Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 575 [Demon God]

—Helmond, the "child of the Dragon God," is above the Sacred Abyss?!
When Quesanx heard Luo Xiu say this, his entire dragon consciousness froze on the spot, and his mind went blank for a moment as if struck by lightning.

That was Helmond, one of the three demigods of the [Authority] and the pillar god successor designated by the "Ancestor of the Ancient Dragons," the "Child of the Dragon God"!
Such an existence had long since vanished from Quesanx's memories of the past—but now Luo Xiu says that Helmond is above the "Sacred Abyss"?!

"……roar?"

[Say that again, Luo Xiu?]

It was as if he had heard something extremely absurd, almost impossible to be true, but Quesanx subconsciously felt that there was a slight possibility, so he let out a roar full of doubt and asked Luo Xiu for confirmation.

Luo Xiu nodded and said solemnly:

“I have discovered Helmond, the ‘child of the dragon god,’ and have taken control of him, placing him above the Sacred Abyss.”

"..."

Quesanx remained silent.

Having received this confirmation from Luo Xiu for the second time, Quesanx no longer roared, but remained silent for a long time.

Luo Xiu knew that He had crashed again—in fact, he had come to Quesanx to tell Him about Helmond, the “child of the dragon god,” hoping that He could “inherit” something else from Helmond.

Both being ancient dragons, Quesanx was one of the most authoritative ancient dragons who came closest to the status of "demigod" during the Age of Gods, and he might be able to inherit Helmond's true divinity.

If such a thing could be accomplished, then Quesanx, who shares the same "Protoss" rank as Helmond, the current "Child of the Dragon God," might be able to ascend to an even higher rank, reaching the divine level above demigods!

Even Luo Xiu didn't know what it was—

In the previous life, although players could reach the upper limit of the "Sevenfold Destiny" rank, the highest rank of the gods they could contact and contract with was only Star Spirit. Even Star Spirits were extremely rare, and among all players at the same time, there were only a dozen or so that they had contracted with.

By the later version of the previous life, during version 6.0, the entire Apocalypse world had become chaotic due to various external and internal factors. Players' footprints had spread throughout the entire Apocalypse world, and basically, players who had formed a contract with a "Protoss" could roam freely in that area.

Because setting resurrection points has large area restrictions, it's similar to the regional isolation between servers—for example, players on the Fanor Continent (currently in version 1.0) and players on the Storm Continent and Broken Continent basically have no interaction except through the [Player Forum] and [Chat Channel], and this was still the case until version 6.0.

However, since the new version "Crimson Tide" was released in 2.0, after the Golden Kingdom was opened to the Adventists, players were able to board the "Golden Ship" and cross the "Sea of ​​Mist" that separates several continents to travel to other continents.

However, there are also barriers between continents—for example, players can set resurrection points on both the Fanor Continent and the Shattered Continent, but they cannot resurrect on the Shattered Continent after dying on the Fanor Continent. This is a limitation for players, but from the perspective of the developers… from the perspective of "Apocalypse," it is a reasonable limitation.

Therefore, the distribution of players throughout the Apocalypse world is actually quite even.

The exploration of the Apocalypse world has deepened with each version's storyline—yet, even so, no player has found any information about the gods above the "Protoss" rank.

In his previous life, during the Sevenfold Path of Fate, Luo Xiu witnessed a "demigod" summon a god of equal rank—

That was an enemy demigod, an extraterrestrial demigod who descended from outside the Apocalypse World. At that time, the panel detection results for Him and the gods He summoned were all question marks, and then Luo Xiu was instantly killed—he had a deep impression of this, and not long after, he was transported to this Apocalypse World.

Therefore, Luo Xiu did not know what the "God" rank, which was comparable to a demigod above the "Star Spirit," was. He only knew that it was indeed extremely powerful, and that its individual strength alone could crush the level of a seventh-level Destiny Path.

He recalled these things.

Luo Xiu did not intend to hide the fact that he planned to use Helmond's blood to advance his [Abyss] destiny from Quesanx.

Since Quesanx knew and accepted the "Holy Abyss," he naturally also knew that Luo Xiu had embarked on the path of the "Abyss."

He knew that Luo Xiu was a saint who completely surpassed the abyss with his radiance, and that for Him, destiny was destiny itself, and nothing else.

However, Luo Xiu was unaware of Quesanx's attitude towards Helmond, the "child of the Dragon God."

Because, regardless of the circumstances, both Quesanx and Helmond were once destined to follow the path of [Authority]. Another demigod of [Authority], the "Dragonborn King" Hastia, was, after all, a dragonborn, but Helmond was a true ancient dragon, and one from the Age of Gods, possessing a bloodline closer to the pillar gods than Quesanx!

In many destinies, the concept of "bloodline" is not merely a hereditary one. The offspring of pillar gods and demigods are born with a bloodline advantage over those of lower rank or status in the same destiny, such as Helmond and Quesantx—if this were still the age of gods, they would be in a ruler-vassal relationship.

But now that the [authoritarian] system has crumbled, Luo Xiu knows that Quesanx has undergone a profound transformation during the time he was dominated and controlled by Fafnir. Therefore, Luo Xiu is waiting for Quesanx to calmly reflect and ultimately give him His response.

"..."

"……Roar."

"...The Helmond you mentioned...was found inside the heart of the Devouring Dragon?"

"Yes," Luo Xiu nodded in response.

"……Roar."

[...So, since the 'Devouring Dragon' is a progenitor demon, Helmond, discovered within the heart of His dead dragon cocoon, must also be...]

"Yes."

Luo Xiu responded to Him again—

"He has been too deeply influenced by the Devouring Dragon, Quesanx. He is no longer the Helmond you know. He is now a 'Primordial Demon' along with the Devouring Dragon, but still retains a trace of divinity belonging to [Authority]."

"As you know, in order to fight against the Abyss, I have also stepped into the Abyss. I know that Helmond, who has been completely corrupted and eroded by it, has irreversibly fallen. I am telling you this now in the hope that you can make a decision."

"..."

"..."

After Luo Xiu finished speaking to Quesanx, both of them fell silent once again.

Quesanx knew what Rosh wanted Him to do—to strip away the true divinity of Helmond's remaining [authority] and incorporate it into Himself. In this way, Helmond, who had once been infinitely close to being a "demigod," could return to his peak, or even surpass that peak, and cross the shackles of "demigod."

Now that [authoritarianism] has fallen and all demigods have found their own destinies, Quesanx will not become any new or existing "demigod." But he can gain the same power, and Quesanx knows what that is—

"……Roar."

"...Do you want me to become a 'Demon God,' Luo Xiu?"

"..."

"...!"

—Demon God!
When Luo Xiu heard Quesanx's voice enter those two words, his eyes lit up.

The question he had been pondering earlier—what lay above the "Protoss" rank—seemed to have an answer that Quesanx knew.

However, Luo Xiu seemed to recall seeing the term "demon god" somewhere before.

He quickly recalled that the first "True Ancestor Demon" he had actually killed—the "Gluttonous Tyrant" Brigantis—had mentioned this term in a special legendary feat he had obtained from killing Him: "Brigantis Demonic Bloodline."

...So that's a divine rank above "Protoss"? Or one exclusive to the [Abyss]...specifically used to define the "Primal Demons" below "Pillar Gods" and between "Demigods"? "More or less...yes. Quesanx."

Despite the turmoil within him, Luo Xiu remained calm and composed, saying:

“I hope you can accept… the remaining divinity of Helmond, the ‘Child of the Dragon God’. Quesanx, you and He were once both [Authorities], and you are also an ancient dragon close to the progenitor dragon, so you should have unparalleled aptitude for His bloodline.”

“But… that requires your willingness, Quesanx. I know the only surviving divine child of the Ancient Dragon Ancestors… I know what Helmond means to you. But Helmond needs liberation, and you need power now.”

"..."

"……Roar."

"...I need to think about this carefully, Luo Xiu."

Quesanx's voice came through—

[Until I make my decision, I will continue to guard the 'Devouring Dragon.' This is more important than Helmond's current situation. After my mission is completed, I will return to the Sacred Abyss to see Him with my own eyes.]

"...Oh, right. And Hastia too. I'll check on them and then tell you my decision."

"it is good."

Luo Xiu nodded slightly, having received Quesanx's reply, and then stood up from His dragon's back.

That's enough. At least now Luo Xiu knows that Quesanx is not "opposed" to inheriting Helmond's [authoritarian] divinity.

Then let Him see for Himself later. But before that, He will first bathe in the blood of Helmond to advance to the fifth level of the [Abyss] destiny.

As he thought this, he took out the Divine Grip in his right hand and uttered a holy invocation.

Pegasus, the "Golden Pegasus" with divine wings, came in response to Luo Xiu's holy prayer. Luo Xiu mounted its back, bid farewell to Quesanx, and rode Pegasus back to Fafnir.

……

Until the afternoon.

Luo Xiu went to the manor where Monine and Franya were recuperating and held a meeting there with the other Saints of [Radiance].

Luo Xiu knew in advance that this was mainly for discussing the decision and arrangements for the subsequent itinerary.

It was in the manor's chapel that Luo Xiu saw Franya—the saintess who had previously fallen into a coma due to overexertion, now awake. However, her face was still pale, revealing fatigue and weakness.

He greeted Franya, and Franya returned the greeting. In a daze, Luo Xiu seemed to sense that the aura emanating from Franya was subtly different from before.

Her previous level was lv.79. Luo Xiu knew that she had tried several times to break through the shackles of the "sixth level of destiny" and advance to the "seventh level of destiny," but had failed each time.

In the "Sixfold Destiny" level of [Glory], failure to advance means that certain necessary conditions have not been met, and the cost is a reduction of 1 to 2 levels.

Franya had once reached the maximum level of lv.80, but now her level has been restored from lv.79 to lv.80. Perhaps she has once again seen and touched that "Gate of Stars".

—She is about to be promoted.

Luo Xiu had learned of this through his detection of Franya's panel. He then took his seat and participated in the discussion and resolution of the meeting's agenda.

During this meeting, chaired by Monigne, the leader of the "God Hunt".

Daveld and Prandell stated their intention to travel to the Dark City and participate in the war of the gods; Royce suggested continuing to track down another "Primordial Demon," the "Eyed Evil King" Tantagros. Monine had no idea what to do, so she first sought Flanya's opinion.

“In Everett territory, Cardinal Emerson, the Sixth Cardinal, is stationed in Komodo City and has taken over the investigation of the trail of the ‘Eying Evil King’ Tantagross. I believe we can trust Lord Emerson’s abilities.”

Franya said this:
"We currently have no other clues related to the 'Primordial Demon.' Therefore, from a combat perspective, I tend to support the Pope and participate in the holy war against the Dark Grand Duke."

These were Franya's exact words, and she then looked at Luo Xiu and Daveld, saying:

"Furthermore, Lord Luo Xiu and Lord Daveld originally planned to join the Songyuan Expeditionary Force in heading to the Dark Capital. Coincidentally, we can also go along, in the name of protecting the Pope. My teacher Monigne and I will also need to personally meet with the Pope to report on the process and findings of our investigation."

Frania said this, primarily to Royce, the vice-captain of "Godhunter." Royce then ceased his pursuit of "Eyed Evil King" Tantagross, prompting Monigne to issue a resolution—

"Therefore, I hereby decide that all of you in the 'Godhunter' Templar Knights will accompany me to the capital of the Duchy. We will 'protect' the Pope and provide him with divine protection."

"Lord Roshchu and Lord Daveld, we will be traveling together for a while longer."

"And I have received a reply from the Holy Court. The cardinals attach great importance to the sealed Devouring Dragon. The Holy Court has entrusted the 'Holy Blood Knights'—Demosth—to come in three days to receive the seal on the Devouring Dragon."

—"Demosth," Luo Xiu knew this name. He was the supreme commander of the entire Holy Court's "Knight Templars," and also the legendary "Dragonblood Knight Commander" who was bathed in dragon blood.

The fact that the Holy Court sent him demonstrates that the sealing of the Devouring Dragon is indeed of the highest importance. Luo Xiu thought to himself, while Monine concluded by saying:
"Until then, we will wait here for our fellow members of the 'Holy Blood' to arrive. During this time, we must remain in our respective sacred posts, but we are free to move and be deployed."

"Once Demosth arrives, we will complete the handover of the Devouring Dragon with our comrades of the 'Holy Blood,' and then we will set off for the Dark City."

This is the outcome of the meeting announced by Monigne.

They would set off in three days, meaning that before that, he could complete the advancement of the fifth level of the [Abyss] destiny in the Holy Abyss—this arrangement was fine for him, and Luo Xiu agreed to it.

“I have no objection,” Franya said first.

"I have no objection." "I have no objection either." "..."

Prandell, Reuss, and Daveld also expressed their agreement.

Luo Xiu also agreed to this arrangement. After discussing some details, the meeting ended, and all the saints returned to their respective sacred posts.

……

Two days passed in a flash.

Nothing much happened during this time—the Templar Knights of the "Godhunter" went about their routine vigilance and patrols, Monigne and Franya continued their investigation into the "Devourer Dragon" after recovering somewhat, Daveld and Rosh dealt with the ever-increasing church affairs, and Quesanx remained on the mountain peak of the dragon's remains.

Demosth and his "Holy Blood" Knights were still on their way. Two days later, Rosh went to the outskirts of Fafnir City and, under the pretext of investigation, descended into the still unhealed "wounds".

The blood of Hermond that he had accumulated above the Sacred Abyss and within the Chains of the Gods had now reached a sufficient level.

The conditions are now met.

Using the "scars" as cover, he will head to the "Holy Abyss" to advance to the [Abyss] level!

……

(End of this chapter)