Death… And Me

Chapter 4345: Faster Than Ever

With that, the real reason the monks had appeared inside the Sacred Relic became obvious. First of all, the Relic hadn’t been deactivated by the explosion. Instead, it was Tobao himself who ordered its shutdown the moment he received the report about the puppet’s self-destruction.

As mentioned before, no one truly understood how the Sacred Relic functioned. However, that didn’t mean they had no control over it whatsoever. Making the Relic stop operating was actually quite simple. All they had to do was ensure that no more energy was fed into the ancient mechanisms that sustained it.

That was another reason the monks of the Godly Subjugation Guild were present. They were the ones tasked with moving through the Sacred Relic’s structure and disconnecting the ancient arrays responsible for gathering and transmitting the energy required for the Relic’s operation.

Everything about the process was kept strictly secret. Apart from a handful of the Godly Subjugation Guild’s highest-ranking experts, no one knew how the Relic could be disabled. More importantly, those few individuals were experts Tobao trusted enough to believe they hadn’t been turned into puppets.

When the time came, everyone watched as the Array Masters from the Zanmzan Monastery left the main control room. Only a small number of experts remained behind to monitor the Relic’s functioning arrays. Surprisingly, even Rean was asked to leave with the others and assist in the operation, a clear indication that Tobao had developed a considerable amount of trust in him and his group.

Naturally, Rean was more than willing to help.

While moving through the various energy array chambers, he secretly had Sister Orb record every rune, array, and energy pathway they encountered. The Sacred Relic remained one of the greatest engineering marvels he had ever seen, and he had no intention of letting such an opportunity pass him by.

His goal was simple. He wanted to study those runes later and determine whether some of the principles behind them could be adapted into a future version of the System Armor.

At the moment, the twins’ group no longer possessed any System Armors. They had all been lost during the ascension to the Celestial Plane. Even if the original armors had somehow survived, they would have been of very limited use against opponents who wielded Celestial Energy and Laws. Still, the concept itself remained invaluable. Rean never stopped searching for ways to improve it.

And so, everyone prepared themselves for Tobao’s final orders.

Once the airship arrived and blocked the Godly Horrors’ path toward the Sacred Relic, Tobao immediately gave the signal.

The disconnected arrays were reactivated.

The Sacred Relic was turned back ON!

---

Now, how had so many Law God Realm experts suddenly appeared in the Besgol Region? Wasn’t Besgol supposed to possess only two Law Gods?

The answer was yes.

The Besgol Region truly had only two resident Law God experts.

The explanation lay elsewhere.

The secret facility hidden near Besgol’s central territories contained a Super Long-Distance Teleport Array. It was one of the region’s most closely guarded secrets and one of the reasons such a staggering number of Godly Predator Crystals had been consumed when activated. The energy cost required to transport Law God experts across vast distances was astronomical.

After receiving Roan’s report regarding the group of Godly Horrors advancing toward Besgol, Tobao immediately understood that he and Arcis alone would not be enough.

Sure, with Rean’s assistance, they could eliminate the puppets hidden within the Sacred Relic. As long as the Relic remained operational, the Godly Horrors would never dare advance too deeply into Besgol’s territory too soon. The further they went, the weaker they would become under the Relic’s suppression.

Eventually, they would reach a point where even low-stage Zone God cultivators could kill them.

The real problem was something else entirely.

What if the Godly Horrors chose not to advance toward the Relic?

What if they simply spread out along the borders instead?

If they focused their efforts on the many countries located near the edge of the region, they could massacre civilians, destroy cities, and wipe out entire sects while remaining outside the Relic’s most dangerous suppression zones.

And no one would be able to stop them.

Even worse, Besgol’s strongest combatants would be forced to disperse across those border nations in desperate defensive operations. Their forces would become fragmented, stretched thin across enormous distances.

If that happened, Besgol could lose a terrifying number of cultivators.

Such losses would create a disastrous chain reaction.

Without enough defenders remaining, the region would no longer possess the manpower necessary to repel future waves of Godly Creatures. The Sacred Relic, powerful as it was, couldn’t fight battles on its own. It merely weakened the enemy. Someone still had to deliver the killing blow.

Should Besgol’s cultivators be reduced beyond a certain point, the endless hordes of Godly Creatures would eventually overwhelm them through sheer numbers.

Wave after wave would push deeper into the region.

Little by little, they would advance.

And eventually, they would reach the Sacred Relic itself.

At that point, Besgol would be finished.

It would become yet another region erased from history by the Godly Creatures, joining countless others that had already fallen over the ages.

Because of that possibility, Tobao couldn’t allow the Godly Horrors to begin a large-scale slaughter among the border nations or nations close to said borders.

There were only two viable solutions.

The first was to increase the Sacred Relic’s power once again.

If its suppression field became strong enough, the Godly Horrors would be unable to remain near the borders without suffering severe weakening.

Unfortunately, that idea was discarded almost immediately.

The reason was simple.

The cost.

Keeping the Sacred Relic operating in such a state consumed resources at a horrifying rate. Besgol simply couldn’t sustain that level of expenditure for long. The Godly Horrors would only need to retreat temporarily, wait until the Relic returned to normal operating levels, and launch another assault later.

It would solve nothing.

No.

Besgol needed a permanent solution.

The Godly Horrors had to die.

And that was when Tobao conceived his second plan.

There was one thing every Law God valued immensely.

Godly Horror Crystals.

For experts of their level, there were few treasures more desirable. A properly preserved Godly Horror Crystal could help overcome bottlenecks that might otherwise take centuries to surpass.

Even more valuable, those crystals could be used to assist Peak Zone God experts in breaking into the Law God Realm itself.

Every successful breakthrough meant another Law God for the region.

Another pillar of strength.

Another protector capable of defending countless lives.

The problem, naturally, was obtaining such crystals in the first place.

Godly Horrors rarely appeared.

Most invasions were led by Godly Predators at best.

And even when a Godly Horror did appear, killing one was extraordinarily difficult. Their combat strength allowed them to escape whenever a battle began turning against them. In the cultivation world, defeating has always been much easier than killing.

As a result, opportunities to obtain their crystals were incredibly rare.

That was precisely why Tobao’s plan was so effective.

He decided to lure the Godly Horrors into Besgol.

After the first puppet appeared in Jufafner Country and additional puppets were discovered inside the Sacred Relic itself, the enemy’s objective became obvious. Even a fool could tell that the Sacred Relic was their true target.

So Tobao used that fact against them.

He spread word among trusted channels and offered a reward that no Law God could easily ignore.

Every Godly Horror Crystal would belong entirely to the participating Law Gods.

Every corpse would also belong to them, providing priceless materials for cultivation, forging, alchemy, and research.

Besgol would keep nothing.

Furthermore, the region would cover the enormous transportation expenses required to bring the Law Gods there.

Faced with such a reward, many accepted.

Everything proceeded according to plan.

The puppet inside the Relic self-destructed.

The Sacred Relic shut down.

The Godly Horrors sensed their opportunity and advanced toward the center of Besgol.

Then, once they entered the trap...

The Law Gods appeared.

And the Sacred Relic was activated once more.

*Zuummmmwwuuu...*

A vast wave of power surged across the region.

Everyone felt it.

The Law Gods felt it.

The cultivators felt it.

Most importantly, the Godly Horrors felt it.

The Sacred Relic’s suppressive force descended upon them like an invisible mountain.

Not only had Tobao reactivated the Relic, but he had done so at its enhanced operational level from the very beginning. He intended to weaken the Godly Horrors as much as possible before the battle even started.

Was calling so many Law Gods truly necessary?

In theory, perhaps not.

At such close proximity to the Sacred Relic, the Godly Horrors would be suppressed to such an extent that even Zone God experts shouldn’t have much problem killing them.

But Tobao had absolutely no intention of taking unnecessary risks.

The Sacred Relic was Besgol’s greatest treasure.

Its survival was non-negotiable.

He wanted certainty.

Absolute certainty.

And the only way to guarantee the deaths of every single Godly Horror was to bring enough Law Gods to ensure no escape remained possible.

Everything else could wait.

---

The Godly Horrors immediately halted their assault.

For the first time since entering Besgol, genuine danger appeared in their eyes.

The Law Gods, however, were ecstatic.

Their senses clearly told them how drastically the Godly Horrors’ strength had fallen. The suppression was even stronger than many of them had expected.

Without hesitation, they charged forward.

What moments ago had been dangerous prey had now become priceless treasures waiting to be harvested.

Any one of them could kill a Godly Horror under such conditions.

Naturally, none intended to miss this opportunity.

---

Far away from Besgol, Nazzun and Ranka, the two Godly Colossi, watched the scene unfold through their connection with the little yellow lizard.

Both wore extremely ugly expressions.

Their plan had completely fallen apart.

There was no longer any possibility of the Godly Horrors reaching the Sacred Relic.

There was no possibility of destroying it either.

Even if the Law Gods somehow disappeared, the weakened Godly Horrors still wouldn’t possess enough strength to break through the defensive barrier protecting the Relic itself.

The mission had failed... or had it?

At that moment, Ranka suddenly clenched his fists.

His eyes narrowed.

A dangerous decision formed in Ranka’s mind as the words followed. "Power link with them."

Nazzun’s frustration instantly transformed into shock. "What?! Are you insane?!"

Ranka’s expression remained firm. "We’ll only maintain the connection for ten seconds. The moment we’re done, we’ll leave this place straight away."

"You know the risks," Nazzun warned.

"I do."

"And if they trace it back to us?"

Ranka’s gaze hardened.

"Then we’ll deal with it."

Nazzun remained silent.

Both of them understood exactly how dangerous such a move would be.

Yet they also understood something else.

Returning empty-handed would carry consequences of its own.

After several tense moments, Nazzun finally nodded.

"Fine."

He took a deep breath before adding, "Then you’d better be prepared to run faster than ever before."