Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

"So this is the Eldoria continent's core of will?" Alex murmured, her gaze fixed on the golden orb hovering above the undead Imperial Capital.

It radiated a powerful and alluring energy, a siren song that tempted even Alex to absorb it. She had a feeling that doing so would grant her immense power, allowing the undead empire to birth dozens of pseudo-gods overnight.

She could become the ruler of the Eldoria continent in no time, vying for dominance alongside the other major races.

"Such terrifying power," she whispered, a shiver running down her spine.

Alex even suspected that the previous Beastman Empire's ruler had absorbed this energy, albeit incompletely, leading to his enslavement by the World's Heart.

Shing!

With a flick of her wrist, Alex sent her black scythe spinning, a deadly arc of black steel aimed at the core of will.

Her scythe could sever anything. Surely, it could destroy this orb of energy.

Whum!

To Alex's surprise, a golden barrier erupted from the core of will, blocking her attack!

"It has a self-defense mechanism?"

Black flames engulfed the scythe, unleashing a torrent of dark energy that battered against the golden barrier.

As expected, the barrier began to fade, slowly eroded by the darkness sphere.

Crack!

A sharp crack echoed through the air as the golden orb split open. The entire continent trembled, as if caught in a massive earthquake.

Alex enveloped the core of will with her darkness sphere, completely sealing its energy. The orb's glow dimmed, its energy dwindling until it finally extinguished.

The tremors ceased. Alex sensed a barrier shattering, perhaps the one Skoll had mentioned, the barrier erected by the World's Heart to isolate the continents.

One more down, and two continents would be connected.

At the same moment, massive golden pillars of light erupted from the heartlands of the Arcadia, Mossvale, Nytheria, and Tyrangar continents. All the races engaged in war felt the shift.

Someone had destroyed a core of will!

"If all seven cores are destroyed, the world will fall apart. We cannot tolerate the undead race's reckless actions any longer."

In a radiant golden hall, an angel, standing motionless with arms crossed, resembling a statue, suddenly spoke. Its voice was devoid of emotion, betraying no concern for the ongoing war.

"By the Holy Decree, we shall eradicate the undead race!"

The angels below relayed the decree, and countless angels, encased within statues throughout the city, stirred, their eyes snapping open as if awakening from a long slumber.

Golden streaks of light shot out from the city, heading towards various destinations.

The other major races on the other continents also reacted.

Destroying a core of will weakened the World's Heart's power, which in turn weakened all the races.

Some factions wouldn't tolerate this. In other words, any race that attacked the undead race during this period could be definitively classified as belonging to the hostile faction.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the vast Endless Sea, miles below the surface, lay a sprawling complex of underwater palaces.

This was the Sea Race's headquarters. Like the other races, they were bound by the World's Heart's isolation, unable to cross between continents, even from the depths of the ocean.

Deep within the magnificent underwater palace, a colossal Sea Race being, wielding a trident, sat upon a throne.

Its eyes were closed, its body motionless, as if in a deep slumber.

A strange energy emanated from its being, influencing everything around it.

When the faint golden light from the destroyed core of will reached the depths of the ocean, its scales rippled, as if breathing.

One of its fingers twitched slightly. The movement was subtle, but a nearby guard noticed it.

"The great Poseidon is awakening! Inform the High Priest immediately!"

The entire Sea Temple buzzed with excitement. The calm ocean surface churned violently, waves crashing against each other.

Even the sky above darkened with storm clouds, as if welcoming or perhaps dreading the Sea God's awakening.

Meanwhile, in the undead Imperial Capital, Alex was contemplating how to break free from the system's control and help others do the same, weakening the system's power.

Her core members were still some distance away from reaching Sovereign level. Their current goal was to ascend to pseudo-godhood, which was relatively easy with the support of faith power.

But completely severing their connection to the system would prevent Drake and Xiao Mu from progressing beyond Sovereign level. They didn't possess the aptitude for godhood.

"I need to wait. Everyone has to reach Sovereign level before we abandon the system."

Alex pondered this, her thoughts drifting to the Sea Race battlefield on the Arsen continent. They still hadn't deployed any pseudo-god level combatants. It was unusual.

Why did people say the Sea Race was as powerful as the Angel race? Why hadn't they sent pseudo-gods even when facing defeat?

Was it possible that the Sea Race didn't have any pseudo-gods?

"No! The Sea Race is definitely not as simple as we think!"

A sudden realization struck Alex. Her thoughts became clearer.

"Death Spirit, summon Ice Cream!"

Moments later, Ice Cream arrived, looking weary from battle.

"You called for me, Your Majesty?"

"Do you know anything about the dragon race's internal factions and their strength?"

Alex wasn't sure if Ice Cream knew, but she had to ask.

Ice Cream pondered the question.

"The dragon race is divided into several major races: Rock Dragons, Lava Dragons, Azure Dragons, Sky Dragons, Venom Dragons, and Silver Dragons. The Azure Dragons are the current royal family. The previous Dragon God was an Azure Dragon," Ice Cream said proudly. He was an Azure Dragon himself.

"The previous Dragon God was a true god?"

"I believe so. But the Dragon God hasn't been seen for millennia. Silver Dragon race have been relaying his decrees."

Ice Cream told Alex everything he knew about the dragon race.

"So, the historical records about the dragon race's war with the Angel race were actually just battles between pseudo-gods?" Alex asked.

"I'm not sure. But their strength should range from third-stage Sovereign level to pseudo-god level. At least, the chieftains of the Azure Dragons and Silver Dragons are both pseudo-gods."

"Alright, I understand. You're dismissed."

Alex watched Ice Cream leave, her brow furrowed in thought.

She had to inform the humans about her new theory and the situation with the Sea Race. Otherwise, the humans might be at a disadvantage in their future actions.

Information about the Sea Race was crucial. Their first engagement had been against the undead race, and Alex was the only one who truly understood their capabilities.

She had to go to Hurricane City.