68: Chapter 68 The Hunter's Rules and the Practical Training of the Tower of Godhood
Su Chen's three short lines, arrogant to the extreme, struck the deep pool known as the "God-Slayer Alliance" like a ten-thousand-ton boulder.
In the public channel, the chat history, which had been constantly refreshing with probing and teasing remarks, came to an abrupt halt.
Dead silence.
A suffocating silence, formed purely from the stagnation of data streams.
The blinking "typing" cursors behind several IDs lit up a few times, then quietly extinguished.
Superior Void Creature?
This term itself represented taboo and terror.
It was an ultimate natural disaster capable of contending with true gods on the same battlefield, and even preying on low-ranking deities. The birth of every such species was enough to stir up a bloodbath in the astral realm.
And this newcomer, this guy calling himself "Overlord," spoke up not to ask how to protect himself or seek refuge, but to... breed them?
This was no longer just arrogance.
This was madness.
A madness sufficient to make any member of the alliance who fancied themselves a lunatic feel a chill down their spine.
"Ha."
Finally, the guy with the ID "Iron Fist" let out a short, cold sneer.
"Newcomer, do you know what you are saying? Breeding Void Creatures? Do you know what level of resources and knowledge barriers that requires? Don't tell me you're a spy sent by some deity to cause trouble?"
"Iron Fist's" questioning broke the silence and voiced the inner thoughts of many members.
The ID "Windwalker" followed up with a question: "Overlord, this joke is not funny. That level of knowledge is the highest-level secret, even within a deity's treasure trove of knowledge."
Su Chen's consciousness coldly swept over these messages, with no intention of responding.
Arguing with the weak was a meaningless waste of energy.
He only needed to wait, to wait for a powerhouse capable of trading with him to appear.
Just then, the vice-leader named "Mela" saw her avatar light up on Su Chen's interface for the second time.
This time, it was in the public channel.
"I have the data."
Four short words instantly ended all questioning.
The atmosphere of the entire group chat changed abruptly.
If everyone had been shocked by Su Chen's arrogance earlier, now they felt a reverence stemming from the depths of their souls at Mela's unfathomability.
To possess even this kind of forbidden knowledge... just how terrifying was the strength and background of this vice-leader?
Su Chen's spiritual core also fluctuated slightly.
The person he was waiting for had appeared.
Mela ignored the undercurrents in the group; her next message was sent directly to Su Chen.
"Fifty million Power Of Faith."
"Or, trade it for one demi-artifact."
The cold numbers, devoid of any emotion, clearly marked the value of this knowledge.
Fifty million Power Of Faith was enough for a weak demigod to ignite their divine fire to an unprecedented level of intensity, and even possess the foundation to challenge the rank of a true god.
A demi-artifact was the top-tier armament for the demigod stage, and an important reliance for them as they walked the astral realm and battled in divine kingdoms.
The group fell into silence once again.
This price was enough to bankrupt the vast majority of demigods.
"Iron Fist's" ID went completely dark, and he did not say another word. He clearly realized that this newcomer "Overlord," regardless of whether he was a lunatic or not, was absolutely an existence he could not afford to provoke.
Being able to ask this question itself represented a kind of qualification.
And being able to receive a quote from Mela was a qualification among qualifications.
In Su Chen's consciousness, that massive reserve of Power Of Faith surged like a golden ocean.
Fifty million was, to him, merely a drop in the ocean.
"Deal."
His reply was only one word.
There was not the slightest hesitation, nor any intention to bargain.
This crisp and decisive attitude was more impactful than any of his previous arrogant declarations.
[Trade request sent...]
[The other party has agreed to the trade...]
[Power Of Faith - 50,000,000]
[Trade complete.]
On the deity interface, the cold system prompts flashed by.
The next instant, a vast and boundless torrent of information, indescribable in words, crossed endless space and was precisely injected into Su Chen's spiritual core!
It was not text, nor images, but a branding of knowledge from a higher dimension.
Countless twisted, eerie, yet life-pulsating biological forms unfolded in his mind.
From the most basic Void Dust Mite to the Astral Predator capable of tearing through plane barriers, and then to... those truly crowned with the name "Superior."
Behemoths that devour stars.
Hive swarms that feed on divine kingdoms.
Invisible beings that twist time and space.
The genetic map, evolutionary path, incubation conditions, and even the mysteries of the soul structure of every creature transformed into the purest data, which Su Chen's consciousness greedily absorbed and parsed.
A thick, ancient tome, seemingly bound by countless biological shells and star debris, slowly took concrete form in the depths of his consciousness.
"Void Creature Compendium and Breeding Outline."
This was exactly what he had dreamed of!
With this outline, the evolution of the Zerg Swarm would no longer be a passive adaptation based on war, but an active evolution with a clear direction!
He could even bypass those long evolutionary stages and directly create those legendary weapons of war!
"Ding."
Just as Su Chen was immersed in this ocean of knowledge, Mela's private message sounded again.
"A piece of advice is included."
"The 'Hunters' in the alliance all go to one place for combat drills before executing high-intensity hunting missions."
"The God Ascension Tower."
Along with her message, a new piece of information was unlocked.
[God Ascension Tower: A public trial plane in the World of Gods. Created by the ancient gods working together, its sole purpose is to screen and hone future deities.]
[The tower contains 999 floors, each simulating different extreme environments and powerful enemies. From abyss monsters to astral behemoths, from ancient spirits to fallen angels, it encompasses everything.]
[Higher levels can even briefly simulate the divine kingdom rules of true gods, allowing challengers to feel the suppression of divine might in advance.]
[The number of floors cleared is the most intuitive standard for measuring a demigod's combat power. At the same time, clearing specific floors grants generous rewards provided by the 'Gods' Covenant,' including rare divine materials, faith crystals, and even... divinity fragments.]
Su Chen's consciousness withdrew from the "Breeding Outline," reading the introduction about the "God Ascension Tower" word by word.
Combat drills, huh...
His spiritual power swept across his divine domain.
In the deepest part of the incubation pool, that leviathan embryo, which had absorbed the divinity of the Storm Lord, was expanding and stretching at a speed visible to the naked eye, its massive life aura like a deep-sea volcano, about to erupt.
And on the vast creep, the Crystal-Armored Zergling legion, numbering in the hundreds of millions, had completed a new round of evolution. The crystallized shells on their bodies refracted a cold luster, their sharp bone blades flickered with bloodthirsty cold light, ready for battle.
A brand new, more lethal Zerg Swarm legion was quietly taking shape under his will.
But Su Chen knew clearly that relying solely on simulations and deductions would never forge the sharpest blade.
"Having been closed off for so long, it's time to see what the top demigods of this world are actually made of."
In his spiritual core, his fighting spirit began to slowly awaken, like a dormant volcano.
Every evolution of the Zerg Swarm required the most brutal wars to be tested.
He needed data.
He needed the combat data fed back from his creations as they battled against true powerhouses.
"Since the ultimate goal is to hunt true gods, let's start by using this so-called God Ascension Tower to sharpen the blade!"
Once this thought arose, it could no longer be contained.
Su Chen's will, like an invisible command, instantly pierced through the entire divine domain.
His consciousness detached from his physical body, transforming into a pure stream of data, and fiercely connected to the magnificent teleportation network spread throughout the City of Deities.
Countless fiber-optic-like lines intertwined and flickered before his "eyes," forming a vast and boundless star map.
Every dot of light represented a teleportation plane coordinate.
Su Chen's will did not deviate in the slightest, precisely locking onto one of the golden dots of light radiating sky-high fighting spirit.
Target coordinate — God Ascension Tower!