CHAPTER 363: CHAPTER 307: MURAL_2

...

Sky Mountain Garden No.10, Yang Qizhou continued refreshing the game.

"The Pope of the Tree Church is actually chanting the full name of the ’Deception Lord’? Could all of this be part of a conspiracy?"

"A deep sense of vigilance rises instantly within you,"

"At that very moment, mysterious ripples appear in the Void, an indescribable force manifests, deceiving the distance, placing the malevolent hand of the ’Tree Ancient God’ infinitely far away from you."

"You hesitate for a split second, but ultimately decide to take the gamble and step through that door of twisted branches woven into an intricate frame."

"You faintly hear an ephemeral voice—it is the Pope, and he says... ’Friend of the Tree Ancient God, dear guest, thank you for your trust.’"

"As the darkness of the realm fades, you use [Kan Rui’s Wizard Ring] to perceive your surroundings. You find yourself in an underground world resembling a crypt; water streams over the stony floor, walls are adorned with murals, and occasional beast-like roars, full of malice, echo from deep within."

"Recalling the Pope’s final words, a sneer escapes your lips."

"Trust?"

"Heh, surely you jest—anyone with a shred of logical thought wouldn’t trust someone who has uttered the full solemn name of the ’Deception Lord’. Yet you were unwilling for this venture to end fruitlessly, unwilling to use the ’Dark Crow of Profane Fortune’ to restart the destiny line; hence, you decided to take the risk."

"Comparatively speaking, I’d much rather trust the ambiguous yet seemingly neutral stance of yours over the openly malicious ’Tree Ancient God’ who has been supplanted by the Old King."

"After murmuring to yourself,"

"You shift your focus back to the events that just transpired, bowing your head in quiet contemplation."

"On the surface, the ’Deception Lord’ must have long secretly contacted the Pope and promised various assurances. Yet this devoutly faithful Pope of the ’Tree Ancient God’ harbors immense caution toward the Endless Abyss and hadn’t agreed to anything—at least not until he glimpsed some form of hope within you. Thus, even at the cost of burning his soul, chanting the full name of the ’Deception Lord,’ he delivers himself here in an attempt to unravel all mysteries, to reveal the truth."

"However, as the embodiment of ’Fraud’ among the Pillar Old Gods, the motives behind such actions are far from simple."

"Perhaps this all is yet another deception."

"After a pause, you whisper... What could be achieved by having the Pope chant the full name of the Deception Lord?"

...

The unfolding plot is significantly different from what I’d anticipated, Yang Qizhou thought, rubbing his aching temple.

In his initial prediction, the Game Character should have first completed the investigative phase of the ’Deceiving Apostle’s’ ascension ceremony. Then, after orchestrating plans from the shadows, they would guide the outcome toward allowing the ’False Disguise’ to replace the ’Deceiving Apostle’ during the divine ascension, thereby completing the ’God of Victory’s’ Promotion Ceremony.

Yet the current information reveals something entirely unexpected.

"The ’Tree Ancient God’ has already been replaced by an unknown Old King, who tacitly allowed and even ignored the ’Deceiving Apostle’s’ ascension ceremony—it’s unclear what schemes are unfolding. Meanwhile, the Pope has summoned the ’Deception Lord’ by calling out His full name, allowing this Pillar Old God ruling over the ’Endless Abyss’ to establish a foothold in the Real World. It, too, seems to be part of a larger conspiracy."

"We’re now delving into ’Pillar Level’ forces. No matter how many plans the Game Character sets in motion, they likely can’t influence the political landscape of ’Asgard.’

"Alright, let’s continue refreshing the text to see what the Game Character plans to do next. The ’save and load node’ hasn’t been overwritten yet, and worst case scenario, we can always restart the destiny line."

With a firm decision made,

Yang Qizhou refocused his attention on the phone screen.

...

"Your thoughts are chaotic, countless possibilities swirl within your mind, but the hidden designs of the Pillar Old God presiding over the domain of ’Fraud’ are too dense with fog to reach any definitive conclusions."

"In the end, you cast aside all conjectures, your gaze sinking deeply into the dimly lit realm before you."

"If the Pope wasn’t lying and this place truly could unravel all mysteries, then perhaps here lies the key to unmask the deceptive tides lurking beneath ’Asgard,’ and unravel the true intentions of all factions."

"You do not rush recklessly into the darkness’s abyss but instead turn your attention to the murals on the walls."

"Although [Kan Rui’s Wizard Ring] grants you night vision, its monochromatic view of gray, black, and white could obscure crucial details within the murals. After a moment of consideration, you withdraw the ’Ancient God Fire Lamp’ and ignite its celestial flames stolen from the Star Realm, illuminating the surrounding darkness."

"You approach the murals and start studying them with care..."

"The first mural spans three meters long, worn and weathered, yet the faint outlines still reveal an approximate depiction. A figure sits upon a divine throne—an ancient deity with indescribable warmth in His expression. Surrounding Him are constellations; behind Him unfolds a grand illustration of mountains, forests, rivers, birds gliding across skies, soft breezes, and majestic elks—all brimming with the essence of nature."

"Is this the ’King of Nature’?"

"You feel uncertain, an inquisitive suspicion hangs over you as the ancient deity’s serene smile evokes a vague resemblance to the supplanted ’Tree Ancient God’ who now rules Asgard under the shadow of the unknown Old King."

"With the ’Ancient God Fire Lamp’ in hand, you advance deeper into the corridor."

"As the walls dance in the firelight, a second mural emerges—this one portraying a horrifying scene. Beneath shadows that blanket half the Sky Dome, legions of demons, devils, and Abyss creatures crawl forth from the darkness of a valley. Sulfur Fire spreads rampantly, death and carnage litter the terrain. Among the suffering masses, citizens offer sacrifices and prayers to their faith’s protector. Meanwhile, on the other side, a deity surrounded by constellations, wielding a great spear and burdened by mountains, rivers, and forests, descends with two angels and a host of divine warriors to confront the abhorrent invasion."

"Having read about this scene in the [Chapter of Light] from the Book of Eras, you immediately recognize its significance."

"This depicts the epic battle during the Fourth Epoch’s early days at the ’North Realm Abyss.’ During this time, the ’Endless Abyss’ forged a connection to the Real World, provoking the Ancient God King ruling over the Radiant Kingdom and representing nature to intervene personally. Alongside His angels, ’Cang’s Green Bird’ and the ’Tree Ancient God,’ He descended to combat the ’Abyss Pillar.’

"Upon closer examination,"

"Sure enough, the ancient deity in the first mural was indeed the ’King of Nature.’

"Holding the ’Ancient God Fire Lamp,’ you proceed to the third mural, anticipating a continuation of events showing the ’King of Nature’s’ return to his divine realm."

"But as the third mural unfolds under the firelight, your eyes widen in shock... the ’King of Nature’ kneels with one leg, clutching his chest where his great spear is absent, surrounded by countless corpses of gods, ancient dominators, abyssal creatures, and a faint golden ray of sunset cascading upon his shoulders."

"You expected the ’King of Nature’s’ victory over the ’Abyss Master’ to come at great personal cost, so his injuries are no surprise. However, what truly astonishes you is that the ’King of Nature’ faces the Abyss instead of retreating to the divine realms or the City of Ten Thousand Gods."

"This ignites a new and massive question mark in your mind."

"The ’Deceiving Apostle’ had previously investigated and confirmed the ’King of Nature’ to no longer be present in this earthly realm—thus enabling them to carry out the transcendence ceremony without concern. Could their findings have been mistaken?"

"Moreover, if the ’King of Nature’ never returned to the divine realms, where has He gone?"

"Carrying this unresolved mystery, you step forward toward the fourth mural. As the firelight pierces the darkness and reveals its form, your pupils involuntarily contract as you stumble upon an unthinkable revelation..."