Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 914 Face to Face
Snap... Snap...!
A sound like a huge snotty nose falling from the ceiling echoed through the hall, which was covered with marks resembling seawater corrosion. Inside, slime-like creatures slowly crawled across the floor and walls, leaving behind pools of black, acidic liquid as they passed through each area, frantically eroding the surrounding walls and floor.

At the far end of the hall, a gigantic, black, excrement-like creature, as large as a small mountain, was coiled up. Through its translucent body, one could vaguely see unrecognizable, corroded corpses struggling desperately within it. Hundreds of faces were crowded together on the surface of the giant slime, a hellish depiction that served as a warning to anyone who dared to trespass.

"Ugh... How disgusting, Lai Lai, do you think these poop-like monsters are from that guy named Elizid's poop?"

"...Couldn't you use a less disgusting description?"

A slightly helpless murmur fell from the soul space. At the entrance of the corridor on the side of the Corruption Hall, Xin Lailai, who had perfectly concealed her figure in the shadows, carefully observed the scene inside the hall. Looking at the black slime monsters that resembled mutated slimes, a solemn look flashed in her eyes.

"Wow, there's actually this much piled up..."

Although these slime monsters don't look very strong, those who have encountered several on the upper floors know very well just how troublesome these seemingly slow-moving slime monsters are.

Not only does it almost completely ignore physical attacks, but it also has the characteristic of absorbing mana. Furthermore, upon death, it will unreasonably perform a self-destruction with a deathrattle spell, releasing a large amount of dark black mist with a strong curse effect. As long as you touch it, it will rapidly accumulate corruption value. Once it is full, it will be an instant death effect that cannot be avoided.

In terms of sheer disgust, this was undoubtedly the most disgusting monster they had encountered on their journey from the Cathedral of the Deep, bar none. This is why they, who had been rampaging through the area, suddenly stopped here to observe carefully.

After all, one or two is fine, but if seventy or eighty suddenly appear, even they might not dare to venture in carelessly and could easily crash here.

Of course, this doesn't mean these slime monsters are unsolvable. Thanks to the slime monsters encountered before, Xin Lailai had already discovered before arriving at this level that although these crushing monsters are exceptionally disgusting in terms of mechanics and stats, they have one extremely fatal weakness, which is—

"Fortunately, these guys are stupid enough."

A murmur, audible only to the two of them, fell from the soul space. In the corner, Xin Lailai, having confirmed the location of all the slime monsters, moved her eyes slightly. She silently took out a small lump of something with an unusually subtle color and smell, and expressionlessly manipulated the crystal arm to grab it before tossing it to a certain spot in the hall.

Pfft!
The next second, an unusually loud thud accompanied by a sudden, spreading stench landed. As the stench permeated the air, all the black, slimy creatures in the hall seemed to be stimulated by something, rushing headlong towards the strange object that had landed in the hall.

Deep Slime Monster—

Features: Physical resistance, mana absorption, self-destruct, curse
Flaws: Has a liking for foul smells and is not very bright.

This is the solution they found: to deal with enemies like the Deep Slime Monster that are not suitable for head-on confrontation, you should make good use of their weaknesses instead of acting like a brute who only thinks about rushing in for a one-on-one fight.

"Gurgle...gurgle gurgle...!!"

In an instant, a churning sound, like the boiling of seawater, began to echo from within the hall. As Xin Lailai threw out the 'delicious food,' all the dark slime monsters in the hall frantically squeezed and gathered together. Even the enormous dark slime monster at the far end of the hall seemed to have smelled something delicious, and began to roll its massive, mountain-like body, vying for the bait thrown out by Xin Lailai with an overwhelming force.

Xin Lailai, watching this scene from the corner, didn't rush to do anything. Instead, she patiently began counting down, and just as she finished counting down from thirty to zero—

Bang!
A loud explosion rang out, and Your Highness saw the slime monster that had been the first to snatch a bite of the 'delicious food' suddenly freeze as if poisoned, its body stiffening amidst violent writhing before exploding with a bang. Then came a second, a third, a fourth…

Bang!Bang!Bang!Bang!
One explosion after another rang out. In an instant, the slime monsters throughout the hall seemed to be participating in some kind of rehearsal, exploding one after another. Only after most of the slime monsters had exploded did the colossal slime monster, which had already devoured its 'food,' seem to realize something was amiss, letting out a somewhat puzzled gurgling sound, and then—

Bang! ! !
The explosion, louder than the previous thirty-odd explosions combined, subsided. As the health bar dwindled to zero due to the combined poison of biological and spiritual energy, the colossal slime monster, which should have presented the visitors with a difficult battle, suddenly collapsed like a balloon, exploding into an extremely dense cloud of black acid mist with a loud corrosive sound, engulfing the entire hall.

Sizzle—!

A harsh, corrosive sound, like sulfuric acid being splashed on paper, followed by the frenzied corrosion of black acid mist. It took more than ten minutes for the mist to gradually settle and settle under the influence of time and gravity, restoring calm to the entire hall.

"Ugh! What... what's going on here? This is too..."

“That’s normal. After all, this is a dumping ground for slime monsters. You stay here and keep watch while I go open the gate.”

A few minutes later, steady footsteps sounded, and Xin Lailai, who had temporarily retreated to the upper floors, slowly led Vic, who was gagging and covering his nose, out from the corner. They came to the millstone-shaped mechanism in the center of the hall, which required a full 50 points of strength to move. Holding their breath, they grasped the exposed part with both hands and slowly pushed the mechanism in front of them with heavy friction, like an old donkey pushing a millstone.

Humlong——! !

As the mechanism was activated, the heavy metal doors on the other side of the main hall seemed to be pulled down slowly amidst the slight tremors of the ground and walls, revealing the somewhat familiar scene of the outer hall, and even the distant, secluded church beyond.

Yes, the hall that was filled with the Dark Slime Monsters was the area they had tried to pass through directly, but found that their magic was blocked by the curse left by the Dark Force, forcing them to take a detour from another place.

Of course, judging from the number of the deep slime monsters they just saw, if they had actually pried open this door back then, what awaited them would most likely have been a much more difficult and arduous battle than what they had just experienced.

Crash——!!

A slightly biting cold wind rushed in, quickly clearing away the pervasive stench from the inner hall. Xin Lailai glanced at the outer hall behind her, nodded slightly, and a look of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.

well.

In this way, even if they encounter a situation where they need to use the life-saving trump cards they obtained along the way, they can pass directly through here without having to spend most of the day running a marathon from the top floor.

"By the way, Lai Lai, did that big poop monster drop anything too?"

"Let me see, it really did drop. Looks like at least I don't have to worry about this thing respawning with the Fire."

……

The soul of the deepest vengeful spirit.

Category: Rare Items

Durability: (None)

Synopsis: The cursed soul, formed from the resentment of the living and the wails of the dead, is both the shed body of "King of Devouring" Elizid and a symbol of his sins as "King of Devouring".

……

[Deep resentment and aversion to sleeping]

Category: Valuable Items

Effect: When equipped, resistance to the Deep Curse is greatly increased. The Deep Curse Burst effect will change from lethal to a continuous decrease in maximum health (up to 10 points of maximum health). During the Deep Curse Burst, the user will gain the "Deep Hatred" effect, which increases damage taken and dealt by 50% when fighting Deep creatures.

Description: The sleeping ring worn on the remains of "King of Devouring" Elizid is imbued with his intense resentment towards "Mother of Birth" Rosamira.

It is said that only the most powerful soul is a necessary condition for becoming a king, but few know that Elizid's soul was not born so powerful. Rather, it was through repeated exploitation and manipulation by Rosamira that he relied on the resentment that filled his soul to devour other playthings under Rosamira's command, thus forging that mottled and indestructible yet pitch-black soul that was comparable to the Lord of Cinder.

"Hey, Lai Lai, look at this description. That giant poop monster is really the 'poop' that guy named Elizid produced?"

"Can't you just forget that word... And shouldn't the most important thing here be the origin and purpose of this ring?"

Inside the soul space, Xin Lailai complained with a hint of helplessness, while glancing at the black soul and ring being dragged by the crystal arm, a strange light flashing in her pupils.

Deep and secluded, filled with resentment and hatred, one must remain vigilant.

Considering the object that dropped this item and its specific origin, the fact that such an item, which can be considered a weapon specifically designed for the Deeper Creatures, suddenly dropped in a place only a few steps away from Elizid's main body is quite intriguing no matter how you look at it.

"The King of Devouring..."

Xin Lailai murmured, her eyes slightly narrowed, gazing at the dark passage at the end of the inner hall. She remained silent for a long while before glancing at Vic behind her and saying, "Vic."

"Hmm? Mr. Black Sword, what's wrong?"

"You should stay here for now. The path ahead is beyond your capabilities to explore."

"After I've dealt with Elizid, if I find any traces related to Logan, I'll let you know when I get back. You can come over then."

"Wait, Mr. Black Sword, I..."

As the calm voice faded, the adventurous young man paused, about to say something, but then glanced instinctively at the inner hall, riddled with signs of erosion, and fell silent. After a long while, he nodded, his voice hoarse and low as he spoke:

“You’re right, Mr. Black Sword… This is indeed the limit of what I can explore.”

Because he had already explored the area above ground with Xin Lailai, the young man in the big hat was even more certain that the other party had not said those words casually.

The further down he went, the stronger the zombies and wandering spirits became in the deep church. With his strength, he could only deal with the small monsters that Xin Lailai had missed when he was on the second floor. In cases like the inner hall, he could only stay on the upper floor and wait for Xin Lailai's good news.

“I am well aware of my own weakness, therefore…”

The slightly hoarse reply fell as the young man in the large hat unconsciously clenched his staff, speaking in a hoarse voice filled with resentment and disappointment:
"Mr. Black Sword... I'm entrusting Lord Logan to you."

"as well as……"

"If, if you do see Lord Logan, who has become a zombie, please do not hold back, and just... grant him release."

As the hoarse voice fell, the young man in the big hat seemed to lose all his strength and collapsed to the ground in despair, looking completely lost.

Upon hearing this, Xin Lailai lowered her head and gazed at the young man in the large hat for a moment. After a few seconds, she nodded slightly, turned, and walked towards the passage at the end that exuded a strong sense of foreboding and coldness. Only her authoritative yet indifferent reply echoed quietly in the hall:

"Well, I will."

Although I never asked the other party what they planned to do after finding the Logan they mentioned, considering that the Logan they mentioned had been missing for nearly a generation, and that the last place he disappeared was in a place like the Cathedral of the Deep, the most likely outcome was already self-evident.

[Equipped with "Deep Abomination Ring", gaining "Deep Resistance (↑↑↑↑↑)" effect]

The golden-red text message, accompanied by steady footsteps, echoed from the pitch-black passageway, while a pungent, putrid stench swept over them along with the chilling darkness.

[Entered "The Realm of the Dead (Complete)" and will continue to be corrupted by the "Deep Curse"]

“Redemption…” “Ahhh… Lord Elizid…”

"Why...why did you abandon us..."

"I'm not reconciled... I'm not reconciled..." "The sacrifices... aren't enough..."

"Devour...devour...devour more..."

In the pitch-black darkness, as Xin Lailai continued downwards, desperate howls and delirious murmurs began to echo wildly in her mind. Moreover, as she moved forward, pale, corpse-like hands began to reach out from the walls beside her, constantly pulling at her body and trying to drag her into the surrounding darkness.

Xin Lailai, however, seemed completely oblivious. She neither uttered any harsh words to threaten the talking, lifeless creatures around her, nor showed any fear or impatience. She simply walked calmly forward step by step, following the darkness until she reached a large door carved with a relief of winged serpents. She placed her hand on it and then pushed it open with all her might—

boom!
The heavy, loud sound of the door opening seemed to activate some kind of switch, and rings of will-o'-the-wisp-like flames began to rapidly swirl around the door.

Once the entire area behind the door was illuminated by the cold, eerie will-o'-the-wisps, the enormous, grayish-white mountain of flesh, piled up with intestines and various rotting organs, slowly opened and twisted to reveal a handsome face. It spoke in a hollow, divine voice:

"Have...new...sacrifices arrived again?"

"Come...give it to me...give it to me."

“I will… grant you salvation…I will… grant you… liberation…”

boom--! !

Before the divine whisper could finish, a streak of black light suddenly erupted from the altar, striking the giant face with tremendous force, abruptly interrupting its words and causing the giant face to freeze in shock.

“Attack…this smell…you…are not a sacrifice, but…”

[Due to his aggressive behavior, "King of Devouring" Elizid is about to awaken!]

"Ahhh... Ahhhhhh..."

“This taste… I… I remember now, you… are not a sacrifice, you are…”

In an instant, a large amount of grayish-white mist surged from the surroundings, enveloping the gate of the future and the surrounding walls. The huge, handsome human face on the grayish-white flesh seemed to remember something, and suddenly became wildly joyful and distorted, just like a hungry beast that had been starving for hundreds of thousands of years suddenly seeing food that exuded an alluring aroma.

"ash!!!"

……

(End of this chapter)