CHAPTER 413: CHAPTER 332: CRAZY_2

The situation was generally progressing in a good direction. Yang Qizhou stretched lazily, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Initially, he thought about having a sip of coke, but as his gaze landed on the twisted flesh in front of him, a wave of nausea surged up, instantly dispelling his good mood.

Yang Qizhou redirected his attention back to the phone screen.

On the other side, Mr. Death also keenly noticed the subtle change in the ’lamp holder’s expression. He instinctively adjusted his glasses and thought to himself, "Still in the mood to stretch? Looks like the situation isn’t too bad after all."

From the moment he entered this villa—no, from the moment he ran into the ’lamp holder,’ Mr. Death had felt a constant surge of shock reverberating inside him.

First, there was the utter suppression of the ’Death Cult’ and the ’Hermit Association.’

Then came involvement in the divine skirmish at the level of the ’Deception Lord.’

And now, His Excellency the ’lamp holder’s game character had become the central figure driving this entire event,

To witness this with his own eyes was one thing, but if the director of the ’Deceit Bureau’ himself had told Mr. Death that there were already players influencing a storyline at this tier, he simply wouldn’t have believed it.

Thinking back to when he had wanted to cooperate with the ’lamp holder’ on equal footing to plan the ’Deceiving Apostle’s apotheosis ritual, Mr. Death couldn’t help but laugh at his own naivety.

Yang Qizhou, however, was oblivious to the flood of thoughts in Mr. Death’s mind.

At this moment, he was simply refreshing the text on his screen.

...

"You cannot witness the battle between the ’Wind Lord’ and the ’King of Nature,’ for divine conflicts at the Pillar Level carry an inherent sense of pollution and destruction. Thus, Itas has screened out the corresponding scenes."

"You muttered a word of thanks."

"Freed from the interference of the ’King of Nature,’ you once again directed your will toward the ’Ancient Roots.’ Your perspective shifted above the green vortex, and as the lofty phantom before you grew clearer, a smile crept onto your lips."

"You tremble at the final destiny heralded by the ’Day of Shining Stars,’ which is why you’ve made so many preparations—from the early days of the ’Fourth Epoch’ up until now, trying to break through the Pillar Level. Yet you never foresaw that destiny would arrive ahead of schedule, did you?"

"Was it ’Itas’ who told you this?"

"The voice of the ’King of Nature’ was oddly calm, but the savage expression on His face and the hatred flickering in His eyes made it abundantly clear—His inner turmoil was far from settled."

"You didn’t deny it. Instead, you casually replied... Perhaps."

"The ’King of Nature’ struggled fiercely, attempting to resist the grim fate of being herded back into submission, all while voicing doubts, confusion, helplessness, and fury... I don’t understand why ’Itas’ would help you. As the former ’Hidden Wizard King,’ there’s no conceivable reason for Him to stand on your side. After all, He is supposed to be..."

"The voice abruptly stopped."

"Although the ’King of Nature’s mouth continued to move, no sound came forth."

"This is... the power of the Hidden."

"Immediately, you discerned the cause, murmuring internally... Is Itas taking action? What exactly was the ’King of Nature’ about to say? Could it be that the ’Hidden Wizard King’ helping me isn’t only because of destiny or the supposed inheritance of the ’Lord of Blasphemy’? Is there some other, deeper reason behind this?"

"Time trickled by, second by second."

"Using the ’Storm God’s Scepter’ to summon the ’Wind Lord’ to thwart the King of Nature turned out to be more effective than imagined. One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed."

"This Ancient God King, who held dominion over ’Nature,’ was still unable to break past the obstruction of the ’Wind Lord.’"

"In the boundless darkness of the ’Ancient Roots,’ the green vortex had dimmed significantly, as if it could dissipate at any moment. The figure within—majestic, ancient, eternal—was now no longer indistinct but fully solidified, resembling a tangible divine being."

"By this point, 99% of the herding process of the ’King of Nature’ had been completed."

"Just thirty more seconds at most."

"This King of ’Nature,’ bearer of divine authority, would be fully reconciled into the ’Old Roots of Profanation’."

"During this interval, the expression on the ’King of Nature’s phantom shifted several times as He tried to break through the ’Wind Lord’s blockade. This included an attempt to actively yield the ’Storm God’s Scepter.’ Regrettably, due to the irreconcilable conflict between Ancient Gods and Old Gods, the ’Wind Lord’ took no chances in trusting the ’King of Nature,’ and steadfastly blocked the way."

"Finally, the ’King of Nature’s expression froze—solidified in despair and madness."

...

Seeing the final two lines of text, a smile spread across Yang Qizhou’s lips.

Just as he had suspected: due to the irreconcilable antagonism between Old Gods and Ancient Gods, the ’Wind Lord’ would never yield the path. Until He was absolutely certain the ’King of Nature’ posed no threat, He would not relent.

And the definition of "no threat"?

The standard was clear... Only the dead pose no threat.

The ’Asgard’ storyline was finally nearing its conclusion, and the herding of the ’King of Nature’ was on the verge of completion. Yang Qizhou couldn’t stop himself from refreshing the text again.

...

"The dust has settled."

"The ’King of Nature’ being herded back into submission was now an undeniable reality. Even if the ’Wind Lord’ withdrew His obstruction now, it would already be too late."

"The thought surfaced in your mind, but it didn’t make you careless. On the contrary, you grew even more cautious. There’s an old saying: a cornered beast will fight with ultimate ferocity. Now that the ’King of Nature’ was pushed to the brink—on the verge of becoming little more than a herded lamb—He would undoubtedly unleash every terrifying and destructive power at His disposal, without hesitation."

"So you understood clearly: this moment was the most dangerous of all..."

"King of Nature, accept your final destiny. I will not erase your consciousness; your own mind shall remain intact... You offered words of appeasement, not wanting to push the ’King of Nature’ into desperation. But as for truthfulness?"

"There was no way the ’King of Nature’s self-awareness could be preserved."

"One only has to recall the downfall of the ’Lord of Blasphemy,’ which was partially triggered by a herded god retaining its self-awareness. With such a precedent, you would certainly not repeat the same mistake."

"Unfortunately, the ’King of Nature’ was not foolish. He saw right through your words, knowing they held no binding power. Ultimately, the reality of becoming a herded lamb was unacceptable. Within the green vortex, the near-tangible face became a mask of despair and madness as it screamed... You forced this upon me. You forced this upon me, blasphemous wizard burdened by destiny. Do you even know the true terms of my pact with the ’Master of Millions’?"

"It seemed you had misjudged something... A foreboding premonition surged in your heart."

"You replied in a deep voice... Wasn’t it for more ’Nature’ symbols, to aid your breakthrough to the Pillar tier?"

"Wrong. Completely wrong... utterly and devastatingly wrong."

"Within the depths of the ’Ancient Roots,’ the ’King of Nature’ howled with madness... My pact with the ’Master of Millions’ was indeed related to breaking through the Pillar level and ascending to a higher position. But it wasn’t to recover scattered ’Nature’ symbols. Haven’t you noticed? Every god holding dominion over ’Nature’ has already perished."

"Darkness cast over your face as you suddenly connected the dots... So killing your subordinate gods—the ’Cang’s Green Bird’ and the ’Tree Ancient God’—wasn’t simply about replacing them. You also wanted to seize the symbols those gods once possessed."

"Correct. That’s precisely it. I’ve already consolidated every ’Nature’ symbol needed to transcend to a higher position, even to the level of the ’Lord of Blasphemy.’ The reason I entered a pact with the ’Master of Millions’ was to leverage the power of the Nameless Land to preserve my self-awareness and avoid succumbing to the curse brought by divinity."

"A more intense look of madness overtook the ’King of Nature’s face as He declared with venom and resolve... Since you refuse to let me live, then we shall perish together."

"What is He trying to do?"

"A wave of bone-deep dread surged within you."

"At the same moment, Itas’s voice rang out, filled with urgency... How is this possible?! He actually completed the ’Promotion Ceremony,’ lighting every star that represents ’Nature’s symbolism... How dare He do such a thing! That would... Watch out, He’s lost His mind!"