CHAPTER 114 - TRIALS IN ANCIENT RUINS

Han Wu, deciding the moment was right, led his immense 60-million-strong skeleton army on a march towards Radiant Harbor. However, when he finally arrived, he was profoundly shocked by the utterly desolate state of the church’s holy grounds.

The skeletons marched into the once thriving city, intending to find their enemies, but found no signs of life. They did, however, uncover numerous dead clergy members. Upon closer inspection, it was evident that they had been beaten to death, judging by the multitude of fist-sized wounds on their bodies.

Han Wu immediately recognized this as the handiwork of Xu Tie’s Iron Skins. They were renowned as expert punchers and boasted incredible destructive power; each punch was powerful enough to kill someone.

This grim reality unfolded once again. After Xu Tie’s Iron Skins successfully chased away the skeleton army, the Pope publicly declared him the church’s honored guest. In a dual effort to drive away the undead and to raise the morale of the clergy, the Pope authorized the use of most of the church’s resources for Xu Tie to summon even more Iron Skins.

Xu Tie only revealed his true intentions after he had successfully summoned most of his Iron Skins. He had been cunningly exploiting the church during their period of crisis specifically to obtain their resources, which explained how he managed to summon 20 million Iron Skins in such a brief period. He then coldly ordered his Iron Skins to destroy the church only after their resources had been completely exhausted.

Han Wu chuckled, his eyes sweeping over the ruined city. “So, this is why the church didn’t send any reinforcements during my war with the werewolves—they had already been decimated by Xu Tie! Perhaps I should thank him for indirectly helping me conquer the werewolf kingdom so easily.”

Although Radiant Harbor lay in ruins, some valuable treasures still remained in plain sight. The church, befitting its status as a holy site, had constructed the very buildings from Light Stones. In Han Wu’s eyes, the devastated Radiant Harbor was now nothing less than an open-air Light Stone mine! He wasted no time, ordering his skeletons to commence mining the precious stones from the site.

Meanwhile, Sun Qingnian was constantly sniffing out information for them both. He was quite pleased with his decision to ally with Han Wu, especially after receiving news of the werewolf kingdom’s collapse and the sheer size of Han Wu’s 60 million-strong skeleton army.

He sent his Foxmen with vital intelligence for Han Wu: he had discovered an ancient ruin that potentially harbored secrets to ascending as a Demigod of the Rune Civilization. Han Wu received this news with great pleasure; their primary reason for being there was to achieve Demigod ascension in the first place. With such a clear opportunity now available, he felt he had no choice but to pursue it.

After agreeing on a specific time and place, the two assembled their personal armies and converged at an oasis, which lay in the heart of a massive, desolate wilderness and was rumored to be the entrance to the ruins. As per the information he had acquired, Sun Qingnian then sacrificed 10,000 basic runes, causing the entrance to the ruins to open.

Their combined forces poured into the ancient ruins, beginning the exploration. With 60 million skeletons and 2 million Foxmen, they easily charted a safe path through the first floor, identifying and marking existing traps. Their advance to the second floor was unhindered, until they were met with immediate resistance from powerful guardians.

The second floor proved far more treacherous—they were forced to battle against floor guardians emerging at regular intervals. Han Wu ultimately sacrificed 20 million skeletons before he could eliminate all the guardians and clear the way to the third floor.

Sun Qingnian was relieved that Han Wu was with him; he wouldn’t have been able to defeat the guardians on his own. He now understood why the majority of the Rune Civilization’s natives had perished during their expeditions into ancient ruins. It was clear that without possessing the power level of at least a Demigod, surviving within these treacherous ruins was an almost impossible feat.

The third floor was predictably more difficult than the second. It was riddled with various traps, with even more powerful guardians blocking their path.

After a brutal struggle that cost him almost 30 million skeletons, Han Wu finally uncovered the route to the fourth and final floor of the ruins. Surprisingly, this time, they encountered no guardians or traps blocking their way.

Sun Qingnian’s Intel proved accurate—the fourth floor indeed contained multiple trials, each offering an opportunity for Demigod ascension. There were eight such trials, each corresponding with a special Runic Lexicon. After passing the trials, one would obtain the corresponding special Runic Lexicon and become a Demigod in the Rune Civilization.

After quickly reviewing the details of all eight trials, Sun Qingnian selected the one most aligned with his strengths and led his army into it. Han Wu then took his turn with the remaining seven options, settling on a trial named “Famine.” He entered this trial with the 10 million skeletons still under his command.

The moment he stepped through the shimmering gate, he was transported into a desolate place. Within the realm, a special energy amplified the digestion rate of living beings, forcing them to constantly eat in order to survive.

Immediately after entering, Han Wu noticed with alarm that his connection to his divine realm had been severed, rendering him unable to take out any food. He wasn't alone in this desolate place, however. Roaming the barren landscape were special undead known as Starved Wretches. These horrifying creatures were once humans who had perished from starvation, now raised as undead and forced to endure the unending torment of hunger.

To successfully complete this trial, participants had to not only endure the relentless attacks of the Starved Wretches, but also the constant starvation they themselves experienced. To successfully complete the trial, they had to endure these harsh conditions for a full 30 days.

Han Wu immediately grasped the Famine trial’s main theme—the Starved Wretches were both his opponents and his sole food source. To survive, he would have to defeat and then eat them. This realization left him feeling very queasy. Despite his willingness to kill, the thought of cannibalism, even of the undead, was deeply disturbing.

Thankfully, Han Wu wasn’t without options. With the Plant Fusion Technique, he merged with the Death Lily, Golden Dragon Grass, and Spectre Vine. He then ordered the three plants to extend their roots, allowing him to absorb whatever scarce nutrients the ground contained to sustain himself.

Fortunately, his skeleton army didn’t need to eat at all, so they wouldn’t experience any hunger. He instructed them to protect him while he concentrated on drawing what little nutrients he could from the earth.

Immediately after giving out his orders, agonizing hunger began to consume Han Wu. All the food in his system had been digested, and the limited nutrients absorbed from the soil weren’t enough to keep him awake. As a result, he had no choice but to put his body into a dormant state to reduce as much energy consumption as possible.

With his skeleton army protecting him, Han Wu quickly fell asleep, patiently awaiting the conclusion of the trial.