Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 261

Chapter 261: Core Materials for the Blood Sacrifice Array
On the third day, Sterl allocated points to Cursed Vision. After the allocation, he successfully removed the curse effect he would have suffered from, and this skill could be allocated an additional time.

On the fourth day, Cursed Vision gained a special effect: Sterl now had the ability to perform a teleportation attack on any units he had cursed. However, this teleportation had a limited range. Sterl tested it out, finding that it was approximately 2000 kilometers.

Though this seemed like a vast range, in terms of legendary or demigod speed, it was a distance that could be traversed in just a few seconds. In chaotic battles, where legendary and demigod beings were fighting against each other, they typically wouldn’t be able to escape the 2000 kilometers, meaning that this teleportation attack could still be reliably activated during combat.

On the fifth day, Sterl continued to enhance the demon equipment [Possession by Evil Spirits]. He would soon be able to use this in the third class, but the point allocation increase was minimal. Sterl spent two days allocating points twice, and the final results were:

The side effects were eliminated; spirits controlled after a kill could be freely commanded in battle without backlash. The conflict between this skill and abilities like Guardian Spirits and Protective Angels was resolved.

By the seventh day, after the last forced allocation, he fully upgraded this piece of equipment. With the dazzling rainbow light following the allocation, the Possession by Evil Spirits, which was originally a special needle that would create a tattoo upon insertion into the body, transformed into a sticker.

This sticker depicted a formidable deity with fierce eyes, wielding a thunder hammer and a longsword! It exuded an extraordinary majesty that left viewers feeling a sense of awe.

Sterl examined this “tattoo sticker,” and its attributes emerged:

[Illuminated King’s Protection (Special)]

[Rank: Third Class]

[Category: Special Body Part · Spirit Affinity]

[Description: With fierce eyes, cutting down evil, this creation from hell, after being baptized by unknown energy, has transformed into an entirely new form.]

[Effect: After you kill any monster, you can choose to turn its soul into a tattoo etched onto your body. During combat, you can summon this monster in its Illuminated King form. The Illuminated King has two states: possession and independent action. In possession state, you will receive certain attribute bonuses and additional skills based on the Illuminated King’s abilities in life. In independent action state, the Illuminated King will fight in its former guise, possessing extremely high defensive and offensive capabilities.

Whether in possession or independent action state, the Illuminated King deals extra damage to all non-light attribute units and inflicts a finishing blow effect on units with less than 12% health.

Illuminated King will actively shatter and convert into your life force when yours is low, providing you with a shield equivalent to a layer of your maximum life force.]

[Tip: If the unit transformed into the Illuminated King does not voluntarily agree to become one, this skill can be used a maximum of ten times before you must change the soul.]

“Very good!” Sterl was quite pleased with the final version of [Illuminated King’s Protection].

First, he sensed that the monsters transformed into the Illuminated King were likely stronger than they were in life, and the effects of both possession and independent action states had also been enhanced. The original Possession by Evil Spirits skill’s side effect of lowering defense had transformed into an increase in both defense and attack power.

Moreover, this skill now included additional effects: extra damage to non-light attribute units, a finishing blow effect, and a healing shield for survival. It could be said that each individual effect was already powerful, and combined, they made this piece of equipment extraordinarily valuable!

Sterl felt that trading this single item for a legendary or even epic-level third-class piece of equipment would be more than enough. However, he certainly intended to keep it for himself. He was quite close to reaching the third class. Furthermore, special body part equipment was inherently rare; having one more piece equated to an increase in combat power.

The only downside of Illuminated King’s Protection was that if the soul collected had not willingly agreed to become an Illuminated King, the skill could only be used twenty times before the soul had to be replaced. Sterl found this quite reasonable; after all, with the enhancements, it no longer resembled skills from the hellish system, and there was no longer any logic in forcibly enslaving a soul.

After a week of point allocation, the only remaining gain from the Principality of Florence was various Anti-Elements. The first point allocation was for Blood Anti-Element.

[Anti-Element: Blood]

[Description: In the hellish world…]

[Effect: By investing the Blood Anti-Element into skills related to blood, you can add a damage increase entry against units from the main world. This item is equivalent to ten ordinary Anti-Elements.]

The result of the allocation did not surprise Sterl too much; the item’s effectiveness had not enhanced, and the name remained unchanged. It simply changed from white to purple.

In essence, after the allocation, one Anti-Element could now count as ten, which, given the low drop rate of this resource, could accelerate Sterl’s efficiency in enchanting his skills with Anti-Element. Beyond that, it had little other use…

Wait!

As Sterl toyed with a swirling mass of bloody mist floating in the air, his SSS-level Array Master ability allowed him to instantly deduce—

The evolved [Anti-Element: Blood] was now sufficient to serve as core material for the formation of the Blood Sacrifice Swallowing God Array and the Blood Sacrifice Array!

“Wow!”

Sterl was immediately overjoyed. Earlier, he had discovered at the Blood Cult’s base in the Principality of Florence that the cultists had stored a lot of surplus materials for the Archduke of Blood’s plans. Sterl had also conveniently taken quite a bit when he wiped out those bases.

If [Anti-Element: Blood] could serve as core material for the grand formation, then he could set up the Blood Sacrifice Array again! The characteristics of this formation allowed weaker individuals to forcibly trigger the array. Sterl didn’t need a one-to-ten ratio; with his improved Blood Sacrifice Array, a one-to-four ratio would suffice.

By using all four portions of [Anti-Element: Blood] he had on hand, Sterl could initiate the Blood Sacrifice Array once more!

“Wouldn’t that be a huge boost??”

Although Sterl had the skill [Consume], he had tested it with Fate Tokens. For instance, in the Assembly Hall, he had seen legendary beings, demigods, and deities, and even when he encountered the Archduke of Blood earlier, he used Fate Tokens to calculate various probability lists.

Sterl found that even if he triggered Consume with a low probability, he could fully devour legendary abilities, but the Law Power would only allow him to seize the most basic version—which was the version he first controlled when he grasped Moon Law, one that wasn’t even considered a complete level.

As for divine authority, it was comparatively more cost-effective to absorb; he could indeed devour a divine authority equivalent to a weak deity just emerging. However, even this weakest divine authority was worth the effort of countless deities who sought to slay newly ascended gods.

But…

There was one point—

[Consume] couldn’t exploit bugs.

It was already weakened significantly due to Sterl’s insufficient physique. When Sterl used the Fate Token to examine the Archduke of Blood’s heart, he noticed that many exclusive abilities from hell were simply not on the probability list! Using a Fate Token wouldn’t help in this case.

If he could gather the materials for the Blood Sacrifice Array again, Sterl could activate Gate of Hell, actively entering hell to hunt for demons and exploit the bug once more. He felt a surge of excitement…

Afterward, he took stock of the materials in his inventory.

“I still need obsidian, undamaged souls, and breath of transformation…”

Sterl thought for a moment and first sent a private message to the pair of sisters handling guild affairs, asking them to collect these materials.

Before long, Sterl received a reply.

“Sure, we’ll do as you say. We’ll collect the materials we can.”

He responded.

Sosia and Sonis indicated that most of the materials could be purchased, but a portion would require Valor Contribution Points. After thinking it over, he added, “Send me the prices for the more expensive materials. Is there any other way to obtain them?”

After a few minutes, Sosia and Sonis quickly sent back a message. Sterl reviewed the information.

“Let’s go to Heavenly Curtain Canyon.”

“It’s located at the edge of the Hall of Valor.”

“According to the records… this area was originally meant for the expansion of the Hall of Valor, but after the disappearance of that great Divine Power, it became a lawless zone.”

“It’s filled with legendary-level monsters and even bosses at the peak of legendary strength. The monsters here can drop quite a few rare materials, including breath of transformation and solidified soul orbs.”

“Heavenly Curtain Canyon is also the only place where you can collect both types of materials.”

“By the way, I can also hunt some legendary-level monsters here. I’ll quickly fill up my experience and prepare for third class.”

Sterl nodded, feeling that his plan was quite sound.

As for what came next…

He certainly wasn’t going to set off immediately. Sterl decisively waited another day, during which he naturally spent time chatting and joking around with the Sosia and Sonis sisters.

Afterward, he prepared to allocate points to [Rain Curtain Sword].

The good news was…

The point allocation was successful. He added a form to the skill that could only be triggered with a perfected-level Law: Ten Thousand Swords Decision. Furthermore, he could continue to allocate points afterward.

However, after trying it out, Sterl was bewildered to realize that he didn’t have a perfected-level Flowing Water Law at all. Adding points wouldn’t do him any good…

Damn!

He was so frustrated that his stomach hurt. Now, even if Sterl used his Valor Contribution Points to purchase a Law Comprehension Ticket, it would still take quite a while to forcefully advance his progress in Flowing Water Law.

He would first need to head to Heavenly Curtain Canyon for two reasons: to level up and to gather blood force. Comprehending and collecting blood force had to go hand in hand to maximize his progress in Law.

However, Sterl didn’t rush to set out for Heavenly Curtain Canyon immediately. Instead, he spent another day in seclusion at the manor. After evolving a Fate Token, he finally set off!

At this moment, as Sterl stepped out of the manor, it was twilight. A faint purple glimmer flashed in his eyes, while various elemental energies surged like a frenzy, yet within that frenzy was an inexplicable rhythm.