The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

By straining his ears, Han Wu was able to overhear the conversation of the cloaked individuals.

One of the individuals, presumably the leader, addressed the group, stating, “The God King’s reputation is in jeopardy, as he is being labeled a failed investor. He has recklessly spent hundreds of billions of Divine Points to make this ceremony possible. We absolutely must succeed, regardless of the obstacles!”

The group responded in unison, “We understand.”

One individual revealed, “I’ve placed warning signs at the perimeter of the ruins to prevent people from entering. Anyone with common sense would steer clear.”

Another reported, “I’ve also cast a wide-ranging illusion spell that will remain active for three days. Even Demigods will become disoriented within the illusion. Only those with God-level power or higher will be unaffected.”

A third added, “I’ve secured all the hotels in the vicinity, ensuring this location won’t be recorded on any of their maps. No one will be able to locate this place.”

The rest of the group proceeded with their reports, and the leader responded with a nod of approval. “Excellent work, everyone! Let’s retrieve the prize and receive the God King’s generous reward!”

A member of the group announced to the leader, “It’s almost time. We should begin the ceremony.”

The leader nodded in agreement and produced a large quantity of Gene Stones. They then meticulously arranged the Gene Stones on the courtyard ground, as these priceless items were essential for initiating the ceremony.

As midnight arrived, a strange energy started to emanate from the courtyard, and the neatly arranged Gene Stones intensified this energy. Suddenly, the concentrated energy transformed into a dark green beam of light, shooting directly into the night sky.

The pillar of light pierced through the clouds, revealing a massive array that encompassed the entire area. The six cloaked individuals were visibly excited, as they had uncovered a peculiar seal left behind in the Divine River Ruins.

While it was a fact that the Divine River Ruins were an abandoned project of the Divine River Civilization, the genuine reason was concealed from the general populace. The project was discontinued due to the perilous nature of the research being carried out, which ultimately led to its abandonment and subsequent sealing.

The leaders of the Divine River Civilization intended to reactivate the project in the future when they could manage the inherent risks, but a certain God King had somehow acquired this confidential information. Using the mutated beast farm as a cover, the God King secretly researched about and investigated the method to break the seal, and after investing hundreds of billions of Divine Points—an amount most could not even imagine—the God King ultimately discovered how to unlock the seal.

Had it been possible, the God King would have come in person to unseal the area, but unfortunately, there was an additional special seal in place that restricted entry to life forms with at most 10 Divine Essence.

The array began to slowly rotate, its seal gradually weakening. Without warning, a cold, robotic voice, devoid of emotion, resonated within the consciousness of every life form in the surrounding area.

[Unsealing Project Divine River Origin of Mutation]

The cloaked figures were elated, having successfully unsealed the site. They had meticulously prepared for this moment. Just as they thought everything was proceeding perfectly, a loud alarm suddenly blared, unexpectedly shattering the moment.

[Warning! Warning! The entity unsealing the Project is not a designated Super Soldier from the Divine River Ruins. Assigning status as invaders and aborting unsealing protocols.]

[Initiating security protocols. Releasing Rank 6 mutated beast Gemora...]

[Warning! Security protocols are being disrupted. Origin of Mutation has broken free. Currently attempting suppression...]

[%^$%$^#@(E%@]

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed in the minds of everyone nearby. The cloaked figures clutched their heads in agony, blood seeping from their orifices. The blaring warnings created a sense of overwhelming disorientation, until a taunting voice addressed them.

“Well, hello there, you adorable little things from the Divine Civilization.”

“Who said that? Who’s there? Show yourself at once!” the cloaked individuals cried out anxiously, their eyes frantically darting around the courtyard, yet they saw no one.

“I am the Origin of Mutation. Thank you for weakening my seal, which has allowed me to escape. To express my gratitude, I will offer you a chance to become my vessel. However, only one of you can hold this honor. I wonder which one it will be. Let’s play a little game, shall we?”

The environment abruptly changed, plunging them into a completely pitch-black space. In front of them, a green, humanoid silhouette materialized. Its body, sticky and fluid, constantly shifted like a viscous liquid. The figure pinched the liquid around its face, forming a grotesquely exaggerated smile. Its mouth sputtered as it began to speak.

“The rules of this contest are simple: you will breed and train a mutated beast to battle and defeat the Rank 6 mutated beast, Gemora. You will each be given 10,000 high-purity Radiation Stones for experimentation. The one who emerges victorious in this challenge will be granted the honor of becoming my vessel!”

One of the cloaked figures shouted, “I have no intention of becoming your vessel! If you do not release us immediately, I will unleash all of my units and obliterate this place!”

However, the individual abruptly discovered that he could not access his divine realm, as if it were completely isolated by an impenetrable barrier.

With a chilling chuckle, the Origin of Mutation declared, “And so, the first loser has revealed himself.”

In an instant, a horrifying mutated creature, resembling a T-rex, appeared and devoured the unsuspecting cloaked person who had dared to threaten the Origin of Mutation. This mutated beast was none other than the Rank 6 mutated beast Gemora.

The cloaked individuals, despite being Demigods, were rendered utterly powerless in this space and unable to retaliate against the Origin of Mutation. They trembled at the realization of their helplessness. Without access to their divine realms, they were utterly weak. They knew, without a doubt, that Gemora was an insurmountable opponent, even if they combined their strength.

Inadvertently caught in this predicament, Han Wu softly murmured, “Regarding that... I’m unable to connect to my divine realm and summon my units.”

The other five cloaked people were taken aback to find someone else there, having been completely unaware of Han Wu’s presence until he spoke up.

“Rest assured, little guy. I won’t leave you out,” the Origin of Mutation chuckled, snapping its liquid fingers. A small, singular-direction gate opened near Han Wu, granting him the ability to summon his units, but not to send them back. The Origin of Mutation had completely eliminated Han Wu’s option of escaping into his Divine Realm.

The five remaining cloaked individuals covertly attempted to establish a connection with their divine realms, but found their efforts futile. They were compelled to comply with the Origin of Mutation’s demands. They were forced to send the Radiation Stones back to their divine realms and command their units to consume them.

While the Radiation Stones caused intense agony for the units that consumed them, they also triggered mutations within their bodies. However, these mutations were unpredictable and often resulted in adverse effects.

After feeding the Radiation Stones to their units, they found that 40% of their units suffered immediate fatalities, 30% were rendered immobile, and 20% were severely weakened. The remaining 10% showed no adverse effects from the stones. Only a small fraction of their units exhibited noticeable strength gains after the mutations.

However, even with the gain in strength, the improvement was not limitless. It was evident that the mutated units were still significantly weaker than the Rank 6 mutated beast Gemora.

The five cloaked individuals frowned, realizing the futility of their situation. They understood that they could not create a mutated beast capable of defeating Gemora, even if they were to sacrifice every single one of their units.

In contrast, Han Wu was experiencing significantly less difficulty than the five cloaked individuals.