by <unknown>
The next second, the two of them were submerged by a blinding light.
Hong!
The attacks turned into a cluster of rapidly expanding energy, sweeping in all directions. The horrifying energy almost robbed the senses of everyone present, and all they could see was white.
Hu!
The cluster of light expanded to the maximum and exploded abruptly. The energy shockwave erupted from the center and blew away everything around.
The light dissipated quickly. Han Xiao was the only one left, covered in wounds that were gushing blood nonstop like a water bag with dozens of holes. He was clearly severely injured.
The attacks of dozens of Beyond Grade As’ trump cards and the mechanical army dealt the most terrifying amount of damage to Han Xiao he had ever experienced. The [Perfect Energy Affinity Physique] and [Proof of Leadership] were the reasons he survived. Plus, Han Xiao wore the ‘Defense Gear’ of the Black King series. Though already completely shattered, it still blocked tons of damage. Otherwise, he might have had to use the revive token.
As for Sorokin, his physical body had been blown to atoms in the explosion.
Someone else would have completely died in this situation, but for Sorokin, this was only him entering his second phase!
Streams of light suddenly illuminated in front of Han Xiao, forming a glowing green energy entity with Sorokin’s appearance.
At the same time, a mind message sounded in Han Xiao’s mind.
“The attack worked… Looks like your Indestructible Body isn’t really eternally indestructible.”
Sorokin was secretly glad.
Luckily, the foundation of his survival was not his physical body. When his soul separated from his body, there was a moment his soul was in the phased invincible state, or that round of attacks would also have heavily damaged him. As for now, his soul was at the peak state.
One more round and Black Star will definitely be dead!
Without hesitation, Sorokin launched a chain of soul shockwaves onto Han Xiao, attempting to stop Han Xiao from escaping with the King.
Then, he backed away immediately through Han Xiao’s arms, planning to increase the distance between the two of them. At the same time, he yelled in the mission channel for others to use this opportunity to launch another round of attacks.
However, as Sorokin was about to back off, Han Xiao raised and shoved his hand into Sorokin’s soul. The Mark of The Underworld on the back of his palm instantly lit up, and an astonishingly strong absorption force erupted from it.
“What is this‽”
Sorokin was stunned. This mark felt like a vortex. His soul suddenly went out of his control. Before he could do anything, an irresistible force dragged him inside.
“I got him!” Han Xiao spit out a mouth of boiling blood and grinned.
These changes seemed like they had taken a very long time to occur, when actually it all happened in an extremely short amount of time. If not because all of the Holy Accord cooperated and held back, he would not have been able to defeat Sorokin so easily.
However, only half of the plan succeeded. The problem was not yet completely solved.
“Follow me!”
Han Xiao put on the King while at the same time throwing out a few extras at Oathkeeper and a few other Beyond Grade As who were experts in the soul territory.
The mechanical suit latched onto them automatically. The next moment, Han Xiao shot out a few streams of Mechanical Force and activated the Kings on all of them.
With a flash of light, they disappeared.
…
Plop!
Sorokin felt the world was spinning. He fell onto a black stone ground.
At this time, the unknown energy that pulled his soul only finally faded. Sorokin flew up immediately and observed his surroundings cautiously. He had no idea where Black Star had sent him.
His eyes scanned through the boisterous land. An odd sense of familiarity surfaced in his mind.
Suddenly, Sorokin suddenly remembered something. His soul trembled, and his expression changed drastically.
“Is this the… Underworld‽”
As a Primordial One from the exploration era, he had also heard of the two sisters and was no stranger to the existence of the Underworld.
The only thing left in Sorokin’s heart was disbelief.
Aren’t the two sisters dead? How does the Underworld still exist‽
Why did Black Star send me here‽
While he was being appalled, Onicelu appeared before him out of thin air and gave him an odd smile that made him feel threatened.
“Sh*t!”
Sorokin had no time to think carefully. He hastily rushed up the sky hoping to flee from the Underworld.
If this was another secondary dimension, he would not have been so afraid. However, all Primordial Ones knew that all independent souls were severely countered by the Underworld.
The Underworld was the nemesis of all souls! A forbidden ground feared by all soul life forms!
Onicelu remained in the same place and did not chase after Sorokin, all she did was extend her arm, aimed at Sorokin who was getting further away and tightened her fist.
Buzz!
The Underworld moved according to her will. A mysterious force suddenly appeared, pressing all Hero Spirits in the Underworld onto the ground.
Underworld—Soul Restrain!
The Underworld had recovered to its peak. Onicelu was a professional at dealing with souls!
Even though Sorokin’s soul was extremely unique and had Beyond Grade A combat capability, his flight speed still decreased by ninety percent, and his altitude continued to decrease.
With the same smile on her face, Onicelu performed a ‘pull’ gesture.
Underworld—Soul Arrest!
Thick Underworld energy flowed out from the black ground, turning into countless tentacles that shot up the sky and ensnared Sorokin, trying to pull him down.
Although souls could penetrate all kinds of physical objects, they could not penetrate the energy of the Underworld and would instead be stuck. Sorokin used all his strength to try to escape from the tentacles but could only just keep himself from being dragged down further.
Hu!
At this time, a red tornado rose on the horizon, and Hila appeared. She had been waiting there since long ago.
“It’s you!”
Sorokin was astonished. His soul was not immune to soul attacks; Hila happened to counter him.
“Go down!”
Hila waved her hand. Death energy gushed out like a raging river and brushed Sorokin’s soul down.
Sorokin fell onto the black ground. Onicelu moved her index finger, and chains formed by Underworld energy extended from the underground. They penetrated Sorokin’s soul and locked him down in multiple layers.
While Sorokin was clenching his teeth and trying to escape, a group of people suddenly appeared before him. It was Han Xiao, Oathkeeper, and the others who arrived by the Kings’ teleportation. They all took off the mechanical suits.
Seeing this, Han Xiao smiled. “Looks like you had a fun time with my friends.”
Seeing Oathkeeper and Han Xiao appearing together, Sorokin was completely dumbfounded.
At this moment, he understood everything.
“You guys are on the same side‽”
Sorokin was filled with rage and shock. Without hesitation, he immediately tried to contact his manifestation and expose all their secrets.
However, he was dumbfounded once again the next second.
His connections with his manifestations were all cut off!
“Why do you think I spent so much effort to get you in here? In here, unless approved by the Underworld’s consciousness, no one can send soul signals to the outside world. Oathkeeper could not block your ability with absolute certainty, but the Underworld can.”
Han Xiao lightly stepped on the black stone ground under his feet.
“After all… the initial function of t
he Underworld was a prison!”
Chapter 1245: Welcome to the Underworld |
Oathkeeper looked around and said with a surprised tone, “I didn’t expect the trump card you mentioned to be the Underworld. I thought they perished along with the two sisters.”
When the actor chat group was discussing the plan, Han Xiao had said he had a trump card that could disable Sorokin’s ability, and he just needed an opportunity. He did not say what the trump card exactly was. Since the others had the same goal as him, and Black Star was usually quite reliable, Oathkeeper trusted him.
Only now did the Holy Accord members present discover that the trump card Han Xiao spoke of was the Underworld, which they were familiar with.
“Did the two sisters revive too?” Beiger asked with shock.
“Nope, the Underworld has a new master now.”
Han Xiao shook his head, told Hila to land beside him, and patted her shoulder. He did not share the detailed information about the two sisters’ inheritance.
At this time, the seven Hero Spirit Kings suddenly appeared around Sorokin and sized up the Holy Accord members present with shock and disbelief.
“You guys are still alive‽”
“What, you guys too‽”
The few Holy Accord members and the seven Hero Spirit Kings looked at each other with dismay.
Both sides were Primordial Ones who chose different paths of reviving. Both achieved that goal at this point. Meeting each other in the modern age after countless years, they felt complicated and surprised.
However, comparatively, the seven Hero Spirit Kings felt somewhat regretful.
They thought the Holy Accord was nonsense and the path they chose was the only right one. They never expected the Holy Accord to really succeed…
I should’ve joined the Holy Accord back then!
Looking at this, Sorokin was already completely dumbfounded.
The existence of the Holy Accord was already unbelievable enough. He never would have thought the Underworld still existed too. So many Primordial Ones lived till now, and he was not the only one at all.
Sorokin suddenly felt that his sense of superiority all these years was nothing but a joke.
This time, Han Xiao squatted, leveled with Sorokin’s eyes, and said slowly, “I’m someone who always prefers to give others a chance to make a choice. There are two paths in front of you now. One, get wiped out by us, and you will then become fertilizer for Hila. Two, become an Underworld Hero Spirit and be controlled by the Underworld. Which do you choose?”
Sorokin was a top-level combatant. The external enemies of the explored universe had yet to be dealt with, so Han Xiao preferred not to eliminate him.
In fact, if not because Sorokin accidentally found out the Holy Accord’s secret, Han Xiao would not even have targeted him. He was only displeased about how many times Sorokin plotted against him in the past and felt this guy was too much of an *sshole, but he did not see him as someone he had to kill.
Now that Sorokin was completely in his hands, Han Xiao almost wanted to say some classic villain lines… Go on and scream, no one will come!
Sorokin looked around at everyone and said with indignation, “What… are you guys planning‽”
It was horrifying to find out that Black Star was both related to the Holy Accord and the Underworld. In fact, it was unfathomable. He felt Han Xiao was certainly planning something big secretly, and he could almost smell the stink of conspiracy.
Are these people trying to overthrow the universe‽
Also, since Black Star is together with these guys, is he also one of the Primordial Ones who lived till now‽
Having discovered these secrets and linking them with Black Star’s history, Sorokin could not help but to fantasize in this direction.
“You think I’d tell you now?”
Han Xiao chuckled.
Telling the enemy all my plans when the mission is about to succeed is a huge no-no for villains. I’m not going to fall for it.
This time, the seven Hero Spirit Kings had heard about Sorokin’s real identity from Oathkeeper. The head of the Hero Spirit Kings, Rega, walked over, patted Sorokin’s shoulder, and comforted him. “Stop hesitating. When you join the Underworld, you’ll realize that it’s nice to be a Hero Spirit.”
“Rega, you got domesticated too?” Sorokin said sarcastically. They were all from the same generation, so of course, he knew the seven Hero Spirit Kings.
Rega was not offended. He smiled and said, “Don’t make it sound so bad. As long as the Underworld still exists, Hero Spirits will never die. You’ve borderline survived in the main universe for so long, I’m sure you’re not willing to die. What’s so bad about being happy with us? You’ll never have to worry about being killed, think about it.”
The other Hero Spirit Kings also started to enthusiastically promote the advantages of becoming a Hero Spirit King. It was like a company’s interviewer promoting the company’s benefits during an interview.
It was not that they actually cared about Soul Emperor’s life, but living in the Underworld while not being able to go out was quite dull. The seven Hero Spirit Kings already knew everything there was to know about each other, the freshness was long gone. Now that a possible new member was finally here, they did not want to let him get away.
Even the Holy Accord members on the side nodded in agreement.
The history of the exploration era already proved that as long as the Underworld was fine, the Hero Spirits could do whatever dangerous things they wanted to. Honestly, they were quite jealous too.
Since Oathkeeper had hidden some of the Sanctums’ information due to certain reasons, the current Holy Accord members all thought that they could only be revived once. Seeing the Underworld, they also started to have some ideas.
They originally thought they could only revive once, but with the Underworld, would that not mean they could keep living?
Although they would have to become someone else’s subordinate… as long as they could live, what was so bad about becoming dogs!
“Black Star is closely related to the Underworld. I have to maintain a good relationship with him…” Beiger mumbled softly, saying what everyone was thinking.
Han Xiao heard his whisper and laughed in his mind.
This was part of the reason he had brought them to the Underworld. Using the fact that the Holy Accord members did not know the truth about the Sanctums, he increased the importance of the Underworld in the ears of the revived Primordial Ones so that his plan in the future would be easier to execute.
Even those Holy Accord members with other goals could not ignore his existence for the sake of having a backup plan, which meant he could influence these people and prevent them from doing things too out of the line to a certain extent.
Seeing Sorokin was shaken, Han Xiao said, “You already love to cower. Now you’re just cowering somewhere else. Plus, you won’t have to worry about your safety. What’s there to hesitate about?”
Sorokin stayed silent for a while. He sighed with frustration and resignation. “… I admit I’m done for. I’m willing to join the Underworld.”
He always believed in living as a coward was better than dying a hero, so he had no choice but to say goodbye to freedom and choose to live with regrets.
Han Xiao looked like he expected and gave Onicelu a look.
Onicelu raised her hand. Clusters of Underworld energy flowed out from the ground and hovered beside Sorokin. She then smiled and said, “Lower your guard and accept the transformation. It might hurt a little, but don’t resist no matter what, alright?”
Swoosh!
Before Sorokin responded, the Underworld energy rushed into his soul the next moment.
The color of Sorokin’s soul was gradually painted with the Underworld energy’s color as he transformed into a Hero Spirit.
Sorokin felt like burning iron bars penetrated his soul. His soul was scorching from inside out as if it was going to be burnt to ashes
any second.
Seeing this, the seven Hero Spirit Kings were so overjoyed they wanted to beat the drums on the side to welcome another unlucky fellow joining them.
The Hero Spirit transformation lasted for quite some time before finishing.
The chains formed by Underworld energy disappeared. Without them, Sorokin slowly stood up, looked down at his soul that had now turned into an Underworld Hero Spirit, and felt his connection with the Underworld. He was filled with complicated emotions.
After so many years of cowering, to think he became an Underworld Hero Spirit he once despised; fate was really full of surprises…
The seven Hero Spirit Kings surrounded him and smiled passionately.
“From now on, you’re the eighth Hero Spirit King. Welcome to the Underworld!”
“Hehe…”
Sorokin could not laugh at all. His lips were twitching.
Onicelu suddenly turned to look at Han Xiao and said, “He’s not like the other Hero Spirit Kings. Although he’s transformed, he still kept his original strength.”
Han Xiao expected this. He asked, “He’s special, can you restrain him?”
“That’s not a problem. After being transformed into a Hero Spirit, he’s already connected to the Underworld and is under my control.” Onicelu nodded.
“That’s good.” Han Xiao nodded.
Normal Hero Spirits had no combat capability. They could only regain their strength with the help of life energy. However, Sorokin had [Immortal Soul] and [Spiritual Energy Foundation], so he maintained the strength of a Beyond Grade A even as a Hero Spirit. This was his uniqueness.
However, after the developments made by the two sisters, the Underworld was already a treasure close to the Space Wonder level. Its operating mechanisms were impeccable, so restraining Sorokin when it was at its peak state was not a problem.
Seeing that Sorokin’s face was filled with regret, Han Xiao smiled and said, “Stop being so down. One day in the future, you might be glad you joined the Underworld.”
“I don’t think that day will ever come.” Sorokin was filled with sadness.