CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 302: RETURN TO ASGARD_2

Yang Qizhou drank a glass of cola, stretched lazily, and sat back on the sofa to pick up his phone.

Although the ’False Disguise’ description indicated that the ’Deceiving Apostle’s’ god-making ritual wouldn’t start until 2:00 in the afternoon, such a monumental event would surely show signs beforehand. Right now, ’Asgard’ within the ’God’s Fortress’ might already be swirling with strange undercurrents. Taking advantage of this moment to prepare the game character would undoubtedly increase the chances of succeeding in the upcoming temporary dungeon.

The screen suddenly turned dark and ominous, and as the interface slowly materialized, line by line of text refreshed into view.

...

"You’ve returned to the ’Truth Hall,’ greeted warmly by ’Little Seventeen.’"

"As usual, ’Little Seventeen’ asked about your travels during this time. You were delighted to have someone listen and didn’t hold back, recounting everything that happened in the ’Land of Prayer Light,’ except for a few key details. When mentioning the thrilling moments, you triggered a series of astonished exclamations from ’Little Seventeen.’"

"You glanced at the time again. Only two hours remained before the ’Deceiving Apostle’s’ god-making ritual. Time was tight, so you bid farewell to ’Little Seventeen’ and left the ’Truth Hall’ amidst their disappointed gaze."

"As the spirit light faded before your eyes, you found yourself once more in the magnificent ’Asgard,’ where nine great emblems glimmered like nebulae in the sky."

"Deceptive indeed. If not for personal experience, who could possibly guess that the seemingly holy ’God’s Fortress,’ home to nine ancient gods, had already been riddled with corruption by the ’Evil God’."

"You sighed internally, and your thoughts turned briefly to the wealth you had plundered here, evoking a moment of nostalgia."

"But now isn’t the time for that."

"You immediately used the ’Destiny Replay’ ability and activated the ’Dream Hidden World Clothes,’ concealing your presence in a Hidden State and masking the ’Wizard Aura’ of the game character as a ’Desecrated Wizard.’"

"You left the area and hid in a faraway corner, fixing your gaze on the unknown, as if waiting for something."

"Suddenly, "

"An old man emerged from the Void, holding a staff, dressed in intricate garments. His long beard swayed in the wind, but unlike your previous encounter with him days ago, his face no longer carried kindness. His expression was dark and terrifying, his hauntingly powerful gaze scanning the surroundings, seemingly searching for something."

"After a long while, "

"The old man found nothing, slowly retreated, and his figure vanished into the thin air, leaving behind only a lingering aura of dread."

...

Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes, a cruel glimmer flickering within.

"Just as expected, the ’Tree Ancient God’ hasn’t given up on enslaving the game character as a ’Desecrated Wizard’ to fix the flaws of the Ancient Gods. This old bastard will get what’s coming to him someday."

With a vengeance burning in his heart, Yang Qizhou refocused his attention on the game.

...

"After witnessing the ’Tree Ancient God’s’ departure, you quickly steadied your emotions and began pondering your next plan."

"The ’Deceiving Apostle’s’ god-making ritual was imminent, and there were surely hidden currents stirring beneath the surface. Gathering enough intelligence and unraveling as many Hidden truths as possible, then making the smartest choice when the time came—that was the next course of action."

"But how should you proceed...?"

"One thought after another flashed across your mind, ranging from using the Hidden State to eavesdrop on conversations in the streets, infiltrating the ’Star Color Ancient God Church,’ looking for the ’False Disguise,’ and more. Yet, due to various restrictions, you ultimately abandoned each idea in frustration."

"Just as you were racking your brain, suddenly, you thought of someone—no, a deity."

"The Harvest Goddess."

"She had been corrupted by the ’Desolate Mother,’ her form already twisted horrifically. As luck would have it, you acquired the ’Mother’s Crown’ in ’Chasing Light Village,’ which granted control over lifeforms tainted by ’Desolate Power.’"

"With this extraordinary artifact, you could manipulate the ’Harvest Goddess,’ creating opportunities during the upcoming ’Deceiving Apostle’ god-making ritual."

"The thought struck like lightning, and you immediately set off toward the domain of the ’Harvest Goddess.’"

"Along the way, you overheard the conversations of the locals."

"Among their words, the term ’Star’s Blessing Ritual’ was mentioned repeatedly, imprinting itself in your mind."

"Soon, you arrived beneath the ’Harvest Goddess’ emblem, gazing at the cascading flow of spirit light streaming down like a waterfall from the Sky Dome."

"But at the same time, a dilemma surfaced in your mind: how could you initiate communication with the ’Harvest Goddess?’"

"Revealing yourself by deactivating the effect of the ’Dream Hidden World Clothes?’ Certainly not. The ’Tree Ancient God’ was hypersensitive to Wizard Aura. Without the concealment of this ancient object, it wouldn’t take long for him to track your presence."

"You continued pondering deeply."

"Then, in a flash of insight."

"’Asgard’ was composed of nine divine countries, a mix of energies and entities. Although the ’Tree Ancient God’ was a Divine Sovereign, it’s highly unlikely he could pinpoint specific individuals directly. His immediate awareness of your arrival might stem from your ’Wizard Aura.’"

"Thus, if you succeeded in masking the ’Desecrated Wizard’s’ aura, you could likely elude the ’Tree Ancient God’s’ sight temporarily."

"The more you thought about it, the more likely it seemed."

"Having shepherded four gods and even toyed with other explorers who were also ’Desecrated Wizards,’ another crossing of fate lay before you."

"You hesitated to deactivate the ’Dream Hidden World Clothes’ effect, fearing it was too risky and might attract the ’Tree Ancient God’s’ attention. Ultimately, you abandoned that idea."

"Or perhaps, you decided it was worth a try."

"Please make your choice."

...

Fate’s crossroads? No, this was the checkpoint for saving progress.

If it were any other player, they’d likely find it difficult to decide in the short time available. The reason was simple: each choice represented a distinct storyline, with the unknown looming over whether any might lead the game character into the Abyss.

But Yang Qizhou was different...

He had cheats.

"What’s there to mull over? The obvious choice is to ’try’ this method. If it works, the game character can successfully meet the ’Harvest Goddess’ and use the Mother’s Crown to control her. If it fails, no big deal—just restart the destiny line and even snag freebies from the ’Destiny Store.’ A guaranteed win, no loss."

With his decision made, Yang Qizhou quickly carried out the corresponding operations.

...

"What’s there to hesitate over? Worst case, restart the destiny line... Listening to the sound of crow caws echoing in his mind, you promptly made up your mind."

"You deactivated the Hidden State, your figure gradually outlined like a painted creation."

"And at that very moment."

"A violent surge erupted within the emblem above, and gigantic stalks of grain sprang up around, towering ten meters high. Standing amidst them felt like being an ant wandering beneath their shadows. Shortly after, an exhilarated voice reached your ears..."

"You... finally... emerged."

"Hmm, judging by the Harvest Goddess’ tone, she didn’t seem angry, yet the effect of the ’Circle of Friendliness’ should have worn off."

"Confusion filled your heart."

"Still, this wasn’t the time to dwell on such matters. There was something even more urgent."

"Your mood turned solemn as you watched and waited intently, but after a long time, the ’Tree Ancient God’ failed to appear, allowing you to breathe a sigh of relief and even manage a faint smile."

"It seems my guess was correct—the ’Tree Ancient God’ can only detect my location through Wizard Aura."

"Meanwhile, "

"A breathtaking and sanctified silhouette bathed in spirit light suddenly emerged from the great emblem above, gracefully descending until it stood before you, its eyes filled with burning intensity..."

"Explorer from the Otherworld, aren’t we the best of friends? Why... Why did you run away? I bear no malice... I... I merely wish to have a child with you... Is it because I’m not beautiful enough?"

"Looking at the awe-inspiring figure bathed in cascading spirit light, and knowing the hidden truth behind the ’Harvest Goddess,’ you couldn’t help but shudder."

"Why is the effect of the ’Circle of Friendliness’ still active?"