I Reborn as a God Within a Statue, And You Ask Me to Enslave All Gods?-Chapter 85 --Dark God World

The system notification flashed before his eyes:

"Due to the reckless actions of the Dark God, the human populace here believes only in their own strength. They stop at nothing to grow stronger, all for the sake of opposing the Dark God!"

"Currently, within your territory, there are awakeners who despise the Dark God so much that they have merged themselves with the desert sands, secretly accumulating power!"

"There are also awakeners at the edge of the vast desert who resonate with flowers, trees, and grass, vowing to eradicate the Dark God at all costs!"

"Additionally, others among the human race are sharpening their blades, preparing for an all-out assault against the Dark God."

"You can stay here for one hour. Any devotees you recruit within this hour will be able to follow you into your domain!"

Hearing the system’s notification, Owen’s face showed a trace of astonishment.

Previously, he had thought this place was merely an illusory realm, but to his surprise, it was real! Even more shocking was that the devotees here could be taken back to his village and town!

If that were truly the case, Owen was certainly intrigued!

Lately, expanding his number of devotees had become increasingly difficult. The villages and refugees surrounding Annasi Town had already been absorbed into the settlement. Finding a large number of new devotees was no easy task.

But this secret realm presented a rare opportunity.

Immediately, Owen became serious. Instead of acting rashly, he carefully analyzed the current situation.

Based on the system’s notifications, the awakeners in this special world possessed formidable combat power. After all, they dared to openly challenge the Dark God.

Though the exact strength of these Dark Gods was unknown, the fact that they were called gods meant they were certainly no weaklings!

Yet, the human awakeners here showed no fear. On the contrary, they saw slaying the Dark God as their ultimate mission.

With that in mind, Owen took a closer look at his surroundings.

At the edge of the yellow desert was a relatively large settlement. The village was populated solely by able-bodied individuals—there were almost no elderly among them. These young and middle-aged people constantly pushed themselves to advance, training relentlessly to enhance their combat abilities.

Surviving in the arid desert was no easy feat. Every breath they took and every moment under the scorching sun inflicted stinging pain upon them. As a result, their skin had taken on a bronze-like hue.

The howling sandstorms swept across their bodies, causing their toughened skin to crack and produce a metallic clashing sound.

The structures they built were crude, with the only well-protected area being the village center, where a precious, murky underground water source was carefully guarded.

In the desert, water was a matter of life and death.

"12 Tier-4 awakeners, 36 Tier-3 awakeners, and 150 Tier-2 awakeners."

After surveying the entire settlement, Owen’s face revealed a trace of surprise.

No wonder this was a world dedicated to eradicating the Dark God! The 12 Tier-4 awakeners, honed through relentless training, were as ferocious as savage spellbeasts. If they worked together, even a 1-Star Ancient God would face the risk of perishing!

And this was just one ordinary village in the desert.

Elsewhere, the human awakeners must be even more terrifying!

At the same time, this also indicated that the Dark Gods in this world were far stronger than the half-baked deities of other realms. Otherwise, they would have already been wiped out by these formidable human awakeners.

Realizing this, Owen knew that the difficulty of this trial had skyrocketed compared to the first stage.

If he couldn’t conquer these people through absolute strength, making them submit to him would be impossible!

Most deities participating in this trial were merely here for the spectacle—few would walk away with any gains.

"Although I’m not in Annasi right now, thanks to the special rules of this place, it’s as if I were still within my own domain. My combat power won’t be affected..."

Owen murmured, contemplating his next move.

A 1-Star Ancient God only possessed combat strength equivalent to a Tier-4 peak awakener at best. In a place where awakeners were this strong, spreading his faith through sheer might alone was unrealistic.

Owen was well aware that humans revered gods for two reasons:

A god could accomplish what they could not.A god could grant them things beyond their reach.

If a deity failed to meet either of these criteria, they wouldn’t be respected, let alone worshiped.

Just as Owen was contemplating how best to inspire true devotion among these people, a scorching storm suddenly surged from the distance.

From within that storm, Owen sensed an overwhelmingly strong divine power fluctuation!

A god was controlling the storm and approaching rapidly!

And the aura exuded by this deity was disturbingly wicked, carrying a soul-distorting presence—it was undoubtedly one of the Dark Gods.

Owen immediately shifted his focus to the advancing storm.

The howling winds swept up vast amounts of yellow sand, filling the sky and earth with swirling dust.

At the center of the storm stood a monstrous marble statue, a being that devoured flesh and blood.

This statue had endured the test of time, its features eroded and blurry. However, it was still possible to make out the form of a female Dark God.

Her figure was grotesquely twisted, crouched low to the ground. From her back sprouted numerous writhing tentacles that formed aberrant flesh-wings. With each beat of those wings, the winds raged wildly, exuding a terrifying aura!

"Humans... fresh, living humans! Finally, I won’t have to gnaw on those dry, brittle mummies anymore!"

A spine-chilling voice echoed from the Aberration Statue, followed by the opening of its gaping maw. A serpentine, crimson tongue slithered over its cracked lips.

As the voice reached the village, the awakeners training within tensed up. Gripping their Sacred Vestiges, they braced themselves, eyes filled with wariness and a tinge of fear.

The aura emanating from this Dark God was utterly overwhelming.

"A Tier-5 peak deity?!"

"The Flesh-Winged Angel shouldn’t be this deep in the desert—why is it here?"

"This is bad. Our defensive measures weren’t triggered at all, meaning it has been watching us for some time!"

At that moment, panic spread among the village’s awakeners.

Although their collective power was formidable—enough to hold their ground against a Tier-5 beginner or even mid-level deity—this Flesh-Winged Angel was at the very peak of Tier-5! They had no chance of winning.

But before they could fully react, the sandstorm had already descended upon them.

The sky-darkening, surging sands felt like a burial ritual, heralding their impending doom.

"We three will stay behind to hold off the Dark God. The rest of you, take the village’s most talented individuals and evacuate immediately!"

Realizing the dire situation, the village chief and two other elders stepped forward, determined to buy time for the younger generation to escape.

Living in this turbulent world, they had long prepared for the worst.

Without hesitation, they activated their forbidden techniques, instantly pushing their awakener levels to the absolute peak.

Gripping the axes at their waists, they stared down the approaching Flesh-Winged Angel with unwavering resolve.

Their Sacred Vestige weapons responded to their fighting spirit—their axe blades expanded, their weight increased, and dark gravity elements coiled around them.

These three Tier-4 peak awakeners, through sheer willpower, now exuded the aura of Tier-5 awakeners!

Yet, against a Tier-5 peak Dark God, their defiance was insignificant.

Owen’s gaze shifted toward the village chief, who held the strongest Sacred Vestige among them.

Though outmatched, his weapon still radiated defiant brilliance in the face of the Flesh-Winged Angel’s oppressive power.

But the gap was too vast.

Their defeat was inevitable.

Owen, however, did not act immediately.

The humans here harbored deep hostility toward deities.

Only by stepping in at the crucial moment could he maximize his impact—ensuring that every single villager became his devotee.