CHAPTER 141 - SKELETON RACE’S BETRAYAL

In her office, Lina intently observed Han Wu. “Tell me everything that has transpired in the past few days,” she instructed. “I expect a complete account; do not leave out anything.”

Han Wu nodded and proceeded to tell her everything that had happened, carefully excluding any information related to the Origin of Mutation. As he recounted his abduction, Lina’s smile became unsettlingly softer and wider. Han Wu swallowed hard, fully aware that her seemingly pleasant expression masked a rapidly intensifying fury.

“No God King, no matter how powerful, can abduct one of our students and expect to go unpunished!” she exclaimed. “Han Wu, don’t worry about this. The college will personally ensure you receive ample compensation!”

Han Wu gave a confident nod, convinced that the college possessed the genuine capability to fulfill its promise.

Lina then continued, explaining, “Given that your seal was left behind by a God, I can’t remove it by myself. I’ll need to reach out to Professor Xu for assistance with that. And, since you didn’t manage to take the college’s enrollment test, your identity remains a point of concern. Professor Xu’s help will be necessary for resolving that too.”

She leveraged her authority to contact Xu Hai. His face promptly appeared on the video call, and his voice, imbued with a strict tone, questioned, “What’s wrong?”

She then proceeded to explain the full extent of what had transpired. Upon hearing the news, Xu Hai materialized in her office within the very next instant. He fixed his gaze upon Han Wu and a deep frown creased his brow. Under Xu Hai’s penetrating scrutiny, Han Wu felt as though his entire being was laid bare, leaving him feeling uneasy and restless.

While Xu Hai examined Han Wu, the Origin of Mutation went completely still, doing everything in its power to prevent Xu Hai from detecting its presence. Xu Hai maintained his scrutiny for a few moments, then paused, a look of concern replacing his frown as he stated, “You’ve suffered so much!”

Xu Hai gently patted Han Wu’s shoulder, offering words of consolation. “For you to escape another God’s divine realm, all while your powers were sealed, and then return safely—that is nothing short of a miracle! Do not worry about this matter. I will personally seek out the chancellor to discuss this incident and ensure you receive the justice you deserve. Plus, we need to brainstorm how to officially get you into the college.

“You must understand that Imperial College retains its status as one of the most prestigious institutions, and as such, there are certain rules we are absolutely bound to uphold for the sake of fairness. While I acknowledge that your potential and current strength surpass that of most first-year students here, we are still obligated to go through the established procedure.

“It remains quite a headache that you weren’t able to take either the initial test or the enrollment test. However, there’s no need to worry! You are a student whom I personally recruited, and as such, I will assist you to the absolute best of my ability.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Han Wu said gratefully.

Han Wu didn’t have any special relationship with Xu Hai—the man had simply given a verbal promise to accept him as a student. They weren’t yet true mentor and mentee, as the official ceremony had not taken place. Yet, even under these circumstances, Major God Xu Hai was still willing to extend his help, and Han Wu was deeply touched by this kindness.

“Alright, don’t worry about it. Let me help unseal you first. We’ll have to wait a while for the rest of the problems to be sorted out,” Xu Hai said reassuringly, his hand falling gently on Han Wu’s shoulder. What appeared to be a casual pat actually carried immense power. That single motion alone drained 300 million Divine Points from Xu Hai’s personal account.

Every cell in Han Wu’s body quivered as golden energy began to float out and dissipate. Immediately afterward, he felt his connection to his divine realm being fully restored.

“You should quickly inspect your divine realm,” Xu Hai advised. “You haven’t returned in so many days, so there must be a great many things requiring your attention there.”

With a nod, Han Wu returned to his divine realm. No sooner had he done so than the office door suddenly burst open, and Qin Shuang dashed frantically into Lina’s office.

“Where is Han Wu, Professor? Where is he?” she asked with evident worry, her eyes desperately darting around the room.

Seeing Qin Shuang’s anxious expression, Lina’s face brightened with a cheerful smile. A memory of her own college days, filled with similar worries, flickered through her mind. “He’s just returned to his divine realm,” she explained kindly. “Qin Shuang, you’re welcome to wait for him here.”

Qin Shuang nodded resolutely. “Yes! I will wait for him here, no matter how long it takes!”

Lina responded with a quiet chuckle and said nothing more. Xu Hai briefly furrowed his brow, then left to handle the complicated aftermath of Han Wu’s abduction.

Back in his divine realm, Han Wu hovered in the air, immediately sensing the changes that had occurred within it. Years of unchecked growth had brought his divine realm to the very precipice of collapse, strained to its limits by overpopulation.

His divine realm had already reached its maximum size of 10,000 square kilometers, the largest possible for a Demigod, and his Core had likewise reached its peak at Level 20. In essence, he was now considered a complete Demigod in every aspect concerning his divine realm. The only thing he was lacking was his Divine Aspects.

Han Wu remained unworried, as his recent ascension to Demigod status granted him ample time. However, as he scanned his divine realm, a deep frown settled on his face. He was utterly taken aback to discover his units locked in an internal civil war.

The locusts, being his core race, remained untouched, as no other race dared to challenge them. In the span of 30 realm years, the locust population had exploded to 100 billion. However, precisely because they hadn’t engaged in combat for over three decades, they had regressed significantly, becoming mere Elite life forms. He was absolutely certain that another 10 realm years of inactivity would reduce them back to Common locusts.

However, the remaining four races were engaged in a fierce internal struggle. This devastating war had ignited ten realm years after Han Wu’s disappearance.

The skeletons initiated the war, targeting the Epistians first. In response, the Epistians attempted to forge alliances with both the minotaurs and the Scorching Dwarves. Unfortunately, internal disputes over the unequal allocation of resources caused the proposed alliance to splinter apart.

After 20 realm years of relentless warfare, the skeletons had managed to seize control of a significant portion of the divine realm. The Epistians, pushed back, were now defensively holed up within their city walls. Meanwhile, the Scorching Dwarves and minotaurs had formed an alliance, creating an equilibrium which prevented either from overpowering the other, effectively keeping both factions in check.

Han Wu frowned deeply, a question nagging at him: given that all his subjects worshipped him, why couldn’t they simply coexist peacefully? His anger flared, and in a decisive act, he sacrificed every locust unit that was beneath the Unique rank. Instantly, a massive magical array materialized into view, hovering high above the realm.

Though calmly munching on grass, the locusts’ attention was immediately drawn to the ominous array when it appeared. Without warning, countless numbers of them were sacrificed, their Life Energy pouring into the array. In total, a staggering 99 billion locusts were sacrificed, leaving Han Wu with just 1 billion locusts that were of Unique rank or higher.

A recently hatched Locustman Lord found itself simultaneously overjoyed and terrified. Due to its inherent strength and significantly longer lifespan, it had learned about the annual sacrificial ritual that had been performed without fail until 30 realm years ago. The very fact that the ritual had now been activated left no doubt: their God had returned!

For the loyal locusts, there was no greater desire than this. The return of their God was a desire that emanated from the very depths of their souls. Following the lead of the Locustman Lord, the remaining locusts instinctively ascended high into the air, their instincts guiding them in a desperate search for their God.

Sensing the powerful magical array of Sacrifice, the other four races also began to move. Among them, the Scorching Dwarves, known for their unwavering loyalty to Han Wu, were overcome with ecstasy. Even their leader, Divine Hammer, was so overwhelmed by emotion that tears streamed down his face.

The minotaurs and Epistians, however, remained largely unconcerned. Their loyalty to Han Wu was lukewarm at best; Han Wu had forcefully acquired one of these races, while the other had been a relatively recent gift from Xu Hai. The skeletons, on the other hand, were seized by panic. The Skeleton High Lord, specifically, was acutely aware of the misdeeds it had committed over the past few realm years.

Convinced that Han Wu would offer no forgiveness, it resolved to commit the ultimate betrayal: breaking the Core that linked its God to the divine realm! It knew that once the Core was destroyed, the God would permanently lose the coordinates to His divine realm and thus be forever unable to return.

The skeleton race intended to seize control of the divine realm, after which they would employ a secret method to make their escape. The skeletons were unconcerned about their destination, as their very nature allowed them to survive in any environment.

Once its decision was made, the little skeleton wasted no time, instantly teleporting to the Temple. The spiritual flames flickering within its eye sockets intensified as it rapidly gathered Bone Energy, which it then aimed directly at Han Wu’s Core.