Dungeon King: A Lady Knight Offered by My Goblins

Chapter 346 344-The Path to Becoming a Deity

Bogart, after a moment of contemplation, revealed a shocking statement: "The Supreme Deity became a deity through cultivation, not as an ancient deity."

"What?" Ethan was so startled he almost jumped up.

Bogart nodded slightly, his voice deep and melodic, as he began to recount the tale: "When the Supreme Deity was known as Altorius, he was a dark magus. He was once one of the most powerful magi on the continent but turned to an evil path in his quest for eternal life."

Ethan listened intently, not interrupting. Learning about the growth and rules of a deity was a rare opportunity.

"During an experiment, Altorius accidentally opened a portal to the world of the dead, bringing a multitude of Wraiths into the world of the Supreme Deity. These Wraiths began attacking humans and other creatures, causing a massive disaster. To control these Wraiths, Altorius founded the Wraith Cult and started recruiting followers to help him fulfill this vision."

"As time passed, Altorius gradually gained the power of immortality from the bodies of the Wraiths. He wanted to cultivate into a god. Two paths lay before him: the first was to comprehend the Law himself and become a deity; the second was to absorb the Power of Faith and use it to understand the Law and become a deity."

Ethan's eyes lit up slightly. Unknowingly, two paths to becoming a deity had emerged. This gave Ethan some inspiration.

Bogart, unaware of what Ethan was thinking, continued reminiscing about that period: "However, Altorius soon discovered that using the Power of Faith to understand the Law and become a deity was not very powerful, or it meant being bound by something."

Ethan nodded slightly, pondering in his mind: "Faith Deities are naturally powerful, but becoming a deity through the Power of Faith makes one a servant to it. Aneropo, as an ancient deity, became so weak without the Power of Faith, to the extent that even I, a mere human, could overpower him."

Bogart continued: "Naturally, Altorius chose to comprehend the Law on his own and ultimately became a god. And the Wraith Cult has continued to provide him with an abundance of the Power of Faith."

Ethan, driven by curiosity, asked: "Does that mean Altorius researched the Rune of Law and also absorbed the Power of Faith? So, is Altorius a deity of both forces?"

Bogart nodded emphatically, his face alight with fervor: "Otherwise, how could Altorius, a being of flesh and blood, become a member of the Supreme Deity?"

Ethan fell into a brief silence. Bogart's words revealed a wealth of information that he needed to absorb slowly. 

So, comprehending the Law and the Power of Faith could be combined to enhance one's power? 

And it seemed that becoming a Supreme Deity was not an easy feat.

"Bogart, do you know what realms exist beyond a deity?" Ethan asked after some contemplation.

Bogart, like an inexhaustible encyclopedia, responded tirelessly: "Above a demi-god is the Angel realm, above an Angel Deity is an Archangel Deity, and above an Archangel Deity is a Supreme Deity. As for what lies beyond a Supreme Deity, that is unclear."

Ethan's eyes brightened slightly, finally clarifying the hierarchy of deity realms. "And what realm are you?" Ethan asked curiously.

"I am merely an Angel Deity," Bogart replied without any pride in his power, speaking quite matter-of-factly.

Ethan clapped his hands together, his eyes twinkling with excitement: "I didn't expect you to be so formidable! Then, doesn't that mean you could roam freely in the Deityforsaken Land? If you took me with you, we would be invincible under the heavens, seeking fortunes everywhere."

Bogart frowned at Ethan, his aged face showing a hint of disbelief: "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Ethan said enthusiastically, "with your realm as an Angel Deity, wouldn't we stride across the Deityforsaken Land?"

Bogart shook his head slightly, looking earnestly at Ethan: "It seems you don't understand how dangerous the Deityforsaken Land is. The mysteries are countless, numerous sects exist there, and deities are everywhere. Even among those Deity Keepers, there are deities of the Angel realm."

"No way," Ethan's mouth fell open, somewhat lost for words, "you mean to say there are those among the Deity Keepers who have attained godhood?"

"Indeed, the Deity Keepers are full of masters. Moreover, they have devised a mechanism that can convert the Power of God in divine crystals into the Power of Faith. Some Angel Deities, upon receiving the Power of Faith, can even unleash the strength of a great Angel."

Bogart's words turned Ethan's mind into a whirlpool of confusion. 

The term 'divine crystal' struck a nerve in Ethan. He had entered the Santos Tower in search of divine crystals. 

But what Bogart revealed informed Ethan of a monumental secret. 

Alvin sought divine crystals to transform them into the Power of Faith. 

And the Lord's Manor must be the mechanism capable of converting divine crystals into the Power of Faith.

Then the purpose of the Lord's Manor's establishment was due to an event twelve thousand years ago, when an 11th-rank powerhouse ascended to godhood and entered the Divine Realm. 

However, a strange decree from the heavens made the Deityforsaken Land unsuitable for tribes to live in, leading to the establishment of various Order Cities, and the Lord's Manor came into existence as a response to these new powers.

Ethan felt as if everything in front of him was shrouded in mist, and now Bogart seemed like a gust of wind, seemingly dispersing the fog for him. 

His thoughts became clearer, as if he had lifted a corner of the mist.

The real reason behind the construction of the Order City, he realized, was not solely due to the strange decrees from the heavens. 

It was driven by someone deliberately, with the strange decree being just one of the reasons, and perhaps even orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. 

The purpose of such manipulation was for the Lord's Manor within the Order City, a device capable of generating the Power of Faith.

The person behind the scenes wanted an unending supply of the Power of Faith. 

At this realization, Ethan shivered. 

The story of a deity ascending twelve thousand years ago might just be a fabricated joke.

"Bogart, does a Divine Realm exist in this world?" Ethan asked, seemingly a naive question.

"Of course," Bogart replied, his eyes sparkling, "The Divine Realm is just a more intricate plane, where the lowest realm is that of a Demi-god. But the Divine Realm shattered several hundred thousand years ago."

Ethan's heart skipped a beat, growing tense. 

He felt he was about to debunk the myth of the 11th-rank powerhouse who broke through the void and entered the Divine Realm twelve thousand years ago.

"That's also within the expectations of a deity, after all, the Deityforsaken Land was the result of a great war between deities, and the shattering of the Divine Realm was just a matter of time." Bogart's voice was deep, tinged with sadness and mockery.

Ethan wasn't concerned now about why the Divine Realm collapsed. 

He just wanted to know if the ascension of the 11th-rank powerhouse to the Divine Realm twelve thousand years ago was a complete deception.

"Have you ever heard, in the Deityforsaken Land, of a story from twelve thousand years ago about someone shattering the void to enter the Divine Realm?" Ethan inquired.

"I haven't heard of it; I might have been in slumber at that time. But I can assure you that such a story is likely a tale to fool children. The Divine Realm has shattered, and its guiding celestial messengers are nowhere to be found. How could someone ascend to the Divine Realm under those circumstances?" Bogart replied.

Ethan's mind was in turmoil. 

All his thoughts were fixated on the event that supposedly occurred twelve thousand years ago. 

Seeing Bogart as his master, and even addressing him as 'my lord,' it was unlikely that he would deceive. 

However, the legend of twelve thousand years ago was narrated by King, Ethan's closely connected servant. 

Even if Bogart could conceal or deceive, King would never deceive Ethan.

If both of their accounts were true, then the tale from twelve thousand years ago warranted further scrutiny. 

Ethan had a hypothesis forming in his mind. 

The person behind the scenes wanted to obtain the Power of Faith but struggled to create a sect or was unsuited to appear in public. 

So, they staged or deliberately misled a powerful being to shatter the void. 

Then they lured the anomaly out, causing the Deity Keepers to converge in cities, using a special device to collect the Power of Faith.

Of course, this was just Ethan's speculation. 

Nonetheless, anyone capable of orchestrating such an elaborate deception over several hundred thousand years must be extraordinarily powerful and as cunning as a fox.

"My lord, what's troubling you?" Bogart, observing Ethan's increasingly pensive and darkening gaze, couldn't help but ask.

Ethan quickly snapped back to reality, shaking his head slightly: "I got lost in my thoughts. Right, can you tell me where I can find divine crystals?"

Bogart pondered for a moment, then said with a turn of his eyes: "If you're looking for a large quantity, you could try the divine crystal mining mountain. However, it's usually occupied by Deity Keepers all year round, so getting close might be a bit tricky."

Ethan had been in the Santos Tower for many days, and finally, he had some leads on divine crystals. 

He pushed other thoughts aside, focusing on finding the divine crystals first.

"Alright, we'll rest up and then head to the divine crystal mining mountain."