Chapter 123: Chapter 121: Refining Treasure
Really left? As the Succubus Princess, the villain behind the scenes, she only appeared in a few scenes and left so easily?
Chu Yi was surprised and suspicious. Come to think of it, it makes sense. Her methods were almost completely deciphered by me. Coupled with the Soul-Calling Banner’s imposing presence, since she lacked confidence, staying would only be self-inflicted humiliation. However... the Treasure she threw over might have a problem.
Chu Yi took a closer look. This Treasure was an Angel Statue, less than one foot tall. Strangely, nine wriggling heads grew from its neck, like ephemeral bubbles on a summer night, their faces indistinct. An inexplicable sense of familiarity made Chu Yi realize that this was the core of the banquet. It was precisely this that had spawned the Desire Mother Tree and established the banquet’s rules. Its quality far surpassed the Golden War Axe! Because he had devoured the abnormality and received a portion of the banquet’s authority, Chu Yi naturally had the right to inherit this Treasure.
I’ve struck gold!
Chu Yi was inwardly delighted but cautiously used the Prophecy of Time to guard against the Succubus Princess’s schemes.
Sure enough, in the foresight vision, this Angel Treasure harbored a trap. It would erupt with a tempting light, causing its wielder to become a slave to desire. They would then view the Desire Mother Goddess as their supreme master, and all their secrets would be laid bare before her.
What a vicious little demoness! Chu Yi’s face darkened. Next time we meet, I’ll definitely teach her a lesson.
Little did he know, this was a trace of the Desire Mother Goddess’s will that had descended during the banquet. Detecting the Succubus Princess’s disloyalty, she had deliberately planted this hidden danger. The plan was that once Xing Mei subdued the Flower of Desire and took command of the entire Royal City, the Desire Mother Goddess’s will would immediately control Xing Mei and seize the fruits of victory. As a result, Chu Yi had brazenly plundered the fruits of her labor. Through a twist of fate, it ended up being a trap for Chu Yi instead. Even if Xing Mei sensed something, she still believed that her forbidden Big Brother must have a way to erase the curse and refine the Treasure.
Therefore, to refine the Treasure, he first had to deal with the contingency left behind by the Desire Mother Goddess.
"Princess, do you recognize this Treasure?" Chu Yi shamelessly asked the Moon Princess.
The Moon Princess had long been fully aware of this ancient, forbidden figure’s lack of knowledge. Her jade-like face was icy. Her long, thick, snow-white eyelashes quivered slightly, and her amber-like silver eyes held a dreamlike, illusory quality. She had not yet removed her dark red War Skirt, its hem gently brushing the ground, trailing a scarlet afterimage. She was on guard against Chu Yi.
"The Desire Angel guides the souls of living beings towards depravity, making them controlled by desire and turning them into puppets." The Moon Princess glanced indifferently at the Angel Statue and stated the origin of this Treasure: "In ancient legends, at a banquet of the Gods, the Desire Mother Goddess grew jealous of the beauty of nine maids and killed them. She sealed their souls in the corpse of a Fallen Angel. Over millennia, their souls were eroded by curses and corrupted. When the sun had fallen, and the merciful Dusk Mother Goddess shone her light upon it, this corpse experienced a miracle..."
She had perused books and had partial knowledge of the secrets of the Gods’ sects; what she recounted was merely one of the more credible versions.
What? This Treasure contains the souls of maids? Chu Yi’s mind lit up with a plan. I’ll extract the maids’ souls and place them in the Chaotic Burial Mound to form a powerful combat force! Being able to serve Evil Gods and gaze directly upon the faces of Gods indicates that the maids weren’t weak. Besides, this Angel Treasure has been tampered with. I don’t dare use it; it’s better to just dismantle it.
Immediately, Chu Yi grasped the Soul-Calling Banner. Ancient characters swirled upon it like winding patterns, black smoke billowed, and an eerie purple light flickered.
Soul Capturing Spell!
The next moment, a large, bony hand coalesced and reached for the Angel Statue. An eerie wind howled, and the hand emitted a ghastly, cold light. Before the Moon Princess’s shocked gaze, the bony hand gripped tightly, pulling out a beautiful maiden in tattered skirts and stained with blood, her ethereal figure indistinct. Her eyes had been brutally dug out, and blood gushed down her pale cheeks. A towering hatred was brewing within her, on the verge of erupting, when Chu Yi collected her into the Chaotic Burial Mound, where she fell into a deep slumber. Within the Chaotic Burial Mound, he held absolute control over any soul.
"Your Excellency... what are you..." This scene utterly stunned the Moon Princess, making her even more wary of Chu Yi. She hesitated, wondering whether to act and eliminate him.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH...
As a maid’s soul was freed, the Angel Statue seemed greatly agitated, wriggling like a living thing. Its surface cracked, revealing the twisted flesh within. As a sliver of his consciousness delved deep, once again wielding the authority of omniscience and omnipotence, Chu Yi immediately realized this was the trace of the Desire Mother Goddess’s will that had been summoned during the banquet! The Flower of Desire was merely a disguise. Its true form hid within this Treasure, waiting for a host vessel to parasitize and take over, intending to become the biggest winner in this conflict.
Never underestimate the wisdom of an Ancient Evil God!
"Princess, I discovered a fun game. Would you like to join?" Chu Yi’s eyes turned playful.
So you’re going to hide in there and not come out, huh? Then I’ll just dismantle you!
The Moon Princess keenly sensed something and, with tacit understanding, activated her Moon Authority, targeting the Angel Statue for a dimension-reducing attack.
BOOM—
The Angel Statue was reduced to two dimensions, its lines becoming twisted and chaotic. Chu Yi immediately cast the Soul Capturing Spell.
One by one, the maids’ souls were extracted, their deaths tragic. Chu Yi witnessed nine different methods of death: death by drowning, being drawn and quartered, death by a thousand cuts... Each of these maids, once of unparalleled beauty, had been brutally murdered and subjected to various tortures. After death, their souls were sealed in a desiccated skeleton, enduring millennia of torment. Under the influence of some great being, they became a Treasure, never to find peace.
In summary, the Desire Mother Goddess was extremely jealous of beauty and acted with excessive cruelty. From this, one could deduce how malicious that trace of the Desire Mother Goddess’s will must be—like a venomous snake lurking in shadows, ready to launch a lethal strike the moment one’s guard was down.
CRACK, CRACK...
As the nine maids’ souls were freed, the Angel Statue emitted a mad roar. A highly concentrated contamination began to radiate outwards, but it was contained by a field of moonlight. The Moon Princess looked at Chu Yi in surprise; this forbidden figure was so perceptive; he had actually detected the will of the Desire Mother Goddess at a glance.
HISS...
Rustling whispers curled around Chu Yi’s ears, carrying the Desire Mother Goddess’s offer of compromise. She greatly admired the King of Black Robes’s style, and his previous display had brought her unprecedented joy. As long as he pledged allegiance, he could become the High Priest of the Joyful Sect and live as her kept man! The Joyful Sect, having suffered great losses and its vitality severely damaged, its Saintess having fled, was in dire need of talent for rebuilding. And the King of Black Robes was the ideal partner for cooperation!
However, Chu Yi was stalling for time while making exorbitant demands. He completely disregarded the Desire Mother Goddess’s attitude, seizing the opportunity to demand vast resources, intent on stripping her bare if she refused.
If outsiders knew about this, it would surely shock the world. He was negotiating with an Ancient Evil God—one might even say extorting and taking advantage of her predicament!