On the way home, Yang Qizhou kept smacking himself on the head in frustration.
Before the operation, he had told himself to plan everything out first, stay as steady as an old dog until the moment to act, then slip away quietly afterward. If there was any risk of being exposed, he would immediately use the Doom-Bringing Raven's ability to escape his current fate.
But what happened was...
Wang Chuang had threatened him a few times, and the anger inside him had flared up in an instant. What about a real man knowing when to bend and when to stand tall? What about not losing sight of the bigger picture over a small matter? To hell with all of it.
He had to get his revenge on the spot, vent his anger right then and there. No one could stop him.
Everyone was living for the first time.
Why should he put up with that kind of grievance?
Thinking back now, it didn't seem worth it. He had vented his anger and given Wang Chuang a thorough beating, but he had also exposed himself to the Bureau of Occult Investigation.
"It's all that piece of trash Wang Chuang's fault. If you're going crazy, then go crazy, but why threaten me? You know I've always had a bad temper."
What was done was done, and Yang Qizhou could only accept it.
As for using the Doom-Bringing Raven's ability to rewind time and make a different choice... The moment he took out the Ancient God Fire Lamp and dispelled the illusion before him, the save point had been overwritten. Going back now would let him beat Wang Chuang up again, but it wouldn't change anything.
He could only hope that the Bureau of Occult Investigation members had been too far away to get a clear look at him.
Back at his apartment complex, he ran into Little Bean in the stairwell. She had just come back from playing and was yawning, looking ready to fall asleep at any moment. Yang Qizhou pinched her cheeks twice, hard enough to make the little girl almost cry. Only then did he head inside, satisfied.
He kicked off his shoes, tossed aside his socks, peeled off his jacket, and flopped onto the sofa without tidying up. A wave of comfort immediately enveloped him.
Being a couch potato really was a joy.
"This Old Day Item is kind of terrifying."
Yang Qizhou thought of the item in Wang Chuang's possession: a strangely shaped wooden statue.
At the time, he had thought that since he'd already taken action, he might as well get something out of it and take the mysterious Old Day Item for himself. But when he saw its attributes, he immediately abandoned the idea, thinking that he wouldn't want the damned thing even if it were free.
Broken Statue of the Abyss Old God (Common—Old Day Item): A product of the Calamity Era, made by a Mad Sculptor. Using the branches of a Demon Tree born in the abyss as material and the flesh and blood of the Old God of the Abyss as paint, he attempted to create an artificial god. But just as the statue was nearing completion, he suddenly died. From then on, wherever the statue appeared, terrible calamities were sure to follow, killing countless lives. It has already developed the trait of animation, but it lost too much of its power over the endless ages and suffered the disasters of two epochal transitions, causing its traits to fade almost entirely. Now that the statue has seen the light of day again, it will instinctively devour the flesh and blood of all living things to restore itself.
Effect: Emits an unobservable Abyss Fog that rewrites human senses. The number affected must not exceed 10.
Side Effect: The Broken Statue of the Abyss Old God will feed on its holder's flesh and blood, corrupt their mind, and drive them to gather the flesh and blood of living beings to complete itself.
Comment: You are not the master. You are only a slave.
No wonder player Wang Chuang had become such a freak. Anyone who encountered something this sinister was bound to go mad sooner or later.
"Good thing the Ancient God Fire Lamp can dispel illusions and reveal the truth. It's a perfect counter to the Broken Statue of the Abyss Old God. Otherwise, this really would've been troublesome."
Yang Qizhou muttered to himself, then took the Ancient God Fire Lamp out of the game again.
The lamp was made of bronze, and a flame that seemed never to go out burned within it. Though it was only a single flicker of flame, it was extraordinarily bright, as if it could even illuminate the night.
He thought of the five precautions mentioned by the Secret Cultivator.
The second one was... Never use items from the World of Weirdness carelessly in reality. Doing so would release something terrible.
For now, the Ancient God Fire Lamp seemed normal enough.
Still, to be safe, he would try to use items from the World of Weirdness as little as possible until he figured out what exactly this "terrible thing" meant.
"Huh, it's midnight. Just in time."
Yang Qizhou smiled. There was no strange spectacle of the sun and moon entwining, nor was there any stirring surge of golden light enveloping him. Yet a sudden understanding arose in his mind all the same. The flame of fate's protection had been rekindled, the Blasphemous Raven cawed, and he had once again gained three revivals and five rewinds.
Then let's keep going with the pregnancy plan for the unknown evil god, Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World.
The game began.
"You open your eyes in the lodging Yixiu arranged for you."
"You are both excited and nervous. The plan to get Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World pregnant is thrilling just to think about."
"Not long afterward, the injured Lena comes to see you again. This time she had been prepared for the Fire-Stealing Priest, so her injuries aren't serious. But seeing her covered in blood still gives you a fright."
"As soon as Lena enters, she complains to you that the divine relic on the altar is still there and hasn't been replaced. The Fire-Stealing Priest even mocked her for it."
"You don't answer her question. Instead, you put on a mysterious smile."
"An upheaval takes place."
"You see the Sacred Fire in the Basin, which symbolizes the authority of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God, flickering unsteadily. The scenery before your eyes twists into an illusion. Fire-Stealing Village seems to be falling from reality into unreality, yet the ordinary villagers are completely unaware of the terrifying phenomenon."
Yang Qizhou sat bolt upright, every nerve in his body taut.
It's here, it's finally here.
Whether he could get Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World pregnant would be decided at this very moment.
"Lena realizes that the divine descent ritual has begun and offers to escort you to the Fire-Stealing Priest's home again. But as far as she knows, the 'divine relic' required for the divine descent hasn't been replaced, so she seems rather discouraged."
"An explorer who loves playing mysterious, you still don't plan to reveal the truth. You simply insist that Lena escort you."
"Lena escorts you to the Fire-Stealing Priest's home."
"On the way, you see a huge, blurry face appear in the sky. It has nine eyes and thirteen mouths. Unfamiliar whispers also ring in your ears."
"You guess that the divine descent ritual has probably reached the stage where the sacred name is being chanted."
"So, you scheming explorer who intends to blaspheme a god, will you chant Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World's full sacred name now and steal the ritual?"
"Or will you wait a little longer?"
It was time to make a choice again? The plan to get an evil god pregnant really wasn't easy to pull off.
What a trash game.
Any other player would definitely be torn over this. Success was so close at hand; no one would want to fail at the last moment.
But Yang Qizhou didn't have that problem. He wielded the Blasphemous Raven and could restart his fate. He could always regret his choice later.
Choose the first option.
"An explorer with pitiful strength, you decide that the Fire-Stealing Priest must already be chanting Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World's full sacred name. Afraid of missing your chance, you decide to chant it at the same time."
"You chant Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World's full sacred name, but there is no sign of a god descending. Aside from the blurry giant face in the sky becoming more solid, nothing happens."
"The Fire-Stealing Priest senses your despicable act and flies into a rage. He appears with the Invisible Hound he has raised."
"Lena stops the Fire-Stealing Priest to protect you."
"You hear a dog bark."
"Everything below your waist is eaten by the dog. You lose too much blood and cry out in agony."
"You are dead."
Before you continue