Chapter 21: Astonishing Gains
Given Su Xiao's current luck, [Fate Reversal] had indeed turned the tide when all seemed lost. Not to mention, this piece of equipment had growth potential, and that growth potential aligned with something he would inevitably do—on the path to the peak, how could he avoid deadly battles against other peak powerhouses?
Su Xiao felt the metal lighter in his hand. Although he had given up smoking, that didn't affect the activation of [Fate Reversal]. Each time he used this equipment, he opened its lid, a *click* as it ignited, then set the burning [Fate Reversal] aside, letting the flames of fate burn continuously, thereby maintaining the "Fortune Power" state.
After killing Spider Empress, Su Xiao had obtained a [Reincarnation Grade Chest]. Unlike previous chests, the rewards from opening it had nothing to do with Spider Empress herself. It was purely a kill reward from Reincarnation Paradise. As such, there was a 1% chance of obtaining one of the three strongest Reincarnation-grade pieces of equipment currently available.
Su Xiao estimated that after using [Fate Reversal], he might be able to boost that 1% probability to 5%–10%, which was quite considerable.
Sensing that the newly upgraded [Fate Reversal] wasn't yet stable, he temporarily shelved the idea and took out a vial of light-gold liquid—a potion that looked magnificent.
This was a secret medicine Su Xiao had concocted using the leftover Fate Divine Blood he had stored. Originally, he planned to use it to leverage the Goddess of Fortune for some important luck-related matter. However, since [Fate Reversal] hadn't disappointed him this time, he decided to bring it out.
The Goddess of Fortune initially wanted to be polite, but upon seeing the secret medicine, even her divine soul trembled:
"For me?"
Though she said this, she had already snatched the vial from Su Xiao's hand.
"..."
"We're old friends, no need for such formality. But refusing someone's goodwill is very rude, so I'll accept it."
With that, the Goddess of Fortune put away the secret medicine. Although she wanted to drink it on the spot, she hadn't yet shared it with her best friend. How could she be so hasty? She hadn't forgotten the look in her close friend's eyes—smiling—every time she was defeated after becoming the Fate Valkyrie.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. This world is getting more dangerous by the day. Time to go home, wash up, and sleep."
As she spoke, golden particles scattered around the Goddess of Fortune. To be honest, spurred on by the Goddess of Fate, she had worked hard for a while, but recently, her lazy personality had resurfaced.
Because she had realized one thing: even if she became the strongest Goddess of Fortune in history, what then? She still couldn't defeat any Supreme Peak powerhouse. The power of the divine soul had its limits—except for Deer God.
Moreover, the Goddess of Fortune questioned herself: setting aside all impossible factors, if she achieved the peak, what then? Wouldn't she still live the same way—seeking happiness, traveling, tasting delicacies, risking death multiple times, and doing the same things she did now? It was too unjust. So the Goddess of Fortune decided not to work hard anymore. She chose to find a strong thigh to cling to.
And she would make sure that this thigh would eventually need her to accomplish something important.
Just before her form completely faded, she said, "Oh, right, Bai Ye. When this Fate Curio reaches its limit, remember to contact me. It needs a crucial final upgrade. As for the materials needed, I'll collect them gradually. Bye~"
With that, the Goddess of Fortune was about to vanish completely.
"..."
Su Xiao naturally knew what the Goddess of Fortune was planning. Aogē crystals spread in his hand, forming a spatial rune seal about the size of a poker card and roughly 0.5 cm thick. He tossed it out.
"Thanks~"
The Goddess of Fortune's translucent hand caught the seal, and her aura completely disappeared from the room.
With this "SOS Seal," when facing a fatal threat, the Goddess of Fortune would take it out, and her words would likely be:
'Please, let me go. I'm afraid that after I call for help, your entire faction will die. I really don't want to bear so many lives.'
What would the thugs encountering this situation do? Sneer and insult her verbally? Or swarm and kill the Goddess of Fortune? That was possible, but more likely, they would weigh the risks and choose to leave. First, the power of that seal was terrifying—just seeing it caused inexplicable panic, as if witnessing a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, with a figure holding a long blade standing atop it.
Su Xiao assessed his condition. He planned to use the human race's strongest innate talent—sleep—to recover from battle fatigue. Just as he was about to go downstairs, a pitch-black spatial door appeared. First, a small head poked out—it was Delona.
"The coordinates are right this time. Come out, everyone."
The lively Delona stepped out first, followed by a humanoid figure made of iron sand—the Abyss Princess. Behind her was the somewhat shy Abyss Son, Ekim, and finally, the youngest sister, the Jellyfish Girl.
As soon as the Jellyfish Girl stepped out of the dark teleportation gate, she immediately tried to slip back, but Delona grabbed her. Why? Because during a previous meeting, the Jellyfish Girl had used her powerful stealth ability to get close to Su Xiao. She meant no harm—just wanted to observe up close the "human brother" her sister spoke of. Naturally, she didn't acknowledge this brother.
It was then that the Jellyfish Girl experienced firsthand what "Absolute Perception" meant.
Before bringing her sisters, Delona had asked Su Xiao for permission to visit. Su Xiao had no objections. His relationship with the Dark Womb was more than friendly—at least somewhere between friendly and neutral.
"Father is very angry."
The Abyss Princess spoke, her expression somewhat cocky. Previously, she had always felt that she and this Law Destroyer were on equal footing. But after being taught a lesson last time, she realized this Law Destroyer was on the same level as those old immortals.
"He's very angry. I'm very satisfied."
Su Xiao said, then walked downstairs. The Abyss Princess called out from behind, "Before you have a sufficiently firm will, even if you truly see the Abyss Heart, don't yearn for it. You'll get lost. Don't misunderstand—I'm not trying to win your favor. I just don't want my two sisters to lose their brother and be sad."
"..."
Continuing downstairs, Su Xiao raised his hand to acknowledge the matter.
"Tch~ Not even giving any benefits, and you call yourself a peak powerhouse? A technique peak, and still so poor."
The Abyss Princess muttered, then walked to the window. This seemingly threatening Abyss entity actually had a favorite hobby: traveling to places she had never been before. And this Sanctuary City was clearly a travel destination she liked.
On the third floor, where most areas had been opened up, Su Xiao lay down in the small bedroom on the right side of the room, ready to sleep well. Moonlight streamed in through the window. He sat up and let out a long breath.
"As agreed, this is your share."
The moonlight in the room coalesced into a vortex, and a ring fell, hovering in midair. After a moment, the moonlight power in the room dissipated, signaling the Moon Witch's departure.
It was worth noting that the Moon Witch, Sesshiris, had come to Doom Star this time not for the "Abyss Heart" but specifically for a treasure of the Underworld Temple, which was on the Underworld God himself.
Deer God and Dilo, on the other hand, were both aiming for further advancement—the "Abyss Heart." After defeating all enemies, there was a high probability of a three-way battle among Su Xiao, Dilo, and Deer God.
Grabbing the ring floating in front of him, a prompt appeared.
[You have obtained the "Hidden Ancient Ring." Upon obtaining this ring, you also gain ownership of the Hidden City, Yalgu...]
A series of prompts appeared, mainly detailing the general characteristics of the "Hidden City, Yalgu." First, this ancient ring represented the status of city lord. The city lord could grant others entry into the "Hidden City, Yalgu" and even appoint official positions within the city.
Those who obtained official positions recognized by the Hidden City would gain some of the city lord's abilities, such as granting others entry or appointing lower-ranking officials.
Simply put, the city lord could feed resources to the "Hidden Ancient Ring," allowing this city—which was half alive—to gradually grow, accommodating and protecting more residents. The city lord could then obtain resources from the residents through taxes and such, creating a virtuous cycle. How far it could develop depended on the city lord's personal ability and the number of capable subordinates.
However, after the baptism by the peak team, the current "Hidden City, Yalgu" was a large city in dire need of massive resource investment for repairs. The population was also an issue. Spider Empress's poison sea, though used in the top city, had caused tremendous damage to the bottom city. The only good news was that the bottom city was vast enough.
Or rather, the current Hidden City no longer had a distinction between top and bottom cities. The top city had been destroyed. The fact that the top city hadn't collapsed on the spot during Deer God vs. Night Mother, Su Xiao vs. Spider Empress, and Moon Witch vs. Underworld Lord proved how sturdy this Hidden City was.
If the Hidden City could be brought to the Ten Thousand Races Realm, it would be very valuable. The problem was that this city could only exist in Doom Star—it was essentially one of Doom Star's sanctuaries.
After weighing the options, Su Xiao took out his communicator and called the Legendary Wizard, Sawyer. Soon, Sawyer's gentle yet excited voice came through:
"Bai Ye, the ritual container is one-fifth full."
"I know."
Hearing this, the Legendary Wizard on the other end fell silent for a few seconds. These Eye Scholars knew all too well what the death of a peak powerhouse represented.
"Then why are you contacting me?"
"The Hidden City, Yalgu."
"Is it... still okay? Can the residents in the city districts fill their stomachs?"
When the Legendary Wizard said this, there was a hint of sadness in his tone. He continued, "I heard it was divided into two districts. The old Hidden City was very peaceful."
As if recalling his childhood days in the Hidden City, Sawyer chuckled.
"The Hidden Ring is with me. If you want it, I'll give it to you."
Su Xiao spoke. Earlier, when setting up the "Abyss Eye Ritual," the Legendary Wizard hadn't even mentioned payment. Although this Legendary Wizard wanted to personally set up an "Abyss Eye Ritual" once, regardless, the materials were provided by him, and the labor was free. Moreover, knowledge was the most precious thing, so it was only right to show some appreciation.
"Really... can I?"
The Legendary Wizard on the other end was very happy. Not hiding his emotions was also a form of sincere outward expression.
"You can."
"No, I can't manage the Hidden City well. I know my own limits. I'm good at dark knowledge, but managing a large city isn't something I can do. Can I give it to Dean Yalgu? That would be the best choice for the Hidden City, for my hometown."
"You can."
"No, I can't give it to them. They'll definitely be suspicious and won't invest in the Hidden City. Should I tell them it's your repayment for helping you set up the Abyss Eye Ritual? I can't expose that ritual, at least not until you get the Abyss Heart. It's too risky. How about this—you sell the ancient ring back to the Dean. They're very wealthy and would be very willing to buy back this city."
The Legendary Wizard grew more excited as he spoke, eventually suggesting that Su Xiao wait a few hours while he introduced Su Xiao to Dean Yalgu via a long-distance call.
Su Xiao didn't confirm or deny. He tossed the communicator into the bedside drawer and fell asleep. Just as he was about to drift off, the communicator rang.
Su Xiao opened his eyes. Whoever was contacting him now had better have something truly important.
He picked up the communicator and answered. Both sides fell silent. Half a minute later, Su Xiao knew who was on the other end—Deer God. He said:
"Speak."
"Agreed."
Deer God's slightly hoarse voice came through the communicator.
"Trade tomorrow morning."
With that, Su Xiao hung up and tossed the communicator back into the drawer, then lay down to sleep. But half a minute later, that damn communicator rang again. He sat up, paused for over ten seconds, then picked up the communicator from the drawer and spoke first:
"Who."
"It's, it's me, brother."
Delona's voice was a bit flustered because she could tell her brother's voice sounded unusually gloomy.
Su Xiao let out a long breath and returned to a normal tone: "What is it."
"I found a noodle shop in the south of the city that's super, incredibly, explosively delicious. Brother, you like noodles, so do you want me to bring you a bowl?"
"Not for now."
He hung up and was about to toss the communicator back, but ultimately placed it on the bedside. This time, he fell asleep immediately.
Evening, Sanctuary City, South City, Fragrant Flower Alley. Inside a noodle shop without even a signboard, the place was bustling with customers during meal time. Many patrons brought their own bowls, taking the noodles home to eat.
After finishing the spicy, sour noodle soup with meat cubes, Su Xiao stacked the empty bowl on a tall pile nearby. The ingredients were ordinary, but the deliciousness of this bowl of noodles was anything but ordinary.
The communicator rang. Su Xiao, who had almost forgotten to pay after getting up, left the money and walked through the small alley in front of the noodle shop. A dry, sluggish voice came from the communicator, as if the speaker hadn't spoken in a long time, with a stuttering, gear-like cadence.
"Law Destroyer, I can give you a price you won't refuse. Thank you for helping us reclaim the Hidden City."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He wanted to hear what this "unrefusable price" was.
"In our academy's warehouse, there is a top-tier Law Annihilation Blade from the First Era. Use this legendary blade to exchange for the Sanctuary City."
"..."
Su Xiao remained silent. He had obtained more than one Law Annihilation Blade before. But if the blade's demon spirit still had any presence, it was best not to let Dragon-Slaying Flash devour it. Who knew what traits the demon spirit of this unknown predecessor might retain.
"This blade's demon spirit has passed, but it has been reforged. It's a legendary blade."
"Deal."
If Dean Yalgu wasn't lying, this was the top-tier devouring target for Dragon-Slaying Flash at the moment.
"I'll have Edro complete this transaction with you."
"Fine."
With that, Su Xiao hung up. He was always wary of the Yalgu School. This oldest faction in the Ancient God system might pull some major stunt during this divine-level free-for-all.
For example, the Dark God Cult, which seemed to be kicking up no dust in this world, had secretly prepared a special move. If they actually pulled it off, things would be grim this time.
As a Hunter of Reincarnation Paradise, Su Xiao had access to high-tier resources that other Star Realm peak powerhouses couldn't match. But with gains came costs. The main quest mechanism of the Paradise faction meant he couldn't leave this world to avoid risks like other Star Realm powerhouses could. He could only press forward.
Just as he arrived at the courtyard of the Grand Cathedral, he saw Deer God sitting on the cathedral's rooftop. Seeing Su Xiao arrive, Deer God leaped down.
Their eyes met. Both were expressionless. Clearly, if not for the temporary cooperation, they would have found a spacious area for a deadly battle. A Technique Grandmaster fighting a Melee Peak was an exhilarating combat experience.
Deer God removed a strangely shaped ring from his thumb. What made it strange was that it looked very much like a crown.
*Hum~*
Deer God tossed the crown, and Su Xiao caught it with one hand.
[You have obtained the Golden Crown.]
That's right, it was the [Golden Crown] required for Hunt Bounty 2. Hunt Bounties wouldn't trigger tasks that were absolutely impossible to complete within the current world.
[Golden Crown · Dawn Grade Equipment (Unique Trait): For every 1 point of this equipment's durability consumed, you gain 0–2 Golden Skill Points (Current durability remaining: 493 points).]
Theoretically, this thing could yield up to 986 Golden Skill Points, with a minimum of 0. Given his confidence in his own luck, Su Xiao estimated it would either be a stable 0 or a "lucky" 1 point total.
But now that he had [Fate Reversal], should he gamble with this luck curio?
From the equipment description, [Fate Reversal] had already given its all. If he didn't show some trust, it would be a disservice to this newly upgraded Fate Curio. It was just the 150,000 ounces of Space-Time Power from the Hunt Bounty—worth the gamble.
After all, with Golden Skill Points, he could increase 2–3 points in all Supreme attributes each time—Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence combined for 12 Supreme attribute points. Based on his usual mastery of 9–10 Supreme passives, one upgrade would not only recover the loss but also yield a significant surplus. Besides, the bounty task didn't specify how many durability points the [Golden Crown] needed.
Su Xiao returned to the third floor. He sat on a single sofa, opened the team storage space, and took out an object. It was like clouds and mist, with a fine, granular feel, as if countless tiny crystal particles were stuck together. Its name was:
[Wind Sea Will (World-Class Item): Can be used on a world-class piece of equipment to greatly enhance it. When this equipment breaks, the "Wind Sea Will" will reform into its current state (initial state).]
It seemed simple in effect, but this item was a companion object born from Wind Sea Continent's transcendence. Many generations of Beast Kings or Sea Kings had used it to enhance their weapons. It was also what Spider Empress had originally sought, only for it to end up with the Beast Clan at the Goblin Merchant Guild.
Presumably, the old Beast King had long foreseen Wind Sea Continent's fate. Rather than letting [Wind Sea Will] fall into enemy hands, it was better to turn it into a blade to slay enemies in the future.
Su Xiao's strongest world-class piece of equipment was [Proud Song of Defiance (World-Class · Rank 485)]. The rank wasn't high or low, but as a Law Destruction exclusive piece of equipment, it was worth upgrading.
[Equipment Effect: Proud Song of Defiance (Core · Passive), "Aogē Crystal" formation and spread speed increased by 185%, overall strength increased by 5 times, and granted "Invasive Trait."]
Fighting Deer God had made Su Xiao feel his defense wasn't strong enough. Aogē was the fastest and most stable way to improve defense. Moreover, Aogē crystals had many uses, such as forming various arrays—even the Law-Destroying Teleportation Array could be borne by Aogē crystals.
He removed the "Aogē Ring" and decisively used [Wind Sea Will] to upgrade it. After doing so, he opened his task list.
[Abyss Task · Death's Granting]
Difficulty Level: Lv.98～???
Task Brief: Eliminate at least Supreme-level "Undying · Abyss Spawn" and "Abyss Descendants."
Task Reward: Final reward determined by task completion rate...
Current Task Completion Rate: 300%.
...
Killing Spider Empress had maxed out the task completion rate. His previous trips to the Abyss near-zone had accumulated some progress, but he was still over 80% short of maxing it out.
Su Xiao didn't complete the task immediately. Instead, he took out [Fate Reversal], opened the lid, and with a *click*, the dazzling golden flames of fate were ignited. Bubu Wang came over, observed the golden flames, and then, the fool, reached out a paw to test the golden flames.
"Woof! Arf!"
Bubu Wang was burned and immediately started breakdancing. Ignoring the fool, the "Fate Power" only lasted 5 minutes. Su Xiao completed [Abyss Task · Death's Granting].
[You have chosen to submit the Abyss Task · Death's Granting.]
[Current Task Completion Rate: 300% (Single-time limit).]
[Since the task completion rate is at the single-time limit, you may choose three reward types from the following task rewards.]