Chapter 16: Falling from Reality into Illusion

Leaving the 'Purple Flower District,' Yang Qizhou stretched lazily, his mood rather relaxed.

It was dark at the time, and he had been wearing a mask, leaving no trace. The possibility of exposure wasn't nonexistent, but it shouldn't be significant.

What's done is done. Yang Qizhou decided not to dwell on useless thoughts anymore.

He returned to the apartment complex quickly.

In the stairwell, Yang Qizhou ran into the little girl, Dou Ding. She had just come back from playing and looked like she was about to fall asleep at any moment, her yawns punctuating her adorable demeanor. Unable to resist, he pinched her cheeks hard twice, leaving the little girl pouting pitifully, almost on the verge of tears. Only then did he contentedly head indoors.

Kicking off his shoes, tossing his socks, shrugging off his outerwear—he sprawled onto the sofa without a care, instantly wrapped in a blanket of comfort.

Being a couch potato truly is bliss.

"This ancient object is pretty terrifying, though."

Yang Qizhou thought of the item in Wang Chuan's possession, an oddly shaped wooden statue.

At the time, he figured since he'd already made a move, he might as well grab this mysterious 'ancient object' as a reward. But the moment he saw the attributes, he immediately abandoned the notion, silently cursing the bizarre thing as something he wouldn't take even for free.

Ruined Statue of the Abyss Old God (Mortal Grade - Ancient Object): A product of the Catastrophe Era, created by an obsessed sculptor. He used branches from a demonic tree born in the Abyss as raw material and the flesh of the Abyss Old God as dye, attempting to create an artificial deity. Yet, just before completion, he dropped dead on the spot. Wherever the statue appeared afterward, horrifying calamities ensued, wiping out countless living beings. It has already gained the activated characteristic, but over endless ages, much of its power has dissipated. After enduring two epochs of catastrophe, its properties are nearly extinguished. Now that the statue has resurfaced, it will instinctively devour the blood and flesh of all living things to restore itself.

Effect: Radiates an unobservable Abyss Fog, capable of rewriting human senses—no more than ten individuals may be affected at once.

Side Effects: The Ruined Statue of the Abyss Old God will absorb the blood and flesh of its holder, corrupt their mind, and compel them to gather living beings' blood and flesh to restore it.

Evaluation: You are not its master; you are merely its slave.

No wonder player 'Wang Chuan' ended up in such a wretched state. Encountering such an accursed object, madness is only a matter of time.

"Luckily, the effect of the 'Ancient God Fire Lamp' can dispel illusions and reveal reality. It happens to counter the Ruined Statue of the Abyss Old God. Otherwise, this would've been a real headache."

Muttering to himself, Yang Qizhou retrieved the 'Ancient God Fire Lamp' from the game.

The lamp was made of bronze, its flame seemingly eternal. Though merely a tiny flicker, it shone impossibly bright, as if even the darkness of night would yield before it.

He recalled the five cautions mentioned by the 'Hidden Seeker.'

The second one among them was… never recklessly use items from *Deceit World* in reality. Doing so could unleash unspeakable horrors.

For now, the 'Ancient God Fire Lamp' seemed relatively normal.

Still, to play it safe, he decided to minimize his usage of *Deceit World* items until he figured out exactly what those 'unspeakable horrors' entailed.

"Hmm, it's twelve o'clock. Perfect timing."

Yang Qizhou smiled. Although there were no celestial phenomena or radiant golden splendor, a natural clarity arose in his mind. The firelight of Destiny's Blessing rekindled, the *Desecrating Dark Crow* crowed, and he once again gained the ability to resurrect three times and rewind five times.

Now, let's continue with the Unknown Evil God *Dream Hidden King*'s pregnancy plan.

The game begins.

"You opened your eyes in the lodging provided by Yixiu."

"Your heart is a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Just the thought of impregnating the *Dream Hidden King* makes your blood race."

"Before long, the injured Lena appeared before you again. This time, however, she was prepared for the Fire Stealing Priest. Though not gravely hurt, her blood-soaked appearance still startled you."

"The moment Lena entered, she started complaining to you, saying that the Holy Relic at the altar had not been replaced. The Fire Stealing Priest even mocked her for it."

"You didn't reply to her question. Instead, you smiled mysteriously, putting on an air of enigmatic authority."

"And then, everything changed."

"You saw the Holy Fire, symbolizing the Fire Stealing Ancient God's dominion, falter and waver within its basin. The scenery before you grew distorted and illusory. The Fire Stealing Village seemed as though it was plunging from reality into fantasy, yet the ordinary villagers remained oblivious to the terrifying phenomenon."

Yang Qizhou sprang upright, every nerve taut.

It's here—it's finally here.

Whether or not the *Dream Hidden King* could be impregnated hinged on this very moment.

"Realizing the Divine Descent Ceremony was underway, Lena proposed escorting you to the Fire Stealing Priest's residence again. However, in her understanding, the necessary Holy Relic for the Divine Descent hadn't been swapped, leaving her somewhat disheartened."

"Ever the mysterious and cryptic explorer, you still refused to reveal the truth, insisting instead that Lena escort you."

"Under Lena's escort, you headed to the Fire Stealing Priest's house."

"En route, you noticed a massive, indistinct face in the sky—nine eyes, thirteen mouths, the sound of unknown ravings echoing in your ears."

"You speculated that the Divine Descent Ceremony might have reached the sacred name recitation phase."

"And so, you, the devious and sacrilegious explorer with a heart full of mischief, faced this choice: Would you now recite the full sacred name of the *Dream Hidden King* to steal the ceremony?"

"Or would you wait a little longer?"

Another pivotal choice? As expected, getting an Evil God pregnant was no easy feat.

Damned game.

Any other player would be torn here—it's so close to success, no one would want to fumble at this critical juncture.

But Yang Qizhou had no such worries. With the *Desecrating Dark Crow* in hand, he could restart his destiny. Regret was an option for him.

He chose the first option.

"Feeble explorer, convinced that the Fire Stealing Priest was already reciting the sacred name of the *Dream Hidden King,* you feared missing this opportunity. You decided to chant alongside him."

"You recited the full sacred name of the *Dream Hidden King,* but there were no signs of a deity descending. Apart from the surreal giant face in the sky growing more substantial, nothing else happened."

"The Fire Stealing Priest sensed your despicable act and, outraged, brought out his invisible hound-companions."

"Lena jumped to your defense, confronting the Fire Stealing Priest."

"Then, you heard a dog's bark."

"Everything below your waist was eaten by the dog. You bled profusely, your cries of agony filled the air."

"You died."