Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Mark of the Void (Chaos)

“So, this is what they call the evil will of the Void?” Chu Cheng’s consciousness observed the countless streams of light forming a web in his mind, within which those wills were trapped. No matter how he looked at it, they didn’t seem so terrifying after all.

When the evil will first descended, it did seem menacing, but as it stormed into his sea of consciousness, aiming straight for his soul, the sphere of light in his mind exploded into a radiant web, forming a cage. Each formidable will that slipped through the gaps in the web saw its aura plummet instantly, as though utterly suppressed by some force. With time, they grew weaker, as if some power was steadily wearing them down.

One after another, the mighty wills of the Void descended, only to be trapped and unable to escape.

At first, Chu Cheng was greatly intrigued, but gradually he became numb to it all.

As the first waves of will slowly faded and disappeared, leaving only a trace of essence, he was surprised when his consciousness touched upon the remnants.

Only legendary and above beings could project their consciousness to roam freely in the Void—among them, even demigods and demon gods. Though the traces of essence left were scant, their quality was extraordinary, containing unfathomable power.

Once these wills were worn away, their residual essence became a supreme delicacy to the remaining wills, sparking a mad contest of devouring.

Yet, no matter which will consumed them, none could escape the cage.

Instead, as these wills fought and consumed one another, they ultimately fused into a single essence, slowly merging with his soul.

The amplification of his soul’s essence was so apparent that, in the eyes of Mo Han and Archmage Erin, Chu Cheng’s soul aura visibly strengthened and transformed in quality.

“He’s actually able to deal with these void wills?”

Both mages found it hard to believe.

“What kind of talent is this?”

“Perhaps I could take on another disciple.”

“He won’t have time to stay here.”

A formless ripple erupted from Chu Cheng as its center. The vast void formation’s surrounding space swelled violently, then quickly returned to normal, but an invisible wave shot upward, shattering the starry sky of the Void, dispersing the poured-back starlight.

The great formation shut down, and calm gradually returned above the Observatory.

As the final strand of void source power merged into his body, a brilliant glint flashed at Chu Cheng’s brow, slowly coalescing into a shifting symbol before fading from view.

“Void Mark!”

Void Mark (Chaos): A mark left by the evil things of the Void, imbued with mysterious power.

Attribute/Passive: Attacks deal additional shadow damage equal to Intelligence * 1.
Negative State: Enemy of Justice, Favored by Evil.

Enemy of Justice: Within the ranks of justice, you are constantly regarded as untrustworthy. Initial reputation with the justice faction is Indifferent.

Favored by Evil: You are favored by higher evil beings, making it easier to gain the trust of evil factions. Initial reputation with evil factions is Friendly. Loyalty checks from evil creatures are halved.

No explanation was needed; Chu Cheng instinctively understood what this was.

The remnants of those void wills, after being trapped, worn away, and refined, left behind this mark—a coordinate, so to speak.

According to theory class, many powerful beings in the Chaos Domain would project their consciousness into the Void. When they encountered an interesting target or domain, they’d leave a mark, which would serve as a coordinate, allowing them to channel their power through it endlessly.

To tempt, to seduce into corruption.

Legend spoke of devils tricking mortals into signing soul contracts, and when the mortal died, their soul would fall into hell and into the devil’s grasp.

What Chu Cheng had just experienced was much the same, only there were far more void wills interested in him, and none of them met a good end.

The void mark on him was not left by any single devil, but was the aggregate of all the residual void wills’ power.

The good news: the consciousness of those void beings was now completely erased. No void entity would ever project its power through this mark to tempt him again.

The bad news: the mark remained, and would continue to attract all manner of evil creatures to him.

This attraction didn’t necessarily mean harm; rather, evil creatures might see him as one of their own. At the same time, paladins or priests of the true gods, or other agents of the goodly faiths, might see him as an evil being.

Under the influence of the void mark, he would gradually be drawn to the evil camp, eventually becoming one of them.

“I’ll need to find time to purify this mark!”

Chu Cheng was not overly alarmed. The mark could be purified—a legendary priest could easily remove it.

If he were a native, it might be a hassle, but for a Descender like him, it was no big deal.

The school certainly had ways to contact a legendary priest; if not, he could always buy a legendary-grade Greater Purification scroll for a hefty price.

But that was for later. For now, he faced a more immediate problem: both mages were scrutinizing him keenly.

After a moment, Mo Han asked, “How do you feel? Any changes in yourself?”

Archmage Erin was even more direct: “I sensed many void wills descend upon you. How could you contain so many?”

Chu Cheng stood up from the formation, twisted his joints, exhaled lightly, and said in a calm, deep voice, “That is my secret. I’m afraid I cannot say.”

No explanation was necessary; he wasn’t their disciple, nor did he owe them anything. The blessing from the void formation was earned through his own merit, not bestowed by them, and he had no obligation to explain.

They understood this and did not press. Instead, Archmage Erin looked at him intently, his tone enticing. “Your mind and intellect are truly formidable. Would you consider becoming my disciple?”

“Your gifts are extraordinary. You’ll soon surpass me. Once you achieve the transcendent rank, this mage tower will be yours.”

Chu Cheng raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “No, thank you.”

“Why not? Is being a noble mage not to your liking?”

“No particular reason. I simply don’t wish to be a mage.”

Chu Cheng refused the archmage’s offer without hesitation, then turned to Mo Han. “Teacher, would you please escort me out?”

Mo Han nodded, then said to the archmage—whose face now looked a little grim and uncertain—“He’s unwilling; you must not coerce him.”

With a flourish of his sleeve, space twisted, and Chu Cheng felt the world spin. When his vision cleared, he had left the mage tower and appeared in a lavishly decorated room.

This was likely Mo Han’s residence. He sat at the head seat, smiling as he regarded Chu Cheng. “Very impressive.”

“Can you tell me how much your attributes increased from this infusion of source power?”

Chu Cheng answered at once, “Twenty-one points.”

Mo Han’s smile grew broader. “Excellent, truly excellent. It seems you have a real chance at seizing first place in the joint examination.”

Chu Cheng reflexively demurred. “First place is too much to hope for. I’d be satisfied with a spot in the top ten…”

“No, you should set your sights on first!”