Divine Rank

The game screen flashed.

Yang Qizhou slammed his fist down on the coffee table.

That damned Old God of the Abyss. Killing his game character once wasn't enough; it had to camp his corpse, too. He'd at least been its benefactor. Was this how it repaid him?

For fuck's sake.

"You died so fast that even your teammates' question marks couldn't keep up."

"Your soul once again arrived at the River of Death. You sensed an unknown presence watching from within the river, but it still had no intention of revealing itself."

"The protective flames have dwindled to one-third, but the cries of the Doom-Bringing Raven remain loud and clear."

"So, adventurer, you brought disaster upon yourself by releasing the Old God of the Abyss."

"Will you use the power of fate to rewrite the outcome of your death and return to the Ancient Earth?"

"Or will you use the raven's power to blaspheme fate and return to the moment when you last made a choice?"

The Old God of the Abyss was clearly camping his corpse. Unless it got tired of playing, his game character would be killed again every time he revived, and the god wouldn't even repeat its methods.

If this were any other player, he'd have no choice but to accept his fate. The Old God of the Abyss would use up all three of his daily revives killing him, and it would only end when the god finally left.

But Yang Qizhou wasn't about to give up without a fight.

Since he could rewind to the moment before he'd made his choice, he had to give it a try.

So he chose "two."

"The scene before you rapidly twists, blurs, and shatters. You return to the moment when you last made a choice."

"You've just picked up [Fate Redemption]. The Spring of Heaven has yet to shatter, and the Old God of the Abyss has not fully escaped. But the broken stone stele and the whispers in your ears make you realize that you don't have much time left."

"So, adventurer, who made a terrible mistake out of greed,"

"will you save yourself the trouble and stay right where you are, waiting to die?"

"Or will you refuse to become a plaything for the Old God of the Abyss, escape the Spring of Heaven, and swear to make that ungrateful bastard pay?"

The text for the second option had changed. Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes.

The Doom-Bringing Raven's power wasn't limited to a simple rewind. It could also carry over the experiences of the previous fate line, creating new possibilities. Though he was still escaping the Spring of Heaven, the process would be different, and the outcome would change along with it.

"Swear to make that ungrateful bastard pay... What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing."

"I saved it, and the Old God of the Abyss didn't even have to give me a whole basket of divine artifacts. But instead, it took pleasure in torturing me to death."

"Today, I'll show it"

"what happens when you mess with a fourth-dimensional disaster."

Grimacing through clenched teeth, Yang Qizhou chose "two."

The game text continued to refresh.

"You decide to escape the Spring of Heaven and swear to make the loathsome Old God of the Abyss pay."

"The Old God of the Abyss senses your intentions and plants a mark on you once again. At regular intervals, it will learn the coordinates of your location."

"The Old God of the Abyss's mocking voice rings in your ears once more. This ancient god says that the more you struggle, the more excited it gets, so you'd better run."

"Have you been made into a plaything?"

"You've never suffered such humiliation before. Fury wells up inside you, and you think of the Purple Forest, so beautiful and dreamlike that it resembles a fairyland from a storybook. You think to yourself, 'Old God of the Abyss, if you show me no mercy, don't blame me for returning the favor.'"

"You sprint toward the Stomach of the Violet Orchid God,"

"and thanks to the Garment of the Hidden World, the unknown terrors wandering the Wilderness don't notice you."

"You keep sprinting."

"You run even harder."

"Suddenly, you see a terrifying demonic shadow standing before you. It's ten meters tall, with horns like a ram's, and its entire body is shrouded in evil black mist. It seems to embody all the terror and chaos in the world, filling you with fear."

"The Garment of the Hidden World protects you, preventing the Old God of the Abyss from perceiving your presence. But using the mark it planted on you earlier, it still pinpoints your exact location. It stares at you with an amused smile, as if looking at a toy."

"Having experienced this once before, you aren't surprised by the Old God of the Abyss's appearance. You've already made your preparations."

"Before it can strike, you use the power of [Holy Redemption]."

"Checking effect..."

"The Old God of the Abyss possesses a rank close to that of an Ancient Sovereign. Though it has lost most of its power during its long years of imprisonment, its authorities and symbols remain. The effect of [Holy Redemption] is greatly weakened."

"You have gained the Old God of the Abyss's forgiveness. It will not hunt you for one hour."

"You continue sprinting toward the location of the Purple Orchid God."

Yang Qizhou stopped refreshing the text and stared thoughtfully at the words on his phone screen.

The rank of an Ancient Sovereign?

It was probably one of the tiers used to classify the gods.

He'd suspected for a while that there were great differences between the gods of the Ancient Earth. For example, when he'd stolen the Fire-Stealing Priest's divine descent ritual, the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World had been a god, too, but when faced with the descending Mother of Beauty and Fertility, it had been utterly terrified. It hadn't even considered fighting back, only wanting to escape the material world as quickly as possible.

But in the end, the Mother of Beauty and Fertility had suppressed the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World completely, forcing it to give birth. The Dream Offspring had even devoured its flesh and blood, leaving behind only a few scraps.

The revelation of this new term, "Ancient Sovereign," further confirmed Yang Qizhou's earlier suspicions.

"I just don't know exactly how the ranks of the gods are divided."

He set that question aside for now and continued playing.

"The forgiveness effect can only last one hour? You sigh inwardly. As expected, the effects of [Holy Redemption] can't completely free you from the Old God of the Abyss's pursuit, but this is enough."

"You circle around the Old God of the Abyss and keep running for your life."

"You see a giant whale pass overhead. Thanks to the Garment of the Hidden World, it doesn't notice you."

"You see that strange upside-down figure again. You have no intention of approaching it, so you go around."

"You keep sprinting."

"The outline of the Purple Forest appears and disappears in the distance. Jellyfish-like life-forms float in the sky, and the scenery is so beautiful and dreamlike that it resembles a fairyland. You're heading toward the Stomach of the Violet Orchid God."

"One hour has passed. The Old God of the Abyss breaks free of [Holy Redemption]'s effect and comes after you again, following the coordinates provided by the mark."

"You grit your teeth and charge into the Purple Forest without hesitation."