Chapter 167: Demi-god

The Vice Head’s words immediately caused the three chosen ones to look at him, confusion plainly visible in their eyes.

If this teleportation formation wasn’t connected to the Star Dimension...

Then where exactly was he planning to send them?

Surely...

It wasn’t back to their mothers’ wombs.

The absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Lukas’s mind, causing him to inwardly roll his eyes.

Can this old man just get to the point already....?..

He had never been particularly fond of these long, drawn-out speeches.

Every answer seemed to produce three more questions.

If the Vice Head simply explained everything from the beginning instead of building suspense, it would have saved everyone a considerable amount of time.

Unfortunately...

Reality rarely cared about personal preferences.

Thankfully, after repeatedly dealing with people vastly stronger than himself, Lukas had long mastered the art of concealing his true thoughts.

No matter what was running through his mind...

Not even the slightest emotion leaked onto his face.

His expression remained completely calm, as though he were patiently listening with full attention.

The Vice Head slowly swept his gaze across the three young geniuses.

Seeing the confusion and curiosity reflected in their eyes, a faint smile appeared on his weathered face.

"I know..."

"...that all of you currently have countless questions."

His voice echoed softly throughout the enormous underground palace.

"But trust me."

"Every single one of those questions..."

"...will be answered soon enough."

The smile on his face gradually disappeared.

In its place emerged a seriousness that instantly caused the surrounding atmosphere to become noticeably heavier.

His voice also became deeper.

More solemn.

"By now..."

"All of you should already understand one fundamental truth."

"Nearly every talent possessed by humanity today..."

"...was created by studying and imitating the abilities of star monsters."

His gaze slowly shifted toward the countless formations engraved throughout the enormous chamber.

"The countless extraordinary talents humanity possesses..."

"The cultivation techniques..."

"The combat arts..."

"The bloodline applications..."

"Almost all of them exist because generations of awakened geniuses devoted their entire lives to researching star monsters."

His eyes slowly returned to the three standing before him.

"Those people..."

"Were all extraordinary individuals."

"Gifted beyond ordinary comprehension."

He paused briefly before adding,

"And yet..."

"Even among those geniuses..."

"The three of you managed to stand out through one of the most rigorous selection processes the White Knights Guild has ever conducted."

"You have already proven yourselves worthy of being called exceptional."

Lukas quietly listened without interrupting.

Unlike before, he didn’t bother overanalyzing every sentence.

He simply waited.

Somehow...

He could already tell.

Everything spoken until now had merely been laying the foundation.

The truly important explanation was about to begin.

While these thoughts were passing through his mind, Lukas suddenly noticed the Vice Head slowly raising one hand toward the enormous teleportation formation standing at the center of the chamber.

The countless ancient runes carved into the formation seemed to faintly shimmer in response to his movement.

Spatial energy quietly rippled through the air.

Then...

The Vice Head spoke.

"This teleportation formation..."

"...leads directly to a special realm."

His voice paused for just a heartbeat before he continued.

"A realm personally created..."

"...by a Demigod."

The moment those final words left his mouth...

Silence descended once again.

Questioning expressions immediately appeared on the faces of all three chosen ones.

Even Lukas’s usually composed eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

A Demigod...?

The unfamiliar title echoed repeatedly inside their minds.

What exactly was a Demigod?

Was it a cultivation realm?

A race?

Or something else entirely?

More importantly...

Why had none of them ever heard of such an existence before?

For the first time since entering this mysterious place...

The curiosity burning inside their hearts completely overwhelmed every other emotion.

Lukas instinctively glanced around.

At first, he had assumed he was the only one unfamiliar with the term.

After all, compared to the others, his understanding of this world’s history and cultivation system was still relatively shallow.

However...

The more he observed everyone’s reactions, the more he realized he had been overthinking.

He wasn’t the only ignorant one.

Not even close.

Even Jasmine, the proud young woman from the Green Serpent Clan who usually carried herself with unwavering confidence, had lost her composure.

The arrogance that normally lingered in her emerald eyes had completely vanished.

In its place was unmistakable shock.

Her brows were tightly knitted together as if she were desperately searching through every piece of knowledge she had ever learned.

Yet...

She found nothing.

Seeing this, Lukas quietly shifted his gaze toward Natasha.

If there was anyone here who should know the answer...

It ought to be the experienced branch leader.

However, the moment he looked at her...

He froze for a brief second.

The beautiful branch leader wore almost the exact same expression as everyone else.

Her usually composed face had stiffened noticeably.

A trace of disbelief flickered across her beautiful eyes as she stared blankly at the Vice Head.

It was obvious.

She didn’t know either.

That realization alone made Lukas’s curiosity grow even stronger.

The Vice Head slowly observed everyone’s expressions before letting out a quiet sigh.

He gently shook his head.

A strange emotion surfaced within his aged eyes.

It wasn’t ridicule.

Nor disappointment.

Instead...

It resembled the gaze of someone looking at children who had yet to glimpse just how vast the world truly was.

"It is perfectly normal that none of you have heard of Demigods."

His calm voice echoed through the massive underground chamber.

"After all..."

"Humanity has yet to produce even a single one."

Those words alone were enough to make everyone’s expressions stiffen.

The Vice Head continued.

"Any cultivator who successfully surpasses the Fifth Sequence..."

"...and steps into the Sixth Sequence..."

"...is known as a Demigod."

Silence.

An incomparably heavy silence instantly settled over the surroundings.

No one spoke.

No one even breathed loudly.

It felt as though an invisible lightning bolt had descended from the heavens and struck each of their minds.

Their entire understanding of cultivation had just been overturned.

A...

Sixth Sequence existence.

A being honored with the title...

Demigod.

The simple fact that the word God had become part of their title spoke volumes about the unimaginable heights such beings had reached.

Even without further explanation...

Everyone instinctively understood.

Such existences had long surpassed the limits of ordinary awakeners.

However...

What shocked Lukas even more wasn’t the existence of the Sixth Sequence itself.

It was something else entirely.

Not a single human...

Throughout all of humanity’s history...

Had ever managed to reach that realm.

The realization silently echoed inside his mind.

Then...

Just how terrifying is the path beyond the Fifth Sequence?

His thoughts rapidly raced one after another.

Then...

As if struck by inspiration...

Two familiar names suddenly surfaced within his memories.

Death God.

Sword God.

The instant those titles appeared in his mind, Lukas’s pupils contracted ever so slightly.

Both individuals carried the word...

God.

Could it be...

Were those two legendary figures... Sixth Sequence Demigods?

The possibility instantly rooted itself inside his mind, refusing to disappear.

The moment that thought surfaced in his mind, Lukas quietly shook his head.

His heart churned with turbulent emotions.

For some reason...

He had a strong feeling that the Vice Head wasn’t simply giving them a history lesson.

There was something hidden beneath every sentence.

Every explanation seemed to be leading toward a much larger revelation.

The more Lukas thought about it...

The more convinced he became.

There’s definitely more to this.

He didn’t interrupt immediately.

Instead, he patiently waited for the Vice Head to finish speaking, allowing the silence to linger for a few moments.

Only after noticing the older man briefly pause did Lukas finally open his mouth.

"Vice Head..."

He spoke calmly, his voice neither hurried nor hesitant.

"Forgive me for interrupting..."

"But if this place is truly as important as you’ve described..."

"Then why don’t people like you simply enter this special realm yourselves?"

His eyes remained fixed on the Vice Head.

"Wouldn’t it be much easier for powerful awakeners to retrieve whatever legacy that Demigod left behind?"

The question instantly caused Jasmine and Jack to subtly raise their heads.

Although neither of them had voiced it...

The same doubt had already appeared in their minds.

After listening to the Vice Head’s explanation, Lukas had already pieced together most of the puzzle.

He understood the general idea.

However...

There was one final missing piece.

And he wanted to hear that answer directly from the Vice Head himself.

For a brief moment, silence filled the underground palace.

Then...

A smile slowly appeared on the Vice Head’s weathered face.

His aged eyes looked toward Lukas with unmistakable approval.

"Indeed..."

"I did not misjudge you."

There wasn’t the slightest trace of flattery in his voice.

Only genuine appreciation.

"Among the three of you..."

"You were the first to notice the true problem."

The Vice Head nodded slightly before continuing.

"There is indeed..."

"...a catch."

His expression gradually became serious once again.

"If all we had to do was enter the special realm and retrieve the Demigod’s inheritance..."

"...then humanity’s strongest experts would have emptied the place long ago."

His calm voice echoed through the chamber.

"There would be no reason to wait."

"No reason to establish the Chosen Ones Program."

"No reason to place such enormous importance upon selecting young geniuses."

The Vice Head slowly raised one finger.

"The problem..."

"...lies with the realm itself."

"It possesses an absolute restriction."

His gaze swept across the three chosen ones before revealing the answer.

"Only First Sequence cultivators..."

"...are permitted to enter the Demigod’s palace."

"Anyone who has already stepped beyond the First Sequence..."

"...will be rejected without exception."

His final words echoed softly through the vast underground hall.

The expressions of Lukas, Jasmine, and Jack subtly changed at the same time.

Now...

Everything finally made sense.