Despondency and Joy

Necropolis of the Gods, Tenth Level.

Everyone looked battered and dejected.

Of those who went in, seven Saint Realm experts had died, along with all the Saint Realm magical beasts.

No one had expected that the Eleventh Level would contain not only over a million Saint-level Poison Bees, but also a Divine Beast.

They hadn't stood a chance.

Even Kolan cursed Beirut under his breath for being downright inhuman. He'd actually placed the leaders of the first eleven levels of the Necropolis of the Gods on the Eleventh Level!

Who could possibly have the strength to obtain a Godspark?

And that was with their opponent not using his Divine Domain. Otherwise, no one would have made it back to the Tenth Level alive.

All the Saint-level Undead Lifeforms Kolan had painstakingly created had been left behind on the Eleventh Level.

"All right, what's done is done. It wasn't our fault we lost that fight, so don't be discouraged. Come on, let's roast some meat and have a drink together!" Kolan called out.

Then he brought out dragon meat, bear paws, and other Saint Realm magical beast meat, along with jug after jug of wine.

They lit a bonfire and began roasting the meat.

"Damn it, we went through all that trouble to reach the Eleventh Level. According to Lord Beirut, we were bound to get a Godspark. Who could've guessed the leaders of the first eleven levels would be right there on the Eleventh Level? If I hadn't been quick on my feet, I would've died in there!" Cesar took a long swig of wine.

His strength was still a ways from the Saint Realm's peak, but the peculiar nature of his Laws of Darkness made him good at concealment, allowing him to follow the others all the way to the Eleventh Level.

Fain was also rather dejected. "Who could've seen that coming? What a downer!"

Fain was also far from reaching the Saint Realm's peak. But as a cultivator of the Laws of Thunder and Lightning, he excelled at speed. Even though his strength wasn't particularly high, he could rely on his speed to evade danger.

Having witnessed O'Brien become a god with his own eyes, Fain had secretly hoped he might obtain a Godspark and become a god, too.

Fain was only a few decades younger than the War God. When the War God entered the Saint Realm, Fain had become his disciple. But Fain's talent was even greater than the War God's. He had surpassed his master and become stronger than him.

As it happened, the War God had been lucky enough to find a Lowgod Fire Spark. After refining it, he became a god.

His strength reached a terrifying level.

Fain had witnessed the entire process of the War God becoming a god.

The terrifying might of the Divine Domain had left a deep impression on him.

So deep down, he yearned to obtain a Godspark, refine it, and become a god himself.

"Kolan, I left that artifact behind on the Eleventh Level. I can't return it to you, so I owe you a favor." Amanda looked apologetic.

Kolan waved a hand. "Forget it. It's not as if I'm short one Lowgod Artifact."

Amanda wasn't very fast. At the last moment, she used the artifact to hold their pursuers back for an instant, which allowed her to make it back to the Tenth Level alive.

Kolan knew just how dangerous it had been. They were lucky just to have made it back to the Tenth Level alive.

As for one Lowgod Artifact, it wasn't anything particularly precious.

Gradually, the meat began to give off a savory aroma.

Kolan and the others sprinkled it with seasoning.

Once the magical beast meat was roasted, they drank and ate together, and their spirits slowly lifted.

The next day, everyone hurried to begin meditating.

They might not be able to get past the Eleventh Level and obtain a Godspark, but they still had more than nine years. They couldn't just waste all that time sitting around bored.

The elements of the world were rich within the Necropolis of the Gods, making it a good place to cultivate.

Naturally, everyone took the opportunity to train.

Kolan was cultivating as well.

Facing death on the Eleventh Level had given him a new understanding of the Death Rules.

He wanted to hold on to that feeling and cultivate the Death Rules.

Kolan's mind settled into stillness.

He forgot himself.

In his mind, the scythe representing the Death Rules played out its movements.

This was the manifestation of Kolan's understanding of the Death Rules.

One year, two years, three years. Time passed, and more than nine years had gone by.

"Rumble~~"

Suddenly, the entire Necropolis of the Gods began to tremble.

"What's happening?" Everyone woke from their meditation and immediately looked around.

In the distance, a passage shrouded in black light appeared out of thin air. A man emerged from it, with long black hair and a black beard, dressed in black robes. It was none other than the strongest man on the Yulan Continent, "Beirut"!

Kolan and the others all stood up.

Beirut glanced around at the gathered experts. "The ten-year period is over. You may all leave the Necropolis of the Gods now."

Then he led everyone out of the Necropolis of the Gods.

The Saint Realm experts left the Necropolis of the Gods, while the High Priest and the War God were about to begin exploring it. The two divine-level experts, however, would start from the Twelfth Level.

Beirut led the Saint Realm experts back to the Forest of Darkness. Naturally, everyone went their separate ways.

From the moment they entered the Necropolis of the Gods to the moment they left, exactly ten years had passed.

As soon as Kolan left the Forest of Darkness, he hurried back to the Miniature Plane Space.

By then, the Tree of Life in the Miniature Space had grown to two meters tall.

Kolan laid a hand on the Tree of Life. Though it could still only be called a sapling, its vitality was already astonishing.

"This is..." Kolan suddenly closed his eyes. In his mind, countless insights into the workings of the Life Law seemed to appear.

There were so many, and they were so wondrous.

Time flowed on like a river.

"It's here!"

That day, inspiration struck. Kolan instinctively sensed that he had crossed a certain boundary—the boundary between the Saint Realm and the Divine Realm.

Kolan opened his eyes and looked up!

"Buzz~~~"

A vast force that shook the soul suddenly descended, enveloping Kolan completely. The space around him warped, seemingly isolating him from the surrounding area. Kolan's whole body rose into the air.

He floated there, unable to control himself.

"How terrifying." Kolan could sense that vast, boundless, ancient, and mysterious force. More precisely, it was something akin to a law or a rule. Before it, Kolan felt like nothing more than an ant.

Then, under the influence of the Laws of the World, a force imbued with the aura of "rules" began to gather above Kolan's head. At the same time, life force rushed toward it, surging in from the Spatial Turbulence like a miniature plane, until it all converged at a single point.

In just a moment, the surging elements of the world dissipated. A Black Crystal radiating a verdant glow hovered above Kolan's head. It was the Life Attribute Lower God Spark.

The instant the Godspark formed, it naturally connected with Kolan's soul.

"External Godhood!" When faced with the choice between Internal Godhood and External Godhood, Kolan chose External Godhood without hesitation.

Then, with Kolan's soul enveloped by the Laws of the World, his soul split in two. One half flew out, taking the shape of a scythe. That half of his soul flew toward the Godspark, then effortlessly merged with it.

The soul and the Godspark fused into one. This was one sign that the Godspark had been successfully refined.

As for Kolan, with his soul forcibly torn in half, he writhed and convulsed in agony.