Chapter Thirty-Eight: Do You Want a Godhead?
Tomb of the Gods, Tenth Layer.
“Bei Bei, how is Lin Lei?” Desly asked in a low voice.
“The boss is still alive and well.” Bei Bei’s injuries had largely healed on their own, but the small creature was wholly focused on sensing Lin Lei’s existence, afraid he might die.
Tulier, Rosalie, and the other powerhouses could only wait in silence. Only from Bei Bei could they learn if Lin Lei was still alive.
Tulier felt the atmosphere among the experts was too oppressive. To lighten the mood, he said, “Olivia, that final sword strike of yours on the eleventh layer was truly powerful. You killed four Abyss Blade Demons with a single blow.”
“I remember that strike too,” said the Black-Armored Giant Scorpion.
“None of the rest of us could probably achieve that,” Tulier remarked.
When the experts had desperately tried to flee into the tenth layer, Olivia had unleashed her ultimate strike in a moment of despair. The illusory black-and-white long sword had slashed out, killing four Abyss Blade Demons instantly.
The Abyss Blade Demons were composed entirely of metal. While their defenses weren’t as fearsome as their attacks, killing four with a single sword strike was incredibly difficult. Even Lin Lei had needed to use ‘Earth Essence’ or ‘Rhythm of the Wind’ to kill just one. A normal strike couldn’t possibly cleave an Abyss Blade Demon in half.
Of course, after comprehending ‘Dimensional Slash’, Lin Lei could kill five or six Abyss Blade Demons with one strike.
But for Olivia to kill four with a single strike still astonished everyone when they recalled it—even Tulier couldn’t manage that.
“That move was my desperate, final gambit. After using it, my mental power was nearly completely drained,” Olivia explained.
“Even so, it was impressive. Even if I risked everything, my attacks aren’t that strong,” Tulier said with a self-deprecating laugh.
The assembled experts marveled at Olivia’s progress. When they had first entered the Tomb of the Gods, Olivia was only considered second-tier. But after nearly a decade, her strength had surged dramatically, her offensive power reaching such a formidable level.
Olivia didn’t say much more. His current achievements were earned only by teetering on the edge between life and death.
“Back when we encountered that Evil Eye Monarch, we knew you were different from us,” Desly sighed.
Their discussion eased the tension in the tenth layer. None of them noticed that Bei Bei, who had been hanging his head low, suddenly looked up, gazing toward a distant stone pillar with surprise.
“Boss!” The delighted cry rang out.
*Whoosh!* A black shadow darted away toward the pillar.
“What?” Desly, Tulier, Olivia, and the other experts turned in surprise toward the passage leading to the eleventh layer. There, they saw a young man in a sky-blue robe playfully interacting with a black Shadow Mouse.
Lin Lei was back!
“Boss.”
“Bei Bei.” Lin Lei picked up Bei Bei. The man and the beast looked at each other and smiled.
“That’s great, Boss. I missed you so much. I was afraid you wouldn’t come back.” Bei Bei’s little black eyes were still misty. The past three or four hours had been true torture for him; his biggest fear had been that Lin Lei was really dead.
At that moment, Desly, Faen, Olivia, Rosalie, Tulier, the two brothers of the Six-Eyed Golden Lion Kreo, and the Black-Armored Giant Scorpion all rushed over. They were surprised and delighted that Lin Lei had managed to return to the tenth layer.
“Lin Lei, you escaped back?” Faen asked, thrilled.
“We really didn’t expect it. Facing the pursuit of a million Abyss Blade Demons, you made it back to the tenth layer,” Desly said, his face full of joy. “I thought you’d have to hide in the underground caverns and stall against those demons until the ten-year deadline expired.”
“Who do you think my boss is?” Bei Bei was arrogant again, standing upright on Lin Lei’s shoulder, his little paws crossed proudly over his chest.
Lin Lei smiled. “You think I didn’t want to stall against them underground? But those Abyss Blade Demons are too cunning. They spread out over large fixed areas in the depths. The moment they detected me, huge numbers would converge to attack. I held out for three hours before I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Then how did you get back, Lin Lei?” Faen and the others looked at him, puzzled.
At least for Faen’s group, it was impossible to imagine how Lin Lei had escaped back to the tenth layer while being chased by a million Abyss Blade Demons.
“Fortunately, at the last critical moment, I had an epiphany. My speed increased tremendously, allowing me to easily shake off the demons. After killing a few of them, I took the godhead from the eleventh layer and returned safely,” Lin Lei said calmly.
But everyone, including Bei Bei, was stunned.
“Took the godhead?” Faen, Desly, Rosalie, and Tulier’s eyes widened in shock. Even Olivia, who had remained silent at the back, looked at Lin Lei with unconcealed astonishment.
The godhead…
It was the treasure Faen and the others dreamed of. Obtaining a Lower God’s godhead meant they could become gods.
The difference between the Saint Realm and godhood was as vast as earth and sky.
“Lin Lei, congratulations,” Desly was the first to recover, offering only a simple congratulation.
The other experts forced smiles to congratulate Lin Lei. In their hearts, Desly and the others felt an unbearable twinge of jealousy. After all, they had strived for so long for a godhead. Now Lin Lei had obtained one. Although he had risked his life to get it, leaving them with nothing to say, the jealousy still lingered.
The jealousy even sparked a fleeting, treacherous thought in their minds: ‘Kill Lin Lei, seize the godhead.’ Of course, they immediately dismissed it. They were not that kind of person.
Among this group of experts, only one besides Bei Bei showed no jealousy: Olivia.
“Lin Lei, I估计 you will be the sixth god-level expert from our Yulan Continent,” Olivia said, a slight smile on his face. “Lin Lei, you’re stronger than me now. But… in a few years, I will challenge you again.”