Reward

The rewards for the second Angel Hunt were remarkably fair; as long as one held out until the end, every participant received the same spoils. Yet precisely because too many shared in dividing the loot, each person's take was actually inferior to that of the first Angel Hunt. Still, everyone had anticipated this. After all, the Prime Angel had deliberately designed it this way to entice the demons and sorcerers into slaughtering one another. At least ten people held out until the end beneath the golden rain, including bystanders like Feili and Niya, who had consumed more than they could digest. With so many partaking of the Prime Angel's golden void wings, Yaxiu and the others were hardly surprised that each sorcerer received only three sorcery feathers. On the contrary, they were quite satisfied, as a generous pity reward had been granted this time: among the three feathers, one was an iridescent feather shimmering with flowing radiance. "I already tested the effects of the iridescent feather last night," Weixi said. "In short, it can transform into any sorcery color according to the sorcerer's will. For instance, my Soul Gloomy Blue can turn into Prophecy Silent Black." "You might think a single iridescent feather is merely better than nothing, incapable of playing a decisive role. Indeed, if you remain mortals, an iridescent feather truly holds little more significance for you than a single-color feather. "But I can tell you plainly, if placed in Hell, every demigod would willingly sacrifice their fifth void wing just to obtain this single colorless feather." Igola raised an eyebrow. "Is it because demigods have different bodies from mortals?" Weixi nodded. "When sorcerers step into the divine realm, their flesh and souls shatter and reconstruct, weaving a soul body on the outside and erecting a divine palace within. At this stage, sorcerers are no longer mortals, but eternal beings akin to sorcery spirits. Soul and flesh alike break free from the bounds of lifespan, spared the torment of aging. "Yet this does not mean a soul body possesses strong regenerative powers. On the contrary, its recovery rate is exceedingly low. After all, the essence of healing is the death and regeneration of physical cells, but this cycle of death and regeneration is the very root of aging. That a soul body no longer ages also means it almost completely loses the capacity to heal itself. "Moreover, not only is a soul body extremely difficult to heal on its own, it struggles even to receive healing from miracles. Because the attributes of a soul body are determined by one's void wings, for a Fire sorcery demigod, healing with a Water miracle is tantamount to self-mutilation—though by the same token, they are immune to most Fire sorcery effects. Meanwhile, a Body sorcery demigod can indeed endure most healing miracles, but that also means they will suffer one hundred percent of the damage dealt by other factions. "Sustaining one-off damage is one thing, but far worse is when the soul body suffers sustained damage," Weixi continued. "For example, if a Fire sorcery demigod is cursed by a Water miracle, treating it with Fire sorcery will see the healing effortlessly dispelled by the curse; treating it with Water sorcery will only intensify the curse. Different soul bodies taking different damage require different treatments. It is terribly cumbersome. "Having said all this, you should understand what this iridescent feather means to a soul body." Yaxiu understood. "It adjusts the soul body's attributes." "Precisely." Weixi grew more animated as she spoke. "I know nothing about Divine Lords, but at the demigod stage, sorcerers cannot condense feathers of conflicting sorcery factions. Fire and Water, for instance, cannot be condensed at the same time, so a Fire sorcerer will inevitably suffer full damage from Water sorcery. But an iridescent feather completely overturns this dynamic. Even possessing just one means your soul body gains the corresponding resistance. "Against an instantaneous blow, this single iridescent feather is enough to offset ten percent of the damage. Against a lingering curse, it can reduce symptoms by at least fifty percent and vastly weaken the curse's duration. And whatever healing miracles you possess, this iridescent feather allows them to produce one hundred and ten percent of their effect!" Through Weixi's words, Yaxiu and the others gained a basic understanding of demigods. Simply put, the difference between demigods and mortals came down to resistances. Mortals possessed virtually zero resistance, making them simple to heal and just as vulnerable to full damage. Demigods, on the other hand, held varying resistances based on their void wings. These resistances wielded tremendous influence; having them or not determined whether your defenses were paper-thin. No wonder Weixi claimed demigods would flock after iridescent feathers. An iridescent feather ensured your defenses would never be paper-thin under any circumstances. One could even say no sorcery would ever completely counter you again. It was clear she must have suffered heavily in this regard in the past. Furthermore, Weixi had focused heavily on 'how to heal a soul body.' Yaxiu had never imagined that medical needs, long solved in reality like food, clothing, housing, and transport, would instead become such a thorny dilemma in Hell. It was not even 'rapid healing,' but merely being 'convenient to treat,' that made Weixi praise the iridescent feather so effusively. "In other words, we struck gold this time," Yaxiu murmured. "Indeed, our luck was truly exceptional. This is a treasure coveted even by Divine Lords," Weixi remarked with a sigh. "Perhaps only by partaking of the Prime Angel's void wings can one obtain iridescent feathers. Once the Prime Angel perishes, iridescent feathers will become a lost relic forever." "*Our* luck was good, not yours." Yaxiu held out his hand. "Reach out." Weixi shot Yaxiu a resentful glare, yet obediently placed her hand in his palm. She had no choice but to comply; a mere three feathers were nowhere near enough for her to break free from the Ruby Chains. Nor would she throw a tantrum in resistance. Though her period had not yet passed, she had prepared herself mentally a month in advance and could remain composed. More importantly, she had tried everything over the past month—throwing fits, acting cute, flattering him, appealing to reason and the bigger picture, cooking meals, and warming his bed, though she had been kicked off. Unfortunately, Yaxiu adamantly refused to return her surplus feathers to bolster her combat strength. Aside from trampling Yaxiu thousands of times in her mind, Weixi was utterly powerless. Yet as she felt the feathers quietly slip away, Weixi could not help but purse her lips and lower her gaze to the floor. Feili leaned in. "Sister Weixi, are you crying?" "It's merely a physiological response of this frail body." Weixi rubbed her eyes. "There is nothing to cry about. Does a slave cry when handing tribute to their master?" Feili whispered, "But you and Yaxiu aren't master and slave. We're comrades fighting side by side. Yaxiu keeping them safe for you is for your own good too." "Do I look naive enough to believe that?" Weixi shot her a side-glance and muttered, "Though perhaps this body is just as naive as you." "All done." Yaxiu released her hand. "You're in luck. I couldn't take your iridescent feather, so you can keep it." Feili could not resist shaking Weixi's arm, her eyes dancing with smiles. Naturally, she could not say, 'It's wonderful that Yaxiu couldn't take your iridescent feather'—after all, she hardly thought Weixi growing stronger was a good thing. She was simply happy because Weixi was happy. Yet Weixi stared blankly at Yaxiu, bewilderment in her eyes. "Besides the iridescent feather, I seem to..." She tentatively touched the small of her back. "Still have a gloomy blue feather?" Igola's heart stirred, and Harvey also turned to look at Yaxiu. Yaxiu kept his face impassive as he stowed the golden fish scale back into his pouch. "I originally intended to leave you just one gloomy blue feather, but I didn't expect the iridescent feather couldn't be taken. It couldn't be helped." "Why?" "Consider it a reward for saving me." He paused, then stressed, "I didn't plan on leaving you two feathers. I didn't want to give you the iridescent feather, but alas... So, Weixi, luck was on your side this time." Weixi watched him quietly, then suddenly said, "Did I only save you once?" She began counting on her fingers. "Once for the gold and silver wings, once for the rainbow void wings, once for the heterochromatic wings, and once for the Hell secret poison. That's at least four times I've saved you, which means you still owe me three—" When Yaxiu reached out to seize her hand, Weixi leaned back to evade him. Losing his balance, Yaxiu tumbled out of his wheelchair and fell flat on his face. Rose promptly pulled a suitcase from under her seat, stood up, and announced, "I quit."