Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 604

Chapter 604: Chapter 604: Strange Invaders! Has the Catastrophe Already Begun?
Sterl let out a low growl, his expression darkening instantly.

The process of absorbing memories was akin to watching a movie; it didn’t affect his own memories but instead allowed him to observe another’s life from an immersive, almost first-person perspective.

The only issue was that the experience felt far too close—like being physically present in the events. It was more vivid than watching a 3D film with no filters to shield him from the raw sensations.

The Venomous Twin-Tailed Lizard clan, as a native Hell species, were naturally brutal by nature, driven by violent tendencies and an abundance of primal, negative desires.

The majority of their memories revolved around brutal combat, mindless slaughter, and explicit, unfiltered mating.

Who could possibly stomach the sight of a group of Two-Tailed Lizardmen wildly mating with reckless abandon? And it wasn’t the simple one-on-one kind—it was often one-on-many or many-on-many!

The grotesque organs, paired with their crude and savage approach, felt like a club to Sterl’s psyche. The imagery was so revolting it felt like a physical assault on his senses.

If the memories had involved a group of beautiful women, he might have enjoyed watching. But these hideous, scaly lizardmen? It was beyond disgusting, a visual assault that made him want to claw his own eyes out.

The worst scenes were of them biting and gnawing at each other in their frenzy, their oozing pustules colliding, scales and decayed flesh peeling off, and foul, viscous fluids splattering everywhere. It was so revolting that Sterl had to suppress an overwhelming urge to obliterate the entire species on the spot.

This was beyond nauseating—it was outright horrific.

“Remove all of this disgusting garbage from my head!” Sterl bellowed in fury. Almost immediately, more than half of the memory data vanished, leaving him seething with frustration. His mind felt like a chaotic stampede of wild beasts, trampling any semblance of calm.

Taking a deep breath, he realized his spirit had been polluted by the grotesque memories. Even though the worst parts had been purged, the imagery still lingered, flashing before his eyes like a bad dream.

His forehead throbbed with veins bulging in frustration. Staring at the lifeless, statue-like Two-Tailed Lizardman before him, he waved his hand, summoning Ignition Flame, and reduced the creature to ash.

“Disgusting… absolutely disgusting,” he muttered under his breath.

It took him a while to recover from the mental trauma before he could continue absorbing the remaining memories.

Thankfully, the latter portions of the memories were far more tolerable. They included fragments of the lizardmen’s cultivation insights, significant moments in their lives, and other mundane details.

As for their so-called combat experience and abilities? Sterl deemed them all worthless trash. He discarded them without hesitation.

At his current level of power, the techniques and skills of these creatures were beneath his notice. Instead of strengthening him, they would only serve as a hindrance, diluting his own abilities.

With a shake of his head, Sterl pressed on, determined to uncover anything of value amid the remnants of this distasteful ordeal.

However, Sterl managed to extract some of the information he had been seeking.

“The Will of Hell’s command, an unknown powerful enemy… entire species wiped out without a trace?”

As he sifted through the memories of the Two-Tailed Lizardmen, Sterl began to piece together a clearer picture of the situation in Venomous Swamp Hell.

This layer of Hell had indeed been affected. A mysterious enemy and an unprecedented danger had descended upon it, prompting the Will of Hell to intervene and issue commands for all species to unite in resistance.

Yet, within the memories of these lizardmen, there was no concrete information about the invaders. The only thing they knew was that these intruders were extraordinarily powerful, capable of decimating the majority of the species in this layer of Hell in a shockingly short time.

The surviving species, including the Venomous Twin-Tailed Lizard Clan, were struggling desperately to resist.

And all of this had happened seven days ago.

As for the Two-Tailed Lizardmen Sterl had encountered, they were nothing more than cowards—deserters who hadn’t even set foot on the battlefield. Instead, they had hidden in a secluded cave, spending their days either mating or praying.

“What a bunch of freaks,” Sterl muttered in exasperation. His mind was still reeling from the grotesque memories, making him wish he could erase them entirely.

But memories were intricately tied to the soul. Even removing a seemingly insignificant fragment could have unintended consequences, potentially damaging the soul itself. For that reason, Sterl avoided tampering with his own memories unless absolutely necessary.

Calming his emotions, he began analyzing the situation further.

“Venomous Swamp Hell is located in the uppermost layer of Hell, making it the weakest in terms of overall strength. Even its most powerful beings are nothing more than a few demigods. How could invaders so threatening that they alarmed the Will of Hell itself struggle to conquer such a minor layer instantly?”

His eyes narrowed as a theory began to form. If this was truly the case, then there could be only one explanation: there wasn’t just one group of invaders.

If multiple groups of intruders were targeting different layers of Hell simultaneously, it would explain everything. Each layer of Hell would face enemies suited to its power level, plunging the entire underworld into chaos and war at the same time.

Such a strategy would create a massive disruption, forcing Hell into a dire situation where it had no choice but to call for external aid.

Moreover, sending enemies of varying strength to attack different layers ensured efficiency, preventing the waste of unnecessary power on weaker layers.

Sterl rapidly pieced together the likely truth, his analysis bringing a slight sense of relief. At least now, the nature of the crisis seemed more comprehensible, even if the challenges ahead remained daunting.

If that were the case, and these invaders were indeed living beings, it would make dealing with them significantly easier for him.

After all, if they were conceptual entities or some sort of special existence that couldn’t be confronted through conventional means, that would be far more troublesome.

“So, all I need to do is locate these invading entities and either drive them away or annihilate them to resolve the crisis Hell is facing,” Sterl muttered, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

He speculated that these invaders were likely connected to the Great Catastrophe, the event that had instilled fear and concern even among the lofty gods of the upper realms. This was the perfect opportunity for Sterl to witness firsthand the methods behind such an apocalyptic event.

Before long, more of his divine followers returned, bringing additional survivors to him.

Using the Soul Absorption ability of Soul Prison’s Eerie Eyes, Sterl extracted the memories of these beings, repeating the same process as before.

The content of their memories was largely the same. Most of them were deserters—cowards from surviving species who hadn’t even dared step onto the battlefield.

Yet, piecing together fragments from various sources allowed Sterl to form a clearer understanding of the overall situation.

In one particular memory, belonging to a serpent-headed humanoid of the Venomous Mist Serpent Clan, Sterl caught a glimpse of the invaders’ true appearance and the approximate location of the battlefield.

The memory revealed a creature resembling a spider, though only half the size of a human. Its body was covered in grotesque tendrils, exuding an uncanny metallic texture, as though it were some kind of artificial, pseudo-living organism.

These creatures, despite their unassuming appearance, possessed terrifying speed and agility. Moreover, they wielded a unique ability capable of penetrating any form of power, making them nearly invincible on the battlefield. The combination of these traits turned them into living harvesters of life, wreaking devastating destruction wherever they appeared.

This was precisely what had caused the serpentfolk of the Venomous Mist Serpent Clan to lose all will to fight and flee the battlefield, becoming a deserter.

“Interesting…” Sterl murmured, narrowing his eyes as he recalled the memory of the serpent-headed being and the invaders that resembled Mechanical Spiders. For reasons he couldn’t fully explain, a chilling sense of unease crept over him.

It wasn’t fear—it was a visceral, soul-deep repulsion. This aversion wasn’t rooted in logic but rather seemed to emanate from the core of his very essence, a profound and instinctive rejection.

The intensity of this disgust was even greater than what he had felt watching the grotesque mating scenes of the Two-Tailed Lizardmen.

“What kind of creature is this? To trigger such rejection from the very fabric of my soul…”

A rare expression of shock crossed Sterl’s face. This was the first time in his life that he had ever experienced such a reaction.

Before witnessing these invading creatures, Sterl had only suspicions. But now, he could confirm with absolute certainty that these bizarre entities were unequivocally tied to the Great Catastrophe of the Prime World—or perhaps, they were the catastrophe itself!

“Could it be… that the catastrophe has already begun?”

This thought sent a heavy weight crashing down on Sterl’s chest. If the so-called Great Catastrophe truly manifested as these strange creatures rather than a natural calamity, then there was no way to accurately predict when it might erupt.

Taking a deep breath, Sterl reflected. No wonder the divine factions of the upper realms were so restless—they must have already known part of the truth.

A sense of urgency rose within him. If this was indeed the case, then the time he had left was dwindling rapidly. He had to act, to grow as strong as possible, and fast.

While wiping out the entire catastrophe might be beyond his reach, at the very least, he needed to ensure the safety of himself and his loved ones.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Sterl let out a cold snort. “Fine. Let’s see what power this so-called Great Catastrophe truly wields!”

This was the perfect opportunity for him to study these invaders’ specific strengths and unique abilities in advance. By understanding their nature now, he could avoid unnecessary losses when the full-scale catastrophe finally descended.

With a casual wave of his hand, the Venomous Mist Serpentfolk’s body exploded into countless fragments, scattering into fine dust. Simultaneously, its soul was absorbed into the Soul Devourer Sphere, refined into a thread of soul power.

Sterl noticed that even the souls of Hell’s native species could be converted into soul energy. This realization presented him with an opportunity to harvest a considerable amount of it.

If luck was on his side, he might accumulate enough soul power to push himself past his next limit. After all, soul energy was a resource of unparalleled value—whether to strengthen himself or to serve as a trump card in desperate situations.

As for whether his actions were too cruel, Sterl dismissed the thought entirely. These Hell species were inherently savage, their hands stained with the blood and souls of countless victims. Killing them could even be considered a form of recycling, allowing their deaths to contribute something meaningful to the world.

Thinking this way, Sterl felt no moral burden whatsoever.

At his level, he was no longer shackled by mundane concepts of morality and ethics. Instead, he adhered to the law of the jungle, where the strong devour the weak—a rule that had become the ultimate truth.

As long as one possessed sufficient strength, they could break any rule or even create new ones.

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