Old Camp and the Headless Demigod

In the Mysterious Study Room, Rosen carefully examined the historical records he had opportunistically acquired. Several months later, he finally completed his review of all data related to miraculous artifacts.

He had already studied the records on Sequence 8 miraculous artifacts two years ago, but since the Miracle Sequence required even more in the future, he couldn't afford to scramble for information at the last minute. His goal was to grasp all relevant history in one go.

His reason for choosing the Old Continent was simple—the miraculous artifact he sought had last appeared there. The Old Continent was once the heartland of numerous hegemonic civilizations, its significance akin to that of the Eternal Continent under the World Government.

In sheer size, the Old Continent was ten times larger than the Holy Continent. Apart from the outermost ring of the Prime World, it was the largest landmass in existence. Its vastness was not only due to its original scale but also because successive ruling civilizations had continuously transported and integrated entire continents into it.

By all logic, the World Government should have been established on the Old Continent. However, no one knew exactly what had transpired in its early days. Even the Historical Realm held no records of this period.

Ultimately, the World Government abandoned the Old Continent, choosing instead to expend immense resources to create the Eternal Continent deep within the Spiritual Realm. From that moment on, they evacuated all humans, reducing the Old Continent to a land of complete oblivion.

For the first ten thousand years, the World Government strictly prohibited anyone from setting foot on the Old Continent. Only in the past ten thousand years had they gradually permitted "explorations."

Somehow, over those millennia, every trace of civilization had crumbled into ruins. A land once fully developed and controlled by dominant civilizations had, in its isolation, become riddled with unimaginable dangers.

Whether True Gods had fallen there remained uncertain, but the Historical Realm did record instances of deities perishing in the Old Continent. At present, only Sequence 3 or higher transcendents could safely venture into its depths.

The Old Camp was the only safe zone for human demigods exploring the Old Continent. The World Government had established an ultra-long-distance teleportation array there and installed a True God-grade miraculous artifact imbued with spatial laws.

Anyone carrying a projection of this artifact could instantly teleport back to the Old Camp, no matter how deep they ventured. Before this return mechanism was implemented, the mortality rate for Old Continent expeditions had reached as high as ninety percent.

As a result, the Old Camp became an unavoidable checkpoint for all explorers and a bustling hub exclusive to demigods. But why was it a "camp" rather than a full-fledged city? Because every city ever established there, even those with a True God stationed within, had ultimately been destroyed.

Only a camp could survive. And the key to its survival was maintaining a population below ten thousand. Without sufficient status and influence, one couldn't even dream of entering the Old Camp.

Rosen had only secured his place there due to the special standing of historians. Over the past year—including his months in the Historical Realm and his time studying in the Mysterious Study Room—his self-portrait avatar had become quite well-known within the camp.

Many exploration teams had invited Rosen to join them, but he had declined. Instead, he built a thriving business in artifact appraisal. Teams returning from the Old Continent would bring their finds to him for evaluation, and his exceptional skills soon made him a sought-after expert.

The historians originally stationed at the Old Camp were practically gnashing their teeth in frustration, wishing they could tear him apart.

Having accomplished what he needed, Rosen recalled his avatar and stepped out of the appraisal shop he had operated for months. Hanging up a "Closed Indefinitely" sign, he prepared to enter the Old Continent under his historian alias—Arthur.

At the center of the camp stood a thirty-foot-tall torch. The Torch of Hope—A Miraculous Artifact of a True God.

Rosen took a living Sequence 3 Ashen Lifeform and tossed it into the flames, allowing the Torch of Hope to incinerate it into ashes. From within the fire, a projection split off, capable of existing for up to ten years.

He stored the projection in his divine territory before searching for a guide. His knowledge of the Old Continent was limited. While the Historical Realm contained the most detailed records, the information available to him was only a fraction—and outdated at that.

No one knew how much the ever-changing Old Continent had transformed over time. To ensure success in finding the miraculous artifact, hiring an experienced guide was the best course of action.

Half a day later, thanks to the connections he had built over the past year, Rosen secured three guides. One was Ghost Shadow, a Sequence 3 Phantom Assassin. Another was Lynx King, a Sequence 3 Beastmaster Hunter. The third was Sapper, a Sequence 3 Geologist.

All three used code names, just as Rosen had been going by "Progenitor" for the past year. Using real names in the Old Continent was simply too dangerous. Once the team was assembled, they spent another half-day finalizing preparations.

Rosen had already arranged everything, but the others had to set up contingencies. Each left behind their divine territories' spiritual realms to ensure their legacies would be passed down if they perished. The Old Camp would see to it that their designated successors received them.

The entire Old Continent was shrouded in ash—thick, terrifying ash. Even a demigod's normal vision couldn't extend beyond ten meters, and their external divine sense was limited to a hundred.

Those with special ocular abilities or enhanced sensory techniques could stretch their perception ten or even a hundred times further, but no more than that. This overwhelming density of ash led many demigods to speculate that the Old Continent was the source of all ash.

However, based on Rosen's research in the Historical Realm, the ash seemed more like a seal. With such limited perception, losing one's way was incredibly easy. The Torch of Hope improved visibility somewhat, but even so, a single misstep could lead straight into a death trap.

This was why even demigods had to tread carefully. The projection of the Torch of Hope had a time limit. A Sequence 3 Ashen Lifeform generated a projection lasting ten years. A Sequence 2 sustained it for a hundred years. A Sequence 1 for a thousand years.

The longer the projection lasted, the further an explorer could venture into the Old Continent. However, even with a thousand years, one could only cautiously explore its outskirts.

Since leaving the Old Camp, everyone except Rosen had been on high alert. Sapper constantly used Geological Survey to create a real-time geological map spanning tens of thousands of meters.

Meanwhile, Lynx King released dozens of Phantom Cats from his divine territory, each splitting into illusionary clones to scout the area.

For several days, they encountered no danger. Even so, Ghost Shadow and the others remained vigilant.

Travel was only conducted during the day; come nightfall, they would retreat into Ghost Shadow's divine territory. There, Ghost Shadow would activate every stealth-enhancing ability he possessed, concealing the team to the utmost degree.

On the afternoon of the sixth day, an unexpected crisis finally occurred. 

Almost in an instant, all the phantom clones of the Phantom Cats sent out by Lynx King were completely wiped out. 

Sapper, who had remained vigilant, immediately noticed Lynx King's change in expression. Without hesitation, he activated the Geologist's Gravity Manipulation. At the same time, Ghost Shadow instantly expanded his domain, pulling Rosen and the other two inside before frantically using every means at his disposal to escape. 

Rosen had done his homework over the past year, carefully researching his three guides before hiring them. 

He knew very well that their four-man team had just hit the jackpot—in the worst possible way. 

Ordinary dangers could be handled by the Geologist. 

More troublesome threats could still be managed with Lynx King working alongside him. 

But for something to wipe out all of the Phantom Cats' clones in an instant, it was far beyond their ability to deal with. In such a situation, their only option was to let Ghost Shadow gamble on a desperate escape. 

However, running blindly without a clear sense of direction could lead them into even greater danger. 

If they couldn't shake off the threat behind them, their only choice would be to rely on the Torch of Hope's projection to teleport back to the Old Camp. 

Of course, teleportation wasn't guaranteed to succeed, as the process required a certain amount of time. 

After reaching Sequence 3, Rosen's God-Hunting Eye was also capable of generating projections. 

Before being pulled away by Ghost Shadow's domain, he had left behind one such projection, which now managed to capture the source of their pursuer. 

It was a deer, its entire body rotting both inside and out. Through the decayed flesh of its back, a still-beating heart was visible. The creature devoured the projection of the God-Hunting Eye in a single bite, then locked onto Ghost Shadow and relentlessly gave chase. 

As Ghost Shadow fled, he suddenly broke into a cold sweat and came to an abrupt halt. 

They were caught between a rock and a hard place. 

Ahead of them, not far away, lay a goat with only its head and neck remaining. The goat's long, snake-like neck slithered across the ground, writhing as it moved. Wherever it passed, thick, violet-gold blood oozed from the severed end of its neck. 

They didn't know exactly what was chasing them from behind, but the creature ahead was undoubtedly a Demon Goathead. 

Once targeted by this monstrosity, one's supernatural bloodline would be slowly consumed. 

They had to eliminate the Demon Goathead before they could continue escaping. 

Otherwise, the permanent weakening of their supernatural bloodlines would be an unbearable loss. 

Sapper expanded his domain, causing the ground within a ten-thousand-meter radius to come alive, forming a massive rock dome. The surface of the dome became covered in intricate spiritual runes, densely packed together. Compared to Wizards, Geologists were far superior when it came to constructing formations. 

Lynx King followed up by summoning dozens of Sequence 3 Celestial Cats. 

The Celestial Cats charged at the Demon Goathead, their path illuminated by boundless holy light. Enormous feline figures, radiating divine brilliance, lunged at the Demon Goathead, engaging it in fierce battle. 

Before long, the Demon Goathead was covered in wounds, bleeding profusely. However, when a single drop of its blood struck one of the Celestial Cats, the unfortunate creature was instantly and irreversibly killed. 

Seeing that the Demon Goathead was being suppressed, Ghost Shadow split into three spectral clones. 

Rather than attacking directly, the clones maneuvered around the sides, using control abilities to restrict the Demon Goathead's movements. 

The battle lasted a full thirty minutes before the Celestial Cats finally tore the Demon Goathead apart. 

Under normal circumstances, the threat behind them should have caught up long ago. 

Yet, thanks to the Geologist's rock dome, there was still some distance between them. 

This was because the dome didn't just serve as a protective barrier—it also contained a remarkable time acceleration effect, stretching a single second in the outside world into half an hour inside. 

By the time the battle ended, Sapper was so exhausted that he passed out on the spot. 

Lynx King carefully harvested two goat horns and a pair of eyeballs, making sure not to touch even a single drop of blood. Only then did the team retreat into Ghost Shadow's domain and resume their escape. It took them half a day of fleeing before they were finally certain they had shaken off the danger behind them. 

That half-day was a race against death itself. Now that they were finally safe, everyone's tightly wound nerves relaxed just a little. 

It was time to divide the spoils. Rosen and Ghost Shadow each received an eyeball. 

As for the two goat horns, Lynx King and Sapper took one each. 

The Demon Goathead's eyeballs were top-tier materials for enhancing ocular techniques, while the horns could be used to craft peak Sequence 3 supernatural artifacts. 

Rosen immediately noticed the suppressed anger in Ghost Shadow. 

As the employer, it was reasonable for him to receive one eyeball. 

But the remaining loot? The horn that went to Sapper should have gone to Ghost Shadow instead. 

On the surface, Sapper, who had collapsed from exhaustion, seemed to have contributed more than Ghost Shadow. 

But that wasn't the right way to assess their efforts. 

No matter how hard Sapper worked or how fatigued he was, he hadn't actually been in much danger. On the other hand, Ghost Shadow, despite looking far better than Sapper, had shouldered a far greater risk throughout their entire escape. 

Because if they had truly encountered a threat capable of wiping them all out, the first to die would have been Ghost Shadow. 

The other three, who had been hiding, would have instantly used the Torch of Hope's projection to escape the moment they faced an overwhelming threat. 

Ghost Shadow had borne the greatest risk, yet he received the least in return. 

Rosen sighed inwardly. He had initially thought that Sapper and Lynx King had no particular ties, but now it was clear that their relationship was much closer than expected. Ghost Shadow had been outright cheated out of his rightful share of the loot by the two of them working together. 

And the worst part was that he couldn't even call them out on it right now. 

If he left the team and returned to the Old Camp at this point, his current gains wouldn't even cover the cost of a single trip into the Old Continent. 

But after this, how could this team possibly trust each other when they faced danger again? 

They were all half-gods. Shouldn't they be above such short-sightedness? 

Rosen soon noticed something unusual. 

During their rest, Sapper secretly handed his share of the goat horn to Ghost Shadow. 

From what Rosen could glean using his God-Hunting Eye, Sapper had actually been just as displeased with Lynx King's actions. 

Lynx King had only done this because he needed a favor from Sapper. But he was also incredibly stingy, so instead of giving something of his own, he had robbed Ghost Shadow of his rightful loot to curry favor with Sapper. 

Sapper, unwilling to make an outright enemy of Lynx King, accepted the horn on the surface. But in private, he returned it to Ghost Shadow. 

Because Sapper had shown himself to be reasonable, his relationship with Ghost Shadow quickly improved. 

However, Rosen felt that something was still very off. 

Inside the Mysterious Study Room, his self-portrait avatar began painting a premonition. 

The image showed Lynx King and Sapper crouched over Ghost Shadow's lifeless corpse. 

Rosen felt a headache coming on. These two weren't just greedy—they were actually planning to murder a teammate for his belongings. 

How could his luck be this bad? 

He had painstakingly selected guides who supposedly had no connections to each other, yet he had somehow ended up with two people secretly colluding to kill and rob. 

And to make matters worse, they had barely left the Old Camp, and they were already facing back-to-back attacks in the outermost region of the Old Continent. 

Was his supposed true god-tier innate fortune nothing more than an empty title? 

Rosen suddenly realized something was wrong—his fortune was completely stable, without the slightest fluctuation. 

Luck wasn't a fixed constant; it fluctuated depending on various factors. No matter how fortunate someone was, they would still encounter minor misfortunes—just at a much lower probability. And even when they faced trouble, they would usually find a way to resolve it. If luck were truly unchanging and completely stable, then wouldn't that mean everyone was just a puppet of fate? 

The same principle applied to foresight. No matter how powerful the ability, predictions could never be one hundred percent accurate. 

But now, something inconceivable had happened—his luck showed no variation at all. 

There were many abilities capable of sensing changes in luck. Even if they weren't as direct as Miracle Kindling, they could at least detect some degree of fluctuation. If the Old Continent truly had the power to erase all shifts in fortune, then there was no way the Historical Sanctuary wouldn't have records of it. 

Rosen turned his gaze to Ghost Shadow's fortune—it was also completely stable. 

However, when he looked at Lynx King and Sapper, their luck showed fluctuations. But the problem was that their fortune had plummeted to rock bottom, bordering on outright misfortune. 

Could the anomaly in luck be coming from those two? 

Rosen used the corpse of an Abyssal Curse Demon to create a Dimensional Canvas. Then, he refined the Demon Goathead's eyeball into Divine Pigment. 

With his God's Hand ability, he painted portraits of Lynx King and Sapper onto the canvas. 

Three years passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, they encountered numerous dangers. 

Lynx King, relying on his superior strength over Ghost Shadow, always claimed the better portion of the spoils and distributed more to Sapper. If Sapper had contributed significantly, he would keep his share. But if his efforts fell short of Ghost Shadow's, Lynx King would secretly compensate him afterward. 

Over time, Ghost Shadow and Sapper grew closer, and Rosen noticed that Ghost Shadow's luck was steadily declining. 

Meanwhile, the fortunes of Sapper and Lynx King continued to rise, until eventually, their luck stopped fluctuating altogether. 

Rosen could now make an educated guess—Sapper and Lynx King were stealing Ghost Shadow's fortune. 

As for why they hadn't targeted him, it was likely because they sensed danger, or perhaps because he was their employer. In the Old Camp, he had extensive connections, and if he failed to return alive while they did, it would cause significant trouble for them. 

At first, Rosen had considered saving Ghost Shadow. 

But over time, he decided to stay out of it. 

Ghost Shadow was no saint. Initially suppressed by Lynx King, he later grew close to Sapper, and more than once, he had taken a share of Rosen's rightful spoils. 

Since Ghost Shadow was just as opportunistic, there was no need for Rosen to repay such a person with kindness. 

Half a year later, Rosen finally arrived at his intended destination. 

Since he no longer needed guides, he straightforwardly handed over the proof of mission completion. 

Ghost Shadow and the other two took their leave, heading deeper into the Old Continent. 

Rosen watched them disappear into the distance. 

And at that moment—after years of being unnaturally stable—his fortune suddenly fluctuated violently. 

That meant someone had made a move against him. 

But he hadn't even noticed when Lynx King and Sapper had managed to lay their trap. 

Rosen shook his head. He had no interest in meddling in others' affairs, yet some people insisted on courting death. 

He flipped open his Void Sketchbook and activated the God's Will embedded in the painting, beginning his curse against Lynx King and Sapper. 

Using the Demon Goathead's eyeball to refine the Divine Pigment, he could, through God's Will, directly erase their supernatural bloodlines, inflicting a severe blow to their Noble Sequence supernal essence. Once they were weakened, he could easily seal the two Sequence 3 half-gods through the painting in his hands. 

Rosen's counterattack immediately made Lynx King and Sapper sense that something was wrong. 

Although they weren't sure if Rosen was responsible, they instinctively turned around and closed in on him. 

Ghost Shadow followed behind them in confusion—only to witness something truly bizarre. 

As Lynx King and Sapper approached True Ancestor, their bodies underwent a dramatic transformation. 

They removed their own heads—then took out new ones and placed them onto their necks.

(End of chapter)