Rebirth : The Alchemist's Path

The deeper Sylvus flew into the mountains, the more ominous the surroundings became. Along the way, he noticed numerous demon sentinels guarding the path, seemingly awaiting intruders.

"The further I go, the stronger these sentinels become. Now I'm already seeing some with the power of a Celestial Deity," Sylvus remarked in surprise, as he realized there was still quite some distance to the heart of this place.

Could it be that at the very core, there were sentinels with the power of Deity Kings, Deity Sovereigns, or perhaps even Deity Emperors?

Curious, Sylvus continued to venture deeper. Before long, a massive black fortress came into view, perched halfway up a mountain. Surrounding it were even more sentinels, their strength reaching the level of a True Deity.

"There are far too many sentinels here. How could anyone outside ever hope to break through?" Sylvus frowned.

Among Carol's group, the strongest one was Carol herself, a Nine-Star True Deity. Even so, it would be impossible for her to fight through this many sentinels.

Soon, Sylvus reached the front of the fortress. The sight of the sentinels here took his breath away.

Deity King rank sentinels! And not just a few—there were more than thirty of them!

Inside the fortress, there were likely even more.

"Over three thousand True Deity sentinels, and thirty Deity Kings... Even though the demon race has been wiped out, so many sentinels remain. It seems there really must be remnants of the demon race inside," Sylvus thought to himself.

His power of chaos had no effect on these sentinels, as they had long since lost their souls.

"Let's see what's inside."

Driven by curiosity, Sylvus passed through the gate of the fortress. What he saw inside left him in awe.

The fortress was vast, and Sylvus found himself in a grand hall, filled with sentinels. A quick glance revealed there were about a hundred of them—all of them Deity Kings. But unlike the ones outside, these sentinels stood motionless as if they hadn't awakened.

The further Sylvus ventured into the fortress, the more astonished he became. Everywhere he went, he encountered sentinels—Deity Kings, Deity Sovereigns, and even Deity Emperors.

"Over three thousand Deity Kings, more than a thousand Deity Sovereigns, and now twenty Deity Emperors..."

After roughly counting the sentinels, Sylvus couldn't help but take a deep breath. If these sentinels were unleashed in the divine realm, it would surely be thrown into chaos again.

"Why do the demons treat Deity Emperors like they're so expendable?" Sylvus mused.

After exploring the fortress for a while, he came upon a massive door—the only one still closed in the entire structure. It was guarded by Deity Emperor sentinels, and the door itself was protected by powerful seals.

Even a Deity Emperor would struggle to pass through this barrier. But for Sylvus, it was no challenge.

Turning himself into a shadow, Sylvus effortlessly passed through the door.

What he saw inside left him in shock once again.

The hall was filled with sentinels, and all of them were Deity Emperors—over two hundred in total.

"Even with so many Deity Emperors, they were still defeated by the Supreme Deity? Could the Supreme Deity be stronger than a Deity Emperor?" Sylvus wondered, as he carefully studied the kneeling sentinels.

Though their eyes were empty, Sylvus could sense a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

"Why are they all kneeling in the same direction? Is there something over there?"

Curious, Sylvus looked ahead and spotted a massive throne.

A rhythmic thumping echoed through the hall, and as Sylvus approached, he realized it was the sound of a heartbeat.

Upon reaching the throne, he saw a large black egg resting quietly upon it. The heartbeat was coming from within the egg.

"Could this be the last remnant of the demon race?" Sylvus frowned, inspecting the strange egg covered in ancient runes.

Though he couldn't understand the symbols, three words suddenly flashed through his mind: God Slayer.

"God Slayer? Is this egg the last bloodline of the demon race, created to destroy the gods?"

Squinting, Sylvus pondered the possibility. Given the relationship between the demon race and the divine realm, it made sense. But he was more curious about why the Supreme Deity hadn't discovered this egg during the demon purge.

"It seems all the sentinels outside are here to protect this egg. I wonder what will hatch from it," Sylvus thought, staring at the black egg.

There was nothing else of value in the fortress—just sentinels, far too many of them, and none of them holding any treasures.

"Since I'm here, I can't leave empty-handed. Taking this egg wouldn't be too much, right?"

With a sly grin, Sylvus summoned his divine power, intending to store the egg in his system's space.

However, the moment his power touched the egg, the runes on its surface flared with light.

At the same time, the two hundred Deity Emperor sentinels that had been kneeling suddenly opened their glowing green eyes.

"Boom!"

An immense pressure exploded in the hall as the sentinels focused their gazes on Sylvus.

Having revealed himself, Sylvus felt a chill down his spine as two hundred Deity Emperors stared him down.

"Is this what it feels like to be watched by the abyss?"

But strangely, the sentinels didn't move, despite locking their gaze on him.

"Why aren't they attacking? Are they not fully awakened yet?" Sylvus wondered.

Just then, he noticed the glowing light on the egg beginning to coalesce, forming into a floating orb of energy.

"A human? Why do you carry the scent of the angelic race?" a voice emerged from the orb.

The orb circled Sylvus, as though it were inspecting him.

"The angelic race?" Sylvus blinked, then retrieved Elena's ancestral stone from his hand.

"Are you referring to this?"

"Indeed, the scent of the angels—though faint, it is unmistakable. How are you connected to them?" the voice asked curiously.

the ranking was: Lower Deity , Intermediate Deity , Higher Deity , Celestial Deity , True Deity , Deity King, Deity Sovereign, and Deity Emperor, each divided into nine stars