CHAPTER 430: CHAPTER 341: PROMOTION TO ANGEL

The "Death Mister" mentioned an intense light—this must be the terrifying anomaly that appeared just before the Chaos Angel’s vessel self-destructed.

Yang Qizhou pondered for a moment,

"If that light had erupted, it would indeed have been a dreadful catastrophe capable of wreaking immense havoc on the world. Thankfully, it was stopped."

The "Death Mister," upon hearing this, froze, his earlier expression filled with reminiscence abruptly vanishing. Although he had already endured countless shocks during his time with the Lamp Keeper and should theoretically have become accustomed to them, the statement just now still dealt a tremendous blow to his heart.

He recalled the Lamp Keeper’s absent-mindedness moments earlier,

remembered how he had mentioned dealing with "a little matter,"

and connected it to the Lamp Keeper’s nonchalant attitude toward that light so intense it eclipsed even the sun,

finally understanding that the one who had likely stopped that light and prevented a catastrophic disaster was none other than the enigmatic and unfathomable Lamp Keeper standing before him.

"But how on earth did he manage it? From the light’s outbreak to its quelling, the Lamp Keeper never even left this room..." The Death Mister’s thoughts surged turbulently as he gazed at the figure before him, feeling as if he’d come face-to-face with an incomprehensible abyss.

At this moment, the Death Mister felt indescribable relief that he had not become a target of the Lamp Keeper’s purging.

"Continue monitoring the Deception Lord’s movements and report back immediately if there are any updates. Once this arc of the narrative concludes, I’ll send you back to—uh, back to the Deceit Bureau..." Yang Qizhou, unaware of the inner drama playing out in the Death Mister’s mind, nor having any intention of employing the powers of the Spiritual Dragon to spy on his thoughts, remarked offhandedly. It was only at the end when he suddenly remembered that most of Deceit Prison had already collapsed and would likely be abandoned, prompting him to correct himself mid-sentence.

The Death Mister, unwilling and incapable of opposing the Lamp Keeper’s decisions, nodded dejectedly and said:

"Understood."

At least he’s obedient enough; it seems there’s no need to reprimand him for now.

Yang Qizhou thought to himself as he quickly shifted his gaze back to his phone in front of him. Just at that moment, the game character had also begun its ascension process.

...

"You swiftly completed the corresponding steps,"

"watching as millions upon millions of ’Old Sacrifices’ disappeared at a pace visible to the naked eye. The purest faith surged forth at this moment, pouring into your ’core essence.’"

"Your spirituality was ascending at a speed that defied conceptual limits,"

"until you arrived at a surreal, distorted space—a starry sky as chaotic and contradicting as a child’s senseless scribbles. Before you was a Star Domain where only a handful of stars were lit while vast regions remained shrouded in darkness."

"You have entered the Star Realm."

...

Now that the game character had entered the Star Realm, based on past experiences, it was likely his turn to follow soon.

Yang Qizhou mused with a trace of anticipation in his eyes.

Then his gaze once again fell on the Death Mister. Although he did not take the man’s pitiful Extraordinary Power seriously, nor did he believe the Death Mister had the courage to harm him while he lit the stars, Yang Qizhou nonetheless decided to summon the entity "Nothingness" to guard from the shadows. At the same time, he employed the power of the Spiritual Dragon and his authority over the symbol of "Nature" to exert a certain level of influence on him, just in case.

Shortly after taking these precautions,

the scenery before Yang Qizhou’s eyes shifted rapidly. His spirituality was rising at an unbelievable pace. Having experienced numerous descents into the Star Realm and lighting of stars before, he was rather composed this time,

and soon arrived at the same surreal, distorted depiction of the Star Realm,

where vast regions of the Star Domain lay dark, with only a scant few stars lit.

"These few stars were all lit by me." Yang Qizhou murmured, an unbidden smile curling at his lips.

Indeed,

this was the Star Domain tied exclusively to the symbol of "Fate."

He then recalled how other god-symbol bearers, in order to ascend their ranks, would have to kill deities of the same symbol, clearing the stars already occupied—a deity’s version of a "battle royale." By comparison, the Fate symbol was empty, wholly belonging to him. With this thought, he felt that accepting the Lord of Blasphemy’s arrangement to inherit Fate might not have been a bad decision after all.

"Enough of that. The immediate priority is to light the Fate stars and ascend to the rank of Angel..."

Murmuring to himself, Yang Qizhou quickly reined in his wandering thoughts, focusing once more on the surreal, abstract starry sky before him. Following an ineffable "revelation," he began gradually igniting the corresponding stars.

One star, two stars, three stars, five stars...

As Yang Qizhou poured his intent into them, the previously dim stars soon radiated light, shining brightly once more.

Thanks to his extensive prior experience, the process of seizing the symbol was extraordinarily smooth. In mere minutes, he had already lit more than twenty stars as planned.

Although no one explicitly stated this, an intuitive understanding from the depths of his being told Yang Qizhou that the "God of Victory" he shepherded had now secured "2.8%" of the Fate symbol.

Right after this,

the influx of information associated with his ascension poured into the recesses of his mind.

"Hmm, new authority. Looks like ascending to the Angel rank has its fair share of perks. I’ll digest it all once I return to the real world," Yang Qizhou muttered as a peculiar notion surfaced within his mind.