Chapter 497

Zhou Zhe: “I’ve passed through the Southern Heavenly Gate, subjugated and sealed the Cult of Deception…”

Zhou Zhe: “This thing must be a fragment of the Cult of Deception’s puzzle. Through it, I should be able to trace the source and find the Cult of Deception itself!”

But…

“Not yet!”

Zhou Zhe murmured softly under his breath, voice barely audible, as if speaking to himself: “The Cult of Deception is no ordinary foe. I must strike true and final—or…”

“If it escapes, the consequences will be endless!”

Memories of past events surged through his mind; Zhou Zhe carefully recalled how, after growing close to his groupmates, several of them—especially his fellow transmigrants—had jointly devised this nearly complete plan for him.

If he wishes to reach the end…

He must not make a single misstep!

Hermes: “Zhou Zhe, don’t rush. Advance step by step. As long as Itachi hold steady, your advantage will grow the further Itachi go!”

Hermes: “But before that, Itachi might first accumulate some points, then use the Chat Group’s [True Simulation] function to see if Itachi can fully bring your Southern Heavenly Gate under your dominion.”

Hermes: “The Cult of Deception certainly suits Itachi well, but the Southern Heavenly Gate itself is also a major breakthrough. If Itachi can use it to locate and seize the remaining fragments of the Heavenly Court’s puzzle, that too is your life’s main storyline—and if Itachi add the Sequence Elixir…”

Hermes: “Three main threads, entwined, spiraling upward. Itachi sit upon the Throne of the Heavenly Emperor, a mastermind behind the scenes controlling balance, shifting heaven and earth—perhaps… this is the correct path!”

Though his Avatar of the Lord of Mount Tai has finally taken root in this world, and though he has quietly prepared for the rituals of the Mount Tai Lord’s worship, this seems fated—but…

Hermes sincerely hopes that Zhou Zhe, the future Zhou Heavenly Emperor, will strategize from behind the scenes, seize control of heaven and earth, and ascend to the Supreme Heavenly Emperor himself—rather than relying on Hermes to rescue him.

As for how the Lord of Mount Tai comes into being?

Hehehe—if fate demands its birth, then even if not in Zhou Zhe’s world, it will inevitably arise in another. That is certain.

But if Zhou Zhe, under this powerful force of destiny, can negate the birth of the Lord of Mount Tai in this world…

Perhaps Hermes will gain a truly unexpected surprise!

This is no fantasy. Zhou Zhe, having joined the chat group, truly possesses this possibility.

Luo Qianqiu: “Of course—it’s another trinity system.”

Luo Qianqiu: “I always get the feeling that no matter what Hermes does, he somehow inevitably veers onto this path.”

“Last time, this guy casually mentioned that another [Lord of Mount Tai], with potential to challenge the infinite multiverse, might be born?”

Setting aside the endless calculations and schemes of the Real World for now, the Black Tower unusually set aside her scholarly focus and chatted idly with Luo Qianqiu. When the topic of the Lord of Mount Tai came up, Luo Qianqiu lightly brushed her chin with her fingertip, a faint smile glimmering in her eyes as she teased:

“I think it’s impossible!”

“Hermes’s trinity iron triangle is too deeply entrenched. This powerful centripetal force is nearly unshakable… perhaps even Hermes himself hasn’t truly realized this?”

Purity, Origin, and Infinity—the trinity—exude an inexplicable beauty as a whole.

Add a Lord of Mount Tai?

It’s not that Luo Qianqiu underestimates Hermes—but as an intuition of cosmic truth, she feels Hermes’s actions this time will not go smoothly at all…

“The resistance… perhaps stems from Hermes himself?”

The Black Tower slightly narrowed her eyes, sorting through the logic of the words, her fingertips lightly rubbing together, her gaze shifting as a realization dawned within her:

“Yet… perhaps this is exactly what Hermes himself wishes to see?”

As the Black Tower, who had accompanied Hermes since the very beginning of his Pure Beauty incarnation, her understanding of this man surpassed ordinary imagination.

The Black Tower knew perfectly well the behavioral logic of Pure Beauty—Hermes’s current incarnation.

Even—

After confirming the path of this Pure Beauty incarnation, a near-unshakable [Pure Beauty] current formed, carrying Hermes forward without pause into the threshold of the weak multiverse, ultimately establishing the absolute [Pure Beauty] framework of the trinity!

In short, the trinity multiverse cycle of Purity, Origin, and Infinity is the perfect embodiment of Hermes’s [Pure Beauty] path.

And under these circumstances, if a [Lord of Mount Tai] of multiversal supremacy were to be born—what would that mean?

Thinking of this, the Black Tower propped her cheek with one hand, a thoughtful glint flickering in her eyes.

Zhou Zhe: “Old Zhou’s historical experience tells me the Sequence Elixir path alone is unreliable, and Old Yang’s lessons reveal the deep pitfalls of the Deception Puzzle system…”

Zhou Zhe: “So isn’t it precisely because of this that everyone brilliantly proposed the Cult of Deception system through my Heavenly Emperor path?”

Zhou Zhe: “The trinity—what a perfectly harmonious path to the Heavenly Emperor!”

Zhou Zhe focused his mind, meticulously tracing the entire trinity cycle from start to finish. Awe surged within him, and wonder lit his face as he sincerely exclaimed:

“No wonder he’s the genius who started from the Genius Club!”

With just a slight nudge, he laid out a nearly perfect framework for me.

These three main threads are not isolated, parallel lines—they constantly intertwine, influence each other, and under the control of my hand as the [Heavenly Emperor], they are balanced and guided toward the direction I desire!

Lu Dongbin: “…So the value of the Path of Balance is still rising!”

Lu Dongbin, having plunged headfirst into this pit, finally couldn’t resist ending his lurking to vent.

Now, he embodies the Path of Balanced Power—using others’ strength against them—and seems to be playing it masterfully.

But the suffering within? Only Lu Dongbin has truly tasted it.

Had he, the Pure Yang Ancestor, not somehow possessed an innate, inexplicable mastery of old-school cunning, he’d already have been buried alive in this abyss—

To outwit Heaven itself is too damn hard!

“…And I feel the Path of Balanced Heaven is quietly brewing something…”

The light in Lu Dongbin’s eyes dimmed slightly; his expression appeared calm, but his spirit was taut with tension.

He gazed into the boundless heavens, as if seeing a fading glow—suggesting his advantage was growing…

Yet—

Lu Dongbin’s Dao heart was firm, profound, and subtle; he would not be deceived by this seemingly favorable situation.

Reversing yin and yang? Obscuring heavenly fate?

The heavenly fate had grown murky—even with Lu Dongbin’s ability to see through walls and perceive the unseen—he could discern nothing. But…

Lu Dongbin’s lips curled in a faint smile, his gaze deep: “All things in the world leave traces. To see absolutely no movement at all—that itself is the greatest anomaly.”

With a thought, the Chat Group’s [True Simulation] function activated silently. In an instant, three figures stepped into view: a youth with emerging brilliance, a middle-aged man with deep, steady aura, and an elder with celestial bones—each embodying the very essence of righteous energy—

Just like the Eight Immortals of old!