Chapter 536: Usurping the Gods

"You… have done… very well!"

A grand voice rang in the minotaurs' minds, speaking in the minotaur tongue, halting and intermittent, as if just roused from a long slumber, yet imbued with supreme majesty.

The praying minotaurs kneeling halfway before the gate gave a start, then became wild with joy.

"My Lord!"

Atomo's towering frame trembled, and irrepressible ecstasy covered the other minotaurs' faces; a few even wept from sheer emotion.

Dejiko's breathing also grew heavy.

As chieftain of the Sun Chaser tribe, bearing the heavy burden of sustaining his people's faith in the God of the Blazing Sun, his devotion was beyond question, and he was the one who most hoped to see the day Anse resurrected—waiting for this moment even in his dreams.

Yet when he truly heard Anse's response, he fell into a daze.

Not from doubt, but because a centuries-old wish fulfilled at last left him momentarily at a loss.

The God of the Blazing Sun had fallen over ten thousand years ago; Dejiko had never heard His voice, yet at this moment he doubted it not at all—one hundred percent trust.

The fervent yet warm aura within that responding voice, vast, magnificent, and merciful, was as though bathing in holy light that embraced all things, leaving him intoxicated, unwilling to wake.

This was exactly as described in the tribe's ancient texts.

"I have awakened."

The God of the Blazing Sun's majestic yet amiable voice rang out again; He seemed to gradually recover the ability to communicate, and continued: "But this was not part of my plan—over a thousand years too early."

"This is our failing; we beg My Lord to punish us." Dejiko's heart was fraught with anxiety, like a child who had done wrong.

The other minotaurs likewise blamed themselves.

"It is no fault of yours, my children." The God of the Blazing Sun's tone was very forgiving. "This was an accident, but also the arrangement of the holy light. Without you, things would only have been worse; you have already done very well. Unfortunately, I awakened early and could not accumulate enough divinity to reignite my divine fire; my divine power is insufficient, and I cannot bestow upon you the rewards you deserve."

Dejiko immediately replied, "My Lord, your waking is itself the greatest reward."

The other minotaurs shared the same thought.

The God of the Blazing Sun fell silent for a moment, then sighed: "After sleeping for so long, to still have devout believers such as you truly brings me comfort."

"Go back."

Before the minotaurs' eyes it was as if they saw a great phantom, enveloped in boundless holy light, its features indiscernible, its size impossible to gauge, waving a large hand toward them.

"Leave this tomb, leave Athas, return to the Prime Material Plane, my children. Await the day my divine power is restored; trust that it will not be long."

"May the holy light bless you all!"

Then, that golden figure gradually dissipated, and there was no further response.

The interior of the pyramid also returned to silence.

The minotaurs ended their prayers and opened their eyes, seeing their tribesfolk all just like themselves, eyes brimming with emotion and joy. Dejiko's chest heaved violently; only then did he realize that tears had unknowingly covered his face, soaking his mane and braided beard.

They stood up, all previous sorrow swept away.

"Let us go back." Dejiko's expression was resolute as he gazed at the towering stone gate; though he could not see what lay within the pyramid, his heart held boundless hope.

"Yes, Chieftain!"

The minotaurs agreed loudly without hesitation; even Atomo, who had been the most vehement before, now became extremely compliant.

The group of Sun Walkers turned and descended the platform, and saw Lei En and the Extreme Warriors gathered around the corpse of the Sunspot Viper, seemingly discussing how to deal with it. At the sight of the monster's corpse, the minotaurs all wore faces of hatred—it was this creature that had disrupted My Lord's resurrection plan.

"My Lord."

Dejiko walked over, looked at the colossal beheaded creature, and asked in a deep voice, "How do you intend to dispose of this monster?" Then he suddenly recalled, "What about its demon soul?"

For human extraordinaries, the most valuable thing on a monster was always the demon soul.

"Dissipated."

Lei En looked helpless, holding a blank soul stone in his hand, and said with regret: "Very strange—the demon soul of this monster could not be extracted, perhaps because…"

He did not finish, but glanced toward the pyramid.

Dejiko understood instantly; clearly, this student of the Holy Soul Wizard had also guessed the truth. The Sunspot Viper was unlike ordinary monsters—it had absorbed a large amount of My Lord's divinity, and its demon soul had mutated, making it impossible to capture with a soul stone. This was not surprising.

"Do you need me to break open the gate again?" Lei En asked casually.

"No need." Dejiko shook his head firmly and said with utmost sincerity: "My Lord's trouble has already been resolved. Our thanks for your help this time, My Lord; the Sun Chaser tribe will never forget your kindness."

"Each side got what it needed; that was our agreement." Lei En waved his hand, not appearing to mind much.

Dejiko did not see it that way. "In your eyes, My Lord, this may be but a small matter, but to the Sun Chaser tribe, there is no greater kindness. Keeping your word and honoring the agreement even in the most dangerous moment—this shows the noble character of My Lord."

He paused, then said with great solemnity: "Here, I swear in the name of My Lord Anse: the Sun Chaser tribe is willing to form an alliance with the Augustus family; both sides shall be allies, and in the future, whenever you or your descendants send a call for aid, the Sun Chaser tribe shall respond and face the enemy together."

"I wonder whether My Lord is willing?"

After Dejiko finished speaking, he looked at Lei En full of expectation, and the other minotaurs also felt it was only natural.

Lei En grasped the other party's intent at once.

Both sides being allies—the Sun Chaser tribe was clearly reaching above its station. Whether in strength, wealth, or influence, the Augustus family far surpassed the Sun Chaser tribe; the two could not stand as equals.

It would be more fitting for the Sun Chaser tribe to serve Lei En.

Dejiko was well aware of this, so the latter half of his words did not emphasize the alliance; it was in fact an expression of willingness to serve Lei En.

Lei En could also understand the minotaurs' thinking.

Believing themselves to have a god's protection behind them, they had their own pride, hoping to one day reforge the divine name and restore the former glory of the God of the Blazing Sun—how could they resign themselves to being someone else's subordinates? Even if Lei En had done them the greatest of favors, it would not do.

Using the name of alliance was a compromise—preserving their own dignity while not affecting the substance.

"The Augustus family is willing to ally with the Sun Chaser tribe."

Lei En agreed at once, a very pleased expression appearing on his face.

"Praise My Lord, may the holy light be with you!" the minotaurs responded in unison; Dejiko's large hand clasped Lei En's and pumped it firmly several times, marking the completion of the alliance oath.

Lei En's smile carried a hint of deeper meaning.

He had originally intended to win over this group of Sun Walkers, but what he valued was not their combat strength—it was their healing ability.

Both the Extreme Warriors and the Gunwing Knights lacked healing spells.

Even though the Gunwing Knights had fused the demon soul of the "Sacred Scarab" and mastered the "Light of Healing" spell, it was still rather shallow. The Gunwing Knights would go on to fuse more holy light Elements and cultivate the power of holy light, which also required the Sun Walkers' guidance to avoid some detours.

Additionally, the Sun‑Walker's combat is exceptionally impressive and can serve as a supplement to the two great warbands.

If there's a chance in the future and the Minotaurs prove loyal and reliable, we can equip them with Bolt Guns and Titan gear, forming a mechanized Holy Light Legion!

Dejiko did not know that his own people had already fallen into Lei En's scheme.

He stared at the sun‑spotted viper's corpse, troubled, and asked, "How should we deal with a corpse this large?"

"Take away whatever can be taken," Lei En had already planned.

"Its whole body is made of extremely precious materials, especially its blood, which contains massive Holy Light power. It can be made into the finest healing potion, which restores stamina and also spiritual energy. It can also be turned into a top‑grade soul‑refining elixir, boosting Holy Light affinity and accelerating power growth."

He omitted mentioning Divine Nature to avoid provoking the Minotaurs.

Anse's Divine Nature was devoured by the sun‑spotted viper and turned into flesh and blood; this crude conversion caused loss of information within the Divine Nature. Later, when refined into a demon elixir, it dilutes the Divine Nature's aggressiveness, reducing danger to a minimum, making it safe to ingest.

"How to transport it?" Dejiko was at a loss.

Even if the sun‑spotted viper were disassembled, the Kodo beasts could not carry it all back.

Moreover, raw viper meat exposed to sunlight would lose most of its Holy Light power, attracting countless monsters in the desert and making the road home extremely perilous.

Leaving it to rot in the tomb would be even more wasteful.

Lei En smiled; he had been waiting, and said, "My ring can conveniently contain this monster, but that would make it belong to me."

The Minotaurs were all startled; they had never seen a dimensional‑space ring this large.

Dejiko was also dumbfounded.

Then they felt a tinge of reluctance; although the monster was slain by Lei En and thus rightfully his loot, it had stolen our lord's Divine Nature, and letting an outsider like Lei En take it away left them somewhat disheartened.

"Chieftain," Lei En sensed the Minotaurs' thoughts and proposed, "The sun‑spotted viper belongs to me, but I can promise to give one‑tenth of the refined demon elixir to the Sun‑Chaser Tribe. How does that sound?"

"Fine, thank you, Lord," Dejiko agreed without hesitation.

One‑tenth of the demon elixir may seem little, but after deducting costs, it is already the best outcome for the Sun‑Chaser Tribe.

If they refuse, they'll get nothing.

"We are allies; sharing loot is proper," Lei En said courteously, stepping forward to place the viper's body and head into the Nebula Ring.

The thousand‑cubic‑meter space was instantly filled to the brim.

Fortunately, the dimensional ring's capacity isn't a fixed whole; it's calculated by the volume of items, so as long as the total volume hasn't reached the limit, more can be added.

Lei En also hadn't forgotten the blood that had spilled from the wounded sun‑spotted viper earlier.

He produced a batch of glass containers, having the Extreme Warriors collect the blood, even scooping out the blood‑soaked sand, and carry everything away. The viper's corpse, the Thunder‑forged Colossus, and a heap of personal gear, materials, ammunition, food, fresh water, etc., were all packed into the blood‑and‑sand‑filled containers, leaving the Nebula Ring with barely any space left.

"Chieftain, we should return," Lei En said with a smile.

The party passed through the spacious stone corridor, returning to the entrance of the passage they had entered.

Dejiko and the Minotaurs halted, turning to gaze at the magnificent pyramid, their expressions exceedingly complex, eyes filled with yearning, nostalgia, and reluctance. This place held their faith, more unforgettable than their homeland.

"We will return."

The Minotaur chieftain whispered a line, then entered the passage without looking back.

They climbed the long stone steps to the passage's end; everyone finally emerged onto the ground, re‑laying the heavy stone slab and covering it with yellow sand, making it look like a ruin. Retrieving the nearby Kodo beast, they mounted it, the scorching sun overhead, and gradually rode away, disappearing into the desert.

After the Minotaurs left, Anse's tomb fell silent again, as if it would remain hushed for ten thousand years.

However, inside the pyramid was a different scene.

At the ancient altar in the palace's center stood a figure in a black magical robe, expression indifferent—it was Reslin.

He held Divine Fire in his hand.

The ever‑shifting Divine Fire, at first glance, resembled a plain stone, its color changing, shape unremarkable; its texture was neither metal nor stone, like a fragile crystal that could not be damaged at all, as if it were the hardest substance in the world!

At this moment, Reslin's complexion was somewhat odd.

He had just impersonated a deity, deceiving its followers. The responses the Minotaurs heard were actually their own words.

Normally, only those who have undergone eight Soul Transformations—that is, transcendent beings above th Level—whose spiritual essence has evolved to touch the world's laws, can hear believers' prayers and respond.

Reslin is a fourteenth‑level mage, Mid-stage legendary, having undergone only four Soul Transformations, his spiritual essence insufficient.

He can do this thanks to the Divine Fire in his hand.

This Divine Fire is linked to the rune array inside the pyramid that gathers Faith power, serving as the array's core node; when a hand touches the fire, it can hear the Minotaurs' prayers and respond. The sun‑spotted viper works the same way.

In other words, possessing this Divine Fire allows one to steal part of the Sun‑God's authority.

As for the true Sun‑God, Reslin also discovered.

This deity, fallen for ten thousand years, has a strand of its original Divine Nature sleeping deep within the Divine Fire, showing no sign of awakening.

The Divine Fire is like a vessel that holds Divine Nature.

The Divine Fire also resembles a deep, complex energy furnace; when filled with fuel, it activates, transforming into a higher form, the so‑called Ignited Divine Fire.

At present, the Divine Nature within this Divine Fire is less than a quarter full, still far from being filled.

More Divine Nature was devoured by the sun‑spotted viper, transformed into its massive, dense flesh, and can no longer be reclaimed. Reslin estimates that the viper's total absorption could fill the Divine Fire to about three‑quarters, still insufficient to ignite it.

All in all, the Sun‑God's resurrection plan has been completely thwarted.

However, for him, this might be a once‑in‑ten‑thousand‑years heavenly opportunity!

A bold idea gradually formed in his mind.

In the desert, Lei En, riding the Kodo beast, opened his device interface; the spiritual pool icon displayed the striking number 1893, causing the corners of his mouth to lift slightly.

(End of Chapter)