CHAPTER 377: CHAPTER 314: THE TRUE PURPOSE_2

All of this happened in a fleeting moment,

Yang Qizhou didn’t give "Mr. Death" any chance to breathe, intent on swiftly subduing him. Transforming into the "Iron Blood God," Yang wielded the symbolic powers of iron and blood, hurling the "Iron Blood Spear" in a strike potent enough to obliterate that illusory, indescribable form—though not to kill him outright.

Time and space froze.

Tentacles flailed, and Yang Qizhou felt the "Iron Blood Spear" in his hand involuntarily shift its trajectory toward "Zhou Xu" and the "Dark Star."

To his shock, Mr. Death exhibited powers that rivaled, or perhaps even surpassed, those of a "Star Spirit" at its pinnacle. He somehow manipulated the "Iron Blood Spear" into deception. Although surprised, Yang Qizhou did not panic and withdrew his power just as the sea of blood was about to engulf the two targets.

"Fraud" symbolism isn’t adept at direct attacks, but it excels in its eerie qualities, Yang Qizhou pondered thoughtfully.

Finally, this mysterious young man suffered a setback, bolstering Mr. Death’s confidence. He swung his tentacles, attempting to leverage the powers of the "No-True Deception Secret Ceremony" to deceive his opponent’s thoughts.

Yang Qizhou sensed the sinister shift and, taking precautions, brought out "Destiny Replay," intending to use the [Residual Ring of the King of Truth] to stabilize reality and dispel the powers of deception. Yet, he then noticed Mr. Death’s increasingly distorted figure. A phrase from the ceremonial scripture crossed his mind, triggering a sudden thought.

Yang Qizhou activated the "Circle of Friendliness," making Mr. Death subconsciously perceive him as his closest friend, then earnestly spoke:

"Hey, look at you now. Did you really usurp the ’Deceiving Apostle’s’ Divine Descent ritual? You look more like you’re about to be replaced by the Evil God!"

At this moment, Mr. Death was engrossed in the swelling of his power and the elevation of his ranks, believing his transformation signified ascension to godhood. He paid no attention to the remarks until a peculiar sensation stirred within him. Face-to-face with the figure in front of him, a fleeting sense of amicability emerged. Upon hearing Yang’s words, he reflexively glanced at himself...

The illusory, twisted, indescribable form, the slick, viscous tentacles, and... the faint awareness of an alien consciousness budding within him.

No, no, something’s not right.

From what I know, ascending to godhood should involve elevating one’s consciousness to the "Star Realm," illuminating the star that corresponds to one’s "domain of authority," not succumbing to grotesque mutations and gradually losing one’s sense of self.

"Hermit, this—this can’t be right! Why have I become like this? What on earth have you done...?" Mr. Death’s voice was fraught with panic and despair.

Standing in for the Hermit Association, Yang Qizhou answered, "I found it odd before. The Hermit Association, a secretive organization dedicated to summoning the Ancient Gods to cleanse the world’s sins, has no reason to kindly assist in orchestrating your Divine Descent ceremony. Now the truth is clear: what they prepared wasn’t a Divine Descent ritual at all. It was a setup to use you as a vessel for the Evil God’s arrival."

The moment the conspiracy was exposed, the Hermit wearing the monster mask no longer denied anything and erupted into manic laughter.

"Hahahahaha, marvelous, simply marvelous! I didn’t expect someone this formidable to be lurking in the Capital City. But you’re rejoicing too soon! The gaze of the Ancient Gods has already fallen upon this world, and the seed planted within Mr. Death has begun to sprout. It won’t be long before the Ancient Gods, who govern the cosmos, descend."

These words made Zhou Xu instantly tense up.

However, Yang Qizhou remained calm, inwardly relieved. It was fortunate he had made prior arrangements; otherwise, if the Deception Lord had indeed taken notice, even exhausting all possible means might not have sufficed to stop him.

Unless he contacted the child’s mother.

Yang Qizhou snapped his fingers...

In the dim and sinister Deceit Prison, a black ring suddenly materialized, streaks of silver light cascading from it. The surrounding scene shattered like glass, evoking a hazy sensation akin to being trapped in a dream.

Mr. Death reverted to his original form, leaning weakly against the wall as he slowly opened his eyes, his face a mask of bewilderment. "What happened?"

Memories surged into Mr. Death’s mind, leaving him conflicted—trapped between astonishment and fear...

"Was that just a dream?"

"Nope, not a dream. I merely used a minor trick to weave a dream based on your memories, then substituted the dream for the original reality. Hmm, this method was untested before; it’s my first attempt, and it turned out to work rather well." Yang Qizhou replied with a smile, using the corruption of the "Demon Lord" to temporarily restrain Mr. Death.

Throughout this process, Mr. Death did not resist. He fully comprehended the young man’s terrifying nature but couldn’t help asking, "Attempt? What attempt?"

"A straightforward experiment—altering parts of the Deception Lord’s full formal name and certain developmental trajectories with the Residual Ring of the King of Truth, weaving a realistic dream with the Heart Dream Source, and merging the two using the ring’s true power."

Yang Qizhou had no intention of divulging these thoughts aloud. Rising to his feet, he declared, "I’m off to handle a few things. We’ll talk later."

Then, Yang Qizhou approached members of the Hermit Association, piercing them one by one with the Iron Blood Spear. He swiftly cleared out most of them, leaving only the last man standing.

The leader, "Hermit."

The Hermit, donning a monster mask, stared blankly, puzzled as to why the arrival of the Ancient God had suddenly turned into a mere dream.

When he saw the casually dressed man approaching him with a faint smile, the Hermit couldn’t suppress the fear welling up from within. He sighed deeply and said, "I don’t understand why you’d call me ’Monster Sir,’ and moreover, my recollection tells me we’ve never interacted before."

Still clinging to such trivial questions,

Yang Qizhou’s realization led him to flash a mischievous smile. He replied, "It’s perfectly normal you don’t understand because in this destiny line, we have never encountered one another."

This destiny line?

The thought barely formed in the Hermit’s mind when a streak of blood-red light flashed, piercing his heart. Everything turned black as he lost his life.

In a sense, this marked Yang Qizhou’s first time killing someone. Yet, empowered by the Iron Blood God’s authority, he felt no discomfort—in fact, he found it oddly satisfying. Nevertheless, Yang wasn’t a bloodthirsty killer; he was able to suppress such impulses.

Yang Qizhou fell into contemplation. Many enigmas unraveled because of this journey to the Deceit Prison.

"The ’No-True Deception Secret Ceremony’ arranged in the prison by the Hermit Association and the Death Cult wasn’t an attempt to steal the Deceiving Apostle’s Divine Descent ritual—it was designed to summon the Deception Lord through a Secret Contract,"

"So, the stolen object from the Deceiving Apostle—was it truly a Divine Descent ritual?"

"Oh yes, the Harvest Goddess once told the Game Characters that in the Star Realm, every star symbolizing ’Fraud’ already had a master. Logically, the Deceiving Apostle wouldn’t be able to claim an extra ’Fraud’ symbol to ascend to godhood. Thus, the Divine Descent ritual always felt abrupt and suspicious,"

"At first, I assumed the Deceiving Apostle’s Divine Descent ritual would trigger the downfall of a god, allowing him to take the corresponding authority."

"But that’s clearly not the case now."

Thoughts emerged in his mind as Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes, "Meaning, the Deceiving Apostle’s arrangement wasn’t a Divine Descent ritual at all—it was a plan to summon the Deception Lord to Asgard. That’s the real truth behind everything."

Zhou Xu and the Dark Star slowly opened their eyes, scanning their surroundings. Witnessing the ruins of the Hermit Association and Death Cult, and the death of the Hermit, their minds were engulfed in a surreal haze. They glanced at the figure deep in thought and instinctively felt a flicker of fear.

Replacing reality with dreams—such methods were truly terrifying.

Suddenly, they saw the lamp holder move, lifting Mr. Death and saying, in a tone that seemed kind but left no room for negotiation, "This person is useful to me. I’ll take him first and return him to you later."