As some forces waged war in frozen worlds, others continued to elevate the power of their Worlds as dungeon diving became widespread in one small Blue Planet, the Beast World, and the Demon World.
There were still an enormous amount of beings that could not be considered 'Awakened' and did not fit into any category, but more and more were joining their ranks naturally as the essence of their Worlds continued to be elevated, with some finding themselves stepping into the F Rank in their sleep as their bodies continued to be cradled with the abundant amount of essence.
This allowed for a large number of beings to actively dive in the many created dungeons that were catered to making them stronger, with very few beings facing death from carelessness and stupidity every now and then.
In the Blessed Empire and United Federation, abundant trade had bloomed as they gained access to unique items, treasures, and produce from the two words they were connected to.
The Blessed Empire received more influence from the Beast World as there was a Main Gateway connecting the Beast World to the Blue Planet near its borders, while the United Federation had more influence from the Demon World as they began the widespread trading and production of [Power Jewels] that were unique to the demon world.
These [Power Jewels], a product of Abyss Magic that the demons specialized in, were among the hottest commodities being traded nowadays because they acted as huge damage amplifiers to their skills, having a unique function of 'Corrupting' their abilities and making them almost twice as powerful. It was more frequently being called a Modifier by the newly awakened hunters that still observed everything like it was a game.
The Beast World continued its focus on produce and weapons, especially from the Frozen Kingdom that Noah visited the most frequently, making it the one that received more attention with the use of [Budding Farmer] that continued to explode the agricultural sector with plants that could be termed Medicinal Herbs already with their current effectiveness.
The system of power that all three worlds currently enjoyed, being able to quantify their strength and visibly see their skills, as well as combine complementary skills, made for a competitive environment where many beings were trying their best to advance through the ranks of Awakened/Hunters and become well known while gaining enormous amounts of wealth.
The Atlanteans and Merfolk were also quietly rebuilding their own version of Atlantis in the seas of the Blue Planet, causing an explosive growth of species in the sea while using their technological advancements to build towering structures that caused the envy of many.
Those that were rich enough to call upon the help of the beings from Atlantis found themselves in luxuriously built homes that even the billionaires of the planet before the apocalypse would be jealous of.
The Ocean Master observed all of this as he continued to work behind the scenes for the recreation of multiple World Engines, moving with extreme care after the words of a certain savior of theirs came down yet again for increased secrecy of the project, with very few beings having knowledge of it.
The worlds were vast, with many beings moving around them. Each had their own goals and ideals as they moved forward, collectively continuing to create a powerful group of beings that were rapidly growing and expanding their knowledge and power.
Across the stars, many different powers received the news that the Infernal Hunt would be occurring a hundred years earlier than planned, and they all prepared for this momentous event as trainees and disciples from various worlds were moving with excitement.
The excitement this time around was even more glorious as they heard of the increased rewards for those that do exceedingly well, with the disciples of the Three Supreme Sects of the World of Cultivation being even more driven as their Sects' powerful Absolute Techniques were the topmost rewards they could get their hands on!
This was something that was only in the wildest of dreams from even the Core Disciples of these sects, as very few were granted the clearance from the Council of Elders to observe these powerful techniques and try to learn them.
In the Profound Astral Sect, it was even busier as besides the shocking news that the Wastrel of the Sect could not be called that name anymore, the arrival of old disciples that were the trump cards that the sect was raising in secret in the outside world were returning to join in this excursion!
They were Core Disciples that very few knew of, but they increased the excitement of the disciples of the sect as they knew with their addition, they would be even safer while traversing the Infernal Realm that was the First Hell.
This was because the returning disciples were no less powerful than the Shining Son and even the newly advanced Crixus, with some of them being even more powerful!
Their arrival caused a tumultuous movement in the shock as many disciples gathered on the main peak with the preparations to set off for the First Hell being underway. They watched the Teleportation Portal shine as five figures made their presence clear before their eyes, aweing them to their very cores as they sensed their levels of strength.
From what they could see, even the weakest of the five newly arrived disciples was at the Saint Realm, with them not being able to see the realms of others! This left them roiling in shock and awe as they asked themselves- in front of such geniuses, weren't they just trash?!
Among the many disciples congregating on the Main Peak of the Steller Sky Mountains, the Shining Son, William, was looking closely at the appearance of these unheard of disciples as someone not too far from him was giving these beings an even closer look.
The figure of 'Crixus' had a brief change in expression as he observed the faces of two particular beings among the newly returning core disciples, as he knew these faces very well!
One was the Celestial Disciple Drax that he had already come in contact with before, while another held a prominent figure that he recognized from the memories of Drax, the being that acted on the orders of the Celestials and directly caused the destruction of the Lost World of Atlantis!
In the recesses of Drax's memories, Noah had found the collections of missions of many of the Celestial Disciples, with many of the memories occupying the renowned War Princess, Athena.
The Celestial Disciple at the forefront of power, the one that many Celestials looked at with favor as someone who would soon join their ranks. The ever so powerful and beautiful Athena, as well as a party of other Celestial Disciples, had all arrived to take part in the Infernal Hunt with the disciples of the Profound Astral Sect.