He spread out his powerful senses as he pulled out the purple-gold Dagger of Time, using [Insight] once more as many possible plans formulated through his mind with the addition of this interesting event, the Infernal Hunt.
---
On a glowing star in a distant location, the Celestial Drax was breathing out stably as a milky white aura calmly floated around him. In the period of a week, he had released the limiter he placed on himself that allowed him to consolidate his strength at the Transcendent Rank and finally reached the Saint Rank, or what the Celestials called the peak of Rank 3 Celestial.
His body held enough strength to battle on par with those in the Saint Realm when he was just Transcendent, and even though he had just stepped into this new rank, he expected his battle power to be even more astounding.
He meditated peacefully as he stabilized his strength when he soon received a message from his master.
"The time is here. Come down to meet the ones that will be going with you into the Infernal Realm through the World of Cultivation."
Drax's eyes snapped wide open as his figure disappeared, quickly appearing near the monastery where his master was as he saw four new figures of beings letting out levels of power no less than himself.
They all held unique aspects, with one having similarities to the Elven Race, and another was a being looking very close to a human, yet they had gloriously shining white wings erupting from their back. Drax looked curiously at this rare being of the Faerie Race as he observed the last two to be humans.
Shock appeared on his face as he laid his eyes on one of the humans, a dark-skinned girl with a head full of glossy hair tied in a ponytail and a prominent figure that was still visible even with the red robes that she wore.
The red robe that this woman wore signified that she was not just any normal Celestial Disciple, but one that was about to take on the full title of a Celestial with the completion of just a few more missions!
Drax knew the identity of this famous disciples as she was known with the title of The War Princess, Athena.
She was only a mere human mortal with not an ounce of strength less than one hundred years ago, and a Celestial had chanced upon her when they were traveling across the stars and observing the planets and stars that needed to be saved or destroyed.
She was in a world on the verge of ruin as her people continued to wage wars amongst each other, eventually depleting the resources of their planet as their only path left became destruction. The Celestial was observing this ruined world when they noticed her unique body disposition that was perfectly inclined towards techniques related to Fate. This Celestial took her in as a disciple right away, finding in her a monstrous ability to advance through ranks unlike anything seen before.
Among the many rising Celestial Disciples, Athena was at the forefront of all them with her power and wit, even being granted the rare chance to work with other Celestials as they brought balance throughout the stars.
One particularly recent mission that Drax recalled was one where Athena was accompanied by a Golden Robed Grandmaster on one of the Interstellar Warsh.i.p.s that very few disciples would have a chance to come close to. These were the warsh.i.p.s that held powerful weapons capable of destroying lower-ranked planets with ease.
She was in charge of releasing this power down to a particular planet that continued to interfere with the Order of the universe with the creation of cursed items known as World Engines that naturally defied Order with each usage.
In this mission, her will was tested as she excelled in the lesson that many of the Celestial Disciples were still learning- the death of a few can be ignored in order to bring a more perfect balance in the universe, that taking away the lives of billions to return things to their natural order will only save a trillion more beings over the vicissitudes of time.
Athena had an extremely strong will as she was able to complete this mission with ease, gaining even more recognition from the upper ranked Celestials. This was the War Princess, Athena!
Drax calmed his beating heart as he chanted incantations in his mind, his gaze going towards his master that had begun talking.
"You all will meet with our representative at the little sect known as Profound Astral Sect, and be given special identities among their disciples. Your participation in this Infernal Hunt counts as a mission, with those of you being the most successful reaping the most rewards."
The Grandmaster spoke slowly as the five beings looked at each other, his gaze focusing on Drax and Athena.
"Be especially on the lookout for any irregularities as you investigate to see whether the ones tampering with fate are still moving around the World of Cultivation."
"Yes, Grandmaster!"
Drax and the others placed their palms over their hearts as they received the commands, calling out in unison words they had been trained to say for many years.
"For Order and Balance!"
"For Order and Balance!"
Bursts of power resonated around the five of them as they turned away from the monastery and made their way towards the abundant Teleportation Portals on the Celestial Star they were on.
Chapter 257 - A Penguin at War!
In another part of the starry space, a particular world that held a frozen outer layer was feeling the tides of change for the first time in many years.
The inhabitants of the Icebound World found themselves at the precipice of something new as the Frost Race gained a new protector that they took as their leader!
Not too long ago, a group of beings had appeared on the battlefield where yet another war was brought to the doors of the Frost Race by the tyranny of the Ice Giants.
Being a race of giants with impeccable strength, the Ice Giants sought for more land and resources as they targeted the weaker Frost Race located in the northern region of the Icebound World first, their eyes set on the Humans populating the east soon after.
The Ice Giants were a powerful race of beings that were naturally strong since their birth, becoming even stronger as they grew in the extremely cold conditions of the Icebound World and became very proficient in Ice Attributed abilities. Their robust bodies required an enormous amount of resources, making them extremely greedy for more lands where they could procure what they wanted.
During a crucial fight where the Frost Race continued to see colossal losses from the obscene strength that the Ice Giants portrayed, they felt blessings shine down from above as powerful figures appeared on the battlefield to lend a hand and push the Ice Giants back!
"RAA! RAA! RAA!"
Calling out stupendous battle-cries, a group of powerful beings appeared to aid them at the last moment! At the forefront was a gloriously sleek Emperor Penguin that let out deadly attacks of the spatial attribute, and accompanying him was a fiery phoenix, a much too talkative human with a party of beast girls, and a collection of powerful Calamities of the Sea accompanied by many more other beasts that followed behind the sleek Penguin.
Their power was unlike anything the beings of the Icebound World had seen before, showing stupendous strength that stopped the invaders on their tracks and began a campaign of their own. There was the powerful Swordsman known as Kazuhiko, who valiantly fought on the front lines with his treasured Katana while taking care of his balanced party of beast girls. The large number of beasts and Calamities of the Sea also made for a surprising addition as the terrifying Kraken was seeing strangling Ice Giants with its many arms and tentacles.
Their power had produced a grand effect as they pushed the Ice Giants back and finally stopped their advance towards the North, gaining the favor of the Frost Race as they were treated with the highest respect. The beings of the Icebound World gradually came to know these powerful saviors, preparing themselves for a better world as they felt the tides of change occurring right in front of their eyes.
A few more days passed where the newcomers continued to push back the Ice Giants, being so dominant that the Frost Race termed the Emperor Pengu
in and his followers as Generals of their Race!
They were a race that loved nature and peace, with the Frost King being the one most in tune with nature and abhorring war. When the opportunity came to side with these powerful new individuals that fought on their behalf, the Frost King quickly jumped at the opportunity and made them his generals, giving them all the power they wanted as long as his people were kept safe.
A week passed as grand battles were fought, the Emperor Penguin and his forces gaining more and more status and power, becoming indispensable from the forces of the Frost Race and the cowering humans in the East.
After seeing the very close similarities of the leader of their saviors and a particular race of beings in the northern lands, the Frost King even allowed another species of the Frost Race, the coldbourne Chinstrap Penguins, to be the official helpers that took care of all the needs of their saviors. The arctic penguins took this role with the highest dignity as they looked up to the grandiose figure of the Emperor Penguin, feeling extreme reverence as they observed the glossy layer of feathers they only imagined in their dreams.
In a particularly large ice fortress near the border of the North and South of the Icebound World, the sleek Emperor Penguin was no longer miniaturized as he was proudly displaying his form with a size of more than five meters.
He sat upon a huge magnificently built throne made of resplendent ice as a shining icy crown was added atop its smooth head. The Icy Crown shone with a gorgeous color, being a unique treasure of the Icebound World that the Frost King had given to the Emperor Penguin.
Its gaze was full of pride and power as it looked around the room, watching Kazuhiko trying to flirt with the Imperial Phoenix while the other beasts were being catered to by the rapidly moving arctic penguins that a wore small tuxedos with shining blow ties that made them very prominent in the room.
The Emperor Penguin had asked his master for cool clothing he could give to his distinguished followers, and had his expectations exceeded when Noah quickly teleported in and left behind these clothes he came to know were called tuxedos. They made his followers look so distinguished that he almost wanted to change back to his miniaturized size and wear one himself. The arrogant penguin found himself thinking yet again- his master was actually not too bad!
DONG
At this moment, a sound could be heard in the distance that signified a call to arms, with some well-dressed penguins quickly entering the wide room in the fortress and looking towards the Emperor Penguin.
"Sir Ice Spirit! the King of Giants, Larruk, is gathering all of his forces for an all out attack!"
Panic was all over the faces of the beings of the Frost Race as they heard the terrible name of the King of the Ice Giants.
OONG!
Essence was released with the Emperor Penguin at the center as his body lifted up and his beady eyes looked around.
"Hmph, a mere giant king is nothing to worry about. Let's go!"
Waves of power were released as the beings that followed behind the Emperor Penguin shook their heads deprecatingly at this aquatic bird that held an overabundance of pride and confidence as their figures moved out.
They assembled the forces of the Frost Race as they went forward to meet the Ruler of the Ice Giants that were the main cause of war and death in the Icebound World!
Chapter 258 - Convergence of Forces
As some forces waged war in frozen worlds, others continued to elevate the power of their Worlds as dungeon diving became widespread in one small Blue Planet, the Beast World, and the Demon World.
There were still an enormous amount of beings that could not be considered 'Awakened' and did not fit into any category, but more and more were joining their ranks naturally as the essence of their Worlds continued to be elevated, with some finding themselves stepping into the F Rank in their sleep as their bodies continued to be cradled with the abundant amount of essence.
This allowed for a large number of beings to actively dive in the many created dungeons that were catered to making them stronger, with very few beings facing death from carelessness and stupidity every now and then.
In the Blessed Empire and United Federation, abundant trade had bloomed as they gained access to unique items, treasures, and produce from the two words they were connected to.
The Blessed Empire received more influence from the Beast World as there was a Main Gateway connecting the Beast World to the Blue Planet near its borders, while the United Federation had more influence from the Demon World as they began the widespread trading and production of [Power Jewels] that were unique to the demon world.
These [Power Jewels], a product of Abyss Magic that the demons specialized in, were among the hottest commodities being traded nowadays because they acted as huge damage amplifiers to their skills, having a unique function of 'Corrupting' their abilities and making them almost twice as powerful. It was more frequently being called a Modifier by the newly awakened hunters that still observed everything like it was a game.
The Beast World continued its focus on produce and weapons, especially from the Frozen Kingdom that Noah visited the most frequently, making it the one that received more attention with the use of [Budding Farmer] that continued to explode the agricultural sector with plants that could be termed Medicinal Herbs already with their current effectiveness.
The system of power that all three worlds currently enjoyed, being able to quantify their strength and visibly see their skills, as well as combine complementary skills, made for a competitive environment where many beings were trying their best to advance through the ranks of Awakened/Hunters and become well known while gaining enormous amounts of wealth.
The Atlanteans and Merfolk were also quietly rebuilding their own version of Atlantis in the seas of the Blue Planet, causing an explosive growth of species in the sea while using their technological advancements to build towering structures that caused the envy of many.
Those that were rich enough to call upon the help of the beings from Atlantis found themselves in luxuriously built homes that even the billionaires of the planet before the apocalypse would be jealous of.
The Ocean Master observed all of this as he continued to work behind the scenes for the recreation of multiple World Engines, moving with extreme care after the words of a certain savior of theirs came down yet again for increased secrecy of the project, with very few beings having knowledge of it.
The worlds were vast, with many beings moving around them. Each had their own goals and ideals as they moved forward, collectively continuing to create a powerful group of beings that were rapidly growing and expanding their knowledge and power.
Across the stars, many different powers received the news that the Infernal Hunt would be occurring a hundred years earlier than planned, and they all prepared for this momentous event as trainees and disciples from various worlds were moving with excitement.
The excitement this time around was even more glorious as they heard of the increased rewards for those that do exceedingly well, with the disciples of the Three Supreme Sects of the World of Cultivation being even more driven as their Sects' powerful Absolute Techniques were the topmost rewards they could get their hands on!
This was something that was only in the wildest of dreams from even the Core Disciples of these sects, as very few were granted the clearance from the Council of Elders to observe these powerful techniques and try to learn them.
In the Profound Astral Sect, it was even busier as besides the shocking news that the Wastrel of the Sect could not be called that name anymore, the arrival of old disciples that were the trump cards that the sect was raising in secret in the outside world were returning to join in this excursion!
They were Core Disciples that very few knew of, but they increased the excitement of the disciples of the sect as they knew with their addition, they would be even safer while traversing the Infernal Realm that was the First Hell.
This was because the returning disciples were no less pow
erful than the Shining Son and even the newly advanced Crixus, with some of them being even more powerful!
Their arrival caused a tumultuous movement in the shock as many disciples gathered on the main peak with the preparations to set off for the First Hell being underway. They watched the Teleportation Portal shine as five figures made their presence clear before their eyes, aweing them to their very cores as they sensed their levels of strength.
From what they could see, even the weakest of the five newly arrived disciples was at the Saint Realm, with them not being able to see the realms of others! This left them roiling in shock and awe as they asked themselves- in front of such geniuses, weren't they just trash?!
Among the many disciples congregating on the Main Peak of the Steller Sky Mountains, the Shining Son, William, was looking closely at the appearance of these unheard of disciples as someone not too far from him was giving these beings an even closer look.
The figure of 'Crixus' had a brief change in expression as he observed the faces of two particular beings among the newly returning core disciples, as he knew these faces very well!
One was the Celestial Disciple Drax that he had already come in contact with before, while another held a prominent figure that he recognized from the memories of Drax, the being that acted on the orders of the Celestials and directly caused the destruction of the Lost World of Atlantis!
In the recesses of Drax's memories, Noah had found the collections of missions of many of the Celestial Disciples, with many of the memories occupying the renowned War Princess, Athena.
The Celestial Disciple at the forefront of power, the one that many Celestials looked at with favor as someone who would soon join their ranks. The ever so powerful and beautiful Athena, as well as a party of other Celestial Disciples, had all arrived to take part in the Infernal Hunt with the disciples of the Profound Astral Sect.
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