Bai Qingxue ended the call, and Shi Feng let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn't been discovered.
If Bai Qingxue found out he was the one forging the Guardian Armor, things could get terrifying. He didn't doubt she was capable of using force.
The title of Ice Goddess wasn't for nothing. Her iron-fisted methods left countless experts stunned, otherwise she couldn't have kept so many in line.
However, from Bai Qingxue's words, he learned something interesting.
The major guilds in White River City were already paying serious attention to the Guardian Armor. This meant its reputation had spread, and its popularity was likely peaking right now. It was the perfect opportunity to sell Guardian Armor in bulk, make a fortune, and accumulate capital. Give it a little more time, and the armor wouldn't be worth nearly as much.
"Let's check out this epic quest first, then head back to forge more Guardian Armor." Seeing the chance to make big money, Shi Feng was itching to rush back and craft. But this epic quest was more important right now. If he gave up halfway, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
Qianhuan Wanmie's legendary achievements were tied to this epic quest, so he naturally wouldn't pass up the chance.
Following the winding paths of the slum, it took a full twenty minutes of walking to reach the library.
Along the way, Shi Feng realized how convenient it was to have a priestess with him. The NPCs thinking about robbing them cleared out as soon as they saw Xia Lian's attire. Without her, this path would have taken over an hour of fighting those sewer-rat NPCs, and killing them wouldn't yield anything—not even experience points. They were broke down to the bone.
White River City's library was dilapidated—a mere two-story building, with no one managing it, dead leaves scattered everywhere.
Walking inside, the room was thick with dust. Books on the wooden tables were completely coated, not looking like anyone had lived there at all; it was more like a haunted house.
"Sorry, it's been so long since anyone came, I haven't tidied up. Please, sit wherever you like." Xia Lian smiled lightly, gesturing to a dusty chair, seemingly oblivious to how rude this was.
"Respected Priestess, I came here because I need to decipher a diary." Shi Feng eyed the half-inch thick dust on the chair with a slight frown. He didn't want to dirty his clothes, so he got straight to the point.
Xia Lian seemed not to hear him at all, searching through the bookshelves on her own.
Shi Feng didn't press the matter. He was used to it. NPCs in the Divine Realm varied wildly, especially important ones. Quirky behavior was nothing; there were plenty of notorious NPCs who had made even top-tier guilds curse them out.
A full ten minutes passed before Xia Lian emerged from the stacks, holding a thick, worn book.
"I know why you're here. The moment you entered the slum, I could sense the evil power upon you." Xia Lian said with unusual gravity, placing the old, tattered book on the table. Dust billowed throughout the room. "Show me the item."
Shi Feng understood. This was triggered by the diary. He carefully retrieved the worn diary from his bag and handed it to Xia Lian.
She didn't take it immediately. Instead, she chanted a passage in a divine language. Instantly, golden divine script enveloped the diary.
Just as Shi Feng was wondering what she was doing, the diary changed. From its pitch-black cover, black smoke billowed out, and a ferocious face materialized, twisted in apparent agony.
"Evil, be gone! Spear of the Sacred Light!"
Xia Lian shouted, her jade hand tracing divine script in the air while chanting a third-tier divine spell. The incantation echoed throughout the library. A golden hexagram magic circle covered the entire building's airspace. From within the circle, three golden spears of judgment shot forth and plunged into the diary, tearing apart the ferocious face.
"Hahaha... I won't stop... We will meet again." The ferocious face laughed wildly, its words chilling to the bone. Its blood-red eyes fixed on Shi Feng nearby, as if every word was directed at him.
Soon, the black smoke from the diary dissipated. Xia Lian's forehead was now covered in sweat, her face pale, looking very weak.
System: You have been cursed by a Great Demon. All attributes reduced by 50%. Experience gained from killing monsters reduced by 95%.
System: You have been targeted by the Great Demon. The demon's phantom will come for you in thirty days. If you are killed, your body will be possessed by the Great Demon.
"Damn it, could it be any worse?" Seeing the notification, even Shi Feng couldn't hold back a curse.
A Great Demon's human-class equivalent was a fourth-tier class—Sword Emperor level. Although it was a phantom, it was something the third-tier Xia Lian had to deal with. But he was just a bystander. The demon was targeting him, a nobody, instead of Xia Lian?
With this curse, how could he level up? Never mind the 50% attribute drop, which turned his stats into those of a normal player. Fighting monsters above his level would be a problem, and he had to face the demon's phantom...
"Miss Xia Lian, are you alright?" Despite being cursed, Shi Feng still offered polite concern.
Xia Lian shook her head slightly, smiling. "I'm fine. I didn't expect you, little one, to bring out something so terrifying. It left me quite weakened. But the problem is solved now. If you'd held onto it a few days longer, you would have been possessed and descended upon by the Great Demon, suffering in hell for eternity."
"Thank you, Miss Xia Lian. Without you, I'd probably be dead already." Though Xia Lian's words sounded a bit off to him, Shi Feng expressed his gratitude. He was lucky he'd come in time, otherwise he'd really be done for. But his problem didn't seem fully resolved.
"No thanks are needed. This diary isn't simple. It's a key, inscribed with the incantation to unlock a great gate. What you must do is find this gate, use the diary to enter it, and retrieve the Dark Bible stored within. Bring the Dark Bible back to me, and I can destroy it. Then the Great Demon can no longer descend." Xia Lian explained.
System: Player has accepted the epic quest 'Dark Descent'. Quest Objective: Find and destroy the Dark Bible to prevent the Great Demon's descent. Reward: Unknown.
Although Shi Feng knew this epic quest was extremely difficult, did it have to be this harsh? At least tell him where to find the Dark Bible.
In his previous life, Qianhuan Wanmie completed this quest in the Black Dragon Empire. He couldn't possibly go there, could he?
Even if he could, the teleportation gates weren't open yet. It would take him months, even with his legs breaking, just to reach the border of the Black Dragon Empire.
PS: Thanks to Purple Charm Demoness for the tip!