NOVEL NEXT Chapter418-Fourth Phase of the Star Upgrade Quest
In the Backworld, countless beings gradually snapped out of their initial shock.
After all, the overwhelming presence of the gods had now faded away. The suffocating pressure that weighed upon them was finally lifted.
When faced with gods, very few lives could remain calm. In truth, most beings, when encountering a god, would collapse to the ground, trembling and unable to entertain even the slightest stray thought.
But once the gods left, hushed whispers began to circulate among the gathered creatures.
"Tell me, just what kind of existence is Lord Crossbridge?"
"Five gods appeared just now, and all of them manifested because of him!"
Since the gods had not deliberately blocked their mind power during their exchange, the denizens of the Backworld had overheard the legends being spoken.
"This Lord Crossbridge must be a god himself. And if not, then he is certainly a being of extreme importance."
"That's right. To compel five gods to appear simultaneously, his status must be unimaginably high."
"I disagree with you. I think Crossbridge is indeed important, but his strength may not actually be so great. Otherwise, the Goddess of Gold & Silver, Aurelia, would not have thought about erasing him so casually."
"Do you suppose… if we were to kill this Crossbridge, we might discover the source of his uniqueness?"
"Yes. If even the gods regard him seriously, then he must hold some extraordinary secret."
"In that case, let me devour him whole, and then—"
A Zerg demigod was immersed in his fantasy when suddenly, a bolt of lightning fell from the heavens.
It struck without warning, instantly reducing him and the demigods around him to ash. Within tens of thousands of miles, every ancient god and every demigod alike was obliterated into nothing but gray dust.
A cold voice followed.
"Heh. Even if you are demigod rank, so what?"
Daniel sneered. Then he activated the effect of his Divine Position, beginning to collect the materials from the fallen lives. Their bodies had turned to ash, but this did not hinder him. For Daniel, what he required were their souls, and those could still be forged.
After the dual breakthrough in both level and Divine Position, Daniel's power had been elevated yet again. The might of his God Rank Skills had at least increased tenfold compared to before.
To put it plainly, though he had just stepped into the demigod rank, his strength already far surpassed ordinary demigods. With a casual flick, releasing a single God Rank Skill, he could annihilate swathes of them at once.
And more importantly, the majority of god rank beings in the Backworld were members of the ancient god system. That lineage had long since declined. Their faith was no longer steadfast, their conviction no longer absolute. As a result, ancient god demigods were, in most cases, weaker than their modern counterparts.
At that moment, in the seas near the Lustrous Woods, large numbers of demigods had gathered.
Their survival was not because Luna's attack had failed to reach this place. Rather, it was because Luna had deliberately aimed her strikes only at the Fake Gods. These weaker beings had escaped the carnage precisely because they were not her targets.
The hierarchy of god rank was always cruel. Even if one had to sacrifice their life, every awakener still longed to break through, to climb higher. That was why, after Luna and the others departed, many demigods emerged in this region, hoping to scavenge opportunities from the corpses of the fallen Fake Gods.
Daniel, however, paid them no mind.
He was far too busy. Through his countless clones, he was exploring in every direction.
Luna had slain the Fake Gods, yes, but collecting their blood, retrieving their corpses, and forging them into materials required Daniel's personal touch. These were precious resources, far too rare to waste. Every piece had to be gathered.
While traveling, Daniel glanced toward his Star Upgrade Quest.
[Star Upgrade Quest: Fourth Phase]
[Difficulty: EX Rank]
[Task 1: Independently slay ten Fake God rank beings.]
[Task 2: Synthesize a God Rank Skill ranked within the top forty (excluding rewarded skills).]
[Task 3: Obtain a second Divine Position and reach the demigod rank. (Completed)]
[Reward: Talent advancement and the acquisition of the seventh-ranked God Rank Skill.]
Upon seeing the tasks, Daniel's expression remained calm.
These objectives did not seem overly difficult. Only the second task might pose some trouble, since synthesizing a top forty skill would require significant material collection.
In truth, what Daniel looked forward to most was not the task list itself, but the rewards of the current Star Upgrade Quest.
If he could complete this stage entirely, it would bring him enormous growth.
Of course, there were five phases in total, and he was only at the fourth. Even so, he could not help recalling the long, perilous journey through the earlier quests. Every phase of the Star Upgrade Quest had been nearly impossible, a challenge that brushed against despair. Yet somehow, he had overcome each one.
Looking back now, he found the difficulty not as insurmountable as it had first seemed.
Take the first task for example. Yes, Fake Gods were terrifyingly strong, but had he not already, at god rank, led the human awakeners to defeat Fleshheart, who stood at the very peak of Fake God rank?
This time the requirement was to fight alone, but now that he had ascended to the demigod rank and his strength had soared, such a trial did not appear too daunting.
Even so, Daniel did not dare grow complacent. Fake Gods were still formidable opponents, not to be underestimated.
The most important detail was this: he had never fought a Fake God at full strength. Fleshheart had indeed been a peak Fake God, but by the time Daniel fought him, Fleshheart had already endured the onslaught of gods and had been severely weakened. His condition was far from complete.
To truly understand the real measure of a Fake God's power, Daniel would need to face one at their prime.
With that thought, he suppressed his wandering mind and activated Flashback.
Thanks to the Tree of Faith, he could freely traverse different dimensions without being shackled by the usual restrictions of law. He realized that this was something even gods could not fully accomplish. At best, they could employ special methods to temporarily descend. But to move freely, without hindrance—only he could do that.
He really was an anomaly, a being who broke all the rules.
The instant his ability was triggered, his main body and his clone exchanged positions. For the very first time, Daniel's true self stepped foot into the Backworld.
Meanwhile, the majority of his clones remained assigned to their tasks, gathering corpses and souls, and forging them into materials.
To be more prepared when facing Fake Gods, Daniel intended to raise his strength even further. The plan was simple: begin by synthesizing more God Rank Skills.
Far away, in the Lustrous Woods, silence had returned.
With the gods and Daniel gone, Kate was left standing all alone, bewildered and confused.
Even now, she could not clearly understand what had happened. The situation had been far too abrupt, far too chaotic. Her mind was clouded with questions.
But her confusion did not last long. A moment later, an old friend of hers descended onto the scene.