Chapter 1300 - 587: The Epic Road! (First Update)

Chapter 1300: Chapter 587: The Epic Road! (First Update)

"Hoo..."

Herbert stood atop the ruins, slowly closing his eyes.

He no longer suppressed the power that had long overflowed within him, nor did he resist the insights that naturally flowed to him.

Epic.

This once distant realm, now within easy reach, had fully opened its doors to him.

Herbert always considered himself as a "well-known Divine Favorer," "the Sun God’s most beloved Saint," "Nenasha’s favorite ally," "a child with a heart of gold," as everyone knew him.

With the help of Nenasha, he never doubted his future of advancing to the epic level, but he never thought this day would come so quickly.

How long had it been from advancing as a legendary to completing the Ascension Ceremony?

It seemed like in the blink of an eye, he had traversed a path others couldn’t complete in a lifetime.

But this journey could hardly be called peaceful.

Looking back, it even felt quite long.

He was invited to the Holy City of Radiance, thwarted the schemes of Sinful Desire, and with the Sun God’s help, became the youngest Godslayer of his time.

He saved the Beast Ear Clan, became an ally of the Natural Pantheon, and forged a connection with the Forest Goddess.

He averted the Divine disaster, planned and personally slew the second Divine, cementing his notorious reputation.

He also exiled the culprit who led him to a tragic fate, bringing the initial story to a conclusion.

He granted salvation to corrupt souls, reunited shattered families, and helped Nenasha reclaim the dominion of dreams.

Finally, he found the Heroic Spirit Legion waiting by the broken Divine Kingdom, bringing their long wait to an end.

Each of these deeds was enough to become the epic sung by bards across the ages.

This was no smooth road; it was a treacherous path littered with thorns and ravines.

Yet Herbert avoided none of it, walked directly in, and strode boldly down a path of blood.

A path forged with the corpses and regrets of Divines.

In the eyes of others, he was a cruel Godslayer, a fearless challenger against the Gods.

But at the same time, he was also a creator of miracles, a selfless hero, a generous redeemer.

Yet, to Herbert, these evaluations made no difference.

He didn’t care about others’ thoughts.

Herbert had always walked on the path forward, never stopping for anyone’s obstruction or plea.

He simply did what he wanted.

That’s all.

From the results, it seemed Herbert didn’t search for his own path like others, with no clear "path to walk."

But in truth, he had been doing it all along.

Slaying Gods or saving people, these were his decisions.

From the moment he stepped into this dangerous world, he had already been on the path.

He never needed to find his path.

He had always been on it.

Every step he took was his "Epic Road."

"..."

Herbert squinted his eyes slightly, a thought flickering within him—could this too be destiny’s arrangement?

Previously, Herbert only lamented the burdensome fate he carried, making his life so miserable.

But now, upon knowing that the Destiny Church still existed, he couldn’t help but ponder whether someone was subtly interfering.

After all, if no one was quietly interfering... then my destiny is truly magnificent!

So thrilling?

This confusion and doubt existed for just a moment, then Herbert cast it aside completely.

He was no longer the overly sentimental young man.

Even if it was destiny’s arrangement, what problem was there?

If it arranged it, so what?

Did I truly follow the arrangement?

Heh.

Herbert knew well, he never disappointed anyone in the aspect of disappointing—he never followed the script.

This was his decision, unrelated to others.

Even deciding to become Nenasha’s ally was his own will.

He was driven forward by the turbulent fate, but he wasn’t its puppet, not acting solely according to its expectations.

If "destiny" was indeed watching, then it would likely fall ill from his various actions.

"Ha ha."

Upon understanding this, Herbert laughed lightly and raised his arm, stretching his body vigorously.

At ease.

There was no ecstatic excitement in his heart over finally breaking through the bottleneck, only a faint sense of relief.

The obstacle preventing him from stepping into the epic realm, rather than a lack of power, was more of a lack of mindset, a hesitance in the final confirmation of his own path.

And now, that hesitation vanished without a trace.

When Herbert chose "redemption" over "conquest" in facing the Heroic Spirit Legion, the result was already determined.

When he personally told the Legion Commander, "You are heroes, not sinners," when he enacted his respect for "loyalty" and "steadfastness," an intangible sense of responsibility naturally fell upon his shoulders.

This is not a burden, but an anchor point.

It is the word "redemption" materializing from concept to reality in an instant.

At the same time, Herbert obtained another force in the moment of being recognized by the Heroic Spirit Legion—recognition from the Mist Mountain Range.

At that moment, Herbert completely became a part of Nenasha’s shattered Divine Kingdom.

Because he used the Radiant Holy Flame, regarded as the "flesh and blood of the Sun God," under unexpected circumstances, the specifications and difficulty of his Ascension Ceremony were elevated to an almost impossible level.

To match the main material, the ceremony was still lacking a significant amount of divine aura. For this, the Archbishop took the opportunity to hand Herbert the "Desecrated Statue of the Saintess" to wear, allowing him to slowly replenish the aura.

As a result, the missing divine aura was instantly filled by the Mist Mountain Range.

The Ascension Ceremony was finally completely accomplished.

And Herbert’s epic journey came to the end at the same time.

Thus, Herbert did not hesitate with only one step left to take, and directly stepped forward the last half-step.

Advancement!

Epic!!!

A subtle change seemed to occur between heaven and earth.

A kind of invisible "gaze" silently descended, as if the world itself glanced, marking the moment another mortal stepped into a higher level of life.

It was like the world’s will noticed here.

Having realized a new epic’s arrival.

The air became stagnant, magic power ceased its chaotic flow, and even the trajectory of the moonlight appeared clearer.

"I see..."

Feeling all indicators of his body changing, Herbert squinted his eyes, softly spoke in his heart, and sighed:

"Epic is not merely a leap of strength, but the condensation of will and path, the process of imprinting one’s personal faith onto the world’s rules."

Herbert closed his eyes, feeling the energy within him begin to operate in a new, more efficient and profound way.

The core of magic power spun, collapsed, and erupted like a nebula, with each cycle becoming stronger and more refined.

His muscles and bones emitted a faint hum, being repeatedly washed and tempered by a higher level of energy, becoming more resilient and capable of bearing the weight of rules.

His soul seemed to be freed from the physical body’s constraints, infinitely ascending, touching the "web of rules" forming the world’s underlying logic.

He "saw" countless flowing rule lines, colorful and representing different powers and concepts.

Those brilliant colors intertwined into a vast, eternal sea of light.

Some lines were thick and bright, representing powers already held by mighty entities, while many others were slender and dim, scattered in the web.

That was the world’s rules.

Also the source of the Gods’ power, the domains they controlled.

Saints and Gods are entities truly stepping into the divine realm.

But not many know that after powerhouses advance to epic, they are already qualified to peep into the divine realm.

They will quickly choose their path and then seek opportunities to seize the ownership of that power.

If that power was unclaimed, they would proceed smoothly, even rapidly ascending half a rank, becoming the new demigod.

But if that rule was already claimed, what happens next wouldn’t be so pleasant.

Few predecessors would kindly give up the path.

For these later epics, they either choose to stop at epic for life or early change paths, or... have no choice but to walk an extremely dangerous road.

Regardless of whether they have the courage to oppose the divine, epic powerhouses already have the qualification to be wary of by the divine.

Boom—

This isn’t an actual sound but a quake of rules originating from the world itself.

Centered around Herbert, an invisible fluctuation fiercely spread out!

This fluctuation swept across the entire Mist Mountain Range, even farther like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake.

At this moment, all beings who had stepped into the legendary realm in the Mist Mountain Range felt an inexplicable apprehension arise in their hearts.

And in that instant, the dense fog that never dissipated throughout the year was stirred violently as if by an invisible giant hand!

It wasn’t scattered but injected with some "order," becoming... much more "tame."

The chaos magic power within the mist, which seemed eternal, for the first time showed signs of smooth flow and regularity.

In the depths of the mountains, those sleeping beings suddenly awoke, as if realizing something, let out uneasy growls or murmurs.

A multi-headed serpent coiled within the rotten swamp raised its decaying head, its murky eyes looking toward the direction the fluctuation came from.

A forest comprised of animated shadows ceased its mindless writhing, all the "trees" turned towards the same side.

Deep underground, countless rock-gnawing insect swarms paused their actions, letting out sharp chirps.

They sensed that the "rules" of this forgotten place were being influenced by a powerful new will.

And several beings mentioned by Nenasha, now holding the shattered divine domain powers, also stopped their unconscious actions.

An ancient statue, standing a hundred meters high and half embedded in the mountain, its eye sockets lit up with weak starlight-like glow.

A valley forever echoing with lamenting songs abruptly ceased the singing.

A maze made of crystals continuously refracting and distorting light, its structure had a moment of stagnation.

They slowly moved their gaze, chaotic will had a moment of clarity, looking toward the same direction.

"...My master?"

Meanwhile, at the fortress ruins where Herbert was, the phenomenon caused by advancement was even more astonishing.

In the night sky, moonlight seemed gathered, forming a giant light pillar that shrouded Herbert.

Within the light pillar, countless dense and complex runes made purely of energy, fell like snowflakes, merging into his body.