Chapter 142: The Divine Beast’s Habitat

The Divine Kingdom is located in the far upper-right corner of the Third Continent, occupying approximately one-tenth of its total land area. It is governed by six humanoid monsters with a penchant for consuming human infants. The remaining regions of the Third Continent are ruled by other deities—that is, other powerful monsters.

In the Third Continent, monsters are classified into three tiers based on their strength and intelligence. Those with average strength are called Beasts. Those with considerable power and certain extraordinary abilities are known as Savage Beasts. As for the monsters that reside in specific regions and possess distinct physical characteristics, they are referred to as "Divine Beasts."

The areas inhabited by these Divine Beasts are strictly forbidden by the deities. Should any human enter these territories, regardless of whether they have hunted a Divine Beast, they are immediately sentenced to death upon discovery. Furthermore, this brings endless disaster and punishment upon their entire tribe.

There are fifteen such zones across the Divine Kingdom where Divine Beasts reside. Thousands of human tribes, comprising nearly ten million people, generally encircle these fifteen zones. This is because the regions inhabited by Divine Beasts are the most abundant in prey; even the scraps left behind by these creatures are enough to sustain a large portion of the human population.

"I see," Song Qi mused after listening to Shan Ming.

The strength of these Divine Beasts varies, but the top-tier entities stand far apart from other monsters, as the other powerful monsters have long been driven out of the Divine Kingdom by the deities.

"So, if I want to level up here, the best way would be to hunt these Divine Beasts?" Song Qi pondered. According to Shan Ming’s description, the most powerful Savage Beasts in the Divine Kingdom are likely only around Level 60 and are extremely scattered. At his current level, Song Qi found them hardly worth his time. However, without leveling up, he lacked the strength to face those six Rule-level monsters.

"If those Divine Beasts die, do the deities sense it?"

"They do," Shan Ming nodded. "Not only do they sense it, but they can pinpoint the exact location of the death and the location of the killer. Long ago, the Bull Mountain Range was home to seven tribes. The one that was wiped out met its end because a tribesman secretly slaughtered a young Divine Beast in hopes of ascending to become a Divine Blood Warrior. The very next day, a deity descended in person and erased that tribe from the map."

"It’s that severe?"

Song Qi was startled, though upon reflection, it made sense. These so-called Divine Beasts were likely the kin of those deities, so it was only natural they would be protected.

"Hiss!" He felt a lingering chill. "It’s a good thing I didn’t start a massacre here right away, or I would likely have been swarmed. In that case... does that mean I have to go outside the Divine Kingdom to grind levels?"

Although Di Xin’s ability could evade detection, it could not actively mask the notification of a Divine Beast’s death. This meant that if he killed one, the deities would not know who did it, but they would almost certainly know that one of their own had died. The inability to track the culprit would only heighten their suspicion, perhaps even leading them to believe that some peerless powerhouse had arrived, causing them to mobilize their entire force just to hunt down a lowly summoner like him. That was far too dangerous for Song Qi.

Hearing this, Shan Ming shook his head. Having spoken with Song Qi, he understood that humans from the other continent could gain strength by slaying monsters, so he was not confused by Song Qi's goals.

"Unfortunately, that is likely not feasible either," Shan Ming said. "Don't forget, the entire Third Continent has been carved up by those deities. Since the Divine Beasts in the Divine Kingdom have been placed under protection, how can you be sure that the Divine Beasts in other regions don't have similar safeguards?"

"You have a point." Song Qi stood up, frowning in frustration. "Then do you have any good ideas?"

"I do!" Shan Ming chuckled, as if he had been waiting for this question. He stood up and extended his hand. "Let’s cooperate, fellow human from another continent!"

"Cooperate?" Song Qi was surprised. "How?"

"It’s simple. Remember when I said I can communicate with the deities? I can petition that deity to mask all signals of a Divine Beast’s death for you!"

"And what would I need to pay in return?" Song Qi asked.

"You don't need to pay anything extra!" Shan Ming replied. "Just leave the remaining carcasses and blood for us after you kill the Divine Beasts. And, of course, the people from other tribes surrounding the Divine Beasts' habitats. The deities... they need more believers!"

Hearing this, Song Qi asked with concern, "Believers? How many believers does your deity need to manifest in our world?"

"One million. As long as the number of believers exceeds one million, he can cross over to this world."

"In that case, I want you to keep the number of believers below five hundred thousand," Song Qi said sternly. The last entity to invade their world like this was the Extraterritorial Demon Race. He didn't know what kind of entity this deity of Shan Ming's was, but the mere fact that they dared to invade other worlds proved they were not to be underestimated.

Shan Ming grinned. "Don't worry, I’ve set the upper limit for him at one hundred thousand."

Song Qi was stunned, then burst into a laugh. "I didn't expect a big-eyed, honest-looking fellow like you to be this kind of person."

Shan Ming revealed a sly, lecherous grin that was completely at odds with his usual demeanor. "Heh heh... you can't be a leader if you're a 'good guy'."

At first, Song Qi had feared that Shan Ming had placed all his hopes in that deity and wondered how to advise him not to rely too heavily on such power. But it seemed he had overthought it. Shan Ming was far more clear-headed than he had imagined; he hadn't lost his senses just because a lifeline had appeared.

Song Qi gripped his hand firmly. "Then... happy to be in business with you!"

"Happy to be in business!"