Ever since entering Hell, Yaxiu had felt a faint sense of incongruity. He could sense no hostility from Dead Frenzy whatsoever, as though she were truly doing her utmost to act as his tour guide, showing him the scenic wonders of Hell and instructing him on how to loot every scenic wonder into an ancient historical ruin.
Now Yaxiu finally understood. Dead Frenzy truly had no conflict of interest with him.
No wonder she went out of her way to take me looting through Hell.
No wonder she didn't care that my strength was growing so rapidly.
Because everything of mine would ultimately become nourishment for them—and voluntarily, at that.
Reason and emotion both dictated that Yaxiu had to do everything in his power to stop Ouroboros's devourment. If they could not crush this monster from the future, they would have no future to speak of. If surrendering his psyche was all it took to trade for power, what did Yaxiu have to be reluctant about?
Yet Yaxiu keenly detected a loophole: was he truly the only one who could stop Ouroboros? He was hardly a saint who shouldered all the world's responsibilities. Aside from returning to reality shortly to give Sonia and the others a morning kiss, there was nothing in this world that absolutely required him. Rather than working hard yourself, it was better to blame others—that was the life lesson Yaxiu had gleaned from his corporate drone days.
He was certain the Four Pillar Gods and the Star Supreme had already received word, and the other God-Leaders likely knew the world was on the brink of destruction as well. Yaxiu didn't need to panic at all. If he just dutifully comforted his operators, who knew—perhaps while he wasn't looking, the Supremes and God-Leaders would quietly defeat Ouroboros and bring Hell back to the world?
My friend, you have to believe in these God-Leaders who've lived for millennia! Those folks have tasted all the world's finest pleasures and watched all four seasons come and go. Even if someone has to go die, it should be their turn! You haven't seen all the Witches appearing together yet, you haven't tasted Silver Lantern's rusty lemon and sweet orange again, you haven't trained the maid into being lawful good yet, and you haven't stripped off the Sword Princess's wedding dress with your own hands. Why throw your life away when you're still so young?
Yaxiu desperately racked his brain for excuses, trying hard to convince himself to run from this grand and tragic responsibility. In the end, there was only one reason: he was scared.
He was no longer that bewildered death-row prisoner in Shattered Lake Prison who, possessing nothing and expecting nothing, feared neither loss nor an abrupt end.
Now was different. He had far, far too many hopes; his to-do list could stretch for hundreds or thousands of lines. He wanted to do shameful things with the girls, the kind where he'd be fully satisfied even if they teamed up to beat the daylights out of him afterward. What he wanted most of all was for a miracle to occur, so nobody would have to suffer grievances and everyone could be happy... How could he squander his life on bullshit like saving the world?
"Up ahead is a major faction, the 'Soul Stone Clan,'" Dead Frenzy said. "Among the Temples of Sorcery merged into this stronghold is Nether Demon's high-tier temple from her past life. That's why the moment Nether Demon arrived in Hell, she raided this place. Sensing her connection to the temple, she easily stripped away what these demigods had built over three thousand years. I doubt anyone ever imagined a fallen demigod could one day return to Hell to collect rent."
"She left that Temple of Sorcery behind in the First Hell on purpose, didn't she?" Though framed as a question, Yaxiu spoke in a statement. "I'll ask her if she still remembers once we get back."
Dead Frenzy glanced at him. "Are you close with her?"
"Not at all."
"Not close, yet you french-kissed her and played with her body? Don't you know what kind of person she is?"
Yaxiu's lips parted as he defended himself, "Those were just scheming interactions! I never let down my guar—wait, why do I have to explain myself to you? It's none of your business." Toward the end, his tone stiffened with defiance.
Dead Frenzy's expression chilled. "Do whatever you want."
This time, she did not follow Yaxiu into the Soul Stone Clan's stronghold, lingering outside to wait while coldly staring at his back. Yaxiu glanced back at Dead Frenzy, unable to fathom why she was angry. If Sonia were angry, he could understand, but what reason did Dead Frenzy have to get mad?
The demigods of the Soul Stone Clan had not fled. Gems of various colors lay strewn across the ground, alongside many Shadow Evil Dragon crystal cores. In the lower four layers of the Void Realm, Shadow Evil Dragons were near-overlord creatures; ordinary sorcerers couldn't stand against them at all, and even legendary Sanctuaries had to clash with them cautiously. Yet in Hell, the Shadow Evil Dragon clans could only obediently serve as pets to demigod sorcerers. It gave Yaxiu a sense of déjà vu, reminding him of those stories where mortal powerhouses ascended to the celestial realm only to end up mining as slave laborers—the higher they went, the worse off they became.
Whether sorcerer or Void Realm creature, stepping into the divine realm was tantamount to suffering in Hell. Even demigods with five-tier Hell wings had not a single moment of respite, forced to face annual calamities with everything they had. Their quality of life was an outright nosedive compared to legendary sorcerers. Whether eternal life meant suffering, Yaxiu couldn't say for sure, but eternal life in Hell certainly meant eating bitterness.
Yet fortunately, the Void Realm dumped all the Eternal Ones into Hell; otherwise, sorcerer civilization could never have developed. Even now, a single legendary Sanctuary throwing a tantrum could lay waste to an entire region. If demigods could return to the mortal realm, continent-sinking cataclysms would erupt at any moment, and all civilization would be reduced to ruins.
Rules and regulations imposed by God-Leaders and demigods would be useless; so long as time stretched long enough and the numbers grew large enough, some demigods would inevitably lose their minds. If nothing else, were it not for Yaxiu keeping her in check, Vichy might have already turned the Star Country into a living hell on earth. In that dream, she didn't just want to be Yaxiu's master—she wanted to be the sovereign of all living beings. Thinking of that made Yaxiu feel a pang of sullen irritation. He knew in his heart that Dead Frenzy's accusations were entirely justified, so he could only comfort himself with the notion that everything he had done was meant to suppress the Spectre Prophet.
From the Soul Stone Cairn, he harvested a pile of source crystals and knowledge essence, though there were no calamity marks. There were two wonders. One was "Soul Reflection," which caused any target's soul to be assaulted by their own reflection. The reflection could not be destroyed; only by completely enveloping the enemy unit in bright light could the reflection's pursuit be broken.
The second was "Soul Screech Sonic Wave," roaring forth a crescent-shaped sound wave that shattered the soul of any unit that heard it. The sound wave could pierce all defenses; if the enemy's defensive wonder did not incorporate soul sorcery, it would be crushed with ease all the same.
Both were soul-primary wonders supplemented by shadow and sound arts. These two wonders actually suited Vichy quite well—suited her my ass! Not giving them to her!
Yaxiu shook his head and stuffed both wonders into his Soul Kingdom.
Regardless of whether he would have to defeat Ouroboros in the future, looting Hell right now could not be wrong. Even without Ouroboros, he remained an enemy of the entire world, and the Star Supreme was still eyeing him like a tiger watching its prey. Growing stronger was forever essential for his survival.
What's more, the Sword Princess and the others were waiting outside with open mouths to be fed. Even if only to help them grow stronger, Yaxiu had to work hard at scavenging. It was a curious feeling; compared to developing himself, Yaxiu felt far happier watching his operators grow stronger, finding a kind of joy akin to nurturing them.
"'Blade Storm'—this can go to the Sword Princess.
"'Time Lock'—the Witch should be able to use this.
"'Demon Form'—feels like everyone could use it... let's give it to the Witch.
"'Refraction Ward'—negates any sorcery attack several times?! Can my Sword Body Barrier finally retire?!
"'Soul Pressure'—directly suppresses the enemy's soul... this one..."
Next, Yaxiu and Dead Frenzy combed through Hell like fine teeth, looting several strongholds in succession and amassing countless source crystals and gems. Demigods like those at Ten Strings Mansion who had retreated decisively were surprisingly in the minority; most demigods refused to abandon their hard-earned accumulation over centuries and chose to fight to the bitter end—mainly because they never realized they were facing an eight-winged existence that transcended dimensions. They believed they could work a miracle.
Even Yaxiu thought his progress was absurd. Before entering Hell, he hadn't possessed a single wonder, amounting to little more than an oversized legendary masquerading as an ordinary demigod. Now, not only had he condensed his first-tier Hell wings, but he also possessed over a dozen high-tier wonders—each one the ultimate trump card of a demigod organization. In terms of strength on paper alone, he could already rival veteran demigods!
The power other demigods spent decades or centuries to achieve, he had obtained without blowing away a speck of dust. And this wasn't even the limit; he hadn't even finished scavenging the First Hell.
After stuffing another wonder into his Soul Kingdom, Yaxiu couldn't help sighing, "If Ouroboros could be satisfied just by devouring Hell, that would actually be pretty nice..."
Dead Frenzy snickered, offering a scornful smile. "Starting to feel like Ouroboros has brought you quite a few benefits, aren't you?"
Yaxiu didn't deny it. The emptied Hell and his Soul Kingdom were a match made in heaven, like a burglar carrying a giant sack stumbling upon an unlocked vault. Ordinarily, every resource and scrap of power in Hell had to be defended through bloody competition. The weak didn't even have the right to grow stronger, unable to survive even their annual calamities.
Had Yaxiu and his companions entered Hell through the normal path, whether they liked it or not, they would have had to reveal their most vicious, ferocious sides, climbing to the pinnacle step by step atop the corpses of enemies—or else wait to be trampled into the dust by other demigods.
The Hell here had no lakes of brimstone, no seas of fire, no boiling cauldrons of oil. The scenery at some strongholds was even quite pleasant, yet every living being lived in dire straits. Void Realm creatures were enslaved by sorcerers for life, flaying and sinew-pulling being common occurrences. Sorcerers lived on edge; no one dared indulge in pleasure. Every day had to be spent on guard against other factions, and every year meant surviving a calamity by the skin of their teeth.
It did not look like Hell, yet was far worse than Hell.
Now Yaxiu had no need to suffer what his predecessors endured, yet could still pocket the resources of all Hell. Saying he didn't feel a hint of secret delight over stumbling upon such fortune would be an outright lie.
"Speaking of which," Dead Frenzy murmured, cigarette between her lips and arms crossed over her chest, "it really ought to be showing up by now..."
"What?"
Yaxiu started, then immediately noticed a huge mass of white, toothpaste-like foam appearing behind him.
Without any hesitation, Yaxiu pointed at the foam. Five-winged source power evaporated furiously. Inside his Soul Kingdom, a tilted, ethereal tower rumbled with a thunderous roar, jolting the sleeping Substitute sorcery spirit off its roof!
Wonder—Overturn!
The ground beneath the foam caved in incessantly, sucking the foam in and collapsing repeatedly like a blender churning and grinding! The core essence of the Overturn wonder lay not just in collapsing the earth, but in tilting it—affected targets would remain perpetually off-balance, forced to watch helplessly as they were swallowed and buried by the ground!
A few seconds later, the ground leveled out. Yaxiu exhaled a long breath and asked, "What was that?"
"The Forgotten," Dead Frenzy replied. "Doing that is useless. The Forgotten cannot be destroyed, because you cannot kill an existence with no name.
"If you want to destroy it," she said, "you have to wait until it remembers its own name."
BOOM!
The entire ground was blown wide open. A blood-red dragon wrapped in thorns burst forth from beneath the earth, a howl of agony erupting from its vicious, hideous maw:
"I am... I am the Bloodthorn Dragon Hunter—Lut Gholein!"
"All things with names!" A ferocious glint flared in his eyes. "Shall be forgotten!"
Chapter 1064