certain level of toxicity even after shade-drying and high-temperature stir-frying. Therefore, people habitually stir-fried it again before cooking.
[Gray Fern] also had grades. The [Wild Gray Fern] that grew clinging to the outer walls was the cheapest, as it might contain moderate to high toxicity. In contrast, the [Gray Fern Powder] cultivated, processed, and bagged in the major planting areas was more trusted by the residents.
Long-term monotony in diet not only tortured the taste buds but also failed to provide sufficient nutrients for the body. This led to a resource in Sanctuary City called [Food Powder]. This was made by drying and grinding various types of moss into powder, then mixing in a certain amount of salt. It was an important resource whose production and sale were regulated by the [City Council].
Such was the wonder of intelligent races. No matter how harsh the environment, they would gradually bloom with their own unique flowers of civilization. The flowers of Sanctuary City·Doan were not beautiful, but they were incomparably tenacious.
Walking along the street, the buildings on both sides were initially low, some simply wooden shacks. The closer they got to the city center, the more substantial the buildings became, occasionally revealing two- or three-story structures.
Even in a place like Sanctuary City·Doan, there were still rich and poor. For a city of several hundred thousand to function stably, currency was essential. The local currency was called [Maz], named in honor of the first City Lord, and came in both coins and paper notes.
The only good news was that Sanctuary City was not short of fresh water. Although its taste was extremely strange, it was harmless to drink—a blessing to be thankful for.
None of them were in a hurry, so they simply strolled along. About an hour later, they arrived in front of the [Gloomy Cathedral]. Looking at this unfamiliar yet familiar building, Su Xiao stopped. Noticing the change in his gaze, the Dark Bishop asked suspiciously:
"Law Destroyer, I get the feeling you've been to the Gloomy Cathedral before?"
"You could say that."
"What do you mean, 'could say that'? Did you enter one in another world?"
"No."
"Then...?"
The Dark Bishop frowned in confusion.
"I blew it flat before."
At this, the Dark Bishop's eye twitched, and the smile on his face became hard to maintain.
"Pfft~"
Afia barely suppressed a laugh. Don't compare the Supreme powerhouses of Sanctuary City with those of the outside world. Outside, Supreme powerhouses generally lived for at least several hundred or thousand years. They maintained the dignity of the strong, rarely smiled, and had impeccable facial expressions.
In contrast, the Dark Bishop, Afia, and Pain High Priest·Zdenek were 35, 30, and 37 years old respectively. Why was this so exaggerated? The average lifespan of a Supreme powerhouse in Sanctuary City was about 60 to 70 years.
Here, reaching Supreme wasn't achieved through cultivation but through slaughter. Therefore, they didn't care about maintaining the dignity of the strong. They laughed heartily when they wanted to, cursed loudly when they wanted to. They might die tomorrow in battle against the Abyss Descendants—what was the point of putting on a dignified act?
Among the three, the chain-smoker Afia embodied this most thoroughly. This woman had a stunningly beautiful face, but she didn't cherish it at all. Her face and hands were covered in scars. There was a fresh wound several centimeters long on the side of her cheek. After it scabbed over, she picked at it, so it would definitely leave a scar.
As humans, even with strong bodies, they couldn't shed the most basic characteristics of humanity: they got injured and scarred. In return, they had extremely high willpower and high resistance to [Dark Corruption].
Pain High Priest·Zdenek remained expressionless throughout, not only because of his cold-blooded personality but also because he was physically a face-paralytic. In fact, facial paralysis was a problem for most members of the Pain Church.
In the early stages of using the Pain Miracle, the intense pain caused their expressions to twist uncontrollably. Over time, the facial nerves could no longer bear it, leading to paralysis.
Dressed in a dark red linen robe, exuding a strong smell of blood, with a paralyzed face and a bald head—these characteristics combined left no doubt: he was definitely a Pain Monk.
The group entered the [Gloomy Cathedral]. As soon as they stepped inside, they saw two people carrying a metal cage containing a disheveled-looking Demon Hawk. Judging by the wounds on the two not-weak-looking individuals, it had been a fight where both sides held back, wary of each other's unknown backgrounds.
"Boss, save me!"
Baha's talons reached out through the cage bars, giving a very human impression of a hand reaching out in desperate plea.
"You... know him?"
The Dark Bishop spoke.
"Yeah, one of my partners."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the Dark Bishop slightly raised his chin, signaling the two gray-robed priests to release Baha.
The two gray-robed priests exchanged glances, both reluctant. They didn't care so much about the injuries Baha had inflicted on them, but the verbal abuse had left their hearts in tatters. Their family trees had been repeatedly and cyclically cursed, and they really couldn't swallow that.
"Bishop, we..."
One of the gray-robed priests, his face covered in black tattoos, began to speak. But when he saw the Dark Bishop's expression turning displeased, he could only reluctantly open the metal cage.
Although Baha had a foul mouth, his emotional intelligence was not low. He immediately began calling it a misunderstanding and said that the "sweet words" he had offered them earlier shouldn't be taken to heart. However, judging by the expressions of the two gray-robed priests as they left, they clearly hadn't forgiven Baha.
"Tsk~, why are they so petty? Our Doan isn't usually this narrow-minded."
Afia called out to the backs of the two gray-robed priests. Hearing this, the two priests quickened their pace. When their own master got angry, at most he would scold them. But when this lady got angry, she would actually beat them. Those caring mechanical fists of hers—one punch would put them out of commission for many days.
Going up to the third floor of the cathedral, the group entered a study. This was the Dark Bishop's usual office. He sat down on a slightly worn but tidy sofa and gestured for the others to make themselves at home.
"We've gotten to know each other and become friends. How should I address you, sir?"
The Dark Bishop didn't directly ask Su Xiao's name. In a place like [Eberath], where the Abyss had spread, there were powerful beings who could curse others just by knowing their name and approximate appearance.
"Kukulin Bai Ye."
Su Xiao used this name as always. This wasn't simply a pseudonym; it was a false name certified by Reincarnation Paradise, with the characteristic of preventing various curses and fate-based abilities.
"What's your purpose here?"
The Dark Bishop asked tentatively.
"To deal with the Abyss Descendants."
Su Xiao stated his purpose directly. He spoke according to the person. In a stable environment with brutal competition between factions, one must conceal their purpose. But in a place like Sanctuary City, being evasive with the local powerhouses would quickly lead to coldness, hostility, and various forms of expulsion.
The powerhouses of Sanctuary City had already exhausted their hearts and minds just to protect the city. They had no energy left for schemes and plots. They would simply cut off the operational space of old schemers directly.
The old enmity between the Law Destroyers and the Dukain family was well known even in a place like Sanctuary City·Doan, which had little contact with the outside world. As high-ranking members of Doan, the Dark Bishop and the other two wouldn't doubt this. What they needed to confirm now was whether this visitor was truly a Shadow of Law Destruction.
"It seems we have a common enemy."
The Dark Bishop smiled and changed the subject: "You must know a lot about the Dukain Clan."
"Other than knowing they're Abyss Descendants, I don't know much else."
"Uh—"
This left the Dark Bishop momentarily speechless. However, his suspicion of this Law Destroyer actually decreased somewhat. The reason was: if this person had ulterior motives, this identity setup was far too sloppy.
"Well, intergenerational inheritance does have this problem. But since it's a grudge between the Dukain and the previous Law Destroyers, why would you..."
Before the Dark Bishop could finish, Afia interrupted: "Charles, stop your rambling. Bai Ye has come to deal with the Dukain Clan, so we'll just provide him with information about the Dukain. Whether we have a common enemy or not, we'll just look at the results. Why be suspicious of each other?"
Afia had a straightforward personality. Coupled with Su Xiao's similarly direct behavior, she had taken a liking to him. She took over from the Dark Bishop and began negotiating with Su Xiao.
"To deal with the Dukain, you need a direction..."
Before Afia could finish, Baha, perched on Su Xiao's shoulder, said: "We're looking for the Dukain Family Crest."
"Ah, that thing has quite a history."
Afia began to explain what she knew. It was said that there were five [Family Crests] in total. If one gathered all five and went to the Dukain Clan's sacred site in the [Abyss Near Zone], one could learn all the secrets of the Dukain Clan and possibly destroy them completely.
Yes, the Dukain Clan was immortal and indestructible. When killed, they would quickly revive in the nearby area. Even if killed by a Law Destroyer using [Demon Blade], they could be reborn in the Abyss after many years.
More precisely, the [Demon Blade] could kill the Dukain Clan, but for some reason, they could be reborn. Moreover, the reborn individual would have some degree of change in appearance, personality, and even ability characteristics compared to before rebirth.
This clearly indicated that others couldn't kill the Dukain Clan. They possessed the Abyss's characteristic of immortality and indestructibility. The Law Destroyer's Demon Blade could sever this immortality, but a few years later, a new member of the Dukain Clan would be reborn from the Dark Ancestral Land. In other words, it wasn't that the Law Destroyers couldn't kill them, but that they couldn't be completely eradicated.
The source of power for Abyss Descendants was the Abyss itself—too unsolvable.
Su Xiao opened his main mission. The content was:
[Obtain at least three [Dukain Family Crests] and submit them to Reincarnation Paradise.]
He currently had one [Dukain Family Crest]. Based on both the attribute information of this [Dukain Family Crest] and what Afia had said, there were a total of five such [Dukain Family Crests]. This meant that the initial stage of this main mission was a test—a test of whether Su Xiao had the qualifications to explore the deeper secrets of this world.
Afia continued to explain the situation of the Dukain Clan. The clan didn't have many members, about a hundred, but they had countless servants, attendants, and slaves, numbering in the tens of billions.
With the existence of [Breeding Factories], large numbers of Elves and Humans were bred. This world, which was 15 to 18 times larger than an Absolute Strength-level world, had a vast map area.
Sanctuary City·Doan was located in the central region, the heart of this world. To the southeast, northwest, and northeast of Doan were kingdoms or large cities controlled by Abyss Descendants, such as the [Elf Kingdom], [Empress City], [Corrupt King City], and [Molten City].
Don't compare the cities here with normal-sized cities. The largest was [Empress City], which was more vast than the Beast Clan's main city, [Eternal Ring City], in the Wind Sea Continent. It had over 300 districts, each the size of a normal kingdom.
The [Elf Kingdom] was one-fifth smaller than [Empress City], but still vast. [Corrupt King City] was smaller, about half the size of [Empress City]. [Molten City] was the smallest, even smaller than [Empress City]'s largest District 1.
These weren't territories; they were assets of the Abyss Descendants. The Dukain Clan, with only about a hundred members, was destined to be extremely wealthy. Don't think that Abyss Descendants were without desires. The most essential difference between them and the immortal, indestructible Abyss Spawn was their high-level rationality, intelligence, and intense, almost burning desires.
If they encountered no resistance, the desires of the Abyss Descendants were so great that they could swallow the entire Star Realm into their maw of desire.
Su Xiao learned that the Dukain Clan had a family council system. There was a Council Chairman, who was the current clan leader, three Councilors, and twelve Elders. The rest were ordinary clan members.
This power structure was simple, but also stable. The identity of a Dukain clan member, which could never be stripped away, meant they rarely had internal conflicts. Even if two members fought, things would naturally calm down after many years, since they couldn't completely kill each other anyway.
Facing these immortal, powerful, and desire-filled beings was unimaginably hopeless. Not to mention their [Dark Corruption] ability.
Su Xiao estimated that, given the importance of the [Dukain Family Crest] to the Dukain Clan, they were unlikely to store it in a treasury or similar place. It was most likely carried on their person.
No, they probably swallowed it into their stomachs. With their monstrous physiques, even though they appeared humanoid, swallowing a fist-sized crest would be no burden at all.
For such an important item to be held, the holder must have a very high status. Following this logic, the [Dukain Family Crest] might be on the Council Chairman. But on second thought, the principle of not putting all eggs in one basket was nearly universal across all realms. So the Council Chairman might only hold 1 to 2 [Dukain Family Crests].
By deduction, the remaining holders would be the three Councilors.
Find one of these three Councilors, kill them, and seize the [Dukain Family Crest]. Yes, a comprehensive and thorough plan was thus achieved.
The three Abyss Descendant Councilors were the Beast Lord of the Elf Kingdom, the Scorpion Empress of Empress City, and the Twin King of Corrupt King City.
Su Xiao immediately locked onto the Beast Lord of the Elf Kingdom, because:
[Bounty 1: The End of the Beast: Kill the Beast Lord and shatter the [Corruption Core: Elf].]
Su Xiao thought this over and said: "My first target might be the Beast Lord."
Su Xiao wasn't worried that these three would leak this information to the outside. The enmity between Doan and the Dukain Clan left no room for reconciliation. This was why Su Xiao had been so direct about his intentions this time.
Hearing this, Afia suddenly said: "Bai Ye, there's someone you might need to meet. Although she only arrived in Doan a month ago, the three of us trust her completely. We'd even entrust our backs to her without worry."
As soon as Afia finished speaking, the door was pushed open by a gray-robed priest. The priest stepped back and bowed his head respectfully. A woman in a black dress, with a graceful figure, walked into the room.
Her eyes were pitch black, her arms were black-blue crystalline prosthetics, and she wore a fishbone braid that reached past her waist, with a silver ring ornament at the end. Her temperament was graceful but not weak. This was none other than the Dark Maiden.
The Dark Maiden stopped in front of Su Xiao, folded her hands over her abdomen, slightly bowed, and slowly performed a salute. In a soft voice, she said: "Law Destroyer Lord."
This scene caused the Dark Bishop and Afia to gradually widen their eyes. Even Pain High Priest·Zdenek's eyes opened a little wider. The Dark Maiden they knew was silent, expressionless, and devoid of emotion. When had she ever bowed to anyone? And spoken so softly, respectfully calling someone "Lord"?
After witnessing all this, Afia suddenly recalled the records about Law Destroyers being able to counter immortality and indestructibility. She also thought about how this Law Destroyer had come to deal with the Abyss Descendants, and how his first target was the Beast Lord, with whom she had a great personal grudge.
This made the smile on Afia's face impossible to suppress. The corners of her mouth were harder to hold down than an AK-47. A feeling that this wave seemed to be a sure thing gradually welled up in her heart.
Meanwhile, on the south side of the Rampant Maonan Sea, in District 26 of the Elf Kingdom, behind a Crystal Resin Catalysis Factory, in a dark alley.
Hao Tao, who had successfully advanced—or rather, been forced to advance—to Supreme, walked out of the dark alley with an ugly expression. The reason was that the old monster who had devoured three Forbidden Marks, and was exceptionally terrifying even among high-rank Violators, had tracked him to this world.
As Hao Tao stepped out of the alley, across the street, a man with narrow-framed sunglasses, slicked-back short blond hair, a white casual suit, and a black glove on his right hand raised his hand and smiled at him in greeting.
"Hao Tao, you look like you're in a bad mood."
The newcomer was always smiling. The narrow-framed sunglasses made it impossible to see his eyes. This man was called Soul Master, the holder of the [Forbidden Mark: Soul Mark].
In other words, at this moment, all five Forbidden Marks were now located within this world.
PS: (Tomorrow, Sunday, is a rest day. No update. Please forgive me, dear readers.)