Chapter 870: Chapter 870

The passage eventually came to an end, and when Du You reached the terminus, he discovered a sacrificial temple ahead. It was a mystery how such a place was constructed, with light seeping in from the outside.

It was clearly an underground location, yet it appeared as bright as if it were above ground, extremely illuminated.

The walls were covered with numerous murals that evoked a sense of the sacred, yet also exuded a sinister and terrifying aura. The entire grand hall was opulent, devoid of any clutter. In the center was a large pond, its contents pitch black.

Without getting any closer, Du You already knew that this must have been some sort of blood sacrificial pool. The dark substance was nothing other than a large amount of dried blood, although it was uncertain how much time had passed since it was last used.

Directly ahead stood a colossal statue, the very image of the Desert Death God.

Seeing the statue, Du You’s eyes lit up. "Excellent, just as I expected, there indeed are things here that we can use. What about you; have you found anything useful?" Du You asked.

The two sisters exchanged a glance, then shook their heads, "There’s nothing here we can use. That statue, you can use it, right?" Seeing the gleam in Du You’s eyes, they didn’t need to guess to know.

"That’s right, that statue corresponds exactly with the Death Scorpion skill." This place was inherently related to the Death Scorpion, and the most likely scenario was finding something associated with the advancement of the Death Scorpion skill, just as he had surmised.

"Hold on, we should first check for traps before proceeding."

Although the grand hall was used for shrine worship and might not have traps, everyone still needed to maintain a cautious manner. Who knew what other intentions those involved in the worship might have had.

After a thorough inspection, they were finally certain that there truly were no traps. Only then did Du You excitedly approach the statue, touching it without hesitation, ready to take it with him.

However, as soon as Du You touched it, the eyes of the statue suddenly burst forth with a red light. The gaze of the statue seemed to look directly at him, sweeping a red glow over his body before disappearing without a trace.

"Master, are you okay?" The two sisters rushed over immediately.

Du You waved his hand, "It’s nothing, just got a bit of a scare. I didn’t expect this statue to still be functional." Du You had always believed that the Desert Death God was merely an imagined deity, much like those on Earth.

But now, Du You realized that the Desert Death God might truly exist, having just fallen under a curse. He opened his panel, which displayed a notification about the curse.

You’ve been cursed by the Death God; while in a desert environment, you will enter a poisoned state, with your health steadily declining.

If not for this notification, Du You might only have discovered the curse’s effects upon entering a desert one day. Fortunately, his current location was a forest; otherwise, the curse might have already taken effect.

Considering it was a curse cast by a Divine Spirit, Du You didn’t believe that it would have no effect on him. Thinking of this, his expression grew even grimmer, wondering if he might directly enter a desert environment when visiting other worlds in the future.

"Big brother, look at this, there might be a way to solve it."

Elsa picked up a thick book in front of the statue, which was titled ’Divine Manual of Death’. What astonished Du You was that there was a special glow on the Divine Manual of Death, indicating that it could be used as a Skill Scroll.

For the first time, Du You had directly picked up a Skill Scroll.

Divine Manual of Death (Eye of the Death God): The gaze of the Death God is upon you, focusing the Eye of the Death God on your foe. Under the gaze of the Death God, if the enemy cannot pass a willpower check, they will die instantly. Passive effect: when encountering a curse attack, the Eye of the Death God will automatically break the curse, with a chance to reflect it. Active use consumes 30% of magic power, cooldown time 24 hours, no consumption required for passive effect. (Level 1, 9 stars) ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩

"Such a high star rating; it’s my first time seeing a skill that’s inherently 9 stars."

"After all, it’s related to Divine Spirits, so that’s normal," Lin Yucha said, equally surprised.

Du You flipped through the Divine Manual of Death, most of which was about rituals and praises for the Desert Death God, but there were also some things related to ritual cultivation, especially various Divine Skills of the Desert Death God.

To Du You’s delight, there were special cultivation methods within, which, upon thorough study, might be used to enhance his own and others’ advanced skills. With each advanced skill reaching its maximum level, this matter had become urgent.

"After using the Skill Scroll, this Divine Manual of Death won’t disappear, which is quite strange. However, if the Eye of the Death God skill can be formed using the Death Power within me, it may be enhanced."

Du You opened his panel to start calculating and found that the skill was quite costly. To construct it using Death Power, the skill itself would cost 20,000 Crystal Coins, a rare expenditure for creating a skill himself.

But it was to be expected, as the skill did not have a high compatibility with Dark Soul Sorcerers, and most importantly, the integration of Divine Power was necessary. The most troublesome part was to lift the curse upon himself.

However powerful the Divine Power might be, it could not surpass the power of the Other World; Crystal Coins were a manifestation of that world force. Although different tiers varied in quality, Du You found that it was ultimately feasible.

"Protect me while I concentrate on forming the new skill," said Du You, who hadn’t originally planned on developing a new skill, but now began to refine one anew. The sisters nodded, pulling the curious Elsa aside. Elsa kept glancing back at Du You, her interest piqued by the Professional of this Other World.

Under Elsa’s gaze, Du You felt a unique power coalescing within him. Gradually, the curse that had been absorbed into his body emerged as a red glow.

A black force entwined with the curse power above Du You, eventually forming something in the shape of a giant eye. Initially, the eye had some red glimmers, which gradually diminished, mostly replaced by black.

In the end, only the center of the pupil retained the red color. The black eye seemed like a real eye, coldly observing everything around it. Especially upon touching the red pupil, the aura of death was chilling to the bone, causing even Elsa to dare not continue watching.

Once the black eye took shape, Du You opened his eyes. "Master, how did it go, was it a success?"

Du You nodded, then shook his head, "It was half a success, still missing a bit. This skill has been stuck at level 30; if it were to break through to the fourth tier, the curse would vanish. But for now, the curse still remains, though its effects are greatly weakened."