Lord: Sequence Master

Rosen stood beneath the World Tree, closing his eyes as he sensed the changes sweeping across the entire Ancient God Realm.

From Sequence 1 to Sequence 0—this was the key step in the transformation from mortal to god.

Just as it was for life, so too was it for worlds.

The growth of the Ancient God Realm this time was crucial. He could clearly feel the power of the Painting Law and the Flesh Law merging into the world, and even his divine essence was permeating it.

Only at this moment did Rosen truly realize that he had finally gained complete control over the Ancient God Realm.

If the Ancient God Realm were compared to the Abyssal World, then he was now its Abyssal Will, while the Painting World Fruit and the Flesh World Fruit were akin to two Abyssal layers. As the will of this world, he possessed power one level higher than usual—meaning that within the Ancient God Realm, he wielded strength equivalent to that of a true god.

Rosen continued to examine the Flesh Law within the Flesh World Fruit and discovered that it differed from the Flesh Law of the Mother of Flesh.

If he had to compare them directly, the Mother of Flesh controlled the current Flesh Law of the main world, while the Flesh Law within the Flesh World Fruit seemed to belong to the previous Ancient God Era.

It was likely that the segment of the World Tree's trunk, which had given rise to the Flesh Abyss, had inherited the Flesh Law of the previous Ancient God Era.

This would explain why the Flesh World Fruit had generated a law that had already been abandoned by the current age.

However, this didn't mean that the old Flesh Law had lost its value.

On the contrary, within the Ancient God Realm, the old Flesh Law could still function with the full strength of a complete law.

More importantly, by comparing the old and new Flesh Laws, Rosen could analyze their similarities and differences.

The similarities might hold the key to what made laws powerful, while the differences could reveal how the Ancient Gods had once modified the laws themselves.

After understanding the transformations of the Ancient God Realm and the Flesh Law, Rosen turned his attention to the changes in the World Tree.

First, he now had the ability to fully master a third miracle artifact through the Miracle Sequence.

Second, after advancing to Sequence 0, the World Tree had developed a truly formidable suppression power—any true god within its vicinity would have their combat strength forcibly weakened by 36%.

Two months later, Rosen was ready to leave the First Layer of the Abyss.

He had kept watch for two months but hadn't found any new opportunities to exploit.

Since there was nothing left to gain, there was no reason to stay.

Unfortunately, the next time he wanted to return, it wouldn't be nearly as easy as this time.

Following his decision, the bronze dragon avatar Rosen had stationed at Brilliance Palace received his command and immediately opened the doors to the Mysterious Study Room, shifting its anchor point. The moment the doors swung open, the Mysterious Study Room was no longer linked to the First Layer of the Abyss but had returned to Brilliance Palace.

However, Rosen didn't intend to linger for long. His mastery of the World Authority had reached 36%, and if he didn't integrate a Sequence 7 miracle artifact soon, he risked running into an opportunity that would suddenly push his mastery to 40%—which could cause unpredictable issues. Fortunately, he already had a lead on a Sequence 7 miracle artifact within a historical secret realm.

After taking some time to rest and prepare, Rosen set off for his domain in the Dragon Realm. Over the years, his territory in the Dragon Realm had flourished greatly.

This time, his visit was for one reason—to obtain the miracle artifact left behind by the Wise Dragon God, the Relic of Wisdom.

The Wise Dragon God, who wielded the Law of Wisdom, had a deep obsession with collecting artifacts infused with knowledge and wisdom. Among them was a Sequence 7 artifact known as the Relic of Wisdom. Though its rank wasn't particularly high, its effects and value were astonishing.

After the Wise Dragon God's fall, the Relic of Wisdom also vanished.

Through ancient records in historical secret realms, Rosen had uncovered detailed information about the Relic of Wisdom's attributes.

One of its miracle traits granted it a unique inheritance property.

If the Relic of Wisdom hadn't fallen into the hands of the one who slew the Wise Dragon God, then it was most likely in the possession of one of the god's bloodline descendants. As far as Rosen knew, there were very few such descendants.

Rosen's flesh avatar had successfully taken over the body of a Sequence 5 Wisdom Dragon. Through this disguise, he had gained considerable insight into the inner workings of the Wisdom Dragon clan.

Throughout the entire Dragon Realm, there were fewer than a hundred Wisdom Dragons, and the Wise Dragon God's descendants numbered at most a handful.

Among them, four were fully grown Sequence 1 dragons, while only one was a younger Sequence 3 dragon.

That meant there was a high probability that the Relic of Wisdom was in the possession of the Sequence 3 youth.

Although the artifact was extremely valuable, it was most beneficial when used by lower-ranked dragons. The four elder Wisdom Dragons, without exception, were the younger one's seniors. If they were focused on nurturing their sole descendant, it was unlikely they would be stingy with the Relic of Wisdom.

Of course, to confirm this, further investigation and testing were required.

Activating his God-Hunting Magic Eye, Rosen began his surveillance of the young dragon, Alexis.

Like all Wisdom Dragons, Alexis was perpetually immersed in the pursuit of knowledge. Every Wisdom Dragon, from birth to death, spent over half its time learning, more than thirty percent on research, and less than twenty percent on all other matters combined.

After several days of observation, Rosen realized that this approach wasn't going to work.

He needed a way to actively probe whether Alexis possessed the Relic of Wisdom.

But then a thought struck him—why bother testing at all?

If the Relic of Wisdom wasn't with Alexis, then it had to be with one of the four Sequence 1 Wisdom Dragons.

Rosen wasn't foolish enough to underestimate them just because they were Sequence 1.

Wisdom Dragons were among the rare few dragon species with extremely poor innate bloodline talents.

Relying solely on their draconic heritage, a Wisdom Dragon could, at best, grow to Sequence 3. Advancing beyond that would require an immense number of bloodline-enhancing treasures.

But where there was loss, there was gain. While Wisdom Dragons had weak bloodline talents, their souls possessed terrifyingly powerful innate abilities.

Every Wisdom Dragon was an arcanist. Among the four Sequence 1 bloodline descendants of the Wise Dragon God, at least two were also Sequence 0 arcane god-priests.

Going against those four would be incredibly dangerous.

Even the Dragon Binding Rope might not guarantee a successful capture.

The Dragon Binding Rope primarily targeted draconic bloodlines and dragon souls. If a Wisdom Dragon were pushed to the brink, it would likely abandon its body, and its dragon soul—unlike ordinary dragons—would transform into an Arcane Soul.

This would weaken the Dragon Binding Rope's effectiveness against them by at least thirty or forty percent.

And if he couldn't subdue them instantly, it could easily alert the dragon gods.

Capturing the four Sequence 1 Wisdom Dragons was too risky, but capturing Alexis, the Sequence 3 youth, would be simple.

If Alexis had the Relic of Wisdom, Rosen could take it directly.

If he didn't, then Alexis could serve as a bargaining chip to exchange for it.

Using the Arcane Magic Network, Rosen transmitted himself directly behind Alexis.

Before Alexis could even react, the Dragon Binding Rope had already coiled around him.

The newly ascended Sequence 0 Imaginary Dragon instantly pulled Alexis's divine consciousness into a dreamscape.

Rosen was fortunate—the Relic of Wisdom was indeed in Alexis's possession.

After extracting the Relic of Wisdom from Alexis's dragon soul, Rosen instinctively considered replacing Alexis's draconic body and then letting him go. A living Wisdom Dragon could bring him far greater value in the future.

However, just as Rosen was about to release him, Alexis unexpectedly refused to leave.

"I beg you, let me stay," Alexis said earnestly upon seeing Rosen.

"I'll need a reason that convinces me," Rosen asked curiously.

"I have detected traces of the Wise Dragon God's divine law fluctuations," Alexis answered with a hint of fervor. "I also heard from Lord Imaginary Dragon that you are a born dragon god… and that you're a historian. I've been passionate about history since I was young, and I wish to create a Historian Sequence for the dragon race."

Rosen cast a deep glance at the Imaginary Dragon. Just how much had this creature told Alexis?

The more one knew, the more troublesome it was to erase memories. It seemed Alexis couldn't be let go.

But that wasn't a bad thing. The Ancient God's True Realm was vast enough to support a Wisdom Dragon. Alexis's draconic body had already been quietly replaced, so if he harbored any ulterior motives, he would simply be digging his own grave. Rosen promptly decided to leave Alexis in the care of the Imaginary Dragon.

After sending off the Imaginary Dragon and Alexis, Rosen finally retrieved the Relic of Wisdom.

Standing before the World Tree, he began merging the artifact with the Miracle Sequence.

Wrapped in the power of the Miracle Sequence, the Relic of Wisdom quickly fused into the extraordinary essence of the sequence.

[Relic of Wisdom: Miracle Sequence]

[Rank: Sequence 7]

[Miracle Property: The Relic of Wisdom can dissolve spiritual essence into the Fountain of Wisdom, transforming life into wisdom.]

[Miracle Trait: Source of Wisdom]

Rosen activated the Relic of Wisdom, and it manifested in two distinct forms.

The first form was a statue of a serene, contemplative goddess.

The second form depicted the goddess raising a sacred urn high above her head, from which the Fountain of Wisdom flowed.

The water from the fountain possessed both permanent intelligence enhancement and temporary wisdom amplification.

Rosen took out a Sequence 1 Judgment Bullet, which contained the divine essence of a Sequence 1 Ashen Lifeform. As soon as the bullet neared the mouth of the urn, it was instantly absorbed.

Moments later, the goddess statue shifted into its second form and began pouring out the Fountain of Wisdom.

Rosen drank every last drop of the wisdom-infused water.

With his fragments of the Wise Dragon God's divinity, he could distinctly sense his permanent intelligence increasing slightly. However, the temporary surge in wisdom was just as potent as the augmentation granted by the divinity of wisdom itself. No wonder this artifact had been a prized inheritance of the Wise Dragon God's lineage.

Savoring the Fountain of Wisdom, Rosen activated the miracle trait Source of Wisdom.

Once activated, this Source of Wisdom allowed him to infuse the Fountain of Wisdom with knowledge he had mastered. Anyone who drank the water could instantly grasp this knowledge. Even more astonishingly, he could use it to anchor extraordinary bloodlines, embedding the knowledge directly into their very essence so it could be passed down to future generations.

Lastly, through the Source of Wisdom within the bloodline, he could sense and remotely summon the Relic of Wisdom.

It was precisely because of this ability that the Relic of Wisdom had not been lost after the Wise Dragon God's demise.

Merging a Miracle Artifact into the Miracle Sequence wasn't just about perfectly mastering the sequence—it also significantly enhanced the artifact's power.

Originally, the Relic of Wisdom did not possess the ability to convert life into wisdom.

Now, after its integration, Rosen discovered that the Relic of Wisdom could absorb his lifespan— the more it consumed, the greater the boost to wisdom. More importantly, this lifespan-for-wisdom conversion effect could stack with the Fountain of Wisdom, amplifying its effects even further.

However, Rosen also realized that the Relic of Wisdom was not as simple as it appeared.

Even though the Miracle Sequence had fully integrated it, he felt that he could only completely control the urn held by the Goddess Statue. The statue itself, however, remained untouched by the Miracle Sequence's transcendent essence.

Rosen spent several days studying the Goddess Statue but found nothing unusual about it.

If not for the fact that it resisted full integration, he would have assumed there was nothing abnormal about the Relic of Wisdom.

With no further breakthroughs, he shifted his focus to creating new skills.

His Noble Sequence skills were complete, but he still lacked three for Painter and two for Hunter.

Deciding to prioritize Painter, he immediately saw rapid progress thanks to his triple-stacked wisdom boost.

As for the lifespan consumed in the process, he had plenty of ways to extend it.

Time passed, year after year. After a full twenty years, his first self-created skill was finally born.

[Fate Frame: Miracle Skill]

[Miracle Property: Any spiritual painting framed within the Fate Frame can break free from the shackles of destiny.]

[Miracle Traits: Fate Deduction, Unique on Heaven and Earth, Eternal and Indestructible.]

As expected, Rosen had acquired yet another Miracle Skill.

For most Extraordinary Sequences, even reaching godhood would not guarantee the acquisition of a single Miracle Skill.

Yet, in his hands, these exceedingly rare Miracle Skills now numbered beyond what he could count on both hands.

He had studied this phenomenon in depth.

There could be multiple reasons behind his frequent acquisition of Miracle Skills.

One possibility was that the skills he created were inherently beyond their expected level.

For example, Fate Frame was something no ordinary Sequence 2 should have been able to create.

A Sequence 2 developing such a skill was, in itself, a miracle.

Another factor could be the influence of the Miracle Sequence and the World Tree.

The stronger his Miracle Sequence became, the more attuned he seemed to be with the power of miracles.

Rosen retrieved a branch he had plucked from the World Tree and activated Fate Frame.

Instantly, the World Tree branch was enveloped in divine power, reshaped into an ornate picture frame.

He then placed Demonic Manifestation within it.

[Demonic Manifestation: Miracle Painting]

[Rank: Sequence 2]

Its Miracle Property and Miracle Traits remained unchanged, but its rank had risen from Sequence 3 to Sequence 2.

Advancing the rank of an Extraordinary Sequence was no easy feat.

Living beings found it difficult to ascend through the ranks, but for inanimate objects, it was even harder—nearly impossible.

For something like Demonic Manifestation, a Miracle Painting, elevating its sequence level should have been as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Rosen wondered—could he use external forces to break the shackles of fate that restricted sequence ranks?

Thus, Fate Frame was born. Since he was a Sequence 2 Painter, Fate Frame could elevate all his spiritual paintings below Sequence 2 to Sequence 2. While it couldn't alter their miracle properties or miracle traits, it could increase their sequence rank and enhance their base attributes.

This enhancement was powerful, but ultimately, it was just a way to trade resources for time.

After all, Rosen could now easily paint Sequence 2 works himself.

The materials used to craft the Fate Frame even exceeded what was needed to paint a Sequence 2 spiritual painting directly.

So, using Fate Frame to frame Demonic Manifestation was clearly a gain, but using it on a Sequence 3 angel painting would be a waste.

However, when combined with the miracle trait Fate Deduction, Rosen would only profit.

Fate Frame broke predetermined fate, while Fate Deduction continued to extrapolate its evolution.

Essentially, it granted a painting growth potential.

If a painting of an inanimate object was framed, Fate Deduction wouldn't have much effect.

But for something like an angel painting, which contained a living being, the angel manifested from the artwork could cultivate just like a real one.

Originally, the sequence rank increase only improved base attributes—it didn't grant Sequence 2 skills.

But with Fate Deduction, the painted angel could learn and master Sequence 2 skills on its own.

With his first self-created skill perfected, Rosen moved on to the second.

This time, he needed a curse technique even stronger than Death Verdict.

Yet, despite stacking three layers of wisdom, he failed.

Shortly after attempting his new skill, Rosen realized that he couldn't create a powerful curse technique on his own.

His understanding of curses was simply too shallow.

Moreover, to develop a truly potent curse, he needed to do it in a place saturated with powerful curse energy.

After extensive searching, he finally found a suitable location.

The Infernal World—a realm that had once rivaled the Abyss in strength.

In the past, all souls of the dead—except for those belonging to believers—were drawn into the Infernal World.

However, the birth of the Spiritual Realm led to the destruction of the Infernal World.

Officially, history recorded that all True Gods had joined forces to annihilate it.

But in truth, it was likely that one or more Greater True Gods had intervened.

Otherwise, the Infernal World could not have been wiped out so completely—at the very least, it would have dragged a few True Gods down with it.

Since its destruction, demons had vanished from the world.

Though the Infernal World itself was gone, its ruins remained.

But these ruins had become incredibly dangerous—a breeding ground for Eldritch Gods with intelligence.

It was now considered the stronghold of the Eldritch Gods of Wisdom, and even the True Gods of various races dared not approach.

After careful deliberation, Rosen ultimately abandoned the suicidal idea of venturing into the Infernal Ruins.

If he couldn't go to the Infernal World, he could at least search for traces of demons.

The most powerful demons must have wielded formidable curse techniques.

Especially the demonic contracts left behind by True God-level demons—these could definitely help him create a powerful cursed painting technique.

A few days later, Rosen arrived at the largest Desert of Death on the Sacred Continent.

This desert had once been the royal court of the Elves and home to their Tree of Life.

However, the Giants had felled the Tree of Life, and as a result, nature's curse had drained all life from the land, turning it into a barren wasteland.

Many ruins of the Elven Royal Court still lay buried beneath this Desert of Death.

During the Elven era, the Elves had a specialized profession—Demon Hunters.

They specialized in hunting both Abyssal Demons and Infernal Devils.

Despite their name, Demon Hunters weren't just exterminators—they were experts at stealing demonic powers and could even transform into demons themselves.

If he couldn't find a powerful curse artifact related to demons here, his only option would be to steal from the treasuries of the Abyssal Lords.

But with all the Abyssal Lords currently on high alert, infiltrating the Abyss was not a good idea right now.