CHAPTER 128 - CONDUITBORN

One day, just after Han Wu and Tian Wen stepped out of their tent, spies bribed by Hu Hai sent out the signal. The moment the message reached him, Hu Hai sprang into action with the others. The Xu parents formed one group, Zhang Gang and Liu Letian another, while Hu Hai moved independently, forming the third.

The three groups advanced in unison, following Han Wu’s trail. According to the plan, whoever found him first would fire a flare to signal the others to converge at once. Together, they formed a tightening coil, closing in to trap their target.

Although the four Demigods were confident in their power and eager to claim victory themselves, Hu Hai overruled them. Only he knew that Han Wu had stolen the bankrupt God King’s treasure.

Hu Hai understood that anything coveted by the God King would be far from ordinary. For safety, he ordered them to only move once all three groups had gathered. Naturally, the four Demigods feared Hu Hai’s Divine Authority and followed his command without question.

On the other side, Han Wu and Tian Wen were hunting Divine Souls as usual. With their upgraded tent, they could now summon even more units. Han Wu had called forth 10 million Elite locusts, 3 Locustman Lords, and Steely. Though not at full strength, he felt confident in his ability to defeat a Demigod.

Tian Wen was not as powerful. He only had 2 Rabbitman Lords, 700 Heroic Rabbitmen, 300,000 Unique Rabbitmen, and the rest were Elite Rabbitmen. One moved on the ground while the other soared through the air, coordinating their attacks with precision.

As they pushed deeper into the Ancient Battleground, they started encountering stronger Divine Souls. The most frequent formation they faced consisted of purple, blue, and white halos, all led by a single black-halo Divine Soul.

Without hesitation, Han Wu ordered his locusts to self-detonate on contact. The locusts obeyed instantly, swarming the enemies and bombarding them alongside their clones. Counting his locust clones, Han Wu’s army numbered at least 30 million strong. Their Thunderblaze Detonations reduced the battlefield to smoldering cinders.

The Divine Souls either perished instantly or suffered wounds so severe they could no longer fight. Tian Wen would then command his Rabbitmen to strike, unleashing thousands of Carrot Missiles that rained down from the sky. Even the black-halo Divine Soul failed to defend against the relentless assault.

The only drawback came from Han Wu’s rapid depletion of locusts. Fortunately, his divine realm produced enough to sustain this relentless assault, thanks to the locusts’ impressive reproductive abilities. As long as his population remained above 10 billion, his divine realm would generate 65 million locusts daily. With such vast numbers, Han Wu commanded his army without restraint.

The locusts exploded, scattering numerous Divine Soul fragments across the ground. Tian Wen eagerly gathered and carefully sorted the fragments before stowing each into its proper bag. Once done, he looked up and said, “Han Wu, you’re out of cannon fodder again. Let’s head back to the tent.”

Han Wu had just finished absorbing the locust souls. Despite being only Elite locusts, the sheer number of souls unleashed a tremendous surge of energy. The absorption strengthened his soul slightly, and his Defiance Aspect, ranked up once more.

Han Wu was given another choice again.

[Option 1: Defiance Divine Skill: Battleborn. Gain strength relative to the damage your units have sustained. Can target any unit in your command.]

[Option 2: Defiance Divine Skill: Conduitborn. Gain strength proportional to the accumulated energy. Can be used on units in your command.]

The two Divine Skills were excellent choices that would further boost his strength, but Han Wu remained uncertain about the type of energy required for Conduitborn. He possessed life energy, class energy, plant energy, rune energy, and many others. Did Conduitborn demand a specific energy type, or all of them?

The Divine Aspect provided the answer after Han Wu asked. As a powerful entity born from the Divine Talents of a God, the Divine Skill accepted all types of energy as usable. Without hesitation, Han Wu chose the second option.

While turning the tide in moments of near death was impressive, Han Wu preferred to eliminate his enemies while fully unharmed. He made his decision, and Conduitborn became the third Divine Skill he learned. As it took effect, a strange energy spread across his skin like a shimmering membrane. It fluctuated in strength depending on the energy he expended. If Han Wu didn’t use any energy, the energy membrane would remain in its prime state.

Satisfied with his new Divine Skill, Han Wu told Tian Wen, “I do need more units. Let’s head back now.”

Tian Wen ordered his Rabbitmen to return to their tent. Han Wu followed closely, surrounded by his Lord life forms, who moved earnestly to protect him.

They had just turned around when an explosion burst overhead. A single red flare could be seen floating in the air. Han Wu immediately recognized it—flares were used in the Ancient Battleground to signal allies. Each team assigned its own meaning to the colors and patterns. A red flare like this could mean danger, a warning, or a call to regroup.

Han Wu stared at the flare and had a bad feeling. “Mr. Tian, let’s head back quickly. Something’s off with the flare.”

Tian Wen looked up and nodded. “You’re right. The flare lacks the usual abbreviation identifying its meaning. Whoever sent it did not want anyone to decode the message.”

Han Wu didn’t care and started running toward the tent. Tian Wen and his Rabbitmen followed, struggling to keep up. After only a short distance, two figures blocked their path. They were Xu Tie’s parents, the ones who had exposed Han Wu’s location.

“What do you two want?” Han Wu growled, though he already knew the answer. They had come to avenge their son.

Without waiting for a reply, he braced himself, seized his Rust Demon greatsword, and lunged at them with no warning.