Chapter 24: Demon Spirit
Su Xiao sat cross-legged inside the [Skill Upgrade Pod], opened his skill list, and found the [Demon Spirit Awakening] ability. After a moment of deliberation, he selected the light gold plus sign behind the skill and tapped it ten times in succession, investing 10 Golden Skill Points.
Boom!
The Blade Demon Spirit surged forth from Dragon-Slaying Flash, materializing into a tall, slender figure composed of dark blue smoke. Her long hair drifted without wind, and her azure eyes gazed at Su Xiao with an ancient well's stillness. Compared to last time, there was noticeably more... anger? It seemed she was quite dissatisfied with the previous forty-sixty split.
As the [Demon Spirit Awakening] ability improved, whether it was an illusion or not, Su Xiao felt that the smoke-like form of the demon spirit beside him had become somewhat more solid, with certain bodily details appearing more defined.
As expected, investing 10 Golden Skill Points into [Demon Spirit Awakening] caused no significant ripple. Other abilities would turn into an X after a string of plus signs, but [Demon Spirit Awakening] had already reached +29 without showing any sign of maxing out.
Glancing at the demon spirit beside him, Su Xiao decided to go all in. He invested 50 Golden Skill Points into [Demon Spirit Awakening] in a single batch.
As the level of [Demon Spirit Awakening] rapidly increased, Su Xiao clearly saw that although the demon spirit's body was still composed of dark blue smoke, its details became more refined. Even the whites of its eyes began to appear, and its pupils turned a lighter blue.
When the enhancement ended, the demon spirit's waist-length hair was no longer the blurry smoke it had been before. Every strand was distinguishable, drifting slowly as if stirred by an unfelt wind.
Looking at the plus sign that had now extended beyond the skill list's edge after [Demon Spirit Awakening], Su Xiao applied to Reincarnation Paradise for an adaptive change to the skill's name display. Normally, this would certainly be rejected, but the issue was that the skill now had 79 plus signs behind it, giving the application a decent chance of passing.
[Detected that the Hunter's [Demon Spirit Awakening] ability possesses high-limit special characteristics. The skill level display has been re-certified.]
[Certification complete. Current display method:]
[Demon Spirit Awakening, X+79.]
Skill Effect 1: Blade Demon Spirit Strength +1799 points...
...
Su Xiao had thought it would remove the MAX display and simply show Lv.79, but this was fine too.
He sensed the situation. There was still no sign of the demon spirit losing control. Even though the demon spirit's strength had reached an astonishing 3904 points, he felt that even if it doubled, he could still suppress it. This wasn't an illusion but a clear sensation.
Su Xiao invested another 21 Golden Skill Points into the Blade Demon Spirit. After a moment, he successfully achieved [Demon Spirit Awakening, X+100].
He tried to raise [Demon Spirit Awakening] again but found that investing 1 Golden Skill Point no longer caused the plus sign to increase. Instead, he had to invest 3 points at a time to raise it by +1.
Su Xiao suddenly thought of something. The Blade Demon Spirit ability and his own Cyan Steel Shadow Energy had a certain origin connection. If that was the case, then his previous complete awakening of the [Cyan Steel Shadow] ability, which unlocked the [Infinite] development path, might have also affected the [Demon Spirit Awakening] ability.
Or perhaps the [Infinite] characteristic of Cyan Steel Shadow had simply been synchronized to [Demon Spirit Awakening]? Given the connection between Cyan Steel Shadow and the Blade Demon Spirit, this was quite possible.
Weighing the options, Su Xiao realized that trying to "fill up" the Blade Demon Spirit through gradual improvement like this clearly wouldn't work. He glanced at the Blade Demon Spirit and decided to use 300 Golden Skill Points in one go to enhance [Demon Spirit Awakening]. He wanted to see just how absurd this [Infinite] could be, and whether, even if the demon spirit's strength doubled, he could still suppress it with his right arm.
Boom!
A massive amount of Golden Skill Point energy was channeled into [Demon Spirit Awakening]. The Blade Demon Spirit beside him, for the first time, showed a rare expression of pain in its eyes. It spread its arms, leaned back slightly, and silently screamed at the sky. After a moment, it gradually calmed down.
At this point, the demon spirit felt vivid, especially its azure, radial pupils set against the white sclera, appearing breathtakingly beautiful. The nails on each finger were slightly long, giving a sharp sensation, and its flowing hair seemed almost tangible.
Since its form was modeled after Tide Hunter's appearance, the demon spirit's attractiveness was particularly striking. But in Su Xiao's view, this made no difference. No matter how good it looked, it was still used for [Substitution] to help him evade attacks. When dispersed, it would still turn into dark blue smoke.
[Demon Spirit Awakening, X.]
Skill Effect 1: Blade Demon Spirit Strength +4500 points.
Skill Effect 2: Substitution (Passive) - Instantly swap positions with the Blade Demon Spirit. No activation delay or usage process. This characteristic cannot be interrupted, sealed, or blocked by any means. It can be [Guaranteed to Complete].
Usage Count: 5/5 (Safe daily usage limit. Exceeding this limit risks demon spirit backlash, causing high probability of ability failure and damage to the user.)
Law Destroyer Bai Ye's Exclusive Characteristic - Instant Return: Within 3 seconds of using [Substitution] to swap positions with the demon spirit, you may choose to swap positions with the demon spirit again. Even if the demon spirit is in a dispersed state, this ability remains usable. [Instant Return] has the same level of immunity to interruption, sealing, or blocking as [Substitution], and can be [Guaranteed to Complete].
Usage Distance: Unlimited within the current world.
Skill Effect 3: Causal Tear (Passive) - After killing an [Abyss Descendant], you may choose to activate this characteristic. The [Blade Demon Spirit] in its killing state will forcibly tear the killed [Abyss Descendant]'s [Causal Life Source] from its family's [Ancestral Clan Emblem], causing it to completely perish from this kill.
Usage Count per World: 2/2 times.
...
Su Xiao finally understood why Abyss Descendants could be so absurdly immortal and undying. The entire problem lay in the [Ancestral Clan Emblems] of the various Abyss Descendant families.
As long as an Abyss Descendant still had its [Causal Life Source] on its family's [Ancestral Clan Emblem], even if killed, it could use this [Causal Life Source] as a resurrection seed in the Abyss, nourished by the [Ancestral Clan Emblem], to complete its revival.
The only issue with this ability was that it could only be used twice per world. Targets had to be chosen carefully to ensure a sufficiently devastating blow to the Abyss family.
However, the recently appeared [Spirit/Body Resonance] of [Demon Spirit Awakening] had been replaced by [Causal Tear].
Checking the current demon spirit strength, it had reached a staggering 6605 points. Su Xiao was certain that any further absorption of [Abyss Source Energy] converted into [Demon Spirit Energy] would no longer be taken by the Blade Demon Spirit. It wasn't just full; it had reached its limit.
But the Abyss right arm wasn't a permanent solution. Su Xiao could clearly sense that he was only temporarily controlling this fused power. If he later became strong enough that the right arm's power conflicted with his own, that would be the time to expel the fused source power of the previous Abyss Lord from his right arm.
Ultimately, to absolutely and safely suppress his Blade Demon Spirit, sufficiently high soul strength was the best choice. The problem was, what level of soul strength corresponded to 6605 points of demon spirit strength?
When in doubt, ask the ancestral Law Destroyers.
Su Xiao took out his communicator and tried to contact Mawen Hua'erzi. He didn't expect real-time communication; leaving messages would suffice. But after searching for a moment, the other side actually answered.
A crackling sound came through, along with faint waves and wind.
"Hello? Hello? Is this thing broken?"
Mawen Hua'erzi's old rogue-like voice came from the communicator.
"It's not broken."
"Oh ho, kid, you're at Eberus and still have time to contact me? Looks like that old bug Dukain hasn't recovered yet."
"..."
"Alright, what's the matter this time?"
"Soul strength, corresponding to demon spirit suppression."
"Hahaha, you've come to the right person. Tell me, how high is the demon spirit level now? I'll calculate the corresponding soul strength."
"6605 strength."
As soon as Su Xiao said this, the three black-hearted old men on the other end fell silent. The black mist figure among them said, "Mawen, you've gained a Demon Blade apprentice."
"Su Xiao, did he suffer when he left? The demon spirit."
"..."
"We old immortals will find you, demon spirit."
"..."
"Don't stay silent. Don't act."
Hearing this, Su Xiao was silent for a few seconds before saying, "In the second law of alchemy, there is no compound catalytic reaction and..."
"Alright, stop, stop, stop. Don't recite anymore. Even through the communicator, it gives me a headache. I believe in your alchemy level. The demon spirit won't inherit this kind of knowledge ability."
Clearly, Mawen Hua'erzi on the other end was convinced that Su Xiao hadn't been countered by the demon spirit and had his consciousness swallowed. The three old men began whispering among themselves. After a moment, Mawen Hua'erzi cleared his throat and said:
"First, tell me how you managed to temporarily suppress the demon spirit when it's this strong."
Su Xiao recounted his encounter with the previous Abyss Lord's chief guard, how he defeated him with [Dark Writhing], and how his right arm had fused with a small amount of the previous Abyss Lord's source power.
After hearing this, the three black-hearted old men on the other end fell silent again. Even though they were among the most top-tier powerhouses of the Second Era, they suddenly found themselves in a knowledge blind spot.
Mawen Hua'erzi thought for a moment and said:
"Hmm, there's some luck involved. And as you said, if the previous Abyss Lord isn't dead, once it revives, it can definitely strip that source power belonging to it from your right arm. No matter how perfectly your right arm has fused, it won't matter. This is causal destiny."
Although they were in a knowledge blind spot, their insight was still there.
"Kid, remember, using soul power to suppress the demon spirit is the best choice. Your soul power will always belong to you, no matter what."
"Yeah, so I'm asking, how strong does the soul need to be to suppress the current demon spirit?"
Su Xiao's question caused the three black-hearted old men on the other end to fall silent again. Today, these three had encountered quite a few knowledge blind spots.
The three old men began calculating. After more than half an hour, Mawen Hua'erzi said:
"Using your Paradise faction's evaluation standards, roughly 2600 points of soul strength can suppress 6500 points of demon spirit strength."
Su Xiao's current soul strength was 1650 points. So reaching 2600 points was still possible. After all, this promotion to Supreme had given his [Soul Devourer Talent] an epic enhancement, increasing soul strength growth from 50 points per world progress to 150 points. In about seven more world progresses, he could suppress the demon spirit with soul strength again.
However, there was a particularly critical question. Su Xiao asked, "How did you come up with 2600 soul strength suppressing 6500 demon spirit strength?"
Mawen Hua'erzi: "Experience."
Old Law Destroyer: "Judgment."
Black Mist Figure: "Guess."
Combining the three answers, it seemed that the black mist figure, this ancestral Spellcaster, had the most credible answer.
At that moment, Mawen Hua'erzi on the other end angrily rebuked the black mist figure, "You Spellcaster, what the hell do you know about demon spirits?"
"Heh, I really don't know about demon spirits, but I know about the shamelessness of you two Law Destroyers."
"You're full of shit! I've lived my whole life with integrity..."
"Oh? Then how did I die?"
When the black mist figure said this, Mawen Hua'erzi suddenly fell silent. It seemed there was quite a story there. Because of this, Bubu Wang and Baha beside Su Xiao had their ears practically pressed against the communicator in his hand.
"Law Destroyer kid."
The black mist figure on the other end spoke seriously. He thought for a few seconds before continuing, "This ratio was guessed by these two old things. But I estimate the accuracy is over eighty percent. After all, these two old fellows are Demon Devouring Shadows. In the Law Destroyer Shadow system, no one understands demon spirits better than Demon Devouring Shadows, since they're the ones who devour the demon spirit system..."
Just as the call reached this point, a boom came from the other end, and then the communication was cut off.
Su Xiao tried to control the demon spirit to return to Dragon-Slashing Flash, but the demon spirit didn't move. Seeing this, he gradually activated the power of his right arm. The demon spirit was immediately controlled, turned into smoke, and submerged back into Dragon-Slashing Flash.
This situation further strengthened Su Xiao's determination to enhance his own soul. He came before the [Awakening Stele], took out the two [Awakening Stele Fragments] he had obtained, and approached the stele.
He had thought he would need to pay Reincarnation Paradise some Space-Time Power for repair and fusion. But unexpectedly, the two [Awakening Stele Fragments] turned into a semi-fluid and were absorbed by the main [Awakening Stele].
[Prompt: You have further completed the Awakening Stele.]
[The [Refinement Ability] of the Awakening Stele has been restored to its full state. That is, 5 Law-Destroying Skill Points can be synthesized into 1 [Refined Law-Destroying Skill Point].]
...
Previously, [Refinement] was 3 points synthesized into 1, but that 1 point was equivalent to 4 points. This increased the growth limit of the Cyan Steel Shadow ability several times over. Even the [Infinite Characteristic] Cyan Steel Shadow had a maximum level. Whether using ordinary Law-Destroying Skill Points or initially refined ones, 1 point raised it by 1 level.
Now, the complete refinement was 5 points synthesized into 1, but this 1 point was equivalent to the previous 10 points. This qualitative level of [Refinement] was one of the reasons the ancestral Law Destroyers were so powerful.
Moreover, Su Xiao found that the current [Awakening Stele] was still incomplete. Before his promotion to Supreme, finding [Awakening Stele Fragments] was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Now, it was different.
He estimated that further completing the [Awakening Stele] might unlock new abilities.
He activated the [Source Container], extracted the 150 Law-Destroying Skill Points stored inside, and refined them all through the [Awakening Stele]. An hour later, a total of 30 [Refined Law-Destroying Skill Points] appeared in his skill list. However, the refined Law-Destroying Skill Points had to be used quickly.
He entered the [Skill Upgrade Pod]. After the hatch closed, Su Xiao sat cross-legged to enhance the Cyan Steel Shadow ability. Without hesitation, he invested all 30 Law-Destroying Skill Points at once.
With a hum, Su Xiao seemed to see the endless star sea of the Star Realm. Of course, this was just an illusion. The enhancement amplitude this time was quite fierce, but he wasn't sent into a dream, indicating that his physique was now vastly different from before.
The Cyan Steel Shadow energy surged within him. Su Xiao clearly felt the Cyan Steel Shadow energy expand significantly while also gaining new characteristics. He checked the enhanced Cyan Steel Shadow ability:
[Cyan Steel Shadow: Lv.95 (Active/Passive Skill)]
Usage Condition: After activating Cyan Steel Shadow, consumes 9760 Mana Points per minute (increased by 3600 points).
Active Effect: Each melee attack burns 14860 Mana Points from the enemy and deals True Damage equal to 1.8 times the burned Mana Points (Base 26748 points + 400 True Damage + Dragon-Slashing Flash 50% increase + Azure Shadow King 30% increase + Swift Shadow 40% increase = 59246 True Damage). The enemy will experience intense pain from the Mana burn.
Defensive Form: Proud Song (Passive) - Can generate crystals of any form to defend against enemy attacks. Crystal strength is proportional to the Mana Points consumed. Single-use Mana consumption limit is 28900 points (increased by 9000 points). Crystal layer defense rank +28 (increased by 6).
Prompt: After Proud Song transforms into a passive characteristic, crystal formation and spread speed increase by 50%.
Combat Form: Violent Boil (Active) - Causes Cyan Steel Shadow energy to "boil," changing consumption from per minute to per second, with Mana consumption increased by 1000%. Final True Damage dealt by Cyan Steel Shadow is multiplied by 3 times.
...
It could only be said that the Cyan Steel Shadow ability had become increasingly terrifying. The Proud Song form of this ability was simply an inevitable derivation from the Cyan Steel Shadow energy being too strong, rather than something granted by the ability itself. In other words, when a person's power characteristic was too strong, they would inevitably possess extremely fast speed, even without any enhancement in that area.
Therefore, the Cyan Steel Shadow ability was actually a very focused ability. All its characteristics boiled down to one sentence: burning the enemy's body energy to deal True Damage. All enhancements to this ability were channeled into this aspect.
He had thought that a Mana consumption of 9760 points per minute was already astonishing, but the new combat form could increase consumption tenfold, meaning 97600 Mana Points per second. With his full Mana of 526760 points, he would run out in less than 6 seconds.
This was a method to be used only when determining the final outcome of a battle with an enemy.
Based on his own judgment, with his current 8.11 million Health Points, facing 180,000 True Damage per slash, it seemed he could withstand it. In reality, he couldn't withstand it at all. Never compare Health Points with True Damage.
In layman's terms, in the early to mid stages, even equipment or passive skills with just a few points of True Damage could sell for high prices. Because compared to armor penetration, defense penetration, etc., the effect of True Damage was far superior.
An attack with 10 True Damage and a total intensity of 5000 points, compared to an attack with a total intensity of 10000 points, in actual combat, the bloody damage dealt was not necessarily comparable.
Think of True Damage as the blade edge of a knife. With the blade edge, you can cut into the enemy's body, and then the damage becomes easier to deal.
Obviously, 180,000 True Damage per slash was extremely inhumane.
Su Xiao opened his eyes. Although his Cyan Steel Shadow ability had greatly improved, skyrocketing his combat capability, he didn't urgently need a battle to adapt himself like after enhancing the Blade Grandmaster ability. He could now engage in the highest intensity combat.
The Lord's Train started, heading to its destination, the Decayed Royal City.
Meanwhile, at Sanctuary City Doan, the top floor of the City Council building, in the Mayor's office.
Mayor Worn sat by the window, looking at the [Flame Core] at the top of the central torch tower, which was emitting sunlight. He raised his right hand, wearing a black glove, and tapped his right temple with his index finger, clearly deep in thought.
"Soul Master, we need to think of a way. This guy is earning several hundred thousand Sanctuary City reputation points every day. Neither of us can compete."
A woman wrapped in a black robe, with eyes showing a dark green hue, spoke.
"There will be a way."
Mayor Worn, no, Soul Master, looked at the distant torch tower. At the same time, at the top of the torch tower where the [Flame Core] was installed, Exploration Captain Afia stopped there. She raised her hand, and just as she was about to touch the [Flame Core], a voice came from the spiral corridor behind.
"Afia, this isn't you. Wake up."
Dark Bishop Charles emerged from the darkness of the spiral corridor, his expression very complex.
"It's meaningless. Continuing to hold on here is meaningless. We should leave this world eroded by the Abyss. I know it's unrealistic to build a world-level teleportation array that can teleport hundreds of thousands of people, but isn't this the energy core we need?"
Afia reached out and touched the [Flame Core]. She wasn't trying to destroy it.
In fact, the truly terrifying betrayal wasn't being swayed by words or bought by interests. It was when the betrayer themselves believed they weren't betraying but saving their own faction, willing to sacrifice their life and everything for it.
"How long do you want to continue this life protected by a group of dead people? How long will our three Primordial Life Forces be enough for them to absorb and burn? After we become those things in the future, we'll only become a burden to the next few guardians, making them bear an even heavier price than we do now. Supreme powerhouses who can only live to less than seventy years old. Don't you find this extremely absurd?"
Afia's expression became increasingly determined. She successfully fully synchronized with her own soul will.
Why had Afia, who could resist [Dark Corruption] to a certain extent, become like this? The answer was Soul Master and the forbidden mark he possessed, the [Soul Mark].
Soul Master hadn't changed Afia's thoughts or personal consciousness at all. These were actually Afia's own thoughts from the past.
From birth to inheriting Supreme power, she had endured too much pain, separation, and life-and-death situations. It was inevitable that thoughts would arise: why die here? Going to the outside world with current Supreme power and remaining Primordial Life Force, she could live freely for at least a few thousand years.
Everything was judged by actions, not intentions. Everyone occasionally has selfish, dark thoughts. But being able to restrain such thoughts and quickly kill them in the heart is a sign of mental strength. To say one never has selfish thoughts, one would probably need to have no emotions at all, completely losing the seven emotions and six desires.
What Soul Master did was gradually let the dark and selfish thoughts that Afia had once had in her heart take root and sprout. This was the hardest to guard against. Who would guard against their own heart?
As for Afia coming to check the [Flame Core], she was just taking a look. When she arrived at the top of the torch tower, she didn't have any other thoughts. The problem was that Dark Bishop Charles came here and noticed something slightly off about Afia.
This caused Afia to be unable to hold back and speak her inner thoughts, leading to the soul will and mental will beginning to merge.
"It's not enough. I thought the same way back then, but the [Flame Core] isn't enough to drive a world-level teleportation array to send that many people away."
Dark Bishop Charles's words made Afia hesitate. She seemed to want to say something but stopped.
"Don't say it."
From a dark corner nearby, Pain Priest Zdenek spoke in a deep voice. Others didn't know, but he still had complete language ability. Everyone thought he could only engage in simple language communication due to the immense pain he had suffered in the past.
"We can... only take the children of Sanctuary City away. We, whose souls and causal existences have been eroded by the Abyss, were already doomed from the start. But I can take the children away, to a world not yet eroded by the Abyss. That's right, this doesn't require all the energy of the [Flame Core]. The remaining energy can be left for you to continue waiting here for the day everything ends."
The more she spoke, the more feasible Afia felt this plan was. Even Dark Bishop Charles frowned in thought, because he felt that this plan did seem feasible.
Suddenly! Dark Bishop Charles stabbed his hand into his own head and then pulled out his brain through the bloody hole in his temple. He held his brain in both hands, and black liquid spewed from his mouth. After washing over the brain, the soul brainworms on it evaporated.
"So it was... the soul."
Dark Bishop Charles's expression was very ugly. The powerhouses of Sanctuary City had always used their souls to exchange for corruption resistance against the [Dark Corruption] of the Abyss Descendants. Now, encountering such a powerful being that could silently erode souls, they were naturally ambushed.
Moreover, it was only because Afia's personal willpower was strong that she wasn't affected in just a few hours. As it was, she had held out for several days before gradually being influenced.
After 'self-brainwashing,' Dark Bishop Charles swept his brain back into his head. He raised his hand toward Afia: "Give me your brain. I'll wash it for you."
This scene made Afia hesitate. At that moment, a figure walked up to the tower top. The newcomer was the current highest administrator of Sanctuary City, Mayor Worn.
"Mr. Worn, Afia is..."
Before Dark Bishop could finish, Mayor Worn interrupted: "Reason tells me that Sanctuary City cannot take risks, but my personal will tells me that Afia is right."
Hearing this, Dark Bishop Charles and Pain Priest knew it was over. The Mayor had also been infected by the unknown soul power.
The current situation formed a 2-on-2. But another figure emerged from the dim spiral corridor. It was Aurora, in a black robe with eyes showing a dark green hue. She was the most venomous healer of Holy Light Paradise, famous for her disease and life system abilities.
Aurora was extremely seductive, but none of the men present met her gaze, as this might infect them with mental or soul diseases.
"Two of you, I advise you to calm down."
Haotao, bare-chested with a strong upper body and a lion-like mane of hair, appeared after Aurora. He stepped forward, crossed his arms, and looked at Dark Bishop Charles with a hint of a smile.
"You..."
Dark Bishop Charles had just started speaking.
Pfft!
A right hand wearing a black glove pierced through Haotao's chest. Everything happened too suddenly and unexpectedly. Not to mention others, even Haotao himself was more surprised than angry.
The feeling of his soul being frozen made Haotao grind his teeth, but his body couldn't move at all. Squeezing out the word "why" from between his teeth was already his limit.
The one who backstabbed him was actually the person in this world least likely to betray him, the holder of the [Soul Mark], Soul Master.
The black glove, which seemed to be the hand itself, was stained red with Haotao's blood.
"May the gods bless you, lost child."
Gray-white tentacles appeared on the wall. Shenfu walked out from a door formed by gray-white tentacles. His kind and benevolent smile seemed to indicate that he had nothing to do with all this.
"Shen... fu."
Haotao's teeth almost turned into beast-like fangs. He was too unwilling.
"As agreed, you helped me strip the [Soul Mark], and I delivered the [Devouring Mark] to you. I did my part. What about you?"
Soul Master, wearing narrow-framed sunglasses, with short golden hair combed back, and dressed in a white casual suit, revealed his true appearance. He habitually pushed up his narrow-framed sunglasses.
This scene made Afia's head ache as if it would split. She suddenly broke free from the soul will fusion she had just experienced and rejoined Dark Bishop on the same front line.
Soul Master was slightly surprised but then thought that this was a powerhouse who had fought Abyss Spawn in this world for years, so it wasn't unexpected.
The situation was clear. Everything before had been an act by Soul Master and Shenfu. Their goal was to lure Haotao to Soul Master. To ensure success, Shenfu was willing to spend several hundred Golden Skill Points to keep anyone capable of and likely to disrupt the plan too busy to interfere.
Shenfu stepped forward to Haotao's side. With each step Shenfu took, Haotao's unwillingness surged with every sound of footsteps.
"No!!"
Haotao's chest began to crack like porcelain. But the next second, Shenfu's hand calmly and kindly pressed against the back of Haotao's head.
In an instant, everything for Haotao ended. His pupils instantly turned gray-white, and layers of dead skin appeared on his body, falling off like layers of gray cotton. When his head completely grayed, a mark emerged. This was the [Devouring Mark].
Shenfu touched the [Devouring Mark] with one hand. This forbidden mark fragment sank into his palm. He asked, "Did these three agree?"
Soul Master looked at the three Dark Bishops and smiled brightly: "I negotiated with their Sanctuary City's Ancestral Spirit. No problem. The one who truly calls the shots in Sanctuary City is the Ancestral Spirit."