Chapter 678: Limitless Growth, the Terrifying Backlash!
Time passed, second by second. With each passing moment, the Will of Hell outside the barrier couldn't help but shudder.
Blocked by the barrier formed by hundreds of different Law Powers, the Will of Hell couldn't see what was happening inside. Of course, it also had no intention of prying.
After all, what if it discovered something it shouldn't? What if it found out some terrifying secret and this monster decided to silence it?
But as the World Will, its instincts were screaming at it to stay far away! To get as far away as possible!
Sterl, surrounded by the Law barrier, seemed to be undergoing some earth-shattering transformation. Even though his aura was completely sealed off in another space, it still made the Will of Hell uneasy.
"What on earth is he doing...?"
The Will of Hell was filled with fear and anxiety, no longer daring to get close to Sterl. It didn't even dare approach the 79th layer of Hell.
It was only able to travel in the primal space, trembling with fear, waiting for Sterl's transformation to end, hoping that he would emerge on his own.
However, the overwhelming terror and worry couldn't be suppressed. The Will of Hell kept searching through its vast reserves of memories and knowledge, trying to uncover the true identity of this monster.
While this might not yield any immediate answers, at least it would allow it to understand the monster's nature and preferences. That way, it could avoid provoking the beast—getting a slap from it could be the end!
If that happened, there would be no place to complain.
Meanwhile, Sterl's mind was entirely emptied, calmly feeling the flow of high-level soul power entering his body.
The soul power flowed in like some kind of catalyst, or as if it were a tool to destroy and break through. As it entered his body, it immediately dispersed, flowing deep into both his physical form and his soul.
The units of this dispersed power were minuscule. Even with his current level of soul and perception, he could barely detect where the power was hidden.
He had no idea what the exact process of breaking through his limits looked like, or how it would unfold.
Ten seconds... twenty seconds... thirty seconds...
Time passed quickly, and Sterl's heart couldn't help but tighten.
He had originally thought that the second limit breakthrough would only require about 1,500 points of high-level soul power. But now, he had absorbed a full 3,000 points—equivalent to the combined souls of 300 gods—and yet, it still hadn't stopped.
His body was like an endless abyss, greedily absorbing this power.
"Could it be that my 3,700 points of high-level soul power aren't enough for the second breakthrough?" Sterl couldn't help but feel worried. If the second limit-breaking required such a massive amount of soul power, how much would the third one need?
Even if he wiped out the entire Orichalcum Kingdom and the Ashen Temple, it seemed unlikely he would accumulate even a fraction of that amount.
At the same time, he felt a bit anxious. Sterl knew well that the more high-level soul power he absorbed during this process, the stronger the backlash would be when he broke through!
Now that he had absorbed a full 3,000 points, far exceeding his expectations, how terrifying would the backlash be? With his current strength, would he even be able to endure it?
Suddenly, Sterl had a thought and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Could it be that the difficulty of breaking through my limits is related to my own strength?"
As soon as the thought occurred to him, it became hard to ignore. Upon further consideration, it seemed very likely.
The stronger his physical body and soul were, the more his limits would grow!
This meant that to break through those limits, he would need even more high-level soul power and would have to endure even fiercer backlash!
"No wonder… My body and soul strength have increased dozens of times compared to before! Maybe before, it only took around 1,500 points of high-level soul power to break through the second limit, but now that's far from enough."
He took a deep breath, feeling a mix of emotions. This was a problem he couldn't avoid. He couldn't possibly slow down or stop his own growth just for the sake of a single talent. That would be shortsighted.
After all, the purpose of gaining these talents was to become stronger and have more powerful abilities.
"However, the higher the limit, the stronger the talents I'll gain after the breakthrough, right?" Sterl reassured himself, thinking, Once the bow is drawn, there's no turning back. What was done was done, and there was no way to change it now. Besides, the absorption of high-level soul power couldn't be stopped at this point. All he could do now was wait. Anyway, there were only 700 points of soul power left. Success or failure now depended on this last bit.
Soon, the remaining 700 points were consumed at an astonishing speed.
Five hundred... Four hundred... Three hundred...
A few more seconds passed, and finally, when there were only 100 points of high-level soul power left in the Soul Devourer Sphere, the flow of energy into his body finally ceased.
"Did it... really reach the limit?"
Sterl was slightly stunned. He had thought that 3,700 points of high-level soul power wouldn't be enough, but he hadn't expected that after absorbing 3,600 points, he had already reached his limit.
Now, the next step was to break through his limits, reshape his body and soul, and birth a new talent!
He adjusted his state, activating all the enhancement abilities at once, then focused his mental will, anchoring his soul, which felt as solid as an iron mountain.
Soon, he began to feel the high-level soul power that had previously scattered throughout his body gradually surge back to the surface.
If one could pierce through his body, they would see countless points of light, shining brilliantly like stars, scattered all over his body and soul.
These light points shifted slightly, as if resonating in harmony with each other, all operating at the same frequency.
However, none of this was noticed by Sterl, nor did he have the mental space to pay attention to it. All his focus was on solidifying his body and soul. He dared not let his attention wander for even a moment.
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At that moment, it seemed as though all the soul power light points had formed a kind of pact. Suddenly, they exploded in unison!
A violent shockwave ripped through him, and Sterl let out a muffled groan. A trickle of blood spilled from his mouth, and his face instantly drained of color. Sweat poured from his skin in torrents.
"It's here…"
Sterl's heart sank. He knew that the true test of the limit-breaking process was about to strike.
From the perspective of his soul, the steel mountain formed from the essence of his soul was now surrounded by a tremendous shockwave!
The very earth seemed to tremble. Even though his soul's strength had improved by dozens of times since the first breakthrough, and his soul mountain had been transformed into iron—stronger than ordinary steel—yet in the blink of an eye, the shockwave tore vast cracks across the summit of his soul mountain.
Before Sterl could even catch his breath, another crushing wave of force came crashing down.
This wave, carrying immense and overwhelming energy, slammed into Sterl's soul. The tidal forces relentlessly tore at him, pulling and twisting.
The added shock of the wave only made the tearing strength of the tide even more terrifying. His soul, already cracked and torn by the initial shock, now seemed to be on the verge of being ripped to pieces.
It felt as though his entire soul mountain was going to break apart, shattering into fragments!
Sterl's body trembled slightly, and he admitted to himself that he had underestimated the Soul Devourer Sphere, and even more so, the intensity of the backlash from the second limit-breaking.
This was far more terrifying than the backlash from absorbing ordinary soul power at a rate of two thousand points per second.
The most frightening thing, however, was that the latter had only been a momentary burst of backlash, but the process of breaking through his limits was unrelenting and continuous!
"I don't believe you can… kill me!!"
With a low growl, Sterl forced himself to gather his mental will, desperately enhancing his soul. At the same time, his almost inhuman regenerative ability kicked in, rapidly healing the damage to his soul.
Even though the shockwaves and tidal forces were still continuously eroding him, his own recovery ensured that at least the damage didn't worsen, maintaining a relatively balanced state.
But in the next instant, those soul power light points exploded once again, expanding in size, and the backlash from his body suddenly hit him with overwhelming force!
Sterl felt a piercing pain in his chest, and then—boom! In a moment of horror, his heart exploded right before his eyes!
Next came his lungs, his internal organs, flesh, and bones…
It was as though an intensely concentrated acid, or some eerie grayish energy, was slowly dissolving his body from within.
Keep in mind, Sterl's physical strength had reached an incredibly terrifying level. Even if he stood still, letting a god attack him, it would be hard for the divine power to cause any significant harm.
But even so, he still couldn't resist the destructive dissolution of this force.
The process was accompanied by excruciating pain. Every inch of his bones and flesh that dissolved sent waves of agony surging into his mind. The pain was amplified a hundredfold, constantly battering his spirit.
For a moment, Sterl wished he could just faint and escape the torment, but he couldn't allow that. If he fell unconscious, his soul would lose its resistance and would be shattered instantly, ceasing to exist.
So, he could only grit his teeth and force himself to endure.
Fortunately, his willpower was firm enough to withstand such suffering, and his terrifying regenerative abilities and vitality kicked in with even greater force at this moment.
His body cycled between dissolution and regeneration, constantly rebirthing itself, though this only prolonged the pain. At least, however, he didn't have to worry about being completely disintegrated.
Soon, both his body and soul maintained a good balance. The only thing he had to endure was the ongoing pain, but at least his life wasn't in any immediate danger.
"At this rate… I should be fine this time…"