The Severed Divine Path

Clearing the Novice Village in three days and opening a new map—the progress shouldn't be considered slow.

I wonder how I compare to other players.

Yang Qizhou thought of the members of the Bureau of Occult Investigation and let out a rather unkind laugh. He didn't deny their noble character, but in terms of combat power, they were truly trash.

Keep going, keep going. The journey to explore the Old Lands is long; I cannot afford to slack off.

"You are happy that Lena is coming, and you extend an invitation to go to 'Dark Fog Town' together to seek reinforcements."

"Lena refuses. The protection of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God is fading, and unknown horrors in the wilderness are peering at Fire-Stealing Village. Bad things have already begun to happen, and she must stay behind to protect the safety of the villagers."

"You feel a sense of regret."

"Driven by curiosity, you impulsively ask Lena what exactly a 'Wizard' is."

"Lena does not seem too surprised. Perhaps she had already guessed that you were very interested in 'Wizards' from your desire to go to the 'Blasphemy Slate'."

"Lena's expression is very grave. After hesitating for a moment, she speaks up."

"According to the revelations of the ancient gods, wizards are blasphemers, a catastrophe, and a taboo. They once brought terrible disasters to the Ancient Earth in the previous epoch, and the world was nearly destroyed at the hands of wizards. Later, the three Kings of the Ancient Gods awakened from their slumber and led the ancient gods to strike simultaneously, only then defeating this group of evil wizards."

"It is precisely because of this that on the Ancient Earth, whether it be ancient gods, evil gods, hidden existences, divine kin, or ancient dominators, all view 'Wizards' as a taboo. As long as they are encountered, they will be mercilessly erased."

"You think of the [Kanrui's Wizard Ring] which possesses moonlight power. It is an artifact belonging to a wizard, deeply embedded in the statue of the Moonlight Ancient God."

"You do not fully believe Lena's words, but you do not say anything more."

"After a heart-wrenching farewell, you step onto the Divine Path and follow the signposts toward 'Dark Fog Town'."

Yang Qizhou became interested.

For "Wizards" to end up in such a detested state on the Ancient Earth—hated by old gods, loathed by ancient gods, and hunted by numerous hidden existences—it certainly cannot be as simple as the information revealed in Lena's few words. In the previous epoch, they might have done something earth-shattering.

The information revealed in the text is also quite interesting; the game character actually doesn't believe Lena's narrative.

Could there be a hidden story here?

"I seem to be a bit addicted to this game. Not solving the suspense really makes one feel unsatisfied." Yang Qizhou muttered to himself, took a big gulp of soda, and continued the game.

The text continued to refresh on his phone.

"The Divine Path is a road opened by the ancient gods. It possesses the power of protection, shielding believers traveling between towns from the encroachment of the strange horrors of the wilderness."

"You step on the road flowing with colorful light and see the beautiful scenery before you that looks like a divine kingdom."

"This is a symbol of the 'Authority' left behind by the ancient god who opened the Divine Path."

"You walk with a leisurely pace, thinking that with the protection of the Divine Path, there is no need to worry about threats from the wilderness. This will be a very easy journey."

"You suddenly freeze."

"You see the road flowing with seven-colored light come to an abrupt end before you. Ahead lies the wilderness of the unknown and the mysterious."

"The Divine Path has disappeared."

"You curse Lena for being unreliable, because she said that the Divine Path had the protection of the gods and there would be no danger."

"The moment of choice has arrived once again, oh explorer who always likes to act recklessly."

"Do you choose to continue forward, following the signposts toward 'Dark Fog Town'?"

"Stay where you are and wait."

"Or return to 'Fire-Stealing Village' and explain the situation to Lena."

As expected, I knew this trash game would never let the character reach 'Dark Fog Town' easily.

But this is too ruthless.

Destroying the Divine Path directly, forcing the character to walk through a wilderness where mystery and the unknown coexist, and where strangeness and horror thrive.

"I'm not the trash I was at the beginning. I have the [Garment of the Hidden World], the [Ancient God's Lampfire], and the [Key to the Shepherd's Field] that can command two Root-Court Hounds. If the unknown horrors of the wilderness dare to come, I'll set the dogs on them to bite them to death." Yang Qizhou's confidence swelled. Not only did he not intend to give up, but he also seemed eager to try.

I wonder which plot lines these three options correspond to.

Yang Qizhou pondered for a moment and chose "two," to see what would happen if he let the character stay put.

"You choose to stay where you are and wait to see what happens."

"An unknown evil creature in the wilderness has noticed you, but because you are still within the range of the Divine Path and have the protection of the gods, it does not choose to attack."

"You continue to wait."

"You continue to wait."

"Another twisted life notices you, but it considers you trash, not worth the effort of breaking through the protection of the Divine Path to attack you."

"You continue to wait."

"You are becoming impatient and intend to continue your journey to 'Dark Fog Town'."

"You see a figure in a long dress appear in the distance of the wilderness. She wears a strange, eerie smile, her shadow takes on a twisted and grotesque shape, and she radiates an evil aura. Wherever she passes, the grass and trees wither rapidly."

"She says that you have finally left the village, and she has been waiting for a long time."

"She also says that no one has ever dared to play her for a fool, and even the ancient dominators must maintain awe toward her. You are the only bastard explorer who dared to deceive her and steal her wealth."

"This person is none other than Aliceina."

The intense pressure makes your entire body tremble, but the thought that you now have two Root-Court Hounds at your command—that you are no longer the weakling you once were—causes your chest to puff out with renewed confidence.

You issue the command, ordering the Root-Court Hounds, which can traverse the space between illusion and reality unseen, to launch an attack on Aliceina.

Before your two Root-Court Hounds can even draw near to Aliceina, they rapidly age and perish.

You discover your teeth falling out, your skin visibly shriveling, and your hair turning gray in an instant; you collapse to the ground, drained of all strength.

You are dragged into the dark night by Aliceina, faintly hearing her say, "To dare launch an attack on me with nothing but two lowly hounds that don't even possess a 'Status'—your punishment shall be to serve as nourishment for the Scion of the Dark Night."

You are devoured by invisible monsters.

You have died.

???

The character has traveled quite far from Fire-Stealing Village, yet this resentful woman Aliceina managed to track him down; seriously, is she really fixated on him? How deep is this grudge, anyway?

They say women hold grudges, and it seems that is indeed the case.

Yang Qizhou is truly impressed.

Let's continue the game.

"Explorer, having died until you are numb, you have arrived at the River of Death once more."

"You have attracted the attention of an unknown existence."

"The protective firelight continues to flicker, and the Doom-Bringing Raven lets out a cry. So, this time, will you choose to borrow the power of fate to rewrite the ending of your death, or will you commit Blasphemy against fate to return to the moment before you made your choice?"

You choose to borrow the power of the Doom-Bringing Raven, returning to the moment before you made your choice.

"The Root-Court Hounds have been resurrected."

"You open your eyes and see the Divine Path that has already been severed."

"You do not see Aliceina."