Will Projection of a Deity

[Uh, I'm speechless. I woke up this morning to find a message from TearStain, and realized I made a huge mistake yesterday. He said mobile readers can't see the revised version of the previous chapter because the update times are different from the main site, so changes might not show up... I checked, and there's no major problem on the mobile app, just that you need to re-download Chapter 193, but readers on the WAP site might see an incomplete version. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have made the changes... I suggest everyone switch to the desktop version to see the complete version, otherwise the beginning of this chapter will feel a bit abrupt... I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but don't worry, this problem won't happen again~~]

Hammer Lock is dead?!

Gu Ding didn't quite understand what the Sea Emperor was saying. "I don't quite understand. That chain is still attacking and able to organize an effective defense. How could a dead person do that?"

"The one that launched the attack and defense was that chain." The Sea Emperor's explanation sounded quite avant-garde. "True divine objects all possess self-awareness, only varying in strength. The chain Hammer Lock possessed before was originally a divine object, but due to certain reasons, it was deliberately dismantled, downgraded to something between a demigod and a divine object. Therefore, this chain has a spirit, but its self-awareness was sealed due to the incompleteness of its original form. Just now, Hammer Lock left behind a powerful obsession before his death, and it was this obsession that awakened the sealed self-awareness within the chain. If I'm not mistaken, this chain has also fully received Hammer Lock's obsession before his death, and the awakened Artifact Spirit hopes to help him fulfill his last wish, which is why the scene in the video occurred..."

In the video, the small black snakes formed from chains quickly found their targets and coiled around them.

More than 80,000 people were engulfed by the black spherical object in less than three minutes.

Ten minutes passed, and everyone within the video's range collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. Hammer Lock had truly done it; single-handedly, he had fought against more than 80,000 powerful individuals. To be precise, it was his remaining obsession that had enabled him to do so.

Strangely, the chain reformed into a giant python, which grew larger and larger. The sphere at the top of the chain slowly deformed into a spike several meters long, resembling a sharp horn on its head.

The giant python, still taking shape, looked up at the sky.

"What happened? Everyone in the prison should have been killed, right? Why hasn't this obsession dissipated?" Gu Ding asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Because a powerful opponent has appeared..." Sea Emperor projected the image into the air.

On the surveillance footage, strange surging appeared in the clouds above Rioben Prison, and under that surging, the clouds slowly turned into a vortex.

Then, from the center of the vortex, a beam of white light shone down, like a powerful spotlight shining from beyond the clouds. The instant that beam of white light touched the ground, the surveillance footage suddenly vanished, leaving only static white dots indicating no signal.

"What happened? Why did the picture suddenly disappear?" Gu Ding asked anxiously, eager to know what would happen after that beam of light descended.

"That beam of light just now was divine radiance, which only appears when a deity's true form or Will Projection descends. Only a deity, besides the heavens, could shield the entire planet from all signal fluctuations. Moreover, the shielding of divine radiance is a pure energy suppression, which I cannot break through in my current state. Therefore, not only will we not see that great battle, but we will also completely lose contact with Liliath and the others until this deity leaves. My signal will be unable to penetrate the planet's signal shield. However, I will continue to try to contact them; as soon as the shield is lifted, I will be able to reach them immediately." The Sea Emperor's message was not good news.

"Does that also mean you have no way to control the port's Sky Dome system and Armor-Piercing Cannon system?" Gu Ding pressed.

"That's right. To use a term from the old Deep Sea Star, I'm now a standalone machine without a connection cable. And my radar function has been disabled. I can only see through your eyes now; what you can't see, I can't see either." The Sea Emperor's voice sounded somewhat frustrated. Being so thoroughly blocked, this was the first time he had ever felt so powerless.

"If that's the case, Lily and the others shouldn't be able to land on this planet; it's actually safer for them," Gu Ding concluded. "Because now that a god has descended, no one knows what will happen."

"They are fine, but you are in a dangerous situation," Sea Emperor warned. "The military has confirmed that you are on this planet, and the longer this goes on, the less safe you will be."

"But I definitely won't be able to escape before this god leaves." Gu Ding spread his hands helplessly. Speaking of the god, he became slightly excited. "Sea Emperor, I want to go and see that god's battle."

"Are you crazy? If you get caught in the crossfire, you'll be reduced to ashes." The Sea Emperor retorted without any politeness.

"We can watch from a distance. Turning it into a telescope should be easy for you, right? That building on the left is so tall. If we go up to the roof, we should be able to see what's going on over there. We definitely won't be affected by the battle." Gu Ding's words finally made the Sea Emperor somewhat interested. In fact, he also wanted to see just how powerful the gods of this era were.

The building to Gu Ding's left is over 400 meters tall. There are only about 70 buildings of that height on the entire Jer Star. In the city where Rioben Prison is located, there are three such buildings, the tallest of which is 883 meters. The one to Gu Ding's left is the second tallest building in the entire city.

Taking the suspended elevator, Gu Ding reached the top floor of the high-rise building in less than five minutes.

Sea Emperor transformed himself into a pair of smart glasses, allowing Gu Ding to easily pinpoint the location where the pillar of light had descended. Although the pillar was no longer there, the changing clouds in the sky revealed the exact location of Rioben Prison to Gu Ding. Of course, Gu Ding also witnessed another astonishing sight.

It was a black python nearly two hundred meters tall, which had completely broken free of the prison's constraints and coiled above it. Facing it directly was a colossal giant nearly three hundred meters tall.

Sea Emperor quickly demonstrated the functions of the smart glasses, zooming in and finally allowing Gu Ding to see the scene of the battle clearly.

According to what the Sea Emperor had said, that giant should be Will Projection. The projection wore heavy black armor, its muscles bulging, suggesting it was a powerful melee fighter. The most striking feature of its face was its triangular eyes, radiating a fierce aura; it was clear from its appearance that this was no good person.

"Submit to me!" The voice emanating from the divine projection was like a vibration in the surrounding air, and Gu Ding could hear it clearly through the receiving function of his smart glasses.

The black serpent chose to remain silent. It stood proudly, and although its eyes were not visible, even Gu Ding could sense that it was staring at its opponent.

"Submit to me, and we can fight together. I can also help you find the missing parts and make you stronger..." The divine projection offered its terms.

"It seems this deity descended in projection for this divine artifact." Gu Ding finally understood the purpose of the deity's descent. "Isn't it said that deities can nurture their own divine artifacts? Why would they steal someone else's?"

"A demigod artifact needs at least a thousand years of nurturing to begin to develop consciousness, and for that consciousness to fully form and possess its own thoughts, the process takes even longer. The Artifact Spirit of this chain has essentially reached maturity. If successfully subdued, it means this deity can save at least three thousand years of time on this matter, allowing them to dedicate more time to [the pursuit of immortality]. Although the chain is incomplete, reforging it is not difficult for a deity; the difficulty lies in the formation of its Artifact Spirit," the Sea Emperor explained clearly. "Directly seizing it is actually a very worthwhile move."

"How much Combat Strength can Will Projection retain?" Gu Ding gazed at the projection of the god from afar. Just by looking at its enormous size, he felt that the god's strength should not be weak.

"Generally speaking, it's possible in 10% to 80% of cases. It depends on the individual's strength, the distance of the projection, and other factors," the Sea Emperor continued to explain.

"Does one have to defeat an Artifact Spirit to subdue it?" This was the first time Gu Ding had encountered either a deity or a divine object, and he had many questions about both.

The Sea Emperor was happy to offer his explanation, though in reality, he couldn't do anything else at the moment. "No, the Artifact Spirit has self-awareness. Like other life forms, it has its own preferences. Sometimes it might find something attractive about someone and might choose to become their master. Of course, beating it into submission is also a way to make it become their master. Another way is what this deity just used: exchanging conditions to make the other party become their master. He knew this chain wasn't complete, Artifact Spirit instinctively wanted to reconstruct its body to be complete, so it made a request for an exchange."

"But the Artifact Spirit doesn't seem to be buying it." Gu Ding could also tell that the conditions proposed by the deity had not moved the Artifact Spirit.

"There are generally three possibilities for such a failed transaction. First, the Artifact Spirit dislikes the other party's aura; second, the Artifact Spirit is still attached to its former master; third, the terms of the transaction are not attractive enough," the Sea Emperor speculated. "Logically, it shouldn't be the third situation, because the Artifact Spirit instinctively wants to repair its own body, and this condition would be very attractive to it. As for the second situation, it's also unlikely, because it had almost no contact with its former master, Hammer Lock was already dead when it awoke. So, based on the current situation, the first possibility is the most likely; there must be something about the other party that it wants to reject."

"It seems you're unwilling to agree to the terms for the exchange." The god waited for a long time, but didn't get the response he wanted, and he became somewhat angry. "Since that's the case, then let's fight! I'll use my strength to conquer you! I'll make you completely submit!"

The giant python seemed to understand what the other party said. Its coiled body twisted rapidly, and it raised its proud head, as if to say, "I accept your challenge!" (To be continued.)