Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 603

Chapter 603: Chapter 603: Loyal Divine Followers, Exploring the Venomous Swamp!
After finalizing the plans and actions, Sterl’s emotions gradually settled down.

Whether it was the recent experiences or the moment when the will of [Transcendence] erased the Black Hole Vortex, Sterl had begun to sense a pattern: the Will of the World possessed a strong tendency to prioritize advantageous outcomes.

Since he had accepted Hell’s plea for aid through the authority granted by the underworld, the Will of Hell would undoubtedly transport him to a location that favored resolving the current crisis.

Looking around, all he could see was a deadly expanse of poisonous waters, devoid of any visible life forms.

In Hell, the sizes of realms varied greatly. Some were as vast as entire continents, even comparable to the size of a full-fledged world, while others were no larger than an average kingdom.

Though it wasn’t his first time entering Hell, this marked his first journey into the fourth layer—Venomous Swamp Hell. He was unfamiliar with the conditions here. Searching blindly on his own would undoubtedly consume a great deal of time and effort.

Instead of wandering aimlessly in a carpet search, the quickest and most effective approach was to locate the indigenous intelligent races of this layer of Hell.

The entire underworld had been plunged into a mysterious crisis. When the tree falls, the branches break—the denizens of Hell, too, would inevitably face the terrifying catastrophe. This unknown and mysterious danger would affect them, perhaps even leading to their annihilation.

If he could find the intelligent life of this layer, he might be able to uncover the source of the crisis and address it accordingly. Otherwise, facing an enemy shrouded in darkness while he remained exposed in the light was a disadvantageous position that Sterl detested.

With this thought in mind, he made a subtle gesture. In the next moment, a shimmering spatial gate appeared before him, glowing faintly.

Soon after, terrifyingly powerful figures began to step out of the gate one by one. Among them was Boris, who had sworn allegiance to the Ashen Temple.

These individuals were none other than the gods Sterl had saved earlier from the Black Hole Vortex. Without exception, all of them bore the Follower Mark that Sterl had imprinted upon them. Before sealing them in his miniature world, he had fully activated these marks.

Thus, as these gods emerged again, their gazes upon Sterl were a mixture of complexity, yet laced with unwavering loyalty and fervor.

Thanks to Boris’s relentless indoctrination during their time in confinement, they had come to accept one undeniable truth: their true identities were that of loyal agents of their supreme master, hidden deep within the Ashen Temple!

For the sake of the grander plan, their memories had been wiped, allowing them to remain undetected within the Ashen Temple. Now, with their master’s reactivation, their purpose had been reignited.

Recalling Sterl’s terrifying power, they couldn’t help but shudder. Even the mighty Silver Moon Wolf God, a higher-ranked divine authority, had fallen by his hand.

Given time, when their master ascended to higher divine authority and perhaps even attained the power of a Great Divine, the world itself would bow at his feet!

As Sterl looked into the eyes of these gods, filled with zeal and worship, he paused for a moment. His gaze fell upon Boris, who was winking at him with a smug expression, clearly fishing for praise.

It was obvious that Boris had been highly successful in “indoctrinating” these gods.

Sterl’s attention then shifted to the Goddess of Seduction, whose gaze was practically dripping with desire. Her voluptuous figure strained against the confines of her tight black leather dress, as if threatening to burst free at any moment. It seemed as though she was just waiting for the right opportunity to throw herself at him with unrestrained fervor.

“It seems Boris has already explained everything to you,” Sterl said with a light cough, suppressing the flicker of desire stirring within him and pretending to be composed.

Now was not the time for a “battle.” The crisis they faced was still unknown, and the vast expanse of poisonous waters surrounding them was a stark deterrent. The last thing Sterl wanted was to end up drenched in the foul-smelling toxic sludge.

“Please, Master, give us your orders! Boris has revealed the truth to us. Your radiance will illuminate the entire world, and we shall become your sharpest sword and your strongest shield!”

An older-looking god stepped forward, speaking solemnly as if reciting an oath. The others nodded in agreement, their expressions firm, fully endorsing his words.

The scene almost made Sterl feel as if he had become the leader of some grand, malevolent faction.

Deciding it wasn’t worth wasting words on them, Sterl shrugged off the thought. After all, those branded with his Follower Mark could never betray him. With that certainty, he issued his command directly.

“I need you to uncover the hidden truth of this layer of Hell. Bring any living beings you find directly to me.”

“Yes!”

There were no questions asked. As Sterl’s most loyal followers, they required no explanation—only orders to execute.

Without hesitation, Boris and the other ten gods scattered in different directions, beginning a meticulous, grid-like search of the area.

Sterl himself didn’t remain idle. He chose a random direction and began his own investigation into the anomalies of the Venomous Swamp Hell.

Though the environment in Hell was treacherous, the accelerated flow of time ensured rapid progression and development. As a result, the underworld was teeming with life, even in its most perilous regions.

After traveling hundreds of miles, Sterl extended his senses to every corner of the surrounding area, yet he found no trace of any living beings. This only solidified his suspicion: the lifeforms within Venomous Swamp had likely been affected by the unknown danger.

Even when Sterl utilized the perceptive abilities of Soul Prison’s Eerie Eyes, he couldn’t find even a fragment of a lingering soul.

Under normal circumstances, the souls of beings below the rank of gods would quickly dissipate upon the death of their physical bodies, returning entirely to the world’s essence. However, in cases of widespread war and mass death, the concentration of negative energies often caused some souls to linger in specific locations, unable to pass on or reincarnate. These forlorn spirits would typically become what were commonly referred to as the undead.

But Sterl saw no signs of the undead—there wasn’t even a faint trace of Soul’s Power.

As he was about to quicken his pace in the search, a transmission suddenly came through. A flicker of delight appeared on Sterl’s face: one of his divine followers had actually found a few survivors.

He quickly issued instructions, and before long, the follower arrived. Using Divine Power, the follower had restrained several grotesque-looking creatures.

“My Lord, I found these creatures hiding in a concealed cave. They identify themselves as members of the Venomous Twin-Tailed Lizard clan, one of the strongest species in this layer of Hell.”

Sterl shifted his gaze to the creatures. They stood upright like humans, their bodies covered in dense green scales. Their faces were dotted with pus-filled blisters oozing venom, and their tongues were forked like those of snakes. Behind them swayed two thick, muscular tails, giving the impression of oversized lizardmen.

“You’ve done well, but I’ll need more,” Sterl said, patting the follower’s shoulder with a rare note of praise.

This divine follower, known as the God of Wind Whisper, possessed an authority over wind. He could manipulate air currents, animate them to serve his will, and even converse with the atmosphere itself. This made him especially adept at locating hidden entities.

Receiving Sterl’s praise, the God of Wind Whisper beamed with excitement and nodded enthusiastically.

“Rest assured, my Lord! I will not let you down!”

With that, he transformed into a breeze and vanished instantly, rushing toward the distant horizon to continue his search.

Watching his follower disappear, Sterl’s face revealed a trace of thoughtful emotion. There was still much to uncover, but for now, he was satisfied with the progress being made.

The Follower Mark was truly a power akin to a forbidden ability. While its lethality didn’t compare to the devastating might of Soul Prison’s Eerie Eyes, its effects were equally horrifying.

A once lofty and untouchable god now grovelled at his feet like a well-trained dog, tirelessly seeking ways to please him.

Turning his attention back to the Two-Tailed Lizardmen, Sterl observed the group carefully. Their strength wasn’t insignificant; a casual glance with Star Insight revealed their full profiles. Each of them was at the third-class level.

This was unsurprising. In Hell, weaker species could not survive. As one of the strongest races in this layer of Hell, it was natural for even ordinary members of their kind to possess this level of power.

However, these third-class Two-Tailed Lizardmen were now curled up in a trembling heap, shaking like leaves in a storm.

The God of Wind Whisper, who had captured them, had shown no such restraint. As a god, his very presence exuded an overwhelming aura of divine suppression, leaving them paralyzed and powerless to resist as he forcibly dragged them away.

To make matters worse, the entity they had come to perceive as an unbeatable, terrifying force had just handed them over, bowing respectfully to another mysterious figure—Sterl.

This mysterious figure, who commanded the reverence of even a god, was beyond their comprehension. Their minds had simply shut down in sheer terror.

Sterl frowned slightly. In their current state, interrogation would be useless. Getting them to speak coherently—let alone provide valuable information—was an unlikely prospect.

But for Sterl, this wasn’t a problem. Rather than relying on these creatures to explain themselves, he found it far more efficient to act directly.

With a subtle thought, his eyes darkened, becoming unfathomably deep. From the depths of his pupils, intangible Soul Threads extended outward, slipping silently into the bodies of the Two-Tailed Lizardmen.

In the next moment, the trembling lizardmen froze entirely, their bodies going stiff as if turned to stone.

The sheer disparity in soul strength left them with no chance to resist. In a mere second, Sterl had drained every last memory, piece of knowledge, and skill they possessed.

In other words, the Two-Tailed Lizardmen were effectively dead. What remained were lifeless husks with residual vitality and blank, empty souls.

At the same time, a torrent of information surged into Sterl’s mind. Compared to his vast consciousness, this influx was insignificant, yet it encapsulated the entirety of the Two-Tailed Lizardmen’s lives.

“What the hell is this!?”

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