CHAPTER 335: CHAPTER 293: THE TRUTH BEHIND ’DAY OF FALLEN’ _2

"Seated on the throne, ’Philis’ lightly pressed her lips together before responding..."

"It is certain, otherwise the ’Correct’ of the past would already be the ’Lord of Blasphemy’ of today. As the Wizard King who shepherds the ’Cosmic Pillar’ deities, there’s no one in the Land of Truth who can rival Him."

"Soon, ’Philis’ seemed to recall something, her expression darkened, and she added... But that was on the ’Day of Fallen’; countless years have passed since then. No one knows to what extent He has revived, or how much time we have left."

"You feel a heavy weight settle in your heart."

"As the Vice Monarch of the ’Land of Truth,’ no one understands the ’Lord of Blasphemy’ better than the ’Correct Wizard King.’ If He truly revives, then the relic of the ’Lord of Blasphemy’ would inevitably fall into His hands."

"But that’s not all..."

"You carry the power of ’Fate’ within you, tangled in myriad ways with the ’Lord of Blasphemy.’ This will undoubtedly draw the hostility of the ’Correct Wizard King.’ In other words, from the very beginning, you both stood on opposing sides—a battle between you is inevitable."

"To think that, as a ’Blasphemous Wizard,’ I’d end up becoming a mortal enemy of one of the ’Wizard Kings.’ Life truly is unpredictable. Your thoughts wander, reminding you of how you’ve also offended the ’Lord of Filth,’ the ’Lord of Night,’ and one within the ’Nameless Land.’ With so many debts, oddly enough, you feel a bit more at ease."

"Feeling satisfied with your current gains, you smile and casually ask one final question... Miss Philis, my best friend, would you tell me how you became a ’Blasphemous Wizard’?"

"Unexpectedly..."

"This time, ’Philis’ did not answer your question outright. Instead, a strange smile appeared at the corner of her mouth as she said... ’Leodore,’ my best friend, I’ve already answered many of your questions. As an exchange, shouldn’t you offer something in return?"

"And just as her words fell, shadowy, serpentine curves abruptly blanketed the temple—a mass of tentacles coated in viscous fluid, inscribed with bizarre symbols. The surrounding scenery immediately turned distorted and grotesque."

"You feel an extraordinarily eerie power coiling around you."

"You lose control over the deities you had shepherded."

"You can no longer sense the magical artifacts you wield, including [Destiny Replay], [Heart Dream Source], and [Lost Night], among others."

"Frowning, you reach out to the ’Dark Crow of Profane Fortune.’ Soon, the caw of a crow echoes in your mind, easing your expression. Smiling, you look toward ’Philis’ and ask... My magical artifacts—did they really have no effect on you?"

"Philis’ reaction to your composure is one of dissatisfaction, mingled with a strange unease."

"In her view, you ought to be panicking right now, utterly overwhelmed with terror, scrambling to flee Black Stone Town instead of staying put, calmly continuing your questioning."

"Pretentious..."

"This was ’Philis’’ internal assessment, laden with superiority and arrogance, as she replied... Some influence, but not much. I have authority to resist ’virtue-related’ powers. However, your magical artifacts are of such high level that they can’t be completely nullified—some residual effects remain."

"By now, the scenery inside the temple had grown immensely distorted—like a child’s wild scribbles, its original colors obliterated. Tentacles adorned with mysterious patterns writhed around you, as if ink and paintbrushes were rewriting something."

"Yet you remain composed and say..."

"Neutralized, but not completely. In that case, with your stature, the deities you shepherd, and the magical artifacts in your possession, you should have been able to completely overcome the effects of [Circle of Friendliness], [Holy Redemption], and [Emblem of Justice]."

"But you didn’t. In fact, you even divulged many secrets to me, including the truth about the ’Correct Wizard King.’"

"You’re stalling for time, preparing for some setup..."

"Hmm, right now I cannot use my magical artifacts, cannot control the deities I shepherd, and my very life form has been altered, making my essence more akin to that of a deity. So, what you want is to ’shepherd’ me, adding me to the deities of your ’Ancient Roots.’"

"But I do have one question, Miss ’Philis’: Since the effects of the ’magical artifacts’ weren’t fully neutralized, then theoretically, even if I’m not your best friend, I should at least have the rapport of close friendship. So why are you able to harbor such an unshaken intent to plot my demise?"

"As you speak, the ’Blasphemous Wizard’ Philis also begins to feel profound unease within her heart, thinking to herself..."

"Too calm."

"This ’Leodore,’ this Blasphemous Wizard, is far too calm."

"The ’Residual Ring of the King of Truth’ possesses near-Divine Sovereign-level power, capable of altering reality itself to enact envisioned futures. By all logic, there’s no way he could escape this. Faced with the absolute, he should be howling in despair, begging in agony—not this composed."

"Does he have another trump card?"

"No, if he had stronger means, he wouldn’t have needed to backstab the ’God of Justice’ earlier—he could’ve fought directly."

"Bluffing. Yes, he’s definitely bluffing."

"’Philis’ screams internally, but outwardly she remains composed. With a faint smile in response to your question, she says... It’s quite simple, Mr. ’Leodore.’ I do consider you a friend. But clearly, our friendship is not as important as pursuing the path to the ’Lord of Blasphemy’ and becoming the ’Main Player on the Stage.’ So killing a friend—isn’t that the correct choice?"

Surprised, you think, "I see... This is killing a friend as a sacrificial offering to attain the true path." Yang Qizhou was completely stunned.

The game continues.

"After a brief pause, Philis continued... You, however, Mr. ’Leodore,’ even in the face of absolute despair, could still smile. Though we’re opponents, I must admit, I admire your courage."

"Smile? If conditions allowed, I’d be dancing right now."

"You think to yourself, a peculiar smile creeping across your lips, as you say... Miss ’Philis,’ there’s one thing I haven’t told you. I’ve long been prepared for the possibility that the effects of these magical artifacts might not meet expectations. I even anticipated the malice you hid behind the scenes. So why didn’t I expose you? Why did I let you play your little tricks in secret? Care to guess why?"

"..."

"Philis’ chose not to guess, not even to speak further. Her expression contorted slightly as she focused all her power on activating the ’Residual Ring of the King of Truth,’ attempting to transform you into a ’deity,’ so that she could shepherd you using a specific ritual."

"Unfortunately, you were prepared, swiftly activating the effect of ’Dark Crow of Profane Fortune.’ The scenery before you promptly twisted and grew illusory..."

...

...

In reality.

"As expected, anyone who survived the ’Day of Fallen’ as a Blasphemous Wizard always has unimaginably deep reserves. Very troublesome to deal with."

Though Yang Qizhou muttered under his breath, he was secretly quite pleased. Despite encountering many twists and turns along the way, and the three Divine Descent Sacrificial Objects of the ’King of Virtue’—[Emblem of Justice], [Circle of Friendliness], and [Holy Redemption]—failing to achieve their intended effects, the overall outcome was decent. He had learned information about the ’Correct Wizard King’ and part of the truth regarding the ’Day of Fallen’ from ’Philis.’

Wait...

Suddenly, he remembered something—he still hadn’t taken advantage of the ’Destiny Store.’

"Last time, during the ’House of Truth’ storyline, I missed my chance because of the urgency of the situation. This time, no matter what, I can’t let the opportunity slip again." Speaking aloud, Yang Qizhou opened the ’Destiny Store’ interface, beginning to sweep through its inventory.

Earlier, he had spent quite a bit to elevate the ranks of the ’Hidden Light’ and ’Iron Blood God’ through the Old Sacrifice. But thanks to the devout faith of his followers, he had accumulated it back, now totaling roughly 200,000—enough for a significant shopping spree.

Of course,

The targets remained the same: [Teleportation Scroll], [Challenge Sticker], [Nth Thread of Fate], [Vitality Potion]...