The Netherworld, the Necropolis of the Gods.
Beyond the dense mist, houses were arranged in neat rows, where countless Deities lived.
From time to time, squads of armored soldiers could also be seen patrolling back and forth.
In both size and population, this place was no smaller than a Prefecture capital.
Moreover, there were five settlements of this scale surrounding the Necropolis of the Gods.
All five settlements shared the same name—
Greenleaf Castle!
It was said that every Greenleaf Castle Castellan was a Sovereign's Emissary. Even within the Netherworld, they were considered major figures.
A great number of living beings hoping to break through the mists of the Necropolis of the Gods gathered within Greenleaf Castle.
As long as one could pass through the three layers of mist within the Necropolis, they would receive an audience with the Sovereign and become one of the Sovereign's Emissaries.
Of course, if that were all there was to it, the Necropolis of the Gods would not have held such overwhelming appeal to Deities.
After all, everyone knew that to catch a Sovereign's eye, one needed, at the very least, the strength of a Prefect-level expert.
Only someone of that caliber would receive a Sovereign artifact and become one of the Sovereign's Emissaries.
What truly drove countless people into a frenzy about the Necropolis of the Gods was the treasure capable of instantly increasing one's strength—the Abyssal fruit.
(T/N: I just cross-checked with the official wiki. The actual name is the Abyssal fruit)
Long ago, someone discovered that a certain kind of treasure would occasionally appear within the Necropolis.
Many of those fortunate enough to obtain this treasure experienced tremendous increases in strength.
Of course, there were also some who obtained the treasure, consumed it, and yet found that their strength did not improve.
Later, from the soldiers of the Sovereign Army, everyone learned that the treasure appearing within the Necropolis was a reward bestowed by the Sovereign residing atop Necropolis Mountain upon those who persevered beneath it.
This treasure was called the Abyssal fruit.
Its effect was very simple.
It allowed whoever consumed it to instantly complete the fusion of Laws and Profound Mysteries.
Depending on the grade of the Abyssal fruit, the number of fused Profound Mysteries differed.
The lowest-grade Abyssal fruit could only allow one to fuse two Profound Mysteries.
The highest-grade Abyssal fruit, however, could instantly allow someone to fuse five Profound Mysteries.
If a Highgod consumed the highest-grade Abyssal fruit, they would immediately possess the strength of a Prefect-level expert.
Even the next lower grade of Abyssal fruit could elevate someone to the level of a Seven Star Fiend.
Of course, the soldiers of the Sovereign Army made one thing very clear.
Although the Abyssal fruit's effects were astonishingly powerful, it also came with significant side effects.
The greatest drawback was that once someone consumed an Abyssal fruit, it was just like refining a divine spark.
Their future achievements would end there, and they would never be able to improve again.
The second drawback was that Abyssal fruits were mutually exclusive.
In other words, only the first Abyssal fruit a person consumed would have any effect.
Once someone had eaten an Abyssal fruit, consuming a second one would be completely useless.
If the first Abyssal fruit they consumed was the lowest grade, allowing them to fuse only two or three Profound Mysteries...
Then even if they later obtained a higher-grade Abyssal fruit, they would not receive the benefit of instantly fusing additional Profound Mysteries.
Thus, before consuming an Abyssal fruit, one had to determine exactly what grade it was.
Otherwise, if someone already possessing the strength of a Six Star or Seven Star Fiend consumed an Abyssal fruit capable of fusing only two or three Profound Mysteries, not only would their strength fail to improve, they would also forever lose any chance of advancing further.
Even so, there was never any shortage of people pursuing Abyssal fruits.
Every expert capable of cultivating to godhood on their own was a genius.
But their talent was clearly insufficient to carry them very far along the path of cultivation.
Compared to truly monstrous geniuses, they had already become ordinary by the Divine level.
Without some external opportunity, many of them might spend their entire lives as mere Gods.
If they came to the Necropolis of the Gods and were fortunate enough to obtain even the lowest-grade Abyssal fruit, they could immediately gain the strength of a Highgod.
Then, by purchasing a Highgod divine spark matching their affinity and refining it, they could immediately attain the strength of a Five Star Fiend.
If fortune truly smiled upon them and they directly obtained the highest-grade Abyssal fruit, they would soar into the heavens in a single leap, becoming a Seven Star Fiend. After refining a Highgod divine spark and reaching the Highgod level, they could even attain the level of a Prefect, instantly becoming one of the supreme experts of the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
After all, most of the people who came to the Necropolis of the Gods were those whose potential had already been exhausted and who no longer had any future.
Those who still aspired to reach the highest realms would never consume an Abyssal fruit, even if they obtained one, because doing so would permanently halt their cultivation.
...
"The Necropolis of the Gods... I've finally arrived!"
A young man dressed in black robes gazed at the mountain range concealed within the dense mist, as well as the towering mountain wrapped in countless chains of lightning, delight filling his eyes.
As the very first divine beast born naturally on the Yulan Continent, Beirut had every right to be proud.
He had been born at the Saint-level and possessed the invincible innate divine ability God Devourer against opponents of the same level.
Furthermore, his innate divine ability, God Devourer, possessed a passive effect.
It allowed him to devour divine sparks, refine their essence, strengthen his body until it was comparable to a divine spark itself, or use that refined essence to forge divine artifacts.
Over the years, relying on a body comparable to a divine spark and the unrivaled power of God Devourer against opponents of the same rank, Beirut had earned quite a reputation throughout the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
Later, after he completely fused five Profound Mysteries of the Laws of Darkness, rumors even began circulating that he was "suspected to be a Paragon."
However, despite all the glory he enjoyed before others, Beirut had his own worries.
As his strength increased, his personal style naturally became one that refused to suffer grievances.
Thus, over the course of several hundred thousand years, he had offended quite a number of people throughout the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
If he had been alone, Beirut wouldn't have feared any of them.
If those people truly dared come after him, then the divine spark weapon staff in his hand and his innate divine ability God Devourer were not to be underestimated.
Anyone who wasn't a Paragon and lacked a soul-protecting Sovereign artifact—
Whoever came would die!
However, Beirut had three sons.
What troubled him even more was that none of them had inherited his innate divine ability.
Combined with their mediocre talent for cultivation, after several hundred thousand years, the strongest divine clone among his three sons had only barely reached the God level.
Such strength would make them top-tier experts in a Material Plane.
But within the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes, it was only average.
Beirut knew very well that if those powerful enemies he had provoked while roaming the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes ever learned of his descendants' existence, they would likely resort to underhanded methods to deal with his children.
No matter how powerful Beirut himself was, only his original body, which cultivated the Laws of Darkness, was truly formidable.
His Wind divine clone had merely fused three Profound Mysteries, giving it strength roughly equivalent to that of a Six Star Fiend.
If powerful enemies attacked, Beirut simply could not guarantee the safety of his children.
His wife had died for exactly that reason.
Therefore, in order to better protect his three sons, Beirut had sent them all back to their home plane, where they were guarded by his Wind divine clone.
Meanwhile, his strongest original body continued searching throughout the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes for some treasure capable of making his children stronger.
After extensive inquiries, Beirut eventually set his sights on the Abyssal fruit within the Netherworld's Necropolis of the Gods.
Back when he had wandered the Netherworld, Beirut had been extremely arrogant.
Even knowing of the Abyssal fruit's existence, he believed he didn't need such a thing to reach a higher realm.
But now...
He had no choice but to come to the Necropolis of the Gods to obtain one.
Indeed, the facts had already proven that without the Abyssal fruit, he had still managed to completely fuse five Profound Mysteries of the Laws of Darkness, granting him the strength of a Prefect-level expert.
Combined with his body comparable to a divine spark, not even Oakes, the former Commander of Locke's Sovereign Army, had been able to do anything to him.
Of course, Beirut had likewise been unable to do anything to Oakes.
Over countless years, Oakes had already obtained a soul-protecting Sovereign artifact through the Planar Battlefield.
Beirut's innate divine ability, God Devourer, was completely ineffective against him.
Thus, after battling for three days, the two ultimately called a truce.
Both of them knew that even if they continued fighting, the outcome would remain the same.
Beirut could easily imagine that if Oakes learned he had come to the Necropolis of the Gods to compete for an Abyssal fruit, that fellow would laugh himself to death.
The bold words Beirut had once spoken had now come back to slap him in the face.
He, Beirut, truly did not need the Abyssal fruit.
But his three sons did.
Only after they obtained Abyssal fruits would he feel at ease letting them venture into the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
Otherwise, someday in the future, he might once again experience the pain of losing someone dear to him.
Without at least the strength of a Prefect-level expert, he intended to keep all three of his sons confined to the Yulan Plane.
The Abyssal fruit was the only path by which his three sons could obtain their freedom.
Stepping into Greenleaf Castle, Beirut found a small tavern.
After ordering several Netherworld specialties, he slowly enjoyed his meal while listening to the conversations of the other patrons.
One could learn a great deal about the Necropolis of the Gods from those conversations.
Indeed, this was virtually common knowledge among the owners of taverns, restaurants, inns, and similar establishments throughout the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
They all knew that when customers came to spend money in their establishments, delicious food was only part of the attraction.
For most patrons, gathering information was the true purpose of their visit.
(End of Chapter)
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