Chapter 22: Striking It Rich
Within the Pantheon Hall, the chief among the four gods seated in the main position was the Dark Demon God, a powerful deity governing darkness and devouring. Rumors held that this Dark God had already devoured part of the power of the gods from the First Era.
It was well known that the terror of the gods was in no way inferior to the three great overlords: the Ancient Dragons, the Sun, and the Lords.
Flanking the Dark God were the Sky Goddess Fema and the Curse Rain God Muta, while lower down sat the Dead Moon Goddess Papamiz.
Among the four deities, the Dark God's aura was the strongest. Even seated on his throne, the surrounding space rippled with layers of distortion, suppressed by his presence. In contrast, the Dead Moon Goddess, occupying the lowest throne, had a noticeably weaker aura.
"Presumptuous ant."
The Dead Moon Goddess's four arms rested on the armrests of her throne. Each hand had numerous fingers, and every finger bore holes of varying sizes.
"Great Dark God Lord, allow me to crush this ant."
The Dead Moon Goddess floated up from her throne. Hearing this exchange, Su Xiao was momentarily taken aback. How long had it been since he last encountered such an arrogant divine being? But on second thought, if these gods were truly knowledgeable about the outside world, why would they so openly cooperate with the Abyss Descendants?
This confirmed that these gods, who had grown strong through the Abyss's invasion of the world, possessed considerable power but lacked any real understanding of the outside world.
The Dead Moon Goddess descended in a floating state. Every movement she made was elegant yet tinged with laziness.
"You, grow. Joyfully, unrestrainedly, grow."
With a smile, the Dead Moon Goddess pointed a finger forward.
*Waves*
A ripple spread silently. The next moment, Su Xiao felt his life force become extremely active, as if it were about to... mutate and proliferate wildly. However, due to his massive base of Primordial Life Force, this dark power only caused him slight discomfort.
*Boom!*
Su Xiao vanished from his spot, reappearing directly in front of the Dead Moon Goddess, poised to strike down with his blade. This almost made the goddess laugh out loud. She couldn't understand how this crude human had managed to reach the Supreme rank without knowing how to use the power of the world to bind and destroy all things.
The long blade descended. The Dead Moon Goddess's thoughts came to an abrupt halt. She felt a terrifying wind pressure bearing down on her, impossible to evade. Her divine instincts screamed warnings, forcing her to endure this attack. Her expression twisted, and her several arms instinctively raised. Her divine power condensed violently, forming a thick layer of moonlight energy that manifested as silver armor-like defense on her body.
A deafening crash echoed. The Dead Moon Goddess vanished from her spot, leaving a trail of large silver splattered bloodstains from where she stood to the rear wall of the Pantheon Hall.
"Cough... cough!"
Covered in silver divine blood, the Dead Moon Goddess was embedded in the inner wall of the Pantheon Hall. It had to be said, the hall built for the gods' descent in ancient times was of exceptional quality, surviving several eras and still withstanding such a blow.
"Save..."
Before the dying Dead Moon Goddess could finish her word, she once again felt the wind pressure approaching.
This scene was, of course, witnessed by the Dark God, Sky Goddess, and Curse Rain God. Their divine authority immediately enveloped the entire Pantheon Hall. Layers of binding, erosion, suppression, and mental wave abilities descended upon Su Xiao.
Then, they proved utterly useless. They couldn't stop this Technique Grandmaster at all. He charged forward, his left hand, clad in the Black King Bracer, reaching for the Dead Moon Goddess's head.
With a scream, the Dead Moon Goddess was forcibly torn from the wall by Su Xiao. Though she stood over ten meters tall, Su Xiao, barely over 1.8 meters, grabbed her serpentine hair with one hand.
The long blade swept horizontally. With slight resistance, it severed the Dead Moon Goddess's neck. Normally, such an injury wouldn't threaten a divine being like her, but this was a triple soul-severing strike from a Technique Grandmaster.
The blade cut through the air, leaving a silver blood trail. The Dead Moon Goddess's severed head let out a terrified shriek, which abruptly ceased.
Su Xiao flung the massive head, using it to block incoming curses. The ground beneath him cracked, and he vanished again.
At that moment, the Sky Goddess and Curse Rain God suddenly understood what fear was. The Dark God felt it too but showed no sign, instead burning with genuine rage. He raised his hand, and darkness instantly engulfed the hall.
The Su Xiao who had disappeared a moment ago now stood on the shoulder of the over-ten-meter-tall Curse Rain God. He delivered a simple side kick to the side of the god's head.
*Thud!*
The Curse Rain God was sent sliding sideways, crashing heavily into the side wall. His faceplate shattered, revealing a mouth full of fangs and a long tongue. The kick left his tongue hanging limply, like a pet cat still under anesthesia after neutering.
Realizing that various divine abilities had little effect on Su Xiao, the Sky Goddess drew the blade-spear from before her throne. This weapon resembled both a greatsword and a spear, with the front half being a blade and the back half a spear handle.
The Dark God also noticed that their once-invincible divine powers were now barely effective, their potency reduced by ninety percent. Several meter-long black spikes materialized behind him.
Su Xiao sidestepped to avoid the incoming black spikes. The next instant, he reappeared on the Curse Rain God's shoulder. The god's numerous eyes widened to the size of washbasins, their ring-shaped pupils trembling. Yet this couldn't stop the incoming attack—a straight kick aimed at the side of his head.
Almost simultaneously, the Sky Goddess pointed forward, her golden spear-sword glowing. She possessed an ability to instantly swap positions with any target standing on the ground. She knew this could save the Curse Rain God, but then what? Would she have to face that terrifying attack? And that even more terrifying human?
*Boom!!!*
The Curse Rain God's head burst like a shattered watermelon. His massive body slammed into the wall before collapsing powerlessly.
"Darkness, Death (God Tongue)."
The Dark God raised his right hand, from which black tendrils hung. His beast-like, sharp-nailed index finger pointed at Su Xiao.
In an instant, Su Xiao's movement faltered, but then, as if nothing had happened, he appeared before the Dark God.
'Blood Smoke Cannon.'
The Dark God dodged the Blood Smoke Cannon, but as he did, several black spikes shot toward Su Xiao. Su Xiao entered a state of Space Penetration, and the Sky Goddess, who had been approaching from behind, bore the brunt of the attack.
*Clang, clang...*
The Sky Goddess deflected two black spikes, while the Dark God dissolved the others. But this allowed Su Xiao to reach him.
'Blade Path Sword: Slay.'
Su Xiao slashed diagonally. With a *whoosh*, a blood-red chain shot forth, filled with scattered sparks. The Dark God, struck by 'Slay,' had dozens of parallel, upward-slanting cuts appear across his divine body, spraying divine blood.
Due to the size difference, Su Xiao leaped.
'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'
The Dark God, though unwilling to block this strike, had no choice. His divine instincts warned that trying to evade a Technique Grandmaster's slash of this caliber would be worse than enduring it.
A massive dark greatsword formed instantly. The Dark God gripped the hilt with all five arms. In that moment, he converted all his divine power, through his darkness devouring ability, into unparalleled physical strength. He planned to blast this human out of the Pantheon Hall, activate the hall's defenses, and use the time gained to escape.
The dark greatsword clashed with the long blade.
*Boom!!!*
The floor of the hall shattered. Darkness and blood energy clashed. The next moment, Su Xiao was sent flying back, landing in a crouch. Across from him.
The Dark God crashed into his throne behind him. A terrifying gash across his chest spewed massive amounts of black divine blood. Four of his five arms were severed at the root. The remaining arm was stripped of flesh by the blade's wind, leaving only bone. This skeletal arm still held the hilt of the shattered dark greatsword.
The force of the slash was so immense that the Dark God's throne shattered into metal fragments, sending him crashing to the ground.
Numb all over, the Dark God's vertical eye on his forehead trembled violently. He couldn't understand how a mere human, even at Supreme rank, could deliver such a terrifying slash. He had faced Technique Grandmasters before, even Blade Grandmasters, but none had strikes this fearsome. And this slash didn't seem to be a finishing move.
What the Dark God didn't know was that with a stack of numerous passive skills, plus 'Blade Weapon Damage Rank +760, Blade Weapon Slashing Force Judgment Rank +760,' and the passive ability 'Extreme Blade: White Night,' the development path of 'normal attacks being ultimate moves' was indeed this terrifying at higher levels.
*Clang!*
The long blade swept through. The Dark God's massive head was sliced open diagonally. The pupils of his dozen eyes gradually dimmed.
*Drip, drip...*
Black divine blood dripped from the blade's tip. Su Xiao turned to face the Sky Goddess, who had ceased her attacks upon the Dark God's fall.
Meeting Su Xiao's gaze, the Sky Goddess instinctively stepped back. She seemed about to say something.
Su Xiao vanished. This triggered a furious rage born of fear in the Sky Goddess. All her hands gripped the golden spear-sword.
*Clang!*
The long blade met the golden spear-sword. All the Sky Goddess's arms went numb, but she managed to block. Her eyes narrowed. Her dominion over earth-based divine functions allowed her to maintain a terrifying gravitational force on the spear-sword.
*Clang!!*
The blade clashed with the spear-sword again. Cracks appeared on the Sky Goddess's white face. This time, her prized weapon, forged at great expense in 'Molten City,' shattered into fragments. The force of the slash sent sharp pieces grazing her face, some embedding in her throat.
The spear-sword exploded. This was the result of the Blade Grandmaster's enhancement—an increased threat to enemy weapons.
Fighting a Technique Grandmaster was indeed despairing. Suppression abilities were useless, preventing the kind of long-range exchanges seen in other Supreme battles, where they might even deploy the rule-based powers of the Star Realm. The problem was that such powers, while damaging to a physically robust Technique Type, were far from lethal.
This made it inevitable for a Technique Type to close in. And ninety-nine percent of Supreme powerhouses were highly skilled in combat, unafraid of close quarters. Some even had melee systems not much weaker than Technique Types.
The issue was facing 'Dragon-Slaying Flash,' whose sharpness was terrifyingly enhanced by Blade Grandmaster and various passive skills. Using one's body to endure was the worst option.
But that was fine. Which Supreme didn't have a rare, legendary weapon? Yet after a few exchanges, that weapon would shatter. This was unacceptable on both psychological and physical levels.
'Blade Path Sword: Flow.'
An elegant wind scar swept through. In this state, the Sky Goddess, her body numb from Technique energy erosion, couldn't use any abilities.
*Pfft!*
Several arms flew off. The Sky Goddess slammed one hand to the ground, intending to enrage the earth and blast this terrifying human away.
'Extreme Blade: World.'
*Clang!*
A sharp, metallic ringing sound erupted. A spherical 'Extreme Blade Domain' appeared around Su Xiao, lasting only an instant. It looked like the surrounding air had darkened slightly, with rice-grain-sized flashing points of slashes every few centimeters.
The Sky Goddess's descending hand stopped abruptly. She froze like a statue. Then, her body crumbled like sugar cubes, scattering across a pool of divine blood.
This battle wasn't a siege of four gods against Su Xiao; it was a one-sided massacre. Or rather, this was the power of investing all 120 'Initial Skill Points' into blade techniques. Had he diversified, he might still have won, but not so overwhelmingly.
Before the shattered throne, the Curse Rain God, whose head had just regenerated to a degree, felt his body numb from the golden Technique energy surging within. A side kick and a straight kick hadn't killed this Supreme deity. At this level, triple soul-severing was incredibly useful. Otherwise, killing the Dark God, Sky Goddess, and Dead Moon Goddess would have required much more effort. No wonder, in the Second Era, powerful figures were so wary of Green Gillian.
But there was a problem. Not selecting 'Soul Severing Shadow' for 'Devouring Dark Soul Core' and using the current powerful blade techniques would indeed cause some self-injury from the backlash.
With 'Soul Severing Soul Core' active, the soul-severing strength was 50 points from the core, 48 from the Blade Grandmaster, and 12 from the Soul Gem (boosted by personal soul strength), totaling 110 points.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
Su Xiao walked through the pool of blood in the hall. The Curse Rain God, half-lying on the ground, could only drag himself with his two remaining arms, retreating in terror.
Su Xiao took out a [Golden Statue Fragment] and asked, "Where is this?"
"Ba wo, pupu da wo (Ancient God Tongue)."
The Curse Rain God spoke in God Tongue. Su Xiao frowned, not understanding. After a moment's thought, he took out a small vial of golden divine blood and tried to activate a few drops. After a while.
*Waves...*
Golden ripples spread. Soft, golden-white ribbons fluttered, accompanied by golden particles. The Goddess of Fortune descended. It seemed she had regained her divine dignity, no longer appearing as casually as before.
"White Night, you called me..."
The Goddess of Fortune stopped mid-sentence, her expression stiffening. Not far away, the Dark God's severed head stared wide-eyed. The Curse Rain God clutched his bleeding throat, his eyes full of venom. The Dead Moon Goddess lay decapitated. The Sky Goddess was even worse, reduced to uniform sugar-cube-sized pieces scattered over a large pool of divine blood.
"Gulp..."
The Goddess of Fortune swallowed hard. She had known this Law Destroyer partner was formidable, but she hadn't expected him to be this terrifying now. She asked, "Did you... do all this?"
"No, they tripped while walking."
"Uh... okay, I believe you. So, why did you call me here?"
"Translate what it said."
Su Xiao's long blade pointed at the Curse Rain God, who bore several slash marks and was pinned by hundreds of oversized 'Mercy Spikes,' all his pupils trembling violently.
"Cough..."
The Goddess of Fortune stepped forward and said to the Curse Rain God, "Hello (Void Tongue)."
Bubu Wang: "..."
Baha: "..."
Xilin: "..."
Good grief. She was supposed to translate what the Curse Rain God said, and she started with fluent Void Tongue. Realizing her mistake, she said, "Hello (Ancient God Tongue)."
"Hello (Evil God Tongue)?"
"Hello (Divine Tongue)?"
"No good. Is it mentally undeveloped? Why doesn't it understand me?"
The Goddess of Fortune shrugged helplessly. Baha said, "Maybe it's speaking God Tongue. These four gods seem to worship the ancient gods quite a bit."
"Then we're screwed. I don't know such an ancient divine language. Wait..."
The Goddess of Fortune had an idea. She closed her eyes and gestured to the side. Golden ripples spread, and soon, a response came.
Another friendly deity descended. This god had long, milky-white hair cascading down. Faint golden patterns adorned the back of her pale hands. Her golden-red pupils seemed capable of seeing through everyone's fate. It was the Goddess of Fortune's good friend, the Goddess of Fate.
Seeing the scene in the hall, the Goddess of Fate was inwardly panicked but maintained her composure. She asked, "May I ask why you called me here?"
"You know God Tongue. Act as a temporary translator."
"Alright."
The Goddess of Fate didn't question her friend. Su Xiao tossed a [Golden Statue Fragment] to her and said, "Ask it where this is."
The Goddess of Fate relayed the question. The Curse Rain God sneered and said something. She translated, "It says you are all despicable fools who will never obtain the ancient gods' hidden treasures. You are greedy and stupid ants."
Hearing this, Baha covered his face with his wing and laughed. "Boss, you don't need to translate the insults."
"Oh..."
The Goddess of Fate feigned understanding, but inwardly, her mischievous thought was that if she didn't translate, she'd be the only one getting cursed. Truly, she was the Goddess of Fortune's best friend.
"Anything else to ask?"
*Clang!*
Just as the Goddess of Fate finished speaking, a slash mark crossed the Curse Rain God's head. A diagonal blood line gradually appeared.
"Uh..."
"Huh?"
Both the Goddess of Fortune and the Goddess of Fate were stunned. Su Xiao turned to Xilin. "Did you catch it?"
Xilin nodded. "Caught it. What you want is at the bottom of the Decay Lake."
Indeed, Su Xiao had never expected the Curse Rain God to reveal the location of the [Golden Statue]. He only needed the god to mention it. That required some verbal exchange, which was why he had summoned the Goddess of Fortune.
As long as the Curse Rain God mentioned the [Golden Statue], Xilin, a Supreme Causality System user, could immediately trace the causal line to find it.
As for divining or predicting the [Golden Statue] out of thin air, such a valuable ancient divine relic would require a considerable divination cost, which Xilin was unwilling to pay.
"Its divine blood is relatively unpolluted. That's your payment."
Su Xiao's long blade pointed at the Sky Goddess. After saying this, he activated the [God Hunter] title.
[God Hunter]
Title Effect 1: Principle of Regression (Core, Passive) – Upon killing a divine unit, seize its 'Divine Soul' and perform 'Primordial Regression,' returning the soul to its original form.
Note: 'Divine Souls' are derived from the Star Realm system. The original form is the soul's most powerful state. Subsequent generations of inheritance, if the inheritor lacks compatibility with the inherited 'Divine Soul' and occupies the divine position for too long, will cause the soul to weaken, degenerate, or mutate.
Title Effect 2: Divine Coronation (Passive) – Can store obtained 'Primordial Divine Souls' and grant them to others.
Maximum Storage: 0/5.
Su Xiao approached the Dark God's corpse first. He raised one hand, and numerous black threads emerged from the corpse, converging into his palm. Soon, a dim divine soul formed—the 'Dark Demon Divine Soul.'
It was clear this soul had been inherited for many generations, containing mixed and chaotic soul memories. Su Xiao held the soul with both hands, activating the 'Principle of Regression' ability of the [God Hunter] title. Incandescent threads extended from his hands, merging into the 'Dark Demon Divine Soul.'
*Buzz...*
A large amount of impurities evaporated from the soul, along with a surge of Star Realm power entering it.
[You have obtained the 'Night Divine Soul.']
A divine soul symbolizing darkness, night, devouring, and nocturnal rest appeared in Su Xiao's hands. Who knew how this soul had been inherited into the ugly form of the 'Dark Demon Divine Soul'? And it was a four-divine-function soul, whereas most souls only had three functions.
This soul would definitely fetch a good price.
With this start, Su Xiao approached the Sky Goddess's corpse. He extracted the gray 'Sky Divine Soul' and activated 'Principle of Regression' again. Threads extended from his hands into the soul.
After a while.
*Buzz...*
Various impurities were expelled from the 'Sky Divine Soul,' turning it into a pure azure blue.
[You have obtained the 'Enlightenment Divine Soul.']
Seeing this prompt, Su Xiao was puzzled. 'Sky Divine Soul' → 'Enlightenment Divine Soul'? What was the connection?
Checking the divine functions of the 'Enlightenment Divine Soul,' he understood. Its functions were: Luck, Insight, Earth/Sky.
Good grief. How many times had it degenerated? No wonder the Supreme Sky Goddess could use earth-based abilities.
He approached the Curse Rain God's corpse. This experience, like opening a blind box, drew the Goddess of Fortune, Goddess of Fate, Bubu Wang, Baha, and Xilin closer.
He first extracted the soul. The 'Curse Rain Divine Soul' gathered in his hands. 'Principle of Regression' activated.
With a buzz, a massive amount of impurities was expelled from the soul. This time, even more was expelled. When it became semi-transparent, a prompt appeared.
[You have obtained the 'Rain Divine Soul.']
The 'Rain Divine Soul's' divine functions were Fate, Thunder, and Rain's Blessing. This was even more exaggerated than the Sky Goddess's, having turned a once-friendly system soul into an evil god system.
He stopped before the last god's corpse. Whatever 'Principle of Regression' produced now wouldn't be surprising.
As Su Xiao held the 'Dead Moon Divine Soul' with both hands and activated 'Principle of Regression,' a large amount of chaotic impurities surged out. After a few minutes, a silver-white divine soul fell into his hands.
[You have obtained the 'Bright Moon Divine Soul.']
The Bright Moon Divine Soul's functions were Life Affinity, Plant Growth, and Moonlight Power.
With four initial-state divine souls in hand, the four-function 'Night Divine Soul' seemed the most valuable. But in Su Xiao's view, that wasn't the case. He had hit the jackpot this time. The other three friendly-system 'Divine Souls' were the real treasures.
The 'Enlightenment Divine Soul' could be sold to the Apocalypse Paradise's Battle Angel, Molei. With its functions of Luck, Insight, and Earth/Sky, it perfectly matched Molei's greatest hobby.
Luck went without saying. The Earth function in Earth/Sky was clearly suited to her mining hobby. As for Insight, Molei would have to develop that herself. Matching two functions was already impressive.
The 'Bright Moon Divine Soul' could be sold to Yueshitu. Life Affinity, Plant Growth, and Moonlight Power—only 'Life Affinity' matched Yueshitu. But this was a divine soul, equivalent to a shortcut to higher ranks. Of course, it was a shortcut only accessible with sufficient financial power.
Su Xiao was certain that Molei and Yueshitu would be willing to sell everything they had to raise the funds for these two souls. This path to power was simply too perfect for them.
As for whether the 'Rain Divine Soul' suited Hao Mei, she might buy it, given its fate-related boost. Hao Mei's bad luck wasn't a recent thing.
Although Amu had consumed 32 bottles of [Abyss Source Matter], the gains from these three souls could fully compensate. In other words, part of the resources needed to max out the three Technique Grandmasters was already secured. Never underestimate the financial power of the Apocalypse Sisters when they're willing to sell everything.
Especially Molei. Not only did she own mines in a certain world, but she also held a certain number of shares in the Nether Bank. Among the Star Realm's wealthiest factions, Arcane Eternal Star ranked first, followed by the Goblin Merchant Guild, third was the Giant Bank, and fourth was the Nether Bank.
PS: (Tomorrow is Sunday, a day off. Please forgive me, dear readers.)