CHAPTER 145 - MERGING DIVINE ASPECTS

Hundreds of wolf-headed Divine Souls still guarded the altar, and they all launched a simultaneous attack the moment they spotted Han Wu. In response, he quickly summoned numerous Spectre Vines, and his figure darted across the battlefield, leaving behind countless cross-shaped slashes on the ground.

Han Wu was formidable even without activating Spectral Dash, so with the Skill activated, he easily wiped out the Divine Souls in his way. They dropped numerous Rank 5 Divine Aspect fragments, but Han Wu couldn’t spare a moment to pick them up, rushing instead to crush the chains that had Tian Wen bound.

Feeling himself being shifted, Tian Wen struggled to open his eyes. As his vision cleared, he saw Han Wu’s face, and his voice trembled with disbelief. “Am I dreaming?” he managed to utter.

“Mr. Tian, you’re caught in a bad dream,” the voice confirmed. “We’re here to pull you out.”

After successfully rescuing Tian Wen, Han Wu didn’t hesitate, swiftly ascending into the sky. Qin Shuang, recognizing his signal, quickly ordered their units to fall back. The four Locustman Lords and Steely quickly finished off their remaining enemies, then effortlessly leapt over the city walls and fled. By taking to the air, they managed to swiftly escape the pursuing Divine Souls for the time being.

Despite their escape, they remained trapped within the barren realm with no apparent way out. Tian Wen was provided with medical care, water, and food from Han Wu, which helped him recover most of his strength. He expressed great satisfaction seeing his students grow into powerful Demigods, whose strength now even rivaled his own.

“Don’t worry about finding an exit,” Tian Wen assured them, his voice now steadier. “While I was captured, I overheard some intriguing secrets from the Divine Souls. They spoke of a unique mirror in their king’s palace capable of dimensional travel. I’m certain that’s our ticket out of this desolate place.”

Han Wu reacted with shock. “Those wolf-headed Divine Souls were already red halos,” he said, bewildered. “How much stronger is their king going to be?”

A wave of worry washed over Qin Shuang. She had already seen many of her Thunder Sparrows fall in battle. If the fighting continued, she feared most of the units she had painstakingly raised would be annihilated. Even with all their combined remaining forces, breaking through the city’s defenses seemed like an insurmountable task.

“We have no option but to persevere and slowly reduce their numbers,” Tian Wen said, shaking his head with a grim expression on his face. “There’s no other way. Unfortunately, all of my units have been killed, and I am severely weakened. I don’t think I can offer any help at all in this state.”

“No need to worry, Mr. Tian,” Han Wu assured Tian Wen, his voice full of warmth. “The fact that we rescued you today is already a fantastic sign. I’d even call it my greatest reward.” His deep respect for Tian Wen was evident.

Tian Wen offered a grateful smile as he extended a small pouch towards them. “Inside,” he explained, “you’ll find Divine Aspect fragments, as well as some completed Divine Aspects that I’ve managed to gather throughout my stay here. They might prove beneficial for you both.”

Since his intention was clearly to provide complete support, Han Wu didn’t hesitate; he emptied the entire contents of the pouch, and then added all the Divine Aspect fragments he had gathered alongside Qin Shuang.

As Divine Aspect fragments merged with others of the same type, they formed complete Divine Aspects. A quick tally revealed a total of 123 Rank 1 Divine Aspects, 42 Rank 2 Divine Aspects, 10 Rank 3 Divine Aspects, and one Rank 4 Divine Aspect.

They still hadn’t come across any complete Rank 5 Divine Aspects, nor did they have enough fragments to create one. Despite this, they had amassed a significant amount of wealth. Unfortunately, they were still stuck in this realm, which meant they couldn’t convert these valuable items into actual money.

Even though they had the means to increase their strength by absorbing Divine Aspects, Han Wu faced a limitation: he only possessed 12 Divine Essence, which his units had worked tirelessly to gather quite recently. To absorb a second Divine Aspect, he required 16 Divine Essence. Moreover, he was resolute in his decision not to absorb any Divine Aspect below Rank 5.

Qin Shuang found herself in the exact same situation as Han Wu. She possessed the Rank 5 Stormbringer Aspect but only had 14 Divine Essence, meaning she couldn’t absorb another Divine Aspect even if she wanted to.

Han Wu directly asked Tian Wen about his current Divine Essence count. Without hesitation, Tian Wen revealed he had 23 Divine Essence, a quantity he had accumulated over time. He then explained that, while his combat capabilities as a Support Demigod were weak, he was exceptionally skilled at harvesting Faith Points.

In addition, he also possessed three Divine Aspects: Harvest, Healing, and Warm Sunshine. The Harvest Aspect was solely for cultivating his divine realm, rendering it useless in direct combat. The Healing Aspect, as its name implied, was for healing his units, while Warm Sunshine further enhanced his healing capabilities.

Tian Wen still had the capacity to absorb two additional Rank 3 Divine Aspects. However, the Rank 3 Divine Aspects currently available to them were both inherently weak and fundamentally incompatible with his abilities, explaining his reluctance to absorb any of them.

Han Wu looked at the fragments, a bold idea forming in his mind. If they lacked a suitable Divine Aspect, he could simply merge them and form a new one himself. He’d done this with items, units, and even Sacred Objects; it might work on Divine Aspects too.

Gazing at the Divine Aspects before him, Han Wu decided to proceed with his idea. He was, however, worried about the risk of failure, so he sought out a secluded spot, where he then proceeded to merge two Rank 1 Sand Aspects together.

Because the two Sand Aspects were of the same type, their compatibility was exceptionally high. Han Wu expended only a few Divine Points to successfully complete the merging process. After the fusion, the Sand Aspect was elevated to Rank 2, but it still retained all of its original properties.

Undeterred, Han Wu persevered, continuously merging identical Divine Aspects. A crucial breakthrough came with the eighth merger—he had obtained the Rank 3 Gravel Aspect!

Possessing even more energy than a Rank 2 Divine Aspect, this newly formed Divine Aspect was especially well-suited for individuals specializing in the earth attribute. For the average Demigod, the Gravel Aspect was considered a fairly decent Divine Aspect.

Still unsatisfied, Han Wu continued to merge even more Rank 1 Sand Aspects with his newly formed Gravel Aspect. His persistence paid off after the eighteenth merger, and the Gravel Aspect finally evolved into the Rank 4 Sandstone Aspect, a Divine Aspect that many Gods specializing in the earth attribute yearned for.

This Divine Aspect contained pure earth elements, a property that would allow any God to instantly master an earth-type domain the moment they absorbed it. The immense energy radiated by the Sandstone Aspect also drew the immediate attention of both Tian Wen and Qin Shuang.

A bewildered Tian Wen asked, “Han Wu, what exactly are you doing?”

Seeing the Sandstone Divine Aspect in his hands, Qin Shuang asked, her voice laced with surprise, “Where did the Rank 4 Divine Aspect come from?”

Under their inquisitive gazes, Han Wu finally confessed. “I have a unique skill that allows me to merge items with high compatibility, though it comes at a price. I combined eighteen Rank 1 Sand Aspects together to create this Rank 4 Sandstone Aspect.”

Since Tian Wen and Qin Shuang remained unconvinced, Han Wu produced the Rank 4 Gold Sand Aspect they had previously acquired. He then activated his Merge skill, fusing the two Divine Aspects together. Due to their high compatibility, Han Wu only needed to expend 30 million Divine Points to complete the merger, resulting in a single Divine Aspect—the Rank 5 Sand Sea Aspect.

As soon as they sensed the pure earth attribute energy radiating from it, both Tian Wen and Qin Shuang could tell that it was indeed a proper Rank 5 Divine Aspect. They found it utterly ridiculous to consider that such a powerful Divine Aspect could be obtained by merging eighteen Rank 1 Divine Aspects and a single Rank 4 Divine Aspect.

Once he had given the Rank 5 Sand Sea Aspect to Qin Shuang, Han Wu shifted his focus to the remaining Divine Aspects in their possession. He was now prepared to merge two suitable ones specifically for Tian Wen.