[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-becoming-a-god-through-horror":3,"chapter-becoming-a-god-through-horror-becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-233":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Becoming a God Through Horror",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2273776,4441,"Chapter 233: Selection of the Celestial Instrument Ritual — Rest (This Volume Ends)","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-233",233,"\u003Cp>Waved at Khorne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now grown even larger, Khorne—having evolved toward the size of a small behemoth—immediately abandoned its calm, crouching posture, pushed off with its hind legs, and leaped over, nuzzling close to Louis, its tail swaying gently behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis smiled softly, stroking its dog-like head. “You’ve worked hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Khorne licked Louis’s palm with its tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting in the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis closed his eyes to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis had plans for the futures of all three great dogs, but now it seemed he needed to make minor adjustments to Khorne’s future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, even without merit, there was still labor; he had been somewhat biased all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed his temples and began thinking about what to do next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were mainly two things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, seek out ghosts, monsters, demons—especially demons—to refine them, break through his bottleneck, and accelerate his cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, prepare for ascension to godhood; since the Ascension Ritual requires celestial phenomena, it certainly cannot be simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any ritual involving rites is never straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In ancient times, the construction of observatories like the Star-Picking Tower, the Star-Observing Platform, and the Wind-Hearing Pavilion were massive projects, let alone the need to place talismans at different directions according to feng shui—it was an enormously vast undertaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under ancient conditions, it was no wonder ministers condemned it as draining the people’s strength and wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, difficulty scales proportionally with ritual scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The larger the ritual, the better the result upon completion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ritual Louis planned was naturally immense, for the celestial phenomenon this time was likewise exceedingly rare—a once-in-a-millennium opportunity that must not be missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eight-planet alignment occurred in 2000, a relatively rare phenomenon; in 1999, an even rarer cross-star alignment occurred—a celestial event rarer than the eight-planet alignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And coinciding with the Christian doctrine, the turn of the century from 1999 to 2000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two celestial phenomena, one symbolic meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, the symbolic meaning of the turn of the century refers to the process from 1999 to 2000, so the eight-planet alignment and the cross-star alignment can be combined and both utilized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two rare celestial phenomena, plus a Christian-symbolic meaning that encompasses them both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a celestial configuration was unheard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A ritual of this scale would naturally be boundless, and its duration would be long—from the cross-star alignment’s start to the eight-planet alignment’s end, a full nine months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, covering only Florida was no longer sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Louis’s estimation, this ritual would likely need to cover all of America.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, this is the modern age; had it been ancient times, countless lives would have been exhausted, and completion within the deadline would still have been uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank heaven for technology—making the arcane easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pressing hard on his temples, Louis’s mind began calculating the ritual’s coverage area and states.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind, strengthened by cultivation, spun furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The approximate shapes, areas, rivers, and geography of each major American state appeared in his mind, then were sketched, mapped, differentiated, and positioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty-eight contiguous states, two overseas states…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only as the car neared home did Louis open his eyes, his gaze heavy with exhaustion, murmuring softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three years—at least three years—this project will take to complete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the Karno Group’s power must be fully unleashed, even expanded further.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“During this time, if possible, we must acquire as much additional aid as we can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based on Louis’s rough calculations, he arrived at a concrete timeframe: three years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three years may not seem short, but against the scale of all America, it was far too brief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh～”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll do a more precise measurement later. Also, I’ll assign the feng shui assessments to Emma and the others—they’ll be my slaves, sent to survey other states.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis thought “viciously,” but this was truly what he needed to do—this was precisely when he needed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint braking sound arose; Louis glanced at the house. “We’re here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped out of the car and saw Jiali suddenly emerging from the house; he couldn’t help but twitch his lips, before he could speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiali floated over swiftly, her speed increased—her control over psychic force had clearly improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon arriving, she said nothing, merely crossed her arms and pressed tightly against Louis’s back, like a bodyguard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis shook his head and walked toward home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The driver smiled at the scene. “Youth—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad adults no longer had youth; so he decided to go to the club, see if there were any youthful girls who could help him rediscover the feeling of youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside that old lecher of a driver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Louis returned home, he found Emma, Madison, and Maria all present, attempting to roast a chicken—but clearly failing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick black smoke billowed; the chicken’s skin was charred black all around—obviously a disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, someone started blaming someone else—and soon all three were accusing each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma maintained a composed, refined smile. “I remember, after I killed the chicken and plucked its feathers, I did nothing else. By the way, what temperature was the oven set to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Madison was about to answer when Maria blocked her, glancing sideways at Emma. “What are you sneakily trying to shift blame for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was in charge of the oven, but I recall you sneaking near it, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maria seemed to be in Elan’s alternate personality state—her words were sharp and unyielding, showing no trace of timidity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma’s expression didn’t change; she shrugged. “I know you sisters are close, but you don’t have to be this hostile toward me. And are you really good friends? Oh, I didn’t mean you, Elan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone grew loaded, pointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? This chicken was roasted to celebrate Madison’s trip to Hollywood—do you think I, as Madison’s friend, would sabotage it on purpose? Your methods are too low!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maria didn’t notice Madison’s suddenly complex expression behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Maria and Elan were primary and alternate personalities, yet their personalities differed—was Elan truly her friend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Madison fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma’s smile deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never said that—it was you who said it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The petty squabbles among the three girls made Louis, who had just returned, smile faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loved watching women fight; arguments were fine too—perfect for observing their personality shifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, Emma seemed to have evolved—or rather, her patience had strengthened, her ability to mask herself improved; she was no longer as easily provoked as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Madison, on the other hand, remained impulsive and hot-tempered—just as foolish as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the three still bickering with no intention of physical confrontation, Louis grew bored and walked in on his own, bringing Jiali with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment they saw Louis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The verbal war ended instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis pretended not to notice what they’d just been doing; after asking about their condition and chatting briefly, he went upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was tired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His recent workload had been excessive, especially the celestial ritual positioning calculations, which had drained him greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the next few days would be busy too—teaching them surveying methods, checking on the Native American tribes…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing those, he’d head to Massachusetts; though he was enrolling in university, he already had ideas about what he’d actually do once there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, he needed rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A proper rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Louis go upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma’s eyes flickered; she quietly vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, Maria and Madison, still sulking, noticed Emma’s absence and simultaneously turned their gaze to the second floor—the faint sounds confirmed it; they spat, “That sneaky cat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1253,"2026-06-19T23:34:31.517Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","07f6313d4e5e856f35b0cc258e74134d10521bcfea144a95fc8a7e958a092c12","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-234","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-232",253,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecoming-a-god-through-horror-cover.jpg"]