Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 918 Wearing a Crown
Five legendary items in one go.

It must be admitted that although Elizid is not qualified to call himself a king in terms of character and performance, he is quite worthy of the title 'Lord of Cinder' in terms of drop rate and soul point production.

"The Soul Forge... Did Elizid really take that thing?"

Before the throne, Xin Lailai glanced at the most inconspicuous stone stove among the five items, her gaze shifting slightly, a knowing look flashing in her eyes.

He had already suspected something when he couldn't find what Rudolf needed along the way, and now he was completely certain of his guess.

The things Rudolfs mentioned that were left behind on the Pilgrim's Path were indeed taken by Elizid. Moreover, Elizid's mastery of so many specialties and abilities is probably inseparable from the Soul Forge.

However, judging from the description of the Soul Forge, the other party clearly has not figured out its secrets either, which can be regarded as a confirmation that it is among the weakest of the Lords of Cinder.

"And this... was that ring really a trap?"

After confirming the effects of the Soul Furnace, Xin Lailai's gaze swept over the jet-black crystal among the five items. Looking at the description on it, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

Deep hatred and resentment, sleep precepts.

When Xin Lailai first obtained the ring, he thought it was a backup plan left for him by Elizid before he went mad. However, after confirming Elizid's true nature, he instantly realized that the possibility of it being a trap was far greater than that of it being an aid. Therefore, he threw it back into his backpack without hesitation, and even at the risk of being instantly killed by the Dark Abyss, he would never trigger the effect of this thing.

In retrospect, their caution was clearly correct. If they had foolishly believed the description in the [Deep Abomination] and tried to trigger the Deep Corruption to gain a damage bonus, they would probably be Elizid's food or puppet by now.

All I can say is that this is the inevitable experience when dealing with a cunning old fox like Elizid. Things like special attack items being placed at the entrance, or the BOSS revealing his troubles to you... there's not a single credible part from beginning to end.

As for any exhilarating battles? Don't even think about it.

Fighting this kind of cunning old fox who isn't good at direct combat, regardless of winning or losing, will only leave you with a feeling of constipation and diarrhea all at once, the kind of feeling you have absolutely no interest in reminiscing about after it's over.

"Speaking of which, Lai Lai, how should we use this King Soul? Should we just eat it?"

"I don't know, I'll ask the nun when we get up there."

Xin Lailai spoke, glancing at the campfire beside her without even looking at it. She then gathered all the items from the throne and turned to walk towards the scattered bones in the hall.

Having learned from the experiences of the Frankish Fortress and the inner city, and considering the ruthless nature of Elizid, even if there was nothing wrong with the campfire, he couldn't be bothered to sit by it to recover.

After all, from a cunning perspective, this moment of relaxation after a battle is often the easiest time to fall into a trap. If it were him, he would definitely set up a trap campfire here that would only appear after his defeat, so as to give his enemies a terrible death.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, it would be better to use the bonfire on the top floor of the inner city for both the recovery of the status and the establishment of the King's Fire Seed. This would not only save the trouble of climbing up and down, but would also be safer and more reliable.

Of course, before that, they had something even more important to do—

[I have obtained the "Robe of the Deep Archbishop"]

[I have obtained the "Profound Braille Bible"]

[I have obtained the "Scepter of the Archbishop of the Deep"]

Three golden-red text messages popped up in succession. Inside the dilapidated hall, Xin Lailai looked at the skeletons scattered around her and the orbs of light emanating from them, and couldn't help but smile.

Although I feel a little sorry for those who died here, since they are all dead, these belongings are just sitting here anyway, so why not let them use them to make the most of their remaining time?

"Hmm, Lai Lai, does this count as righteous looting?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is called collecting the belongings of the deceased."

As the righteous and resolute reply fell, Xin Lailai continued speaking, her eyes searching the main hall with unusual anticipation.

In an instant, various item acquisition prompts flashed by, and Xin Lailai was seen enthusiastically rummaging through the hall, collecting all sorts of hero-level relics left behind.

[Logan's will has been obtained]

[Logan's will has been automatically triggered because you killed "The Devourer King" Elizid.]

"Um?!"

Ten minutes later, as Xin Lailai reached into the last... and most familiar skeleton in the hall, dressed in a large hat and robes, a line of gold and red text suddenly appeared before her eyes, startling her.

Om-! !

The next second, a faint fluctuation of magical power appeared, and a letter flew out from the large hat skeleton in front of her, fell into Xin Lailai's hand, and automatically unfolded.

"This is... Logan's will?"

Upon seeing this, Xin Lailai's eyes flashed with curiosity. She looked down at the letter in front of her and read it carefully. Finally, as if she had seen something, her expression changed slightly, and her gaze suddenly became somewhat serious.

"This is……"

……

……

On the other side, a deep and secluded cathedral.

Tap tap… tap tap…!
The sound of pacing back and forth echoed in the dilapidated hall, which was full of signs of decay. In the cold church, which was filled with a faint smell of decay, a young man in a large hat paced back and forth with unease. Every now and then, he would look up at the passage at the end of the hall, revealing a strong sense of hesitation and doubt.

Go down... no, that's not right, you absolutely can't go down.

The black-haired youth's task for him was to keep an eye on this place, so he shouldn't make any rash moves before the other party returned.

only……

"Almost a quarter of an hour has passed... What exactly happened down there?"

Vic murmured, gazing at the pitch-black passage at the end of his vision, a deep sense of worry appearing in his eyes.

Just a quarter of an hour ago, he suddenly felt the chilling aura below disappear. He initially thought the black-haired youth had won and was overjoyed for him, but then he discovered that the youth had not returned from underground. This made his heart, which had just been at ease, jump to its limit again.

What exactly happened next?
Is the legendary Devouring King really dead?
And what about Black Sword Elder... How is Mr. Black Sword doing?

If the battle is over, why is the other side nowhere to be seen? Or is the other side actually still fighting the Devouring King...?

Suddenly, all sorts of thoughts surged uncontrollably into Vic's mind, making him inexplicably agitated.

"Mr. Black Sword, you... uh, what is this?!"

Just as he was debating whether he should go down and check the situation, a steady sound of footsteps suddenly appeared, making Vic's eyes light up. He quickly looked in the direction of the underground entrance and was about to go forward to greet them when he was stunned when he saw what the other person was holding.

“These are Logan’s belongings. I found them downstairs. There’s a letter he left for your college. I personally think you should take a look.”

As the calm voice faded, Xin Lailai lowered her eyes slightly, placed the skeleton wearing a huge wizard's hat in the arms of the somewhat dazed Vic, and without saying anything more, walked straight towards the large elevator outside the church.

"I'll wait for you on the top floor of the inner city. Come over after you've made your decision."

As the words fell, the black-haired youth's figure gradually disappeared from the young man in the large hat's sight. After he vanished with the sound of a massive elevator, Vic, who had remained standing, lowered his head in a daze, looking at the skeleton and the envelope in his arms. After a long silence, he leaned the envelope against the wall, opened it, and began to read it carefully. ...

……

On the other side, in the inner city of Ishilu.

Humlong——! !

A slightly muffled buzzing sound accompanied by a violent shaking subsided, and a black-haired youth wearing tattered silver armor stepped out of the elevator onto a huge platform towering high in the clouds and mist. He walked to the orange-red campfire that remained unchanged no matter how fierce the cold wind was, and took out a pale golden soul that resembled a flame.

[The soul of the Unknown Nun has been used]

"Lord Black Sword, you..."

"Yes, Elizid is dead. Bai Yu thinks you should know how to use these fragments of the King's Soul and the King's Weapon Core that he left behind."

"real……"

As the calm voice faded, the blindfolded nun gasped for breath, then gradually regained her composure, took a deep breath, looked at Xin Lailai, bowed deeply, and thanked her:
"On behalf of those souls who could not find peace in Lord Elizid's hands, Lord Black Sword... Thank you for freeing them from endless darkness."

"As for how to use the King's Soul, although I don't know, the moment I saw it, Blessing directly told me how to let you absorb it."

As the blindfolded nun spoke, her fingertips gently touched the golden-red flame-shaped soul in Xin Lailai's hand, which was far more dazzling and intensely hot than ordinary souls. With this action, the king's soul in Xin Lailai's hand instantly spread out like real flames, transforming into an incomplete crown of flames right before her eyes.

"Lord Black Sword, please prepare yourself. I need to crown you. Bless me and tell me that this is a necessary step on your path to coronation."

As the gentle words fell, Xin Lailai nodded slightly, knelt down on one knee in a knightly gesture of respect, and closed her eyes to wait. The blindfolded nun, seeing this, gently cupped the flaming crown in her hands and, while placing it on Xin Lailai's head, chanted with a sacred and solemn expression:
"By oath of souls, kings who have burned to ashes, a new crowned one will be born here. Descend upon him with your gaze, witness his investiture, and bestow upon him the royal blessing!"

As soon as the words fell, wisps of golden-red flames appeared from all around, as if drawn by some invisible force, transforming into a huge vortex of fire that converged toward Xin Lailai, who was located at the center.

Buzz, rumble—! !

Immediately afterwards, the surrounding world began to tremble uncontrollably, as if stimulated by something. Starting from its feet, the tremors spread all the way to the entire holy city of Isilul, and then to the distant land of darkness, the pilgrimage route, and even the boundless ocean and wilderness.

Boom! ! !

Finally, a golden-red lightning bolt, hundreds of meters thick, crashed down, rapidly shrinking and compressing during its rampage... eventually transforming into a wisp of lightning only the thickness of a thumb, which entered the flaming crown atop Xin Lailai's head, instantly solidifying her illusory form and filling her with a sense of oppression.

[Notification: You have fully absorbed the power of "King's Soul (1/5)"!]

[Note: Due to the power of "Royal Soul (1/5)", your current Blessing level has been increased to LV.96!]

[Note: Due to the power of "Lord's Soul (1/5)," your true power has been gradually awakened. You can now use "Elf Assimilation (Lord of Cinder Feats)" and "Spiritual Body (Lord of Cinder Feats)"!]

……

[Black Sword (left)]

Rank: LV.96 (Preliminary candidate for King of Cinder)
Oath: "Deep Vow LV.MAX"

...

...

Strength: 90; Agility: 90
Physical Fitness: 90; Intelligence: 90
Temperament: 90; Soul: 90
……

[Black Sword (Right)]

"Swordsmanship Feat (↑↑↑↑↑)": When using swords, weapon attack power +100%.
"Spell Feats (↑↑↑↑↑)": Learn or use...

...

...

"Elf Assimilation (Lord of Cinder Feats)": As an outsider, you have truly gained the approval of the Lordfire and can now use your true power under the blessing gaze.

"Spiritual Body (Lord of Cinder Specialty)": As an outsider, you have truly gained the approval of the Lordfire and can now use your true power under the blessed gaze.

……

A large amount of golden-red information swept across the blessing interface. On the platform, as the flames receded, Xin Lailai, who was in front of the blindfolded nun, slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of pupils covered with golden-red magma cracks. With a thought, she opened her eyes.

Om-! !

[Entered "Elf Assimilation" state, all attribute effects increased by 19.8%, and soul and mana attack power increased by 66.6%!]

The black and white colors emerged, making Xin Lailai's aura even stronger. She looked down at her palm, which was surrounded by a faint black and white halo, and a deep look flashed in her eyes.

King of Cinder...

This is the Lord of Cinder in the world of Ashes...

No wonder Elizid was able to do so many things in the Ash World, even concealing item descriptions; his authority within the Blessing rules was on a completely different level from theirs, who were merely Heroic Ash at the time.

"However, is this increase... calculated by splitting the true attribute into five points?"

After briefly assessing her current physical strength, Xin Lailai glanced at the 90 attribute points displayed on the blessing interface. Her gaze flickered slightly as she made a rough judgment about the attributes in the blessing rules.

"Lord Black Sword, how are you feeling? Is there anything wrong?"

As the gentle voice faded, the blindfolded nun beside her looked at Xin Lailai and asked softly.

"No, rather, this is the first time I've felt this good."

Upon hearing this, Xin Lailai gently shook her head, glancing at the black and white cloak behind her shoulder, a strong sense of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.

Even he hadn't expected that absorbing the King's Soul would not only break the attribute limit, but also unlock the abilities that were suppressed by the blessing rules.

This is undoubtedly great news for them, who possess a large number of core abilities. It means that as long as they can gather all the King Souls, even if they eventually have to face the old man with the broken horn who is suspected to be the last Lord of Cinder, they will still have a good chance of winning.

Humlong——! !

Suddenly, a muffled humming sound subsided, and the elevator platform not far away descended from the sky, landing steadily at the same height as the campfire platform, and then automatically hovered there.

Has a decision been made over here as well...?

Seeing this, Xin Lailai's gaze flickered, falling on the young man in the large hat who was stepping down from the elevator. Her eyes lowered slightly, and she didn't rush to speak, allowing him to approach her step by step. She watched as he took a deep breath and spoke to her:

“Mr. Black Sword, I have come to resign.”

……

(End of this chapter)