40: Chapter 40 Born for Sacrifice

The Zhao family villa, second-floor study.

Zhao Kun leaned back in his leather executive chair, scrolling through the data reports on his tablet, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably.

On the screen was none other than the backend system of "Qiankun Large Loan", with Gu Han's name appearing on the latest payout list.

"He borrowed another two million, and again used a hundred-thousand-year spirit-enlightening flower as collateral." Zhao Kun took a sip from his teacup, his face full of ridicule. "I'd like to see just how many spirit-enlightening flowers you have left."

Originally, he was still pondering how to trap Gu Han deep in the loan pit, but it seemed the kid had plunged right into it himself.

Once he couldn't pay back the money, Gu Yanxiao's family would never be able to stand on their feet again for the rest of their lives.

The study door was suddenly pushed open.

Zhao Xu strode in and slammed a form onto the mahogany desk.

Zhao Kun frowned and looked over. After seeing clearly that it was a Divine Kingdom Core application form, his expression changed instantly.

"Are you crazy? Are you trying to rebel? Is this something you can just sign on a whim? You're only a freshman!"

Zhao Xu propped his hands on the edge of the desk, the veins on his neck bulging.

"If I don't awaken the core, what will I use to play in the league? What will I use to beat Gu Han?"

"What is Gu Han to drive you to this point?" Zhao Kun pointed at the screen, frustrated that his son wasn't living up to expectations. "He took out a high-interest loan from me and is about to be ruined! Why are you competing with him?"

"That's not enough! I heard the principal has already helped him apply for an early awakening!" Zhao Xu gritted his teeth, his breathing heavy. "Teacher Qin has already made his ant colony a key focus! My Lizardman tribe is reproducing too slowly right now, and I can't build up their numbers at all. If I don't awaken the core to accelerate their Reproduction, I'll be left behind sooner or later."

Zhao Xu stood up straight and looked his father in the eye.

"Dad, don't you just want me to surpass him and trample the Gu family underfoot? I also want to prove myself in the city-wide professional league. As long as I can make an appearance in the league and secure sponsorships from major forces, our Zhao family can truly leap across social strata and no longer have to look at those chambers of commerce for approval!"

The study fell silent.

Zhao Kun stared at his son's flushed face, temporarily speechless. No parent would want their child to take such a risk.

Awakening the Divine Kingdom Core was a double-edged sword.

He was a businessman who valued return on investment above all else.

His son's words had indeed struck a chord in his heart. Jiangcheng City's War God Professional League was a hunting ground where top financial groups and chambers of commerce scouted talents.

The Zhao family was at most a nouveau riche in Dongjiang County. If they wanted to climb up, perhaps this was a good opportunity.

"It's a good thing you have this determination." Zhao Kun's tone softened as he took the application form to examine it closely.

"Once you awaken the core, the safety of your Divine Kingdom must be your top priority." Zhao Kun stood up and patted Zhao Xu on the shoulder. "I will withdraw nearly half of our family's liquid funds to sweep the black market for a batch of high-grade defense cards for you. Keep up this momentum, and strive to become the Zhao family's first demigod."

Zhao Xu was overjoyed.

"Thank you, Dad! Don't worry, once I awaken the Divine Kingdom Core, that trash Gu Han won't even be qualified to compare with me."

...

For three consecutive days.

Gu Han's daily routine was extremely regular. After finishing classes at school during the day, he would focus on selecting the strong individuals of the Ant-man Race in his Divine Kingdom.

Even among the Ant-men, there were variations in size or physical structure that differed from the rest. Selecting these advantageous individuals for mass Reproduction would continuously produce superior offspring.

The first generation of Ant-men had already reached the end of their lifespans. Under the clan rules established by Gu Han, all dying Ant-men voluntarily and resolutely walked onto the altar for the prosperity of their race.

The [blessing of the sacrificer] added over ten thousand sacrificers, raising the probability of breaking through to the next level of transcendent from 0.00001131% to 0.00017813%. For now, the probability was still a bit too small.

Gu Han sighed. Now that he had reduced the living space of the Ant-man Race, and with natural enemies set to appear later, the number of Ant-men available for sacrifice would be drastically reduced.

Given the current population size of the Ant-man Race, a conservative estimate would require thirty thousand days to reach 1%. By then, he would already be in his grave. This was an ultra-long-term investment, so it was no wonder this divine building was rated as E-grade.

If it was this difficult even for Gu Han, it would be even harder for other divine lords. The divine kingdoms of high-tier gods easily had populations of billions, but those were their foundations and could not possibly be sacrificed.

However, that was only with the current population size. Gu Han had a way to improve efficiency.

The Black-Armored Ant-men had a large physical size and consumed a lot of resources. The area of the Divine Kingdom was simply not enough to support the rapid expansion of their population.

The Hidden-Armor Ant-Man was as small as a normal ant. Alternatively, he could also breed a type of Ant-man Race with an extremely short lifespan and tiny physical size. This would allow them to expand their scale at the fastest speed and fulfill their mission of the sacrifice-focused path.

Some might think this was cruel, that an entire race was born solely to be sacrificed.

But these were creatures of the Divine Kingdom, and everything existed solely for the divine lord. If they couldn't create value for the divine lord, they had no purpose.

Since coming to this world, Gu Han's deepest realization was that a divine lord could not have pity. Life was merely a link in constructing a divine kingdom. Allowing them to live out their full lives before sacrificing them was already showing respect for their lives.

If Gu Han himself didn't struggle, he would merely be a low-level life form with a similar mission, and he might not even be able to live out his life in peace.

Gu Han began to search for a new type of ant—one that was small in size, had a short lifespan, reproduced quickly, and would not cause too much of an impact on the Divine Kingdom's ecology.

fine black ants: detritivores, a common species at the bottom of the ecological chain, extremely small in size, with a lifespan of only a few months, and an astonishing reproduction rate. Their population could easily reach a scale of millions.

Familiarly, Gu Han bred the Fine Black Ant-men and arranged for over a dozen fine black queens to build nests around the altar, making it convenient for the elderly Ant-men to quickly reach the sacrificial platform.

The Fine Black Ant-men population was directly managed by the Hidden-Armor Ant-Man race. Since they were of similar small sizes, it was easier for them to communicate with each other.

Under the influence of the spirit-enlightening flower and other spirit-enlightening plants, and with the Disabled Wise-man constantly instilling knowledge, the Ant-men's civilization had already developed concepts of years, months, and days, and had even learned spoken language, writing, and pictorial expression.

Although the Ant-men could quickly transmit information through their antennae, written symbols were equally helpful to them.

The most intuitive sign was that they had already begun carving tribal drawings on the stones around the altar, resembling a form of historical engraving.

The Disabled Wise-man was revered by the Ant-men as a holy father, holding a status equal to that of the various ant queens, deeply respected by the Ant-men.

In the stone carvings, his story was likewise recorded—descending from the heavens, like a messenger of the gods.

This was a good start. Civilizations needed to be recorded, and so did knowledge. No Ant-man could completely memorize everything and pass it down to the next generation through antennae alone.

Texts and drawings would allow future generations to learn more knowledge and experience.