Chapter 133: The Newborn Sprout of Creation
At this moment, "David" in the crowd was deep in thought, presumably, that middle-aged man was the source of his "As a Creator's Act."
The man had transformed the instance into an entire world just to nurture the "Newborn Sprout of Creation" that originally emerged within the instance! His power appeared terrifyingly immense.
However, it was unclear why the man chose to merge with the Netherworld... Perhaps he had his own plans.
But the divine war triggered by the Newborn Sprout of Creation devastated the Netherworld, implicating the middle-aged man, who might have fallen or lost consciousness.
In the end, he integrated into the boss and was completely annihilated by Sterl.
"Hmm?" Sterl was lost in thought when he suddenly froze. A new light screen appeared before his eyes.
The surrounding players experienced the same thing. New content popped up on their panels.
[You have witnessed everything in the Netherworld, gaining 2 points of Legend.]
What the heck! They said there were no rewards??
Even though they had already earned 10 points of Legend, the players were still ecstatic!
They now understood why the instance quest was said to offer no additional rewards—witnessing the birth of the Newborn Sprout of Creation required no effort!
But a permanent increase in life force and 2 points of Legend? That was an incredible gain!
The only issue was, why hadn't the instance ended yet?
"What's going on? Do we have to wait for someone to take the Newborn Sprout of Creation?"
"Where are the Dark Moon Alliance members? This should be their objective, right?"
...
The players were puzzled.
They knew better than to covet such a precious item. That would be suicidal.
Time passed, and after several minutes...
Most of the players were waiting in bewilderment when suddenly over 20 players' expressions changed.
This group of players suddenly stepped forward and approached the massive withered tree.
"Huh?? Victor, what are you doing?"
"Marcus, are you crazy? Don't touch that thing!"
"Stan, what the heck are you up to?"
Some of these players had close friends who immediately tried to dissuade them, even stepping forward to physically pull them back from approaching the withered tree, pleading desperately.
This Newborn Sprout of Creation was not to be touched—touching it would be courting death!
However, these 20 players paid no heed, advancing in eerie silence. What was even more bizarre was that they were not from the same faction or country but were from different regions of the Dark Moon Alliance, yet they performed identical actions.
This strange scene quickly silenced the other players. They weren't fools. They realized that these players seemed to be under some sort of mind control.
Was it the work of the Dark Moon Alliance? Or a contingency plan left by the God of Heaven Water? Or perhaps some method from one of the gods involved in the Netherworld divine war?
The other players silently stepped aside, speculating in their minds.
Better not mess with them. Do whatever you want.
So, the leading player among the twenty easily took the Newborn Sprout of Creation from the tree. The whole process was smooth and calm.
As the Newborn Sprout of Creation was taken, everyone heard a prompt in their ears.
[The Newborn Sprout of Creation has been taken, the instance is about to end.]
[Ding! The Newborn Sprout of Creation is a special item that cannot be stored in any storage item or player backpack. Holding it for 10 seconds will automatically bind it, allowing it to be stored in storage items or player backpacks.]
[Once the Newborn Sprout of Creation is bound, the instance will officially end, and all players will be teleported to their last location in the main world of Transcendence.]
...
The content of the prompt was not difficult to understand, and the players instantly got it.
It was a very normal instance mechanism, an item contest. Whoever could hold the Newborn Sprout of Creation for 10 seconds would become the final winner, and the other players would be teleported out.
Suddenly, their feelings were mixed.
"So, will we be able to leave in 10 seconds?"
"Let's hope so. No more unexpected twists, please."
"I have a feeling this won't end so simply..."
...
The players weren't fools. They had more or less guessed that the Dark Moon Alliance had likely been scheming for the Newborn Sprout of Creation all this time.
Who would dare to risk their life to snatch it?
Might as well wait 10 seconds and go home peacefully.
The twenty or so players at the front were most likely the Dark Moon Alliance's plants, which was why they dared to step forward and collect the item.
However, the players also felt that it was unlikely to end so peacefully...
It seemed too easy for the Dark Moon Alliance's plan to succeed, right?
In reality, the players had misunderstood.
If the ones taking the Newborn Sprout of Creation at the front were indeed the Dark Moon Alliance's subordinates, the plan wouldn't have succeeded so easily...
After all, without Constantine's intervention, the players would have been wiped out by the boss, an avatar of the world's will, and wouldn't have been able to enter this instance at all!
...
Time ticked by, second by second.
Although the players were anxious, they obediently stayed in place.
"What should we do now?" Faye hesitated, but Felicia was resolute. "Don't make a move. I can sense the divine power of Gloria emanating from those people."
"This instance has no power restrictions, but it's incredibly unstable. Gloria has one chance to intervene. We just need to wait and return to the main world."
Felicia knew well that precious items and powerful talents were meaningless compared to one crucial thing:
Survival! To realize her potential!
Thus, the atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
One second passed, then two, then three.
As the countdown reached its final second...
Everyone held their breath, sensing an impending storm, but nothing happened.
Until the Transcendence system's countdown displayed the last tick, from one to zero...
A soft sound was heard.
The player holding the Newborn Sprout of Creation turned into a torch of multicolored flames.
And Constantine appeared before everyone, the Newborn Sprout of Creation now in his hand.
Yes, Sterl had made his move!
Knowing that the strongest contenders for this item were merely god-level beings, Sterl decided he had no reason to back down.
"After all, once I ascend to godhood, I can purge any other divine power from my body, ensuring I won't be tracked. Then, using a teleportation scroll for a large-scale transfer should ensure my safety..."
At this moment, holding the Newborn Sprout of Creation, Sterl felt a continuous flow of life energy, making him extremely comfortable.
However, this moment of silence was abruptly shattered.
The previously silent twenty-plus players, who hadn't uttered a word, suddenly spoke up. "Constantine, I advise you to put down the Newborn Sprout of Creation. This is something the Goddess desires."
"Why should I?" Sterl, having to wait for the countdown to end anyway, didn't mind chatting with these people.
The other players finally understood.
As expected, these twenty-plus players were from the Dark Moon Alliance.
The players quickly reacted the same way, scattering in all directions, fearing the aftermath of the impending battle.
The twenty-plus players, expressionless, drew their weapons and slit their own throats.
The others barely had time to react. Sterl's eyes narrowed, having already guessed what these "players" really were...
Amid the players' gasps, "What are they doing?"
"Suicide? Why?"
In an instant, twenty-two translucent soul bodies appeared!
For something as trivial as the Netherworld's Water, the Dark Moon Alliance had deployed at least four legendary souls to guard it.
How could they send only Felix, a single legendary soul, to retrieve the Newborn Sprout of Creation that Gloria desired?
Immediately, all the players' faces changed, retreating in fear.
The presence of more than twenty legends was suffocating.
"Why should I?" Those legendary souls burst into laughter as if they had heard the world's biggest joke.
No longer stiff and expressionless, as they had been when possessing the players' bodies, they now laughed wildly, some even pointing mockingly at Constantine.
The next moment—
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The sound of flames igniting filled the air.
Twenty or so soul fires were lit!
These legendary souls were well aware of Constantine's strength. They also knew that several of their legendary soul comrades had likely been killed by him!
Even though igniting their souls would cause them to lose parts of their memories and soul bodies permanently, the legendary souls didn't hesitate!
Facing Constantine without giving their all carried the risk of instant death.
Sterl frowned slightly, feeling the immense pressure.
More than twenty legendary souls, even if their individual power wasn't exceptionally strong, and their abilities not as potent as Felix's Inspire, still meant over twenty legendary abilities.
Honestly, it wouldn't be an easy fight.
However, the battle didn't start immediately.
"Constantine, we'll give you one last chance. Hand over the Newborn Sprout of Creation. Your potential is indeed impressive. You have a great chance of becoming a demigod."
"If you're willing to surrender, we can recommend you join the Dark Moon Alliance."
"Just sign the contract, serve the Alliance for a thousand years, and we can nurture you into a demigod!"
The leading legendary soul spoke earnestly, his tone full of envy. The cost of sending Constantine to become a demigod was merely a thousand years of service—a total win!
They knew all too well the price they paid for their own rebirth: eternal servitude to Gloria!
At this moment, the onlooking players were stunned.
"No way? Can you really do whatever you want if you're strong and talented?"
"He's already challenged the Goddess, and the Dark Moon Alliance is still willing to let him go? Even nurture him?"
"That's so over the top!"
"Guaranteed to become a demigod! Damn! That's an insanely good deal!"