Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener

However, what Sterl didn't expect was that the first words from this high-level divine authority almost made him lose his composure.

"The betrayal of Boris has caused the Royal City to suffer unprecedented damage. This is also a humiliation for the Orichalcum Kingdom!"

"If it weren't for Mr. Hades' intervention, the Royal City would already be under the final assault of the natives."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Therefore, to prevent a similar situation from happening again, I will activate the Royal City's power to monitor everyone's current condition, to ensure no 'rats' have infiltrated."

As soon as these words were spoken, Sterl's heart jolted!

He was going to use the Royal City's power to clear out any anomalies?!

This "anomaly" referred to things and powers that didn't belong to the Orichalcum Kingdom, primarily focusing on probing the bodies and souls of these gods to check for any lingering contracts or marks from other factions.

It was also a method used to prevent espionage, but every time this was activated, it consumed a significant amount of resources. Since most of the gods had contracts with the kingdom, betrayals were extremely rare.

After all, even someone like Boris, who betrayed them, wasn't just a god of the Orichalcum Kingdom. He was a being that had emerged from the kingdom itself, with deep ties to the Royal City. Even if there wasn't much personal attachment, many of their descendants and subjugated forces, including vast numbers of faithful followers providing the power of faith, were tied to the kingdom.

However, since Boris still betrayed them, the gods under him and their descendants would be completely purged, and all their followers would either be absorbed by other gods or turned into slaves.

But what worried Sterl wasn't this. It was the followers' marks left in the bodies of Morette, Diana, and the others through the "Blood of the Ancient One: Reforged." These marks were from the Ancient One's power, not from Orichalcum Kingdom.

If the Royal City's power detected these marks, it would be disastrous! Not only would it reveal that the Ancient One's influence was present in these gods, but if factions like Ashen or others found out, they would abandon their grudges with Orichalcum and unite to eliminate them all!

"Fine!" Sterl thought to himself, trying to control his growing panic.

"A person with integrity has nothing to fear from false accusations," he muttered, trying to calm himself, "But I'll be damned if I let some trash pop up again!"

"Humph, fine. I want to see if there's another Boris among us," the high-level divine authority continued. "Let me make it clear: If anyone is caught, no matter who it is, I will tear them apart!"

"Agreed," another god chimed in. "The Royal City's power is now at an unprecedented lull, and we cannot allow any accidents to happen."

"Agreed. Let's start immediately."

Once the high-level divine authority spoke, the others quickly agreed. They couldn't help but feel offended by the idea of being monitored, but after the chaos caused by Boris, they were genuinely terrified. Discover hidden tales at empire

Sterl, on the other hand, sat there silently, his mind racing. If these marks were detected, it could all come crashing down. He needed to think fast, or else everything might be exposed!

Just one traitor had caused the downfall of over twenty gods, almost leading to the complete annihilation of their forces. If there was another hidden betrayer among them, the consequences were too terrifying to imagine. It would be like a ticking time bomb, buried among them, its existence unknown, and no one knew when it might explode. The impact would not only be the potential fall of gods but also a tremendous strain on their mental state.

Some of the gods also saw this as an opportunity to prove their innocence, hoping to avoid suspicion. But no one noticed that Sterl was now panicking. If the followers' mark was detected, the entire Royal City might be activated, locking down all surrounding space and time. Even more terrifyingly, a great Divine Power being could descend, sweeping everything away.

At that point, Sterl's true identity would inevitably be exposed.

"Fine, in that case, I will activate the Royal City's authority," said the high-level divine authority, nodding. He then took out a key that proved his power, and with a slight thought, a brilliant light surged throughout the entire temple.

Within that light, a mysterious and powerful energy seemed to be brewing. As the light trembled, a peculiar aura slowly spread.

"This is bad," Sterl thought as his heart sank to the bottom. This was the Royal City of Orichalcum, a powerful artifact like the Hall of Valor, created by a being of Divine Power. Its inherent strength was equivalent to that of a formidable Divine Power god! Even though the Royal City hadn't fully integrated with the world yet and its full power couldn't be unleashed, its detection ability surpassed that of high-level gods.

As for how well the [Blood of the Ancient One: Reforged] could conceal itself, Sterl didn't know. So now, it seemed like it was all down to fate.

His heart tightened, and just as he felt a wave of unease, he suddenly sensed a probing gaze. He turned his head, and sure enough, the high-level divine authority was silently watching him.

"Hades, is something wrong with your body?" the god asked.

Sterl quickly recovered, his odd expression vanishing as he replaced it with a neutral smile.

"No, I was just admiring the power of the Royal City. It truly opens my eyes," he said with a look of genuine wonder, his face briefly showing a subtle hint of envy.

The high-level divine authority saw this and inwardly smiled with pride. This was the depth of Orichalcum's foundation, a power created by a great Divine Power god. Hades, someone without any forces or support, could never understand just how vast and profound the Royal City's foundation truly was.

"Hades, if you ever think of joining us, Orichalcum is always open to you. When that time comes, you will see that the Royal City's foundation is far more than what you have seen so far. The power of the Royal City is also stronger than you can imagine."

As he spoke, the high-level divine authority extended his hand and pointed upwards, clearly indicating that in the upper realms, Orichalcum still possessed a great deal of power.

"Now then, let's see if there are any other rats hiding around. It just so happens that Hades is here, so if there are any, we'll leave them to you. Consider it a form of compensation."

With that, the dazzling light from above the temple was ready, and in the next moment, a beautiful and brilliant chain of light descended slowly. The first light of this chain of radiance seemed to focus directly on Diana!

Sterl nearly lost his composure, his heart in chaos. What if the follower's mark within Diana was detected? What should he do then?

"Hades, don't worry. Diana is devoted only to you. If there's an issue with her, then it's likely that all of us would have issues," came the voice of the high-level god, who seemed to have sensed Sterl's nervousness. He gave a knowing smile and said these words of reassurance.

On the other hand, Diana, feeling ashamed, glanced at Sterl. Then, with calm resolve, she stood still, allowing the temple's light to encompass her for inspection.

Watching the light settle over Diana, Sterl's heart sank. His mind sharpened, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. If the follower's mark was discovered, he would simply activate all the followers' marks and launch a full-scale assault on Orichalcum!

With his decision made, Sterl wasn't as panicked as before. After all, he already had the Soul Treasure in hand, and with the [Godslayer] title boosting his power, even high-level gods didn't intimidate him. With some unexpected tactics, he was confident he could suppress them.

As for the higher-tier Divine Power beings, even though the restrictions on the lower realms had been loosening, such beings were still not easy to provoke. Even if one forced their hand and killed him, what difference would it make? Sterl had many ways to escape death—if needed, he could simply resurrect!

With these thoughts in mind, he focused on controlling the follower's marks, hiding them as best he could.

Time passed, and the divine light still remained active, probing every inch of the temple. No one paid much attention, convinced that whoever the traitor was, it couldn't possibly be Diana.

"Indeed, Lady Diana is a hero of Orichalcum. She can't possibly be one of those damned traitors," the high-level god's voice rang in Sterl's ears.

Sterl's half-closed eyes snapped open as he saw the light that had been hovering over Diana suddenly disappear. It shifted and now enveloped another god.

"Impossible... Nothing happened?"

Sterl was genuinely surprised. The power of Orichalcum's Royal City was comparable to that of a high-level Divine Power, and yet it hadn't detected the presence of the follower's mark!?

He found this both unbelievable and extremely fortunate. After all, it was best if nothing had happened. His identity hadn't been exposed yet, and he had no intention of starting an all-out war just yet. If that had happened, especially within the Royal City's temple, it was highly likely that the temple's power could have ended him on the spot—far too dangerous.

"Could it be that the Blood of the Ancient One's power level is even higher than that of a high-level Divine Power?"

"No, that's impossible."

Once the immediate danger had passed, his mind began to race again. The Blood of the Ancient One was essentially the power of the Ancient One before it had fully matured, even weaker than that of most gods. Its potential was simply immense, but how could it possibly surpass the Royal City's power level? That didn't make sense.

He pondered quietly, wondering if perhaps his Blood of the Ancient One had been enhanced or evolved by some external influence. It might have transcended its original limits, or perhaps it had been directly upgraded to become the purest form of the Ancient One's bloodline.

Just like how gods themselves could have differences in power levels, if his Blood of the Ancient One was equivalent to the bloodline of a powerful Divine Power-level Ancient One—or even one that hadn't fully matured yet—then it made sense that it could block the Royal City's detection.

Another possibility was that the follower's mark simply hadn't been fully activated yet, rendering it dormant and having no detectable power or aura, which was why the Royal City's power overlooked it entirely.

Of these two possibilities, he felt that the latter was more likely. Still, the Blood of the Ancient One had given him a huge surprise.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the other gods present. Aside from Diana, there were still eight others who had received his marks!

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