Chapter 6: The Chosen One?

Chapter 6: The Chosen One?

Eternal City·Orr.
The afterglow of the setting sun on the horizon illuminated the entire city.
From a distance, the whole Eternal City resembled a divine tower. Though the surrounding buildings were not low, compared to the towering, cloud-piercing divine tower at the city center, they were like gods looking down upon ants.
This was a place that believers and bishops could not set foot in. Only the Four Original Sins and the strongest ancient god, the Underworld God, could enter here. The Underworld God had long slumbered here, and the Four Original Sins were more like guards beneath the god.

In the eastern district, toxic mist spread across the factory zone. This was a massive factory processing living ore, managed by the bishop of the eastern district.
Factory slaves with bluish skin, under the long whips of overseers, marched in lines like living corpses. The overseers, wearing bio-style gas masks, had particularly fierce expressions, because if they failed to complete the tasks assigned by their superiors, they too would face consequences. Sometimes, they even envied these slaves who had nothing to think about and had long lost fear of death.

Eternal City was utterly oppressive—a place without sunlight? Not exactly. The original Eternal City was indeed like that, but after the Underworld God handed over the power to manage this world to the Four Original Sins, the situation began to change.

Still in the eastern district, on the south side of District 016, there was an area within a barrier, known as the "Realm of Bliss."
This was jointly established by the two of the Four Original Sins: Lust·Ina and Gluttony·Quek. In a world where faith belonged to only one ancient god, the Four Original Sins naturally had to think of other ways to strengthen themselves—through emotions. The extreme emotions erupted by those who came to the "Realm of Bliss" to indulge and revel.
Additionally, the substantial profits brought by the "Realm of Bliss" were the reason the other two Original Sins accepted this place.

Further south of the "Realm of Bliss" was an area completely different from other districts of Eternal City. Here, the colors of the buildings were clear, not dim and eerie, and normal pedestrians could be seen walking briskly on the streets.
This was District 035, the only place in the entire Eternal City not invaded by ancient god power. More precisely, this area was the very center of this world.
The entire district had a population of less than 200,000. The commoners living here were like sheep on a dark wasteland. The reason they hadn't been devoured was partly because the bishops occasionally secretly hunted, and partly because Slaughter·Richmond, one of the Four Original Sins, needed such a place to receive visitors from outside.

If the Underworld God was the absolute ruler of the Underworld Temple, then Slaughter·Richmond was the greatest contributor to the Underworld God's forces growing to this extent. Though called "Slaughter," he was usually very calm. Whether it was the planning of Eternal City or the appointment of rulers over various city domains, he was the one leading.

At this moment, in a three-story building on a backstreet in District 035.
A strong figure sleeping soundly in the room suddenly sat up from the bed. Thick curtains blocked the setting sun, but one could vaguely see that the man who got up was over three meters tall. A sliver of sunset light through the curtain gap just illuminated the man's back, where there was a sun mark—a dark golden sun.

This person—no, calling him a person wasn't quite right—was originally a Devourer, the third-generation Devourer·Dark Sun. In essence, he was born through the Eye Ritual. In the words of ancient god scholars, Black A, Crimson, Dark Sun, Sun Apostle, and Crystal Princess were all children of the god.
This was because the Eye Ritual was the power source of the strongest ancient god in the ancient era. It was precisely because that ancient god had perished that the power of the "Eye Ritual" became even more abundant. The marvelous thing about this power system was that there was an upper limit to supernatural power. When the "Eye Ritual" had no divine master, that was when this power system was at its strongest.

Dark Sun pressed a hand to his face. The dream just now was too real. In the words of Archbishop·Sauro, the most senior ancient god scholar in Eternal City, this was the prophecy of the divine master, the choice of power.
"The Infinite Eye has appeared."
Dark Sun murmured. At this moment, he was certain that among his five siblings, he was the chosen one Archbishop·Sauro had spoken of.

In the next room, Sun Apostle tore his ear off the wall and put it back in place. He was very interested in this so-called "Infinite Eye."
In the room upstairs, Boiling Red hung herself upside down. Her light red eyes opened. Clearly, Dark Sun's murmur about the "Infinite Eye" had piqued her interest too.
In the next room, Crystal Princess yawned and removed the listening device from her ear.

Meanwhile, in the dim room, Dark Sun stood before a mirror, a smile gradually forming on his face. The shame of his near-death experience in the past, he would wash away. And this time, as the chosen one, he would be the ultimate victor.
Had Dark Sun truly become the chosen one? Of course not. This was a trap woven after the "Mad Laughing Ghost Face" successfully parasitized him.
It could only be said that Su Xiao had chosen Dark Sun wisely. Given Dark Sun's intelligence, his actions naturally had a numbing effect on the other four children of the god. The reason was that with Dark Sun's IQ, schemes and strategies were simply incompatible with his CPU.
The combination of Dark Sun and the Mad Laughing Mask could fool the other three children of the god—except Sun Apostle—into doubting their own existence.

...

[Prompt: Do you wish to summon the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" to the current world? This action requires payment of 5000 ounces of Space-Time Power and a suitable summoning location.]
[Warning: Once the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" leaves Reincarnation Paradise, it will become a destructible Paradise facility. If damaged, you can pay the corresponding amount of Space-Time Power to apply for repairs. If this "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" is damaged by 70%, it will be deemed destroyed and irreparable. Each Hunter has only one exchange quota for an "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" in their lifetime, and this quota has been used.]
[To summon the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" to the current world, you can consume Lv.7 additional authority for subsequent certification.]
["Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" is being transmitted...]
[Transmission location: Lord's Train·Third Carriage (Rear Carriage).]
[Estimated transmission time: 5 minutes 32 seconds.]

...

[Transmission complete. The "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" has partially merged with the Lord's Train. Before the Lord's Train is destroyed, the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" will not suffer excessive damage. After returning to the Exclusive Room, you can choose to separate the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" from the Lord's Train.]
[Due to the current world's certification environment being insufficient to fully activate the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod," each use of the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" will cost you 500 ounces of Space-Time Power per hour.]
[Alternatively, pay 10,000 ounces once for a short-term certification (i.e., you can activate the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" at any time during this world progression).]
[You have paid 10,000 ounces of Space-Time Power. You can activate this "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" at any time during this world progression.]

...

Su Xiao returned to the Lord's Train and entered the bedroom carriage, where he saw the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" in the right corner. It had indeed highly merged with the Lord's Train, with many cables and pipes temporarily borrowed from the train.
Even the train armor on the right and rear of the pod had been additionally reinforced, presumably because the original external armor defense of the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" had fused into this area of the train.

Before long, Beini contacted the Goblin Merchant Guild and seven skill scroll merchants separately. Contacting the Goblin Merchant Guild was to negotiate the bulk sale of Space-Time Power. To upgrade the "Supreme Passive" using the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod," even if Su Xiao's mastered "Supreme Passive" started at Lv.21, each type would require 32 million Soul Coins to max out.
The "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod" did not accept Space-Time Power—this was a certification rule that could not be changed in any way. So, the exchange rate for selling Space-Time Power was the key this time.

The Goblin Merchant Guild offered a rate of 1:320, meaning 1 ounce for 320 Soul Coins. It could only be said that, as expected of the Goblin Merchant Guild, they were as always greedy. The reason the negotiation continued was that only the Goblin Merchant Guild, the Underworld Bank, and the Giant Bank could absorb large amounts of Space-Time Power in a short time.
The latter two seemed to have better reputations, but in the end, their offers might not surpass the Goblin Merchant Guild.

Beini was ruthless. She immediately pulled the price to 1:1600. The Goblin Merchant Guild's general manager, Jinguwo, widened his eyes. However, given the impending Abyss calamity, Space-Time Power was indeed appreciating. Before Su Xiao entered Doom Star, many Space-Time Power merchants were buying at 1:400.
After some back-and-forth, the rate settled at 1:423. Beini hinted that there were several million ounces of Space-Time Power this time, though she didn't specify the exact number.

Compared to the Goblin Merchant Guild, the skill scroll merchants quickly conceded. First, unless the "Supreme Passive Skill Scroll" reached at least medium intensity, the price was uniformly set at 2 million Soul Coins per scroll. Logically, Beini, as a buyer with urgent demand, should have been at the mercy of the hoarding scroll merchants.
But one sentence from Beini made all the skill scroll merchants yield: trade with Space-Time Power at a rate of 1:423, meaning one "Supreme Passive Skill Scroll" cost 4728 ounces of Space-Time Power.
Given that Space-Time Power was continuously appreciating, and this trend showed no signs of stopping but was intensifying, the scroll merchants were eager to do this deal entirely in Space-Time Power.
In the future, even if Space-Time Power appreciated only slightly, say to 1:480, one "Supreme Passive Skill Scroll" would net a profit of 170,000 Soul Coins. Moreover, the market for Space-Time Power seemed destined to hit 1:500 or even higher.

Su Xiao didn't mind this. Turning wealth into strength was the only way to gain more wealth, not hoarding it for appreciation. Given his current situation, doing the latter would be a path to death.

Soon, a total of seven types of "Supreme Passive Skill Scrolls" appeared in the team storage space, along with a massive amount of Soul Coins from the trade with the Goblin Merchant Guild.
Su Xiao pressed his hand on the hatch of the "Exclusive Skill Upgrade Pod," completing identity verification. The pod opened, and he took out the first "Supreme Passive" and used it.

[Do you wish to master "Supreme Passive·Destroyer"?]
[Mastered Destroyer, Lv.21.]
[You have chosen to upgrade "Supreme Passive·Destroyer" to X. Total cost: 33.1 million Soul Coins. Proceed with this upgrade?]

Su Xiao chose to continue. With a faint hum around him, the upgrade began. Considering that enemies might attack at any time, he didn't master all seven "Supreme Passives" at once but mastered and upgraded one to X at a time.
Twelve hours later, a total of seven "Supreme Passives" appeared in his skill bar. He invested the remaining 70 Golden Skill Points into them. This time, in less than two hours, all seven Supreme Passives reached X.

Su Xiao activated the "Power Origin" ability. He felt his heart grow hot. This flesh-like power furnace absorbed the seven newly mastered Supreme Passives. Initially, he planned to master 4-5 Supreme Passives at once, but considering the subsequent situation, he had to accelerate his strength enhancement.
After a moment, the seven "Supreme Passives" disappeared from the skill list. The power furnace reached a critical point, and "Power Origin" entered its second stage. The crimson energy refined by the power furnace formed a unique mark.
This mark resembled a vortex, emitting a unique suction force. A pale golden energy emerged before Su Xiao—this was the "Stellar Origin Power." As this energy was absorbed by the heart furnace, Su Xiao's four main attributes, technique potential cap, and Abyss resistance began to increase.

In the past, Su Xiao had worried about whether the "Stellar Origin Power" outside Reincarnation Paradise was contaminated. This concern was no longer necessary after mastering the "Peak Ability·Star Devourer."
He raised his hand, and a mark resembling a dense star field formed in his right palm. All the "Stellar Origin Power" was absorbed into it. Then, this star mark peeled off from his palm, now covered in gray-black—the impurities filtered from the "Stellar Origin Power."
If Star Devourer·Akas didn't have this method, his ultimate death would have been from absorbing too many impurities while taking in the "Stellar Origin Power."
Not only Star Devourer·Akas but also Shaman·Archid, who also devoured the "Stellar Origin Power," couldn't avoid this problem with his peak ability. Su Xiao was lucky in this regard—the "Stellar Origin Power" within Reincarnation Paradise was very pure.

When all the "Stellar Origin Power" was absorbed by Su Xiao, he let out a long breath. Corresponding prompts appeared:

[All your Supreme main attributes have been permanently increased by 84 points.]
[Your technique potential cap has increased by +420.]
[Your Abyss resistance has increased by +35 points.]

...

[Prompt: Your overflow Supreme Health Points have reached 50 million. You will condense another "Life Core."]
[Life Core count: 2/2.]
[Life Core (Life Passive): The moment your health points reach 0.1%, you will not die. The "Life Core" will immediately shatter, restoring 100% of your Primordial Life Force (i.e., fully restoring current health), removing "all negative states," and recovering "any physical damage."]

...

At the Supreme Peak, having an extra "Life Core" was equivalent to having an extra life. Su Xiao felt his current physique. His Supreme Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence all reached 302 points. What was absurd was that he felt significantly stronger.
If he faced Deer God again, even if he still wasn't a match, the gap would be much smaller. No longer would it be like before, where one was a newly ascended peak realm and the other was a peak powerhouse seasoned in countless battles at this level.

But now, Su Xiao needed to adapt to his enhanced power. He took off the Wild Hunt Night long leather coat—this was his core armor, to be used only when facing the final enemy.
He glanced at the task list. The first main mission was already complete. There was no need to continue protecting the Eye Princess. He instructed Bubu Wang and Baha to act according to circumstances. If they encountered enemies, they should immediately activate the Lord's Train and call for his help. He could return instantly using the "Law-Destroying Teleportation Array."

Su Xiao got off the Lord's Train and formed a teleportation array under his feet.
Boom!
Space trembled. When the surroundings became clear, Su Xiao was already north of Beast Town. He looked at the surging Abyss darkness ahead and placed his right hand on the sword hilt.
Zheng~
The long sword at his waist slowly unsheathed. On the desolate, dark black earth, the sky was a stained black crescent moon. A man, a sword, his upper body bare, walked alone into this darkness that had devoured billions of lives.

...

Sanctuary City·Gran
This was the territory of the Dark God Cult and a relatively safe area in this world. Of course, if a wizard suddenly went mad in the city, or an ancient god scholar rushed out of a building laughing wildly, shouting "I succeeded, I finally did it!"—there was no need to be surprised. That was normal. If you were caught up and died, well, you'd have to be more careful in your next life.
At least here, there were no "indescribable horrors of terror" from outside, or the risk of randomly growing tentacles on your body one day, or being infected with madness from a dream, eating your entire family alive by midnight, and then waking up at dawn to scream hysterically in a room splattered with blood.

The teleportation array in the city center dimmed, and three figures appeared. The guards stationed there couldn't help but take a second look, not only because of the three demon clan members but also because of the unique beauty of the demon girl among them.
The demon girl's flesh was withered, but that was the healthy state of the demon clan. She wore small round sunglasses, a silver earring on her right ear swaying slowly. When she smiled, her shark-like teeth didn't look fierce but had a rebellious charm.
Beside her, her brother wore a deep purple suit. His skull-like head seemed studded with diamond-like grains, and his green flame eyes seemed to be pondering and weighing something. On the other side was an old demon, slightly hunched, with withered flesh on his head and dry, black, yet profoundly deep eyes in their sockets.

These three demons were Good Teammate·Wood, his sister·Mierwei, and Wood's grandfather, Old Demon·Mamon.
Logically, Old Demon·Mamon should be the most serious among them, but that wasn't the case. This old fellow also wore small round sunglasses. It was obvious that Mierwei's habit of wearing small round sunglasses was learned from him.
Old Demon·Mamon walked on the pedestrian street. His demon eyes under the small round sunglasses scanned every passerby. He sighed, "It's good to get out more. This old man has come to Doom Star for the first time in his life. The scenery here is truly... breathtaking~"
His gaze followed a beautiful woman, and the genuine smile on his old face showed that he really liked it.

Wood looked at him with utter speechlessness. He had refused to come out with his grandfather, but he was no match for the old man. Even though he had paid a huge price and was using the clan's daddy-level original sin object, the "Fate Coin," he still felt that his grandfather was unfathomably strong.
"Grandfather, are you really just Supreme?"
"Of course. What, do you think I'm Peak? What are you thinking, kid? Our demon clan hasn't produced a Peak since your great-grandfather in the First Era."
Old Demon·Mamon said this, but his eyes never stopped. Feeling unsatisfied, he even pulled down his small round sunglasses. Wood was speechless but used to it. His grandfather had been like this his whole life. Unless he became a photograph, those demon eyes would never be restrained.
One of the most shameless guys in the Second Era Stellar Realm wasn't just for show. Especially the top-ranked Green Gillian, who made the ranking's credibility soar.

"Kid, where are your collaborators this time?"
Old Demon·Mamon asked. He never used affectionate nicknames for Wood. According to this old man, "You weren't raised by me, so we're not close. Let's be polite and hypocritical—that's the demon clan way."
"One is in the Hidden City·Argo, and the other is busy fighting other Supreme Peaks all over the world. We won't look for him for now. Let's go to Hidden City·Argo."
As Wood spoke, a gold coin suddenly appeared before him. He helplessly grabbed it, flicked it with a ding, and caught it with his palm facing up. The coin landed with a slap in his palm, showing the number 6.
In an instant, Old Demon·Mamon and Wood's sister, Mierwei, simultaneously sidestepped like crabs, distancing themselves from Wood on the street.

Original Sin Object·Fate Coin. The holder must forcibly perform a coin toss within 1 to 30 days (random). The front and back of the coin show numbers 0-3 and 4-6, totaling seven numbers.
Tossing 0 meant nothing happened, while 1-6 determined the intensity of the result from the next toss. 1-5 ranged from mild to the most severe, and 6 meant certain death.
More precisely, tossing a 6 was inevitable sooner or later. This was the price paid for using the Fate Coin for a period. The coin would causally force the holder to do something that would lead to certain death.

Wood looked at the coin in his palm, a smile forming on his face. He tossed it again. The Fate Coin spun. When he caught it again, he flipped his hand and opened his palm. A creature resembling a white maggot but with a human-like upper body appeared in his hand. This was the true form of the Fate Coin.
A peculiar causality was quietly connected to Wood. This causal fate was... to eliminate the "Mother of Mercy."

...

North of Beast Town, the darkness here was riddled with holes. Dark blood spread from the dark area. A few hours ago, there had been continuous booms and rumbles from within. Now, the dark area had fallen silent.
The dark mist split, and a figure walked out. His bare upper body was covered in claw marks and bite marks. Yes, Su Xiao had once again entered the Abyss through the dark area.
The result was that even at the Peak realm, he could barely move in the near-Abyss zone. The endless tide of Abyss creatures was infinite. More importantly, after entering the Abyss, the "Peak Domain" could not be deployed. He confirmed this with "Dead Silence Descent."
This was expected. The Abyss was one of the two strongest power sources. Or rather, it wasn't that the "Peak Domain" couldn't be deployed in the Abyss, but that the domain's scale was the issue. If the "Peak Domain" was cultivated to a scale that could suppress the Abyss, it could be activated. Obviously, that was impossible.

A liquid like black blood dripped from Su Xiao's right hand. It wasn't his blood but the Abyss energy that had invaded his body, which he expelled using his Abyss right arm.
This incursion into the Abyss yielded three gains.