My transformation into a beautiful girl started with a hemorrhage.

The opposing faction to the Demon King consists of hundreds of people from various races.

There are human warriors, mages, dark elves, elves, orcs, green-skinned demons... it seems like all the famous species on the continent are here.

They all collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from their mouths, their breathing erratic, struggling to stay upright and resist the invasion of the red light.

The area around them was littered with gruesome corpses, their severed limbs staining the ground red, and the stench of blood could be smelled from a great distance.

These people are the strongest in the mainland.

In the past few months, Geng Tai has traveled to every corner of the continent. Even though he was just rushing around, he unintentionally gained a lot of knowledge and experience. He recognized at a glance that there were top experts among these people who had become famous a thousand years ago!

For example, Oliver Constantine, known as the "Hand of Annihilation";

Nicholas Hofenberg, known as the "Sword of Truth";

Ryan Nicholas, known as "the Moonlight Smile";

The only remaining fifth-level holy mage of humanity, Yalolan Hathaway, known as the "Mana Ruler," is over a thousand years old, but she appears as a young and alluring beauty in a mage's robe.

Besides humans, there are also powerful alien races on the western side of the Dispiel Mountains, such as the demon race powerhouse Kangus Jonas, known as the "Storm Overlord."

Helen Paris, a powerful member of the witch clan known as the "Ice Witch";

There was a king of orcs, "Wolf Fang King" Augustine Weiz;

There is also a beautiful and elegant elven chieftain, known as the "Order of the Elements," Arwen Andomir;

There is also the powerful dark elf, Lúthien Tinuvier, known as the "Pale Hand";

These people were already at the level of paladins and fifth-level holy mages a thousand years ago. It's hard to imagine how powerful they have become after a thousand years.

Besides them, the rest were some slightly weaker strong individuals, but they were only relatively weak; the weakest among them was at least at the level of an Earth Knight.

Some of them stared at the sky in disbelief: "Hero, you—"

“Don’t go over there. He’s not the hero. We’ve all been fooled. It turns out the Demon King’s consciousness has been hidden in his mind all along. No wonder he was able to obtain the power of the hero. This is all the Demon King’s conspiracy,” Oliver Constantine, the Hand of Annihilation, said with difficulty.

"It's over, there's no hope. This time, the Demon King not only broke the seal, but also gained the power of the hero. There's no one in the world who can stop him now," said Helen Paris, a powerful member of the witch clan, in despair.

"I am not reconciled. A thousand years of perseverance, a thousand years of waiting, and the final result is..." Nicholas Hoffinberg, the Sword of Truth, said with deep resentment.

……

The Demon King hung high in the sky.

He glanced at the crowd on the ground as if they were ants.

"Do you pathetic bastards even know why you lost?"

Even with blood trickling from her lips, the Elemental Order Elf Chieftain, Arwen Andormir, exuded elegance and nobility, her beautiful eyes glaring at the Demon King.

"Demon King, don't be so smug! Even if we are defeated, there are still millions of us, and countless lives across the entire continent of Saida will never submit to you!"

The Demon King scoffed: "Hmm, submission? Why would I need the submission of these ants? And you lot, a bunch of pathetic worms, you don't even know you're animals, how pitiful and pathetic!"

The powerful dark elf, Lucien Tinuvil, known as the "Pale Hand," retorted, "Demon King, the victor is king, and the loser is villain. You don't need to insult us with these words."

"You dare to insult me? A thousand years ago, you were Saint-level beings. A thousand years later, you are still Saint-level beings. Heh~ Have you never thought about why this is?" the Demon King said.

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent; they had naturally considered this question.

"The Sword of Truth," Nikolah Hofenberg replied, "The Saint level is the limit that this world can withstand. We have reached the limit that the world can withstand, and therefore we cannot move forward any further."

Nikola Hofenberg's answer was also the answer in the minds of these Saint-level powerhouses.

However, the Demon King pointed at the fifth-level Saint Archmage, Yalolan Hathaway, and said, "You, as a Saint Archmage, also think so?"

Yalolan Hathaway paused, her lips parted slightly, her eyes darted around several times, and finally she said, "Yes, that's the truth."

Actually, she had another guess in her heart, but that guess... was too hopeless.

In the distance, Kouta looked at the Demon King and sighed, "Doesn't this Demon King know the saying 'villains die from talking too much'? Kei, what did you say?"

However, Hui did not answer.

"Hui, what's wrong?"

At this moment, Hui Cai said, "...I only realized it now."

"What did you find?" Kouta asked, puzzled.

"I discovered that the so-called Mana Factors in this world actually have owners. It's just that because I am the God of Nothingness, regardless of whether these Mana Factors have owners or not, anyone who gets close to me will be assimilated into nothingness, because I haven't discovered it until now," Hui explained.

Kouta was even more confused: "What do you mean by 'has an owner'?"

Chapter 523 Harvest

Faced with Kouta's doubts, Hui thoughtfully explained, "The high-energy factor called 'Mana' was formed from a wisp of power that fell from a certain god."

After saying that, Hui added, "Kouta, you know that the magical power that drives those Noble Phantasms is formed from a wisp of my divine power that fell away. It's only a small wisp of divine power, but it transforms into magical power that is almost inexhaustible. And the 'Mana' of this world is the same principle."

Kouta was startled: "Then, is there some kind of conspiracy?"

Hui pondered for a moment and said, "The conspiracy is that their cultivation data are all in the hands of that god. As long as that god is willing, He can withdraw His power at any time, and all cultivators who use 'Mana' as a high-energy factor are under His control."

For example, God could set: as long as one cultivates 'Mana' to the Saint level, that is the limit; as long as one cultivates 'Mana', the power of the rules cannot be touched..."

Kouta asked in surprise, "Why would that god do that?"

"For the sake of harvest! For God, taking another step forward is extremely difficult and requires a massive amount of energy. And the practice of draining the pond to catch all the fish is unwise, just like humans raising cattle and sheep, growing them to adulthood, and then slaughtering and eating them."

The same principle applies here. The world is the pasture, living beings are the livestock, and one's own divine power is the fodder. Once the world's creatures have grown sufficiently, a harvest can be made, and one can have one's fill.

Hui, fearing that Gengtai still didn't understand, added: "Gengtai, you can understand it as the capitalist model of modern society."

God is the boss, and everyone who cultivates 'Mana' is a worker. The worker's life and death are in the boss's hands, and all struggle and effort only make the boss stronger.

Upon hearing this, Kouta felt a chill run down his spine, instantly recalling the world-ending legends he had seen in the Royal Library of the Kingdom of Altona.

He felt a chill in his heart, never expecting that the universal truth of the world was... capitalism.

Indeed, if even humans with a mere thousand-year-old civilization know that "to become rich, one must exploit the weak," there's no reason why the wiser and more rational gods wouldn't know this.

"Kouta, are you alright?" Kei asked worriedly, sensing that Kouta's emotions were fluctuating.

Kouta shook his head: "I'm fine, just a little sentimental. By the way, Kei, if this world itself is another god's pasture, then, is it alright for us to initiate the ritual?"

"Don't worry. At least I haven't sensed the presence of a god yet. Perhaps that god isn't paying attention to this world. As long as you initiate the ritual to ascend to godhood, it doesn't matter if you offend the other party. As the God of Nothingness, I may not be powerful in other aspects, but when it comes to escaping, I am second to none in all the heavens and myriad realms." Hui confidently assured him.

“…Okay.” Kouta was speechless, wondering why Kei could say “running away first” so confidently.

"Are we just going to wait here for that Demon King to leave?"

"Hmm, wait a minute." Suddenly, Hui called out to Kouta: "Kouta, something's up."

"what happened?"

"There's a fluctuation in the space there..."

······

In the center of the crater basin.

The Demon King, high in the sky, saw clearly the changes in Yalolan Hathaway's expression and said disdainfully, "Hmph, you self-deceiving fool. If you don't want to talk, then I will."

The Demon King's words attracted the attention of all the Saint-level, Radiant-level, and Earth-level powerhouses below.

Some have already discovered that if the world's limit is at the Saint level, then why would a powerhouse like the Demon God King appear, single-handedly reducing these top powerhouses of the continent to rubble?

What level is the Demon King?

In the air, the Demon King said coldly, "The reason you stop at the Saint level is because your source of strength for survival is the Mana factor of this world, which stipulates that you can only reach the Saint level."

This is a means God uses to limit you. Without God's permission, you will remain at the Saint level for your entire lives, and it will be impossible for you to advance any further!

He was met with opposition from many people as soon as he finished speaking.

"Nonsense! Gods are just legends. How could a god possibly exist in the world?"

"These are lies and misleading the public. Even if gods truly exist, why would such beings do this?"

"Demon King, your lies are too simplistic."

Those who raised these questions were all below the Saint level, while the Saint-level experts remained silent.

As Saints, they have already begun to sense the rules. With lifespans of thousands of years, their long-term exploration has allowed them to discover the path of cultivation beyond the Saint level, namely, to comprehend and master the rules...

Then, they couldn't get past this step because they discovered that the rules of the world are "uncertain," constantly changing, without any pattern, unobservable, and therefore uncontrollable.

Because they cannot grasp the rules of the world, they can only settle for second best, using their own bodies as "microcosms" and their souls as the core, constantly strengthening and refining their souls, removing impurities, making their souls stronger, purer, and more "delicious," until their souls become so powerful that they overflow from their bodies and form a domain—this is the Saint level.

Saint-level cultivation becomes about further strengthening one's soul; the stronger the soul, the larger the domain, rather than comprehending the rules of the world.

However, soul sublimation is the most difficult cultivation system. Not everyone possesses wisdom enough to devour other souls to achieve their own. No matter how much the people of this world strengthen their souls, they will only become fat sheep, unable to sublimate.

This is the distorted cultivation system of this world.

They fatten their souls up, only to be devoured by God.

The Demon King coldly mocked the crowd on the ground:

"What makes you think that heroes can reach the level that you cultivate for thousands of years in just a few months?"

"It's because your power essentially originates from 'Mana,' and 'Mana' belongs to God. He can give it to whomever He wants; He can take it back whenever He wants; and of course, He can set your limits wherever He desires."

Someone countered, "If that's the case, then why weren't you restricted? What level of cultivation are you at?"

"Hehe~, because what I'm using isn't 'Mana,' but...blood."

Thousands of years ago, I was just an ordinary person. I didn't possess what you call "talent," unable to become a knight, much less a mage. But I was unwilling to accept this. I traveled to every corner of the continent, searching for legendary secrets. After decades of research, I was inspired by a book of dark magic and discovered that the blood of all living things possesses power. From that moment on, I used the blood of all things as my source of energy, step by step, to reach where I am today—a demigod!

"A demigod?!" XN

Everyone was surprised when they heard about this level. Although they didn't know what a demigod was, anything related to "god" must be very powerful.

The Demon King basked in the astonished gazes of the crowd and finally said, "Alright, I have said what I wanted to say. You can all die now. Be glad, your deaths will become the stepping stones to my great cause."

The Demon King raised his hand and pointed downwards.

Suddenly, streaks of red lightning condensed in the sky, converging into a pillar of lightning. Where the pillar of lightning stood, space shattered, revealing a black void, and a terrifying pressure seemed to pierce through the earth.

Just as he was about to press down with his finger, an untimely voice rang out: "Demon King, you despicable thief, your death is near!"

The voice was none other than the long-lost former hero, Seiichi Shimogaki.

As his voice rang out, everyone turned to look, only to see someone they had been ignoring: Princess Christine of the Kingdom of Altona.