The Deficiency of Monsters, the Crumbling Shrine of Gods

"Uh... When I sent a gift to the Star God."

Yi Bai hadn't thought much about it at the time. His only intent was to vent his burning fury and get back at his enemy. As for the deal made within Phantom City, the blood of the Unspoken Avatar was just too rich and delicious. He had been entirely immersed in his own self-improvement, driven by the restless influence of the Emotional Abyss, and had overlooked the true uniqueness of his Painful Blood Hands.

It was, after all, a particularly terrifying and exceptional talent! The endless agony it inflicted was akin to "true damage" in a game. Under the immense disparity in realms, the actual damage might seem minor, like an ant's bite to a blood-thick "boss." But this ant was one that no one could avoid—the Bullet Ant! If anything, it was worse.

"Little one, there's actually another unique issue you humans face."

Seeing Yi Bai's sudden realization, Rose Countess took the opportunity to continue her guidance. "After all, you were once a mortal yourself. In your world's myths and legends, the word 'god' holds extraordinary significance."

"This has led you to, subconsciously, equate the fierce gods with the divine figures of mythology."

"In reality... you're wrong. The fierce gods are entirely different from the gods of myths!"

"Their level of willpower is nowhere near as terrifying as the gods who overcame countless tribulations in your mythologies."

As the Countess's words sunk in, Yi Bai's eyes subtly shifted. Indeed, whenever the word "god" was mentioned, both players from the mortal realm and even Yi Bai himself would instinctively draw parallels with divine beings from mythology. But the Countess had awakened him to something crucial.

The fierce gods in the Thrilling World might possess immense power, but in terms of willpower, they were far below the gods of myth. The reason, Yi Bai suspected, lay in the very fabric of the Thrilling World itself. Whether it was the powerful vampires or the weaker wandering souls, the very existence of monsters had inherent flaws.

This flaw was akin to the "obsessions" that haunted the monsters—vampires' bloodlust, the Silver Abyss of the Succubus Clan, the Painted Skin Clan's endless pursuit of perfection, and so on.

A key point was that these flaws could rarely, if ever, be satisfied. Despite their terrifying powers, their unique "obsessions" could never be laid to rest, let alone be released as humans could. This was the flaw of the monsters.

The Countess's words made Yi Bai realize that even fierce gods, terrifying as they might be, were not free from their own "obsessions."

"Could it be that the intertwining of Yin and Yang in the mirror realm is precisely the result of the fierce gods' attempts to solve their own problems?" Yi Bai pondered this thought, realizing that the mortal realm, despite seeming weaker than the Thrilling World, could still attract beings like the Greedy God, who would go to great lengths to make their plans.

The mortal world, in its own way, was just as important, and Yi Bai would never underestimate it.

"Alright, I've told you the method. Now, little one, deal with that high-level shrine as soon as possible."

Rose Countess lazily waved her hand before she withdrew from the dream. The distance between realms meant she could only weave dreams and couldn't truly affect reality. So, leaving was simple for her.

Yi Bai's gaze sharpened. He knew exactly what Rose Countess would do once she left.

After silently marking her debt of gratitude in his heart, Yi Bai gently patted Xier's small head. "The fishing operation can wait for now. Once the high-level shrine is taken down, I can't guarantee the Greedy God won't sense it and lash out in a fit of rage."

"Mmm~" Xier nodded obediently. "I'll let Mama know. Big brother, don't worry!"

"Good, Xier is so well-behaved! Mua!"

He rewarded her with a kiss, causing Yuanmeng, hidden beneath a red veil, to start feeling a bit restless.

Hmm... Rose Countess was still very composed and restrained in her actions here.

Once she left...

"Husband~"

A soft, warm voice whispered in his ear, full of fervor.

"Ahem, business first. Yuanmeng, let's leave this for next time, alright?"

Yi Bai, with the precision of a callous person, promptly pulled away. The figure within the dream shattered instantly. Xier, witnessing this, blinked innocently before quietly leaving as well.

Yuanmeng, left alone, could only stamp her foot in helpless frustration, cursing the fact that she couldn't influence the dream from two realms away.

...

Exhaling deeply, Yi Bai stretched and heard the satisfying cracking of his joints. Standing up, he noted that this time, nothing unusual had happened—no sneaky bites, no mistaken mounts. Lilith and Iris had been dutifully handling the Forest of Bewilderment.

"Let's check on the high-level shrine. After all this time, being trapped at the Red-Cloth Realm, it should be on the verge of collapse by now, right?"

A small mirror appeared, quickly expanding into a full-sized reflective surface.

The mirror reflected the towering, terrifying figure of a godly statue, its grotesque mouths gnashing in agony. Though the sight was horrific, it carried an unmistakable sense of weakness.

The screams and wails from within the mirror realm could not penetrate into his world, but just seeing it was enough for Yi Bai to imagine the desperate suffering the shrine was enduring.

"Mm... Looks like it's about to break, but not quite there yet."

Yi Bai squinted, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Perfect. Just the right time to interrogate it. Maybe I can extract some information about the Greedy God."

"To think a fierce god's will would betray its own body. How interesting!"

Stepping through the mirror's shimmering surface, Yi Bai's presence entered the mirror realm.

The cacophony of wailing and shrieks became a haunting melody, though it was clear the voices no longer held the strength they once had.

"How does it feel? This little gift from me. Does the mighty will of the fierce god find it... acceptable?"

Yi Bai's mocking tone fell flat this time, not stirring any anger from the high-level shrine. Perhaps the endless suffering had drained its capacity for rage.

Soon enough, it might even lose the strength to scream.

That level of hellish torment could only be truly understood by those who had experienced it.

Still, the fact that the high-level shrine had endured this long under the Painful Blood Hands, almost to the point of collapse... truly spoke to the terrifying power of a shrine imbued with the will of a fierce god.