Chapter221-Soul Release
Kafka stood still in the quiet of the Soulstone mine, deep in thought.
He was seriously considering whether he should head back.
After all, without Daniel by his side, mining Soul Stones alone was practically impossible. The process required at least two people—one to extract, the other to guard. In this treacherous place, working alone was almost a death sentence.
But just as he was about to make a decision, Daniel's figure suddenly reappeared beside him—without warning, as if reality had momentarily blinked.
Daniel didn't stop to rest, nor did he explain where he had gone. Instead, he looked straight at Kafka and said calmly:
"Don't just stand there. Let's keep digging."
...
Meanwhile, deep inside the City of the Undead, Glaton's monstrous body was now riddled with dozens of small wounds.
While none of them were deep enough to threaten him physically—they were, in fact, mere scratches compared to his enormous body—they weren't what truly alarmed him.
No, what terrified Glaton was the state of his SAN value.
Every physical injury could slowly heal with time, but the effects of [Contamination] were only increasing.
Currently, the Contamination debuff was causing a 1% decrease in SAN per day.
Which meant that this once-proud and seemingly immortal being now had less than 100 days before complete mental collapse.
What's more, Glaton had realized something chilling—that with each stab Daniel inflicted, his spiritual corruption deepened, and his remaining days grew fewer.
No longer arrogant, no longer taunting, Glaton had completely sobered up. His pride had shattered, and he now spoke with humility—his once-lofty demeanor reduced to begging.
"My friend... there's no need for this," Glaton pleaded.
"It was all my fault earlier. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness. Just this once."
He was desperate. He had finally realized how helpless he was against Daniel.
Despite his godlike power in the Undead Lands, Glaton found that no matter what he did, he couldn't even touch Daniel, let alone harm him.
After several failed attempts to retaliate, Glaton was forced to face an uncomfortable truth: there was a reason why Daniel was so feared and respected in the world of the living.
No—forget the world of the living. Even here in the Undead Lands, Daniel's strength was absolute.
And Glaton himself was living proof of that.
A being like Daniel... could not be provoked.
Now, as regret filled his heart, Glaton thought back to just minutes earlier—how smug he had felt showing off his soul collection, how proud he had been of imprisoning powerful spirits like trophies.
And now? That same pride had turned into despair.
Why had he ever messed with Daniel?
But what Glaton didn't know was that from the very beginning, Daniel had never planned to let him go.
To Daniel, the act of imprisoning powerful souls—treating them as collectibles—was utterly unforgivable.
His plan had always been simple: an eye for an eye, a soul for a soul.
If Glaton enjoyed imprisoning others' souls, then Daniel would do the same to him.
"Glaton," Daniel said, voice sharp as frost, "Didn't you think you were so powerful?"
"Didn't you want to enslave me? Use the souls of human heroes to threaten me?"
"I have to say, you're incredibly bold."
"Let me tell you something," Daniel continued. "The last person who tried to threaten me... is probably wandering somewhere in the Undead Lands by now."
"At least he had the chance to become a soul. But you? Glaton, do you think you will get that chance?"
Daniel's voice grew colder with every word. He hated being threatened.
Ever since awakening his powers, few had dared to challenge him—fewer still had lived to regret it.
"I can release the souls of the human heroes right now!" Glaton blurted, desperate to salvage the situation.
But Daniel shook his head slowly.
"Not just the humans," he said. "I want you to release all of them. Every single soul you've imprisoned."
Glaton blinked, startled. Among the thousands of souls he had collected over the centuries, there were undoubtedly both good and evil spirits—some of them were murderers and warlords, beings with heinous pasts.
But Daniel didn't care.
He wasn't worried.
With his current strength, there wasn't a soul he couldn't handle.
Besides, the souls wouldn't be able to pass through the Gate of Life immediately after release. There were procedures to follow. Judgments to make.
Daniel planned to organize a grand trial for all of them.
More importantly, he had no intention of letting them return to life the traditional way.
If the souls went through the Gate of Life, they would be reincarnated as infants—having to live out an entire life again just to grow strong once more.
But time was something Daniel could no longer afford to waste.
The Millennium Apocalypse was already upon them. There was no time for slow development.
Daniel's plan was straightforward: once he finished synthesizing [Grand Resurrection], he would revive them all at full strength.
That way, every warrior could return at the peak of their power—ready to fight.
Faced with Daniel's demands, Glaton dared not refuse. He agreed immediately.
At the same time, he frantically tried every purification skill he had. Holy light, soul cleansing, divine chants—nothing worked.
No matter what he did, the [Contamination] status refused to lift.
He even attempted full reincarnation, hoping that starting over might cleanse the corruption.
But even after being reborn, the status remained.
Could it be... that Contamination had already fused with his soul?
The mere thought chilled Glaton to the core.
Heavy with dread, he stopped hesitating and gave the order:
"All Soul Enforcers, listen carefully—go to the prison cells and release all prisoners. From this moment forward, no soul is to be imprisoned again!"
...
In the dungeons beneath Glaton's castle, Daniel stood before rows of cages—each one housing a "trophy."
In his hand was a ring of keys, which Glaton had just handed over reluctantly.
With a simple twist of a key, the first cage creaked open.
A frail soul crawled out, barely able to stand.
[First Human Emperor: Arthur]
Though his spirit was weak, Arthur still struggled to stand tall—his posture proud despite his condition.
Yet even in this moment of freedom, he didn't seem particularly joyful.
This surprised Daniel.
Arthur looked at him, voice calm and clear.
"You finally came," he said. "Right on time."
Daniel gave a small wave, and the keys in his hand flew out, unlocking cage after cage in rapid succession.
One by one, the imprisoned souls were freed.
More and more of them emerged—ghostly figures of every race, all reclaiming their freedom after ages in captivity.
And not just the basement. All over the City of the Undead, prison gates opened wide.
Thousands of souls drifted into the streets, confused but elated.
"Why are the cells open?" one asked.
"Did Lord Glaton have a change of heart?"
"No, no—you don't know? There was a huge battle at the castle just now!"
"I saw it myself! Some human soul was attacking the lord's defenses!"
"You think it's because of that human... that we're free now?"
As speculation ran wild, one spirit—a recently deceased awakener—paused.
He scratched his head. Something about this whole scene felt... familiar.
Though he had only recently died, his memories were still mostly intact.
And for some reason, this entire incident—the sudden release of souls, the defiance against Glaton, the style of action—it all reminded him of one person.
Could it be... Daniel?
But that was absurd.
Lord Daniel couldn't have died—couldn't possibly be here in this cursed land.
Right?
"...No," the awakener muttered to himself. "Lord Daniel would never die... and he definitely wouldn't be in a place like this..."
Even as he said it, though, a sliver of doubt crept into his mind.
Chapter222-The Shocked Soul
Inside Glaton's castle, Glaton carefully looked at Daniel, a flattering smile on his face as he spoke.
"Daniel, I have released all the souls as you requested. If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to give the order!"
He had now fully understood. The Daniel in front of him was someone he could not afford to offend, so his attitude had shifted rapidly. The more one possesses, the more they fear losing it.
For Glaton, he had already become the ruler of the Undead Lands. There was no need to offend Daniel over something so trivial. If he truly allowed his consciousness to be overtaken by madness and destruction, that would be the end of him.
On the other hand, Daniel remained calm in response to Glaton's fawning. His expression was unreadable.
"But before that, there's one more thing I need to ask you, and that's about the Book of Souls."
It was clear that Glaton knew about the Book of Souls, or else he wouldn't have made such laws. Upon hearing Daniel's inquiry, a look of fear appeared on Glaton's face.
"Your Highness Daniel, why are you asking about the Book of Souls?"
Before Glaton could even finish the question, he regretted it instantly, as a dagger appeared on his knee.
"Am I the one asking you, or are you asking me?"
"You just need to answer my question."
Glaton immediately nodded, his head bobbing frantically in agreement.
"I understand, I won't speak out of turn again."
"However, the Book of Souls is not in this city. To find it, you need to travel to another space."
"The Undead Lands we are in now only serve to guide the souls from your world."
"But the location of the Book of Souls is actually in another part of the Undead Lands, one that handles the souls of the Oden Continent."
"Do you need me to explain more about the Oden Continent?"
"No need," Daniel shook his head, furrowing his brow slightly.
It seemed that this Glaton wasn't being truthful.
Using the Eye of Insight, Daniel clearly saw that Glaton's claim about the Book of Souls being in another part of the Undead Lands was entirely a lie!
Since that was the case, it could only mean that the lesson Daniel had given wasn't enough.
With a cold smile in his heart, Daniel took two daggers out of his backpack space and moved swiftly, leaving several shallow and deep cuts on Glaton's body.
Even though Glaton was trying his best to dodge, it was completely ineffective.
Each of Daniel's attacks landed precisely on Glaton, causing damage.
In the blink of an eye, Glaton's sanity (san) had dropped by another 3%.
Glaton immediately shouted in rage.
"Why?? I've answered all your questions, why do you still attack me?"
Daniel sneered.
"I can tell when someone is lying. You just deceived me!"
He couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on Glaton. It would be far more time-efficient to directly threaten him.
On the other side, hearing Daniel's words, Glaton felt an overwhelming sense of despair.
At that moment, a thought of escape briefly crossed his mind.
But that thought was fleeting.
After all, Glaton knew very well that it would be nearly impossible to escape under Daniel's watchful eyes.
Moreover, even if he could escape, he wouldn't be able to rid himself of the Contamination that was eating away at him.
So, for the sake of his own life, he had no choice but to ask Daniel to help him eliminate the debuff.
At this point, all the initiative had shifted into Daniel's hands.
"I'll give you one last chance. If your answer doesn't satisfy me, you will die here today."
"Even without you, I can still find the Book of Souls."
Daniel's voice wasn't loud, but his tone was incredibly firm.
Glaton had no choice but to kneel before Daniel.
By this point, Glaton's castle had already been severely damaged during their earlier battle. Now, countless souls could witness the scene of Glaton kneeling!
"How is this possible?! The great lord is kneeling to a mere human soul?"
"Am I seeing things?? The ruler of the City of the Undead is actually kneeling to someone else?!"
Some of the recently deceased souls, upon seeing the familiar figure, went into a state of shock.
"My God, how is this possible?!"
"Damn it, this can't be a dream, can it?? Bro, slap me to check!"
"Wait, why are you slapping me in the face? Just punch me! But... this is not a dream!!"
"Are you an idiot? You're dead and still dreaming?!"
"No, look! That's Daniel! It's really him!"
"No way??? Why is Daniel here? Did he die too?"
"No, even if Daniel died, why would the lord kneel before him?"
"It's really Daniel! As expected, he's still the same powerful figure, even in death!"
The souls that recognized Daniel were all unfortunate individuals. Originally, thanks to Daniel, the entire human race and the many other races were rapidly advancing. But they had tragically lost their lives due to some accidents.
Dying at such a time was the most unfair fate. But they never imagined that even in death, when they arrived at the Undead Lands, they would still encounter Daniel.
And they were able to witness this rare scene.
The one kneeling before Daniel was truly Glaton, the high and mighty lord of the Soul City?
The one so powerful that he couldn't even handle Daniel?
Meanwhile, the souls that had been in the Undead Lands a little longer were equally stunned by the sight.
"From what you're saying, this human just died recently?"
"My God, a newly deceased soul dares to challenge Glaton, he's too fierce!"
"The most incredible thing is, Glaton was actually subdued by him. This human young man is too strong!"
"Oh my God, so Daniel is this strong? I thought those rumors were exaggerated, but they were all true!"
Above in the sky, Glaton cautiously transmitted a message to Daniel.
"The Book of Souls is actually in..."
Castle Mington
The Archbishop had completed his final prayer.
His gaze swept over the believers in the room, his voice old yet carrying a commanding authority.
"From this day forward, the Church of Gold & Silver will be officially disbanded."
"Always remember, you are human. Your parents, children, relatives, and friends are all human. You must support humanity."
"The reason we follow Aurelia is because of the beliefs she spread. These beliefs dispel the darkness and bring us hope."
"But if one day, Aurelia betrays the light, we will not hesitate to act."
Chapter223-Book of Souls
The elderly voice of the Archbishop echoed throughout the church. At this moment, his face was calm, but one could sense a deep melancholy in his demeanor. Slowly, he raised his head and looked at the Human Emperor in front of him. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"Odin, my old friend, do you see me as just a fanatical believer?"
"Actually, I've always known what it is I truly worship."
The Human Emperor nodded slightly, his previously serious expression softening as he spoke.
"Old friend, I had no choice. You know, for the sake of the entire human race, I had to make this decision."
"But the Church of Gold & Silver has indeed had some undeniable influence on humanity."
"Over the past millennium, the Church of Gold & Silver has contributed greatly to humanity."
At this point, the Archbishop paused, his voice quiet for a moment before continuing with seriousness, looking directly at the Human Emperor.
"So, I have a request. If we are able to survive this Millennium Apocalypse, I hope we can rebuild the Church of Gold & Silver."
"Of course, the newly rebuilt church will not carry this name, and the god we worship will certainly no longer be Aurelia."
Upon hearing this request, the Human Emperor did not immediately reject it.
Although he now knew that Aurelia was the mastermind behind the Millennium Apocalypse, the truth remained that she still held a prominent place in the hearts of many humans.
Although the Archbishop had now said that he would no longer worship the Goddess of Gold & Silver, for caution's sake, the Human Emperor did not immediately agree.
After a brief pause, he spoke slowly.
"Old friend, would you be willing to join the Infinite Divine Temple?"
"Only within the Infinite Divine Temple can you find a long-lost peace, and you can undergo the temple's purification to erase your pain."
Hearing the Human Emperor's suggestion, the Archbishop hesitated. After all, he had worshiped the Goddess of Gold & Silver for many years. Even though he knew she was about to turn against humanity, he was still not accustomed to worshiping another god.
This proposal, however, had actually come from Daniel. Daniel's intent was clear: he absolutely would not allow any traitors among the human race!
Especially with the imminent arrival of the Goddess of Gold & Silver, if a traitor within humanity secretly used the summoning ritual to bring her to the surface, it would be a catastrophic blow to all races.
Thus, Daniel would not give these believers any chance to escape.
They either accepted the purification of the Infinite Divine Temple and changed their faith, or they would have their memories of Aurelia erased through mental modification.
It was clear that the Archbishop realized this as well. A bitter smile appeared on his face as he softly said,
"Then, it seems I have no other choice."
The Archbishop had lived in the church for many years, and it was impossible for him to have no emotional attachment. In fact, a significant portion of his memories were tied to the Goddess of Gold & Silver.
Yet, even so, the Goddess of Gold & Silver was not everything to him. After a brief moment of hesitation, the Archbishop made his decision.
"I am willing to worship the Infinite Divine Temple."
The Human Emperor nodded in acknowledgment before continuing.
"Currently, the Infinite Divine Temple is the Divine Temple with the largest following among humanity, and Daniel has said that a special chapel will be built for you."
Upon hearing this, the Archbishop was visibly surprised. He had initially thought that someone like him, an heretic, would be burned at the stake, but the Infinite Divine Temple was actually so tolerant?
Seemingly sensing the Archbishop's doubts, the Human Emperor chuckled and spoke,
"Old friend, you seem to have some prejudices against the Infinite Divine Temple."
"Let me tell you the truth, my friend. The Infinite Divine Temple is far more expansive than you can imagine."
"Originally, your teachings—I'm sure similar ones can be found in the Infinite Divine Temple as well."
Upon hearing these words, the Archbishop let out a relieved sigh.
"If that's the case, then I can seriously consider it. All things considered, we are very fortunate to avoid internal strife."
The two old friends, having known each other for many years, once again exchanged a solemn handshake.
If this war had broken out, the consequences would have been disastrous for everyone. Thus, they both silently prayed that, in the end, the matter could be resolved peacefully.
On the other side, the Archbishop's figure had already appeared outside the Infinite Divine Temple of Castle Mington. After entering to pay his respects, a look of suspicion appeared on his face.
"Could the Infinite Divine Temple really be this accepting?"
In the blink of an eye, he returned to the Human Emperor's side.
"My friend, it seems you were right. The Infinite Divine Temple's teachings are incredibly inclusive, and everything encourages goodness, which aligns with my previous beliefs."
"However, there's still one issue in my heart. My old friend, can you tell me, do you truly believe that the gods love us?"
This question left the Human Emperor speechless. After some time to reflect, he slowly spoke.
"Actually, I'm not entirely sure. Shouldn't you have already known the answer to that?"
"Old friend, hasn't the god entrusted you with any tasks?"
To this question, the Archbishop only offered a faint, bitter smile.
"At present, I have no tasks, and I've also severed my connection with the Goddess of Gold & Silver."
"I don't care about other things. I only hope that my little sprout grows up healthy and happy, without being affected by strange influences."
It was clear that the Archbishop had spoken these words from a place of disillusionment. The question he asked was one that he already knew the answer to in his heart.
"Does the god love the world? The truth is, we don't know."
"According to the scriptures, the god is said to love humanity because he wrote 'God loves the world' a thousand times on his draft paper. But so what?"
Undead Lands
Glaton trembled all over, his bulging belly shaking uncontrollably.
"Daniel, please, stop attacking me. I've told you everything."
"The Book of Souls actually exists in two copies, and I only have one of them. The other is hidden on the stars in the sky."
Daniel slowly raised his head, furrowing his brow.
He had never expected that the other copy of the Book of Souls actually existed, and was hidden on a planet in the sky.
In the Undead Lands, it seemed like there was no passage of time, but in reality, time was shifting.
At that moment, Glaton pleaded,
"I've told you everything you asked. Now, can you let me go?"
Chapter224-Set the Conditions
With a look of deep frustration plastered on his face, Glaton finally gave in and led Daniel to his private treasure vault.
This vault was located in an extremely concealed area. The items it housed were not ordinary—every one of them was a rare treasure, painstakingly collected by Glaton over several millennia. Each piece was the finest of the fine.
The Book of Souls was among these invaluable relics, which explained why Daniel had searched every corner of the City of the Undead in vain and still failed to locate it.
If Glaton had any choice in the matter, he would never have brought Daniel here. Because once this vault was exposed, if Daniel decided to loot it clean, Glaton would likely feel that death itself would be preferable.
But in front of Daniel, he had no ability to resist. After all, what could be more important than one's own life?
Standing before the hidden vault's entrance, Glaton's face revealed a rare flicker of determination.
"Your Highness Daniel," Glaton said solemnly, "I cannot open this vault unless you release me."
"My life is in your hands. I fear that once you take what you want, you'll simply kill me to eliminate loose ends."
"If you disagree, then go ahead and kill me now."
Glaton was no fool. He had already deduced Daniel's true purpose—he wasn't here to kill for sport, nor to rob Glaton of all his treasures. Daniel's real objective was the Book of Souls.
That was why Glaton was gambling his only leverage—using the Book of Souls to bargain for his life.
To him, this might be his sole chance at survival. Because if Daniel got what he wanted first, there would be no more incentive to let Glaton live.
On the other side, Daniel heard Glaton's conditions and gave him a warm, reassuring smile.
"No problem, my friend. I can absolutely agree to that."
"As long as you take me inside, help me retrieve the Book of Souls, and tell me the whereabouts of the other Book of Souls, I will let you go. You have my word."
But Glaton wasn't a child—he wouldn't naively trust such vague promises.
His expression turned serious.
"Your Highness Daniel, I believe it's best if we formalize this agreement through a contract."
Glaton feared death, yes—but he had no other choice. He was nearly certain that once his value ran out, Daniel would not hesitate to get rid of him.
So even if it meant risking Daniel's wrath, he decided to insist on a binding contract.
Daniel's face darkened with a hint of irritation. But it quickly faded, replaced with a calm expression.
"Very well. I'll sign your contract."
Almost at the same moment, Daniel's avatar swapped places with his true body.
This exchange surpassed the limitations of space itself—so smooth and silent that even someone as powerful as the demigod-ranked Glaton couldn't sense it.
On Glaton's side, as soon as he heard Daniel agree, he instantly pulled out a contract scroll from his spatial pouch.
This wasn't some ordinary piece of parchment. Contract scrolls of this caliber were incredibly expensive, and their binding force was formidable—even demigod-level powerhouses couldn't easily escape their terms.
In fact, scrolls like this were sometimes used as materials for forging God-Rank skill scrolls.
Daniel's eyes lit up with a flash of greed the moment he saw the contract.
Still, now was not the time to make a move. There was no rush—once he took Glaton's place entirely, all of this would eventually belong to him anyway.
Meanwhile, Daniel had already spread his spiritual perception outward—and what he discovered was astounding.
It turned out that this wasn't the only vault in the vicinity. Quite the opposite. Within a radius of three hundred miles, there were more than a hundred vaults, ranging in size and complexity!
And the treasures within them were astonishing in both quality and quantity.
Daniel even found a large number of rare materials used in the synthesis of God-Rank Skills.
There was no denying it—Glaton's collection was incredibly rich, surpassing even the haul Daniel had gathered throughout the Myriad Races Continent.
Some of the items were so rare that Daniel had never even heard of them before—and now, here they were, resting quietly in Glaton's secret vaults.
"Soul Heart, Reincarnation Godwood..."
These materials alone were enough for Daniel to learn not just one, but multiple new God-Rank Skills.
To put it plainly, even Daniel himself hadn't expected to gain so much from this trip to the Undead Lands.
The efficiency here far outpaced anything he could manage in the Myriad Races world.
But for now, the most important task was to locate all of Glaton's collections—then replace him entirely.
"I'm willing to sign the contract."
Daniel took the scroll, scrawled his name upon it, and the moment he did, the contract transformed into a streak of light that shot into the sky.
A shimmering screen of light appeared before him, displaying the full terms and conditions of the agreement.
On it were clear instructions about what each party was responsible for, and even more detailed were the consequences of violating the terms.
There was no doubt about it—this demigod-level contract possessed extraordinary binding force.
"Now, can you share everything you know about the Book of Souls?" Daniel asked calmly. "Once you do, I'll remove the contamination plaguing your body."
Glaton nodded vigorously. With the contract now active, he had nothing to worry about. He began to tell Daniel everything he knew—no hesitation, no lies.
...
On the other side, Daniel's true body was still with Kafka, continuing to mine Soul Stones.
No matter what kind of contract needed signing, Daniel would never let his true body do it—only his avatars would bear that risk.
At this moment, before Daniel's true form lay a massive pile of over a hundred Soul Stones.
In the Myriad Races world, Soul Stones were considered incredibly rare and precious. But in the Undead Lands, they were as common as gravel.
Once the contract was finalized, Daniel's main body returned to Glaton's side.
At the same time, Glaton respectfully said, "Your Highness Daniel, please wait a moment."
With that, he summoned a portal.
This portal looked eerily similar to the one summoned by the Enforcers previously—black tendrils writhed at its edges, making it look unsettling and almost nauseating.
However, having experienced one of these before, Daniel stepped into it without hesitation.
Moments later, he found himself standing in an enormous, empty space.
Glaton began to introduce it.
"Your Highness Daniel, this is my personal vault. The Book of Souls you're seeking is stored here."
"As for the other Book of Souls... it's located above the stars. I have no means of helping you acquire it."
"However, if you manage to travel to the Star Realm, you might uncover its whereabouts."
Daniel gave a small nod. At the same time, his mind power surged outward.
Sure enough, this was a completely isolated dimension.
Without a specific method to open the entrance, no one would ever be able to find this place.
No wonder he hadn't been able to find the Book of Souls during his earlier search—the secrecy of this place made it completely undetectable.
Chapter225-The Massive Stellar
This kind of independent space was indeed an excellent place to hide treasures. More importantly, it was incredibly difficult for others to detect or infiltrate. Even if not used to hide valuables, it could still serve as a secure refuge—a sanctuary in the face of impending catastrophes.
As long as you had the spatial coordinates, everything was possible.
Daniel understood very well that these isolated pocket dimensions were incredibly rare and precious. If it weren't for the mental contamination Glaton had suffered, he would never have revealed this place to him. After all, even if he faced a lethal threat, Glaton could have simply retreated into this independent realm to wait out the danger.
But the problem was the ongoing contamination debuff—something Glaton had no means of curing.
That's why he had no choice but to bring Daniel here.
Daniel thought to himself: if he could obtain a similar independent space, then even if the human race were to suffer a cataclysmic blow, he could at least preserve a sliver of civilization's flame.
He sent out his spiritual perception to get a rough estimate of this pocket dimension's size.
To be honest, it wasn't small at all.
Comparatively speaking, it was roughly equivalent to the size of Winterhold Castle, plus the Infinite Divine Temple and the Void Tower.
For the human race, this much space was more than enough to house and support at least a billion people.
After reining in his thoughts, Daniel turned his attention back to the Book of Souls.
[Book of Souls]
[Description: A record of every soul that has perished across the Myriad Races Continent, along with the life experiences of those souls.]
Upon receiving the result from the Eye of Insight, Daniel furrowed his brows slightly.
The Book of Souls' actual function didn't seem to match what the Artists had documented. According to their descriptions, the Book of Souls was more akin to a mystical Register of Life and Death—capable of editing, adding, or removing fates.
But this copy he held now felt more like a historical record than a divine tool.
On the surface, the Book of Souls looked thin—barely a centimeter thick. But once opened, it revealed its true nature.
No matter how many pages one flipped through, the book never changed in thickness. It was as if it contained an infinite number of pages, and one could keep reading forever.
Its content was categorized by race and arranged hierarchically—starting from the rulers and leaders of each race and descending from there.
Driven by curiosity, Daniel attempted to search for a specific entry—and sure enough, he found the biography of the previous Human Emperor.
Aurelian
Talent Grade: SSS-level
After awakening his talent during the Awakening Ceremony, Aurelian quickly became the top prodigy of his generation.
Following thirty years of relentless effort, he successfully completed all his Star Upgrade Quests and reached the maximum level of 200.
From that moment onward, Aurelian became the third-generation Human Emperor.
During the last Millennium Apocalypse, Aurelian lured a terrifying creature from the stellar all the way to the abyss by himself.
By the time the Millennium Apocalypse concluded, Aurelian had exhausted all his strength and perished.
Before his death, he mentored and raised the fourth Human Emperor—Odin.
He also maintained "close relations" with the former Elf Queen, Succubus Queen, Blood Clan Queen...
After reading that, Daniel's mouth twitched involuntarily.
At first, Emperor Aurelian had appeared to be a heroic and inspiring figure.
But it seemed that after he became the Human Emperor, he started... living quite indulgently.
He was already an old man, and yet he still played around like that? Remarkable!
That said, Aurelian had made undeniable contributions during the previous Millennium Apocalypse. His sacrifice had greatly aided humanity's survival.
This time around, it was supposed to be Odin's turn to stand at the forefront.
But with Daniel's unexpected rise, Odin had been entirely sidelined, left to drift through this crisis without any burden.
Even so, Daniel couldn't shake the feeling that this Millennium Apocalypse was far more terrifying than any previous one.
After all, unlike past events, this time the gods themselves were descending onto the battlefield.
Daniel pushed aside his distractions and stored away the Book of Souls.
With this in hand, he could now call himself the greatest gossip master in the history of the Myriad Races.
If he wanted to, he could dig up the life stories of virtually any deceased figure.
Of course, gossip remained gossip—entertaining but lacking in practical application.
Then again...
Daniel had a vague suspicion: if he could gather both volumes of the Book of Souls, perhaps something truly extraordinary would happen.
Just then, Glaton spoke up:
"Your Highness Daniel, I've fulfilled my end of the contract. Might I now ask... will you let me go?"
Daniel smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Not yet. You still haven't told me how to reach that stellar in the sky."
"And you haven't provided any concrete intelligence on it, either."
Daniel looked upward. He could see the stellar Glaton had mentioned. But the distance between them was astronomical. His Eye of Insight couldn't glean any details from this far.
On the other side, Glaton wore a conflicted expression. After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
"Actually... that stellar used to be a powerful soul from two thousand years ago."
"At the time, I wasn't strong enough to defeat him. He managed to seize half of the Book of Souls and flew into the skies. Eventually, he transformed into the stellar you see today."
"If you wish to approach him, Your Highness, I suggest heading to the Cloud Mine. It brings you closest to his location."
Daniel nodded, quite satisfied with Glaton's cooperation.
Especially after Glaton realized that lying would be futile—Daniel could see through any falsehood with ease.
In the blink of an eye, the teleportation gate reopened, and Daniel and Glaton returned to Soul City.
The teleportation formation here differed greatly from those in the Myriad Races Continent. It seemed to function through the power of death, which always left Daniel feeling vaguely uncomfortable.
Upon exiting the portal, Daniel found himself standing at the Cloud Mine.
Yet the Cloud Mine was far from what he had imagined.
In his mind, clouds should be soft and fluffy—like cotton.
But the moment Daniel stepped on it, he realized just how mistaken he had been.
This place felt as solid as steel, despite its cloud-like appearance.
Still, Daniel quickly adjusted his mindset.
It was called a mine, after all. What kind of mine would exist without actual minerals?
He shook off his confusion and raised his head slightly.
Above him loomed a massive stellar.
If, from the ground, the stellar looked like a basin-sized sphere—
Then here, in the Cloud Mine, it had become a colossal wall in the sky.
The sheer scale of it inspired an instinctive, almost primal, sense of dread.
After leaving behind spatial coordinates to mark this area, Daniel didn't hesitate.
He immediately activated Time Stream.
When he opened his eyes once more—
Glaton was just about to present his conditions again.
"Your Highness Daniel, if you do not release me, I cannot lead you inside..."
Chapter226-The Collapse of Glaton
Glaton was absolutely convinced that Daniel wouldn't dare kill him—not when he still needed the Book of Souls.
That was the only reason he dared to take the risk and try to bargain with Daniel, hoping to leverage what little power he had left.
However, before he could even state his terms—
The next moment, Daniel slashed a barrage of deep wounds across his body without the slightest hesitation.
Glaton froze instantly, completely dumbfounded by the sudden full-on assault.
What...?
Why wasn't Daniel following the script?!
All he did was try to make a condition—was that really such an unforgivable offense?
"Daniel! What are you doing?! Don't you want the Book of Souls anymore?!" Glaton shouted in disbelief.
But the only response he received was Daniel's icy voice.
"I suddenly lost interest in your things."
Glaton couldn't believe what he was hearing.
He had never expected that Daniel would just give up on the Book of Souls like that.
Caught completely off guard, Glaton was left reeling.
Who the hell negotiates like this? And who gives up on an artifact like the Book of Souls so easily?!
Though Daniel's attack didn't inflict much actual pain—almost no physical sensation at all—the effect it had on his sanity meter was catastrophic.
And now, Daniel was fighting like a complete berserker—going all-in with pure offense and not even bothering with defense.
At this moment, Daniel's intent was clear: he wanted Glaton dead.
From Daniel's perspective, Glaton had outlived his usefulness.
Meanwhile, Glaton was in full panic.
Sanity -0.1%...
Sanity -0.1%...
Sanity -0.1%...
Watching his sanity deplete at a visible rate, Glaton made a snap decision to teleport back into his private vault.
He couldn't fight Daniel. His only option was to flee and buy more time.
Sure, he would die eventually—but if he could hold out a little longer, maybe he'd find a way to break the contamination curse.
"Damn it! That Daniel is completely insane!"
"What now? He really seems dead set on killing me!"
Even though he had temporarily escaped, Glaton didn't feel even a hint of relief.
Because for him, the top priority remained unchanged: removing the persistent contamination debuff.
If he couldn't purge it in time, he would lose his mind and descend into madness within a matter of days.
But...
Who could possibly help him?
In this moment of silence, regret surged through Glaton's soul.
He had underestimated Daniel. He shouldn't have provoked him—not with that kind of madness behind those eyes.
Just as he thought he'd earned a moment's safety, the space in front of him began to warp.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a familiar figure appeared right before him.
It was none other than Daniel.
He had used Flashback to instantly teleport into Glaton's treasure vault.
Although this was an independent space, it still belonged to the Undead Lands' dimensional plane.
And so, Daniel could use Flashback to arrive here instantly.
Seeing Daniel again, Glaton reacted as if he'd seen a ghost—which was ironic, considering he was technically the ghost here.
"How did you get in here?!" he screamed, his face pale with terror and disbelief.
How could Daniel possibly know the coordinates to this sealed space? That should've been impossible!
Daniel didn't bother explaining. He wasn't interested in answering Glaton's pointless questions.
Instead, he waved his hand—and thirty-two Spirits of Skills appeared instantly around him.
Because [Mind Hunt] was an offensive-type buff, it could still be triggered through summoned skills.
However, from previous testing, Daniel knew that more dispersed attacks led to lower Mind Hunt effects.
So unless Glaton took the full brunt of a skill like [Meteor Arrow Rain], it wouldn't cause the full 0.1% sanity loss per hit.
Still, the psychological impact of thirty-two Spirits of Skills unleashing Meteor Arrow Rain all at once was overwhelming.
The entire space was blanketed with raining arrows—no gaps, no hiding spots.
At this point, Glaton felt like he was doomed.
He had lived for millennia, enjoying the longevity of a demigod rank being.
But even so, he did not want to vanish completely.
Yes, he was already dead once, but Glaton didn't want to experience true erasure.
Daniel's assault was relentless, like a torrential downpour of death. Glaton did everything he could to evade the barrage, but it was useless.
In just a few seconds, his sanity had already dropped by one-third.
Then Daniel noticed something new appear on Glaton's status interface.
[Mental Contamination: Successfully Infected]
[Contamination Level: Basic (Mild Confusion)]
Perhaps realizing the shift in his condition, Glaton panicked again and hastily opened another teleportation gate, escaping from Daniel once more.
Daniel, however, didn't bother chasing him this time.
He simply returned to the City of the Undead.
But when he arrived, he discovered something odd.
Using Eye of Insight, he scanned the area—but Glaton was nowhere to be found.
Apparently, the old ghost had really managed to slip away.
Daniel scratched his head in slight frustration.
A demigod rank being like Glaton, capable of instantaneous spatial travel, was notoriously difficult to pin down.
In contrast, Daniel could only teleport to locations he had already visited—he couldn't lock onto Glaton's position directly.
Still, this outcome wasn't entirely unexpected.
Since chasing him down was futile, Daniel simply gave up the pursuit.
Instead, he used a God Rank Skill to transform his appearance.
The next moment, a familiar figure—"Glaton"—appeared once more in the City of the Undead.
"From this moment on, I am the new Lord of the City of the Undead."
In fact, once Daniel assumed Glaton's form, he also inherited all of Glaton's authority over the city.
The experience was strikingly similar to what he had done in Artist City before.
Using Flashback again, Daniel teleported to the city's central control altar.
This was the hub where all lord-level permissions were managed.
Daniel's goal was simple: just like back in Artist City, he intended to transfer the highest authority to himself.
"I want to modify the lord's permissions."
He entered the command and waited silently.
Meanwhile, in a distant, unknown location—
Glaton shuddered, as if sensing that something important was being taken from him...
Chapter227-Blood Moon
"Damn it, what the hell is going on?!"
Glaton's ghastly body squirmed in panic. He had no idea what Daniel was up to now.
[City of the Undead – Lordship authority is currently transferring...]
Before he could react, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Damn you! How can you still find me?!"
Glaton cursed in fury and instantly used teleportation again.
At this point, Daniel had instilled a deep fear in him.
So the moment he saw Daniel appear again, his first instinct was to flee.
But just as he landed in a new location—before he could even catch his breath—Daniel appeared before him again.
"Will you ever stop?! How are you following me?!"
Fear gripped Glaton's soul. Daniel felt like his shadow, one he simply couldn't shake off.
Desperate, Glaton kept teleporting again and again, but every time he arrived at a new place, Daniel would materialize right in front of him.
What Glaton didn't realize was that the Daniel he was seeing wasn't real—he was hallucinating.
[Sanity reduced: 33% (Minor Contamination)]
While Glaton fled like a headless chicken, Daniel had successfully completed the transfer of City Lord authority.
He was now, officially and completely, the Lord of the City of the Undead.
And the moment he acquired the rights, he could control the massive arcane formation in front of him.
Through it, he gained a much deeper understanding of the Undead Lands.
To his surprise, this land of the dead was far vaster than he had imagined.
Just this one city—the City of the Undead—was nearly ten times the size of all human territories combined.
Even if he brought every human from the Myriad Races world here, it still wouldn't be enough to fill this place.
However, the key problem remained: only souls could enter here.
Even Daniel couldn't bring his physical body into this plane.
Still, as his mind power extended, Daniel noticed that the city contained many massive areas labeled as "junkyards."
But these weren't for trash—they were designated zones for discarding unconscious souls.
With his perception expanding, the entire Undead Lands unfolded before him.
And it was then that Daniel realized something critical: this realm belonged to the same world as the Myriad Races Continent.
Daniel didn't know much about the Oden Continent—the mysterious and dangerous region shrouded in a red membrane.
He had approached it once but failed to break through the crimson veil.
Now that the Oden Continent had become a Flesh Continent, would the races there still manifest as souls after death?
No one could answer that.
To this day, no being had ever passed through the red membrane to enter the continent's inner cities.
There was an air of mystery and dread surrounding the Oden Continent that chilled even Daniel.
After shaking off those thoughts, Daniel directed his perception toward the portal he had originally entered through.
The river near the entrance continued to flow steadily, and the portal glimmered with faint magical light.
Due to insufficient energy, however, the portal's glow was dim.
Interestingly, Daniel discovered that there were thousands of portals spread throughout the Undead Lands—large and small.
But lacking entry tokens, no one had noticed them—or even if they had, they were inaccessible.
Meanwhile...
After mining enough Soul Stones, Daniel's avatar stopped digging and ascended toward the sky.
At the same time, Daniel's true body casually strolled back into Glaton's vault, where he began methodically looting the most precious artifacts.
Glaton had collected these treasures for thousands of years—and now Daniel was getting them all for free.
There was no denying it—robbery was efficient.
"Rob once and you're happy for a while. Rob always and you're happy forever."
Had he relied solely on his own strength, it would have taken Daniel at least ten years to gather these resources.
But thanks to his journey to the Undead Lands, he had just shaved a decade off his grind.
Myriad Races World—
As a bronze-rank lion beast suddenly emerged from the forest, chaos erupted throughout the nearby park.
But as the saying goes—coolness doesn't last more than three seconds.
Daniel casually nocked an arrow and shot the beast dead with a single shot.
Atop the lion's corpse stood twelve Daniel avatars, perfectly synchronized.
This bronze-rank lion had drawn attention, making people believe there were treasures hidden nearby.
Daniel had received word of it and arrived swiftly, taking multiple precautions.
After all, any loss of an awakener would be a serious blow to the human race.
But just as Daniel and his avatars were attacking the incoming monsters—
The blood moon in the sky suddenly began to shine with blinding brilliance.
In an instant, the entire earth was bathed in crimson light.
And then, the surface of the moon sprouted countless eyes.
Seeing those densely packed, twitching red eyes filled Daniel with instinctual revulsion.
The surrounding awakeners were even more shaken—their faces turned pale in horror.
"What... what the hell is that?!"
"The moon... it has eyes!"
"Dear God—is this the end of the world?!"
Panic gripped the awakeners as their screams and cries of despair echoed across the park.
They scattered in all directions—but no matter where they ran, they couldn't escape the red moonlight.
And then, it happened.
The corpse of the bronze-rank lion beast—which Daniel had just slain—began to convulse violently under the blood moon's glow.
Its flesh rotted at a visible speed—only to be reassembled in an even more grotesque form.
ROOOAARRRR—!!
A chilling, inhuman howl erupted from its throat.
It sprang back to its feet.
Its once-majestic golden eyes were now clouded with blood-red haze.
But the most terrifying part?
A third eye had opened on its forehead—identical to the ones glowing on the surface of the blood moon above.
Its aura was now more feral, more violent, and far more insane.
The twelve Daniel avatars standing atop the creature felt the tremor beneath their feet and instinctively leapt back.
"Careful! It's mutated!"
Daniel's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly into the ears of every terrified awakener nearby.
Some of them snapped back to their senses and quickly dodged aside—
But it was clear to all now:
The blood moon had awakened something truly monstrous.
Chapter228-The Rise of the Myriad Races
The blood moon erupted once again!
All of humanity was now under tremendous pressure.
The monsters driven into madness were not only enhanced in every attribute, but their HP had increased tenfold!
As a result, the efficiency of the human race's counterattacks dropped dramatically. Battles that once ended in seconds now required strategy and effort.
However, after Daniel mastered [Mind Hunt], the Infinite Divine Temple began emitting new supporting effects.
[Chaos Corrosion]: Each attack adds one stack of Chaos. Upon reaching 10 stacks, the target has a chance to suffer effects such as hallucinations, sensory loss, or disoriented behavior.
One could say that every time Daniel grew stronger, the Infinite Divine Temple provided corresponding buffs to humanity.
Which meant—the stronger Daniel became, the stronger the entire human race, and even the myriad races, would grow alongside him.
So, after a brief moment of chaos and panic, humanity regained control of the battlefield. They adapted quickly—monsters that were once problematic, such as silver-rank beasts, could now be handled with ease.
The elite awakeners of humanity performed especially well.
Previously, anyone with an A-grade talent was considered elite. But ever since the appearance of the Void Tower, if you weren't S-grade, you weren't even taken seriously as an awakener.
At present, nearly 80% of all awakeners among the human race were S-grade or higher. The remaining 20% were in the process of completing their tower tasks.
According to the current human strategy, all available resources were to be funneled toward awakeners who had not yet completed the Void Tower trials.
The Human Emperor even issued a series of new policies to accelerate their development.
As a result, a wave of S-grade awakeners began to emerge rapidly within humanity.
The myriad races, while slightly behind in progress, were now considered part of the human alliance. The rulers of these races did everything they could to raise the power of their respective awakeners.
And then, something truly bizarre began to happen on a global scale.
The abyss, once seen as the greatest threat to all races, had now become a training ground—a treasure trove of experience and loot.
Countless awakeners fought tooth and nail just to enter the abyss.
Things became so absurd that ticket scalpers started appearing near the abyss entrances.
"Anyone looking to enter the abyss? 500 gold coins! I'll get you in—no questions asked!"
"500 gold?! Are you out of your mind?!"
"Step aside, peasants—I'm paying!"
It was fair to say that the abyss had become a major contributor to the recent talent surge among awakeners.
Now, even awakeners from the other races gathered at the abyss entrance in droves.
At one point, the rate at which monsters were being hunted surpassed their rate of spawning.
Some solo awakeners who couldn't find monsters to fight even formed a "Preservation Guild." Their slogan?
"Protect abyss monsters. Support sustainable development!"
...
After finishing up some internal affairs, the Human Emperor also visited the abyss gate.
He had heard rumors that the situation around the abyss had grown increasingly... surreal.
But the scene before him still managed to leave him speechless.
Countless awakeners surrounded the entrance, their faces shining with fanatic zeal.
The 100,000 abyssal monsters that had just spawned hadn't even reached the gate yet—before they were wiped out by a barrage of skill bombardments.
Watching this unfold, the Human Emperor suddenly felt a strange realization—
Perhaps humanity... no longer needed him all that much.
This New Life generation of awakeners was truly monstrous.
Still, he soon noticed that not all abyss monsters were easy to defeat.
Some of the bronze-rank creatures posed a significant challenge, even to experienced awakeners—they couldn't be killed instantly.
So the Human Emperor opened up team registration.
Anyone with a related task could now apply to join team raids for bronze-rank or higher abyss monsters.
And just like that, the area around the abyss turned into a flourishing training ground.
Even though it had only been two hours since the latest Millennium Apocalypse began, the strength of the myriad races had already multiplied several times over.
The number of S-grade awakeners now exceeded the number of A-grades!
City of the Undead—
Daniel had now packed every last item from Glaton's vault into his spatial inventory.
The materials he had gathered were enough to synthesize two God Rank Skills—and he didn't even need the Dagger of the God of Thieves.
After securing all the valuable resources, Daniel vanished from the vault.
A moment later, he reappeared at the entrance to the Undead Lands.
Crossing the portal, he finally returned to the Myriad Races World.
His avatar, however, remained inside the castle.
Though the avatar would become inert after Daniel left, its mere presence was enough to intimidate Glaton.
If Glaton wanted to reclaim control over the City of the Undead, he would have to enter the castle.
And if he saw Daniel standing inside, he would undoubtedly be scared away.
Even in the worst-case scenario—if Glaton realized that the figure was just an avatar—he still wouldn't be able to reclaim authority.
This was precisely why Daniel dared to leave so boldly.
Unless Glaton could transform into Daniel and perfectly replicate every aspect of his form, there was no way he could retake the throne.
But Daniel had only been able to transform into Glaton thanks to a God Rank Skill.
Glaton, unfortunately, didn't have access to that.
Now, without his lordship authority, Glaton couldn't even teleport freely within the Undead Lands.
If Daniel ever tracked him down again, he would surely die.
To be fair, Glaton was incredibly cautious.
Ever since his authority was stripped away, he had been in hiding, and Daniel had failed to find any trace of him.
Even though Daniel had full lordship control, if Glaton actively concealed his location, he would be extremely difficult to detect.
But Daniel didn't care anymore.
He had already acquired all the authority and resources he wanted.
Glaton was no longer a threat.
What mattered most now was synthesizing his next God Rank Skill as soon as possible.
Because once it was complete, Daniel's power would soar—and with him, the strength of all the allied races would rise too.
As Daniel set foot back in the Myriad Races World, the avatars he had left stationed in various regions immediately sprang into action and delivered his physical body.
In the Undead Lands, only souls could exist.
But here, in the Myriad Races World, he could once again use his flesh and blood.
In the blink of an eye, Daniel reunited with his body.
Now, all that remained—
Was to synthesize his next God Rank Skill as swiftly as possible.
Chapter229-New Skills
The Undead Lands had more than one entrance.
Daniel chose this particular one simply to be cautious.
After all, he didn't know where the other portals might lead—what if he accidentally entered the territory of the Goddess of Gold and Silver's race? Wouldn't that mean game over for him?
He decided it was best to explore the other portals another time, when it was safer.
Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Daniel focused on the task at hand—it was time to synthesize a new God Rank Skill.
The main reason he had returned to the Myriad Races World was because most of the materials he needed were stored here.
When traveling to the Undead Lands, he couldn't bring most of his inventory with him. Due to restrictions of the plane's rules, Daniel had no way around this limitation. So, his only option was to come back here and complete the synthesis.
After carefully organizing the required materials, Daniel didn't hesitate for a second. He initiated the synthesis.
With a burst of radiant brilliance, a new entry appeared in his skill interface—a brand-new God Rank Skill.
[Soul Defense]
Effect 1: This skill is passive. Upon learning it, the user becomes completely immune to all soul-based attacks from True Gods and below.Effect 2: Each day, it can block up to four soul-based attacks from God-level entities.Effect 3: Soul Purification—the user gains the ability to purify other souls.
Reading through the description, Daniel squinted slightly, his expression contemplative.
Truth be told, he had been in desperate need of a reliable means to defend against mental power and soul attacks.
This God Rank Skill? It was indeed practical.
His previous [Purification] skill had long since become obsolete.
When facing spiritual assaults from god-level or demigod-level enemies, Daniel always considered it one of his few vulnerabilities.
But from this moment onward, that would no longer be the case.
It was no exaggeration to say that Daniel had now become a true expert in soul manipulation.
"Good stuff! Everything in the God Rank Skill Compendium really is amazing!" Daniel couldn't help but sigh in appreciation.
Without wasting another moment, he turned his gaze toward another section of his materials.
It was time to synthesize the second God Rank Skill!
Although the past few times, the skills he synthesized were a bit lower-ranked in the catalog, they were still God Rank Skills.
No matter how low on the list they were, they were still miles ahead of anything ordinary awakeners could obtain.
Without hesitation, Daniel initiated another synthesis.
[Thunderous Synergy]
Effect: You can form a "Thunderous Synergy" with another awakener, sharing all of each other's skills. When attacking the same enemy together, the two of you will enter a joint attack mode.
Reading this description, Daniel felt reasonably satisfied.
Sure, the concept of "joint attack" seemed a bit vague and abstract, and it didn't sound all that useful at first glance.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized—just the skill-sharing aspect alone was utterly broken!
Just imagine it: if someone were to share just a single one of Daniel's skills, their power would skyrocket.
And yet, even with such a potent effect, Daniel himself didn't find it particularly useful.
Why?
Because all of his clones already possessed all of his skills. And frankly, Daniel didn't have any real friends. So for now, this skill didn't seem all that impressive.
But soon enough, Daniel uncovered the true potential of [Thunderous Synergy].
While under the effect of this skill, the other person's strength would scale to match Daniel's.
Let that sink in.
It meant Daniel could, at any time, create a powerful ally with strength close to his own!
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
And yet, as always, Daniel's mind didn't stop there. A bolder idea began to form.
What if he used [Thunderous Synergy] to link with an abyss creature summoned via Abyssal Summoning, and then the two of them fought in tandem?
And what if he then sacrificed this abyss creature, whose power had been elevated to match his own?
What kind of terrifying being would be summoned in its place?
Could it... possibly be an actual god?
If such a being really did appear, things would spiral completely out of control.
That thought alone was enough to make Daniel decide not to take the risk—for now.
...
Meanwhile, Daniel continued experimenting with different applications of [Thunderous Synergy].
He tried syncing with clones, then with summoned thunder creatures, testing every scenario he could think of.
After a full round of experiments, Daniel came to a slightly frustrating conclusion.
Even though the skill was very powerful, it also came with significant limitations.
For instance, even though he could summon a dozen clones at once, [Thunderous Synergy] only worked with two of them at a time.
This limitation sharply reduced the potential of the skill in large-scale combat.
Still, despite that, the power of [Thunderous Synergy] was undeniable.
After spending nearly an hour testing the mechanics, Daniel chose to rewind time slightly—back to the moment right after the skill was synthesized.
Once everything was ready, Daniel walked slowly to the outside world. He raised his head to the sky and murmured meaningfully,
"Looks like... the angels are about to descend. Aren't you scared?"
...
Based on the information he'd gathered in recent cycles, Daniel had learned that the total destruction of the sky would begin one hour from now.
That meant time was extremely limited.
He needed to save as many people as possible before the angels arrived.
...
Once again, Daniel set his clones to automatic mode.
This period wouldn't see any major events. Most of the races would take this opportunity to rapidly increase their strength.
As for the smaller matters, Daniel assigned them to others using his authority.
Once he was done managing affairs in the Myriad Races World, Daniel returned to the Undead Lands.
Thankfully, his entry ticket could be used repeatedly.
He left his physical body under the care of his clone and sent his soul back into the Undead Lands.
The moment he arrived, he reappeared in the Cloud Mine.
He had marked its coordinates beforehand, so the teleportation was instant.
This location was also the closest place to the stellar above.
Daniel even suspected that this massive celestial body might be related to the Blood Moon somehow.
Could they both belong to the same race—the Stellar Monsters?
But the Undead Lands only allowed souls to exist.
Did that mean the stellar hovering above them was actually a dead Stellar Monster?
The real question was—did it still have consciousness?
After a moment of contemplation, Daniel chose to lift part of the fog and attempted to establish contact with the stellar.
The moment he released the fog, he felt a stream of ancient mind power connect with his consciousness.
That ancient presence... made Daniel feel as if the entity had existed for hundreds of millions of years.
It was as if... it had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations.
Chapter230-The Deal
"The ruler of the Undead Lands has been replaced?"
"That's certainly unexpected... and to think it's a young human."
"Greetings, new overseer."
A deep and resonant voice, transmitted through mind power, echoed in Daniel's consciousness. It belonged to a massive stellar creature looming before him. Receiving the psychic message, Daniel activated his Eye of Insight, turning his gaze toward this colossal being to inspect its attributes.
[Dark Star — Jarvan]
[Level: 300]
[Description: Once one of the original stellars, he wielded a portion of the power of the laws. After being slain by the current Sun, he became a stellar of the Undead Lands.]
The moment Daniel read this description, the corner of his mouth involuntarily twitched.
Wait... so even among stellar monsters, you hunt each other?
Slain by the Sun? No wonder you ended up here in the Undead Lands.
What Daniel found particularly intriguing was that whether it was a stellar monster, a Fake God, or a demigod—they were all uniformly Level 300. Not a single one surpassed that threshold.
Thinking back, Daniel realized he had yet to encounter a being beyond Level 300. Still, he had a strong feeling—an instinct, perhaps—that the God of Flesh, who now ruled over Oden Continent, had already broken through that limit.
Compared to him, Kalthor, another so-called Fake God, didn't seem nearly as terrifying. Of course, that might be due to Kalthor having been sealed away for so long.
Same level, vastly different power. That fact alone was proof enough. Take Glaton, for instance—Daniel could crush him with ease. But standing before Dark Star Jarvan, Daniel wasn't so sure.
According to what he understood about the Undead Lands, any creature that died would suffer a significant drop in power, usually reflected in their level. Yet Jarvan, even in death, still maintained a full 300 levels.
How powerful must he have been while alive?
It was no wonder Glaton didn't dare provoke Jarvan. A being like this wasn't someone ordinary enemies could contend with.
Realizing this, Daniel came to a sudden conclusion—Jarvan was currently the most powerful being he could potentially communicate with.
And so, to gain valuable information, Daniel decided to attempt diplomacy first. If Jarvan was willing to hand over the Book of Souls peacefully, then Daniel saw no need to resort to violence. But if not... well, even without animosity, Daniel wouldn't hesitate to act.
After all, the Angel of Gold and Silver was about to descend. The survival of the myriad races hinged on Daniel's willingness to do whatever it took.
And his greatest asset right now was the unpredictable, mind-bending power of Mind Hunt.
Yet just as he was preparing to speak, Jarvan unexpectedly beat him to it.
"You... you are the one who governs this land now, aren't you?"
Daniel saw no point in hiding the truth. The creature had already seen through him. So, he nodded calmly and replied,
"That's right. The undead here are now under my command."
Jarvan didn't respond immediately. Instead, a powerful wave of mind power washed over Daniel like an unseen tide.
The oppressive force was intense—if he'd had any hidden tricks, they would likely have been exposed on the spot.
Fortunately, the skill [Mist] offered unparalleled concealment. Even a real god would only see a clouded void when trying to peer into Daniel's soul.
To Jarvan, Daniel was like a fog-shrouded mystery, revealing only what he willingly chose to expose.
"Interesting," Jarvan said at last. "You carry the breath of the living... So you are not undead, are you?"
Daniel nodded again. If he hoped to continue this exchange peacefully, he'd have to give the creature at least a partial truth.
Otherwise, Jarvan might view him with suspicion—or worse, end the conversation outright.
Besides, Daniel had another plan in mind. With access to Time Stream, he could potentially draw out critical information without paying a price—classic freeloader strategy.
With that in mind, he dropped the act and spoke sincerely,
"You're correct. I'm a living being. I entered the Undead Lands through one of its gateways."
A ripple of psychic surprise emanated from Jarvan.
"I truly did not expect a living soul to enter this forsaken realm," the Dark Star said.
His massive body shimmered slightly, as if stirred by emotion, and then he asked another question.
"So, tell me—what is your purpose in seeking me out?"
Daniel answered without hesitation.
"I'm here for the Book of Souls."
Jarvan wasn't surprised in the least.
"Of course. That's likely the only thing on me worth your attention," he said with a hint of amusement.
"And truthfully, the Book of Souls holds little value for me anymore."
He paused, then continued in a voice that thrummed with power and hidden meaning.
"So... human, would you be interested in a trade?"
Daniel's brows furrowed slightly.
In this world, as Charles had warned him, trades were often elaborate traps, full of hidden dangers and buried secrets. He had good reason to be cautious.
But after a moment of silence, he gave his reply.
"State your terms."
At that, Jarvan emitted a wave of spiritual joy—actual joy!
That caught Daniel completely off guard. Someone like Jarvan, ancient and powerful, shouldn't they be cold and composed, filled with an air of dominance and mystery?
Yet here he was, seemingly... happy?
"The trade I propose is quite simple," Jarvan said. "I want you to kill the Sun... so I can take his place."
Daniel froze.
What?
Was this guy joking?
He, Daniel, already saw himself as a pretty bold individual. He'd beaten down the abyssal emperor with his fists and flattened Glaton, the lord of the Undead Lands, with little effort.
But never—not even once—had he thought about taking a shot at the Sun.
That was just insane.
Still, despite the internal shock, Daniel kept his expression neutral.
"You mean... the Sun in the world of the myriad races?"
Jarvan let out a low chuckle.
"The world of myriad races? A fitting name. But in our time, it was known as the Origin Lands."
"And yes, you're correct—the Sun I speak of is Apollo, the very one who killed me."
"You might not know this," Jarvan continued, "but Apollo is the most devoted servant of Aurelia."
"Surely by now, you've begun to feel the ever-growing threat posed by Aurelia's influence."
"So here's the deal: If you agree to destroy Apollo and let me take his place, I will, in return, aid you."
"You may not yet realize this, but Aurelia—Goddess of Gold and Silver—has already seized the divine authority of the God of Light, with Apollo's help."
"So long as Apollo lives, Aurelia's descent upon the Origin Lands—your so-called myriad world—is inevitable."
"But if you help me replace Apollo, she will lose her anchor. Without him, she will never be able to manifest in your world."
"So what do you think? Isn't this an enticing trade?"