Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 372 Transformation and Settlement! (8k4, code attribute explosion!)
——Are you a corpse or food?

……What does it mean?
As Astraea listened to the monster's lips buzzing and making such a thin and dry sound, the fear in his heart deepened.

A certain ominous premonition had already emerged in his mind - and before that premonition came true, his body had already moved on its own.

Astralis raised the crow-carved cane in his hand, and circles of intricate dark patterns suddenly appeared on its surface.

Gray mist gushed out from it and began to linger around Astralis' body.

Countless gray crows gathered into shape. They circled and quickly condensed into another thick gray fog. At a certain moment, they suddenly vibrated violently and rushed towards the direction of the "monster"!

——Buzz!!!

The air made a sharp explosion sound, as if a monster hidden in the gray fog was making a piercing roar.

The entire space was also shaking synchronously, and countless twisted and slender thorns extended from the gray fog, and were about to pierce through the body of the "monster"!

However, in Astralis's eyes—

He only saw that the four eyes of the "mourning" monster were still filled with sadness. His four clasped hands finally slowly opened and pointed vaguely in the direction of Astralis.

——Wow!

The pitch-black fog, the fog containing "death", burst out from the fingertips of the mourning monster and built a high wall in front of Him.

Countless withered and slender hands stretched out from the black wall. They had no flesh and blood, but were just entangled in black mist and condensed into the shape of "hands". They stretched outwards with all their might, as if they were thirsty and wanted to grab something.
And in the cracks of the wall, between the strands of black fog, deep gaps appeared one after another, spitting out misty tongues and revealing misty fangs.

Astraea heard bursts of shrill howling coming from the black wall.

He felt his mind begin to waver, and the fear of the unknown was like a wild beast, gradually crawling over and completely occupying his heart.

Unconsciously, the outline of Astraeas' body was covered with dark threads filled with the scent of "death".

The color belonging to Astralis was being snatched away, being chewed up, gradually fading to complete black, white and gray, fading to the edge of discoloration.

Then, the gray mist of "despair" released by Astralis completely fell on it, and was captured, decomposed, and eaten by the black mist.

……

"What……"

Astralis, the "Crow of Despair", looked at the scene in front of him in disbelief with his pupils trembling.

It was the first time he saw his fog of despair being so powerless...

No, that's not right.

Just a while ago...the "bishop" of the Red Maple City Church, the angel contracted by Ross Carlos, was also able to ignore the infection and influence of his own fog of despair!
He actually encountered his natural enemy, his nemesis, twice in one day...

Why? Why!
The feeling of true "despair" began to gush out from the bottom of Astralis' heart like a mountain torrent.

His eyes became scattered, and he began to wave his cane wildly with both hands tightly grasping it, squeezing out his already dwindling spiritual energy, gushing out an increasingly dense, darker gray mist.

That did have some effect.

Right in front of Astreas, the black fog of death emitted by the "mourning" monster actually began to show slight cracks due to the infiltration of the gray fog squeezed out by Astreas with his exhausted spiritual power!
This made the despair in Astralis' eyes dissipate a little, and a little light called "hope" burst out again.

But in his ears, he then heard the lips of the "mourning" monster in front of him moving.

He slowly opened his mouth—

"I do not need……"

"Impurity... 'Despair' is an impurity..."

"I want...pure death..."

"..."

——Buzz!!!

When Astraea heard the "mourning" monster say these words, a gray mist suddenly surged in his eyes.

But that was not the gray fog of his "despair".

But it was the same as before - it was the gray fog that made him feel empty, floating, and sinking!

It is the gray fog of "illusion"!

Astralis, the Crow of Despair, felt a huge sense of oppression constantly hitting him, like a tsunami-like wave coming from all directions. This feeling almost suffocated him and his heart was about to stop pumping.

Suddenly, his eyes turned red.

There was also a huge, constantly vibrating roar in my ears -

boom! ! ! ! !
Something fell from above Astralis' head, and his body was smashed down fiercely. He fell and fell continuously. He felt his flesh and blood become blurred and his bones become broken.

But it didn’t hurt—even though the despair in his heart had rehearsed the way he might die countless times, Astralis didn’t feel any pain, which made his “despair” feel at a loss—

And in Astralis's ears - if he still had the sense of "hearing" now - he heard a low sound like the vibration of rough stone -

"amber……"

……amber?

"amber……!"

Amber

"..."

Astralis was still wondering what the last two sounds he heard meant.

Suddenly, gray mist rose in his eyes again.

And his thoughts also ended at the same moment——

He completely lost all consciousness.

……

Outside Hongfeng City, on the desolate mountains.

The gray fog was still surging, and in the increasingly thick fog, the divine figures of the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner and the "Guardian of Falsehood" Amber stood opposite each other in the center of the gray fog.

In the middle of them was a bloody corpse that no longer resembled a human.

Astralis, the "Crow of Despair", died. His twisted body and consciousness were shattered with two hammers by Amber, the "Guardian of Falsehood", and his final death was announced by the "Demon of Deathwhispering", the Mourner.

"amber……"

The "god" whose huge amber stone was wrapped in gray mist emitted a stone-vibrating sound.

He was expressing something, and the eyes of the god of the [Abyss] opposite him - the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner were filled with regret.

The mourner’s four dry and skinny arms have returned to the “praying” posture. “He” slightly nodded, and said with his thin lips moving:

"You were too impatient... This made his 'death' not perfect."

"……amber?"

"I have not yet... tasted his dying taste. It is a pity... a shame..."

"……amber!"

"..."

The Mourner didn't understand what Amber was saying.

His eyes were still filled with compassion as he looked at the [Lost] God opposite him.

Finally, He seemed to sigh, and His ghostly body floated in front of the corpse of Astralis, the Crow of Despair.

"Forget it... The Lord won't care about these."

The mourner's dry voice came out from his thin lips, muttering to himself:
"I'm just hungry... I'm thirsty..."

"I'm going to...eat him, completely, completely..."

"Then... I will complete the task that the Lord has entrusted to me."

"..."

He murmured as if talking to himself, and the four hands that were clasped in front of him slowly separated again. Between his palms, black mist appeared, sticking to and pulling at each other.

His four arms then opened to both sides, and the black mist also extended greatly to both sides, with the fingertips of the four fingers extended by the mourner as the four ends, spreading out into a dark curtain of black mist that squirmed like tiny tentacles.

He leaned down towards Astralis's body, with his four hands reaching out to his head and feet respectively, while the black mist curtain that exuded the breath of death was completely attached to the surface of Astralis's body.

Just after the black fog curtain completely adhered to the body of "Crow of Despair" Astralis.

——Crash!!!
The mourner's four hands connected the four ends of the curtain and peeled off the black mist curtain from Astralis's body again!
It was visible to the naked eye that at the moment the fog curtain was removed, a ball of light with a mixture of light green and dark gray colors was attached to and extracted from Astralis's body.

——That is the soul of "Crow of Despair" Astralis!
The surface of the soul essence was rippling like waves. The mourner looked at it, and his pupils showed a greedy light that was eager to taste it.

Astralis' soul was stuck to the black mist curtain. It seemed to still retain some consciousness belonging to "Astrales". When it was continuously dragged towards its body by the mourners, it began to tremble as if in fear.

But the Mourner ignored this "fear" and just kept dragging Astralis' soul to Him. Then, He opened His four slender and withered arms and embraced it.

——hiss!
The soul belonging to Astralis was embraced by the Mourner, and on the surface where his soul light ball touched the Mourner's arm, black smoke like burning began to rise.

In the long, close embrace of the mourners.

Astralis' soul light ball was shrinking rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the end, it was completely absorbed by the mourners, and the remainder was completely consumed.

"..."

"……satisfy."

“…I feel more satisfied than ever before.”

"Do you feel it... A fellow servant, the 'illusory' Amber..."

"..."

"……amber?"

The "False Guardian" Amber, his huge amber body suddenly trembled, making a stone sound with some doubt.

The mourner still didn't understand what Amber was saying, but he didn't care. His four eyes once again looked at the ground, staring at the bloody and riddled corpse that was once "Asteras".

Then, His four arms opened again, and the veil of death emitting black mist weaved and emerged once again.

Then, scattered ripples appeared on the surface of the fog, and something was spitting out from it -

That is still the soul of "Asteras".

But the light green and dark gray colors were no longer there, only black remained - that was the remnant of death, the color left after being completely consumed by the mourners.

It has completely lost the vitality of its soul, but still retains some of the power of [Nothingness].

And what the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner will do will be the embodiment of His "authority" -

The soul belonging to "Asteras" was separated from the black mist curtain, and was poured back into the corpse on the ground, returning to its original container.

Pitch-black mist spread out in waves, and from the bloody and riddled corpse, fine, dark strands of light came out from the wounds, stitching up countless large and small wounds like needle and thread.

And "Asteras" - after his soul returned to his body after being eaten, his eyes opened again.

But the original pupil light had long since dissipated, leaving only ignorance and turbidity.

He has become a "dead spirit" -

He became an undead puppet named "Asteres" that was completely controlled by the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner!
"I am……"

"Asteras" was still lying on the ground, his "resurrected" body embedded in the cracks of the rocks. His neck suddenly began to creak, and his mouth opened and closed, uttering vague murmurs.

"I am...ah...ah...ah..."

"..."

"Come with me..."

The mourners looked at him, his eyes still full of compassion, looking at "Asteras" lying on the ground, as if he was looking at a poor lamb with a broken leg, and he was the shepherd.

At the same time, the mourner's withered voice slowly said:

"From now on, you will lose your name..."

"You are just a puppet... you have no name."

"..."

After saying this.

The mourner turned and left, and He did not look back, nor did His eyes linger on "Asteras" even for a moment.

As the mourner turned to leave, Astralis, whose body was reconnected by the black fog, pulled himself out of the crack.

He just stood there, his eyes still cloudy and dull - there was nothing to be seen there except emptiness.

After a long time.

He finally took a step forward, staggering a little, and followed the path that the "mourner" had taken.

Like a lamb being led by an invisible rein.

……

Red Maple City.

Main Street - Red Maple City Church and the Bishop's See.

After "Thunder General" Albert returned to the border, Luo Xiu looked out from the city wall for a while, then returned to the church and the Holy See.

Just like Albert, Luo Xiu didn't need to pay attention to anything else as he was clearing the battlefield. The only thing he was paying attention to now was the outcome of the hunt for "Crow of Despair" Astralis.

He did get information about where "Crow of Despair" Astreas would flee to - it came from two people who were members of "Mask of Funeral Song" like Astreas.

The "Dream Stealer" Pior stole this secret from his original secret organization, and Luo Xiu confirmed this secret through another channel -

His only worry was that Astralis's journey through the spiritual sea of ​​nothingness would not be smooth - the empty, illusory pillar god "Void Devouring Serpent" might pay attention to him, causing some natural obstacles to his plan.

Therefore, Luo Xiu was waiting for the most immediate feedback from the panel while waiting for the news from the two "gods" he had sent out and contracted with - the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner, and the "Guardian of Illusion" Amber.

Just as he began to think about how to continue hunting down Astralis, the "Crow of Despair", if he escaped.

His panel suddenly popped up.

There is a new content in it——[Additional mission objective (option 2): Assist in killing the enemy leader, Executioner 'Crow of Despair' Astralis——Completed]

——"The Crow of Despair" Astralis is dead!

Luo Xiu’s eyes lit up.

The initial plan he had just made in his mind to continue hunting down "Crow of Despair" Astralis was immediately thrown out of the sky. He subconsciously wanted to prop up his arms on the handrails, but he did not do so.

He already knows.

There was no problem with the information Pior had stolen - and the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner and the "False Guardian" Amber had indeed successfully completed their mission of hunting down the enemy, so he no longer had any worries.

And the limited-time mission [Dark Sky Haze] - finally managed to perfectly settle all the rewards before the countdown ended!
"……call."

Luo Xiu let out a long sigh, then sat up straight and opened the "Task Panel".

After nearly half a day of fierce fighting, he finally waited for this step -

He was finally able to complete the [Limited Time Mission: Dark Sky Haze (Hell Difficulty)]!
【…】

[Completed the limited-time mission: Dark Sky Haze (Hell Difficulty)]

[The attacking dark army has been defeated, and you have successfully protected Red Maple City - but the "judgment" is not over yet, and the dark peeping still remains in the shadows. ]

[Get basic completion rewards: Basic experience +82300, free attribute points +43]

[Get additional completion rewards: Basic experience +15000, free attribute points +15]

【获得特殊完成奖励：基础经验+430000、自由属性点数+145、适配命途“传说”品质专长*1、适配命途“史诗”品质专长*1、适配命途“稀有”品质专长*1】

【…】

After Luo Xiu gave the panel the "settlement" command, after a short wait, the panel displayed the final settlement reward information.

Luo Xiu held back his excitement, his eyes moving across the newly emerging rows of numbers, his eyes becoming brighter and brighter.

——What a bountiful harvest!

That's the reward for the "Hell" difficulty level!

Regardless of the three destiny-matching specialties of "Legend", "Epic" and "Rare" that can be settled later, just the basic experience and free attribute points that can be obtained as rewards - Luo Xiu quickly calculated in his mind that just by settling this task, he can get more than 203 experience points and up to free attribute points!
This reward number, even considering Luo Xiu's current middle level of the "Fifth Level of Destiny", is still not a small sum.

Luo Xiu accepted these rewards with joy, and his attention immediately shifted to the three specialties that were waiting to be settled.

Emptying his mind for a moment and concentrating his spirit, Luo Xiu clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly:

"I offer Anthony ten... no, twenty years of singleness!"

"I offer Albert thirty years of celibacy!"

"I offer my sacrifice..."

——Necessary metaphysics!

After sacrificing several friends who were considered close to him and who, as far as Luo Xiu knew, were still "single".

Luo Xiu reopened the panel in his mind and calculated the three specialties in order from low to high!

【…】

[Adapting to the "rare" quality expertise generation...]

[Obtain the expertise "Glorious Blesser (Rare)"]!
[Glorious Blesser (Rare): You are on the path of "glory". 】

[Your "divinity" attribute value +10, "wisdom" attribute value +5, "perception" attribute value +5. ]

[You already have: Radiant Blesser (rare)]

[Glorious Blesser (Rare) — Expertise Upgrade]

[Your "divinity" attribute +16, "wisdom" attribute +8, "perception" attribute +8]

【…】

The first time the destiny is settled, it is adapted to the "rare" quality expertise, and what is obtained from the panel settlement is the expertise that Luo Xiu already has.

This is not an uncommon situation - as you gain more and more expertise, the probability of obtaining duplicate expertise will also increase, and existing expertise will be improved and strengthened accordingly.

Luo Xiu did not feel disappointed about this. After all, it was a positive improvement, and he quickly accepted the result of this settlement.

His attention was then focused on the calculation of the second "epic" quality feat.

[Adapting to the generation of "epic" quality expertise...]

[Obtain the expertise "Pure White Crown (Epic)"]!
[Pure White Crown (Epic): You have been baptized, and you will be crowned - you have no sins, and your soul is strong enough to bear their weight. ]

【你的“神性”属性+18、“智慧”属性+18、“抵抗”属性+12、“幸运”属性+12。当你进入战斗状态、或消耗法力值时，周期性地，每180秒，你将从四项“神冕”的赐福中，随即获得其中一项——你造成的伤害提升30％、你受到的伤害减免30％、每秒恢复1％生命值、每秒恢复1％法力值。“神冕”的赐福持续60秒。】

【…】

The result of this settlement...is pretty good.

After quickly browsing the panel settlement and finding the adapted "epic" quality expertise, Luo Xiu was quite satisfied, and then confirmed the result of the settlement.

Then, only the last "legendary" quality feat remains to be calculated!
Looking at the bright red dot on the panel, Luo Xiu showed concentration, and at a moment of inspiration, he gave the settlement instruction!

[Adapting to the "Legendary" quality expertise generation...]

[Acquire the expertise "Radiant Hand (Legendary)"]!
[The Hand of the Radiant (Legend): You will ascend to the heavens - you will ride on the chariot of the sun and hold the whip of the chariot.]

[Your "divinity" attribute value +32, "perception" attribute value +18. When you use a skill, you gain the "holy light" attribute "Sky Shield" for 50% of the mana consumed. While "Sky Shield" exists, the damage you cause increases by 25%, the damage you receive is reduced by 25%, and you are immune to negative control effects. 30 seconds after the skill is released, "Sky Shield" disappears, and the lost health is restored according to 100% of the remaining shield value. ]

【…】

"...!"

“It’s so good!”

When Luo Xiu saw the latest calculation result of the specialty "Radiant Hand", his eyes suddenly lit up!
That is equivalent to turning half of your mana into a "shield" - and while the "Sky Shield" exists, you can also get a series of bonus effects. After the "Sky Shield" disappears, you can restore your health according to the remaining shield value, which is really powerful!

This is also the more standard "Legendary" quality feat, which should provide a corresponding increase in strength.

Luo Xiu was quite satisfied with the three specialties that were adapted for the fate settlement this time. He glanced through the specialty panel one last time and confirmed the settlement result of the last "Legend" specialty.

……

Afterwards, Luo Xiu settled two more "kill rewards".

【…】

[Kill "Storm Lord" Muset (lv.56) and gain 16340 basic experience points]

[“Storm Lord” Muset (lv.56) is 6 levels behind you]

[Kill above your level! Gain 60% extra experience points...]

["Burning Soul" takes effect, gain 20% additional experience points]

["Evil Soul" takes effect, gain 30% additional experience points]

["Extremely Evil Soul" takes effect, gain 50% additional experience points]

[The highest attribute of "Storm Lord" Muset is "Constitution"]

[You gain: "Constitution" attribute +10]

["Noble Judgment" takes effect, gain 16 free attribute points]

[Rewards settlement, actual experience points gained: 42484! ]

【…】

[“Storm Lord” Muset (lv.56) is a disaster-level boss]

[Rewards for killing the disaster-level boss are being generated...]

【…】

[Kill rewards generated]

[Obtain the expertise "Blessing of the Storm (Epic)", free attribute points*10]!
[The Storm's Grace (Epic): You were not torn apart - it made you as strong as a bronze wall.]

[Your "Constitution" attribute increases by 36 points, "Resistance" attribute increases by 12 points, and "Health" gains an additional calculation base of 10 times the value of "Constitution". ]

[The storm can't shake you, let alone a small breeze - all the damage you receive, if the single damage amount is less than 1% of your current health value, you will be immune to this damage; if the single damage amount is less than 5% of your current health value, it will be reduced by 50%. ]

【…】

This is an epic quality expertise obtained by settling the reward for killing "Storm Lord" Muset.

It significantly increased Luo Xiu's health once again - as a "bishop", he had already reached the absolute ceiling of this priesthood at the "fifth level of destiny", and Luo Xiu didn't mind becoming more durable...

--Safety!

A full sense of security has surged into Luo Xiu's heart, and every bit of flesh and blood, and even every cell in his body, is filled with surging vitality.

Although he still looked like a skinny "bishop" - Luo Xiu always felt that he could now compete with a real "giant".

As he thought about this, he immediately began to calculate the next kill reward.

This was his last settlement.

That is the calculation of the killing reward for "Silver-blooded Dragonborn" Quilton!

【…】

[Kill "Silver Blood Dragonborn" Quilton (lv.52), gain 14112 basic experience points]

["Silver Blood Dragonborn" Quilton (lv.52) is 2 levels behind you]

[Kill above your level! Gain 20% extra experience points...]

["Burning Soul" takes effect, gain 20% additional experience points]

["Evil Soul" takes effect, gain 30% additional experience points]

["Extremely Evil Soul" takes effect, gain 50% additional experience points]

[The highest attribute of "Silver Blood Dragonborn" Quilton is "Strength"]

[You gain: "Strength" attribute +10]

["Noble Judgment" takes effect, gain 16 free attribute points]

[Rewards settlement, actual experience points gained: 31046! ]

【…】

["Silver Blood Dragonborn" Quilton (lv.52) is a disaster-level boss]

[Rewards for killing the disaster-level boss are being generated...]

【…】

[Kill rewards generated]

[Gain expertise...]

【…】

The first expertise that was refreshed had a serious negative effect, and it came with the unique characteristic of [Red Lotus], which was self-destruction upon death. Luo Xiu only took a glance at it and then refreshed it with "Lost Path Explorer".

【…】

[Rewards for killing the Disaster-level boss are being regenerated...]

[Kill rewards have been regenerated]

[Obtain the expertise "Scaled Dragon (Epic)", free attribute points*10]!
[Dragon of Scaled Reverse (Epic): You have been subjected to the scaled reverse ritual - when all of them fall off, you will ascend, and you will also die.]

[Your "Strength" attribute increases by 48 points, and your "Physical Attack" gains an additional calculation base of 5 times the value of "Strength".]

[Death is the final bloom of sublimation - the same is true for the process of shedding scales. When your health value decreases, your "Physical Attack" attribute will be greatly improved: for every 20% decrease in your "Health Value", your "Physical Attack" will be synchronously increased by 20%. ]

【…】

This is the reward for the final settlement.

The "epic" quality specialty "Scaled Dragon" is a good ending for Luo Xiu.

There is also an executioner, "Despair Crow" Astles. Although he was judged dead in the limited-time mission [Dark Sky Haze], his kill reward did not pop up on Luo Xiu's panel - the kill of Astles should be judged by the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner. Although "He" is the demon who established a contract with Luo Xiu, Luo Xiu, as the contracted party, was not near the location where Astles was killed, so it cannot be judged as a coordinated kill.

Although Luo Xiu felt sorry, he didn't take it too seriously.

Because, while settling the previous multiple rewards, Luo Xiu had already received messages from the two "gods" he had contracted - the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner, and the "Guardian of Illusion" Amber, which were passed on to him through the contract spirit.

They have completed what Luo Xiu asked them to do - "Crow of Despair" Astralis has completely fallen and turned into an undead who is completely controlled by the "Deathrattle Demon" Mourner!
After that, this executioner of [nothingness] disappeared from the face of the earth.

He will no longer appear in the real world, but will be taken back to the Holy Abyss to guard there as the "Guardian of the Dead" until his remaining soul is drained away and his broken body completely collapses.

"..."

In Luo Xiu's mind, he naturally thought about the arrangements for the aftermath of "Undead Astralis".

After feeling the sensory enhancement brought about by the new expertise gained from settlement, Luo Xiu emptied his mind, stood up from his chair and walked to the edge of the bed.

He did feel a little tired, but he couldn't rest yet - he estimated that the clergy of the church would request to enter the Holy See later, and there must be many things that they needed to ask him or urgently needed him to deal with.

But Luo Xiu still lay on the bed, but he did not close his eyes, just took a short nap.

He opened the panel at the same time, and opened the [Player Forum] and [Chat Channel] at the same time. Looking at the players who were still online late at night, communicating enthusiastically and sharing their newly settled rewards with each other, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

This was a relaxation for Luo Xiu - a rare relaxation.

...However, even during this slight relaxation, Luo Xiu was still worried about another thing.

Something that was not urgent but was quite important in Luo Xiu's plan.

That was about Songyuan City. He had already entrusted Index to discuss the matter with Qiao Dewen, the president of the Golden Country Bank.

In order to confirm the whereabouts of "Crow of Despair" Astralis, Luo Xiu asked Index to take the information obtained from Pior to find Qiao Dewen, the "original mask" of the [Funeral Mask], to confirm it.

And when Joe Devin confirmed that "Crow of Despair" Astralis was dead.

His new 'negotiations' with the bank president are about to begin.

……

(End of this chapter)