Chapter 1338: The Road to Becoming a Demi-God Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Han Sen stared at his Nine-Life Cat for a while longer. It confirmed to him that the pill was genuine and that it would have helped him open the special gene lock. The nature of that lock, however, was a different question entirely. He paid extra attention to Bao’er following this, but he did not notice any changes in her behavior or abilities. It was exactly the same thing that occurred to Han Sen himself, following his opening of the Life Door. “I’m glad you’re okay,” Han Sen told her, with much relief. He hadn’t wanted to endanger her. Han Sen then spent most of his time practicing the Blood-Pulse Sutra. He had settled on becoming a demi-god once he opened its tenth gene lock. He wasn’t worried about his absence in the Third God’s Sanctuary. He had done the best he could, with the ploy of crafting a contract signed by him and The King. He didn’t think the spirits would violate the contract once he left. The territory he had established for humans was only one million miles squared, so it wasn’t all that much, anyway. And besides, Han Sen had a number of super creatures and emperors that would remain when he was gone. They’d help protect everything Han Sen had done, and Queen and Qin Xuan had become exemplary surpassers in the time that had passed since their coming to the Third God’s Sanctuary. One year later, he finally managed to crack open the last gene lock of the Blood-Pulse Sutra. When the tenth gene lock opened, it made his body far tougher. It wasn’t particularly brilliant in any individual capacity, but it was good to have it finished. He didn’t mind it being underwhelming for himself, as his desire for advancing the Blood-Pulse Sutra had shifted in recent years. His focus with it, much like the members of Blood Legion, was to ensure his heirs would be stronger. It wasn’t for himself; it was for the future generations of his lineage. And once that was done, he didn’t have much else to do. He was going to become a demi-god, but he was in no immediate rush to. He made sure to spend a lot more time with his mother and with Ji Yanran after this. The Fourth God’s Sanctuary, the world of demi-gods, was completely different than all else that had come before. Old Man Ji had told him it was just the beginning. Han Sen had received the bulk of what he knew about the Fourth God’s Sanctuary from Old Man Ji himself. He wasn’t going to underestimate the realm he would soon be stepping into. The Fourth God’s Sanctuary was still a world of creatures and spirits, but they started very much like humans did there. They started from scratch. The shelters there were all individual and separate from one another. Each shelter had a Demi-God Geno Core, and to conquer a shelter, one had to claim the Demi-God Geno Core. After a human became a demi-god, their own Demi-God Geno Core would increase in strength the more geno points they collected. Unfortunately for humans, they now also had to play by the rules spirits did. If spirits sought to invade a shelter a human possessed, they could claim the human’s Demi-God Geno Core as humans did their spirit stones in previous shelters. Demi-God Geno Cores generated different types of powers. Old Man Ji informed Han Sen he’d be stronger than the average starter demi-god, but he also made sure to warn Han Sen not to overestimate his abilities. He’d still be very vulnerable, stepping into that world. The demi-god creatures that had geno cores would be lethal for humans to try to do battle with. The powers of a geno core were wild and unpredictable, as well. They came in all varieties, and if your attention lapsed, you could be killed by a geno core without even knowing how you died. Han Sen listened to Old Man Ji intently, but ultimately, how he’d start off was down to luck. It’d be a roll of the dice. Most humans used evolution pools to ascend a sanctuary, and the same still held true for entering the Fourth God’s Sanctuary from the Third God’s Sanctuary. Becoming a demi-god was easy for humans. But few humans could become a demi-god the proper way, and going there without maxing out their geno points and making sure they were the best they could be would ensure a swift death. Even humans who maxed out their genes were susceptible to the fickle nature of fate. Unfortunately, luck still played a large role in their ascendance to the next sanctuary. Mankind discovered sanctuaries two hundred years ago, but even after all that time, there were only one hundred demi-gods. Like the Xuan Men successor he once encountered, Han Sen wanted to traverse The Ten Steps of the Holy Door. But his success there would also subject him to the picky throes of luck, when he came out the other side and spawned. But as long as he didn’t wind up spawning next to a strong creature or spirit, he figured he’d be okay. When he did leave for the Fourth God’s Sanctuary, though, he wasn’t sure when he could return. As such, he made sure to spend as much time with Ji Yanran as possible. They went to a lot of places and experienced many new adventures together, to forge lasting memories that would accompany Han Sen after he made the jump. If he was unable to find a shelter, he would be unable to return at all. After another four months elapsed, though, he was ready. He prepared himself for walking up the fabled stairway. After a fond farewell to his friends and companions, with whom he had accomplished much, it was time for him to go. And when it was, he took off towards the Endless Sea mostly alone. The spirits weren’t aware that Han Sen was leaving, so they were going to remain in order and adhere to the contract. With things still like that, he had now done everything he could for the humans of the Third God’s Sanctuary. Han Sen brought the silver fox, Bao’er, Little Angel, and Golden Growler with him. While he was unsure at first, he also decided to bring Moment Queen. He would have liked to bring others with him, but they’d die if they could not withstand the searing flames of the steps. Han Sen had decided to bring Moment Queen with him because he still had reservations regarding her goodwill towards humans. He still believed he had to keep the leash on her, to avoid her doing something evil once he was gone. The stronger Han Sen was, the stronger the fire would be, too. His companions were sure to have a hard time following him up. He didn’t even plan to bring Bao’er or the silver fox with him at first, either. But they suspected what he was going to do, and nothing he did would remove them from his company. Han Sen thought if the Xuan Men successor was able to bring a skeleton up with him, then he wouldn’t have too much trouble bringing his super creature companions. Little Angel and Golden Growler were staples of Han Sen’s collection. They had always been with him, and he wasn’t going to leave them behind now. They had ten gene locks open as well, anyway. Considering their abilities, even with sentimentality out of the picture, he really wanted to bring them with him. Han Sen gave out the rest of his beast souls to his mother and Ji Yanran, so they’d have a fair amount of decent gear and weaponry to get a headstart in the Third God’s Sanctuary. He also tasked Xie Qing King and a few of the others with keeping an extra eye out for those two, to ensure nothing bad would befall them. With the underground shelter and the Life Geno Essences they had been gifted, though, it didn’t seem likely they could be bullied.