After severing Mohg’s head, Bai Shi kept his eyes fixed on the now-decapitated corpse. Even in this state, Mohg was incredibly difficult to kill. He had to remain vigilant in case he pulled some other trick out of his sleeve. Bai Shi had to be absolutely certain of Mohg’s death before he could relax. Three seconds passed, then five, then ten... Finally, the runes from Mohg’s demise began to flow into Bai Shi’s body. Feeling the Great Rune within him and the Remembrance of the battle materializing in his hand, Bai Shi could finally confirm that Mohg was truly gone. Staring at the body, Bai Shi found it hard to believe. He had thought Mohg was saving one last trump card, ready to take them both down in a final blast. But he just died? So easily? Not even a hint of resistance? Something about it felt a little strange. He was always obsessed with Miquella, yet his final cry was filled with rage and despair... Could Miquella have had something to do with Mohg’s lack of resistance at the end? No, even if Miquella, as an Empyrean, could naturally charm all beings, to do something on this scale was too much... The idea that the little lord was actually the one pulling Mohg’s strings was a bit too far-fetched for Bai Shi to imagine. Still, watching the Mohgwyn Dynasty he had fought so hard for get wiped out, only to realize his opponent was a cheater right after he thought his own evolution had guaranteed victory—that would certainly be enough to drive anyone to despair. The Mohgwyn Dynasty had the misfortune of running into the likes of the Fengling Yueying clan. The power of the sun was monstrously strong, an enemy he could not overcome even with his full strength. Bai Shi tore his gaze from Mohg’s corpse and turned his attention to the Mohgwyn Sacred Spear. Even with Mohg dead, the channel on the sacred spear connecting to the Formless Mother remained open. The Formless Mother was still trying to surge forth, only to be incinerated by the sun without a trace. Unfortunately for her, without Mohg to continuously supply power and act as an anchor, the channel was steadily shrinking. The Formless Mother alone could not sustain it. The Erdtree’s rejection of Outer Gods was still in effect across the Lands Between, denying them entry. Unless they became the new law, Outer Gods could not truly interfere with the Lands Between. Now, even if Bai Shi ignored it, the Formless Mother would be unable to send her power down once the channel vanished completely in a short while. The Formless Mother’s strength was terrifying, but because she couldn't descend in person, she could only aid Mohg through limited means. If faced directly, her power and abilities would surely be far more difficult to handle than what he’d seen. The Outer Gods were simply too powerful. Seeing the channel on the verge of closing, the Formless Mother surged forward with even greater frenzy. With this new influx of power, the channel was even forcibly expanded. The Formless Mother extended her essence toward Mohg’s corpse on the ground, attempting to reclaim it. The headless body began to twitch again. The Divine Essence of the Formless Mother within Mohg started to control his body, inching it toward the sacred spear. Watching Mohg’s body creep along, Bai Shi prepared to descend with his flames and incinerate it. He had no idea if the Formless Mother possessed a method to repurpose Mohg’s flesh. Though Bai Shi was reluctant to desecrate a corpse, it was best to pull the problem out by the roots now. It would be disastrous if the Formless Mother modified this body into a vessel for her descent and came back for revenge someday. Unbeknownst to him, an illusory golden strand of hair descended from the void. Because of Melina's presence, the hair’s owner dared not use their full power, fearing exposure. But at this moment, there was no need for bewitchment. All that was needed... was a gentle nudge to his thoughts. Before Bai Shi could act, several gleaming needles pierced Mohg’s body. As Unalloyed Gold sealed away the power of the Formless Mother, the headless corpse slumped to the ground once more. Bai Shi looked over and saw Leda and her companions had arrived. Leda spoke, explaining to Bai Shi: “Lord Bai Shi, it would be best not to destroy the corpse right now.” “Mohg’s body still contains the power of an Outer God. It would be trouble if it were to leak out due to the body’s destruction.” “The power of Unalloyed Gold is specifically meant to counter the Outer Gods, so you need not worry for now.” Bai Shi considered her words and, by some strange impulse, found that she made perfect sense. “That works out. It saves me the trouble of defiling a corpse.” Melina turned to Bai Shi, studying him carefully. But by now, the illusory strand of hair had already withdrawn, and even she couldn't detect anything amiss. Though she had her doubts, she would not oppose a decision Bai Shi had made. Having lost control of the corpse and with the briefly expanded channel now shrinking again, the Formless Mother lost all desire to continue the fight. It silently committed the faces of Bai Shi and the others to memory before vanishing into the void. Bai Shi summoned his flames and began to scorch the Mohgwyn Sacred Spear. Without the Formless Mother’s power to sustain it, the spear quickly melted into a shapeless mass under the intense heat. The Mohgwyn Sacred Spear was an excellent weapon, but Bai Shi didn't dare use it. It was a ritual tool that connected to the Formless Mother from within the Lands Between. No matter how powerful it was, Bai Shi had no intention of keeping it. If the Formless Mother decided to channel her power through the spear again, he would surely have to waste another use of Fengling Yueying. Picking up the melted remains of the Mohgwyn Sacred Spear, Bai Shi confirmed that it no longer held any power related to blood. What was left after the burning was decent material, something that could be used for forging weapons later on. After stowing the material away, Bai Shi looked toward the Mohgwyn Palace on the mountain in the distance. Now it was time to thoroughly loot the Mohgwyn Dynasty. Bai Shi and Melina paid no mind to Leda and the others, making their way up through the Mohgwyn Dynasty and collecting everything of value. There weren’t many valuable items in the dynasty, but their quality was a pleasant surprise. After setting aside some useless items, the two acquired the following spoils from the Mohgwyn Dynasty. Four or five Rune Arcs, several Golden Seeds, a Dragoncrest Shield Talisman +2, many Arteria Leaves, and a large quantity of various Smithing Stones. These were all good items, but they hardly counted as the dynasty’s most precious treasures. One Great Grave Glovewort and one Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone—these were Bai Shi’s most valuable gains from this venture. He had obtained a Great Grave Glovewort before while helping Ranni acquire the Fingerslayer Blade, but one could never have too many. The Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone, however, was something else entirely. This was the first time Bai Shi had ever seen one in the Lands Between. This was a scale from the Dragonlord himself, imbued with the power of time and space. With this stone, Bai Shi could forge a weapon to +10, creating a God-Slaying Weapon. And with a God-Slaying Weapon, he would possess the ability to truly raise his blade against the gods. After collecting all the loot, Bai Shi and Melina stood before the Mohgwyn Palace. This was the final stop in the Mohgwyn Dynasty, but Bai Shi wasn't rushing inside. He still didn't know if the thing in that cocoon was truly Miquella. It was better to be cautious than to stumble at the final hurdle. Things being as they were, it was time to level up. In this battle, Bai Shi’s most direct and greatest gain was runes. He currently had more runes than ever before. Bai Shi couldn’t help but remark, what a true blood bank this was. This time, he had effectively annihilated all the enemies in the Mohgwyn Dynasty's underground domain. Such a vast number of foes, multiplied by a fivefold rune gain, had provided Bai Shi with a staggering six million runes. Mohg himself had also yielded a handsome sum of around two million runes. All in all, Bai Shi had reaped about eight million runes from the Mohgwyn Dynasty, completely emptying the bank. Adding that to the four million-plus runes he had accumulated since defeating Radahn, Bai Shi’s rune count had reached the tens of millions for the first time. He now held over thirteen million runes within him! Feeling the massive amount of runes inside him, Bai Shi was overjoyed. Even though the cost of leveling up was getting progressively higher, this amount was more than enough for a significant boost. Bai Shi decided to use them all immediately. It had been a tough road, but his hard work had finally paid off today. Bai Shi looked at Melina and waved her over. Melina walked to his side, about to ask why they weren't entering the palace, when Bai Shi took her hand. She froze for a moment, then immediately sensed the astonishing amount of runes within him. Bai Shi smiled. It had been a while since he’d seen Melina look so surprised. Back when they first started their journey, even the three hundred thousand runes awarded by the Two Fingers had seemed like an unprecedented fortune. Now, three hundred thousand was barely pocket change. Bai Shi began to plan his next stat allocation. His highest attribute was currently Arcane, at 65 points. But since this stat had already surpassed its soft cap, Bai Shi didn't plan to raise it any further for now. After fighting Mohg, who had been transformed by the Formless Mother's power, Bai Shi had a rough idea of the threshold for the next tier of strength. He hadn't known the conditions for advancement before, but now he could plan his build accordingly. He didn’t know which specific stats Mohg had enhanced, but his Strength and Dexterity had definitely broken past their respective soft caps. Those attributes were clearly expressed in combat; Bai Shi had felt their overwhelming power firsthand. As for Arcane and Vigor, Bai Shi estimated that Mohg had surpassed their thresholds long ago. Bai Shi guessed that at least three attributes needed to break their soft caps to fully transcend to that level beyond the reach of demigods—the level that granted one the power to be a king. Therefore, if Bai Shi wanted to reach that tier as soon as possible, he should focus on raising his other high stats. Aside from Arcane, his highest stat was Vigor at 55. Next was Strength at 45. This time, Bai Shi planned to invest in Vigor, Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance. When he used the power of his Great Rune to increase his size, the bonus it gave to his other four stats would be transferred to these four instead, which would undoubtedly bring Bai Shi closer to the level of a king. Even if he could only attain kingly power while in that form, it was absolutely worth it. Having decided on his plan, Bai Shi explained it to Melina and then used the power of his Great Rune to enlarge his form. Seeing that Bai Shi was ready, Melina nodded and began to level up his Vigor, one point at a time. After spending over three million runes, Bai Shi’s Vigor reached 70. A strange sensation washed over him, and Bai Shi immediately felt a change in his body. This was a change in his very vitality. The feeling of a physical attribute breaking its limit was distinct, completely different from when his Arcane had done so. He let out a breath but didn't rush to test his new body. Instead, he had Melina start adding points to Strength. After adding 10 points to Strength, pushing it past 65, Bai Shi felt that sensation of transformation once again. Bai Shi opened his palm, feeling the immense power coursing through him. Now the conditions for breaking through were clear. With two attributes consecutively surpassing their limits, Bai Shi had confirmed his theory: At least three attributes had to break their thresholds to step into the next tier. In his current state, both his Strength and Vigor had reached that point. Because the Great Rune had shifted the bonus away from Arcane, that stat was temporarily below the threshold. Even so, Arcane was currently his closest stat. And he already knew its soft cap; he would only need 10 more points to break its limit in this form. Choosing to level Dexterity wasn't a bad idea either. Bai Shi had Millicent's Prosthesis talisman. If Dexterity’s limit was the same as Strength’s, he would only need a few more points to break it as well, and his combat prowess would be even greater. Sensing the mere two million runes remaining inside him, Bai Shi shook his head. Follow current novᴇls on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩 It seemed he would still need to find Marika's Soreseal. The cost of leveling up was increasing, and he wouldn't be seeing a windfall again for a long time. He would rarely encounter enemies that provided such a massive amount of runes in the future. Reality wasn't like a game, where later-game areas offered more runes. After turning the runes into strength for Bai Shi, Melina smiled with joy. She wasn't considering the grander implications; she only knew that Bai Shi had become even more powerful. Seeing Bai Shi lost in thought, Melina asked: “What are you still thinking about?” “Aren’t you going inside to see what’s left?” Bai Shi nodded, using the Great Rune to return to his normal size. As his Strength and Vigor dropped below their thresholds again, the sense of lost power was more intense than ever. Bai Shi pursed his lips. It was a shame his runes were still insufficient; he had to resort to extreme stat allocation for now. Bai Shi and Melina entered the palace. The shrine had already been mostly destroyed by a sun spear when Bai Shi first entered the Mohgwyn Dynasty. With Mohg’s death, the defenses he had placed around the cocoon had also vanished. Bai Shi stood at the top of the stairs at the end of the palace, looking at the arm extending from the cocoon, observing it carefully. The hand wore a golden ring. It was withered and stained with blood. However, contrary to what Bai Shi had heard about Miquella, the owner of this hand was a completely different size than the legends described. It was said that Miquella never aged, remaining forever in the body of a child. This body in the cocoon was far from being a child’s; it was even larger than Mohg. “Are you perplexed by this body?” Leda’s voice sounded from behind Bai Shi.