Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 390

Chapter 390: Chapter 390: The Lament of the Divine! The Thunder of Corruption
It is important to know that a significant factor contributing to the Platinum Skill is the existence of quasi-divines who have perished while striving for the divine realm. Just the sheer number of Platinum Skill techniques stored in the Hall of Valor implies that countless exceptionally talented demigods have fallen during their attempts to reach the divine level.

Refining Law Power into divine authority is undoubtedly a critical life-and-death threshold! If others were aware of this title, they would likely go mad, desperately wanting to seize it for themselves. Unfortunately, the title system in [Transcendence]/Swallowing Heaven is an independent system; it cannot be traded or dropped.

Although Sterl doesn’t particularly need the increased success rate for refining divine authority—he has three divine authority points guaranteed, and in the future, he can forcibly seize divine authority through [Consume]—advancing to become a divine being will be a breeze for him. This does not diminish the absurdity of the title [Champion Demon]!

Consider its acquisition conditions: to slay a divine-level entity while possessing a non-divine body and in a trial arena where one cannot set up formations in advance to gain an advantage. It can be said… that this is a reward that Sterl rightfully deserves.

“There’s also room to enhance it further, though I’m not sure what effects the enhancement will have at this point.” He pondered, feeling quite pleased. After all, if it’s a rarer type of Law like Blade Law, then among the demigods with this ability, those who manage to ascend to divinity and choose to convert Blade Law into divine authority must be exceedingly rare.

Obtaining the corresponding divine authority doesn’t guarantee finding a hapless individual to devour. Sterl can only promote himself; will this title be of great use when that time comes?

While he was contemplating, a flash of light appeared before him.

[Great Hero, Future Legendary Demon, you have passed the trial…]

This was all formalities. Sterl was too lazy to read until the next moment.

[You~you~you… Damn it! How could you pass? No! No! What kind of joke is this! My power… No!]

In the previous moment on the hell trial’s settlement page, there had been a display of jubilant “Inspire” words. Suddenly, the text transformed into a blood-red hue, resembling strange characters flowing with blood, exceedingly glaring!

Sterl felt as if he were being mentally tainted; if not for the Holy Spirit Bloodline protecting him, he would surely be experiencing some headache. From these prompts, he could sense the wailing and suffering of some existence…

Considering the source of the hell trial, could it be that the Will of Hell itself was screaming?? Sterl was taken aback.

The rewards for completing the hell trial, who would provide them? It must be the energy consumed by this layer of hell. In a sense, it was indeed damaging the Will of Hell. Yet, based on the information Sterl had gathered, wasn’t this will merely a chaotic consciousness?

Seeing a powerful demon appear in its territory, shouldn’t the Will of Hell be pleased?? Because a powerful demon might have the ability to conquer other lands, allowing the layer of hell to grow continually, thus nourishing the Will of Hell as well.

The Will of Hell is actually resisting because of this?? That goes against its interests entirely! Unless this will can easily discern that Mephistopheles is fundamentally not aligned with this layer of hell and will not expand its territory for it. Such intelligence would far exceed what one would expect from a plane’s will!

Sterl grew increasingly perplexed. The more anxious he became, the more pressing the time felt, and the more various enigmas confronted him, leaving him no time to solve them. Fortunately…

The blood-red text was just a minor interlude. Sterl noticed that a code seemed to flash briefly. The hint text was forcibly restored to normal.

[You have passed this trial! Your Trial Shop rewards have increased by one!]

[Defeating a divine-level entity while not being a divine level yourself earns you another reward!]

[You have gained the opportunity to select a reward!]

[You have 30 minutes left to stay in the trial arena; after 30 minutes, you will be forcibly ejected and returned to the location where you entered the trial.]

At this moment, Sterl quickly dismissed his confusion. He scanned the rewards shop, frowning as he closed it. He saw several pieces of equipment, skills, and items that intrigued him.

For skills, he would need to allocate points to unleash their full power; in terms of sheer output, it would be better to continue using Destructive Light. As for the equipment, Sterl would need to reach legendary status or even demigod level to wear it. As for swapping out for a third-class piece? Sorry, the shop didn’t have anything that low-tier.

Some of the items were meant for enhancing attributes, but they would require a period of refinement. This trial was of no benefit to Sterl’s plans. He decisively chose to exit the hell trial arena and return to the Blood River Valley of the layer of hell.

As Sterl’s form coalesced… nothing happened. No one would pay attention to the appearance of a non-divine-level entity. He saw five gods and the Archduke of Blood exchanging techniques with one another, various terrifying Divine Powers being wielded. The gods weren’t holding back, fearing they might completely destroy the river valley.

Thus, Divine Power was highly concentrated; if a normal Supreme were to come here, they would likely be unable to stand and would be forced to kneel. And Sterl… knelt as well.

Under the influence of the Holy Spirit Bloodline, all effects on him felt like a gentle breeze brushing against his face.

But the show must go on.

As Sterl knelt and crawled outward, he suddenly felt a lightness about him—Licitris had split off a portion of her Divine Power to protect him during the battle. Unfortunately…

This action immediately led to a consequence—Licitris had intended to support Marlon, preventing him from being struck by Thunder after finishing his attack. As a result, the god from the Hall of Valor took a solid hit, letting out a scream as he plummeted into the river valley.

In an instant, the situation deteriorated. The Archduke of Blood was somewhat strained in the face of the combined efforts of the five gods. However, he had successfully recalled Thunder, and armor formed from the Origin of Chaos enveloped him. With the enhancement of the supreme Sky Thunder, bolts of lightning flashed around him.

On the contrary, the gods found themselves repeatedly pushed back. Previously, the five gods had collaborated to block the descending Thunder from the sky, but now the Archduke of Blood was unleashing his full power and continually drawing upon the Divine Power of the surrounding gods to replenish his energy, leaving them unable to retaliate effectively!

Licitris’s assistance further disrupted the situation, breaking the balance of pressure that the five gods were sharing. They were forced to endure significant injuries before they could stabilize themselves again. At this point, Licitris noticed that Mephistopheles was still being crushed under Divine Power, moving sluggishly.

Although she was extremely concerned, a scan with her divine consciousness revealed that Mephistopheles was quite far from the battlefield and would not be directly affected by the Archduke of Blood’s Thunder. He was only experiencing some residual effects, which were not fatal, so she reluctantly chose not to focus on him any longer.

She truly felt powerless.

Licitris wielded her scythe, trying her best to fend off the dazzling Thunder, but she was steadily pushed back. Lightning constantly flowed through her scythe, striking her body and turning the usually beautiful queen into a charred figure, her image completely ruined.

The other gods were not faring any better. They were all shaken by the lightning, and their own attacks did little to harm the Archduke of Blood, while their injuries continued to accumulate.

What made the three main world gods grit their teeth in frustration was that—

Those two divine-level demons had already killed you once, and instead of seeking revenge on them, you indiscriminately attacked us. Is that fair?

The battle had reached a stalemate. Although the five gods were being pressured, they managed to hold on by shielding each other from attacks. Meanwhile, the Archduke of Blood showed no signs of holding back, even as his Divine Power extraction reached a critical limit. Suddenly, he gathered his strength and launched a fierce assault!

High above, among the colorful clouds, terrifying power gathered, transforming the entire sky into a realm of thunder and lightning—but that was merely the residual effect of the attack!

Once the energy had fully gathered, the tainted Thunder descended with a vengeance!

“Damn it!”

The Ashen god was the first to notice this scene, taken aback. Previously, they had already observed that the Archduke of Blood, despite being weakened by the Blood of Contamination, showed no signs of slowing down or weakening in his actions. Now, it was even more absurd!

The entire layer of hell was soaked in Blood of Contamination, and even the Thunder produced from the sky was affected. Yet, the Archduke of Blood summoned this lightning as if it were an extension of himself. The other gods looked on in horror, daring not to be hit.

Thus…

They fought desperately!

The Ashen god summoned several flags, planting them around his body to form a very small divine-level formation, emanating waves of energy that neutralized the surrounding Thunder upon contact.

Marlon and the god from the Golden Kingdom, having made prior arrangements, swiftly retreated to the spot where the Golden Kingdom deity had drawn blood force, and spatial fissures began to materialize around them. While these fissures could inflict considerable damage on the gods, they seemed capable of blocking attacks.

The Lord of Evil Spirits opted to disperse his body quickly, frantically floating around to evade the Thunder strikes. However, this tactic clearly came at a significant cost; he had been unwilling to use it even when being pursued by the three main world gods earlier.

Meanwhile, Licitris glanced over to confirm Mephistopheles’s position before using her life-saving item. It was a rather ancient talisman, connected below by a strand of gold wire and a copper coin.

As Licitris held it, it emitted a series of crisp sounds.

In the next moment, the rainbow-colored Thunder surged toward her!

Licitris ignited the talisman, and instantly, a mark spread rapidly, enveloping the vibrant lightning. Some of the Thunder was redirected toward the Archduke of Blood, directly impacting his Thunder armor!

Thanks to the talisman’s lightning attraction effect, Licitris narrowly escaped disaster and even managed to injure the Archduke of Blood in the process. Originally, the Origin of Chaos should not have been controllable, especially not to strike its own master.

But under the influence of the Blood of Contamination, once the lightning was released, it lost control and transformed into pure destructive and corruptive power!

This particular strike…

In the aftermath of the lightning, the Archduke of Blood staggered, his armor shattered, and the smell of burnt and charred flesh filled the air as his internal organs were affected by the electrical onslaught.

However, after deploying the talisman, Licitris had also expended a significant amount of energy and was unable to continue her pursuit.