My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 387 The Pale King, the Second Additional Rule!

"Cooperation... I can help you fight against Wuxin, but you will also need to pay a price that matches it."

This was the voice that came from the other end of the communication channel after Xia Lin connected with Yuan Zhuo.

Yuan Zhuo, the 28th in the previous generation of human race.

This is a mediocre ranking, proving that Yuan Zhuo has some strength, but not that great.

In fact, Yuan Zhuo himself was a very unremarkable person.

At least Xia Lin had never heard of this person having any amazing achievements or being involved in any major events.

Although his ranking in the human race was not low, his presence was indeed very weak.

It wasn't until the War of the Myriad Races began that this person truly came into the sight of the others.

It was only at this moment that everyone realized that this person was sitting on the side of the Primordial Dark Side, and was the only Ash Walker summoned by the Primordial Dark Side on the day of the Six Pillars' summoning.

……

In addition to transmitting sound, remote communication cards can also transmit images.

This allowed Xia Lin to see Yuan Zhuo's appearance.

It can only be described as unremarkable... it really has no special features.

Moreover, his eyes and demeanor were not like those of the madmen from the original dark side, who inspired hatred or fear.

It's just ordinary, nothing special.

The same applies to timbre.

Helpless, Xia Lin could only try to figure out Yuan Zhuo's thoughts and true nature from the content of the conversation.

"You'll help me deal with Wuxin? You?"

In fact, Yuan Zhuo's combat power was quite impressive during the preliminary stage of the Myriad Races Sequence War, and his final result was 853 floors, ranking in the top ten.

However, judging from the replay of the assessment, it's a joke to say that Yuan Zhuo could hold his own against Wu Xin.

He couldn't pluck a single hair from Wuxin's head.

Yuan Zhuo dispelled Xia Lin's doubts with a few words.

"The Black Domain is my home turf. You may not know this, but my home planet is located within the Black Domain, under the rule of the Pale King."

"And this time, the main party making the communication request is not me, but the ruler of the Dark Domain, the controller of the primordial power, the great Pale King!"

Far, far away, after Yuan Zhuo finished speaking, another gentle voice slowly rang out in the bright and spacious palace.

"I think I'm qualified to help you deal with that heartless person."

The one who spoke was none other than the Pale King, a level twelve being located behind Yuan Zhuo.

It is impossible to get a full look at this person.

In the communication screen of the communication card, Xia Lin could only see a viscous, twisted, bloody afterimage.

A blood-red afterimage lingered on the throne, its sinister, bloody, and evil aura contrasting sharply with the bright and spacious palace.

But there was no malice in that gentle voice.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Lin gave a response.

“Level 12 is certainly qualified. I just don’t know what Yuan Zhuo meant by the so-called matching price?”

This time, Yuan Zhuo didn't need to respond.

The Pale King has replaced Yuan Zhuo and become the main person communicating with Xia Lin.

Amidst the blood-red shadows, a gentle voice rang out once more.

"The price is just a few small favors that benefit both of us..."

"For example?"

"Hunting down evil gods... I think that shouldn't be too difficult for our renowned evil god nemesis in the Righteous Alliance, right?"

Xia Lin was taken aback. The words "Righteous Alliance" evoked memories of Xia Lin's time in the Eight Guardian Ashes District.

What surprised Xia Lin even more was the word "we" from the Pale King's mouth.

Before Xia Lin could even ask, the voice of the Pale King rang out from within the Blood Shadow.

"Yes, I, or more precisely, my clone, am one of the elders of the Righteous Alliance."

"So fundamentally speaking, you and I are on the same side."

That connection is rather far-fetched...

Xia Lin knew about the Righteous Alliance. In the Eight Guardian Ashes District, he had formed a fairly deep friendship with Di Yun of the Righteous Alliance, now known as Xia Tian.

Before the Eight Guardians of Ashes ended, Xia Tian invited Xia Lin to join the Righteous Alliance. Xia Lin nodded in agreement, but because it was inconvenient to go out, she did not have formal contact with the Righteous Alliance or its other members.

I'd say I'm barely a peripheral member of the Righteous Alliance.

From this perspective, the Pale King's claim that they were in cahoots actually makes some sense.

What puzzled Xia Lin was how a level 12 big shot from the original dark side managed to infiltrate the Righteous Alliance.

Your stance is wrong, isn't it?

Perhaps sensing Xia Lin's doubts, a soft laugh rang out from within the blood shadow.

“I guess you’re not aware of the relationship between us, the twelve levels of the primordial dark side, and the evil god, or even the primordial dark side itself.”

……

One communication card is not enough to support a long chat. Fortunately, as the number one non-evil god level twelve in the Black Domain, the Pale King has too many "consumables" to support Yuan Zhuo's continuous use of communication cards.

While listening, Xia Lin didn't waste any time and headed towards the Fallen Star Cluster, intending to meet up with Donald and the others first, gather manpower, and then discuss other matters.

Although the Pale King showed some goodwill in the conversation, Xia Lin was no longer the fool he used to be. He would not change his plans and go to meet the level 12 boss of the Black Domain alone because of a few words.

As Xia Lin rapidly shifted, he gradually sorted out the Pale King's demands and the relationship between the Pale King, the 12th-level evil god of the original dark side, and the 12th-level professional from his conversation with the Pale King.

"We are a group of thieves and burglars."

This is the essence of the original Dark Side Level 12 professionals.

……

For professionals to advance to level twelve, the essential need is a cosmic loophole!

The new universe is now almost complete, and apart from the Six Pillars, almost no one can provide new cosmic loopholes.

Just as Xia Lin had predicted, even though the original dark side lacked intelligence, the positions of the six pillars still existed.

Due to its unique nature, cosmic loopholes caused by conflicts between the old and new cosmic rules will appear intermittently in the Dark Realm, the place where the original dark side is located.

"This is the greatest opportunity in the Black Domain!"

The ticket to level twelve!

While this method may seem to eliminate the need to rely on others or beg for favors, it is essentially a manifestation of the power of the Six Pillars of Destiny.

Xia Lin naturally asked this question: Is this method really not subject to the limitations of one of the six pillars, the primordial dark side?
The Pale King offered no explanation.

The answer is obvious: inevitable... and this impact is likely to be greater than the restriction of reaching level twelve by joining other pillars, otherwise Qingjue would not have risked his life to survive.

"But for those of us who have nowhere else to turn, this is better than nothing, isn't it?"

Finally, even a last resort is still a choice... it's better than having no choice at all.

Xia Lin understood this logic.

"Those who achieve level twelve through this method will naturally possess this quality: attracting evil gods."

Evil gods are products shaped by the radiation of the primordial dark side's unconscious power.

This thing appears to be included in the professional system, but its logic of existence is actually completely different from that of professionals!
The King of Pale Logic did not elaborate on the details, but only stated the final conclusion: the relationship between the level twelve professionals of the Primordial Dark Side and the evil gods adhered to the characteristics of the Primordial Dark Side.

A life-and-death fight!

"Our existence attracts evil gods who want to devour our flesh, soul, and personhood."

"And for us, the evil god isn't entirely the hunter; in some ways, he's also prey: we need something from the evil god to maintain our own will and state..."

So even though the Pale King didn't elaborate, Xia Lin still gleaned something from it.

Becoming a level 12 professional under the command of the original dark side may result in extremely severe corruption, to the point that one cannot even retain their own will.

In order to prolong their own survival, these Level 12 beings set their sights on the evil god: the evil god possessed an antidote that could alleviate the pollution.

Upon hearing this, Xia Lin suddenly gasped.

"No, you guys in Level 12, you've got it tough!"

That's too tough.

This is a classic case of drinking poison to quench thirst.

The Pale King offered no comment.

He simply concluded: "That's why I need your strength."

Why?
For the evil god.

This can be seen from the kill list in the main competition.

Throughout the entire Black Domain, there exist seven level-12 evil gods and five level-12 professionals.

Among those of the same level, the combat power of the evil gods is generally higher than normal, and this power comparison is quite clear—the Pale King and others are not having an easy time in the Black Domain.

Furthermore, these Level 12 individuals, corrupted by the primordial dark forces, must have mental problems, because even in this situation, they are still fighting amongst themselves and unable to unite.

In other words, the evil gods are even more mindless and insane than them, which is why the situation in the Black Domain has remained at its current state.

Xia Lin's arrival, unsurprisingly, became a ray of light in the eyes of the Pale King.

"I need that book about the spirit world."

"That book, crafted by the King of Kings, created specifically for evil gods, and fed by evil gods—the Spirit Realm Book!"

The voice, which should have been gentle, was suddenly filled with chaotic noise.

At the end of that sentence, the reverberation was deafening, even through the communication card, it made Xia Lin's brain go numb, and blood slowly flowed from his ears.

Xia Lin stopped abruptly, staring at the twisted, malevolent blood-red shadow on the screen, and slowly narrowed his eyes.

After a long while, the Blood Shadow finally stabilized, and the voice of the Pale King rang out from within.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I... I just... um..."

Xia Lin simply said, "I understand, I get it all... the influence of the primordial dark side, right?"

The Pale King: "Yes, He always interferes with my sanity. I'm sorry you saw my worst side..."

"No need to apologize."

Having said that, Xia Lin smiled and said, "Wait for me, I'll come to see you soon." "I look forward to your arrival."

This concludes the communication.

The moment the communication ended, Xia Lin's expression immediately darkened.

"Only an idiot would go to your place!"

It's impossible to say whether the Pale King is good or evil, nor is it easy to assess whether his request for cooperation is sincere or feigned.

But that uncontrollable, furious roar reminded Xia Lin of this fact once again.

Anyone who has ties to the original dark side is neither trustworthy nor worth cooperating with!

To say they are capricious is an understatement... This group of people cannot be understood or thought about using normal logic.

"Also, the existence of the Spirit World Book has been exposed, which is very bad..."

Xia Lin never expected that the Pale King's clone was actually an elder of the Righteous Alliance.

And back in the summer, after returning to the Righteous Alliance, he must have told outsiders about Xia Lin's glorious achievements as the nemesis of evil gods.

If something has existed, it will leave a trace!
Xia Lin had anticipated the exposure of the Spirit World Book, but he never expected that the level 12 professionals from the original dark side and the evil god would have a hunter-prey relationship.

"This will cause the Spirit World Book Society to become one of the sources of trouble for me in this main competition..."

The Pale King's roar was filled with covetousness for the Book of Spirits.

And when Xia Lin decides not to see Him, He will inevitably have a targeted reaction.

It's quite reasonable for a failed collaboration to turn to outright robbery—and it's even questionable whether this collaboration was truly the Pale King's original intention.

"And the second source of the disaster is the light of the soul."

Having a soul aura naturally attracts evil gods... and there are simply too many evil gods in the Black Domain.

At this moment, Xia Lin shielded his aura and karma by using the entanglement of cause and effect, which is why he did not encounter the evil god... Otherwise, even if Xia Lin did not have much soul light, he would be no different from a lighthouse in the sea or a bright moon in the night in the eyes of the evil god.

"But there are pros and cons... I don't possess the Soul Light myself. Most of the participants in this study probably have Soul Light, and perhaps much more than I do. The Book of Spirits brings disadvantages, but it also adds advantages for me. There are enough evil gods here, which is perfect for the Book of Spirits to shine."

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, and considering all factors, this matter can be considered a case of the pros and cons balancing out.

While pondering, he quickly fled into the distance.

But after walking for less than two minutes, Xia Lin stopped again.

As a new notification sound from the Ash Zone rang in his ears, Xia Lin's brows furrowed, and he involuntarily looked up at the sky, as if searching for the figure of Liu Zhu.

……

Just after ending his communication with Xia Lin, the man named Yuan Zhuo slowly turned around and looked at the Pale King on the throne behind him.

This ordinary man, who couldn't be more so, spoke slowly.

"He won't come..."

The Pale King's voice echoed from within the blood-red shadows: "I know that unless he's stupid, he definitely won't come."

"But don't worry, he can't hide for long."

The entanglement of cause and effect is powerful; that's a fact.

However, there are never any unsolvable skills in the professional system. As a level twelve, one naturally has the ability to break through the hidden effects of causal entanglement.

Even if all else fails, there are hunting cards and additional rule cards—as long as you play them properly, there's no situation in this main competition where you can simply hide from the enemy.

Because playing hide-and-seek to avoid battle is definitely not what Liu Zhu wants to see.

The Pale King suddenly spoke up: "The matter of the Spirit World Book can actually be put aside. Before that, we have another matter to attend to."

Suddenly, the blood shadow fluctuated, and an eleventh-level professional floated out from the blood shadow and landed in front of Yuan Zhuo.

The man's eyes were tightly closed, and he had fallen into a coma and lost all consciousness... and this was the "consumable" under the command of the Pale King.

Yuan Zhuo had already informed the Pale King of the rules for this main competition. Now, seeing the consumables appear, although he didn't quite understand the Pale King's thinking, he still swiftly seized the points.

The Pale King only spoke again after 2 points were credited to his account.

"Redeem one additional rule card, the specific additional rules are..."

As the Pale King slowly spoke, Yuan Zhuo was immediately stunned.

Only after the Pale King finished speaking did Yuan Zhuo exclaim in astonishment, "Can this work? How is this possible?"

A sinister, twisted laugh suddenly rang out from within the blood-red shadows.

"Why is it impossible? Believe me, this is definitely the additional rule that Liu Zhu wants to see! Just do it!"

……

[Ember Walker: Yuan Zhuo, used an additional rule card!]

[After approval by the six pillars, the additional rules have been approved!]

[Additional rules are as follows: During the main stage of this ranked battle, the affinity between Soul Lights and their attraction to Evil Gods will be greatly enhanced! Simultaneously, Soul Light restrictions will be removed, allowing them to be accommodated by non-Ashen Zone Walkers!]

Outside the dark domain, in a temporarily constructed, hidden space.

The moment this rule was announced, the King of Kings let out a soft sigh.

"If we do it this way, the assessment difficulty will be too high for most of them..."

It was out of this slight pity that the King of Kings cast his vote against it in this election.

It was also the only dissenting vote.

Because the other four pillars who could vote had no pity for the weak!

The voice of the Creator of Heaven resounded first: "Soul light is something that only the capable can possess! Since it is the ticket to the Six Pillars, they must naturally have the ability to hold onto it! Otherwise, how can they face the primordial darkness, and how can they become the Six Pillars!?"

Without a heart, yet possessing a soul aura, one can thwart the Demon Emperor's will.

He possesses 48065 Soul Lights! He is also the person with the most Soul Lights among the examinees!
This rule is most disadvantageous to those without intention, but the Creator of Heaven doesn't care.

The fact that you have no intention of protecting these soul lights in the Dark Realm proves that you are qualified. If you can't protect them, just throw them away and let go of that grand ambition.

He did value Wuxin highly and did his best to cultivate him.

But the most beautiful flowers cannot be grown in a greenhouse, and fledgling eagles can never soar freely without experiencing wind and rain.

When it comes to parenting, the Creator of Heaven is not gentle; at times, he is quite forceful.

This time, the Demon Emperor unusually sided with the old thief of the Heavenly Dao: "I have always felt that it is unreasonable that Soul Light can only be contained by Ash Zone Walkers. Let's take advantage of this rule to see what kind of changes will occur after non-Ash Zone Walker professionals, or even Evil Gods, obtain Soul Light."

Curiosity, coupled with an indifference to the lives of these Ashwalkers, led the Demon Emperor to cast his vote in favor.

Chaoxing's logic is even simpler: "Speed ​​up, speed up again."

"Hide-and-seek is utterly meaningless. A true powerhouse, worthy of being ranked first among all races, must defeat everyone head-on and pass all tests with sheer strength to be worthy of this crown!"

The King of Kings no longer refuted.

Because this additional rule is also a relatively fair one.

With a vote ratio of four to one, the King of Kings could not afford to raise any objections.

His gaze, however, lingered on the entire dark domain.

The moment the second round of additional rules took effect, the powerful and diverse Ash Walkers faced an unbearable test!

……

In the southwest of the Black Domain, in some uninhabited deep space.

A traveler from the Ashes of the Creator of the Heavenly Dao is still on his way, intending to reunite with the Luo Zhi Dao as soon as possible.

However, as the flight continued, the man's belly slowly began to swell. By the time he realized this, a loud baby's cry had already burst forth from his abdomen.

……

In the Black Domain, to the northeast, on a desolate planet.

A demonic Ashwalker lay on the ground, tearing at the earth with his jaws.

Sharp teeth are enough to break through hard soil, and a powerful stomach structure is enough to digest sand and soil that are not on the menu.

But his body continued to eat over time, and it expanded uncontrollably and rapidly... until it exploded on the spot with a bang!

The shattered pieces of flesh and blood scattered in all directions, yet vanished into thin air.

Faintly, a faint burp sounded from the void, and a wisp of soul light emerged from the corpse, only to quickly disappear.

……

After standing still for a moment, Xia Lin took a deep breath.

"It's sped up again..."

"It's also more difficult and more dangerous."

Xia Lin was referring to the second additional rule, which changed the format of this main competition.

Similarly, there was nothing specifically targeting them.

However, this greatly increased the risk of this assessment.

Having just emerged from the gentle rules of the Thousandfold Tower, Xia Lin was momentarily stunned, but quickly suppressed these useless emotions.

The assessment is determined by the Six Pillars, and even the King of Kings himself has no say in it.

The difficulty has increased dramatically, and it's not like Xia Lin is the only one suffering.

"On the contrary, this is actually to my advantage."

Xia Lin never specifically collected soul light, because in Xia Lin's eyes, a wisp of soul light and a million wisps of soul light were of equal significance and made no difference.

With only three Soul Lights in hand, even with the enhancement of the rules and the surge in the attractiveness of the Soul Lights, Xia Lin was still able to shield most of the influence of the Soul Lights through causal entanglement.

That's why this rule is advantageous to Xia Lin...

His appeal was far weaker than that of other Ashwalkers who also possessed Soullight.

Thinking of Yuan Zhuo and the Pale King, Xia Lin quickly understood.

"This Pale King is probably a problem."

It wasn't just that he coveted the Book of Spirits; the wisdom he displayed also exceeded Xia Lin's expectations of the original dark side professionals.

"Most of the former Ashes Walkers possess Soul Aura. Once this rule is established, Soul Aura will attract evil gods, which can alleviate the pressure on the Pale King and even create opportunities."

The logic is sound.

But Xia Lin couldn't guess whether this person had a deeper conspiracy.

Recalling the series of events that occurred after she entered the venue, Xia Lin had this premonition.

"This Black Domain hunt is probably more than just a contest between Ash Walkers."

(End of this chapter)