To remain human, or to ascend to godhood?
This choice now lay before Gu Hang.
Truth be told, the lure of ascending to godhood was immense.
Eternal life, unending immortality—what countless rulers of mankind had yearned for in their dreams?
Now, it lay before Gu Hang, ripe for the taking.
Though Gu Hang had just personally slain an Evil God, that didn't mean becoming a god was all that awful.
The Primal Fury Owl met its end because of its own foolishness.
Gu Hang was not the kind of being that essentially was a mindless beast when it became a god; he believed that if he ascended, he certainly wouldn't end up like that creature.
On the contrary, if he became a god at this moment, the very thing the Primal Fury Owl had ceaselessly sought for hundreds of years would be within easy reach.
Hadn't that Evil God always wanted to tear the veil between its Divine Realm and the real world, to bring its kingdom down to the human realm, to pull the entire Rage Owl Star into the True Realm and make it part of its Divine Realm?
After his ascension, Gu Hang could achieve that immediately. Explore stories at empire
The Chaos Array was already in place, no need to worry about that; he didn't need to bother with establishing a Cult, as the entire Alliance Government could convert on the spot. Those people who worshipped him, respected him, and relied on him could soon be transformed into his power.
With the strength of millions of believers from the real world, the connection between his Divine Realm and the real world would be greatly fortified. It wouldn't take him long to bring the laws of the Divine Realm into the real world and have them override the laws of physics.
At that point, the goal of bringing the Divine Realm to the human realm would be basically achieved.
Meanwhile, he would also possess a springboard to advance into the real world. He could lead the believers of the Rage Owl Star, along with the Demons he created in his Divine Realm, on an expedition through the vastness of space, pulling planet after planet into his Divine Realm and enslaving countless people as his followers...
said Gu Hang coldly in his heart to some entity that he didn't know if it actually existed.
He had come to realize that this was not a broad and easy path, but a thoroughfare to utter destruction, the kind one was sure to perish on.
First and foremost, the core point: If he embraced Hell's Abyss and accepted the control of Spiritual Energy completely, then he would no longer be himself.
His will would be driven by the instincts that Hell's Abyss foisted upon him, his thoughts gradually twisted and replaced. He would become a puppet of power, a part of Hell's Abyss, a slave to Spiritual Energy...
No matter what he would eventually become, he certainly wouldn't be himself.
Secondly, even if Gu Hang didn't care about "no longer being me," it would still be utterly foolish from the coldest consideration of practical benefits.
Indeed, he could easily pull Rage Owl Star into his Divine Realm and greatly enhance his own strength, but then... what next?
Embark on an interstellar conquest?
While he was here killing the Battle Nuns, ascending to godhood, beginning to convert the people's faith, and overlaying the planet with the laws of the True Realm, the Imperial Navy in space would take notice.
Even if that single Escort Ship couldn't do much to him, what he would face next was an onslaught from the Tianma Fleet, equipped with seven cruisers, thirty-three Escort Ships, and over a hundred patrol craft.
Not to mention, the millions of Star Realm Army stationed in the Tianma Star Sector would also make their way here.
By then, the Imperial forces that come to fight him might be more numerous than the entire population of Rage Owl Star.
In the unlikely event he won... that's when the real trouble would start.
The war machine of the Human Empire would truly get going at that moment. An even larger Fleet, with billions of Star Realm Army Corps, would come again to Rage Owl Star. Along with them might come the Protection Army from the Sect of Mechanics, the forces of the Tribunal, the Battle Nun Association from the state religion...
Perhaps even a fully manned Starfighter Battle Group, with its Battle Group Fleet and Mortal Auxiliary Army, would arrive on Rage Owl Star!
A planet completely dragged into Hell's Abyss and wholly dominated by Subspace laws is something the Empire would absolutely not tolerate. The war that had ravaged Rage Owl Star serves as an example of this.
Even if one of the four nameless true Evil Gods, who had nearly split Hell's Abyss among themselves, sent a Great Demon from their ranks to participate directly in a full assault on an Empire World, there was a good chance they would be sent packing, let alone the ascended Gu Hang.
An Inferior Deity among Inferior Deities, likely to be scorned even in death for causing a commotion.
Traitors to humanity face but one path: death!
My loyalty is there for the Emperor to see!
"Dream on! I refuse!"
As he reaffirmed his stance in his mind once more, a terrifying shriek arose deep within his soul!
Instantly, Gu Hang felt a soul-shattering pain. This force, bursting forth from within, maxed out in an instant and almost tore him apart.
Though it was wordless, Gu Hang felt as if some terrifying entity in the unseen depths was manipulating everything with the intent to destroy him for failing to obtain that entity.
However, the [Iron Will], which had been silent for quite a while, started operating at this moment.
Gu Hang had made his choice, and so anything within his mind, his heart, his soul that was identified as harmful was now being repelled by [Iron Will].