Chapter 61 - Origin of Mutation and Han Wu

Han Wu came to, with no sense of how long he had been out. He moved his limbs, but felt no discernible difference physically, so he swiftly examined his data to understand what had changed.

[Name: Han Wu-Origin of Mutation]

[Rank: Divine Being / Rank 1 Supergene Soldier]

[Divine Talent: Chosen One (Exclusive), Defiance]

[Divine Powers: Sacrifice (Exclusive), Controlled Mutation]

[Skills: Mighty Cleave, Enchant Darkness, Dragon Slash, Dark Dragonification, ...]

[Divine Essence: 4 (Origin of Mutation Gene Parasitization. Divine Essence +1)]

[Divine Points: 29.7 million (Personal) / 22.5 million (Foreign)]

[Faith Points: 67.03 million]

[Core Level: Level 10 (Rank 3 Sacred Object, Law of Gluttony (Incomplete); Rank 2 Sacred Object, Revelation Stone; Rank 2 Sacred Object, Shadow Nail; Rank 1 Sacred Object, Poison Gland; Rank 1 Sacred Object, Earth Core; Rank 1 Sacred Object, Elf Shortbow)]

[Core Race: ...]

Although the changes in his data were minimal, Han Wu was certain that something was wrong. He murmured under his breath, a troubled expression on his face, “Am I still Han Wu, or am I becoming the Origin of Mutation?”

A mocking voice responded to his internal question, “So, you’re finally awake, my dear vessel.”

“Who...?! You’re the Origin of Mutation!”

“Indeed! I am responsible for your current state as a Supergene Soldier, and you should be thanking me. By making you my host, I have bestowed upon you power that dwarfs even the Divine Civilization. Furthermore, I have replaced your Increased Growth with Controlled Mutation. While Increased Growth has its advantages, Controlled Mutation will prove to be significantly more effective in the long run.”

Han Wu couldn’t help but gasp, unable to contain his shock. As a mere Divine Being, he lacked the ability to rewrite his genetic code, yet the Origin of Mutation had accomplished it so effortlessly.

“Don’t worry, my dear vessel, your safety is now tied to mine. We are essentially one—if you die, I die; if you live, I live. From this point on, our survival is mutually dependent. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Silence hung in the air as Han Wu made no comment. He realized that he was powerless to change things for now and had to accept his new reality.

“Relax,” the voice continued. “You are not losing anything in this arrangement. I am a supergene, possessing power strong enough to be classified within the first series of the entire Divine River Civilization. You should be grateful to be my host. Do you follow?”

Han Wu, having endured the Origin of Mutation’s monologue, finally spoke, his voice edged with frustration. “Can you stop your pointless rambling and just tell me how I can get out of this place?”

His only thought was to flee this godforsaken space and find a method to inspect his body in the real world.

“I now have total command over the seal. The only obstacle left was the Rank 6 mutated beast Gemora, but you killed it! We are now free to depart whenever we wish,” the Origin of Mutation said.

With a snap of Han Wu’s fingers, manipulated by the Origin of Mutation, he was teleported back to the courtyard. As this happened, the intricate array in the sky started to fade away gradually, its disappearance this time permanent.

The Origin of Mutation suddenly cautioned Han Wu, “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something crucial. The individuals in those cloaks made a considerable commotion while breaking the seal on this place. I suspect that there are numerous Demigods and Gods currently isolated outside the ruins, and they will likely surge into this area as soon as the seal completely dissipates.”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Inwardly, Han Wu raged at the Origin of Mutation for failing to mention this critical detail sooner. He knew that if the Demigods and Gods stormed the ruins only to discover no hidden treasures, they wouldn’t believe him when he said he hadn't obtained anything. Being only a Divine Being, he was entirely at the mercy of their overwhelming strength.

More significantly, Han Wu firmly believed he had already obtained the most precious treasure within the ruins: the Origin of Mutation, now bound to his very genes. He had no intention of relinquishing it. He was certain that if the Demigods and Gods managed to capture him, they would, in all probability, kill him to take possession of the Origin of Mutation.

Realizing that flight was his only option for survival, Han Wu was relieved to remember he had a way out—the Permanent Coordinates of the Blood Coliseum.

Without hesitation, Han Wu poured 1 million Divine Points into the mark on his hand, triggering its activation. A teleportation array immediately appeared beneath his feet, teleporting him away just before the seal completely disintegrated.

Hordes of Demigods and Gods surged into the now deserted ruins, their search becoming increasingly chaotic as they upended everything. They stumbled upon the peculiar sealed space where Han Wu had been confined, only to find it completely empty.

Demigod Zhang Gang was part of the treasure-hunting group, but like the others, he found nothing except the corpses of a few locusts. The sight of the dead locusts stirred unpleasant memories, making him suspicious. Although he couldn’t confirm his doubts, he decided to keep some of the locust remains as potential evidence.

News of the commotion and occurrences at the Divine River Ruins reached a distant palace, where a God King seethed with uncontrollable anger. The seal surrounding the ruins had been permanently broken, and the treasure within had inexplicably disappeared. Adding to his fury, the mercenaries he had sent to retrieve the treasure had likely all been killed, given the complete absence of any reports from them.

The God King felt like a complete idiot for sinking hundreds of billions of Divine Points into a venture that resulted in nothing.

“Damn it! Those worthless bastards! How dare they let someone steal my treasure?” The financially ruined God King bellowed in fury as he dispatched numerous signals in an attempt to locate his mercenaries. His efforts were not completely wasted, as he managed to get a very weak response from a faraway place.

Before dispatching the mercenaries, the God King had implanted a Tracer Seed within each of their divine realms, specifically designed to monitor their location. Nevertheless, the signal returned was so faint that he couldn’t determine their exact whereabouts, most probably because their crumbling divine realms were interfering with the transmission.

The frustrated God King, determined to find the source, instructed his units to relentlessly broadcast the tracking signals until they successfully identified the location of the weak feedback.