Chapter 403 - 178: Dancer of Dusk 3
"And this time, inside those pyramids on Dakman Island, I discovered a similar feeling."
He spoke these words slowly, trying not to pique Clelia’s interest in *how* he investigated, but rather to emphasize the actions of the Twilight Secret Cultivators.
"So that’s why you suspect the Twilight Secret Cultivators are connected to the nighttime dreams?" Clelia understood now. "So, what do you plan to do?"
"I don’t know. But I think after this, they will definitely investigate what happened on Dakman Island. I’m afraid I’ll be having a lot more contact with them in the future..."
"No, not just you!" Clelia gently took his hand. "It’s you and me. The Eternal Life Association will also face them with you."
"You misunderstand," Wei’en said with a light laugh, looking at her fair, slender hand. "I don’t intend to shoulder all this alone. With my current strength, I can’t do that. I just want to learn more information about the Twilight Secret Cultivators so I’m not caught off guard when I have to deal with them later."
"Oh, is that so~" Clelia gave him a charming glare. "Then leave it to me. I’ll contact Menor in a bit and have him find all the Era Relics related to the Twilight Secret Cultivators."
"Thank you."
"Hm?"
Wei’en was taken aback. He pulled his arm free from Clelia’s grasp and pressed his palms together. "My apologies, my apologies. I’ll take back my thanks."
Clelia huffed. "Remember, you’re a member of our Eternal Life Association. We can face anything together."
"Of course, of course. You’re the one who personally invited me to join. From now on, I’ll be counting on you to look out for me in the Eternal Life Association."
"That’s more like it~"
Soon, Clelia returned to the theater space alone to ask Menor about the Twilight Secret Cultivators and to acquire the relevant Era Relics.
Wei’en, on the other hand, put these matters aside for the time being. A more important task awaited him—that Judgment Knight from the Dawn Church.
They had been delayed on Dakman Island for half a day. Even with the *Ronan’s* speed, the distance had likely been shortened considerably. He estimated they were only a day’s journey away—somewhere between one thousand and fifteen hundred kilometers.
He had to hurry and increase his strength as much as possible.
’I wonder when that bastard clown will finish Tina’s special training. A whole day has passed and they’re still not back. So unreliable...’
If the clown and Tina were with him, he wouldn’t feel such a sense of urgency.
With that in mind, Wei’en opened his panel to study it.
His survival points, once a six-figure number, had dropped to just over ninety thousand after he upgraded Soul-Devouring Magic to level six.
But it was still enough to raise the levels of some of his magic skills. In particular, the Six Paths Magic he had recently learned were all still at level three. It was the perfect time to upgrade them all.
Bloodboil (Death God) Level 3 (1/5000)... (5000/5000).
[Bloodboil (Death God) Level 3 (5000/5000). Upgrade?]
[Upgrade.]
[Congratulations, your skill: Bloodboil (Death God) has been upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4. Effect: The speed of your blood flow increases, enhancing your body’s explosive power.]
[Note: At Level 4, Bloodboil (Death God) unleashes explosive power equal to 200% of your resilience level, lasting for 9 seconds.]
[...Your skill: Heal (Death God) has been upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4. Effect: The recovery speed of your physical injuries is increased...]
[...]
[...Illusion Technique (Death God) has been upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4. Effect: You can now alter your physical form. Any Origin Power perception below 40% of Death God Olanir’s essence quality will be unable to detect your illusion. Duration: 4 hours.]
Wei’en looked at the skills column on his panel, thought for a moment, and then spent the rest of his survival points on two spells: Spirit Shield and Bone Wall.
With his current base attributes and Origin Power, there was no way he could match the Judgment Knight. The returns from upgrading offensive magic skills were much smaller than the benefits of improving his defenses.
As long as he could withstand the Knight’s attacks, he had a chance to escape.
’Kill him in return?’
’Unless that Judgment Knight is as stupid as the Deep Sea Giant Beast just now and stays in the sea... hmm, and it would have to be a place teeming with countless deep-sea creatures for me to have a chance of killing him.’
[...Bone Wall (Death God) has been upgraded from Level 4 to Level 5. Effect: You can summon a Bone Wall formed from the skeletons of sixteen Director Level skeletal creatures to block physical attacks.]
[...Spirit Shield (Death God) has been upgraded from Level 4 to Level 5. Effect: Can defend against attacks targeting your Spirit, soul, and Origin. It can also disperse and dissolve all negative effects within an eight-meter radius.]
[Note: At Level 5, Spirit Shield (Death God) will consume your own Spiritual Power when dispersing and dissolving negative effects.]
’I still have 4,300 survival points left.’
As soon as he finished allocating his skill points, Wei’en immediately closed the panel.
He couldn’t look.
There were so many skills waiting to be upgraded, and all he could do was stare at them. The long string of zeros that followed them nearly blinded him.
’Survival points are still too scarce...’
Upgrading his magic wasn’t enough to guarantee a safe escape from the Judgment Knight’s pursuit. He still needed to think of other methods.
But before that, he first had to ensure the Dawn Church’s ship couldn’t catch up to them in the short term.
Wei’en sighed, leaped down from the crow’s nest, and made his way past the busy pirates straight to the cockpit.
"Captain!"
"Captain."
"..."
He had to admit, the sea was dangerous, but these pirates held a genuine reverence for the strong.
Wei’en quite liked the feeling. Even though he knew these pirates would tear him to shreds if he were powerless, it didn’t stop him from finding them rather endearing.
"Captain," Ronan said upon seeing him enter, quickly vacating his seat. "Please, sit."
"No need." Wei’en waved his hand, motioning for him to continue steering. "I just came to remind you that we were delayed for too long on Dakman Island. It would be best if the *Ronan* picked up more speed."
"I’ve already had men keeping a constant watch on the engine. With ample fuel, running it overloaded is not out of the question."
Wei’en nodded. He took a step to leave, then turned back and asked, "By the way, at our current heading, how long until we reach Avad Island?"
"An estimated sixty-five days. If all goes smoothly, we should be able to depart from there for the Southern Continent before the Pantheon Festival."
"Oh."
After getting the information he wanted, Wei’en didn’t linger. He turned, left the cockpit, and returned to his quarters.
’The Pantheon Festival...’
In his predecessor’s memories, there were some fragments about this festival.
At the end of every year, on the night of December 30th, the various city-states would hold grand festivities to celebrate passing the year safely and welcoming the new one.
At the same time, this was also the day when the major True God Churches offered huge benefits. Many items like Dawn Candles, Holy Emblems, and holy covenants would be sold at a discount.
’Tsk, the Pantheon...’
...
...
「Meanwhile, in an unknown location extremely far from Dakman Island.」
A massive island floated in mid-air. Its base was made of black mountain rock, layered with piles of white bones, as if the rock had been tiled with a peculiar aesthetic.
Atop the island stood a castle that towered into the clouds like a mountain. It was entirely black, and a faint black mist swirled around it, accompanied by a sharp, eerie whistling.
At its peak was a wide, open plaza. Exquisite patterns were carved into the plaza floor, but they were not symmetrical like runes; their lines were far more twisted and complex.
In the center of the plaza was a long table flanked by ten black chairs on each side. A red pattern was branded on the back of each chair—a spectral shadow gripping a long scythe.
At this moment, five figures in clean, gray robes were seated at the table. Their bodies were wrapped in golden strips of cloth, not a sliver of skin visible. Even their eyes were covered by the wrappings.
"They... failed?" The bandaged figure at the head of the table had a black, diamond-shaped gemstone embedded in their forehead. The cloth over their mouth twitched as a cold voice emerged.
"They succeeded, but they also failed."
"Oh?"
"The Alchemy Array was a success. It did indeed have the effect of advancing the Deep Sea Giant Beast. But in the end, someone interrupted its advancement!"
"Interrupted?"
"To be precise, they killed it!"
Another bandaged figure nodded slightly in agreement. "That is correct..."
"Killed it? Didn’t you all handpick that location, guaranteeing there were no beings above the legendary level?"
"It was an accident."
The diamond-gemstone figure at the head of the table snorted. "Do you know who did it?"
"It’s not clear yet. But I swear, whoever blasphemed against the True Dominator deserves to die!"
"Find that person and kill them!"