After a month of secluded cultivation, Hodan's Fate Mid-God Clone had finally absorbed enough Soul Golden Beads for his soul to reach the peak of the Mid-God level. His understanding of the Fate Rule had become much clearer. The same was true of his Saint-level clone, though it was too soon to see any results.
As for his Thunder God Clone, it was a long story. Even with his Saint Domain True Body cultivating alongside it at full effort, and despite training in a place where the elemental concentration was two thousand times that of the material plane, Hodan had fused less than 0.5% of the Thunder Element with the Swiftness Profound Mystery, even counting progress as 100%. He had his Renars Clan bloodline to thank for getting that far.
The Renars Clan was a powerful clan in Hell, one of the highest planes. Its patriarch was the unique divine beast, the Thunder Serpent. As a member of the Renars Clan, Hodan naturally had Thunder Serpent blood in his veins, though it was very thin. Unless a divine beast clan arranged a bloodline baptism like the Four Divine Beasts Clan had, bloodlines tended to grow weaker with each generation. Only occasionally did one see a return to the ancestors.
Hodan's Thunder Serpent bloodline was so diluted that he had only reached the eighth rank by adulthood. He had managed to become a Mid-God thanks to his good parents, their guidance, and a little talent of his own. But after he reached the Mid-God level, his talent seemed to run dry. It was as if he had reached his limit; no matter how hard he trained, he gained very little.
As it was, Hodan's Thunder Element cultivation could still improve, and he had even begun fusing Mysteries. He owed that to the fact that he was a transmigrator. He couldn't help but marvel at how poor the original owner of this body's talent had been.
Hodan had no choice but to change his approach. He had his Saint Domain True Body focus entirely on cultivating the Fate Rule, while his Thunder God Clone remained on Yulan Continent to observe Linley. After all, a Divine Clone shared its vision and senses with the original body.
Time slowly passed as Hodan cultivated. He often used his divine sense to observe the Baruch Mansion.
Then, one day in the year 9982 of the Yulan calendar, Hodan's divine sense caught the entire Baruch Mansion in an uproar. The mansion's master, Hogg, was about to welcome a child with his wife, Lina.
Hodan focused and watched without moving.
Hogg paced anxiously outside the birthing room. Inside, his wife Lina endured the pain of childbirth. Sweat covered the beautiful brown-haired woman's face, but it did nothing to diminish the glow of a soon-to-be mother. She was doing all she could to bring her child into the world.
There was nothing Hogg could do. He could only pray in silence.
Suddenly, a sound that filled Hogg with joy rang out: the cry of a newborn baby.
An anomaly had been born!
"Congratulations, my lord. It's a young master," the midwife said, emerging with a beaming smile to deliver the news.
"Lina's given birth! Lina's given birth! Hahahahaha! I, Hogg, have a son of my own! I have a son!" he shouted excitedly, waving his arms like a child.
As Hogg celebrated, divine light blazed in Hodan's eyes. The gears of fate had begun to turn. If no outside force interfered, the baby Hodan watched would grow up, overcome every danger, and eventually transcend this world to become the exalted Hongmeng Controller.
At that moment, Hodan felt the surging river of fate. He seized the fleeting flash of insight and let his soul merge into the mighty current, drifting along with it.
Who knew how much time had passed? It might have been an instant, or it might have been a year. At last, Hodan emerged from his insights into the river of fate.
But that was enough, because—
Rumble~~~ A powerful fluctuation of the Laws of the Universe descended. It came from the pavilion where Hodan was.
Hodan's Fate God Clone had truly broken through.
The underground chamber beneath the pavilion should have been dark.
But now, a blue-green light illuminated the entire chamber.
Hodan, his long black hair loose, sat cross-legged. Beside him floated another Hodan with blue-green hair. A black crystal suffused with blue-green light hovered above his head: a Godhead of Fate. The dense radiance of the Rule gathered above it, imbued with the Laws of the Universe.
After a moment... "I finally did it." The black-haired Hodan opened his eyes. His Fate God Clone merged into his body.
"This Fate God Clone really does cultivate much faster than my Thunder God Clone. It looks like I should focus on the Fate Rule for now!" Hodan rose, smiling broadly.
"First, I'll refine my original body." He could clearly feel how powerful the divine body of his Fate God Clone was. Compared with it, his original body was far too weak.
"My original body only reached the level of a Lowgod Artifact after years of strengthening by my Thunder God Clone. How much stronger will it become after being refined with Highgod Power?"
After years of refinement by the Mid-God Power of his Divine Clone, along with his diluted divine beast bloodline, his body had only reached the level of a Lowgod Artifact. Now Hodan couldn't wait to see what Highgod Power could do to strengthen it.
Hodan directed the wisps of divine power he had drawn from the Sea of Rules into every part of his original body. Highgod Power was indeed extraordinary. His body slowly began to transform. His muscles, meridians, and internal organs all grew stronger, but the transformation ended after only a short time.
"Though it didn't last long, my body has improved by a whole tier. In such a short time, my original body has actually reached the level of a Midgod Artifact!" Hodan thought. The gap between a Highgod and a Mid-God was truly enormous.
That explained how, in the original story, the Evil King Odin—a Seven-Star Fiend—could reach the level of a High-God Artifact through energy defense alone. His body had been nourished directly by Highgod Power for so long, so it wasn't impossible that it would eventually reach that level. But that was a long way off for Hodan. For now, his body had only just reached the level of a Midgod Artifact.
"That's enough." Hodan clenched his fist, feeling the powerful strength in his body. He had no intention of continuing to stay here and cultivate in seclusion.
Having reached the Highgod level, he was now one of the true upper-class figures in Hell. He could nourish a High-God Artifact, refine Divine Crystals, or join a great clan and become one of its pillars. Any of those paths would give him a comfortable life. If Hodan had no ambitions, he could simply settle down in Silvermoon City. With his current wealth, as long as he didn't go looking for trouble, he could enjoy himself there for countless years.
But Hodan still had a dream: to reach the pinnacle and find his way home. And given this body's connection to the Eight Great Clans, their feud with the Four Divine Beasts Clan, and the grudge for the deaths of this world's parents and his own, Hodan still had to take revenge on Elder Jiawei of the Four Divine Beasts Clan.
Killing an elder of the Four Divine Beasts Clan would inevitably spark a series of battles. It could lead to one bloody fight after another, perhaps even an all-out final battle.
With that in mind, Hodan decided to leave the city and gain experience. No strong cultivator had ever reached the top through secluded cultivation alone.
Hadn't every strong cultivator forged their strength through slaughter and oceans of blood? Using battle to fuel progress had always been the fastest way to become powerful—provided you survived. Hodan was certain he would be the one to survive to the end.
Please recommend, please bookmark, and all the rest!
Before you continue