CHAPTER 397: CHAPTER 324: THE CURTAIN RISES_2

"No, Lamp Holder, please save me..." Just as Yang Qizhou was lost in thought, a piercing, miserable scream suddenly echoed from ahead.

Yang Qizhou lifted his head.

He saw "Mr. Death," his body covered with festering sores, his flesh grotesquely twisted into a monstrous form. The man’s face was contorted in agony, with bulging veins, and strange symbols emanating an aura of malevolence surfaced on his skin.

Not good,

With the completion of the "Divine Descent Ceremony," all followers involved in the ritual would become sacrifices, vessels to contain the descent of the "Deception Lord."

And as one of them, "Mr. Death" would be no exception.

Yang Qizhou’s expression, once casual and uninvolved, now grew deeply solemn. He recalled a certain notion: "If the ’Deception Lord’s’ true form uses the sacrifices as vessels, then as part of the ritual, could the existence of ’Mr. Death’ create a pathway for this Pillar-level Abyss Old God to descend partially into the real world?"

This was not a trivial matter.

Compared to the Old Earth, this world was far too fragile. Even the inadvertent actions of an "Angel" could trigger unimaginable catastrophes—let alone the might of a Pillar God at the pinnacle of the divine hierarchy, seated upon the singular throne symbolizing the Unique God Seat.

Even if only a minuscule fragment of the true form descended,

The manifestation of the "Deception Lord" through Mr. Death would undoubtedly unleash a devastating calamity upon this planet.

"Lamp Holder... please... save me... I... don’t want to... die." The voice, laden with despair and groaning pain, called out once more. Mr. Death’s eyes were filled with desperate plea.

A trace of helplessness flickered in Yang Qizhou’s eyes. "I’m sorry; I’ve broken my promise. It’s far too dangerous for you to remain on the real-world level. Please die a little temporarily. If there’s a way to save you in another destiny line, I will do everything I can."

Scarlet radiance glimmered. The chilling Iron Blood Spear pierced through the grotesque, monstrous form of "Mr. Death."

"Mr. Death" widened his eyes, unable to believe his demise. Equally mystified by the phrase "in another destiny line," he had no time to ponder further as the crimson light exploded again, utterly annihilating him.

Yang Qizhou activated the "Residual Ring of the King of Truth" to cleanse the room, then turned his focus back to the current progression of events.

"Just a little longer, just a little longer. Now isn’t the best time to activate the ’Dark Crow of Profane Fortune’ to restart the destiny line. I have a hunch that the unfolding story might reveal the greatest secret of the ’King of Nature’." Muttering to himself, Yang Qizhou shifted his attention to his phone once again.

The game resumed.

...

"You saw an exceptionally horrifying image."

"A colossal shadow, black and translucent, rose from Asgard as if awakening from a deep slumber. Its face void, its body indescribable. In the skies above, nine nebula-like Holy Emblems rapidly dimmed with its emergence. The God’s Fortress, formed by the nine divine countries, crumbled swiftly. Whether gods, transcendent beings, or legendary dreamlike races—all succumbed to madness, decay, or ruin simply by gazing upon or coming into contact with the Cosmic Pillar."

"Naturally, you were no exception. Under the immense corruption of the ’Deception Lord’s’ true form, you felt your flesh warping, your soul inscribed with symbols of ’fraud,’ your thoughts battered ceaselessly like driftwood amidst a stormy sea."

"You even felt countless minute worms squirming chaotically inside your being."

"You thought you were going insane."

"This was not a fate amendable by the Blessing Fire of the ’Destiny Blessing.’ Even death and rebirth could not erase the madness."

"A realization dawned in your heart."

"In this critical moment, you suddenly noticed an invisible barrier arising, obscuring the ’Deception Lord’s’ form, shielding you from its corruption and enveloping you and the avatar of the ’Deception Lord’ together within."

"You felt contemplative and pulled out the ’Hidden Wizard King’s Notebook.’

"As expected,"

"You heard a familiar sigh echo by your ear... The grand orchestration is about to begin. The unguarded ’Deception Lord’ will become the grand banquet of the ’Master of Millions,’ while the ’King of Nature’ seizes this as an opportunity for ascension."

"It was Itas, subtly providing hints."

"But why had Itas refrained from revealing this back outside the outskirts of Asgard?"

"You pondered momentarily."

"But now wasn’t the time to delve deeper."

"At the very moment the ’Deception Lord’s’ true form had barely descended, countless towering trees suddenly erupted from the earth, forming a lush forest in an instant, a sea of green. Within this expanse, the ’King of Nature,’ who had been slumbering in an underground space, tore through realms and appeared before the ’Deception Lord.’"

"The two Pillar-level gods entered a state of confrontation."

"They did not immediately commence battle but observed each other from afar. Yet, even mere wisps of their presence sufficed to leave Asgard’s God’s Fortress trembling on the brink of collapse. And this despite the protective effects of the ’Deception Lord’ and the ’Divine Descent Ceremony.’ Without such safeguards, this land would have already fallen, reduced to a death zone by the pressure of their divine auras."

"You thought this would lead to a brutal battle between the ’Deception Lord’ and the ’King of Nature,’"

"But what happened next took you completely by surprise."

"You saw, just as the two Pillar-level gods were about to clash, another indescribable Evil God manifested. A massive, pale-bodied tree constructed of flesh, its roots entwined with the stars. Countless faces adorned its form, each letting out eerie laughter, weaving a chilling melody that seemed to darken both the cosmos and the universe."

"Was this the true form of the ’Master of Millions’?"

"Was this the true face of the Mysterious Town in the Nameless Land?"

"You recalled the Hidden Wizard King’s warning and felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief."

"Again, Itas’s voice resonated from the Notebook of the Hidden Wizard King... ’The blasphemous wizard bearing the burden of ’destiny,’ this level of combat is not something you can directly face as of now. I will pull you and the avatar of the ’Deception Lord’ into the Hidden Realm. Observe cautiously, search prudently, and above all, beware of the ’Master of Millions.’’"

"As the voice faded,"

"You noticed your surroundings hadn’t changed. Asgard remained Asgard. Yet the three Pillar-level gods—the ’Master of Millions,’ the ’Deception Lord,’ and the ’King of Nature’—had all disappeared without a trace."

"As you stood there wondering why you couldn’t even witness the battle, let alone observe cautiously or search prudently, a despairing scream—tinged with astonishment—pierced through from behind you..."

"Strange? You’ve descended in your true form and attacked ’Us’ directly. Are you not afraid of... no... ’King of Nature’... you... despicable."

...

The ’Master of Millions,’ the ’Deception Lord,’ and the ’King of Nature’—the three great Pillars—had all gathered. It seemed the grand plot the ’King of Nature’ had meticulously devised since the early Fourth Epoch had finally begun to unfold.

Judging by the ’Deception Lord’s’ frenzied reaction, the intrigue had far exceeded even its expectations in sheer peril.

Yang Qizhou pondered and recalled Itas’s warning from the Hidden Wizard King: "Advising the game character to beware of the ’Master of Millions,’ yet not offering similar caution against the ’King of Nature’ or the ’Deception Lord’—could this imply the threat posed by the two doesn’t even operate on the same level?"

"The ’Master of Millions’ rules the Mysterious Town in the Nameless Land."

"The ’Mother of Beauty and Fertility’ once advised, through Da Bai, to beware of the Mysterious Town."

"The depth of this mystery is staggering."

After analyzing it all, Yang Qizhou returned to refreshing his game...