North Sea Island

The next day.

Kolan led everyone to the Forest of Darkness, heading straight for its heart: the Metal Castle.

He told everyone to wait outside and not wander off before entering the Metal Castle.

Although they were closest to the Forest of Darkness, they were the last to arrive.

Kolan entered the Metal Castle and soon met the High Priest and the War God.

"Now that Kolan is here, and everyone has arrived, let me explain. The Necropolis of the Gods we're entering this time is the one on North Sea Island." Beirut smiled. "As before, we'll enter in groups. The Saint Realm experts will explore the Necropolis of the Gods for ten years. Once they come out, you'll go in and explore from the twelfth floor onward, also for ten years."

"The higher you go, the more treasures there are! What you manage to obtain will depend on your strength!" Beirut said with a faint smile.

"Lord Beirut, are there any Soul Gold Beads in the Necropolis of the Gods?" Kolan asked impatiently.

"There are!" Beirut answered firmly.

"How many?"

Beirut glanced at Kolan. "Why don't you go in and find out for yourself?"

"There are plenty of divine-level experts in the Necropolis of the Gods, and the higher you go, the stronger they are. Remember to be cautious. Don't get too greedy, or you could end up dead," Beirut warned.

Then Beirut sent them outside to explain the situation to the Saint Realm experts.

This time, the High Priest would explain things again.

Those who had explored the Necropolis of the Gods before already knew a little about it. But this time, almost half of the Saint Realm experts had never explored it.

Beirut then appeared and led everyone toward the North Sea.

It was winter in the North Sea, and the water had frozen over.

Plenty of magical beasts were playing on the ice.

The group went straight to an island.

They entered the Divine Plane through a Gate of Space. There was a Necropolis of the Gods here as well.

Two passages then appeared. The human Saint Realm experts entered the passage on the left, while the Saint Realm magical beasts entered the one on the right.

The Gatekeeper for the first eleven floors was a Netherfire Phoenix from the Netherworld, a Low-God.

"Kolan, you're actually letting your children explore the Necropolis of the Gods. Aren't you worried they'll die in there?" The War God looked at Kolan with a curious expression.

Not one of the War God's children had reached the Saint Realm. They had all passed away long ago.

"There's nothing I can do. They want to go in and explore. What can I do to stop them? If they really die in there, then I suppose it was their fate," Kolan said calmly.

The High Priest said, "They're not very strong. It's far too dangerous for them to go in."

Kolan wasn't too worried.

Leo and Hannah had not only divine armor but also the Soul Defense Artifacts he had crafted.

His Soul Defense Artifacts were nothing special, but unless the Soul Attack came from a Mid-God, it couldn't break through their defenses.

And with divine armor on top of that, killing the two of them wouldn't be easy.

Kolan then found a place and began to cultivate.

He couldn't just wait around for ten years while the Saint Realm experts explored.

Time flew by, and ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, the Necropolis of the Gods shook, and a passage appeared. The Saint Realm experts emerged from within.

When they entered, there had been 108 human Saint Realm experts and 28 Saint Realm magical beasts.

But only 64 human Saint Realm experts came out alive. A full 44 had died, and only 14 Saint Realm magical beasts remained—half of them had perished inside.

"Father..." Hannah saw Kolan, her eyes brimming with tears, and threw herself into his arms.

"What's wrong, Hannah?" Kolan stroked her hair. He had already realized that only one of the family's three remaining members had survived. The other two had clearly died.

One of them had been Hannah's husband.

"Father, it was that hateful Netherfire Phoenix. It was on the sixth floor. Someone woke it up, and it ate Hansen!" Leo said through gritted teeth. "Father, you have to avenge your brother-in-law!"

"Heh. If you dare enter the Necropolis of the Gods, you should be prepared to die!" A voice rang out. It belonged to a woman dressed in black.

Beirut smiled faintly. "Everyone, let me introduce you. This is the Commander guarding the first eleven floors, the Nether Phoenix."

"Nether Phoenix, you've completed your mission. Now you have a chance to explore the Necropolis of the Gods. When the time comes, you'll go with them," Beirut said.

"Yes, Lord Beirut!" Nether Phoenix replied obediently.

Kolan looked at Nether Phoenix as if he were looking at a dead person.

Good. When we enter the Necropolis of the Gods, I'll show you what I can do.

After sending the Saint Realm experts back to the Yulan Continent, Kolan and the others returned to the Necropolis of the Gods.

The divine-level experts began their exploration from the twelfth floor. There were no two separate passages this time—only one.

They entered the twelfth floor, a world of magma.

"Everyone, stay together. The four of us should be able to gain something if we work together this time," the High Priest said.

"That's right. We have to work together in the Necropolis of the Gods. The divine-level experts from other planes are very strong. None of us can beat them alone!" The War God readily agreed.

Last time, on the twelfth floor of the Necropolis of the Gods, he and the High Priest had joined forces, only to be crushed by a divine-level expert. They had barely escaped and been forced to flee everywhere.

"Hmph. I, Nether Phoenix, don't need to work with you!" Nether Phoenix sneered and turned to leave.

But just then, Nether Phoenix felt as if she were trapped in a swamp. Without hesitation, she released her Low-God Divine Domain.

Yet she still felt an immense pressure bearing down on her.

"You killed my son-in-law and think you can just walk away?" Kolan stared coldly at Nether Phoenix.

Nether Phoenix's expression changed dramatically. "Y-You're a Mid-God?!"

The pressure of that Divine Domain clearly showed that Kolan was a level above her.

"Spare me, my lord! Please, spare me!" Nether Phoenix begged at once.

Even the strongest Low-God could only just match the weakest Mid-God.

And she wasn't the strongest Low-God.

Kolan unleashed two Mid-God Divine Domains. Their combined pressure left Nether Phoenix unable to move.

Kolan looked at Nether Phoenix coldly. A ball of gray flame appeared in his hand. He flicked a finger, and the gray flame disappeared into her body.

Then Kolan withdrew his Divine Domain.

Nether Phoenix fled in a panic, but as soon as she took off, she plummeted toward the ground. She clutched her head and let out a piercing scream of agony.

Nether Phoenix's whole body convulsed as she clutched her head and screamed in unbearable pain.

"Stop!" Kolan said calmly.

Nether Phoenix's screams abruptly ceased. Once she had regained consciousness, she looked at Kolan in terror. "Y-You're a Mid-God who cultivates the Death Rules?"

Her face turned deathly pale.

She was a Low-God who cultivated the Death Rules as well, so she knew what that meant.

"Kill me!"

"Kill you? You think I'd let you die so easily?" Kolan scoffed. "I'll make you wish you were dead."

"Wish I were dead?" Nether Phoenix trembled all over. Gritting her teeth, she raised a hand and struck at her own head, trying to kill herself.

But before her palm could reach her forehead, Nether Phoenix suddenly screamed again. "Aah!"

She clutched her head, her whole body convulsing, her face contorted in agony.

After a moment, she stopped screaming again. Pale and as weak as a sick person, she stared at Kolan in terror.