Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 498 Special Advancement, The Road to Glory!

The streets were still crowded, but a sense of tension was palpable.

The Temple of Light manipulates the flow of time in its derivative worlds, arranging the nodes of the Apostles together in batches.

Like Li Xia, he experienced one world in the third order, but other apostles may have experienced two or three worlds.

This macro-control arrangement allows the Hall of Light to package up Apostles and send them to the Ascension Battle in a very economical and convenient way.

Throughout the entire third order, whether it's the derivative worlds experienced by the apostles or the assembly-line-style mass recruitment, everything is interconnected.

They all give the impression of casting a wide net and mass production.

"The potions are complete, and the consumables include twenty-five types of regular scrolls and six types of special scrolls, which should also be complete."

The little dragon remained huddled inside the egg, floating gently beside Li Xia, performing its final pre-departure checks.

"Life support facilities? No problem!"

The square was already packed with people, and the first-tier newcomers had come and gone several times.

However, the practice of holding up signs to form teams still persists.

Looking at the complex expressions on the faces of the first-level newcomers—fear, confusion, anticipation, and excitement—Li Xia suddenly felt as if a very long time had passed.

That's true. If you include the time spent in the Time Chamber, a very, very long time has indeed passed.

The second-tier apostles were relatively more relaxed, as the vast majority of them had already found their own teams.

Perhaps they are still in the process of adjusting, but they are already much better than when they first entered the hall of fame, feeling lost and helpless.

As for the third-order apostles.
Li Xia glanced at it; this was the final checkpoint for the lower-level disciples, who were already accustomed to life in the hall.

They have become accustomed to being with death, and many even immerse themselves in it.

The circular plaza grew increasingly noisy, with even the apostles setting up stalls making the most of this last little bit of time to shout their wares.

"Was your previous world the original world?"

Li Xia, who had been waiting quietly to the side, twitched her ears and slightly shifted her gaze.

Not far away, two third-tier apostles stood side by side, each holding a cigarette specially made for employees, the wisps of smoke billowing from their mouths, obscuring their vision.

"Ah."

The short, stocky apostle responded in a deep voice, exhaling smoke from his lips:

"It should be a world that has only recently been added to the game. There are many missions and the rewards are quite generous."

"I know, it's the one that's been really popular lately, right?"

The tall apostle nodded, suddenly realizing:
"I think it's called Stan Star?"

Just as Li Xia was about to look away, a slight ripple stirred in her heart. Stan Star.
The honest stone men and the cold-blooded Griggs people, and the towering Tianzhu Mountain, reaching tens of thousands of meters high.

And then there was the battle that came closest to death, the battle against the incarnation of the Star God.

Without a doubt, it was after Stan Star that the entire team underwent a transformation.

Crucial gains such as fragments of the Secondary Law of Gravity, SS-level guilds, and Star God Cores were all obtained on Stan Star.

Not only Li Xia, but even Aowu and Heitan couldn't help but cast their gazes at the two of them.

"Yes, Stan Planet, the overlord there is a half-human, half-plant being named Gragan."

There's also a Stone Golem Rebellion group; their quest is pretty good—it involves collecting crystals that can strengthen armor.

The short, stocky apostle paused here and took out a small, round shield from his personal space.

"Look, the defense tier is increased by 2, isn't that a top-tier attribute? That's what I got by using those things to enhance it."

"Sure, sure, I've heard about it too. Stan Star offers generous rewards, and many teams are buying up location-tracking items everywhere, hoping to make a fortune on Stan Star."

It's said that the corpses of Griggans are worth a lot of money!

The tall apostle looked on with envy. At first, not many apostles went to Stan when it opened, but soon this planet with its generous rewards and single power attracted attention.

In particular, the apostles who had been to Stan Star all chose to keep it a secret, secretly hoping to make a fortune first.

It wasn't until recently, with more and more people going there, that the news broke.

The positioning items on Stan Star are now priceless and unavailable; they were instantly sold out by the apostles, whose eyes were practically bloodshot.

These ruthless, insidious, and vicious apostles, willing to do anything for profit, are like hyenas, tearing at the people of Grigg.

Even the reproductive organs of the Griggs were cut off and processed into cigars, which were ridiculously expensive.

Only the most important figures in the third tier can afford to draw it.

"Sigh—I wish I could go to Stan Star."

"There's a chance. As long as you perform well, the Hall might send you to the original world to have some fun."

The short, stocky apostle patted the tall apostle on the shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Li Xia and the three little ones looked away, the two little ones with undisguised smiles in their eyes, almost bursting out laughing.

"What goes around comes around!"

Finally, Xiao Long couldn't help but speak up, saying happily:
"The Griggans don't treat stone men as human beings; they use them to feed their freaks. Now look what's happened—"

Its cheeks puffed out:

"Pfft, now they're not even sparing Little Ding Ding, they've cut him up and made him into cigars!"

Xiao Long nudged the charcoal-skinned man next to him with his elbow and asked curiously:
"Hey, I remember the Griggans' thing is actually just for show. They can actually release a lot of vines to act as 'that thing'?"

"Meow!"

The kitten nodded; it was quite interested in the Greganes' extremely bizarre physical characteristics and reproductive methods.

"Doesn't one Griggan produce a lot of cigars?"

Aowu's eyes lit up, and he started counting on his fingers:
"Perhaps the cut-off pieces will be arranged and registered according to the identity of the Griggans."

For example, the cigars of the deca-rank, the centurion-rank, the chiliarch-rank, and the viscount-rank.

Believe it or not, the apostles were indeed ranked like that, with the most expensive cigar belonging to one of the Ten Pillars of Griggs, who was killed by a powerful team.

The cut-off small penises are known as 'Ten Pillars Grade' or 'Grand Duke Grade'.

Even the team leader who defeated it was reluctant to buy it, and instead listed it at a high price to collect.

"When you calculate it this way, we've actually lost quite a bit. We even ripped off Boss Shizhu before."

The weaker ones are even more numerous and unknown.

Aowu sighed a little, otherwise, with so many Griggans they killed, they could have produced thousands of cigars.

"That's normal. After all, pioneers are there because there are no predecessors. Those who come later will inevitably discover more efficient methods and develop more things."

But correspondingly, aren't the rewards for pioneers also the most generous?

Li Xia didn't care. He was happy to see the Griggans suffer. Even in all the worlds he had experienced, the Griggans were the few that disgusted him the most.

Stone figures that are as honest and straightforward as those are extremely rare.

"Right!"

The little dragon's remark was merely a bored thought; it watched with great interest as the gate slowly rose in the center of the circular plaza.

"Boss, it's about to start."

"Well, there's no rush."

Li Xia crossed her arms and looked at the first-tier newbies who had once again turned into a huge cheering scene, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes.

"Let them go first; we might still be a starship."

Compared to teleportation, Li Xia preferred to travel by starship. Although it was slower, starships were more comfortable! The light screen inside the gate started to move, with tiny electric sparks swirling around the door.

The newbies who had already formed teams silently followed behind their teammates, gripping their weapons tightly and staring at everyone around them with suspicious eyes.

"Buzz!"

The combined Initial-Level Supreme Badge suddenly began to vibrate rapidly.

The prompts for the Hall of Light kept appearing in front of Li Xia like flowing water.

[Executioner, your promotion battle is about to begin!]

[This upgrade is to ————]

[Beginner-level Supreme Badge detected!]

[Executioner, you are eligible for a special promotion this time. If you complete the special promotion, you will receive a double reward of 'Ultimate Promotion' and 'Other Bonuses'.]

Should a special upgrade be performed?

This was something that had been discussed beforehand, and Li Xia didn't hesitate at all:

"Yes, proceed with the special upgrade!"

【Command received】

The badge at Li Xia's waist trembled more and more violently, and endless golden light gathered. In an instant, a beam of light detached from the badge and disappeared into the huge bronze gate in the circular square.

In an instant, the light curtain between the huge bronze doors trembled violently, and the apostle who was about to enter stopped in his tracks with surprise and uncertainty.

They carefully observed the drastically different teleportation screens.

A stream of crimson-gold light, like a badge, flowed out from the cracks in the bronze door.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, I've never seen it before."

"Could there be something wrong with this portal?"

"How is that possible? This is a palace!"

The hushed conversations gradually blended together, eventually forming a buzzing sound like the flapping of bees' wings.

Meanwhile, the light curtain between the doors continued to evolve, its originally clear light radiating ever more brilliantly.

Strands of light drifted out from the light screen, meandering through the air like solid objects before gently landing on the ground.

In an instant, the entire circular plaza floor seemed to light up, and then it shrank back at an extremely fast speed.

The light gradually took on a tangible form, each wisp of light wrapped in fine, dark silver patterns, slowly condensing into a crimson-gold light curtain that danced like flames.

The light was not dazzling, but it carried an awe-inspiring power—the might of the temple.

The apostles surrounding the square suddenly held their breath, for the light that had been illuminating the entire square suddenly contracted and coalesced.

It transformed into a straight path of light leading to the bronze door.

The once bustling square was now eerily quiet. Even the third-tier apostles, who were considered veterans among the lower ranks, looked around in bewilderment.

Finally, one of the apostles couldn't resist and tentatively stepped onto the path of light.

"Oh!"

A pure white flame suddenly ignited and rose from his feet.

"what!!!"

A horrifying scream erupted from the apostle, causing many other apostles who were also preparing to extend their legs to swallow hard in horror.

Judging from his appearance, he had clearly been hurt, and this is the Hall of Light!

Who could allow an apostle to be harmed within the temple?
Only the power of the Temple of Light!
So, this path of light was formed by the condensation of the Hall of Light?

But why exactly?
"Boss?"

The three children all watched as the light shot out from Li Xia's waist. Although they didn't understand what it was, it was clearly related to their leader.

"I'm not so sure either."

Li Xia frowned and raised his hand to press the nascent supreme badge at his waist, which was still trembling slightly. The cool metallic touch seemed to conceal a scorching power.

The moment the fingertip touched the ground, the golden light of the badge suddenly surged, connecting with the crimson-gold light curtain of the bronze door into a thin line, as if an invisible force resonated between the two.

[Executioner, embark on the path of glory and proceed to the portal.]

Although he had guessed that this path might have been prepared for him, Li Xia still felt an indescribable thrill when it actually appeared before his eyes as a clue.

He took a deep breath, nodded to the three little ones, and signaled them to follow.

"Buzz!"

His feet landed on the path of light amidst the mocking gazes of the many apostles.

As if in response to something, the path of light suddenly brightened a few degrees.

A ripple of light spread out along the sole of his boot, creating a golden wave.

What stunned the apostles even more was the light that rippled as he walked.

The golden light did not disperse; instead, it actively wrapped around the fabric, forming fine, shimmering patterns at the hem, gradually elongating like a cloak that stretched for hundreds of meters.

"Holy crap, what the hell is this thing?"

The apostles stared in disbelief as Li Xia walked further and further away along the path of light, his incredibly stylish cloak growing longer and longer. Even the teleportation of other apostles in the Hall of Light was halted.

"Wait, why is his art style different from ours?"

"Did he pay for this? Or is his father acting as his proxy, giving him special treatment?"

The apostles' hushed discussions erupted once more as they glared at Li Xia, who was walking on the path of light, with a mixture of envy and jealousy.

I wish I could replace him and take his place myself. Why don't I have that kind of glory?

"The Road to Glory!"

Among the employees who rushed over after receiving the news, one of them finally recognized the thing in front of him, narrowed his eyes, and coldly said its name.

The apostles immediately turned their gaze in that direction.

"Holy crap, a third-tier leader from one of the eight major guilds? This must be the Garbage Collector's, right? I heard they suffered a huge loss in the One Piece world, their seeds were even killed!"

The apostles' idle chatter had no effect on these leaders. The leader of the Dragonblood Oath stroked his chin and carefully examined them.

"It really is the Road to Glory; I haven't seen this in years."

The leaders of the eight major labor unions all fell silent.

The Path of Glory was commonplace in that crazy era, and the Beginner-Level Supreme Badge became a 'basic reward' distributed in sequence by guilds.

The 'Path of Glory,' which is only revealed when one embarks on a special advancement battle with extremely high difficulty, was originally set up by the Hall of Light for beginners and the strongest.

Even if he is only a low-level supreme expert, he deserves the cheers of the Hall of Light.

But such glory was treated like a toy by the guild. When the first major purge occurred, all levels of the guild were severely weakened and forced to withdraw their hands.

The path to glory has almost never been seen again.

until today.

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

(End of this chapter)