Chapter 543 — Rank 8

Liora sensed a powerful force rising, similar to the one that had previously spread throughout the central region.

However, the force this time was not meant to cause destruction or wipe out the Devils. Rather, it was focused and concentrated, urged merely to conduct an in-depth investigation.

It started from the area near the Human Emperor Sword and quickly spread through the rest of the continent.

Although she was far away, Liora sensed that force clearly. The illusory river around her and Ysset’s body tumbled violently.

A ruthless gaze appeared to be peering at every inch of the continent, and the Snake of Time was the only thing blocking its sight.

If it were the previous Snake of Time, it might have crumbled under the intense pressure. Fortunately, Liora’s previous gains had caused this technique to upgrade and could thus help her resist the impact.

Time passed.

The Human Emperor Sword in the sky continued oppressing the continent, as moments turned into seconds and those into minutes.

Before long, nearly half an hour had passed. The momentum of the divine weapon suddenly began to recede, having exhausted the power it had plundered from the Devils and the demons it had slain.

Shortly afterward, it transformed back into an ordinary weapon, falling from the sky and returning to the Human Temple.

No one made a move to stop it during this process. No one could be certain if this was merely an act to force other hidden enemies out.

In the end, the weapon returned to the Human Temple, and the continent finally regained its peace.

For the ordinary people, it looked as though nothing had happened.

But for the powerful Awakeners, the Human Temple’s authority had been reinforced once again.

For the foreseeable future, no one would dare to have any thoughts about this organization, even if the Human Emperor was nowhere to be seen.

However, no one knew the toll that establishing their authority had taken on the Human Temple.

In the Sacrificial Hall, the only female Elder surveyed her surroundings with sorrow.

Dead. Everyone besides her was dead.

Her former companions had all turned into sucked-out mummies, with their essence having been plundered in order to provide the Human Emperor Sword with their power.

Clearly, the sacrifices they had collected before were not enough to thoroughly sweep the continent. The Elders had to sacrifice their own lives, too.

The female Elder had originally planned to be one of them. Unfortunately, the human race needed someone to support them for the next changes—especially since the Otherworld Demon was still nowhere to be found.

And she was unfortunately the one chosen to bear the burden of future changes.

With that thought, the Elder’s face grew solemn.

"Brothers, don’t worry. I will never let your sacrifices be in vain."

She bowed to her fallen companions. Then, she turned toward the altar that was etched with the human race’s past.

"May the human race prosper.", she said solemnly, as she raised her scepter and summoned several people over.

She had to discuss how to deal with the aftermath of today’s actions and how to proceed in the future.

--

Just like the rest of the continent’s residents, Liora naturally did not know what was happening within the Human Temple.

Although she could make an educated guess based on her own vision and her knowledge regarding blood sacrifices, she was not in the right state to plot about that.

The previous changes had caused widespread panic among the common people. In particular, those in the eastern region, who had already faced the earlier Devil disaster, were even more desperate.

At times like these, they would have prayed to their enshrined Gods in the past.

But as they looked at the broken statues and recalled the gruesome deaths of these so-called deities, they could only choose to turn their attention elsewhere.

Coupled with the recent changes, the party they turned their attention toward was obvious...

"Oh, Lord of Devils, please spare my tribe from your wrath..."

"Lady in Black, save us from the bloodthirsty demons...."

The volume of the whispers in Liora’s ears had become noticeably denser.

The lights under the Godheads had turned into millions, their golden light surging toward the sky and being immediately refined.

Liora’s comprehension of the relevant Laws improved at a terrifying rate.

In fact, even without any enhancement, it would have only been a matter of time before Liora comprehended them.

She was currently at the Anchoring stage after all. Her Throne was constantly impacted by the waves of the River of Time, filling her with insights with every passing moment.

At least, before she reached Rank 9, she would have no issue with her advancement.

The enhancement of her comprehension only brought the inevitable forward.

After finding a remote place to stay and asking Ysset and Alpha to keep watch, Liora closed her eyes and shifted her attention inward.

Her consciousness landed on each of her nine "primary" talent genes.

Even while doing so, her comprehension of the relevant Laws advanced rapidly, bringing forth some obvious changes.

The nine Godhead-like prototypes became increasingly larger. Her insights were incorporated into their bodies on their own, strengthening their essence and very nature.

The ones that had the most changes were the Time and Dragon talent genes.

The first was due to Liora’s own control over time, and the latter because of her contact with Ysset and the dragon race.

Although the other talents followed closely behind, they were still lagging half a notch.

As such, the first to show signs of transformation were exactly those two.

First, the Time Manipulation talent.

The Godhead prototype contracted slightly before expanding, covering the entire sky within the talent gene.

Its previously blurry structure soon became clear.

Shaped like a rhombus and with snake and river patterns engraved on its surface, it integrated all of Liora’s insights regarding time.

A split second later, a thunderous bang echoed within the talent gene, as though the scene of the world’s creation was being reenacted.

The space vibrated, resonating with the Godhead and forming a connection.

In the outside world, Liora’s strength slightly improved. Power flowed through the talent gene and into her body, increasing both her physical strength and that of her soul.

Rank 8 was only equivalent to the Throne stage, which, though powerful, was far weaker compared to Liora’s Anchoring stage.

As such, no dramatic transformation occurred.

However, Liora was not disappointed. Looking at the rest of her talent genes, which seemed to have received a signal and were working even harder to refine the power of faith, she knew her advancement had only just started.

Indeed. Only a split second later...

Boom!