Chapter 24: Surge of Sacrificial Power

Chapter 24: Surge of Sacrificial Power

Three hours later.

The cavern roared with flames.

Tauntweaver’s howl echoed endlessly, but most players had already depleted their Sacrificial Power reserves, unable to sustain further damage output.

Just as the players prepared to abandon the fight in frustration, Tauntweaver’s roar suddenly grew hoarse, then fell into complete silence.

Though still wary of approaching, the players’ hearts stirred with hope.

Ten minutes later, a notification chimed in every participating player’s mind:

[Challenger Notification: Defeated second-generation Primordial Monster. All participants share a reward of 20,000 Sacrificial Power. Unlocked free activation of the next Stellar Vein Inlay Slot (limited to Stellar Veins levels 0-3).]

The sound of the message was pure music to their ears.

They hurriedly opened the Stellar Vein enhancement interface in their function menus to examine their newly acquired Primordial Life Soul.

[Tauntweaver (Second-Generation Primordial)]

Monster Traits: Releases a psychic shockwave centered on itself. Targets hit will temporarily experience vivid memory distortions based on their own memories, with the caster becoming a character within this altered memory (effective only against intelligent beings level 1 and above).

Guide’s Note: After activating its ability, you won’t believe what role you’ll play in the target’s memory illusion. Could be a patricidal villain, a neighborhood adulterer—who cares? Look closely, its bloodshot eyes are charging straight at you. Parry fast!

Purchase Cost: 3,000 Sacrificial Power.

Compared to first-generation Primordial Life Souls, the second-generation version’s price had tripled to 3,000 Sacrificial Power.

The description also now included the Guide’s cheeky commentary.

Despite the steep cost, Tauntweaver Life Soul had become the must-have second Life Soul for Gargoyle players.

With the Petrification + Tauntweaver combo, its battlefield potential was already easy to imagine.

…

Beneath Dizhong Village.

From post-battle discussions, Qi Sheng gathered two critical insights.

Players grumbled about the lack of a Stellar Vein Inlay practice function to test ability combinations.

Qi Sheng thought this was entirely feasible.

He could use Yan Ming’s Spatial Ability to create a simulation arena where players could freely edit their Stellar Veins in the simulation environment, then test their customized ability sets in mock battles.

As more Primordial Monsters got contained in the future, the Stellar Vein simulation function would significantly enhance players’ creativity in combining and utilizing monster abilities.

The second key takeaway: Players wanted a forum-like feature for sharing strategies and guides.

Qi Sheng agreed it was necessary.

Compared to regional and party chat channels, temporary conversations couldn’t preserve information.

A forum would archive players’ guides for future reference, providing immense long-term benefits.

However, before implementing these two features, he needed to prepare.

Acting immediately, Qi Sheng ordered the Guide to develop the in-game forum, then contacted Yan Ming to explain the simulation space requirements in detail.

After Yan Ming left to work, Qi Sheng sat cross-legged on the altar, pondering another issue:

How to extract the Energy Crystals from the underground palace in Gloomspire Caverns ahead of time.

His physical body couldn’t go—it cost too much to leave even a second.

Earlier while discussing spatial testing with Yan Ming, he’d gotten an idea: when discussing creating customizable simulated bodies for players, he realized—

Back then, there was no choice, but now with the Challenger System forged from the Four Servants’ Rules, he could control players’ bodies for exploratory missions.

Creating a clone for himself wasn’t viable.

After fusing the Imperial Omen Ego Core, his consciousness could project outward but couldn’t be split or duplicated.

With a plan, Qi Sheng acted immediately.

Closing his eyes, the Challenger System materialized in his mind.

From the death-cooldown players, he selected one’s flesh-and-blood body, consuming Sacrificial Power to accelerate the reconstruction process.

Flesh Reconstruction consisted of three stages:

First, the Servant Hyperdimension’s All Matter Extraction would refine the deceased player’s materials, then Yan Ming’s spatial system would transport them back to Dizhong Village. Through the Village’s Territory Trait, they’d recreate the body 1:1. Guide would then implant the Digitalization System, and finally Spatial Power would teleport the reconstructed body to Dizhong Village’s surface resurrection point.

The entire process functioned like an assembly line, costing only 10 Sacrificial Power with no additional energy loss.

Even if a player’s monster form reached level 100, the reconstruction price remained unchanged.

When he opened his eyes again, his consciousness had switched to the chosen player’s body.

But this wasn’t perfect fusion—it felt more like a puppet controlled by strings.

His main body at the altar summoned Yan Ming in the underground space, specifying the teleportation coordinates.

Immediately, a Spatial Teleportation Formation appeared under the player-body’s feet. The surrounding space twisted, and after a brief weightlessness, he stood inside the fifth-layer palace of Gloomspire Caverns.

The Frosted Blade Remnant loomed ahead.

Circling past the relic, Qi Sheng crouched before the energy-gathering formation, pressing his palm against a golden crystal.

Instantly, surging energy flowed through the player-body as a conduit, channeling into Dizhong Village’s underground Sacrificial Power Reservoir.

The previously empty reservoir erupted like a dam bursting open. Crimson energy surged downward, purifying mid-fall, transforming into a mix of scarlet and standard Sacrificial Power.

The conversion process incurred some loss.

This stemmed from Sacrificial Power’s unique properties.

The Frosted Blade’s Energy Crystals were pure, but nowhere near Sacrificial Power’s omni-transmutational purity. The energy required refinement before becoming usable.

The Nine Shadows Purification Array roared into hyperactivity.

One minute later, the golden crystal drained completely, turning transparent.

Qi Sheng received the Guide’s report:

[Sacrificial Power Reservoir]:
Stored Sacrificial Power: 13,333,842.

…

Absorbing the crystal had yielded over 13 million Sacrificial Power.

This windfall meant he could dramatically accelerate player recruitment.

Rising, Qi Sheng walked toward the palace’s rear.

Crossing the bone-littered ground, his path led through flesh-like moss. Ahead, a massive tumor-like growth floated, its black tentacles coiled around a Domain Node Crystal.

Suddenly, the Black Tide corruption concentrated within the tumor seemed to sense him. A single black tendril lashed out at extreme speed.

The player-body’s paltry stats couldn’t react—Qi Sheng took the full hit to the chest, his body thrown backward and impaled against a palace pillar.

The tendril spread from his chest across the body, corroding it.

After intense nausea and dizziness, the player-body dissolved completely. His consciousness returned to his main body via the Challenger System.

[The player body you controlled was only level 8. Occupying the Domain Node is clearly impossible through this vessel.]

Qi Sheng nodded at the observation.

The Black Tide core corrupting the Domain Node Crystal clearly possessed self-awareness, attacking intruders. Purifying the node would require coordinated efforts from other players.

But retrieving 13 million Sacrificial Power during this trip already counted as a success.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end