CHAPTER 383: CHAPTER 317: THE KING OF NATURE’S SCHEME_2

"You snapped your fingers, and the [Residual Ring of the King of Truth] activated once more, severing the influence of the [Feather of the Grey Bird] on the Realm of Light."

"But it was in that brief moment of delay that ’Dorama’ shifted slightly. Your foot didn’t land on his head; instead, it violently struck his chest, taking away half of his life."

"At this moment, ’Dorama’s’ eyes were filled with fear. In that instant, he felt the thick presence of death."

"Fully aware of the adage ’villains die from talking too much,’ you had no intention of giving him any chances. Wielding the ’Iron Blood Spear,’ you prepared to deliver a deadly strike."

"Boom."

"A massive tremor erupted, shaking the entire Realm of Light. Accompanied by a blood-red light piercing the heavens and earth, ’Dorama’ was annihilated, reduced to nothing but ash. Aside from a single ’feather’ still floating, not even a trace of dust could be found nearby."

"After all this, you gracefully returned to ’Harriet’s’ side, brushing off the matter with a casual comment... ’Finally, no more interfering pests.’

"Harriet responded in disbelief... ’You—you killed the Prophet?’"

"Clearly."

"You replied without hesitation, never bothering to deny something openly done."

"The Guard Commander wore a complicated expression... ’Dorama was the Prophet of the Realm of Light. Killing him will provoke the enmity of all the Northern Realm Clan. Are you planning to kill us all as well?’"

"Being sentenced to death, yet still worrying about the clan?"

"With a faint, mocking smile, you responded... ’You’re wrong about this. The Northern Realm Clan won’t harbor hatred but will instead thank me for my act of salvation.’

"Thank you for salvation?’"

"Your statement left ’Harriet’ and the Guard Commander bewildered."

"At that very moment, countless confused voices suddenly echoed. They were murmurs like ’Why did I worship Dorama to such an extent?’ ’How strange, why did I believe Dorama being the Prophet was justified?’ ’There’s something wrong with Dorama; he unknowingly manipulated all of us,’ ’What exactly happened?’ These voices were unending."

"It was the Northern Realm Clan gathered before the Green Tower."

"Harriet, filled with perplexity, asked... ’What is going on here?’"

"Having long prepared, you answered... ’This traces back to the previous crisis. The dreadful Evil God named "Beauty" hadn’t completely dissipated; traces of its presence lingered and polluted "Dorama," granting him the authority of "Beauty." Using this power, he manipulated the Northern Realm Clan’s favor, making everyone worship him fanatically. Naturally, with Dorama’s demise and the dissipation of the authority, the enchantment of "Charm" was lifted.’

"Of course, only part of this was true."

"Dorama was indeed corrupted by residual traces from "Beauty" and the inexplicable fanatical worship of him by the Northern Realm Clan stemmed from this. You deduced this conclusion based on the alluring aura present in the Northern Realm Clan."

"Yet, the Northern Realm Clan’s return to normal wasn’t due to Dorama’s death."

"This was all orchestrated by ’White.’

"Well done, child... You praised in the language of divine ravings."

"The collected ’White’ blinked, delighting in being praised by its father."

"At this time, the Northern Realm Clan also realized that the Prophet Dorama had been corrupted, nearly pushing the Realm of Light to the brink of destruction. Grateful yet shaken by what could have been, they once again embraced ’Harriet,’ handing him the Feather of the Grey Bird and reinstating him as the Prophet."

"With subtle influence exerted behind the scenes, you watched this scene unfold, feeling deeply satisfied."

...

"Yang Qizhou stretched lazily, a satisfied smile gracing his face."

"He knew well that the crisis faced by the Realm of Light hadn’t been as straightforward as it appeared. Dorama was polluted, and the root cause was the remnants of the ’Beauty’ Pillar. Even though it was just his lingering presence, it was no match for ordinary gods. If the pollution escalated, the revival of the residual will of ’Beauty’ Pillar was entirely conceivable."

"Thankfully, the Game Character had ’White’ by their side, whose birth was intricately tied to the ’Beauty’ Pillar. Under its subtle, constant influence, the gravest crisis turned out to be the easiest to dissolve."

"The resolution was fairly smooth; it shouldn’t delay the ’Deception Lord’s Divine Descent Ceremony.’ Muttering softly, Yang Qizhou shifted his focus to his phone, continuing to scroll through the text."

...

"With the ’Deception Lord’s Divine Descent Ceremony’ imminent, you understood time was pressing. There was no way to wait for the Northern Realm Clan to finish their celebration before discussing matters with ’Harriet.’ Placing a hand on his shoulder, you unleashed the power of the [Residual Ring of the King of Truth], disappearing swiftly."

"As for the external turmoil this might cause, you didn’t spare it a single thought."

"In a hidden space, the silhouettes of you and ’Harriet’ began to take shape in the void."

"Divine Envoy, sir?"

"Harriet’s face showed signs of anxiety, and he was about to speak before being swiftly interrupted."

"You spoke decisively... ’I have urgent matters to attend to. There’s no time to wait for the Northern Realm Clan to celebrate you, much less for them to exchange pleasantries.’"

"Harriet said nothing as his expression gradually calmed."

"You took a moment to compose your thoughts, then recounted the events concerning the thousand-year concealment of the ’King of Nature,’ the upheavals in Asgard, and the ’Deception Lord’s Divine Descent Ceremony. You then asked solemnly... ’Tree Ancient God, I need to know—what is your master, the Ancient God King who holds the authority of "Nature," plotting with such an intricate scheme?’"

"Tree Ancient God?"

"Harriet’s face showed blank confusion, seemingly unable to understand why you referred to him using the title of Asgard’s ruler."

"It seemed as though Harriet hadn’t yet awakened the memories tied to ’Tree Ancient God.’ What should be done... Kill him again... but awakening his post-mortem consciousness could lead to severe issues, nearly akin to losing oneself. If only there were authority over ’mind’ at my disposal."

"You muttered quietly."

"Suddenly, a cry of pain broke the air. Harriet clutched his head in agony, his face contorted as though enduring immense suffering. A sound, akin to ravings, emerged...

"The King of Nature... intends... to reclaim... the authority of "Nature," to ascend... beyond the Pillar Level... This is... part of... some secret... pact..."

...

"The contents of the text caused Yang Qizhou quite the shock."

"The King of Nature intends to recover all scattered pieces of ’Nature’ authority, ascend beyond the Pillar Level, and has made a pact with the ’Hidden Wizard King.’ From the early stages of the Fourth Epoch, he has masqueraded as ’Tree Ancient God’ to achieve this goal and fulfill the terms of the pact."

"Is the level beyond Pillar... Lord of Blasphemy?"

"But the King of Nature, being an Ancient God, innately comes with flaws. Without the nourishment of ’Blasphemous Wizards,’ he shouldn’t be able to ascend... Wait, I’ve overlooked something... The King of Nature has remained hidden for thousands of years. Who’s to say he hasn’t encountered other Blasphemous Wizards aside from the Game Character?"

"Yang Qizhou caught a hint of order in the chaos, his heart roiling. Both as he admired the King of Nature’s grand ambitions and felt unease, he once again shifted his focus to the text on his phone."

...

"The King of Nature’s plans are vast?"

"Your thoughts churned in tumult, yet upon deeper reflection, you found it entirely logical. After all, to escape being once again herded by the Lord of Blasphemy, the only path was to attain the same level as that being."

"Soon, Harriet restored his composure, his face puzzled, as if he’d just heard an unfamiliar voice in his mind."

"You offered him a few reassuring words; after bidding farewell, you departed from the Realm of Light."

"You..."