War Mission

"The bandits in these Black Mountain Range are as numerous as the hairs on an ox!" Hodan didn't even bother to glance at the corpses on the ground. "My Fate God Clone has finally recovered; it is time to begin the next step."

Being in an unfamiliar environment, it was impossible for Hodan to be caught off guard. He had already spotted the brown-haired man the moment he appeared.

He simply hadn't expected him to attack the cave with such decisiveness.

However, it was already too late. Hodan had finished healing, thanks to his thorough preparations and the fact that he hadn't skimped on the medicinal pills and the Golden Clarity Wine used for consolidating his foundation.

After three months of recuperation, his Fate God Clone had fully recovered. Furthermore, through this great battle, Hodan's comprehension of the Fate Rules had finally reached the level of a Six-Star Fiend.

It is often said that calamity is the best catalyst for growth—calamity and fortune are two sides of the same coin. If you cannot overcome it, it is a calamity; if you can, it naturally becomes fortune. His Fate God Clone had enjoyed this fortune, naturally breaking through to the level of a Six-Star Fiend.

Now, Hodan could finally use his ultimate technique with some flexibility. Previously, his cultivation was insufficient to support it, but now, Hodan could use "Present World Delusion" twenty or thirty times in a single battle without issue. Once Hodan truly became a Seven-Star Fiend, this move would become a standard technique for him.

The current Hodan was firmly at the peak of a Six-Star Fiend, with offensive power that could even reach the Seven-Star level; it was only his speed and defense that lagged behind. However, regarding defense, Hodan possessed a full set of defensive divine artifacts, so that was not a problem. What Hodan lacked was speed; he was currently a Six-Star Fiend with Seven-Star level offense.

One could call him a quasi-Seven-Star Fiend. Such an existence is a Six-Star Fiend with severe specialization—reaching the Seven-Star level in one aspect, but not being as comprehensive as a true Seven-Star Fiend. Nevertheless, under specific circumstances, he could battle a Seven-Star Fiend.

Although he had been severely injured in that battle, the gains were not small. He had gained a deeper understanding of the Death Rules; slaughter was indeed the best manifestation of death.

It seemed he could take on more war-related Fiend missions; this would accelerate the process of his Death Rules becoming a god.

"It is time to leave." Hodan retrieved a flying Metal Lifeform from a ring, flew into it, and manipulated it to streak across the sky, flying out of the mountain range at a terrifying speed.

After his breakthrough, Hodan's strength was at least ten times greater than it had been three months ago, and by manipulating the flying Metal Lifeform, his speed was also much faster.

Hodan's Metal Lifeform streaked across the horizon, racing through the sky. Whenever someone used their divine sense to probe, Hodan would send out a blade of light to warn them.

The current Hodan no longer bothered to trouble those low-level bandits. As long as they didn't attack him, he didn't mind letting them off.

At dusk, outside Silvermoon City.

The Metal Lifeform piloted by Hodan streaked by like a ray of light and stopped before the city gate. It had taken Hodan nearly six months to reach the Black Mountain Range, but the return trip had taken only ten days.

The benefits of his greatly increased strength were obvious; even traveling was much faster. Although he couldn't travel at full speed due to creating his ultimate technique and getting lost during the journey, the extent of Hodan's growth was clear.

Entering Silvermoon City through the Fiend passage, it was now others who looked at Hodan with envy and awe.

After resting for a night, Hodan brought all his divine clones in Hell together. From now on, Hodan would push his potential to the limit to seek the fastest progress.

Hodan chose not to meet up with Silvermoon and the others, heading straight to the Fiend Castle to accept a war mission without a moment's delay.

Hodan wanted to temper his Fate Rules through slaughter and death, rapidly improve his Destruction God Clone, and allow his Death Rules to become a god.

The Fiend Castle seemed eternal and unchanging.

Hodan accepted a Six-Star war mission. Yes, Hodan was prepared to raise his Fiend rank; he already possessed the strength of a Six-Star Fiend. Hodan no longer chose to hide, and in the future, when dealing with the Four Divine Beasts Clan, the status of a Prefecture Lord might be useful.

And only a Seven-Star Fiend could challenge a Prefecture Lord; otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to see them. Unless you were a Paragon, you had to follow the rules of the Fiend Castle, completing missions from low star-levels all the way to seven.

Six-Star War Mission: Application from Alex, leader of the Thick Earth Tribe, to destroy the Black Water Tribe alongside the Thick Earth Tribe. Reward: 6 billion Inkstone. Accepted by 1 (6) person. Arrive at the Thick Earth Tribe within one year. (Note: This mission is extremely dangerous; it is recommended to have the strength of a peak Six-Star Fiend to accept.)

The Metal Lifeform vanished into the horizon, leaving Silvermoon City and flying toward the Thick Earth Tribe.

Hodan's Fate God Clone piloted the Metal Lifeform, while his Destruction God Clone contemplated the Destruction Rules, and his true body contemplated the Death Rules.

His Fate God Clone had already reached the Six-Star Fiend level, and it would be difficult to make significant progress in the short term unless an event involving the protagonist changing fate occurred, or he survived a major battle. But Linley was only about 2 years old, still in his childhood. Aside from his mother Lina being sacrificed to the Radiant Overlord by the Radiant Church, nothing major had happened.

Even that sacrifice only gave Hodan a slight stir; there was no major progress. After all, Linley's mother didn't have much influence on Linley; other than giving birth to the protagonist, she didn't play a major role in driving Linley's fate.

War is cruel. In the past, Hodan could only see such cruelty on television and in the news, but now, he was going to participate in this cruelty himself, even appearing as a creator of it.

In reality, lingering on the edge of life and death, dancing on the blade—Hodan felt his blood boil at such dangerous things, despite his formerly peaceful life.

Although Hodan also felt fear, the belief in returning home was deeply engraved in his soul.

Facing death directly was a feeling Hodan had never experienced in his life, and it actually made him feel a surge of excitement. Between life and death lies great terror, and between life and death lies great opportunity.

Hodan now enjoyed the breakthroughs found between life and death; this feeling made him feel it was indescribably wonderful.

It could only be said that the environment and experiences of different worlds could truly change a person. The former Hodan was just an ordinary office worker, but now he had a tendency to become a battle maniac.

In the plains where the Thick Earth Tribe was located, an ancient black-brown castle rose from the ground. This black-brown castle was built entirely of "Black Brown Stone." Don't let the name fool you; although it sounds inferior to Black Jade, this stone is incredibly hard and is the main material used for building city walls in Hell. With the castle built entirely of Black Brown Stone and reinforced with formations, its defensive power could be said to be even more formidable than a city wall.

At the same time, this castle was also the residence of the Thick Earth Tribe leader.

The Thick Earth Tribe was rich in this "Black Brown Stone." The leader of the Thick Earth Tribe was highly skilled in the Earth Laws and was himself a Seven-Star Fiend; the tribe was named the Thick Earth Tribe because of him. Only a tribe created by a Seven-Star Fiend could occupy such a vast territory rich in this important construction material.