CHAPTER 131 - DEFEATED AND CAUGHT

Han Wu’s body ached intensely as he lay sprawled on the ground, feeling as though the massive wolf Fenrir had pulverized all his bones. Tian Wen, whose physical body was comparatively weaker than Han Wu’s, lay unconscious beside him, leaving Han Wu uncertain if he was still alive.

Fenrir let out a low growl, then carefully took both Han Wu and Tian Wen into its massive mouth before returning to its master. Zhang Gang felt an intense desire to kill the now-weakened boy, craving vengeance for his fallen Wolf Rider High Lord. In the end, however, he managed to restrain himself, recalling Hu Hai’s earlier warning as well as the God King’s promise of a reward.

Hu Hai soon appeared. He took in the aftermath of the intense battle, yet paid no mind to the fallen or even Zhang Gang. Instead, his focus immediately shifted to Han Wu, whose injuries he thoroughly examined. A sigh of relief escaped him after he confirmed that Han Wu was still alive and would not die from his wounds.

“Phew! That’s good news. As long as he’s alive, all is well. It would have been impossible to provide a satisfactory explanation to the God King otherwise.”

Zhang Gang adopted the most pitiful expression he could manage. “Dear God, I’ve spent so much just to capture him...”

Hu Hai irritably dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Yes, yes, I’m aware. Your primary concern is your reward. It will be granted to you as soon as we've left this place.”

“Thank you for your generosity!” Zhang Gang exclaimed, clearly overjoyed. His gaze then shifted to the unconscious Tian Wen, whom he viewed as a valuable Demigod resource.

As he prepared to deliver a fatal blow, Han Wu’s desperate shout echoed: “I will end my own life if you so much as lay a hand on him!”

“Given how severely injured you are, can you even manage to take your own life?” Zhang Gang questioned, his voice laced with scorn.

Han Wu dismissed the remark, fixing his gaze on Hu Hai. “I’m not sure why you want me, but I have a strong feeling that my death would lead to serious repercussions for you, wouldn’t it?”

Convinced Han Wu couldn’t end his own life under his watchful eye, Hu Hai paid him no mind. Yet, Hu Hai was soon struck with the greatest fright of his life when he saw Han Wu’s flesh rapidly dissolve within moments, reducing him to mere skin and bones.

Han Wu had activated Famine, dramatically increasing his metabolic rate. This put him in a state of near-death with only a thread of life force remaining. Witnessing this, Hu Hai panicked and no longer dared to risk the consequences.

If the boy dies and the God King’s treasure is gone for good, how will I ever explain myself?

“Very well, I promise that no harm will come to him,” Hu Hai conceded. He then cast a stern look at Zhang Gang, reprimanding him for acting on his own initiative.

Zhang Gang begrudgingly ceased his attack on Tian Wen, but he ruthlessly annihilated all of Tian Wen’s surviving units. As he then moved to execute Han Wu’s four Lords, Han Wu issued another threat, leaving Zhang Gang no alternative but to back down.

The four Lords were sealed away by Han Wu and left stranded in the Ancient Battleground. This marked the extent of Hu Hai’s involvement. It was now solely up to those Lords, and Tian Wen, to fend for themselves and survive in that treacherous location.

Hu Hai was so eager to leave he didn’t even bother going back to his tent. Instead, he activated the teleporter and instantly transported himself back to the bankrupt God King’s palace.

Fearing Hu Hai would monopolize the credit, Zhang Gang rushed after them. Hu Hai, however, was focused on stabilizing Han Wu’s critical condition. Once done, he tossed Han Wu into his divine realm, commanding his core race to attend to him. At the same time, he used his Divine Authority to completely seal Han Wu’s strength and powers.

With his powers sealed, even if Han Wu recovered completely, he would possess only slightly more strength than a regular person, rendering him completely powerless within Hu Hai’s divine realm. That was Hu Hai’s belief, anyway.

Thanks to the diligent care provided by Hu Hai’s core race, Han Wu made a rapid recovery within Hu Hai’s divine realm. Nevertheless, he found himself unable to access any of his skills or powers, as they had been completely sealed by Hu Hai.

Stripped of his powers, skills, and even his authority as a Demigod from the Divine Civilization, Han Wu was effectively powerless. He couldn’t activate the Blood Coliseum Permanent Coordinates as he lacked the required Divine Points. Despite holding numerous hidden trump cards, he could not find a way to break free.

However, just because Han Wu himself couldn’t find a way out didn’t mean the Origin of Mutation was equally without options. Every time Hu Hai’s focus shifted away from Han Wu’s condition, the Origin of Mutation would diligently begin its work.

Although Han Wu’s power was sealed and Controlled Mutation was inaccessible, it nevertheless possessed the capacity to perform actions by accessing his stored Divine Essence, provided it first secured his explicit consent.

Having consumed all the Divine Essence Han Wu had in reserve, it still craved more. Its attention then turned to the Faith Points actively being generated by Han Wu’s races; 100 million Faith Points amounted to a single Divine Point, and each 100 million Divine Points equated to one Divine Essence.

Han Wu’s divine realm had already expanded considerably, a result of his ascension into a Demigod and the incorporation of divine realm fragments, which had directly contributed to the steady increase in the number of locusts inhabiting his divine realm as days went by.

Thankfully, Hu Hai’s journey back to the bankrupt God King’s palace proved to be a lengthy one. During this time, the Origin of Mutation sought Han Wu’s consent to begin absorbing the Divine Essence that his races were continuously generating. Han Wu readily agreed, and 27 days subsequently passed.

Relief washed over Hu Hai as he realized he was just a day’s journey from the God King’s palace. Han Wu, on the other hand, was filled with worry, as he remained completely powerless in his sealed state.

The Origin of Mutation absorbed one final Divine Essence and let out a triumphant cheer. It had successfully accumulated enough Divine Essence to achieve a rank-up. This advancement meant it could then restore some of Han Wu’s sealed powers and, more importantly, figure out a plan to escape from Hu Hai’s divine realm.

Han Wu waited with bated breath for the Origin of Mutation to complete its rank-up. He knew that without it, he would surely be dead once they reached the bankrupt God King’s palace. The entire process took eighteen real hours, which translated to nine realm months.

Han Wu quickly sensed a surge of power flowing from the Origin of Mutation, and simultaneously felt his own body ranking up as well. He had now officially become a Rank 3 Super Genesoldier. At the same time, he acquired a third, powerful skill from the Origin of Mutation: Gene Recombination.