The Gaze of a Hidden Existence

"It immediately erases the very existence of surrounding objects, and its value increases as time passes. When there is nothing left worth erasing in the vicinity, it will turn its attention to the wielder themselves."

"Is this even meant for people to use? The negative effects are terrifying as hell."

"I don't want it anymore."

Yang Qizhou felt stifled; this thing was like a ticking time bomb, and he had no idea when he might drop dead on the spot.

He thought of the Broken Statue of the Abyss Old God and gained a rough understanding of "Old Day Items."

Old Day Items were different from ordinary props; they possessed "living" characteristics, making their effects far more powerful, but they also came with unimaginable side effects.

For instance, the side effect of the Broken Statue of the Abyss Old God was that it polluted the wielder's mind, making them unable to suppress a craving for flesh and blood.

And then there was the Garment of the Hidden World...

Yang Qizhou felt the urge to throw away this "quasi-legendary" grade Old Day Item, but the two effects were simply too powerful, and he couldn't bring himself to part with it.

In the end, he decided to keep it for now and take things one step at a time; perhaps he would find a way to suppress the negative effects in the future.

Yang Qizhou continued to tap the phone screen, and the text refreshed once more.

"The final remnant thought of the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World is activated. He hates your filthy schemes and believes that killing you is not enough to vent his hatred. He uses his final strength to banish you eternally between the false and the real, where you can neither live nor die."

"You have been banished into the gap between illusion and reality."

"You wander in the gap between illusion and reality."

"You wander in the gap between illusion and reality."

"You wander in the gap between illusion and reality."

The subsequent lines were all identical, describing the protagonist's current dire situation, with no sign of changing at all.

If it were any other player, having their character eternally banished and unable to return to reality would mean the account was essentially ruined. But Yang Qizhou was not panicked; on the contrary, there was a smile on his face.

Didn't see that coming, did you? This daddy can reload.

"Doom-Bringing Raven, I want the character to return to the moment before the last choice was made."

Confirm.

"You black-hearted, despicable explorer who pits gods against each other, you have once again used the ability of the Doom-Bringing Raven to backtrack to the moment before your last choice."

"The scenery before your eyes twists, turns illusory, and melts..."

"You appear once again near the Evil Altar, seeing the towering pillar of light descend from the sky. The noble and magnificent Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World has a highly distended belly; he is both terrified and furious, staring at you with eyes full of extreme hatred."

"Your reload has caused this divine lord to become pregnant once again."

"The fork in the road of fate appears before you once more."

"So, explorer, will you choose to stay this time to witness the fate of the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World while milking him for more benefits?"

"Or will you choose to flee?"

Milking a sheep once was cruel but a decent choice, but the price to pay was too high. Being banished to the gap between the false and the real by the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World was equivalent to trashing this account; no matter how he looked at it, it wasn't worth it.

Yang Qizhou knew when to quit while he was ahead, so he chose "two."

"Knowing the consequences of staying, you decide to leave the Evil Altar. Before fleeing, you don't forget to flip a middle finger at the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World and pat your butt, expressing your mockery toward the already pregnant divine lord."

"The Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World is furious, but in order to avoid giving birth, he has poured all his energy into erasing the power of the Mother Goddess Flower Seed of the Dream Realm. He has no time to attend to anything else and can only watch helplessly as you leave."

"You have escaped from the Evil Altar."

"As expected, the Mother of Beauty and Fertility descends once again. You see a massive eye open amidst the dreams and reality."

"The Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World still does not escape the doom of the previous timeline; his belly is ripped open by the Dream Offspring, his flesh and blood are devoured, and he falls in a nameless Fire-Stealing Village."

If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected is bound to happen...

Yang Qizhou muttered to himself, deeply experiencing the profound malice the World of Weirdness held for its players. Did he really think he could get away unscathed after causing such a massive scene? Not a chance.

Facts proved his guess was correct.

The pale text continued to scroll.

"Your conspiracy cannot hide from the eyes of the gods. The Mother of Beauty and Fertility already knows you are using her."

"Because you are trash and unworthy of carrying her child, the Mother of Beauty and Fertility does not take action herself, but instead commands the newly born Dream Offspring to cast divine wrath upon you."

"You fall asleep."

"You are torn apart and eaten by the terrifying monster in your dream."

"You are dead."

As expected, death might be late, but it always arrives.

Seeing the text describing his game character's miserable death, Yang Qizhou was not surprised; instead, he let out a long sigh of relief, thinking to himself, This is the World of Weirdness I'm familiar with.

Next was the standard resurrection process. Since he had already used the Blasphemous Raven to backtrack on the previous choice, he could not reload again, and reloading further back would be meaningless. This time, Yang Qizhou prepared to resurrect directly.

"Your soul, as if returning to its own home, arrives once again at the edge of the River of Death."

"The Sheltering Fire of Burning Fate trembles slightly. Within the River of Death, an unknown and ancient existence has noticed you, and on the distant surface of the river, wooden boats with glowing lanterns are faintly visible."

"The next time you arrive at the River of Death, perhaps something different will occur."

"So, explorer who dies again and again."

"Do you choose to accept the blessing of fate, rewrite the current outcome of your death, and return to the Ancient Earth as a living being?"

Yang Qizhou hadn't paid much attention at first; the River of Death was an old haunt, and he usually just followed the standard procedure to resurrect.

But the text this time seemed off.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at his phone, reading carefully.

Wait, what does this mean? Did this death of the game character attract the attention of an ancient existence within the River of Death? Could it be that the next time I kick the bucket, it will trigger a hidden plot?

Yang Qizhou took it to heart.

He had originally thought the River of Death was merely a step in the resurrection process, but it now appeared to be a massive dungeon that simply hadn't opened yet.

But what reason could have caused an ancient existence in the River of Death to suddenly take notice of him?

Could it be related to the fall of the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World?

Or the Garment of the Hidden World?

Or perhaps the number of deaths had reached the threshold to trigger the River of Death's plot?

There was too little information to be certain for now.

Yang Qizhou had no choice but to focus back on the game, choosing to accept the blessing of fate to rewrite the outcome of his death and resurrect normally.

"You open your eyes in the residence arranged by Yixiu. You see that the scenery is no longer illusory or distorted, the giant face in the sky has vanished, and the Sacred Fire in the Basin, symbolizing the Ancient Fire-Stealing God, is once again burning brightly."

"It is as if all the turmoil has passed."