Chapter 10: The Astounding Wealth of the Demon Stars and the Imprisoned Contract Demon God, Mephistopheles

The Demon Stars are divided into the Thirty-Six Heavenly Demon Stars and the Seventy-Two Earthly Demon Stars.

In reality.

When the Demon Stars were first born, they numbered in the millions. At that time, they were as countless as the stars in the Astral Realm. However, Demon Stars are terrifying entities that devour each other. They drift through the Sea of Chaos, experiencing countless small worlds, great worlds, and even mythological worlds.

Over the eons, the Demon Stars consumed each other. By the time they returned to the Greek Pantheon's Mythological World, only the most perfect 108 Demon Stars remained, corresponding to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Demons and the Seventy-Two Earthly Demons.

Heavenly Destroying Star.

Hades randomly chose one Demon Star to visit. Each Demon Star's interior is almost like a vast world itself. After all, over endless ages, no one knows how many worlds and how many Demon Stars have been devoured to create what exists today.

"…"

As soon as Hades stepped onto the Heavenly Destroying Star, he was momentarily silent. The ground was littered with divine metals, innumerable in quantity. Divine metals, which are among the least valuable here, were abundant. Besides, countless rare treasures were scattered everywhere. Just looking at this scene made Hades' nerves tingle.

It seems.

Maybe.

Just one Demon Star's treasure might rival that of the Underworld. This was Hades' instinctive thought at the time. Divine metals are akin to spirit stones in a cultivation system; they are universally useful, be it for crafting divine artifacts or absorbing divine power. In short, divine metals are the Swiss army knives of divine materials.

Due to their versatility, divine metals are consumed in large quantities, even though they are the most common. Currently, Hades was faced with an endless supply of divine metals and a plethora of other valuable divine items.

"Is this really a Demon Star?"

Hades hesitated, finding it almost unbelievable. Could this really be a Demon Star? With such an astonishing amount of divine items in just one, there are 108 of these Demon Stars. Is every one of them as resource-rich as this?

In summary.

Hades speculated that in the original story, these treasures were not his because someone else discovered the Demon Stars first and took everything. Although the Demon Stars' divine power is formidable, without an owner to utilize it, they are merely ordinary stars, powerless against powerful gods.

It's a familiar scenario: when Hades was born, the Underworld opened, and the Demon Stars appeared. Any god could claim them, and as the rightful owner, Hades was unable to retrieve them. It's like leaving treasures on the street for anyone to take.

Hades merely glanced around, not in a rush to explore all 108 Demon Stars. He left the Heavenly Destroying Star and released his divine spirit. As his spirit spread out, the 108 Demon Stars seemed to sense something.

'Hehehe'

'Hehehe'

With eerie laughter, they transformed into dark purple skulls and flew into Hades' soul. When everything settled, Hades' figure vanished without a trace.

In the endless darkness, specks of dark purple light dotted the space, exactly 108 in number. Hades' form appeared among them. He was now inside his divine body, feeling the perfect fusion with the Demon Stars. With this, he resumed his exploration and returned to the Heavenly Destroying Star.

This time, Hades ignored the precious divine items scattered across the dark purple ground.

Soon.

Hades reached the center of the Heavenly Destroying Star. Here, a statue stood tall, depicting Hades himself. Behind the statue was a pitch-black divine temple, and in front of the temple stood an altar. On the altar was a dark purple skull, the core of the Demon Star. Combining this with a black gemstone and the appropriate materials could forge the Underworld Armor. This altar was meant to hold the Underworld Armor.

After a brief tour of the Heavenly Destroying Star, Hades left. Next, he began to wander through the 108 Demon Stars. The more he explored, the more calm and composed he became. The sheer abundance of divine items was overwhelming. From just the treasures alone, it was enough to build a top-tier pantheon from scratch.

In the original story's development, these treasures were not his. Hades felt a rare flicker of anger, but he quickly suppressed it. Gods must never allow anger to control their hearts.

As time passed.

Hades arrived at the most unique of the 108 Demon Stars, the Heavenly Prime Star. As soon as he approached, he sensed an immensely powerful divine force, comparable to the level of a Titan Chief God.

Frowning slightly, Hades quickly reached the center of the Heavenly Prime Star. Apart from the standard temple, altar, and statue, there was a dark purple prison constructed from boundless divine power. Inside the prison was a towering figure with dark red skin, signature devil horns, and claws—an archetypal Western demon.

Moreover, he soon transformed into an old man, then into a fleshless skull, and then into an elderly gentleman dressed in a black suit with a top hat. His forms shifted constantly, but regardless of the shape, he was bound by dark purple chains, which shackled his head, limbs, and body, rendering him immobile.

"Hehehe~~~"

With a sinister laugh, the demon spoke in a seductive, enticing voice, "Release me, release me, unknown god. Free me! You shall have everything you desire: power, status, divine strength, goddesses, whatever you want."

"…"

Hades stood silently, merely observing the demon—or rather, the Demon God. After a moment's contemplation, he spoke, "Contract Demon God, Mephistopheles. Why are you here?"

"Never mind."

"I'll find out for myself."

Hades didn't wait for the demon's answer. Instead, he used his divine sense, and immediately, a dark purple spiritual mirror appeared before him, revealing the past events of the Heavenly Prime Star.

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