Chapter 259: Chapter 141: Enslaving a Top-Tier Powerhouse
On the altar.
He felt the profound, solid sensation coming from deep within him—the Middle Rank Level Ancient God Curse, Rift: Ancient God’s Curtain Robe, at Level 3 and roughly 30% progression.
Zorn felt a certain weightiness to his very Sequence.
’This Rift: Ancient God’s Curtain Robe doesn’t just have a synergistic effect with my many Witchcraft spells.’
’It... also synergizes with my Fighting Sequence.’
’It’s likely because the Star Trace Fighter is inherently compatible with the characteristics of this Rift: Ancient God’s Curtain Robe.’
’As I continue to absorb Eternal Night Star Marks, the compatibility and synergy between the two will only increase.’
At this thought, Zorn clenched his fist.
Star Trace·Holy Armor materialized over his body.
Unlike before, tiny, fissure-like patterns now covered the golden, glazed surface of the Star Trace·Holy Armor.
This was something it had never possessed before.
And these peculiar fissures had brought about a qualitative transformation in the Star Trace·Holy Armor.
Its Defense ability had increased by at least four or five times.
After assessing it for a moment, Zorn nodded slightly.
’Not bad. With the passive buff from the Ancient God Curse, the defensive power of this Star Trace·Holy Armor has grown immensely.’
’If I were to face that Divine Blood Berserker’s attacks again, I wouldn’t suffer such severe injuries and contamination like last time.’
’At worst, I’d receive minor injuries, or perhaps none at all.’
’And for my Witchcraft techniques, the synergistic effect is even more powerful.’
’The synergy between Rift: Ancient God’s Curtain Robe and Divine Concealment·Witch Spirit·Calm Source has greatly enhanced my concealment abilities, and it has also significantly boosted the attack power of my Witchcraft.’
’This synergy brings a qualitative change to a Wizard. This is the power of a core skill, the Ancient God Curse, Rift: Ancient God’s Curtain Robe.’
Just as he was basking in the power of his transformation, Zorn’s brow furrowed slightly.
"Hm?"
He looked toward the entrance.
’Did someone come in?’
’I’ve just about finished absorbing the Ancient God Curse Crystal Source in this altar. Since someone has arrived, they can be my test subject.’
Entering the Divine Concealment State, Zorn silently approached the entrance area.
There, he saw a Star Trace Assassin, clad in deep blue light armor that glinted with starlight, land on a celestial body more than five kilometers in diameter.
This Star Trace Assassin was also quite curious about the area.
Confident in his own concealment ability, he was brazenly observing his surroundings.
However, what he didn’t know was...
...a Wizard in a Divine Concealment State was just a short distance away.
RUMBLE...
Suddenly, a multitude of arms erupted from the celestial body beneath his feet, surging toward him from all directions like a tidal wave and slamming down.
The Star Trace Assassin leaped lightly, soaring into the air.
But the next moment...
...a flash of jade green tapped lightly against his back as he fell.
’It’s a forbidden item!’
The Star Trace Assassin was horrified.
He tried to stabilize himself but found it impossible, his body spiraling uncontrollably downward.
At the same time, a giant black hand appeared out of thin air and snatched him.
’This is bad!’
The Star Trace Assassin’s mind trembled.
’It’s that Evil Spirit Wizard.’
The story of the Evil Spirit Wizard who had slain a Divine Blood Berserker and was now being hunted by the Star Remnants Realm had recently become common knowledge throughout the entire Starry Sky District.
Everyone knew that the Evil Spirit Wizard’s strength was top-tier on this Divine Kingdom battlefield.
Even Transcendents qualified and strong enough to operate alone in the Starry Sky District of the Spirit Realm battlefield still needed to flee as quickly as possible if they encountered him.
He had discovered a vortex today and thought he’d struck gold, but it turned out to be the worst luck imaginable.
Before he could even react...
...a terrifying force of spiritual will flooded into him like a roaring river.
A moment later.
A fanatical and devout expression appeared on the Star Trace Assassin’s face.
"Greetings, Great Holy Envoy!"
He bowed respectfully to Zorn.
In just a dozen breaths, after three "baptisms" by the Evil Spirit Authority...
...Zorn had successfully acquired a surprisingly powerful Believer.
’With the buff from the Tree of Calamity Magic Ring, the effect of this Evil Spirit Authority is astonishingly good.’
Zorn mused to himself.
Zorn then asked, "Which Divine Kingdom do you serve?"
"I am from the Eternal Curtain Divine Kingdom."
’The Eternal Curtain Divine Kingdom? Then there’s no problem!’
Zorn’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
If he had been from the Immortal Calamity Court, Zorn couldn’t have used him so openly.
After all, imprisoning and enslaving an Apostle from one’s own Divine Kingdom was forbidden.
Furthermore, one could never know if a fellow countryman had powerful clansmen or backers holding high positions within the Divine Kingdom.
If they decided to screw Zorn over somewhere down the line, it wouldn’t be worth the risk.
But if he was from a rival Divine Kingdom, then it was fine.
Not only could he be used, but he could be used freely and without worry.
"Do you know the location of the Star Remnant Divine Kingdom’s Ceremony Tower in the Starry Sky District? Roughly how many people are inside?"
The Star Trace Assassin replied respectfully.
"It’s within the Star Ring of the Great Ring Star Realm."
"Usually, there are twenty to thirty Transcendents stationed in the Star Ring Ceremony Tower."
"Several of them are top-tier experts, on par with that Divine Blood Berserker."
"The other stationed Transcendents are about as strong as I am."
"The ritual defenses there are astonishingly strong. A force of our level would find it impossible to breach them."
’Breach them?’
Zorn’s eyes narrowed.
Even if he went all out right now, he couldn’t breach the Star Ring Ceremony Tower.
But he had no need to breach it by force.
’Wouldn’t it be much better to enslave a few Apostles from the Star Remnant Divine Kingdom, sneak in silently, and then blow it up from the inside?’
Previously, the Star Remnant Divine Kingdom had used the Star Ring Ceremony Tower to launch powerful rituals to bombard and kill him multiple times.
Zorn was determined to make the people inside pay the price.
After a moment of thought, Zorn looked at the Star Trace Assassin and said,
"As time goes on, the vortex outside will inevitably attract more and more people."
"We will wait here for any lucky souls who enter, then capture and suppress them, converting them into devout Believers. Once we have enough people, we’ll proceed with the next step."
"Guard this place well!"
"Yes, my master!"
The Star Trace Assassin immediately hid himself near the entrance.
Zorn, meanwhile, flew deeper into this isolated starry treasure zone.
Previously, Zorn had spent all his time acquiring Rift: Ancient God’s Curtain Robe.
If he wasn’t mistaken, there should be another five to seven treasure chests in this deeper area.
He should be able to get at least 10 Eternal Night Star Marks and a hundred, maybe even two hundred, units of Star Trace Sand from them.
The more Star Trace Sand and Eternal Night Star Marks he absorbed...
...the stronger his Star Trace Fighter Sequence and Skills would become.
At the same time, the power of his Rift: Ancient God’s Curtain Robe would also grow.
He couldn’t afford to miss out on these resources.
After about two days of meticulous searching...
...Zorn managed to find a total of 12 Eternal Night Star Marks and 186 portions of Star Trace Sand from this hidden starry region.
’I’ll save three to turn in for the Divine Kingdom’s quest, allowing the Steam Realm to establish a stable foothold in the Calamity Court Divine Kingdom.’
’After all, the Steam Realm is still supplying me with a steady stream of Fighting Essence and Spiritual Energy Essence. It’s the Steam Realm I built with my own hands.’
’I’ll just slowly absorb the remaining 9 Eternal Night Star Marks and over one hundred portions of Star Trace Sand myself.’
’These resources will significantly increase my foundation.’
’Laying the groundwork to advance to the Upper Rank Level will be absolutely no problem.’
In the time that followed, Zorn continued to absorb the resources he had on hand.
He also constantly fostered the growth and advancement of his two Ancient God Curses.
Of course, whenever other Transcendents were lucky enough to find their way here...
...Zorn would not let them go.
He would capture them on the spot.
If it was a particularly powerful or special Sequence that was difficult to enslave and control, Zorn would kill them on the spot.
Every ten days to half a month, a Transcendent would discover this place and enter.
During his secluded cultivation, Zorn steadily gained Believers from the Spirit Realm battlefield, although these Believers were not exactly willing.
「Half a year flew by in the blink of an eye.」
By this time, Zorn had acquired a total of 8 Believers capable of operating independently in the Starry Sky District.
In this period, Zorn had taken in 11 Believers in total.
However, three of them were from the Calamity Court.
Although Zorn wouldn’t use them openly, keeping them in his Spiritual Realm to serve as readily available Blood Bags for recovery was an excellent alternative.
Previously, Zorn’s recovery from injuries had been slow precisely because he lacked High Level Blood Bags.
Now, these Level 10 masters all had extremely potent Life Force.
At the same time, Zorn also learned a great deal of information about the outside world from the Believers he continuously captured.
For example:
The Star Remnant Divine Kingdom’s search and hunt for the "Evil Spirit Wizard" had never ceased.
They simply couldn’t find any trace of Zorn; the moment they did, they would surely swarm him.
Zorn also learned that some influential figures from the Calamity Court Divine Kingdom had taken notice of him.
Some Crowned Priests had even extended an olive branch to him.
The more this happened, the more Zorn planned to continue his secluded cultivation here for a while longer, properly enhance his strength, and then teach the Transcendents of the Star Remnant Divine Kingdom a lesson.
The more power he displayed, the more he would be valued when he eventually returned to his Divine Kingdom.
By then, the ones negotiating with him might not be Crowned Priests, but Legendary Level Grand Priests.
When it came to powerful realms like the Calamity Court Divine Kingdom...
...Zorn understood how things worked very well.
The more outstanding and full of potential he proved to be...
...the more the Divine Kingdom would value and invest in his development.
And that was one of the reasons Zorn had come to this battlefield in the first place.
