Building the Strongest Undead Empire from Scratch

Although the island's power could obliterate low-level undead, Alex doubted it could kill Sovereign level beings or pseudo-gods. There had to be a secret hidden here.

Death Spirit sent a clone onto the island. It was instantly vaporized. Alex paused, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

The power emanating from the island resembled the Angel race's holy light, capable of purifying all things.

No, it wasn't quite like holy light. It was more akin to the energy radiating from the core of will.

"Queen, that energy is strange. Please don't approach the island!" Death Spirit warned as Alex stepped forward.

"I know," Alex replied, stopping at the island's edge and slowly extending her arm.

A brilliant golden light flared, attempting to purify her. Alex had already prepared to use undead to shield herself.

But then, a strange, equally powerful energy surged from within her, clashing with the island's golden light.

The entire island began to glow, radiating like a star, just as Death Spirit had described.

Alex, caught in the center of the clashing energies, felt no pain, no discomfort. She was perfectly safe.

The struggle continued for an unknown amount of time before the energies began to subside.

A tiny golden flame flickered where the two energies met.

"That's... divine fire!" Alex exclaimed, realization dawning.

What kind of clash could produce tangible divine fire?

The System and the World's Heart!

The island possessed the World's Heart's power, while the strange energy within her came from the System!

Her path to godhood was linked to both the System and the World's Heart. Their opposing forces were now inadvertently weakening each other.

This was a monumental opportunity.

Alex extended her hand, gently cupping the divine fire. It radiated no heat, only a comforting warmth.

The moment the divine fire touched her skin, it melted away like snowflakes, merging with her being.

A strange power surged through her, a sensation she couldn't quite describe.

She had inadvertently reached the second stage of Sovereign level.

With this breakthrough, a faint trace of divine power now resided within her. Her path to godhood had officially begun.

This unexpected advancement didn't conflict with her plans.

The island still radiated a potent energy, but the clash had ceased.

This meant the system's power within her had been completely purged.

She wondered if the other lords had been affected or if this method could be replicated.

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If so, it would be incredibly convenient.

But it was also incredibly dangerous. Failure meant obliteration.

Alex could no longer find the system button or access the dashboard. She was certain the system's power was gone.

Simultaneously, the top spot on the leaderboard vanished. Alex's name was gone, replaced by Xiao Hui.

"This island's power is linked to the World's Heart. I doubt anyone below Divine level (god) can set foot on it."

Alex abandoned the idea of landing on the island, at least for now. Perhaps there were other methods she didn't know about.

But one thing was certain: the clash of energies had weakened the island's power.

If she destroyed all seven cores of will, she might be able to land on the island as a Sovereign level being.

Alex and Death Spirit waited for Garethor's return.

He arrived shortly after, his expression mirroring Alex's earlier surprise.

"Queen, this island isn't part of the Eldoria continent. It's likely the center of the entire world!"

Garethor's words were blunt, his astonishment evident.

Alex stared at him, stunned. That explained the island's remote location.

A barrier separated each continent. Only by destroying a continent's core of will could the barrier be lifted.

That's why the mysterious island had appeared near the Eldoria continent.

According to Garethor, the barriers around the other continents were still intact. The island was invisible beyond those barriers. He had only managed to find his way back by retracing his original route.

"So, this island is at the center, with seven continents radiating outwards in seven different directions?!"

Alex was intrigued. Now that the Eldoria continent's core of will was destroyed, could pseudo-gods from other continents see the island if they crossed the barrier?

If they came to the Eldoria continent, they would undoubtedly discover the island.

"That's right," Garethor confirmed. "I flew in a straight line. The continent on the other side is the Tyrangar continent. And adjacent to it is likely the Valoria continent."

The distance from the island to each continent was roughly the same.

"The Angel race already knows," Alex said grimly.

But this island was connected to the World's Heart. Perhaps they had known all along. Maybe that was the real reason they opposed the destruction of the cores of will.

"Queen, there's one more thing," Garethor said, his tone serious. "On my way back, I briefly visited the adjacent continents. One of them is the Arsen continent."

Alex looked at him expectantly.

"The Arsen continent has no barrier, and the island is visible from there!"

"What?!" Alex exclaimed. How was that possible?

A sudden realization struck her. She gave a quick order to Death Spirit and Garethor and immediately returned to the far north.

During the flight back, Alex pondered this strange development.

The Arsen continent had no core of will. What did that mean?

Why did the Sea God want to conquer the Arsen continent?

Without a core of will, they couldn't gain the World's Heart's recognition and couldn't choose a side.

And if that was the case, the undead race's conquest of the Arsen continent seemed pointless. To further weaken the World's Heart, she would have to wage war on other continents.

But first, she needed to consolidate her power and gather her strength.

Alex suspected that the island was either a manifestation of the World's Heart or somehow connected to her path to becoming the God of Creation.

She needed to discuss this with the Mage Guild president.

Upon returning to the undead Imperial Capital, Alex immediately contacted Boreas in Hurricane City, hoping to glean some information about the mysterious island.

However, Boreas was clueless. He promised to relay the information to the president and inform Alex of any response.

The situation on the Arsen continent was also a major concern for Alex. Although she didn't know why the core of will had vanished, it was undoubtedly beneficial to the undead empire.

It wasn't until the following day that the Mage Guild president's reply reached Alex.

Unfortunately, the president was also unaware of the island's true nature. He only offered a cryptic hint, suggesting it might be connected to her path to becoming the God of Creation.

Unable to obtain any further information, Alex abandoned her inquiries, resolving to uncover the island's secrets herself.

Her current priority was to destroy as many cores of will as possible. Destroying all seven was likely impossible, so she had to do what she could.

Alex directed all her undead forces to focus on gaining experience on the Sea Race battlefield. After purging the system's power from herself, she discovered that it had only affected her, with no noticeable impact on the undead empire.

It seemed there was a significant difference between passive and active removal of the system's influence.

Time was running out. Her actions were merely buying time for the undead.

Over a month passed. Tonight was another full moon.

Alex stood by the window, gazing at the moon. She noticed that the red moon's light seemed dimmer than before, tinged with a warm, yellowish hue.

She suspected the blood moon in the sky was also connected to the World's Heart.

Many significant events had transpired during the past month.

The dragon race had openly sided with the World's Heart, but their conflict with the Angel race was genuine. However, instead of fighting each other, they had joined forces to attack the Demon race.

The dragon race's reasoning was simple: they wanted to minimize their pseudo-god losses. Having lost their Dragon God, they were now the weakest among the top-tier races.

As for why they chose to target the Demon race instead of the humans, the answer was simple: the Demon race had no true god.

Their strongest combatants were pseudo-gods. They were a top-tier race solely due to their sheer number of pseudo-gods, second only to the Angel race.

They had twenty-four pseudo-gods.

Pseudo-gods couldn't be banished by the World's Heart. And since demons were inherently bloodthirsty and battle-crazed, they remained a formidable force even without a true god.

Like the undead race, demons, being creations of a higher power, wouldn't acknowledge the World's Heart. They were only loyal to their own god.

Therefore, not all races with pseudo-gods were necessarily aligned with the World's Heart.

Given the demons' nature, Alex doubted they would ever choose a side.

Facing the combined might of the Titan and dragon races, the Demon race was losing ground. The Valoria continent was mostly under enemy control, transformed into a desolate battlefield.

The Holy Court had returned to the Nytheria continent, joining forces with the Angel race to attack the humans. Facing the full might of the Angel race, the humans were struggling.

The Divine Mage might have to intervene soon.

The tide of war had turned. The undead empire was in a precarious position.

As Thunder had warned, the undead race shouldn't intervene. But now, Alex had no choice.

The Arsen continent had no core of will. She could abandon it if necessary. As for the Sea Race's choice, she didn't have time to worry about it.

If the awakened Sea God sided with the World's Heart, it would only worsen the situation.

"I can't wait any longer," Alex declared. "We have enough faith power. Tomorrow, I will purge the system's power and begin my ascension!"

She had made up her mind. The undead race could no longer remain neutral.

Regardless of whether they had enough faith power or how many pseudo-gods the undead empire could produce, she had to act.

Filled with anxiety, Alex drifted off to a restless sleep.

The next morning, she rose early and summoned all her leaders.

It was the first time they had all gathered in a long while. But unlike the last time, they were almost all at Sovereign level, just a step away from pseudo-godhood.

They entered the hall, their expressions grim, knowing the reason for this meeting.

Alex sat on her bone throne, surveying the assembled lords. Her gaze lingered on Ruby, her white hair mirroring Alex's own, and Sophie, standing beside her.

They were undoubtedly the least talented among those present.

They had barely reached first-stage Sovereign level thanks to the faith power provided by the Arctic Tigerfolk kingdom. This was their limit. Ruby had no chance of becoming a god.

As for Sophie, despite ruling the entire dwarf kingdom and receiving more faith power than the Arctic Tigerfolk kingdom, her potential was even lower, capped at Emperor level.

"The undead race can no longer stand idly by," Alex declared, her voice calm but firm. "We must join the war. We have no time left. Ruby, Sophie, you will remain here and defend the empire."

Ruby didn't object. She knew her Sovereign level strength was insignificant in this war.

Ruby and Sophie both nodded solemnly. Alex turned her attention to the remaining lords and Race Kings.

"This is a war of unprecedented scale. Remaining neutral is impossible. Sovereign level beings are mere cannon fodder. Even gods can fall.

We might all die in this war, including me. But I won't wait for death, and I won't let you wait for death either. Our only hope of survival is ourselves. Only the victors write history."

Alex's gaze swept across the room. Silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by her voice. Every face was etched with grim determination.

"We have no time left. Regardless of your current level, I will now remove the system's power and use faith to help you ascend to godhood."

Alex paused, seeing no objections. She rose from her throne. "Death Spirit, gather all the lords, Freelancers, and their troops on the plaza."

"As you command, Queen!" Death Spirit vanished.

Alex led the others out of the palace.