“It is draining the very source of this world.”
For the first time, a hint of despair colored Leah’s voice.
“The energy of the world core is finite. For every bit it absorbs, the upper limit of power this world can support drops by another notch.
“At the current rate, in two hundred years at most, this world will no longer be able to sustain any transcendent power.
“By then, everyone will become ordinary humans.
“But the Aberrants will not. They will harvest all of humanity like wheat.”
The image froze on the statue of the black goat.
Its dark gold eyes and eerie smile seemed to mock the despair of this world.
The lights came back on, and the dome became transparent once more.
The sunlight was still warm, but Jiang Lin could feel an endless chill beneath that warmth.
Leah turned around and “looked” at Jiang Lin.
“This is the truth. We are not facing an enemy that can be killed, but an immortal, indestructible evil god that can never be eliminated or defeated.
“For three hundred years, countless powerhouses have tried to destroy it, and not one has succeeded.”
Jiang Lin remained silent.
He thought of the system’s quest description.
【Lead the Blood Demons to occupy Planet Teluofuto and turn the planet into a territory of the Blood Realm.】
It wasn't “save,” nor was it “purify.” It was “occupy.”
This meant he hadn't entered this world in the posture of a savior...
He was the same as this evil god.
He was also an invader...
“In the future you saw, how did I do it?” Jiang Lin asked.
A faint smile touched the corners of Leah’s lips.
“I am not sure, but the crimson creatures you brought should be the key to our counterattack.”
“They are products of a different system. In this polluted world, they are unaffected and can even grow by devouring Aberrants.
“If you are willing...”
She paused.
“If you are willing to lead them and slay the evil god, then we are willing to give everything we have to help you.”
Jiang Lin looked at her.
This blind, frail girl who looked as if she might die at any moment was currently radiating an indescribable sense of certainty and resolve.
However, he still asked in confusion, “Didn’t you say it was indestructible? Why do you think I can defeat it?”
Leah shook her head.
“I don’t know. But in one of the countless futures I saw, you did indeed succeed.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lin was silent for a moment before asking, “Then in the future you saw, what was the probability of my success?”
However, Leah shook her head again.
“I don’t know.
“Before you arrived, what I saw were ‘possibilities.’
“But the moment you stepped into this world, those countless possible timelines began to undergo violent changes.
“I cannot see the final outcome clearly, but I can see... you are the only variable.”
She raised her hand, her fingertips tracing lightly through the air.
“For three hundred years, this world has been heading toward destruction. Every timeline, every possibility, ended in death.
“Until not long ago, the moment you arrived.
“In that moment, a world that was destined for destruction saw its first sign of vitality.”
He looked up, his golden eyes reflecting Leah’s pale face.
“That black goat... what is its current strength?”
“After three hundred years of draining the world, its main body has grown to... an immeasurable degree.
“If we go by the rank system calculated by our researchers...”
She paused.
“It should have reached the peak of the 7th-rank, approaching the 8th-rank.”
Jiang Lin’s brow furrowed slightly.
7th-rank peak.
With his current 2nd-rank peak strength—which had a combat power equivalent to the mid-tier of the 5th-rank—he was supposed to challenge a 7th-rank peak evil god...?
It seemed this gap...
Was indeed quite large...
With such a gap... could he win?
And didn’t she say the peak power of this world was gradually dropping?
Why was it able to reach such a rank?
Jiang Lin pondered.
However, Trial of Blood (2) shouldn't be a quest he was incapable of completing, right?
After all, under normal circumstances, this was a quest he would face to break through from the 1st-rank to the 2nd-rank.
He had only gone to complete the quest for the God of Holy Light before returning to continue this one...
In other words, he shouldn't need to face the evil god directly, right?
After all, as a 1st-rank peak, there was absolutely no possibility of him defeating the opponent.
The opponent was draining the world core, so as long as he didn’t provoke it and simply summoned a large number of 2nd-rank Blood Demons to occupy the entire world, it shouldn't be impossible.
He wondered if the system would consider the quest a success if he did that.
Given the combat power of this world, he could probably crush this so-called “Ember” organization all by himself.
But then again...
Jiang Lin looked at the holographic projector in his hand, which he hadn't had the chance to return to the little girl.
Then he looked at the Leader of Ember before him, whose eyes were wrapped in bandages.
At that moment, a new quest notification popped up before Jiang Lin’s eyes.
【Trial of Blood (3) (Optional)】
【Task: Slay the evil god “Mozos, the Life-Devouring Black Goat.”】
【Reward: Break the current stage’s life shackles, unlock Blood Realm teleportation permissions.】
【Due to the extreme difficulty of this task, the host may choose whether or not to accept. If refused, it can be replaced with another task.】
【Additionally, due to the extreme difficulty of this task, if accepted, the Blood Realm will grant the host certain permissions in advance.】
【The title “Crimson Slaughterer” will temporarily awaken to its full state.】
【Summoning restrictions adjusted: Higher-tier Blood Demons can be summoned by paying only the corresponding MP or flesh.】
【Maintenance of Blood Demons can be switched from consuming the host’s MP to the Blood Demons devouring a certain amount of flesh.】
【Detected that the host has contracted a special Blood Demon species: Shadow of Blood.】
【After starting this task, the breakthrough and devouring limits for Shadow of Blood will vanish.】
【If you choose to devour the evil god “Mozos, the Life-Devouring Black Goat,” you will receive the protection of the Blood Realm, gaining extra resistance against the evil god to ensure no mutation occurs.】
【Upon task completion, summoned Blood Demons can choose to remain on this planet or be repatriated to the Blood Realm.】
【If Blood Demons are left on this planet, after the task is complete, the host can be teleported back to this planet via reverse summoning through the Blood Realm.】
【Do you choose to accept this task:】
【Yes / No】
Looking at the dense text that had suddenly appeared, Jiang Lin was stunned for a moment.
He quickly scanned the task description, light swirling in his golden eyes.
Slay a 7th-rank peak evil god?
The jump in task difficulty was indeed quite large.
However...
His gaze fell on the lines about “granting permissions in advance.”
Summoning restrictions adjusted—he could summon higher-tier Blood Demons by just paying MP or flesh.
Blood Demon maintenance could be switched to devouring flesh.
The breakthrough and devouring limits for Shadow of Blood would also vanish.
If these permissions were used elsewhere...
Jiang Lin calculated rapidly in his mind.
If he didn't accept this task, he would follow the normal process and lead the Blood Demons to occupy this planet and seize the world core.
That meant he would have to make enemies of every survivor faction on this planet: Ember, the Devouring Abyss Cult, the Crystal Core Chamber of Commerce, and the Old World Remnants.
Even if he could win, this planet would be reduced to complete ruins.
But if he accepted this task...
The goal was to slay the evil god.
The Blood Demon army could gain the permission to “devour flesh to maintain existence.”
This meant he wouldn't need to consume his own MP to maintain the army; the Blood Demons could be self-sufficient by hunting Aberrants.
Shadow of Blood could also evolve through infinite devouring.
Most importantly, after slaying the evil god, this planet would become his backyard.
He could teleport back through the Blood Realm at any time, and the survivors here would view him as a savior rather than an invader.
And he would possess his very own army in this corner of the stars.
An army capable of destroying a planet that followed his every command...
Furthermore, there seemed to be no penalty for failing this task.
It would also allow him to reach the 3rd-rank in advance.
The choice was obvious.
The corners of Jiang Lin’s mouth curled up slightly.
【Do you choose to accept this task:】
【Yes / No】
He didn't hesitate and locked his thoughts on the choice.
【Yes】
The system prompt surfaced once more:
【Task Accepted: Trial of Blood (3)】
【Task Objective: Slay the evil god “Mozos, the Life-Devouring Black Goat.”】
【Task Reward: Break the current stage’s life shackles, unlock Blood Realm teleportation permissions.】
【Temporary Permissions Activated:】
【1. Summoning restrictions adjusted: Summoning Blood Demons now only requires the corresponding MP or flesh.】
【2. Blood Demon maintenance can be switched from “consuming host MP” to “automatic maintenance via devouring a certain amount of flesh.”】
【3. Breakthrough and devouring limits for the mount “Shadow of Blood” are temporarily canceled.】
【4. The title “Crimson Slaughterer” is temporarily awakened to its full state.】
【Note: Temporary permissions are only valid during this task. After task completion, some permissions will be permanently retained based on performance.】
【Good luck.】
A wave of warm energy spread from his chest.
Jiang Lin looked down. The faint blood-colored patterns on the back of his hand suddenly became clear, writhing slowly like living things as they spread to his forearm and shoulder, finally converging into a crimson brand over his heart.
【Crimson Slaughterer (Full Form)】
【Equipped Effects:】
【1. Blood Demon Summoning (Unlimited): Can summon any Blood Demon from within the Blood Realm at any time; the quantity is limited only by the supply of MP or flesh.】
【2. Slaughter Disguise (Enhanced): In the disguised state, can perfectly simulate all characteristics of the target, including aura, magic essence fluctuations, and soul marks.】
【3. Blood Deterrence (Enhanced): The passively released deterrence can now actively select targets; the effect is doubled against evil gods and abyssal creatures.】
【4. Blood Domain (New): Upon activation, the combat power of all allied Blood Demons within a hundred-meter radius increases by 50%, while enemy creatures suffer continuous flesh erosion.】
Jiang Lin clenched his fist, feeling the new power surging within him.
With a thought.
A blood-colored ring of light expanded from him as the center. It was silent, yet the moment it touched the walls of the room, the entire building trembled slightly.
The silver-haired woman’s pupils shrank, and she instinctively took half a step back.
Ed’s face turned even paler, the pathways inside her crystallized right arm flashing frantically as if issuing a warning.
Only Leah remained calm. She tilted her head slightly, the smile on her pale lips deepening.
“It seems... you have made your choice.”
Jiang Lin retracted the Blood Domain and looked at her.
“What do you know?”
“I don’t know,” Leah said softly.
“But in the future I see, the futures where you destroy this planet have decreased significantly.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lin didn't explain.
Beside them, Ed and the silver-haired woman widened their eyes.
What did she mean? This guy might have destroyed the planet before??
The way they looked at Jiang Lin changed completely.
Jiang Lin walked over to Leah and placed the broken holographic projector on the small table beside her wheelchair.
“Can this be fixed?”
Leah didn't speak, but the silver-haired woman stepped forward.
She picked it up, looked it over, and then nodded. “Yes. This is an old model from before the Great Cataclysm. The structure is simple, and we still have spare parts in stock.”
“Good,” Jiang Lin said.
“Once it’s fixed, return it to the little girl at the Silent City outpost.”
The silver-haired woman was silent for a second before nodding.
“No problem.”
“Do you have any Aberrant corpses or flesh here?”
Leah nodded. “On Basement Level 3, there is an incinerator for processing Aberrant corpses. A large amount of remains are transported there every day.”
“Excellent.”
Jiang Lin turned his head to look at the silver-haired woman.
“I need all the intelligence you have on the evil god.
“Its weaknesses, its patterns of activity, the distribution of its minions, and the way it connects to the world core.
“Additionally, I need a complete map of the continent, marking all Aberrant gathering zones, Devouring Abyss Cult outposts, and your defensive layouts.”
The silver-haired woman was stunned for a moment before nodding. “We have all that in the intelligence room. I will take you there.”
Jiang Lin raised his right hand, palm down.
Blood surged from his palm, spreading and condensing on the floor.
The first Crimson Claw-wing.
The second Cursed Blood Bone Doll.
The third, the fourth, the fifth...
Ten, twenty, fifty...
By the time the hundredth Blood Demon struggled out from the blood, the silver-haired woman’s expression had completely changed.
Although Ed had seen these Blood Demons before, her legs still went weak, and she barely managed to stay upright by leaning against the wall.
For some reason, she felt these crimson creatures had become even more terrifying.
The Blood Demons floating in mid-air scanned their surroundings with crimson eyes, letting out low hisses.
They simply hovered silently, awaiting their master’s command.
“Go.”
With a thought from Jiang Lin.
A hundred Blood Demons hissed simultaneously, turning into countless streaks of blood-colored light that rushed out through the room’s windows and doors, disappearing into every corner of the headquarters.
The silver-haired woman’s face paled. “What are you...?!”
“Protection. You are too weak. If I am not here, they will protect your headquarters.”
Jiang Lin said calmly.
“They won't harm your people. They will only look for Aberrants, sources of pollution, and anything related to the evil god.”
He called it protection, but there was also an element of surveillance.
After all, until now, all the information Jiang Lin had received came from the Ember organization’s side of the story.
If he discovered they were lying to him during his own deep investigation later, these Blood Demons planted in the Ember Headquarters would deal with the group that dared to deceive him.
...
Rate on N.U.
