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

It couldn't be blamed for its cowardice; the shadow that Sterl cast over it was simply too great, like a nightmare looming over its head. Its heart was filled with both awe and fear.

Especially now, as the invaders prepared to retreat, Hell's crisis seemed to have been averted. However, the Will of Hell had no idea what Sterl's intentions were moving forward. What if this powerful being had other plans? Or worse, what if he decided to follow in the footsteps of the invaders? That would truly be the end.

Upon hearing this, Sterl glanced at the Will of Hell indifferently. What it said was indeed correct. With control over the authority of a hundred layers of Hell, Sterl had, in essence, already become a replacement for the Will of Hell itself.

In a certain sense, he was now the representative of Hell, the Executor, and in terms of power and status, he was on equal footing with Hell itself.

Therefore, with just a thought, he was able to confirm that the Will of Hell was not deceiving him and, in fact, could not afford to deceive him.

At its core, Hell was nothing more than those eight core layers. The rest were merely later additions. If the authority over these eight core layers were handed over to him, it would be the same as giving himself away entirely, which was obviously not going to happen.

"It's alright. In that case, let's go take a look at the eight core layers of Hell."

A strange, enigmatic smile appeared on Sterl's face as he spoke.

The moment these words were spoken, the Will of Hell shuddered. A bad premonition surged in its heart. However, with things having come this far, it had no right to refuse or stop him.

For someone like Sterl, who controlled a hundred layers of Hell, even the core layers were within his reach. The only limitation was that in the core of Hell, he could not absolutely command the beings there as he could in the other layers.

"Let's go."

Sterl gently waved his hand, and using the power of his authority, he formed a Spatial Portal in front of him, leading to the Core Layer of Hell.

The Will of Hell felt helpless. It understood clearly that Sterl was effectively binding it to this journey.

"Please, Mr. Sterl, do be careful. Also, the primordial force of the core layers of Hell is on par with that of the main world, which means that the eight Lords of Hell in this area are true high-ranking divine authorities," it cautioned.

"Really? That sounds even better."

A look of mild surprise appeared on Sterl's face, followed by a spark of excitement.

He had been worried about not having enough power under his command. Although there were twenty-one high-ranking divine authorities between the eightieth and hundredth layers, they were far inferior to the high-ranking divine authorities of the main world. In a life-or-death battle, these twenty-one might not even be able to take down two or three of their counterparts from the main world.

And now, the eight Lords of the Core Hell were actually true high-ranking divine authorities. If he could subdue all of them, his forces would be significantly strengthened, truly becoming a powerful army.

Even if he chose not to subdue them and simply suppressed them, refining their divine souls, each high-ranking divine authority could be refined into five hundred points of high-level soul power.

The combined souls of the eight high-ranking divine authorities would amount to four thousand points—more than the amount he gained during his second breakthrough beyond his limits!

So, naturally, he was even more interested in the eight core layers of Hell.

Seeing Sterl's reaction, the Will of Hell knew that its warning was completely unnecessary.

It made sense. After all, the terrifying enemy that Hell itself couldn't deal with had been driven away by Sterl. Why would he fear a few high-ranking divine authorities?

The Will of Hell couldn't help but think that this mysterious, terrifying powerhouse was probably a Divine Power deity who had been hiding for countless years!

As for the notion of a Great Divine Power, the Will of Hell didn't even consider it. That was far too distant and abstract. After all, a Great Divine Power deity was someone who could perfect a single Law to the absolute extreme. With just a thought, they could channel the full power of that Law, causing all other similar Laws to lose their effectiveness.

In other words, if a Great Divine Power deity mastered the Flame Law, they could point at water and declare it to be fire. Suddenly, all the water in the world would turn into fire.

And that was just one insignificant aspect of a Great Divine Power's abilities.

If Sterl truly was such a Great Divine Power, he could resolve the entire crisis of Hell with a mere snap of his fingers, for such a being was capable of creating an entire world from nothing!

However, even a Great Divine Power deity was not something the Will of Hell could resist. Such a being would only be found in the Upper Realms of the Main World, where the divine kingdoms of higher beings resided.

With that in mind, Sterl led the Will of Hell straight through the Spatial Portal and into the Core Layer of Hell. Upon passing through, the scene before them instantly transformed into a purgatory.

The Core Hell was very different from other, regular layers of Hell.

While the naming of ordinary Hell layers followed basic foundational rules, the Core Hell encompassed all the rules of Hell itself, much like the [Transcendence] of the Main World.

Thus, the commands here were entirely different. For example, the one hundred and first layer of Hell, which was the first layer of the Core Hell, was simply called Prison One.

However, the environment in this world was extremely chaotic.

Sterl spread out his perception, immediately covering everything within thousands of miles.

The land was filled with all sorts of terrifying and chaotic sights: surging rivers of lava, corrosive venom, pitch-black voids, and turbulent thunder.

In the sky, some areas were peaceful and empty, while others were covered in frost and snow. Some regions were even showered with countless Flames that fell like hail.

What was more frightening was that these phenomena were constantly shifting. One moment, there were Flames; the next, frost; then, perhaps, a thunderstorm—each scene rapidly transitioning into another.

Such a world, even for the creatures that resided in the other ordinary layers of Hell, was an incredibly cruel and terrifying place. Let alone for any beings from outside Hell.

Even Sterl, upon seeing this first glimpse of the Prison One of Core Hell, was somewhat surprised, though that was all. It seemed flashy, but it posed no real threat to him.

However, Core Hell was vast. It was gigantic, resembling a planet laid out flat. As for its size, it exceeded that of Blue Star!

"So, this is Core Hell?" Sterl muttered, while the Will of Hell carefully nodded beside him.

Upon entering Core Hell, Sterl could clearly sense Hell's response. It felt almost like a welcoming or an attempt at appeasement.

Clearly, the power he had displayed was enough to make Hell itself wary—too wary to offend him.

Sterl then began to use the Authority of Hell he commanded, instantly gaining access to what was essentially a map module.

With the Hell module, the entire layout of this layer of Hell appeared clearly in his mind, including the battlefield at the center of Hell.

Yes, a battlefield!

Although the Mother Beasts in Core Hell had begun to retreat quickly, this did not mean the fighting was over.
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The minions birthed by these Mother Beasts were still crazily attacking and slaughtering the inhabitants of Hell under the final orders.

To make matters even worse, the most powerful creature born from the Mother Beasts was actually holding its own against a high-ranking divine authority. In fact, under the influence of that mysterious grey energy, the high-ranking divine authority had even been pushed into a disadvantageous position for a time.

Moreover, Sterl noticed that this layer of Hell wasn't home to just one high-ranking divine authority, but there were five in total!

Of course, aside from the one high-ranking divine authority known as the Lord of Hell, the others, like those in the ordinary layers of Hell, were a diminished version of the true high-ranking divine authorities, their strength considerably weaker.

However, judging by the current situation, now that the Mother Beasts and their minions were retreating, the situation seemed to be stabilizing. It was likely that in another ten or fifteen days, these insect legions would be completely wiped out.

"No wonder all the other Mother Beasts are channeling their accumulated power to the Core-layer Mother Beast. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to conquer these Core-layer hells," Sterl muttered as he observed the situation on the battlefield, feeling a bit pensive.

The Core Hell truly lived up to its reputation as the true embodiment of Hell and the oldest layer, with both the number and strength of its inhabitants far surpassing those of the ordinary hells.

Just the sheer number of troops on the battlefield surpassed fifty million!

What was different about the Core Layer of Hell was that not everyone was involved in the fight. Instead, each faction selected their finest warriors. Most of them were at the third class level, with more than a million legendary warriors! Sterl spotted no fewer than ten thousand demigods in a single glance!

In addition to the Lord of Hell and the four diminished high-ranking divine authorities, there were fifty low-ranking divine beings with weak Divine Power.

With such a massive force, it was clear why the Mother Beasts Sterl had encountered earlier were unable to conquer the Core Hell on their own. They needed the external Mother Beasts to continuously supply more energy and create stronger legions.

Moreover, the number of Mother Beasts in this layer was as high as five, and the remaining insect legions numbered at least one billion!

The number of elite insects alone was far beyond what any ordinary hell could compare to.

However, what Will of Hell had said earlier wasn't without merit. If the situation didn't change, Core Hell would only be able to hold for three more days at most.

After receiving a massive influx of energy from the Mother Beasts, the reinforcements—the Silver Legion—had grown stronger, with their average power reaching the mid-legendary level. Elite individuals comparable to gods numbered in the hundreds. At this rate, even if the fifty million Legion of Hell could still hold out, the higher-tier divine combatants wouldn't be able to last.

Once the divine-level forces were overwhelmed, it would be nothing more than a futile struggle.

"These insects, what exactly are they? Are they part of some faction from the Endless Void?" Sterl murmured to himself, deeply impressed. This mysterious race was indeed incredibly powerful—compared to Hell, they were like a lower-dimensional force striking with overwhelming power.