CHAPTER 421: CHAPTER 336: SUCCESSFUL GRAZING_2

"But fortunately,"

"Whether it was the ’Hidden’ secretly granting its blessing, or the ’Doomsday Land’ intervening in reality, you were not greatly affected."

"In the infinitely dark expanse of the Ancient Roots, your shepherding of the ’King of Nature’ has already reached its critical point. Just one final step away, and you can exert dominance over this divine being who has advanced beyond ’Pillar Level.’"

"Yet, out of some hesitation, you have not taken this step."

"You are caught in a dilemma."

"You worry that shepherding the ’King of Nature’ at this moment might bring undesirable consequences upon yourself... The divine curse embedded in the roots of the ’King of Nature’ has perceived your inner conflict and, with a faint smile, asked you a question."

"You nodded slightly, unable to deny the truth."

"To accommodate 51% of the symbolic essence and become a ’Pillar’ is the utmost limit at which a divine being can maintain its individuality. Beyond this threshold, even absorbing one more symbolic fragment inevitably forces confrontation with the ’Divine Curse,’ inviting catastrophic disaster."

"This was revealed by the ’Deception Lord.’"

"And the ’King of Nature’ has already broken past this boundary, reaching beyond the ’Pillar Level.’ The ’Divine Curse’ has manifested upon them as expected. Your concern stems precisely from this—shepherding this Ancient God King, who governs the domain of ’Nature,’ seems inevitably fraught with contamination."

"The ’Divine Curse’ chuckled softly and said... ’Since that one has acted, exploiting loopholes to interfere with reality, the fears you carry will not come to pass. Take the leap with confidence; They will assist you.’"

"You scrutinize the ’King of Nature’ within the swirling green vortex with suspicion."

"You are uncertain,"

"You are hesitant,"

"’Why help me?’ After much deliberation, you finally voice the question."

"The ’Divine Curse’ shook its head and replied with a deep, cryptic tone... ’I am not helping anyone else anymore; I am only helping myself. After all... Forget it. Take this final bit of advice—whatever you do, do not...’"

"’Hmm? What did the ’Divine Curse’ just say?’ You feel bewildered, as if you have forgotten something important."

"Following this moment,"

"You hesitated no longer, plunging your intent into the Ancient Roots to take the final step in shepherding the ’King of Nature.’ Within the infinitely dark expanse of the Ancient Roots, the previously mild and benevolent King of Nature, who had been eroded by the ’Divine Curse,’ suddenly twisted its expression into one of grotesque hatred. An enraged voice, overflowing with malice, reverberated... ’Why? Why has the ’Doomsday Land’ dispersed the surplus natural symbols to maintain the threshold at the ’Pillar’ level? Why are They helping you?’"

"’Maybe it’s because I’m handsome,’ you boast shamelessly, without emotional burden, even as you begin erasing the ’King of Nature’’s self-awareness."

"Due to your current level as a ’Blasphemous Wizard’ being far too low to shepherd a ’Pillar Level’ deity, some mechanism within the Ancient Roots activates, emanating power to guide the ’King of Nature’ into a dormant state."

"The process unfolds smoothly,"

"Three-quarters of the ’King of Nature’’s self-awareness has been erased, and the dormancy process is 90% complete. Everything is about to conclude."

"The taut string inside you finally loosens ever so slightly."

"’I’ve figured out who you are...’"

"At that moment, a chilling, almost amused voice breaks the silence, as if struggling to hold back laughter."

"Instinctively, you glance over, only to see the ’King of Nature’’s face no longer harboring its earlier grotesque hatred. Instead, its expression is now peculiarly amused, as though it has discovered something highly amusing. Slowly, it speaks... ’So that’s it. That’s it. Such a simple thing, and yet I hadn’t seen through it before.’"

"’What do you mean by that? Who am I? What have you seen through?’ Though you suspect this is probably just the ’King of Nature’ deliberately creating an air of mystique, you still can’t resist asking."

"The ’King of Nature’’s smile grows wider... ’Who you are is something you must discover for yourself. As for what I’ve seen through...’"

"At this point, the ’King of Nature’ pauses, lifting its gaze as though looking through the infinitely dark expanse of the Ancient Roots to meet the eyes of some faraway existence, murmuring... ’The Hidden is not Hidden, the Hidden is still Hidden. What a brilliant sleight of hand.’"

"’Hidden? Could it be referring to Itas? Was this statement from the ’King of Nature’ a deception or an authentic revelation?’"

"A kaleidoscope of bizarre thoughts arises within you, and you urgently ask... ’What do you mean by that?’"

"Alas."

"The ’King of Nature’ annihilated its self-awareness willingly, choosing self-destruction. It completely transitioned into a shepherded state, with its symbolic essences and domains of authority, carried by its divine vessel, entering dormancy under the guidance of the Ancient Roots. These will only be available for full utilization when you, as a ’Blasphemous Wizard,’ reach the ’Pillar Level.’"

"You have shepherded the ’King of Nature,’"

"Marking this segment of the Ancient Roots as having a ’Pillar Level’ deity shepherded. From this point on, it can no longer host another Pillar."

"Meanwhile..."

"A peculiar sensation wells up in the depths of your soul. Somewhere within the Star Realm, the celestial body representing ’Destiny’ begins to shine brilliantly. The promotion ceremony of the ’God of Victory’ is complete; you now have the capacity to accommodate more of the ’Destiny’ symbol, advancing to the ’Angel’ level of divinity."

"You..."

...

In reality,

Yang Qizhou let out a long breath, and the heavy burden in his heart finally settled completely at this moment.

After so much scheming, so many detours, and so many unforeseen twists, the outcome was satisfactory. The Game Character had ultimately succeeded in shepherding the ’King of Nature.’ Compared to that, completing the promotion ceremony seemed almost insignificant."

"Then,"

Yang Qizhou recalled the ’King of Nature’’s cryptic line, ’The Hidden is not Hidden, the Hidden is still Hidden, what a brilliant sleight of hand,’ and couldn’t help but grin. "Haha, even on the brink of death, still shrouded in mystique, trying to sow discord between the ’Hidden Wizard King’ Itas and the Game Character."

He utterly disregarded the ’King of Nature’’s final words as nothing but nonsense.

Before long, Yang Qizhou turned his focus to another matter,

The ’King of Nature,’ now freshly shepherded by the ’Old Roots of Profanation,’ though dormant and beyond control due to the vast disparity in levels, still offered Yang Qizhou, as a ’Blasphemous Wizard’ and player, some limited utility over this ’Cosmic Pillar.’ Just as with the ’Spiritual Dragon’ and ’Power of Royal Authority,’ he could wield certain powers."

"Yang Qizhou focused his intent on the Ancient Roots, examining the symbols occupied by the ’King of Nature.’ Soon, he identified the powers currently available."

"’I can grant life to ’trees,’ transforming them into war behemoths. The older the tree, the stronger its war form... I can plant the ’Seed of Nature’ deep within a soul, turning the target into a Servant of Nature... I can manipulate the weather to a certain degree... I can command natural species within the domain of nature... I can perform a ’Natural Baptism,’ transforming a target into Natural Life.’"

"’Quite a variety of powers—it’s fitting for a Cosmic Pillar-level deity.’"

"’Not only that, but most crucially...’ These abilities also carry the ’Pillar’ trait; their level may be low, but they have the potential to influence higher-tier energies, much like the avatars of the ’Deception Lord.’"

As Yang Qizhou mentally calculated, his excitement continued to build, and an overwhelming urge struck him as he almost shouted aloud, ’I am invincible among mortals, and I shall suppress all opposition in this world!’

Then, striking a domineering pose, he proclaimed,

"’The power is here—who should I test it on first?’ Yang Qizhou pondered as he grew eager to try out his newly acquired abilities imbued with the ’Pillar’ characteristics."

Then,

Yang Qizhou’s gaze fell upon the figure before him, ’Mr. Death,’ who was so engrossed in his phone that he hadn’t noticed anything. A faint smile crept across Yang Qizhou’s lips as he stared."