Chapter 389: Chapter 389: Seal of Heaven
For the few deities, this trial was relatively easy to pass. However, Sterl still had to exert some effort. He thought for a moment and then decided to go all out for the first time!
Ascend to Godhood!!
With the rapid surge of energy within him, Sterl's aura skyrocketed. He had not prepared to activate the Holy Spirit Bloodline because Ascend to Godhood had no cooldown and could be activated continuously, whereas the Holy Spirit Bloodline enhancement could only be used once a day. He needed to save that for a critical moment to seize the Archduke of Blood's head.
Seeing that the deities outside were temporarily safe, Sterl felt a surge of ambition. If he wanted to claim the ultimate reward from the hell trial, he could only rely on Ascend to Godhood to face the divine beings.
At this moment, strange marks representing the divine authorities of nature, the human race, and creation appeared on Sterl's body.
A green leaf.
An abstract humanoid shadow.
And finally, the "fireball" symbolizing existence before the cosmic explosion—the most unique mark, completely overshadowing the other two and even controlling the entire trial arena…
All was silent.
Only the fireball burned fiercely.
The fallen angel that had descended was slowly kneeling on one knee with its eyes half-open. Its presence surged to a peak as it opened its eyes, exuding an air of high prestige! Yet, under the suppression of this higher divine authority, the fallen angel's aura was extremely weakened.
In comparison, Sterl appeared like a giant standing before an ant!
The fallen angel also possessed its own consciousness. After opening its eyes, a hint of helplessness flashed in its crimson pupils.
"Another beating awaits."
"After being used by the winds for so long, I finally had a chance to breathe, and it's just pure suffering."
"I've already been hit five times in a row, and now another unbeatable opponent has arrived."
"I really am out of luck."
As it spoke, it even displayed a somewhat human-like sense of frustration.
So, the earlier five deities had taken turns beating this multi-winged angel and successfully passed the trial?
At this thought, Sterl felt his serious demeanor begin to crack. In the past, he might have chatted with the fallen angel for a moment, but now he had no time for that.
At this moment, he directly activated the effect of the Holy Spirit Bloodline, allowing him to ignore conditions to utilize all abilities from the lower realm—specifically, the Iridescent-Level ability, Destructive Light, which he had seized from Lovic!
This move still had some imperfections; Sterl would need to allocate points later to perfect it. However, it symbolized the most intense and terrifying output, enough to break through a Divine Level entity!
Sterl felt a phantom materializing before him. The power of the Holy Spirit Bloodline forcibly extracted his energy, manifesting an image of a Demon of Terror and Cruelty that bore a resemblance to Lovic, though it appeared much stronger, its scales glowing with a golden light.
It looked like a perfected version of Lovic, a Demon of Terror and Cruelty that had grown to become a deity and had become even more powerful!
"So this is how forcibly using all skills works?"
"Simulation?"
"More advanced energy can easily encompass the myriad transformations of lower-level energy??"
Sterl's understanding of the Holy Spirit Bloodline deepened. He began to grasp that the Holy Spirit Bloodline's enhancement and simulation of lower realm powers might just be a glimpse of its true abilities. To truly harness the power of his bloodline, he would need to unlock the energies of the upper realms.
Seeing the simulated phantom, Sterl knew that the battle situation was secure, allowing him to drift into light-hearted thoughts. However, on the battlefield, the fallen angel was in a state of shock.
Staring at the simulated image of the Demon of Terror and Cruelty, the previously lackadaisical fallen angel suddenly changed expression, as if it had encountered something utterly outrageous.
"Demon of Terror and Cruelty, is there still an awakener among your descendants? Someone who has grasped the key to power!"
"No, you aren't! You have stolen their…"
"No, no! This is the Holy Spirit Bloodline! Spare me, my lord! I was just…"
"Wait a minute, you're not one of the enforcer race; you've stolen the Holy Spirit Bloodline."
"Alright, alright, you've got guts! Impressive!"
"Impressive!"
"My lord, save me! Can you…?"
The fallen angel's expression perfectly illustrated what it meant to change dramatically in an instant. From initial astonishment to surprise, then to anger, realizing the implications of the Holy Spirit Bloodline, and finally shifting to a hopeful expression as if it had seen a lifeline…
Sterl was almost impressed by this rapid sequence of facial transformations. However, he was really pressed for time.
The fallen angel seemed to possess a lot of hidden narratives, relating to the upper realms and the secrets of the Demon of Terror and Cruelty lineage. Sterl had the authorization to use Destructive Light and could potentially gain a lot from this.
What did it mean to hold the key to power?
Did the skill Destructive Light possess some kind of special status?
Was the Demon of Terror and Cruelty clan hiding some incredibly important legacy?
And what exactly was the enforcer race that had expelled the Demon of Terror and Cruelty from the upper realms?
Was the Holy Spirit Bloodline a power only accessible to beings of the enforcer race?
Sterl hadn't expected to glean so much information from just using Destructive Light. If he set aside the risks this time…
Being able to allocate points to the Holy Spirit Bloodline seemed like an absolute windfall.
As Sterl analyzed this, he did not stop his actions.
The phantom of the Demon of Terror and Cruelty filled with energy at its chest and abdomen! The power suddenly erupted forth.
Destructive Light engulfed the fallen angel as it charged forward. In that brilliant flow of light, facing the true divine-level enhancement along with Sterl's various output boosts, the fallen angel, despite reacting quickly and donning a peculiar shield, was unable to withstand the onslaught.
The shield was immediately shattered. The fallen angel was reduced to dust, but before it perished, it managed to throw out an item. Sterl swiftly dodged, not wanting to touch it at all. He realized the fallen angel's intention; it didn't necessarily want to resist. Instead, it seemed to be making a show of sincerity by choosing to die, possibly hoping to prompt Sterl to do something.
"Please, accept that task!" the fallen angel cried out in despair just before disappearing.
"The Demon of Terror and Cruelty clan has likely long lost its former glory. If my race still exists, we will surely reward you handsomely!"
Then… the fallen angel vanished completely. Before leaving, it let out a chilling scream, one so mournful that even Sterl, with his mental fortitude, felt a shiver run down his spine.
The fallen angel's actions had skirted the edge of the rules. During the trial, fallen angels were not allowed to go easy on their opponents. It could only justify its defeat by claiming it misjudged the power of its opponent's attack, leading to its swift demise. Yet it still faced what seemed to be a punishment from the Will of Hell.
As for the item the fallen angel had thrown, it was a peculiar jade pendant inscribed with the large character "suppression". Sterl did not recognize this character, but its meaning naturally surfaced in his mind upon seeing it.
After hesitating for a moment, Sterl activated his ability to create Divine Power, forming a barrier within his palm to grasp the jade pendant that was about to vanish along with the fallen angel.
A prompt appeared before him, one from Swallowing Heaven and another from the cheat system.
From Swallowing Heaven, it displayed only—
[???]
[Description: [...] Unreachable, an item not to be handled by mortals.]
It seemed like it couldn't read the information, and there appeared to be data errors and garbled text.
However, the cheat system allowed Sterl to access accurate information.
[Seal of Heaven (Damaged)]+
[Description: A special item from the upper realms that can seal bloodlines, forcibly weakening a certain race. Perhaps this seal contains other powers, but even if someone from the lower realm obtains such a treasure, they can only utilize its predetermined functions.]
[Effect: Detecting that you possess the Holy Spirit Bloodline, you can activate this seal to suppress anyone's bloodline abilities, rendering them permanently silent.]
[Warning: This item is in a damaged state and cannot be used normally.]
[Hint: You can use the pendant as a token to accept a special task. Please proceed to coordinates 677, 411, 632, 100 to seek it out.]
"Four-dimensional coordinates?"
Your source is m-vl|em|p,yr
"Do I have to go to another realm to accept this task?"
Sterl pondered as he stored the jade pendant in his pocket dimension. Just from a slight touch, he discovered that under the activation of the Holy Spirit Bloodline, the seemingly ordinary pendant emanated a vast and overwhelming pressure! The entire Hell Trial space began to crack under the weight of this pressure, as if it were about to shatter.
Although he didn't fully understand what the fallen angel meant, this item was still a treasure from the upper realms, making it worth keeping. Furthermore, it had the ability to unconditionally suppress bloodlines. A permanent suppression capability was quite a domineering power.
However, Sterl had no use for the term "permanent" because once something from the upper realms was activated, it would necessitate ensuring silence—if the opponent was killed, wouldn't that already mean they were permanently silenced?
Sterl couldn't help but scoff internally. He might not even undertake the task, but the gains from this encounter were still quite good. As for what the Seal of Heaven said about being "damaged" and thus unable to be used, Sterl had already checked. After this evolution of the cheat system, he would be able to repair it.
Just a few seconds after he put away the Seal of Heaven, a crisp sound rang out. Ding! A blood-red light illuminated the surroundings, but this time no new enemies appeared. Instead, true cheers and light fused into Sterl's body.
A new prompt lit up before him—
[Congratulations! You have completed the highest difficulty of the Hell Trial and earned the title [Champion Demon].]
Sterl casually checked the attributes.
[Champion Demon]+
[Description: A title awarded only for completing all levels of the Hell Trial across any regional layer; challengers cannot reach divine level.]
[Effect: You will receive the blessings of the Hell Consciousness Group when refining the power of divine authority/Respectable Position, increasing your success rate.]
"What a powerful title!"
Sterl hadn't earned a title in a while, and this one was a brilliant red right off the bat! The effects of this title would likely drive countless people into a frenzy. Increasing the probability of refining divine authority was no small boon!