Deceiving the Eyes of the Evil God

Faced with the Earth Witch's question, the flaming charred corpse descending from the sky let out a howl so fierce it seemed to shake the very earth.

Roar!

The roar, like that of a wild beast, might have been the answer to everything.

A sea of fire, formed by the fusion of flames, laws, and spirit mental domains, pressed down from above.

He aimed to set the divine tree that shielded Mooneclipse City ablaze, or perhaps simply to annihilate everything within his reach.

A thunderous boom echoed as flames ignited the crown of the divine tree.

Crack crack crack!

A series of explosive sounds came from above as flames flowed down from the treetop like water.

But in the blink of an eye, the divine tree began to transform strangely, extinguishing the fire on its treetop.

This was no ordinary tree. The divine tree's form shifted seamlessly between wood, flesh, and stone.

The massive divine tree shifted its form, changing from wood to a flesh-like material before solidifying into stone. It stood as a giant petrified tree.

The roaring flames on the tree were completely extinguished.

The damaged gray barrier steadily repaired itself. It had endured the initial impact from the flaming charred corpse's mental domain and now resolutely kept him at bay.

However, the flaming charred corpse clearly had more strategies up his sleeve.

His left hand swept across, dispersing the fire domain.

Endless fierce flames appeared within the domain, and from them, one fire puppet after another rushed out.

Woo!

Woo woo!

Thousands upon thousands of fire puppets wailed, whistling through the air as they attacked from all directions.

They surged toward Mooneclipse City from all directions, resembling an unstoppable army of thousands.

If they found just one gap, they could rush into Mooneclipse City and tear apart the Earth Witch's defense.

From atop the divine tree, the Earth Witch observed the flaming charred corpse's shifting tactics with her gray eyes. She immediately devised and activated a new countermeasure against the evolving threat.

Her brown hair spread out, and her robes billowed in the fierce wind.

The divine tree beneath her feet also began to transform again.

"Second Form!"

The original divine tree collapsed like a sandcastle, transforming into dense roots that extended outward.

The flexible roots twisted and galloped in all directions, resembling countless long, writhing snakes. However, once they left the earth that had rooted them, their size visibly diminished.

It seemed the divine tree borrowed power from the earth to possess such an immense size, a powerful force from below supporting the Earth Witch's own.

However, the dense roots proved incredibly powerful, swiftly crushing the fire puppets and obliterating them.

At that moment, the sky stirred with a sudden disturbance.

The charred corpse standing in the heavens raised his sword.

Zzzz!

Flames from the sky gathered continuously on the sword and within the charred corpse, producing a sound like electricity.

The charred corpse now shone brightly in the sky, resembling a small sun. Behind him, a vortex spun endlessly.

It was the gateway to the Abyss, and its power flowed steadily into the charred corpse, keeping him in constant harmony with the Abyss.

In that instant, the charred corpse lifted his sword high and swung it down with immense force.

A terrifying scene unfolded as a wave of fire surged with the sword's momentum, ripping through the sky.

A red ring of fire spiraled downward, threatening to cleave Mooneclipse City in two.

This power went beyond the level of an ordinary apostle. Clearly, the charred corpse had drawn strength from the Abyss.

The Earth Witch reacted quickly, assuming a defensive posture with her hands folded in prayer.

She restored the divine tree to its original form.

With a commanding voice, she called out, "First Form!"

The dense roots fused, once again becoming the divine tree.

The treetop emitted a barrier of gray light to block the sky-splitting sword.

Boom!

The sword beam, formed from gathered flames, tore directly through the light barrier and pressed down toward the treetop.

The Earth Witch's expression changed instantly, and she hurriedly shouted.

"Petrify!"

The divine tree's bark turned a solid gray, spreading across its surface and transforming it into a massive petrified tree.

However, the sword showed no signs of stopping.

The light of fire cut through the petrified divine tree, carrying terrible sparks and violent explosive sounds.

The sword beam struck the crown, splitting it apart as flames surged downward. The force tore open the massive trunk, cleaving the giant tree in two.

After a brief hesitation, the Earth Witch responded swiftly.

She knelt and prayed directly to the divine.

"Most high servant of the Life Sovereign, the great Ruhe Great God Burrowing Demon Worm, the protective deity supporting the earth and life."

"Your apostle requests your blessing."

In an instant, power began to surge from deep within the earth. It flowed upward, converging on the divine tree with unstoppable force.

The split divine tree erupted with a terrifying gray light, contending with the sword beam.

The divine tree, nearly split in two by the sword, instantly restored itself. Its gray light then erupted, pushing back against the flaming sword beam.

Then, the gray light barrier expanded outward, breaking apart the flaming sword beam with overwhelming force.

This was not the end.

The shattering of the flaming sword beam sent waves of air erupting outward with immense force.

The waves surged back into the sky, slamming into the flaming charred corpse and causing him to waver.

After unleashing that terrifying sword attack, which consumed an enormous amount of power, the flaming charred corpse appeared near exhaustion.

Atop the divine tree, the Earth Witch observed the situation. Seizing the opportunity, she channeled a new form of power, preparing for the next threat.

The divine tree beneath her feet shrank, transforming into a giant flower that blossomed from the treetop. While it lacked the divine tree's grandeur, it carried an air of mystery and elegance.

The divine tree vanished, having transformed into a giant flower that now blossomed in the sky above Mooneclipse City.

The petals unfolded gently.

One by one, they rose into the air, surrounding the flaming charred corpse in a delicate embrace.

Roar!

Roar!

The flaming charred corpse had truly depleted his strength. He roared and thrashed, trying to escape.

However, he could not break through the petals and was ultimately sealed within them.

The Earth Witch sprang into the air, landing gracefully atop the flower bud.

She focused, channeling all her power.

"Seal!"

It seemed the Earth Witch had no intention of killing Dark Moon. Her goal was to seal him first.

The petals slowly shifted from a translucent appearance to a solid stone-like texture, resembling an enormous, intricate, and delicate sculpture.

At last, they closed entirely, forming a stone flower ball that hovered gracefully in the sky.

The Earth Witch utilized three distinct forms of life power to finally overcome the raging charred corpse, a creature that had risen to claim the title of King of Wrath.

When he had unleashed that sword strike, the witch had been genuinely terrified.

In Mooneclipse City below, the sheer terror of that earth-splitting sword strike caused many to faint. Everyone quaked in fear, overwhelmed by a power far beyond mortal comprehension and living in a state of constant dread.

Fortunately, the Earth Witch managed to overcome the terrifying and ferocious flaming charred corpse by drawing upon divine power.

Although no one in the city yet knew it, the terrifying charred corpse who sought to destroy them was once their beloved and proud General Dark Moon.

Under the seal, the charred corpse continued to struggle.

Thump thump thump!

Roar!

Thump!

As the petals' transparency faded and the seal neared completion, the flaming charred corpse, whose eyes had been consumed by wrath, suddenly showed a fleeting moment of clarity.

He gradually ceased his resistance against the seal, as though realizing it was futile.

That monster, who had regained a hint of consciousness, raised his head to look at the figure atop the flower ball.

He reached out his hand, then put it down.

He seemed to want to call out to her but finally gave up.

This action, however, did not escape the Earth Witch's notice. Her gray pupils turned toward the flaming charred corpse, filled with confusion, heartache, and regret.

The charred corpse noticed her watching and spoke softly.

"I never expected..."

"That it would be you in the end."

The recent battle had helped her piece together the scenes she had unconsciously seen in her dreams, giving her a general understanding of what had happened to Dark Moon.

Of course, she did not know the complete story.

"Dark Moon," she called out. "Is it true? Have you really become an Abyss King?"

"Why would you do this?"

"You had already succeeded. You achieved everything you wanted."

"Was it your own choice, or...?"

The flaming charred corpse gazed at the Earth Witch, his eyes fixed on the apostle power she had obtained.

"Why?" he asked.

"Do you remember the question you once asked me?"

The Earth Witch's thoughts drifted back. After a moment, she replied.

"Dark Moon, what kind of world do you truly want to create?"

When she woke up, she thought she had understood Dark Moon's ideal, what he wanted to do.

But at that moment, she realized she had never fully understood who Dark Moon truly was.

The flaming charred corpse looked down at the still-intact Mooneclipse City, at this new country that had endured so much hardship.

His voice was filled with indescribable emotion.

"How ironic."

"In the end, it is a god's apostle who saves my ideal."

"A destroyer and a savior, performing at the same time."

"Truly..."

"A group of beings that do exactly as they please!"

After saying these words, Dark Moon's body erupted in a violent self-destruction, leaving nothing behind but silence.

Terrifying flames surged within the stone flower ball before being annihilated into nothingness.

In the sky, the Earth Witch let out a sigh.

She understood what it meant. He had successfully overcome the test of original sin.

He had become a true Abyss King.

An Abyss King cannot be easily killed, for they have already merged with the Abyss and become part of the mythical artifact.

The destruction of their body only means they fall into a temporary slumber, just like the former King of Lust, Melde.

However, with the flaming charred corpse disappearing from the mortal world, the situation in Mooneclipse City had finally reached a conclusion.

As the events concluded, the Earth Witch turned her gaze toward a spot not far from Mooneclipse City.

Then, she looked toward the distant horizon.

Her gaze was filled with confusion.

"What exactly is happening at Fort Pence?"

On a hillside not far from Mooneclipse City

The Blood Kin of Suinhor, guided by divine revelation, made their way to Mooneclipse City.

In truth, he had reached this place even before the flaming charred corpse made its descent.

He had originally come to prevent this disaster. The divine had foreseen the Abyss's plan to sabotage Xiao's plan.

But unexpectedly, he had just witnessed the birth of a new apostle.

Moreover, it was a Life Ability apostle.

"A Life Ability User?"

"Apostle level?"

"Ruhe's power? The apostle of the Ruhe Great God."

Life Ability Users are different from Wisdom Ability Users. They are viewed as a racial whole. For example, the Scarlet Goddess and all Trilobite Symbiotes are one entity.

All servants, kin, and apostles can also be seen as extensions of the Life Demigod's power. She and the Life Demigod are one.

Even before witnessing the Earth Witch pray to the divine and borrow power, he had already confirmed that she was an apostle of the Ruhe Great God.

But when the Earth Witch recited the prayer, calling out the divine name, he knew exactly which deity's apostle she was.

"Ruhe Great God!"

"Burrowing Demon Worm!"

The Blood Kin turned and left.

Originally, Suinhor had intended to take advantage of the chaos to influence the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents. The goal was to fully redirect the faith of the Scarlet Goddess and Suinhor's control toward the Royal Court to carry out their next plan.

However, with the emergence of a new divine apostle, the once unclaimed land of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents now had divine protection once more.

This changed the situation entirely.

The First Layer of the Abyss, Fire Abyss

The King of Pride, Yafuan, flipped through the "Anhofus Bone Demon Transformation Secret" until the last page before finally putting it down.

This secret text concealed many secrets, not just a simple bone demon transformation divine technique.

As an artificial being with intelligence, Anhofus incorporated elements of the Secret Art of Immortality, a technique the Royal Bloodline Samo family had studied for generations, into the creation of bone demons.

The Samo family's Secret Art of Immortality was crucial in the creation of Mythical Artifacts. It also played a significant role in what eventually evolved into the Path of Wisdom.

Although the King of Pride could not find the secret of immortality within its pages, he deeply understood Anhofus's ideas, concepts that bordered on the extreme of madness.

Combined with the scenes from the mythology of the previous era, it highlighted the extent of that person's madness.

He could imagine what kind of madman Anhofus had been.

Since he could not become a divine being, he chose to create a divine version of himself instead.

"A mythological me!"

"If I cannot become divine, I will create a divine version of myself instead."

Kekeke!

The bone monster let out a strange laugh, pressing his hand to his forehead in a habit from when he was still mortal.

"This idea..." he murmured, "is truly remarkable."

The King of Pride rose, walking down from his throne.

Step by step, he walked outside.

He held his head high, flames surging in his eye sockets, his fleshless white bone jaw opening to its limit.

He appeared to be smiling, as if he were anticipating something.

It was because the moment he had been waiting for had finally come.

As he walked further, the walls on both sides displayed a series of paintings, each illustrating a scene from the apocalypse.

But upon reaching the end of the wall paintings, the King of Pride, Yafuan, suddenly stopped.

He turned his head to look at the last painting.

The wall paintings started with the War of the Divine Beings from the previous era and concluded with scenes depicting the birth of the Abyss.

In that last painting, the scene depicted the Abyss ascending into the Dream Realm.

At that time, the King of Pride, Yafuan, made an oath to the supreme divine artifact known as the Crown of Wisdom. This act allowed the Abyss to become the Darkness of All Spirits and ensured that the Abyss would remain sealed forever in the depths of the Dream Realm.

In this painting, the Abyss had already departed from the earth and taken the form of a fractured dark egg.

The broken place was also the gate that the Abyss opened to the outside.

In the picture, at the fractured section of the dark egg, two figures stood side by side.

The King of Pride, Yafuan, stood inside the Abyss, while another figure stood outside, facing him.

The Moon Witch, Nia.

The bone demon looked at these two figures, as if recalling something.

He stood motionless, lost in thought. That scene, which had replayed countless times in his dreams, surfaced once more in his mind.

The scene did not appear particularly frightening. Even if it were terrifying, there are few places in this world more fearsome than the Abyss and few beings more terrifying than an Abyss King.

Yet, each time Yafuan, the Abyss King, remembered it, he felt as though it was the most horrifying nightmare he had ever experienced.

At this moment, that scene surged into his mind again.

Moonlight streamed from the sky, tracing the fractured dark egg and illuminating Yafuan, now transformed into a bone demon and the Abyss King.

A figure stood tall, silhouetted against the moonlight. The brightness obscured every detail, leaving nothing visible with clarity.

Yafuan could sense that the person was shedding tears.

The person was giving their all to reach him, but their efforts were halted by his power, fading into moonlight as they vanished in mid-air.

Finally, the person spoke, their voice filled with extreme sorrow.

"I'm sorry."

Boundless frenzy surged in the bone demon's mind, and the flames in his eye sockets trembled violently.

"You!" the King of Pride roared, his voice a mixture of fury and disdain.

"You wanted to kill me, and now you say you're sorry?"

"We are enemies, we are mortal enemies!"

"I am the Abyss King, the most terrifying being in the Abyss!"

"Why do you say you're sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?"

The King of Pride, Yafuan, loudly questioned the being in the wall painting, his emotions agitated.

"Ah!"

"Tell me!"

"Tell me, why did you say you're sorry?"

But the figure in the painting had passed away hundreds of years ago and could never answer his question.

The King of Pride, Yafuan, gradually calmed his emotions. He no longer looked at the painting and quietly walked out of his Black Stone Magic Palace.

Outside, a vast bone legion assembled, bowing in unison before their king, their skeletal forms radiating unwavering loyalty and reverence.

At this moment, Dark Moon, who was in the mortal world, had just activated the Dark Domain using the Divine Artifact, the Bronze Lamp of Greed. He was locked in an intense battle with the Son of Wrath, Byron.

The two clashed fiercely, vying for the rightful claim to the throne of the King of Wrath.

In front of the Door of Original Sin, the ceramic figure reveled in the unfolding drama it had orchestrated.

In the Dark Domain, Dark Moon combined his power with the Divine Artifact, the Bronze Lamp of Greed, and used the authority of the Abyss King to open the door.

"Door of the Abyss!"

"Open!"

Dark Moon raised his hand, and a passage connected to the true Abyss.

Countless Abyss monsters crawled out from the Abyss, attacking Byron under Dark Moon's control.

"Follow the contract."

"Kill my enemy."

In the Fire Abyss, countless skeletal monsters responded to Dark Moon's summons. They crossed through the Door of the Abyss, eager to reach the Dark Domain that had called them and join the chaos they so desperately sought.

The King of Pride, Yafuan, appeared abruptly at the fractured section of the dark egg. He stood firmly before the gate of the Abyss, his presence commanding attention.

He gazed at the Door of Original Sin that had appeared and then at the ceramic figure standing before it. For some reason, it reminded him of the Evil God from the previous era, the Little Person in the Bottle.

Both of them now lowered their heads, looking through the gate of the Abyss at Dark Moon and Byron's battle.

This was a laughable tragedy.

The outcome had been arranged long ago. There was no question from the beginning who would fall into the Abyss in madness or who would die amid curses and anger.

As expected, the laughable drama ended without any surprise.

Finally, Dark Moon killed Byron and seized the mythological organ heart of wrath, marking the culmination of their fierce battle.

However, he was unaware that the ceramic figure had carefully orchestrated his dramatic downfall, setting up his trial of original sin.

It was designed to tear apart everything he had created in his fury, ensuring that wrath would live up to its name.

Finally, Dark Moon drew his sword toward the ceramic figure in fury.

The ceramic figure watched his rage, breaking into laughter.

"Do you hate it?"

"Do you feel helpless?"

"Don't you feel weak? Like you haven't changed a thing?"

"Do you suddenly realize how fragile your new order is before true power?"

"Is this all you can do?"

"And you wanted to bind the gods?"

Hahahahaha!

In that laughter was endless mockery. Dark Moon fell into the mortal world under his manipulation, his consciousness also falling into darkness amid rage.

But at this moment, the King of Pride, Yafuan, also moved.

He stepped toward the outside, moving along the passage opened by the Door of Original Sin, through the broken exit of the dark egg that served as the gate of the Abyss.

With a single step forward, the King of the Abyss departed from the Abyss itself.

Within the lingering Dark Domain, countless monsters bowed low to the ground in unison, their voices rising as they chanted the name of the King of Pride, Yafuan. Together, they formed a formidable force, channeling their energy to facilitate his descent.

"Yafuan!"

"Great King of Pride!"

"King of Pride Yafuan!"

"We welcome your arrival."

Those monsters summoned by Dark Moon now all obeyed Yafuan's control, escorting him out from the Abyss.

At this moment, the ceramic figure finally shifted its attention from Dark Moon to the King of Pride, Yafuan.

The ceramic figure's voice was extremely surprised as it turned back to look at the First Layer of the Abyss.

"What are you doing?"

The ceramic figure, realizing something was wrong, immediately used its authority to suppress all the monsters guiding the King of Pride out of the Abyss.

It shouted, its voice full of incomprehension.

"You've already lost, you failure!"

"Are you still trying to turn the tables?"

"Impossible!"

But by the time it reacted, it was already too late. The King of Pride, Yafuan, had already escaped from the Abyss.

As the new King of Wrath, Dark Moon, vanished from the Dark Domain shaped by the Divine Artifact, the Bronze Lamp of Greed, the King of Pride, Yafuan, emerged within the same domain.

The fearsome Bone Demon King made his descent.

His overwhelming presence caused thousands of monsters to collapse to the ground, unable to lift their heads. Meanwhile, countless lifeless monsters rose again from skeletal remains, reanimating into motion.

The bone field spread across the entire area, transforming the Dark Domain into what felt like another Fire Abyss.

The monsters howled and screamed, their voices echoing wildly.

"Bone Demon King!"

"King of Pride!"

"Yafuan!"

The hundred-meter-tall Bone Demon King stood in the darkness, looking up at the Door of Original Sin and the Abyss.

The ceramic figure's expression was one of incredible shock.

It was shocked not because Yafuan appeared in the Dark Domain, but because it had believed he was a complete failure, entirely under its control and that of the Original Sin Evil God behind it.

With Byron's death, Yafuan's plan to create a new Abyss using Byron to form Purgatory was no longer viable.

The Purgatory Ritual had completely failed. Without Byron to receive the darkness and filth, it would be impossible to nurture a new Purgatory will or bring Purgatory into existence.

If Purgatory could not be born normally, Yafuan would remain trapped in the Abyss, unable to enter it. All his painstaking efforts would ultimately serve as mere decorations for the Original Sin Evil God.

Now he wanted to escape from the Abyss?

That was only a path to death.

After its initial panic, the ceramic figure understood all this.

It immediately calmed down, looking mockingly at Yafuan in the Dark Domain.

"Yafuan, what are you trying to do?"

"Are you looking to die?"

The ceramic figure, having understood these things, became unhurried.

It laughed at Yafuan with a mocking expression, as if daring him to try and run out.

"No, you can't even die. You have already become part of the Abyss, and even if you want to, you cannot escape it."

"Yafuan, accept your fate!"

"You will never escape the god's palm!"

The giant bone demon raised his head, looking at the broken corner above the Dark Domain.

Moonlight shone in from the outside world.

How similar this scene was to that day.

The ceramic figure's triumphant laughter echoed from above, originating from the Abyss and the Door of Original Sin.

"You have already failed, Yafuan!"

The King of Pride turned, his gaze passing over the ceramic figure to the depths of the Door of Original Sin, and uttered a single word.

"Fool!"

Yafuan's proud skull remained raised, showing no regard for the ceramic figure before him.

"A clown who thinks himself a god just because he borrows the power of original sin."

"You think my plan was as you imagined?"

"You think I chose Byron to receive Purgatory?"

"You think what my servant Senge did was just to create seeds of the Abyss?"

"You think I was trying to escape under your very noses?"

"You think I could not imagine you were watching me?"

A sound like a breath of mockery escaped the King of Pride's jaws.

"All this was just a facade for you to see. My plan extends far beyond this."

The ceramic figure's mocking voice suddenly halted, and the painted expression on the ceramic doll froze for a moment.

It appeared to have realized something.

Everything returned to decades earlier, to the moment when the Purgatory Ritual plan first began to take shape, the day Senge was chosen.

In the dimly lit prayer hall of the Abyss Cult, young Senge knelt before a skeletal monster. His expression was a mix of excitement and fanaticism as he carefully received the primordial black mud offered to him.

The voice of the King of Pride came from the skeletal monster's mouth, instructing his young servant.

"Senge, my servant."

"Follow my instructions and bring forth a new Abyss in my name."

The skeletal monster paused, lost in thought as it reflected on the plan it had meticulously prepared over countless years.

It was only when the plan was set into motion that it realized it had never given this new creation, this new Abyss, a name.

"Call it the Purgatory Abyss!"

"Or simply Purgatory. My Purgatory!"

Senge prostrated on the ground, motionless.

At the same time, the skeletal monster that spoke also instantly melted.

Finally, it took the form of a small and peculiar embryo. Within it was a developing life form of immense power.

Senge embarked on the mission his master had entrusted to him, dedicating his life to it.

He created the prototype of Purgatory and initiated the Purgatory Ritual.

He sought candidates for the Purgatory Ritual, operating strategically among the Abyss King selections.

The only difference from everyone's expectations was that embryo.

Naturally, while carrying out his master's mission, he pursued his own personal goals as well.

He transformed into darkness, bringing disaster after disaster to the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents.

He wanted to bring ruin to this nation, the one that had devastated the homeland of the Avel people and subjected them to generations of enslavement. This was the nation that had inflicted so much pain upon him.

The scene shifted once more.

In the Dream Realm, at the coordinates where the Purgatory Embryo resided, the transformation was evident.

When Senge arrived here again, the primordial black mud from earlier days had expanded into a vast black swamp. The once-small embryo had grown and developed significantly.

Inside the embryo, a young figure could be seen.

He gazed through the membrane at the being that carried the form of a god.

Senge's eyes were full of expectation.

"Master, great hero Yafuan!"

"Soon!"

"I will complete your grand design. I will free you from the chains of Original Sin."

"A true deity that belongs to us, the people of Avel, will be born!"

From the beginning, what was nurtured in the embryo was not some vessel for Yafuan to transfer his consciousness.

But a new Yafuan.

A Yafuan who inherited Yafuan's memories.

A Yafuan who was about to become divine.

This was, in Senge's eyes, the divine being of the snake people, the Avel people.

This was the creation of Yafuan, the King of Pride.

The Lord of Purgatory.

He knew his every action was bound by the Abyss and that escaping the grasp of beings like Xiao would be nearly impossible.

His only option was to use an incredible method to change his situation.

What Senge did was not just create the Seed of Purgatory and initiate the Purgatory Ritual. More importantly, he sought to bring forth a completely new Lord of Purgatory.

From the very beginning, the one chosen to receive Purgatory's descent was never Byron.

From the very start, he was nothing more than a pawn.

A pawn used to deceive everyone, appearing to be the protagonist but abandoned by all.

Senge's hand touched the membrane. This was the closest he had ever been to what he saw as his god.

"I will succeed."

The black mud beneath his feet began to churn and rise, engulfing Senge entirely.

Now, he would initiate the true plan.

He would let Byron complete the final sacrifice, drawing all eyes to himself and Dark Moon, while the true recipient of Purgatory's descent hid in the shadows.

He would use his life, that pawn, Dark Moon, and everyone else.

All to deceive the eyes of the evil god.