Chapter 127 - 97: Crazy Freeloading, Triggering a Hidden Option

Chapter 127: Chapter 97: Crazy Freeloading, Triggering a Hidden Option

"Haha, it really works! I got another freebie."

Shen Xing was in high spirits. His gaze returned to the statue. "Continue."

He chose the third option again, this time targeting Hellish Roar.

[Sacrifice 100 Agility Attribute points to grant your territory’s ’Hellish Roar’ a random 70-point increase to its Four-dimensional Attributes?]

"Yes."

This time, the statue also skipped the probing step.

Four columns of light—red, white, green, and yellow—burst directly from its chest and landed on the Beastman sitting cross-legged in the distance.

Hellish Roar, who had been recovering his stamina, suddenly opened his eyes, staring in amazement at the changes in his body.

Some of the injuries he had sustained in the previous battle were healing rapidly. His body, depleted from overusing his Demon Power, now felt a new surge of strength.

He stood up and looked gratefully at his Lord.

Shen Xing checked Hellish Roar’s Attributes and nodded in satisfaction after seeing that all his Four-dimensional Attributes had increased by 17 to 18 points.

"Excellent. Let’s keep going. I can’t waste the remaining eight chances."

He began to strengthen the core members of his territory one by one.

Zhaji, Blood Roar, Black Arrow.

He even had Zhaji make a trip back to bring over Hei, Reina, Dahou, Great Demon, and Two Demons.

After a round of sacrifices, the ten chances were used up perfectly.

"So satisfying. Now the combat power of all my core members has jumped significantly."

After all, 70 attribute points was no small amount.

In comparison, it was almost equivalent to the boost from a star-level breakthrough.

Grand Lord Shen was already plotting to find more Demon statues or Holy Altars in the future.

That way, he could make his territory’s strength skyrocket just by freeloading.

However, something strange was happening. As he continued to make sacrifices, the statue seemed to be undergoing a subtle change.

The black roots that had grown from its broken sections had withered and fallen off at some point, and its stone eyes seemed to have regained a hint of life.

Moreover, no matter which angle Shen Xing looked from, he felt the statue’s gaze following him.

Just as he was closely observing the statue’s changes, a system notification popped up.

[Ding! You have used ’Natural Devotion’ 10 times, triggering the Holy Statue’s hidden Effect: Divine Blessing.]

[Divine Blessing: Sacrifice 1,000 points of a single Attribute, or 250 points of Four-dimensional Attributes, to obtain a random treasure or item.]

...

’Hmm? There’s a hidden effect!?’

Shen Xing narrowed his eyes slightly.

Over the past few days, he had also looked up information about the Holy Altar on the forums.

In the Land of Mist, there was more than one of these goddess statues, and they came in various types.

The statue before him belonged to the Goddess of Nature. Besides her, there were many other factions, such as Order, Light, and Prophecy.

The functions of each faction’s statues were slightly different, but they were largely the same.

Most players who encountered these statues chose the first two options.

Of course, a few occasionally chose the third option, just as he had.

But as far as he knew, no one had ever made ten consecutive sacrifices before.

It wasn’t just a matter of whether other players would do it; even if they wanted to, their own Attributes wouldn’t be high enough to sacrifice.

After all, with every sacrifice, the statue took a 30% cut!

’This hidden function requires sacrificing a full 1,000 attribute points.’

Shen Xing quickly calculated in his head, ’Based on the current attribute growth curve, you’d probably need to be at least a Tier Three Expert Level powerhouse to barely reach that number.’

’But such a high-cost sacrifice might yield some kind of unexpected reward.’

So, he directly clicked ’Yes’.

At that moment, a brilliant golden light shot out from the statue’s chest, piercing through the dense Fog and the dome above.

A massive ring of light expanded, enveloping Shen Xing as well.

He could feel the golden light trying to draw some kind of power from his body.

But after a thorough probe, it retreated, having failed.

Finally, the golden light retracted, shrinking back into the statue’s body.

In that instant, the statue returned to its tranquil state.

There was no reward and no system notification.

’Did... the sacrifice fail?’

Shen Xing was lost in thought. ’Could it be because the attribute cost was too high this time, so I couldn’t get it for free?’

Just as he was wondering about this, numerous cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the goddess statue.

Then, with a loud BANG, it shattered.

The tall statue collapsed, turning into a pile of stone debris.

Shen Xing stared at the scene, a little stunned.

’Seriously... even if the sacrifice failed, did you have to go and shatter yourself?’

Just as he was struggling to understand, he caught a glimpse of something glowing with golden light amidst the pile of fragments on the ground.

He used his Void Hand to push aside the debris, revealing an oval seed the size of a pigeon’s egg. It was entirely golden, its surface covered in intricate patterns.

’What the heck is this?’

Puzzled, he picked up the seed.

[Obtained: Seed of the Golden Ancient Tree (Orange)]

...

Shen Xing: "!!!"

What was he seeing?

The Seed of the Golden Ancient Tree!?

"I’m not mistaken, am I? It’s actually a seed from *that* Ancient Tree? I thought it would be a Bronze or Silver seed at most." Shen Xing’s voice was filled with shock.

In the Land of Mist, there were three types of magical Ancient Trees: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Each Ancient Tree possessed unfathomable power.

The Bronze Ancient Tree had the ability to change the terrain, causing rich mineral deposits to spawn wherever it was Rooted.

Some special metals could only be found near a Bronze Ancient Tree.

The Silver Ancient Tree was the kind they had seen before. It improved the surrounding environment, accelerated plant growth, and could even imbue the plants in the area with Magic Power.

And the Golden Ancient Tree... this one was the most mysterious of all.

Records about it were also extremely rare.

To date, some players had discovered a Golden Holy Land, but no one had ever actually managed to enter one.

This was because the entire Holy Land was surrounded by an invisible Barrier, something akin to a forcefield, that kept everyone out.

But through that Barrier, people had vaguely glimpsed the scene inside the Holy Land, which seemed to be a whole other world.

Legend had it that countless souls of the dead lingered where the Golden Ancient Tree stood, including some ancient beings.

Legend told of a giant, golden firebird that nested in the canopy of the Golden Ancient Tree, capable of incinerating thousands of miles of land with a single flap of its wings.

Others said that the fruit of the Golden Ancient Tree had the power to bring the dead back to life.

But these were just legends. So far, no one knew its specific abilities.

And now, Shen Xing actually had a seed from this Ancient Tree in his hand.

If he posted this on the forums, it would probably cause a massive uproar.

’As expected of a hidden option. The reward is truly astonishing.’

Shen Xing took a deep breath, calming his excitement. ’Let’s see what kind of power this legendary Seed of the Golden Ancient Tree holds.’

[Seed of the Golden Ancient Tree]

[Quality: Orange (Epic)]

[Effect: Can be planted in your territory. With long-term cultivation, it will grow into a new Golden Ancient Tree.]

(Note: Ancient seeds scattered throughout the Land of Mist will awaken different abilities as they grow, and the grade of the Ancient Tree will increase.)

...

The panel only gave its origin story; it didn’t explain the Ancient Tree’s specific effects.

Shen Xing pondered, ’So it awakens different abilities as it grows?’

’In other words, I’ll need to slowly uncover this Ancient Tree’s magical abilities through cultivation...’

After some thought, he put the seed back into his inventory.

Although he still didn’t know its specific effects.

But that was fine. He had the seed now, and he could slowly uncover its secrets later.

It was like when he appreciated a masterpiece; he enjoyed the process of unraveling the mystery piece by piece, which filled him with anticipation.

Revealing everything at once would just be dull and uninteresting.

’Excellent. Let me plant you with my own hands, and then I’ll slowly peel away your mysterious veil, your mysterious clothes, and your mysterious lingerie.’

Shen Xing clapped his hands, thinking with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Reina, Hei, and the others, who had just been brought from the territory by Zhaji, stood quietly to the side.

The Red-haired Mage’s eyes still held a complicated expression.

As a native of this world, she naturally knew of the existence of the [Holy Altar].

She also knew that these altars could enhance other Attributes by sacrificing one’s own abilities.

But such sacrifices often came at a great cost.

Even powerful experts were reluctant to use it on themselves.

Let alone sacrificing their own Attributes to boost others.

Yet this man had done it without hesitation, without even blinking.

And he had done it for someone like her, who had only recently joined the territory.

Reina felt the power growing within her body and sighed softly. ’I owe you far too much. I no longer know how I can possibly repay you...’

Shen Xing was unaware of the woman’s thoughts. After counting his spoils, he wheeled himself around the Divine Hall, looking for things that could be moved... and put to use.

Just then, Blood Roar and Hellish Roar finished cleaning up the battlefield.

The two Beastmen strode toward him with heavy steps and handed all the loot to Shen Xing.

[Obtained: Soul Stone x614]

[Obtained: Vinar Silver Coins x882]

[Obtained: Ascetic Light Armor Blueprint (Blue)]

[Obtained: Bright Elite Soul x1]

[Obtained: Dull Ordinary Soul x4]

[Obtained: Elite Soul Fragment x15]

[Obtained: Ordinary Soul Fragment x45]

...

Shen Xing glanced at the amount of loot.

Just as the system had indicated, the drop rate for Soul Stones had clearly increased significantly after the latest update.

Including the Large Soul Stones from defeating that mutated boss, he had obtained over 1,100 Soul Stones in total this time.

As for the supposed drop rate reduction for Soul Fragments, he hadn’t noticed it.

’It still feels like I got a lot. Or is it just my good luck?’

Just then, Hellish Roar spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. "Lord, we have swept the inside and outside of the Divine Hall. We’ve also stripped all the clothes off those fanatics."

"Shall we begin the second round of cleanup?"

Shen Xing raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Oh, and forget about anything that’s too heavy. Don’t waste too much manpower."

"We’re not bandits. We’re just making use of these abandoned resources to avoid waste."

Hellish Roar nodded solemnly. "Understood!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately turned and set the Beastman Legion into motion.

They started outside the Divine Hall, prying up the well-preserved white stone floor tiles with Stone Axes. Then, a few Beastmen neatly stacked them together.

Next, they went to the entrance of the Divine Hall and dismantled the two giant stone doors.

Although the village already had walls, it didn’t have a main gate yet. These would be perfect.

And wow, those stone doors were really heavy. It took five or six Beastmen working together to lift them.

He didn’t know what material they were made of, but they seemed pretty durable.

"Leave the broken stone pillars. Take the ones that are still intact."

"There are two Guard Statues here. They’re a little cracked, but they can still be used after some repairs. Move them all back."

"See if you can take down the windows. Glazed tiles of this quality are rare."

Grand Lord Shen directed the Beastmen as he wheeled around.

After an hour or two of effort, they had dismantled most of the Divine Hall.

Now, a large pile of stone bricks was neatly stacked in the open area outside.

The Beastmen, in pairs, carried a dozen or so stone pillars.

Other Beastmen carried statues on their backs, with a few stone tiles clutched in their hands.

The entire group was at full capacity, with only a small squad of Wolf Cavalry left to provide security.

"Alright, prepare to head back."

Shen Xing activated Hope’s Feather, expertly floated onto Zhaji’s back, and stored his wheelchair.

Then, he looked at the red-haired woman standing quietly to the side. "Reina, get on."