My skills have mutated again!

Chapter 394 My lord, please have some tea.
Nikolai certainly had his flaws, but at least he wasn't a fool.

Not being a fool means that he can distinguish the important order of things.

The significance of the Book of Spirits is too great, and therefore, Nicholas attaches great importance to this collaboration with Dean.

He suppressed his bloodlust and his ambition to kill Dean and reduce the five kings of the Black Domain to four. After creating a clone with an item, the clone went to the target location to negotiate with Dean, while his real body unusually kept the agreement and returned to his territory.

Several hours later, Nikolai himself appeared in front of the mansion.

He continued walking, one foot stepping into the house.

……

Going out is like a long voyage, returning home is like returning to port.

Even for Nikolai, home is a warm harbor and a sturdy fortress.

But Nikolai himself knew that his home was by no means sturdy—because the simple fact was that Nikolai's skill system was not related to formations.

He knew almost nothing about array formations.

Their level is at the level of "having only seen pigs walk".

After all, when he was at level twelve, his wish was "I can kill anyone, no one can kill me," not "I want to be omniscient and omnipotent." The level twelve system integration did not provide any skills related to array formations, and his own system before level twelve did not have anything in this regard. Furthermore, Nikolai's personality meant that he would never ask a master of array formations to design a protective array for his home.

But it's not a big problem.

In the entire Black Domain, who else could withstand the Pale Funeral and forcefully kill Nikolai, who had billions of substitution opportunities?
Thinking of this, Nikolai suddenly stopped in his tracks, his front foot already inside the door, but his back foot still outside.

No, it didn't exist before, but it does now.

That brat named Xia Lin.

He is immune to his own Pale Funeral Combo, and his regenerative abilities are sufficient to sustain him in a long war of attrition, gradually wearing down his chances of dying in place of himself.

So theoretically, for him to kill himself, he only needs this prerequisite: create a death trap where neither of them can escape, and then fight to the death to see who can last the longest!
However, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Nikolai laughed at himself.

"If I think like that, what's the difference between me and an ordinary person who chooses not to go out because they're worried about getting hit by a car?"

Everything is theoretically possible, therefore there is never a foolproof strategy or an absolutely correct decision in the world.

Nikolai didn't believe that Charlin had the courage and time to build a deathmatch cage specifically for himself.

Just as he couldn't believe that the first person he saw when he returned home this time was not his loyal servants, but Xia Lin.

"master."

A unified voice rang out, causing Nikolai to look up.

Ahead, the servants, having already received news of his impending return home, were lined up neatly at the gate to welcome their master home.

With the combined effects of the Mind Control Bloodline and Mind Interference skills activated, Nikolai confirmed that these servants were indeed the servants under his control.

Nothing has changed.

Home is still the same as when I left it.

Nikolai lifted his leg, stepped into the doorway, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

He smelled the fragrance of white camellias.

……

There is a white tea garden in the house.

The tea variety was purchased by Nikolai from outside the country hundreds of thousands of years ago. This white tea is also a rare variety, a treasure that can soothe the soul and calm the mind.

Whenever the camellias bloom, Nikolai likes to stand in the tea garden to relax and alleviate the mental pressure caused by the original darkness.

This trip was not smooth. Nikolai encountered his natural enemy and suffered a setback, which further amplified the erosion of the original dark side. As soon as Nikolai returned home, he went to the white tea garden to calm his mind and stabilize his soul.

In the tea garden, Nikolai sat on a deck chair, enjoying the gentle breeze and the intoxicating fragrance of camellias. The bloodshot in his eyes gradually faded, and he appeared peaceful and relaxed.

An even richer aroma wafted over, causing Nikolai to open his eyes.

Then he saw that Yuan Zhuo, a traveler from the Ashes District, had already placed a teacup in front of him.

"Sir, please have some tea."

Yuan Zhuo said softly. Nikolai took the teacup and was about to drink when he suddenly stopped.

He turned to look at Yuan Zhuo, meeting Yuan Zhuo's clear eyes, and couldn't help but ask.

"When are you planning to accept the level 10 quest and leave the Ashes Zone?"

The two had discussed this issue before. Yuan Zhuo had been evasive about it, but now he gave a clear answer: "After this Sequence War ends, I plan to leave the Ash Zone."

Nikolai nodded, brought the teacup to his lips, and slowly sipped the tea.

After finishing a third of the cup, Nikolai let out a long sigh: "I will help you when the battlefield between the two worlds opens."

"Thank you, sir."

Yuan Zhuo's main star is located within Nikolai's territory, but because it is covered by the Ash Zone system, the main star is shielded and thus separated from this place according to the dimensional rules.

Once the battlefield between the two worlds opens and the dimensional shielding rules disappear, Nikolai will be able to participate in Yuan Zhuo's battlefield missions using certain means.

With a level 12 assistant, Yuan Zhuo's level 10 quest is probably a sure thing.

Of course, this is not without its costs.

The price is: "As agreed in the past, once you leave the Ash Zone, I will plant the Heart Control Blood Seed in you, and you will serve me for ten thousand years."

Yuan Zhuo smiled and filled Nikolai's teacup: "I will not forget it."

Yuan Zhuo did not possess the Mind Control Blood Seed.

The logic is simple: every time a player enters or leaves the Ember Zone, the Ember Zone system cleanses the player's status.

This unique characteristic means that as long as Yuan Zhuo doesn't leave the Ash Zone, he won't be restrained by the Heart-Controlling Blood Seed, making him the only person in the manor currently without the Heart-Controlling Blood Seed within him.

"Sir, please have some tea."

The teacup was offered to Nikolai a second time.

Nikolai took it, drank another third of the tea, and sighed leisurely.

“You are highly talented and strong. It is already difficult to break through in this generation of the Ember Zone because there are too many geniuses. But even so, you can still rank in the top ten.”

"I believe that once you leave the Ashes Zone, you will definitely become my right-hand man."

Yuan Zhuo added more tea and handed the teacup to Nikolai: "It's all thanks to the adults' excellent cultivation..."

"Gulp, hiss... You also have to rely on your own efforts. You haven't let me down."

"By the way, sir, what about Xia Lin..."

With a "clatter," the teacup fell to the ground with a crisp crack.

The whistling sound waves emanated from Nikolai's mouth, causing the white tea trees in the white tea garden to sway repeatedly.

"Don't mention Xia Lin to me!!"

His eyes were bloodshot again.

The name Xia Lin seemed to possess a magical power, causing Nikolai to erupt in anger on the spot, unable to suppress the rage in his heart.

But Nikolai himself was stunned after flipping the teacup.

It shouldn't be...

There's no reason for him to be so angry.

Yuan Zhuo, as if by magic, produced another teacup, filled it with white tea, and handed it to Nikolai with a smile.

"Perhaps you haven't drunk enough white tea... Sir, please drink some more tea, take big gulps."

Nikolai also felt that he might not have drunk enough white tea, which allowed the erosion of the primordial dark side to take the lead. He gulped down the tea, and Yuan Zhu poured him another cup, which he drank again.

Pour it again, drink it again, pour it again, drink it again...

Nikolai's belly swelled up visibly.

Corresponding to his swollen belly, the blood vessels in his eyes were becoming increasingly visible, and his emotions were like a volcano about to erupt, becoming more and more unstable.

"wrong……"

At one point, Nikolai suddenly stopped taking the tea.

Chaos gripped his soul, and his pupils began to sway.

He glanced down at the teacup in his hand, then looked up at Yuan Zhuo, whose smile remained unchanged.

Nikolai's chaotic mind could no longer support him in deep thinking.

This left him frozen in place, like a statue.

Their eyes met, and Yuan Zhuo's face began to melt.

Xia Lin's voice, emanating from beneath that melting face, was like a nightmare, igniting Nikolai's soul!

"You're only realizing something's wrong now... Well, you're really going to die today."

It was like a ray of light that dispelled the chaos in my mind.

Nikolai roared, "You..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the light of his skill had already erupted.

The skill that Nikolai could have easily dodged was now firmly imprinted on him.

Six-pillar level skill: Pseudo-random replacement!
……

Level 12 powerhouses are indeed special, possessing a quality that transcends the Three Realms and is outside the Five Elements.

Due to a logical problem at level twelve, level twelve powerhouses can choose between two combat modes: a combat mode within the rules and a combat mode outside the rules.

The combat mode within the rules is to compete based on skill judgment. In this mode, level 12 powerhouses will receive additional judgment weighting due to their level.

However, level twelve individuals in the Black Domain generally do not choose this combat mode within the rules.

The reason is simple—they are not superior in skill level assessment, and have very few six-pillar level skills.

Because they followed the wrong leader.

—Six-pillar level skills and items all require the power of the six pillars to be catalyzed. Working under other six pillars provides many opportunities to acquire their power, but the Primal Dark Side is clearly an exception.

In a sense, the twelve levels under the original dark side do have inherent deficiencies, which is why Wuxin heard the immortals say that the twelve levels of the Black Domain are all trash.

Facing Xia Lin right now, Nikolai still won't adjust his combat logic.

First, his mind was foggy and his thoughts were no longer clear.

Secondly, he was made to die even faster – facing Xia Lin's numerous six-pillar level skills, he was truly doomed in a battle of skill judgment.

The light flashed and disappeared in an instant, and there was still no notification sound for the ash zone.

However, Xia Lin had already adapted to the level twelve combat rules and instantly realized the effect of the first pseudo-random replacement.

It can be replaced, but not in one go.

The skill he chose to replace was undoubtedly Nikola's healing skill—Pale Crimson.

If he doesn't master this skill, it could take him years to kill Nikolai.

With the interference of the divinely bestowed transcendence power, the gap between the six-pillar level and the racial foundation level no longer exists. Whether the skill can take effect depends on the energy reserves and attributes of both parties.

In Xia Lin's perception, the pseudo-random permutation was like a rope, precisely looped around the Pale Crimson skill.

However, the first pull only shook the connection between Pale Crimson and Nikolai's soul, loosening it slightly. Xia Lin had to keep pulling to forcibly pull the skill away from Nikolai.

Is this bad news?

No... this is good news!
The moment Xia Lin realized that pseudo-random permutations could actually work on Nikolai, she had already gripped the crown of victory tightly.

Nikolai is doomed, today only. Even a god couldn't save him!
This is no longer just a matter of systemic restraint.

It is also the confidence that comes from meticulous preparation!

The phantom of the scales flashed by, and the Fair Trade reset the pseudo-random swap cooldown.

Xia Lin struck out with his palm, and the second pseudo-random displacement hit Nikolai squarely.

Along with the radiant light of the skills, the roar of the Emperor's Engine also shone brightly.

—In fact, the Emperor Engine had already been started, but it was just a disguise. Xia Lin had been suppressing the efficiency of this system before, so that it could now operate at full power.

The Emperor Engine amplifies attributes, and the attribute amplification has a pseudo-random replacement effect.

Just like a precision instrument, skills are like meshing gears, gradually increasing the machine's power.

Nikolai, however, still couldn't avoid the second pseudo-random permutation. He simply stood still, motionless like a target.

Thanks to the secret medicine Xia Lin had carefully prepared, its effects began to kick in.

……

In fact, Nikolai himself was unaware of where his greatest weakness lay.

But Xia Lin knew: it was the boss behind him.

Those under the original Dark Side are all madmen; that's common sense.

Nikolai, who appears normal, is also tormented by this curse-like rule.

This was already evident from their very first conversation.

Unfortunately, perhaps because he was in the Dark Domain, where most people were corrupted by the original dark side, Nikolai himself was trapped in an information cocoon.

He didn't think it was a problem because others were more severely affected than him, and his condition was relatively better.

With such a comparison, how could he possibly feel that this is his own weakness? Shouldn't this be someone else's weakness?
He set the wrong benchmark, which allowed Xia Lin to seize the opportunity.

The medicine was self-developed.

It wasn't Xia Lin who developed it, but Scarlett who did.

But Victor helped with it.

Back in the City of Oaths, the Ashes System had already informed all travelers a day in advance that the final destination was the Dark Domain.

The Dark Domain is the domain of the primordial dark side, and it's full of madmen.

Knowing this situation, Xia Lin prepared many big tasks for this group of madmen. One of them was a secret medicine called "Guiding Ascension" that was mixed into white tea and drunk by Nikolai!

This is not a real poison, but rather a miraculous remedy.

The effect is simple: it can enhance the user's affinity with the Way of Heaven and strengthen their connection with it.

Of course, under Victor's guidance, the drug's potency was excessively strong. Just now, Xia Lin used Fair Trade in advance to further enhance the drug's potency.

The true path to ascension was thus created; colorless and odorless, it was mixed with white tea and drunk by Nikolai.

The essence of the product of the Guide to Ascension is actually just racial foundation level, but you, Nikolai, did not choose a combat style that relies on judgment.

Once the medicine entered his stomach, its effects began to take hold. Nikolai was strong enough that even though he took the medicine directly by drinking it, he still managed to suppress its effects and endure it for a very long time.

But this secret remedy did eventually have some effect.

When this effect begins to appear, the main force that takes effect is no longer the guide to heaven, but Nicholas himself, and even his backer—one of the six pillars, the original dark side!
The essence of guiding people to heaven is actually just a prelude.

The truly incurable poison lies in the relationship between Nikolai and the Primal Dark Side, or, to put it simply, in the Primal Dark Side itself!

And at that moment, Nikolai heard the call of the gods…

A chaotic cacophony filled my brain, beginning to tear my soul apart.

The primal, dark side instinctively abhors wisdom, even life itself.

Therefore, His followers need neither wisdom nor vitality—just like those evil gods!

It was like steel bars being driven into a skull, and then the stirring began.

The higher power caused Nikolai to weep bitterly and wail in agony!
He completely ignored Xia Lin's actions.

Because compared to Xia Lin, the original dark side is a much larger and more direct crisis.

But Xia Lin is also a formidable threat, and quite deadly.

Caught between two attacks, Nikolai could not have it both ways.

All that awaited him was death!
The solid skill was finally tethered by a rope called pseudo-random permutation.

The non-existent yet clearly audible roar vanished in a flash.

Faintly, Xia Lin seemed to see a pale white skill orb detach from Nikolai's body and fall into his own.

Pale Crimson skill, acquired!

Without this skill, Nikolai's defense system would no longer be self-sustaining.

The pain of losing his skills allowed Nikolai to temporarily escape the torment inflicted by the original dark side, awakening his self-awareness.

He suddenly looked up at Xia Lin, his eyes bloodshot, turning them a deep crimson.

The next second, Nikolai turned and ran.

There is nothing shameful about running away.

Because only by escaping can one find a way to survive.

"Where there's life, there's hope"—this was the key belief behind Nicholas's rise from humble beginnings to become one of the Five Kings of the Black Domain.

He had failed, even failed far too many times, but as long as he was alive, there was still a chance to salvage the situation.

Until a loud "boom".

Nikola crashed into a solid energy barrier.

His remaining rationality made him look up at his surroundings.

Then you'll see that the entire manor has been covered by the Myriad Treasures Maze.

However, this time, Scarlett's Maze of Treasures no longer had the Kuntian Mirror and the Sun Wheel Guardian Sword as its core and array eyes.

It is a six-pillar-level supreme treasure, the Unifying Realm Core!

The Boundary Core strengthens the Boundary, enhancing the power of the Myriad Treasures Maze.

Just as the pale waves rippled out, and Nikolai wanted to break through the Maze of Treasures within 13 seconds based on his previous experience, Xia Lin reached out first and touched the Core of the Unity Realm!

Matter mimicry is initiated, and the fusion and unification of the boundary nucleus are achieved.

The Wanbao Maze system remains intact, but its core has changed from the Guiyi Realm Core to Xia Lin, who has merged with the Guiyi Realm Core!
Use oneself as the core of the formation.

As long as Xia Lin lives, the formation will not be broken.

The deathmatch cage is now complete!

Seeing Nikolai standing there in a daze again, Xia Lin stuck out her tongue and gently licked the corner of her mouth.

"Either you die, or I die."

"I didn't give you a third option."

Nikolai roared like a wild beast.

But even the strongest beast is nothing more than prey in the face of a skilled hunter who has set a trap.

With a single step, Xia Lin unleashed a powerful punch, but just as the force of the blow tore through Nikola's face, Xia Lin abruptly stopped.

Because Nikolai really did turn into a beast.

The terror of the Six Pillars exceeded Xia Lin's expectations.

The combination of the primordial dark side and the guidance to ascension has already shattered Nikolai's mental defenses. Nikolai's actions just now were merely a final burst of energy before death. Now, he has become a six-pillar puppet in human skin.

This is so fast!

It was much faster than Nikolai using the Pale Erosion technique against Charlin.

But then Xia Lin realized the logic behind it—these professionals, who were blessed by the original dark side, were too deeply tainted by it.

They are powerful because of this, but also vulnerable because of it.

The distortion had spread from the soul to the body. Nikolai's limbs began to swell, and countless tiny, baby-hand-like buds of flesh emerged from his pores, fluttering like body hair in the wind.

The clothes of the creature called "intelligent being" began to tear.

Xia Lin remained silent for a moment before another pseudo-random displacement attack struck Nikolai.

Strategies always need to be fine-tuned according to changes in circumstances.

If the ascension to heaven has no effect on Nikolai, the treasure maze with itself at its core can allow Charlin to engage in a desperate struggle with Nikolai—this will take a lot of time, but at least Charlin can ensure that Nikolai will not escape from her grasp.

This can be considered a fallback strategy.

Since the effect of guiding people to heaven is so powerful, Xia Lin decided to pursue even more benefits.

He wanted to strip Nikolai of all his skills and then send him to his death.

This is not difficult given the current situation.

Eighteen minutes later.

Just as Nikolai was about to transform into something indescribable, Charlin finally got everything he wanted.

The Maze of Treasures radiates endless light, its radiance like a furnace, beginning to burn and purify!
Xia Lin took out a Stability Chapter and used it without hesitation.

Thus, Nikolai's private space was opened to Charlin.

As for storage rings and other spatial items, Xia Lin had already seized them during the battle, leaving nothing behind.

Even after Nikolai's physical body disappeared and his remnant soul returned to the primordial dark side without a trace, Xia Lin immediately opened the skill panel and looked at all the skills of Nikolai that he had plundered.

The strength and logic of level twelve were now clearly presented to Xia Lin.

Xia Lin's focus, however, was on the skill of the Pale Funeral.

The pupils constricted to the size of pinpoints.

Because the skill description for Pale Funeral is changing rapidly!
The original skill descriptions gradually faded away, and new notification sounds reached Xia Lin's ears.

[You do not possess Level 12 Authority, you do not have the divinely granted transcendence, and your Level 12 core skill, Pale Funeral, has been weakened.]

New skill descriptions are now available.

【Pale Funeral (Racial Heritage Level) (Level 12 Core Skill) (Weakened): Active Skill】

Flowers adorn a funeral, music sets the mood, a thin coffin, a few handfuls of soil, I bury your body in the ground, I create a pale funeral for you.

Prerequisites: 1 effective hits of Pale Wave. 1000 effective hits of Pale Erosion, and the enemy must be in a corrupted state. 100 stacks of Destruction. Primarily targeting 10 enemies with Pure White Crystal Marks. Time: Five minutes.

Within five minutes, once you have met all the conditions for a single enemy, you can initiate a Pale Funeral for that enemy! This skill ignores distance and is guaranteed to hit and take effect. After the skill takes effect, the enemy will inevitably die and their soul will be scattered!

Note: After the ceremony, the music ended and the audience dispersed.

The prerequisites have been increased tenfold, the time limit has been reduced from ten minutes to five minutes, and the causal-level ultimate effect that ignores resurrection items has been removed.

The skill's overall strength has plummeted from being unstoppable to being as useless as a bedbug in a sewer, rendering it almost entirely devoid of practical value.

But what Xia Lin cared about were the next two notes.

[Note: Once you reach level 12 and obtain the Divine Transcendence Power, this skill's effect will revert to its original state. You can also choose to dismantle this skill and convert it into Divine Transcendence Power. However, please note that since you do not currently possess the level 12 rank, you cannot use Divine Transcendence Power even if you did. There is no way to dismantle a level 12 core skill in the Ember Zone; please find a solution yourself.]

[Note: The additional Divine Transcendence power can significantly enhance the benefits you gain when advancing to level twelve.]

Savoring the meaning behind it, Xia Lin suddenly burst out laughing.

The laughter grew louder and louder, eventually filling the entire white tea garden!

"This really is a huge favor we owe the Demon Emperor..."

Because at this moment, Xia Lin finally understood what kind of advantages his Eternal Inscription Replacement System had brought him!
One of its advantages is that this system can still break the opponent's skill logic even at level twelve!

Considering that the skills of level 12 masters are all matched, and that moving one affects the whole situation, the significance of this in the battle was already clearly demonstrated in the first battle against Nikolai!
The second advantage lies in those two extra notes.

The Eternal Engraving Replacement System can plant seeds and wait for Xia Lin to reach level twelve to reap the harvest!
Whether it's the so-called "benefits gained during promotion" or the additional super-super system obtained from others after reaching level twelve, these are all manifestations of the fruits, and also the extra advantages that the Eternal Inscription Replacement System brings to Xia Lin.

This dual-profession journey wasn't in vain, and that bug wasn't wasted either!

In fact, Xia Lin gave far more than he received.

"But don't say I took advantage of you."

After all, the price for the Six Pillars of Grace was already set.

……

Somewhere quite far from the Cursed Death Star.

The prop clone that Nikolai created has been standing here for a full half hour.

He had a similar appearance to Nikolai, but his aura was so faint that it was obviously fake.

At one point, the dummy suddenly opened its eyes, moved its body slightly, and then continued its journey toward the Cursed Death Star with a more relaxed and leisurely gait.

(End of this chapter)