Chapter 17: Facing Danger
The perpetually gloomy Doom Star welcomed a rare clear sky today.
The sun shone down on the central district of Yinmi Maosi, causing all marine creatures to retract into their shells. The local residents were also unaccustomed to the sunlight, but for the sake of survival, many had no choice but to brave the bright rays and step out of their homes.
In the southern part of the central district, the economy was not particularly prosperous. Adjacent to the factory zone, massive factories exuded a lifeless atmosphere while generating tremendous noise.
These were factories for supernatural creations. If not for the fact that the residents of Yinmi Maosi were born with high supernatural resistance, ordinary people entering this area would quickly fall ill from the supernatural contamination and eventually lose their lives. Even for the residents of Yinmi Maosi, long-term work here resulted in an average lifespan of only 5 to 8 years.
Every seemingly absurd and unreasonable situation had a bloody cause behind it. Doom Star was such a land of suffering. The birth of this Transcendent Realm was not for the continuation of living beings; it was the throne of the Ancient Gods.
As for the Ten Thousand Races Realm, the Transcendent Realm of the Third Era, it could be said to be the most suitable Transcendent Realm for living beings. In fact, it was even more suitable than the Witch Realm or the Wind Sea Continent. Both the Witch Realm and the Wind Sea had their own hidden dangers. In contrast, the Ten Thousand Races Realm, which should have had its own hidden dangers—the power of the gods and curses—had been permanently banished by a certain Law Destroyer.
In reality, Su Xiao had no idea how tempting the Third Era Transcendent Realm he had inadvertently created was to the major powers. A world with such abundant resources, an extremely stable world system, and no corresponding hidden dangers of transcendence should have long attracted the contention of major Star Realm forces.
The truly wonderful thing was this: all major Star Realm forces were wary of Su Xiao. He was a Paradise faction member, essentially a lone wolf without any faction affiliation. This meant that aside from his own safety, he had no weaknesses or leverage points.
Although Su Xiao had no interest in becoming the ruler of the Ten Thousand Races Realm and would never take on that role, his existence and strength prevented the Ten Thousand Races Realm, which was already a paradise for living beings, from suffering the man-made disasters caused by the contention of major powers.
The Chief Divine Priest of the Night Mother faction, Bergman, risked a fate worse than death just to secure a place for his grandson in the causal fabric of the Ten Thousand Races Realm. This showed just how ideal a place the Ten Thousand Races Realm was in the eyes of the high-ranking members of major powers.
To the west of the factories lay a school district covering over 80 hectares. For Yinmi Maosi, this was no small area. Indeed, this school district was the Yargul School, one of the oldest forces on Doom Star.
Grand Scholar Edro walked hurriedly along a forest path. Beside him were the academy's two most famous legendary wizards and three Eye Mentors. In the Yargul School, anyone honored with the title of "Eye" was no simple figure.
However, the legendary wizard Sawyer was not among them. It seemed that within the Yargul School, Sawyer was isolated and guarded against by other high-ranking members. For Su Xiao, this was good news.
The group walked quickly and stopped before a forest tomb entrance. Opening the tomb door, Grand Scholar Edro was the first to descend into the tomb chamber. Countless candles were lit here. On a stone platform in the center lay a corpse wrapped in burial cloth. Even so, the corpse seemed to have been soaked in seawater, leaving the platform and its surroundings wet.
"Headmaster."
Grand Scholar Edro bowed before the stone platform, but the corpse showed no reaction. Seeing this, Grand Scholar Edro continued:
"The ritual has been awakened. It has reached the stage of collecting the blood of peak powerhouses."
As soon as Grand Scholar Edro finished speaking, a strip of burial cloth on the corpse snapped with a crack. Seeing this, the legendary wizards and Eye Mentors stepped forward to help the Yargul Headmaster sit up.
The burial cloth snapped one after another, revealing a pair of eyes crowded with numerous pupils. The Yargul Headmaster made sounds from his throat. Grand Scholar Edro leaned in to listen and heard:
"It is time to awaken... my god."
...
Beast Town, over a thousand kilometers to the north, was an ancient ruin. Recently, however, traces of a monarch had appeared. Stone houses had been built, and a tall divine cult totem had been erected. From the V-shaped mark, resembling a burning flame, it could be identified as the Dark God Cult.
Originally, the Dark God Cult had been entrenched in Sanctuary City. But after the death of Dark Bishop Palmer, everything changed. White Robe Bishop Yegpo, who was stronger but did not own Sanctuary City, could only take second place. It seemed that Dark Bishop Palmer and White Robe Bishop Yegpo were at odds and would eventually clash, but in reality, these two were as close as brothers in secret.
Therefore, after Dark Bishop Palmer's death, White Robe Bishop Yegpo had a chance to escape but did not. Instead, he pretended to devour everyone in the current Dark God Cult, gathering all power to slaughter the incoming enemy and fulfill his long-held wish of owning Sanctuary City Gran.
The truth was different. White Robe Bishop Yegpo was already powerful. He stayed behind to avenge his brother, who was not related by blood but was as close as a brother, and to cover the escape of all Dark God Cult members.
The reason was that the Dark God Cult of this world had always had an extremely terrifying plan: to construct a sufficiently high-level Abyss Passage, allowing the Lord of the Abyss to descend here. At that time, this would become the Transcendent Realm belonging to the Lord of the Abyss and the Dark God Cult's main base.
Inside the newly built grand cathedral deep within the ruins, Red Robe Bishop Archer gazed at the Abyss Passage before him. He was certain it was not enough. This level of Abyss Passage was still insufficient for his lord to descend.
...
To the north of the "Barren Stone Mountains," which had been leveled by Su Xiao, Deer God, and Di Luo, lay a desolate land. The earth was cracked, and lightning flashed across the sky. In such an area stood a cathedral over ten thousand meters tall, as massive as a city. This was the Mercy Cathedral.
In the core area of the cathedral, figures in blood-red robes, bald, with numb eyes, knelt before a dark silver metal door. The leading ascetic slowly raised his head, stood up, approached the dark silver door, and pushed it open.
The inner chapel was not large, about a few dozen square meters. A metal bed was surrounded by semi-transparent curtains. On this bed, over four meters wide and five meters long, lay a figure with the upper body of a merciful woman and the lower body of dark purple tentacles. The upper half of its face was sealed with metal, and its nose, lips, ears, and other areas were pierced and adorned with ornate pendants. This was the Mercy Mother.
It was through the bounty for hunting her that Su Xiao had obtained 3.3 million ounces of Space-Time Power.
The Mercy Mother raised her hand and placed it on the head of the ascetic leader. After a moment, the ascetic leader knelt on one knee and said in a calm voice: "As you wish. Doom Star will belong to us."
...
Eternal City Orr, First Floor of the Central Divine Tower, Council Hall.
Slaughter Richmond, Lust Ina, Gluttony Quek, and Wrath Stein—the four high-ranking members of the Underworld Temple, also known as the Four Original Sins—were gathered here. Archbishop Saul also sat in attendance. The few surviving bishops had no seats, and the high-ranking members of the Beast Church received the same treatment.
However, several seats were empty for some reason. Just then, the council hall doors opened, and a burly figure walked in.
She wore mysterious and primitive makeup. Standing over five meters tall, she exuded a powerful oppressive aura. Behind her were a somewhat timid Ancient God scholar and three figures wrapped tightly, roughly humanoid in shape, representing Judgment, Karma Fire, and Penance.
Yes, the one who had arrived at the Eternal City council hall was none other than the Night Mother's trusted High Priestess Ululoi, Zuiyasi's mother-in-law, along with his father-in-law and the three "original shareholders" of the Night Mother faction: the Judgment High Priest, the Karma Fire High Priest, and the Penance High Priest.
It was hard to imagine what kind of interest exchange had led to the initial cooperation between the Underworld Temple and the Night Mother faction.
In fact, it was not that difficult to understand. Things had reached this point. The Underworld God and the Night Mother were no longer what they once were—one was the ruler of this realm, the other sought to usurp the main divine throne. Now, what the Underworld God cared about most was not Doom Star but the "Heart of the Abyss."
Once he achieved the Supreme Realm, Doom Star would not be without value to the Underworld God, but it would no longer be crucial. In contrast, the resource-rich Ten Thousand Races Realm was more suitable for the Underworld God after his ascension to the Supreme Realm. This vast wealth might even be related to the subsequent confrontation with the Lord of the Abyss. After all, whether the next era would be the Abyss Era or the Ancient God Era depended on who the ultimate winner was.
The only thing the Underworld God feared was the Supreme Being of the Void, the strongest existence in the Star Realm.
The Underworld God's goal was the "Heart of the Abyss" and the Ten Thousand Races Realm. The Night Mother, who had just ascended to the Peak Realm, did not need the "Heart of the Abyss" of the current era. What she needed was Doom Star.
From this perspective, the alliance between the Underworld Temple and the Night Mother faction was almost inevitable. As for past grudges, which of them—the Underworld God or the Night Mother—cared about the lives of their subordinates, except for their most trusted followers?
...
Before the "Abyss Eye Ritual," Su Xiao looked at the ritual container ahead. If Doom Star had been a quiet dead sea before, now it was like throwing bloody meat into a raging sea full of sharks.
[Your Main Quest: Second Ring - Ritual (Completed).]
[You have received the stage reward: Paradise Emblem ×6.]
[Main Quest: Third Ring has been activated.]
[Main Quest: Path of Survival.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.105
Quest Briefing: Survive until the "Ritual Container" is filled.
Quest Duration: Until the "Ritual Container" is filled.
Quest Reward: Paradise Emblem ×20.
Quest Penalty: None.
...
Seeing this main quest, Su Xiao's only feeling was unease. The situation was extremely unfavorable.
But on second thought, there was something strange about it. He was already at the Peak of Supreme Strength. To say something proud but true, there were fewer than ten beings in the entire Star Realm stronger than him. And those qualified to trigger his long-lost "Survival Quest" were even fewer.
As the holder of the "Book of Original Sin," combined with his current strength, Su Xiao had no fear of the Star Realm's aberrant beings, ancient Abyss entities, extra-realm anomalies, or unknown horrors. These terrifying beings, which would normally mean instant death upon meeting, were no match for him.
Based on his understanding of survival quests, they were only triggered when facing an enemy at least one tier higher. This ruled out the strongest of the Peak of Supreme Strength, like the Underworld God, leaving only three in the entire Star Realm.
The Supreme Being, the Tuanzhang, and the current Lord of the Abyss.
The Tuanzhang was directly ruled out. From the perspectives of purpose, reason, and faction, the probability of the Tuanzhang coming to kill Su Xiao was still 0%.
As for the Supreme Being, he could not be completely ruled out, but the possibility was low. Su Xiao had previously asked the Tuanzhang about this matter. The Tuanzhang's response was that there was no need to worry. Currently, Doom Star was temporarily notarized by the Void Tree. If the Supreme Being forcibly entered this realm, he would pay a huge price and cause the world to be damaged or even collapse.
Su Xiao had long considered a question: how powerful was the Supreme Being? Could he break the notarization and rules of Reincarnation Paradise? Of course, he directly asked the Tuanzhang. The answer was unexpectedly clear. Although the Supreme Being was invincible in the Star Realm, he was still beneath Reincarnation Paradise.
As for why the Tuanzhang was so certain, he did not elaborate, but it was based on his personal experience. He was very sure that the Supreme Being was beneath Reincarnation Paradise.
Therefore, a more precise positioning for the Supreme Being was that he was beneath the Void Tree and the Paradise factions. Or rather, no matter how powerful an individual was, they could not compare to Reincarnation Paradise.
After ruling out the Tuanzhang and the Supreme Being, only one possibility remained: the current Lord of the Abyss. And indeed, this entity had a motive to kill him.
If Su Xiao obtained the "Heart of the Abyss" this time, the future would be a confrontation between Su Xiao and the Lord of the Abyss.
The effect of "Top-Tier Abyss Studies Lv.12" manifested at this moment. Su Xiao was certain that there was no Abyss Gate in this world sufficient for the Lord of the Abyss to descend—that is, a super-massive Abyss Passage.
Moreover, such a thing could not be created in a year or two, or even several years, to produce a "Realm-Opening Rune." Conservatively, it would take over a decade, and that was with abundant resources. Otherwise, it might take decades...
A possibility emerged in Su Xiao's mind. There was a force in this world that had been present for decades. In fact, it had been lurking here for over a thousand years. Yes, it was the Dark God Cult of this world. As a seemingly harmless force, the Dark God Cult was easily overlooked.
The Dark God Cult of this world could be said to have been destroyed by Su Xiao's own hands. He had killed two of its members: the Dark Bishop and the White Robe Bishop. Based on the scene at the Sanctuary City grand cathedral, the White Robe Bishop had devoured all the cult members there.
Now it seemed that this was an emergency plan enacted by the Dark God Cult after the sudden death of Dark Bishop Palmer to continue their century-old plan. To ensure nothing went wrong, the White Robe Bishop had even chosen to stay behind to face the incoming enemy.
Closing the quest list, Su Xiao was certain that the appearance of the Main Quest: Third Ring was both luck and inevitability. He estimated that the third ring quest was most likely to fill the ritual container. However, Reincarnation Paradise would not issue a quest that he had absolutely no chance of completing.
Given that the Dark God Cult could temporarily open an Abyss Gate at any moment, this real-time crisis would inevitably enter the quest judgment, causing Su Xiao's main quest to undergo adaptive changes.
The question now was: where were those Dark God Cult members?
Temporarily parting ways with the still-excited legendary wizard Sawyer, Su Xiao left the laboratory. A teleportation array formed beneath his feet, and the next second, he had returned to Sanctuary City.
Taking out a communicator, Su Xiao contacted Zuiyasi. But before it could connect, the other party hung up. This made Su Xiao narrow his eyes slightly, guessing a possibility. He sat on a bench by the street. Before long, a tall figure approached.
"Amu."
Amu spoke. It was Amu, who had rushed to Sanctuary City. As for how Amu, who was in a separated state, had regained consciousness, it was by devouring many dark creatures, which naturally restored his rationality. Then, following the message in the team channel, he had come to Sanctuary City.
On the bench, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha each held a skewer of grilled meat, eating in a somewhat synchronized manner. However, Amu was holding a large bunch. When Su Xiao and Baha finished theirs, they took from Amu's supply.
A few minutes later, the communicator rang. As if expecting it, Su Xiao naturally picked it up. On the other end came Zuiyasi's lowered, sneaky voice:
"You dog thief, we're enemies now. The council suddenly contacted me, and I was so scared my ass went cold."
"Oh? The Night Mother and the Underworld God have joined forces."
"You guessed it?"
"For the Night Mother, this is the best choice at the moment. No need to guess."
"Sigh, our positions have finally become hostile. As a devout follower of the Night Mother, how could I possibly cooperate with you, the enemy?"
"Where is your daughter?"
"What the hell! Even if our factions are hostile, we're still old friends. Going after my daughter is too unrighteous, you dog thief."
"I need to find her."
"No."
"No interference. The Lord of the Abyss will soon arrive in this realm."
"Ilya is in District 035 of Eternal City. The spatial coordinates are..."
Zuiyasi reported the specific spatial coordinates. As for faction hostility, don't be ridiculous. Zuiyasi couldn't care less about that. To put it more directly, he dared to tell Su Xiao where his daughter was, but he would never dare to tell any high-ranking member of the Night Mother faction where she had gone.
Furthermore, the matter of his son obtaining a place in the causal fabric of the Ten Thousand Races Realm still required Su Xiao's help.
A Law-Destroying Teleportation Array formed beneath Su Xiao's feet. Destination: Eternal City.
At that moment, in Eternal City, District 002, the towering Space Tower emitted a faint blue glow. The next second, the Space Tower turned crimson, indicating that it had intercepted an unknown incoming teleportation.
Boom!!
The metal shell of the Space Tower shattered. The numerous tentacles in its core writhed in pain. Many exploded outright, sending wriggling fragments flying everywhere.
On the altar in the central sacrificial square, Su Xiao appeared. Due to interference from the teleportation tower, he had deviated slightly from the intended coordinates, but the distance was not far.
Upon arriving in Eternal City, Su Xiao felt a sinister, profound, and dark oppressive aura descending from the distant "Divine Tower." It was the Underworld God.
Su Xiao's personal arrival here would naturally be sensed by the Underworld God. Logically, this would be followed by an encirclement and attack on Su Xiao. He took out a piece of Contract Parchment, inscribed Void script on it with his body energy, and the parchment burned on its own.
After a moment, the oppressive aura from the Underworld God gradually receded until it completely disappeared. Why was this? The reason was that the Underworld God also did not want the Lord of the Abyss to descend into this realm, especially not in his own stronghold.
As for Su Xiao using this as a lie to deceive the Underworld God and take the opportunity to do something in Eternal City, that would be both unreasonable and extremely foolish. The Underworld God would not believe it, and such an opponent would be too stupid.
Four figures appeared on the roof of a building diagonally opposite. The one with the strongest aura was draped in a dark red robe. Without needing to guess, Su Xiao was certain this was one of the Four Original Sins: Slaughter Richmond. Even though they had never met before, the remaining three were undoubtedly Lust Ina, Gluttony Quek, and Wrath Stein.
Lust Ina was the shortest. Compared to the over ten-meter-tall Gluttony, her height of just over 1.6 meters could be considered petite. Her deep purple eyes flickered. She was about to say something but was stopped by a warning glance from Slaughter Richmond. In the end, she just smiled.
Slaughter Richmond was wise. If Lust Ina had spoken disrespectfully, a fight might have broken out today.
A Law-Destroying Teleportation Array formed. First came the dull thud of teleportation, followed by a loud crash from the Space Tower in District 035. This made Wrath Stein's cheek twitch violently. That was the Space Tower in his territory.
Saltwater Hotel, Third Floor.
Knock, knock, knock.
As the knocking sounded, the person had already entered the room. Aina and Miervi, who had just returned, instinctively prepared to face an enemy. After seeing who it was, Aina instantly went "blind," while Miervi looked stunned, unable to understand why this person had appeared in Eternal City.
"Uncle Bai Ye, you..."
Before Yero Ilya could finish her sentence, she and the newcomer vanished together.
On the hotel rooftop, Su Xiao looked down at Yero Ilya, making her a bit nervous.
"Where is the Dark God Cult?"
Su Xiao paused and then added, "Just look at the scene one second into the future."
The reason Su Xiao did not let Yero Ilya perceive more was that it might involve the Abyss Gate. Such a causal burden was beyond what the current Yero Ilya could bear.
He tossed the [Primordial Clan Emblem: Rune (1/10)] to Yero Ilya. The item's property of absorbing causality had not yet disappeared, making it a life-saving artifact for perceiving the future. Yero Ilya asked no questions. Her body leaned back slightly, and her eyes became vacant. A few seconds later, she took a deep breath, her face pale as she gasped for air.
"In... Beast Town, to the north."
After saying this, Yero Ilya collapsed weakly to the ground.
"..."
Su Xiao retracted a Spirit Shadow Thread from his hand, pulling back the [Primordial Clan Emblem: Rune (1/10)] from Yero Ilya's grasp. It was not out of stinginess. If, by some mischance, this item attracted members of the Rune Family, it would be a death sentence for Zuiyasi's daughter.
Su Xiao took out an item and handed it to Yero Ilya. It was a pitch-black crystal containing a sealed worm.
[Deadly Evil Worm]
Origin: Abyss · Dukain Family.
Quality: Abyss Level.
Effect: Upon activation, this worm will enter the peak stage of the "Deadly Evil Worm Body," which is the third form of the Dukain Ancestor. This "Deadly Evil Worm Body" lacks the combat awareness and experience of the Dukain Ancestor Bain and does not possess the "Ultimate Evil" ability. It is a violent, murderous, and chaotic twisted monster.
Tip: The "Deadly Evil Worm Body" lasts for a total of 300 seconds.
...
"What... is this?"
Yero Ilya held the [Deadly Evil Worm] in both hands. She was extremely frightened now. The sense of danger this item gave her was very strong.
"When you encounter a fatal threat, throw it out. Then run as fast as you can."
Using the [Deadly Evil Worm] was indeed dangerous. However, it was a prop notarized by Reincarnation Paradise. After being thrown, the user would not become the primary target of the "Deadly Evil Worm Body." Moreover, as long as the user did not actively approach the "Deadly Evil Worm Body" within the next few minutes, they would not appear in its perception.
Before ascending to the Peak of Supreme Strength, this item was very useful to Su Xiao. Now, it had little use. In fact, he often kept such disposable props until their value diminished due to his own growth.
The reason was that in battles against powerful enemies, if Su Xiao dared to be distracted for even 0.1 seconds, he might die. Therefore, compared to props that were not 100% stable, he preferred to rely on his own abilities. Next time he obtained such items, he would prioritize selling them.
A teleportation array formed beneath Su Xiao's feet. Seeing this, Yero Ilya quickly scrambled to her feet. Although she almost stumbled, she moved away from the array. Bubu Wang, on the array, barked at Ilya, signaling goodbye. Yero Ilya politely waved in response.
Thud~
The teleportation array emitted a dull sound. Not far away, in District 036, the Space Tower let out a loud crash.
...
In the Balgu Ruins, inside the newly built dark grand cathedral, several hundred Dark God Cult members had gathered. The leading Red Robe Bishop Archer gazed fanatically at the faint, dark door before him. Soon, in just a few days, they could temporarily open the Abyss Gate here.
"Bishop, our consumables are almost exhausted..."
An elderly cultist had only spoken halfway when Red Robe Bishop Archer said coldly, "Then go and slaughter a few of the Sanctuary Cities near the Dead Sea. That will be enough."
"But..."
The elderly cultist wanted to say more but swallowed his words under Archer's icy gaze.
Suddenly, a sound of something breaking through the air came from above, as if something was falling.
Boom!
A figure crashed through the cathedral's ceiling and various defensive barriers, landing with a thunderous impact among the dark believers. The moment the figure landed:
'Extreme Blade: World.'
Zheng!!
A sharp, metallic ringing sound erupted. Centered on the figure, the surrounding air darkened slightly. Every few centimeters, there was a grain-of-rice-sized flickering point of the slash.
The impact of the figure's landing, combined with this terrifying area slash, caused the several hundred Dark God Cult believers to be reduced to sugar-cube-sized pieces, scattering in all directions. Blood mist filled the surroundings.
Red Robe Bishop Archer was covered in blood. Before he could react, a long blade had already arrived.
'Extreme Blade: Star Piercer.'
With a crack, Red Robe Bishop Archer was pinned to the faint, dark door. Cracks spread rapidly from the point where the blade pierced. In the second before the dark door shattered completely, Su Xiao saw, through the distant connection, over a dozen scarlet eyes arranged in a V-shape.
They gazed at each other from afar. This made Su Xiao clearly feel that he and that entity were destined for a decisive battle. This was the inevitable fate after obtaining the [Origin Stone: World], unless he died unexpectedly before then.
Bang!
The dark door shattered completely. From Su Xiao's appearance to the destruction of the dark door, the entire process took 2.15 seconds. And from the moment he triggered the Main Quest: Third Ring to now, a total of 15 minutes and 26 seconds had passed. When facing danger, one must act with such speed and decisiveness.
After checking his main quest, Su Xiao received a notification that the Main Quest: Third Ring had changed. This meant his crisis was resolved. In contrast, in the Hidden City of Yargul, in the top district high in the sky, within the lakeside mansion courtyard, the Spider Lady was enjoying afternoon tea. This was a habit she had developed in the Great Library. However, at this moment, the Spider Lady did not yet know that her crisis was about to arrive.