CHAPTER 86 - SUMMONING THE CORE RACE

The Rank 5 Death Aspect was immensely powerful and as such, difficult to obtain. However, those who possessed it were revered as Gods among Gods.

Despite not yet reaching the Demigod level, Han Wu had still dreamed of obtaining this Divine Aspect many times. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he would be given the chance to secure it right now.

The Wisdom Tree had offered him an irresistible reward and he would be a fool to pass up this opportunity.

“Alright, I will do my best.” Han Wu finally agreed.

The short answer had the Wisdom Tree overjoyed, its vines swaying and dancing in the air while its leaves shook in perfect harmony.

Han Wu coughed. “But I have a request.”

The Wisdom Tree looked at him in confusion. What more could he possibly want?

“What do you need?” it asked. “Tell me, and I will do my best to accommodate you.”

The Wisdom Tree had tolerated the town’s residents for thousands of years, eagerly awaiting the moment it could finally rid itself of them, even if it was a second sooner. It was willing to pay any price as long as it could expedite the process of driving the residents away.

“It’s a simple request. I want to connect to my divine realm and summon my core race. I hope you won’t mind,” Han Wu said with a smile.

As a Divine Being of the Divine Civilization, Han Wu’s personal strength was just an added bonus since his true power lay in his units. Even the strongest Gods could not stand alone against an entire army.

The Wisdom Tree fell silent, contemplating Han Wu’s intentions, worried that he might be deceiving it just as the previous outlander had done all those years ago. Would he also take over the Secret Realm with the aid of his summoned units?

After much deliberation, the Wisdom Tree came to a decision.

It regarded Han Wu seriously and said, “Then you must swear an oath with the Death God Palace that you will use your units to help me and cause me no harm. Only then will I feel reassured. If you break your oath, your units will suffer the curse of death and perish. Once the oath is sworn, I will help you connect to your divine realm.”

Realizing the Wisdom Tree’s cunning, Han Wu couldn’t help but curse inwardly. Still, he had only intended to summon his units for the chance of obtaining the Rank 5 Death Aspect. As such, he absolutely didn’t mind swearing that oath.

Han Wu readily agreed to the Wisdom Tree’s condition.

Placing his hand on his chest, he solemnly vowed from the depths of his heart to cause no harm to the Wisdom Tree and use his units to aid it in driving away the town’s residents. He vowed to not go back on his words, and in response, a mark flashed on the back of his hand. Though he only caught a brief glimpse, he was certain that it was the mark of death, the very curse that would kill his units in his divine realm should he break his oath.

Pleased with Han Wu’s sincerity, the Wisdom Tree personally built the gate connecting to his divine realm. As the Secret Realm’s protector, it encountered no difficulties in the process, and the gate was swiftly completed.

Han Wu summoned his Locustmen, and to his relief, suffered no repercussions. Instead, his body was nourished by the energy of his divine realm, rapidly restoring his strength. Before this, his personal strength and skills were only comparable to a Heroic life form, but now, he had gotten as strong as a Lord life form.

Han Wu burst into laughter as he felt his strength surge. A Rank 6 zombie? That wouldn’t be a problem at all—killing it would be easy.

The Wisdom Tree also sensed Han Wu’s increased strength but paid no attention. Instead, it urged him to quickly fulfill his end of the deal and drive out the town’s residents without delay.

Han Wu was then unceremoniously kicked out of the Wisdom Tree’s territory. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the white mist. The horde of zombies was still beneath him, but something had changed.

He could sense his army of locusts waiting for his orders in the white mist. They would execute his command without any hesitation even if it cost them their lives—such was their loyalty toward their god.

Han Wu exhaled, his mind racing. “What’s the best way to drive the residents away with the least repercussions? Looks like I’ll have to play the villain this time.”

Han Wu exited the white fog and flew back to the town. The Defender Squad and the guards stared at him in shock when they saw him returning safely. Han Wu also noticed their Friend Points increasing steadily as they caught sight of him. The mayor even promised to honor him with the Model Townsfolk Award along with several other rewards.

Han Wu smiled even as he secretly commanded his locusts to move. Finally, after some time, the first ray of sunlight touched Zombie Town, and like before, the zombie horde disappeared into thin air.

The residents emerged from their homes, cheering loudly as they celebrated surviving the toughest night of the month. Yet, unbeknownst to them, an even greater calamity was soon approaching.

Once Han Wu returned home, he checked the scoreboard to find that he was placed first with 12.03 million points. Qin Shuang was in second place with 8.72 million points while Sun Qingnian was placed third with 7.92 million points.

Xu Tie was now in fourth place with 7.89 million points. While he could still catch up to Sun Qingnian with enough hard work, overtaking Han Wu was just impossible. Despite having the upper hand early in the major class, Han Wu’s advantages had surpassed his and had placed him firmly at the top of the class.

Yet, even with the massive points gap between them, Xu Tie refused to believe he was weaker than Han Wu. All was fair in love and war—and this was both. If he couldn’t beat Han Wu openly, then he would have to play dirty.

The students in Zombie Town had their divine realms sealed, their parameters reduced to those of regular humans. Without their units protecting them, they were vulnerable prey, easy assassination targets.

Xu Tie had spent the past few days socializing with the town’s residents, and as luck would have it, he had befriended a skilled assassin. Wasting no time, he sought out his assassin friend first thing in the day. Without hesitation, he spent all of his Friend Points along with 8,000 gold coins on a single assassination target: Han Wu.

The assassin agreed. They had been very cautious and careful during their conversation, ensuring no prying ears overheard their plans, but they still made the mistake of overlooking a minute detail: the locust sitting on the window sill.

Han Wu immediately received a message from the locust and scoffed. He can’t win against me in the open, so he wants to play dirty and kill me in the dark? Fine, if that’s how you want to play it. But don’t blame me for killing you instead.

As the day passed, many locusts flew toward the town. However the guards ignored them since they were small and weak.

The locusts easily infiltrated the gardens of the residents and started eating their prized plants. None of the special plants attacked the locusts as they didn’t have any death aura. By the time someone realized what was going on, it was already too late. Nearly one third of the town’s special plants had been destroyed.

The locusts also multiplied and spread from their continuous feasting of the special plants.

When Qin Shuang heard the news, she immediately turned to Han Wu without a second thought. He didn’t attempt to conceal the truth and simply nodded, confirming his involvement. This piqued her curiosity about how Han Wu had managed to summon his units in Zombie Town.

Under normal circumstances, once their identity as someone from the Divine Civilization was exposed, they would be driven away or killed by the Will of the Civilization. And yet, Han Wu was perfectly fine even though he had summoned his locusts.

He didn’t explain anything and just asked Qin Shuang to keep watching the drama unfold.

Many of the other students, especially Xu Tie, also recognized Han Wu’s locusts. Enraged, he stormed into Han Wu’s house, holding a bag of dead locusts, demanding an explanation. Han Wu however feigned innocence and ignored the shouting Xu Tie.

Xu Tie seethed with frustration, but without proof, there was nothing he could do. If he couldn’t expose Han Wu, he could still eliminate him. Fuming, he returned home and notified the assassin to attack that very night.

He swore to kill Han Wu before dawn!