Chapter 28: Gluttony
Burning embers of blood drifted through the air. Su Xiao raised his long blade, observing the powerful soul force condensed on it. He was certain that Dragon-Slaying Flash would gain a massive enhancement from this dragon-slaying.
Taking out a bottle of [Crimson Secret Medicine], he crushed and used it. After his injuries somewhat recovered, he walked to the headless giant corpse of the Abyss Ancient Dragon. His long blade cut through the dragon's abdomen. This wasn't venting anger after a deadly battle—Su Xiao had never done such a base thing. He was rescuing Amu from inside the dragon's belly.
Before long, Amu crawled out from the cut wound. The simple-minded bull's skin was tattered and corroded all over, but his flesh and blood were surprisingly tough. Not only that, as soon as Amu set foot on solid ground, he let out a loud burp that could rival a dragon's roar.
Amu patted his belly with particular satisfaction, clearly indicating that he was... full.
This also signified that the Abyss Ancient Dragon's massive heart, along with large amounts of flesh and blood enhanced by Abyss Force erosion, had all entered Amu's stomach.
In the past, this would have been suicide for Amu. But now, Amu's stomach had absorbed the nourishment and enhancement of 32 portions of [Abyss Source Matter]. Saying he had an Abyss Stomach would be an exaggeration, but as long as he didn't directly swallow Abyss Energy in its initial state, there was no problem.
For example, the heart and flesh of the slain Abyss Ancient Dragon, the undying Abyss Spawn, and even the flesh and blood of Abyss Descendants—Amu could probably devour and digest them all.
If Amu kept devouring like this, it was possible that this simple-minded bull might actually develop an Abyss Stomach. Speaking of which, since Amu's birth, the one thing he had never stopped training was his stomach.
In terms of focus, it was no weaker than Su Xiao. Every time he returned to his exclusive room in Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao would immediately open his storage space to check the gains and prepare for enhancement.
Amu was more direct. After recovering from injuries, he would immediately go to his exclusive giant refrigerator and begin his marvelous and appetite-opening 'hard training.' And today, this training actually bore fruit.
Because Amu had devoured the Abyss Ancient Dragon's heart, he naturally obtained the [Dukain Family Emblem] belonging to the Twinborn King.
Black flames began to appear around them, burning everything in the area. The Lord's Train arrived. Su Xiao and Amu quickly boarded, and the train began charging out of the black flames.
Ten minutes later, the Lord's Train burst out of the black flame zone. The front of the train was scorched red, and the internal cooling armor layer was nearing its limit.
Inside the train, Su Xiao deactivated the overloaded train defenses and saw the black flames shooting into the sky outside. This was an evaporative deflagration reaction triggered by the corruption losing its source and lacking sufficient powerful force to suppress it. In layman's terms, it was a super-powered version of a methane explosion.
Su Xiao relaxed and leaned back on the sofa. He now had a more concrete understanding of his current strength. Although the recent improvements seemed absurdly large, he actually lacked a 'core carrier,' and that core carrier was his four main attributes.
The Azure Steel Shadow ability was fine. This ability didn't enhance his own body much; it was a lethal ability. As long as he wielded it skillfully enough, there was no problem.
Su Xiao wasn't a 'Demon Devouring Shadow' who would master many derivative abilities from Azure Steel Shadow. As a 'Soul Severing Shadow,' he used Azure Steel Shadow in a way so simple and brutal that even 'Demon Devouring Shadows' would want to curse—just imbue it into the blade and be done. Those who needed to experience Azure Steel Shadow's fury were the enemies, not Su Xiao himself.
Therefore, even if the Azure Steel Shadow ability reached a very high level now, he could still control it. As for developing 'Demon Devouring Shadow' abilities, that was impossible. The first hard requirement of 'Demon Devouring Shadow' was to devour one's own Blade Demon Spirit.
As for part-time 'Space Rending Shadow,' that was also unnecessary. Su Xiao had the Azure Shadow King ability. 'Space Rending Shadow' was strong in group battles with a powerful Dragon Shadow Flash ability, but in terms of group combat, 'Space Rending Shadow' really couldn't compare to Su Xiao with a max-level Azure Shadow King. As for spatial system development of Dragon Shadow Flash...
Guess why Su Xiao still used the [Law-Destroying Teleportation Array] to this day? Was it because the array's force was strong enough to be nearly unstoppable?
Of course not. When he first used the [Law-Destroying Teleportation Array], he would also be left speechless after each teleportation. Every time he teleported, he had to lean against a wall to recover and observe his surroundings to confirm if this was still the world he was in. It could be said: use it once in the morning, be dazed all morning.
If his spatial talent wasn't poor, who would learn this thing? And the fact that Su Xiao's max-level 'Dragon Shadow Flash' ability had no other characteristics besides spatial penetration already said a lot.
Azure Steel Shadow, as the core ability of the Law Destruction system, was powerful yet easy to control. 'Blade Grandmaster,' however, was not. With 120 'Initial Skill Points' invested, Su Xiao's combat power showed immediate results, but this also turned 'Extreme Blade: White Night' from an active to a passive state.
'Extreme Blade: White Night' had a powerful yet burdensome characteristic. It wasn't a rigid bonus but would evolve with the improvement of Blade Grandmaster.
For example, if yesterday's Blade Grandmaster had a comprehensive power of 5, then after the passive 'Extreme Blade: White Night' bonus, it became a comprehensive power of 25.
But today, Su Xiao improved Blade Grandmaster, raising its comprehensive power to 40. Then it wasn't yesterday's total strength of 25 plus today's newly added 30 equaling 55. It was today's comprehensive power of 40 multiplied by 5, equaling 200 comprehensive power.
Everything has a price, and Blade Grandmaster was no exception. Su Xiao's current core, his four main attributes, truly couldn't bear this level of Blade Grandmaster. He estimated that at least 1500 points in all four attributes were needed to bear it.
For now, all he could do was control himself. As long as he got through this world and returned to Reincarnation Paradise, he could achieve 1500 points in all four main attributes. After all, he still had 24 [Reincarnation Emblems] on hand.
The reason he hadn't explosively enhanced his physique before was to avoid disrupting the growth of his combat system. Now there was no need to worry. His body attributes were in deficit. In this situation, even a single massive enhancement wouldn't cause problems; on the contrary, it would be beneficial.
[Prompt (Void Tree): You have completed the Blade Grandmaster exclusive achievement: Dragon Slaying.]
[You have obtained the rare title: Dragon Slayer.]
Checking the [Dragon Slayer] title, he found it had no attributes. However, the next second, a prompt from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Detected that the Hunter has obtained the 'Dragon Slayer' title. Do you wish to sell this title?]
[Selling this title will grant 'Main Weapon Forging +2 Authority'.]
...
Su Xiao tried to check what 'Main Weapon Forging +2 Authority' was.
'Main Weapon Forging +2 Authority: After using this authority, the enhancement level of the currently selected main weapon will be increased by +2.'
Su Xiao didn't hesitate to sell the 'Dragon Slayer' title to Reincarnation Paradise. He had expended great effort to get Dragon-Slaying Flash to +13. Back when Dragon-Slaying Flash reached the highest quality of conventional equipment notarized rating, 'Eternal Rank,' it had two enhancement options: conventional enhancement and 'Eternal Rank Exclusive Enhancement.'
Conventional enhancement had too high a risk. High-level enhancement could shatter Dragon-Slaying Flash. The latter was indeed safe, but unfortunately, the required [Rare Origin Stone] was a bottomless pit.
As soon as [Main Weapon Forging +2 Authority] was obtained, Su Xiao chose to use it. A prompt appeared.
[To perform this main weapon enhancement, you must temporarily submit Dragon-Slaying Flash to Reincarnation Paradise. The enhancement will be completed in 3 hours and 24 minutes.]
...
After temporarily submitting Dragon-Slaying Flash, Su Xiao's gaze fell on Amu. This simple-minded bull had been very important in this battle. He checked Amu's current attributes.
Name: Gluttonous Raging Bull·Amu.
Rank: Follower.
Hunger Level: 0/100 (Currently full).
Maximum Health: 600%.
True Strength: 890 points (Not in isolated hunger, not in 'Gluttony Original Sin' state).
True Agility: 780 points (Not in isolated hunger, not in 'Gluttony Original Sin' state).
True Stamina: 1150 points (Not in isolated hunger, not in 'Gluttony Original Sin' state).
Intelligence: 5 points (Abyss Price).
Charm: 0 points (Abyss Price).
Body Comprehensive Defense: 720 points (This characteristic covers body strength, body defense, and all attribute anomaly resistance).
Skill 1: Abyss Constitution (Passive, X): Maximum Health +500%, recovers 1.5% of maximum Health per second. 'Body Comprehensive Defense Upper Limit Potential' reaches the Abyss system's upper tier. As a price, its body energy enters an unsummonable state, having deeply fused into body cells.
Skill 2: Undying War Bull (Passive, X): Amu gains Body Comprehensive Defense equal to (Strength + Agility + Stamina) × 55% (Currently increased by 1551 points). For every 30% of Health lost, Body Comprehensive Defense increases by 1 times (Currently stackable up to 5 times).
Skill 3: True Defense (Passive, X): Amu gains 'True Body Defense' equal to current 'Body Comprehensive Defense' × 0.15.
Prompt: 'True Body Defense' is an absolute level of defense. Damage reduction will increase progressively as current Health decreases.
Skill 4: Mad Demon Stomach (Core Passive, X): Amu can permanently increase 'Maximum Health Upper Limit,' 'True Stamina,' and 'Body Comprehensive Defense' by devouring the flesh, blood, and hearts of powerful Abyss system beings.
Skill 5: Isolated Evil Devouring (Abyss Passive, X·Unique): When Amu is more than 10 kilometers away from his master (Su Xiao), his 'Gluttony Original Sin' will gradually awaken. Under the empowerment of Abyss Force, he will 'super massively' continuously increase Strength, Agility, and Stamina. At the same time, as 'Hunger Level' increases, he will become increasingly dangerous and his rationality will gradually decrease. During this period, he will actively seek out and devour Abyss system beings. If there are no Abyss system beings in a large surrounding area, Amu will switch to seeking out powerful Dark system beings to kill and devour.
Warning: Amu is extremely dangerous during this phase.
Prompt: When Amu's 'Hunger Level' is above 50 points, Amu will regain a small amount of rationality, but will still be an 'Extremely Dangerous Unit.'
Prompt: When Amu's distance from his master (Su Xiao) is again less than 30 meters, Amu will quickly return to a normal state of rationality, breaking away from the 'Gluttony Original Sin' and 'Isolated State.'
...
If not for the 'Isolated Evil Devouring' ability, Amu's improvement could be summed up in two words: tough, extremely tough. No wonder he hadn't died even under the Abyss Ancient Dragon's terrifying attacks.
Having absorbed 32 portions of [Abyss Source Matter], plus the previous enhancement from [Follower Promotion Emblem] and reaching 600% maximum Health, Amu's Health should have reached a very exaggerated level.
With sufficiently powerful Health and Amu's core being stacking armor defense, as he got injured, his comprehensive body defense would reach a staggering 11355 points.
In future battles against powerful enemies, Amu could go up and take the beating first. He was no longer someone who would fall from a single ultimate move. It would require a barrage of ultimate-level abilities, plus pulling out trump cards, to possibly take Amu down.
Taking down Amu was already difficult. As for killing him, it was very, very hard. This was the characteristic of the armor-stacking school. Among the three major tank systems of Watchful Paradise—Sky Pillar, Earth Shaker, and Eternal Strong Liquor—the core passive of Eternal Strong Liquor's tank system was 'True Body Defense.' That Amu had obtained this showed that Eternal Strong Liquor likely had some connection to the Abyss system.
The characteristic of Eternal Strong Liquor was being very hard to kill. The more injured, the stronger the body defense.
That meant, after Amu was knocked down, if he lay nearby for a while, he would suddenly jump up with a 'Moo!' roar and charge at the enemy, buying Su Xiao time to recover and catch his breath in a deadly battle.
Su Xiao checked the prompts. The kill rewards were quite substantial.
[Prompt: You have killed the Abyss Ancient Dragon.]
[You have obtained 30,000 Hunter Gold Coins.]
[You have obtained Abyss Chest: Ancient Wyvern.]
...
Good news: another top-tier chest.
Bad news: another top-tier Abyss chest.
Su Xiao checked the [Book of Original Sin] in his storage space. There were already six 'Daddy-level' Original Sin Objects inside. He absolutely couldn't add another one. That would really cause big problems. At least until the [Book of Original Sin] completed its thorough transformation, this situation couldn't happen.
Compared to this matter, the situation in Sanctuary City·Doan was truly urgent. Su Xiao opened the world's communication platform, checked the list, and found that Haoji's avatar had turned gray. Haoji was dead.
Haoji had just been promoted to Supreme, but this guy was at the top tier of Absolute Strength. After promotion to Supreme, he wasn't weak either. On the other hand, Soul Master and Orora, who had temporarily allied with him against Shenfu, hadn't died. Su Xiao didn't believe there was nothing wrong with this.
Shenfu and Soul Master were hostile in this world. No matter how you looked at it, it was reasonable. But these two old schemers had been at odds for so long without causing much of a stir. That was unreasonable.
If things couldn't be figured out, try a different approach. Was it possible that Soul Master's arrival in this world was itself a setup?
First, confirm one point: Was Soul Master really the type to desperately protect his 'Soul Imprint,' becoming nothing without it? Obviously, no.
Haoji had tracked the 'Soul Imprint' holder, Soul Master, to this world, wanting to deal with Shenfu through a temporary alliance. The scene of Su Xiao and Shenfu scheming to kill the Platinum Apostle had given Haoji psychological trauma.
Clearly, Haoji's simple plan had succeeded.
But if you changed your thinking, after Soul Master sensed the awakening of Dawn Paradise, his first thought might not have been to continue using the 'Soul Imprint' to strengthen his power.
'Soul Imprint Ability: The 'Soul Imprint' holder can devour others' souls, permanently increasing soul strength through the devoured souls, and absorb the person's abilities, permanently obtaining one of the person's abilities (each time, 1-2 abilities can be selected from all the victim's abilities).'
Needless to say, Soul Master was a soul-system passive-stacking maniac. His strength was as one could imagine. No wonder there were rumors that the 'Soul Imprint' was the strongest of the five forbidden imprints.
Assuming Soul Master was an old schemer good at trade-offs, after reaching the Supreme level, he might no longer rely on the 'Soul Imprint.' Instead, as an existing violator, actively submitting to 'Dawn Paradise' was undoubtedly a wise move.
Dawn Paradise had only recently revived. Someone like Soul Master, a Supreme violator with both strength and intelligence, would definitely be recruited and given high authority and resource judgment bias. However, 'Forbidden Imprints' were something Dawn Paradise would never allow violators to have under notarization, except for Shenfu.
Simply stripping this 'Forbidden Imprint' seemed the fastest. But if he participated in the recovery of other 'Forbidden Imprints,' he would obviously gain several times the initial authority and resource judgment bias of directly defecting.
Then, Shenfu and Soul Master's cooperation was definitely to fish Haoji in.
Su Xiao wouldn't decide his subsequent plans based solely on these guesses, but that didn't prevent him from taking precautions.
Furthermore, if these guesses were true, he would have to face two old schemers. He was sure he couldn't out-scheme them. So he would have to rely on wisdom. Thinking this far, his hand unconsciously went to the end of his sword hilt. Cough—no, the end of wisdom.
He was certain that these would be two formidable enemies in the future at the Supreme level. But in the current phase of this world, even if those two joined forces, they probably couldn't beat him, who had just invested 120 'Initial Skill Points' entirely into Blade Grandmaster.
Weighing the situation, Su Xiao didn't think Shenfu and Soul Master would destroy Sanctuary City·Doan. That was the core area of Void Tree's notarization for this world. If it was destroyed, not only his but everyone's mission would immediately fail. Su Xiao didn't believe that Shenfu, now a Dawn Paradise violator, wouldn't be implicated by this.
So Su Xiao would first go to Empress City to eliminate a hidden danger.
At this moment, in Empress City·District 0, within the luxurious bedchamber of the Forest Manor.
Scorpion Lady was worried. This trip to the Corrupted Royal City had not only failed to surround and kill the Law Destroyer but had also cost her a capable confidant. Although the other party would 'revive' in a few years, Scorpion Lady knew that would no longer be the El who was loyal to her to the death.
"Empress, we..."
Bergil, pale-faced with most of his body composed of gray-white matter, began to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. They had invested too much effort in Empress City. Abandoning it was truly regrettable. But if that Law Destroyer came knocking, who could stop him?
"Empress, I will protect you with my life. If that Law Destroyer dares to come, I will make him pay."
Evil Hao spoke. If not for his body being covered in bloodstains, looking like a braised pork elbow tied with string to prevent it from falling apart, his words might have carried some persuasiveness.
Scorpion Lady sighed inwardly. She had never doubted Evil Hao's loyalty. As for sending Evil Hao to fight to the death with that Law Destroyer, Scorpion Lady sighed again. She was indeed an Abyss Descendant, but not a completely heartless devil. Although she had little conscience, sending Evil Hao to solo that Law Destroyer was truly...
"Empress, even you don't believe me!"
Evil Hao was very sad. Bergil's old face twitched. In this situation, he absolutely must not laugh.
"Bergil, you went urgently to Molten City this time. Did you see the Council President?"
Hearing Scorpion Lady's question, a hint of fear faintly appeared in Bergil's eyes. He said, "Council President... is a bit strange."
"Strange how?"
"He... has mushrooms growing on his head."
"Huh?"
Because it was too surprising, Scorpion Lady's 'Huh?' carried a contrastingly cute feeling of losing her composure. It wasn't that Scorpion Lady couldn't maintain her strong persona. It was that she had been hit by one thing after another recently and had somewhat given up inside. The wealth she had accumulated for so long—all gone, all gone!
"Mushrooms?"
"Yes, and Council President sometimes seems... dazed?"
Hearing Bergil's words, Scorpion Lady felt even more guilty. She felt it was the bottle of [Ancient Dragon Secret Medicine] she had sold to the Council President that had caused this.
...
At the original site of the Corrupted Royal City, the black flames had subsided. In the area where the royal hall used to be, some building remnants remained. If one entered these remnants, they would see a peculiar tree.
This tree had the color of Abyss woodification, and it was actually two trees spiraling around each other. Even stranger, the roots of the two intertwined trees were somewhat distant from each other. They had grown towards each other before finally intertwining.
This made their originally incomplete trunks become whole after intertwining. Everything was destined.
A burly figure and a slender figure walked into the building remnants. The slender figure stepped forward. She wore a chest wrap, an unbuttoned loose white shirt, and ultra-short shorts. Hands on her hips, she leaned forward to look at the tree.
"So, this is the friend you came to find?"
Demon Scythe·Aina deliberately squinted one eye and tilted her head to look at the Archbishop of the Abyss, her face wearing a half-smile that was full of mockery.
The Archbishop of the Abyss remained silent with a dark face. He stepped forward, placed one hand on the tree trunk, and confirmed that the Twinborn King was completely dead. The corner of his eye uncontrollably twitched.
"You might as well stop calling yourself Archbishop of the Abyss and just be the God of Death. Whoever you visit dies. You're basically a friend jinx."
Demon Scythe·Aina's words made the Archbishop's expression even uglier. Having a foul-mouthed person around was already annoying. The key point was that there was nothing to refute in her words, which made him even more depressed.
The Archbishop of the Abyss spoke in a deep voice: "This time, go find your friend."
"Hahaha," Demon Scythe·Aina laughed a few times before abruptly stopping, then spread her hands and said, "I have no friends."
"Since that's the case, don't question my choices."
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you. So, who are we going to choose a funeral date for next?"
Hearing Demon Scythe·Aina's words, the Archbishop of the Abyss ignored her and turned to leave.
"Fine, fine, I was wrong. Next, who are we going to find?"
Demon Scythe·Aina chased after the Archbishop of the Abyss. Without turning his head, the Archbishop said, "The old immortal of this world, Council President·Ergubaya."
...
Molten City·Inner City District, inner hall of the Council Hall.
The inner hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All surviving members of the Dukain Family, except Scorpion Lady and her two confidants, were present, filling every seat.
The Dukain Family members had various appearances. The common point was their dense dark aura, the characteristic of the Dukain Family: darkness and domination.
At this moment, the seated Dukain Family members all had their heads down, expressions particularly serious. It could be seen that their ability to hold back laughter was truly impressive.
After all, the person sitting at the head, with a dying aura like a little old man about to die of old age—Council President·Ergubaya—had a plump mushroom blooming on his head. And on the mushroom's cap, several smaller identical mushrooms had grown.
"I think you all understand what I've said. So I haven't wasted my time talking nonsense to you."
Council President·Ergubaya suddenly spoke. The Dukain Family members below all looked confused. They exchanged glances, seeing even more confusion on each other's faces, but they wisely chose not to speak. They could all see that the Council President was a bit strange.
"Good. Now, arrange things as I've said. All of you, leave."
Hearing this, the even more confused Dukain Family members filed out. After everyone had left, Council President·Ergubaya raised his hand to touch his head. Of course, he knew about the mushroom on his head, his current state of alternating between clarity and confusion, and that the problem lay with that bottle of potion. But compared to seeking revenge on Scorpion Lady, solving the current predicament was more important.
Council President·Ergubaya walked towards the inner side. Passing through a spiral staircase, he arrived at his storage room. After hesitating for a long time, he opened a secret door. Stepping inside, the Original Sin aura that made his heart uneasy came from a murky yellow, semi-transparent eyeball.
He had discovered this item in the family holy land, the Abyss Near Zone, and determined that it was a powerful 'Original Sin Object' about to reach the pinnacle, just one crucial step away.
Logically, he should have immediately walked away and left this thing in the Abyss Near Zone. Unfortunately, by the time Council President·Ergubaya came to his senses, this item was already in his treasure vault. Having his soul severed twice by Green Gillian back then had left him without his former strong will.
The good news was that this unheard-of 'Original Sin Object' seemed to have just appeared or awakened, in a semi-'sleeping' state. Council President·Ergubaya's recent thought had been to pretend this treasure vault didn't exist.
Now, Council President·Ergubaya had no choice but to come here. He had no idea what sinister thing had latched onto him. The worst possibility was a Star Realm alien existence from the First Era.
That's right. The true name of alien existence was Star Realm alien existence. However, because the most powerful among them—Wild Madness of Growth, Candle Woman, and Lord of the Old Days—had always stayed in the unknown domains of the Void, by the Third Era, Star Realm alien existence had been renamed Void alien existence.
As for what this Original Sin Object encountered by Council President·Ergubaya was, the answer was: [Eye of Greed].
Speaking of which, this item had a very causal relationship with Su Xiao. Its appearance was due to two things.