Kate furrowed her brows slightly, her expression tinged with a contemplative seriousness.
"Just now, Moon Goddess Luna personally took action and nearly eradicated every last Fake God present," she said slowly.
"Under normal circumstances, a true God would never intervene directly against a Fake God."
Daniel nodded in understanding.
Indeed, that reasoning was perfectly clear to him. The situation reminded him of his own position: having already stepped into the Demigod Rank, why would he ever waste time hunting down a mere level-100 world boss? Crushing an ant held no meaning—it was simply unnecessary.
Unless there was some special material or rare drop to be gained, Daniel could not imagine why he would bother making such a move.
And for Luna, who stood upon the lofty tier of a true God, striking down Fake Gods no longer carried any real purpose. Which meant only one thing—she had acted specifically to help him.
On the other side, Kate continued speaking, her tone measured but earnest:
"Lord Daniel, to be frank, once a being has advanced into the Fake God Rank, they are no longer so easily slain. Reaching that rank already proves their overwhelming strength. And furthermore, the stronger such an individual becomes, the more desperate they are to preserve their own lives. In most situations, defeating one might not be overly difficult. But killing them outright? That difficulty multiplies at least tenfold."
Daniel inclined his head slightly. He agreed wholeheartedly.
After all, who among the Fake Gods had not once been considered a dazzling prodigy? Each and every one had clawed their way up through endless struggle and opportunity.
Take Milla for instance—someone Daniel knew intimately. She was no ordinary cultivator. She was a devotee of the Luck Goddess herself, protected by divine favor. Yet even with such extraordinary backing, it had still taken her several thousand years of persistence to ascend from the Demigod tier to the Fake God Rank.
And even then, her success had come only because of Daniel’s intervention—because he had eliminated Fleshheart, opening the way for her.
Therefore, it stood to reason that any individual who managed to step into the Fake God Rank was already an incredibly formidable existence.
"So... you have no recommendations for me at all?" Daniel asked, his brows furrowing as his sharp gaze settled on Kate.
Kate fell silent for a brief moment, considering carefully. Then she answered honestly:
"It is not that I have no advice. Rather, I must think carefully. If you truly intend to hunt Fake Gods, then I can lend you my assistance."
Standing before Daniel were Kate and Milla, both of whom had themselves reached the Fake God Rank. Adding Daniel, a peak Demigod, into the equation—killing a Fake God did not seem like an impossible task at all.
In fact, with the three of them working in concert, even a Fake God at Fleshheart’s peak might still fall under their combined might.
Daniel, of course, did not refuse their offer. Having two Fake God-ranked allies by his side could only increase his hunting efficiency drastically.
"If I find it necessary, I will indeed ask for your help," Daniel said at last.
The reason he had not agreed immediately was simple: his mission demanded that he personally slay the Fake Gods.
Yet even as he thought it through, a different idea began to form in his mind.
For example—what if Kate and Milla weakened a target first, reducing a Fake God to the brink of collapse? If Daniel then stepped forward to deliver the final blow in a direct duel, would that not count as a solo kill?
At the very least, he could create a delay between their interference and his finishing strike. If necessary, he could wait long enough that the battle felt like his own.
Yes, that might work.
Across from him, Kate gave a soft, amused laugh before continuing:
"If you two do not mind, I suggest we find another location to continue this conversation. I assume you don’t plan to linger here in the Backworld only briefly?"
"While it is true that certain areas here are extremely dangerous, I have lived within this realm for quite some time. I know where the safe zones are. In addition, Her Excellency Luck Goddess Luke has established numerous sanctuaries scattered across the Backworld. As for most of the powerful proto-gods, they remain heavily invested in the Ancient Battlegrounds.
"So in truth..." She smiled faintly, her expression reassuring. "So long as you remain with me, I believe your safety is more than assured."
What Kate did not say aloud was that even if other Demigod-ranked powers appeared, none of them would dare make a move against Daniel.
Why? Because should Daniel encounter genuine danger, no fewer than three Gods would descend immediately to his aid.
And what proto-god would be foolish enough to risk provoking such beings?
Of course, divine intervention was never without cost. Even now, the entire Backworld trembled from the aftershocks of Luna’s earlier interference. The balance of this dimension had been disrupted significantly.
Moreover, Daniel’s personal request could no longer be met in the region they currently occupied.
Thinking this through, Kate resumed:
"Lord Daniel, if your goal is the hunting of Fake Gods, then I strongly suggest relocating. At present, the Lustrous Woods lie devastated by Moon Goddess Luna’s assault. The number of surviving Fake Gods there will be very few indeed.
"And do not forget, the birth of a Fake God is an incredibly slow process. It will take an era before such numbers recover.
"My current residence lies within a zone under the dominion of Her Excellency Luck Goddess Luke. That territory has not yet suffered Luna’s assault. Thus, the population of Fake Gods there remains much higher."
Daniel listened carefully, then nodded in agreement.
Of the three present, Kate was the one who had spent the longest time inside the Backworld. More importantly, she was an ally—someone he could trust without reservation.
Besides, after the events just now, Daniel had become keenly aware of one thing: the Backworld’s true expanse was far greater than he had ever imagined.
Even at level 400, empowered with a God-Rank skill that magnified his mental power to extraordinary limits, he still could not project his mind to cover the entirety of this dimension.
That fact alone revealed just how vast the Backworld truly was.
The Iron Prairie
Their path eventually led them to a strange and wondrous region known as the Iron Prairie.
Unlike any grassland in the mortal realms, the vegetation here was not plant-life at all, but vast stretches of living, growing metallic blades. Each strand shimmered under the light, reflecting a dazzling metallic luster that stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
Kate walked at the forefront, leading Daniel and Milla, and explained as they went:
"Lord Daniel, you may not be familiar with this, but most creatures in the Backworld are extremely unique. As long as they continue to live, their power will steadily increase with the passage of time. The longer they endure, the stronger they become.
"And once they cross the threshold into the divine, they automatically manifest a godhead."
Daniel inclined his head thoughtfully. He had suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed left him impressed.
Up to this point, his experiences within the Backworld had been relatively limited. The only God-rank entities he had encountered were those familiar deities he already knew... and of course Kate.
Well, and the Fake Gods whom Luna had casually annihilated.
But beyond those, the indigenous Backworld gods all belonged to an archaic pantheon—a lineage of Ancient Gods, fundamentally distinct from the modern divine system Daniel was accustomed to.
Indeed, aside from the few gods he personally knew, and Kate herself, he had encountered no representatives of the modern divine order here.
"The Backworld seems almost... as if it were deliberately designed to incubate gods," Daniel murmured, unable to suppress his awe.
Even as he spoke, his gaze fell upon a nearby creature: a massive bison-like beast grazing quietly upon the metallic "grass."
With a single bite, the beast’s level surged directly to 200.
And then, before Daniel’s astonished eyes, the heavens split and a divine seat manifested out of nothingness.
A Godhead of the Devouring Domain descended from the void, crowning the beast.
And thus, Daniel began to understand more deeply:
The Backworld itself was not merely a realm of exile, nor simply a dangerous wilderness. It was a crucible—one that naturally cultivated divinity.
A world whose very rules conspired to forge gods.