"Speaking of which, I really should thank her," William said with a smile. "If it hadn't been for her, I could only have used some disorderly organs to piece together a complete body. Her arrival, on the contrary, perfected the resurrection ritual track, enabling me to revive without the need for other organs. And I am even more perfect than before."

Ur Wunnian's mind stirred. This was why those organs were scattered throughout the mansion. If that witch hadn't appeared before, organs such as the heart and brain would likely have been collected by William and placed together. In that case, the players trying to complete their task would have to face the interference of abnormal organs and directly confront the Divinity-possessing William. The difficulty would have been too great. However, the embryo—the objective of the task—was already controlled by William early on. If the System's ultimate goal was to have everyone kill William, why would it unnecessarily compel the players to clear the scattered organs around the mansion, which were no longer of much relevance to the resurrection ritual track? Those organs, even if left untouched, would not cause any particularly bad effects, right? On the contrary, clearing the organs seems even more dangerous.

Ur Wunnian pondered, while Stonemason narrowed his eyes slightly. Dong Fengpo felt a chill. The embryo he had just seen was so hideous, distorted, and bizarre that it was impossible to tell it had once been human. Could such a monstrous thing really be called a deity?

Seemingly perceiving his aversion, William said indifferently, "Do not use your ignorant assumptions to speculate on the definition of a god. Gods are unknowable, invisible, inscrutable, and immeasurable. The deepest nature of a god cannot be wholly described, even with the full stretch of mortal imagination. Furthermore, my resurrection ritual track is far from complete. Otherwise, the instant you opened that door, you would have gone mad from gazing directly at the divine essence."

"..." Forest Cat did not rebut. The Divinity of some powerful Nature Gods was indeed not something mortals could safely behold. At the instant of seeing Divinity, a mortal's brain would be bombarded with a massive amount of divine information; without utmost care, they could become vegetative, turn into fools, or madmen. What baffled her was how William, a mere mortal, could withstand even a trace of Divinity. Divinity forged from the will of worshippers possesses an incomparable advantage over mere humanity. Even if a mortal could barely survive the wash of Divinity and succeed in Divine Enthronement, they would be eroded by it, bit by bit losing their self-awareness. For an individual life, what difference is there between losing self-awareness and death? From the moment of Divine Enthronement, seated in the divine position, wielding great Divine Power, and receiving the worship of thousands, it is another person altogether. Based on the mystical knowledge Forest Cat possessed, William's plan appeared to be a death wish. Unless... William had some backup plan she was unaware of. Forest Cat's mind flashed with inspiration, as if she had caught a clue.

Li Ang looked at the motionless mud ball and laughed. "Well, you're certainly not choosy, are you? Does it not matter to you that you've become a woman?"

"Gender and appearance are but extensions of Divinity for gods," William said calmly. "I chose this body merely because it better resonates with the life, creation, procreation, and healing contained within this strand of Divinity. Women are more inclusive than men."

"Well said!" Li Ang planted his long spear in the ground and clapped his hands enthusiastically, expressing sincere admiration. "Hearing you say that makes me so thrilled I could slap my thigh with joy! In this hot weather, all my weariness is gone, and I'm full of energy. Society's truly getting better! We women can live exactly as we wish. I can't help but smile; happiness is in the air. Women have finally, truly risen!"

William was bewildered, completely unaware of what Li Ang was driving at. "What are you getting so excited about?"

"I'm happy for you," Li Ang said. "Don't be afraid of your quirks being attacked by the world. A hundred-dollar electronic watch and a million-dollar Rolex both tell time the same way. Don't be afraid of being looked down upon; believe in yourself. Society is becoming more open and inclusive. Even if you are a cross-dressing king, you can debut as an idol."

William, who had always been trapped in this mansion, didn't know what a "cross-dressing king" was, but judging from Li Ang's tone, it could hardly be a sincere compliment.

"Hmph, ramblings of madness," William sneered. "You people, are you not also here for that sliver of Divinity?"

"Hmm," Li Ang frankly admitted. "Divinity is a good thing. The authorities have issued a strict order. As the owner of the mansion, not only are you required to hand over the house due to overdue property taxes, but also because you possess Divinity without having declared it, you are required to hand it over to the officials. Even if one were to become a Buddha or an immortal, a villager like you wouldn't be first in line, understand?"

"Ha? Become a Buddha or an immortal? What are you thinking?" William said scornfully. "I've told you, deities are a presence that cannot be accurately described with human language. Compared to gods, humans are inherently too fragile. To wield the power of life with a human body, one must pay a price. The bloodline power that the Lesley family possesses is a curse they inherited from their Demigod ancestors. I don't know how many years I studied Divinity, and with enormous effort, I only came up with this resurrection and transference ritual track, which has huge side effects. Even if you take Divinity back, you will absolutely be unable to use it perfectly. At best, you might create a god monstrosity with great power, or a tree that lives eternally, unaware and unfeeling."

On this point, William wasn't lying. He had heard of such cases while he was still alive. A European noble with enormous influence had used his connections to hire countless mysterious scholars. They attempted to use the Divinity of a weak Nature God of water to elevate his life essence, cure a chronic disease he suffered from, and even achieve immortality.

He succeeded, and he failed. He merged with Divinity; his illness truly disappeared completely, and he achieved immortality. However, his external appearance transformed into a pool of spring water, forever contained within a golden Holy Grail, only able to mechanically respond to the outside world.

Compared to that method of achieving godhood, which completely obliterated one's self, the path William had taken had somewhat fewer side effects.

Forest Cat took a deep breath, her fingertip brushing against the stone necklace at her throat. She said somberly, "Actually, you have never stopped surveilling the descendants of the Lesley family, right? You've been monitoring the whereabouts of the Lesley family members, especially the original owner of the body you're now controlling. You watched her awaken her supernatural ability, watched her become a Witch, slowly guided her to uncover the family history and the truth on Roanoke Island, and eventually, you deprived her of her existence. That's also why you didn't actively erase the writings left by Mrs. Lesley in the generator room. You needed to guide the Witch to come before you. In other words, before this, your control over the mansion itself wasn't as strong as we imagined."

Forest Cat stared intently at the mud ball, as if trying to penetrate its muddy exterior. "Considering this, combined with the fact that we were transported away as soon as we entered the mansion... there's a possibility. That Witch—she hasn't completely died, right? Was it she who, by influencing this body you now possess, transported the players to different rooms to prevent you from killing them prematurely? She's still exerting a continuous effect on your body. You are now far more vulnerable than we imagined."

As Forest Cat spoke, she slowly drew out her riding crop. The other team members, sensing William's paper-tiger nature, also silently raised their equipment.