Chapter 387: The Welfare of the Lord of the Curtain

The number of current holders of the Demon Star Order is not small, and they are far from limited to those in Wanfu City.

In other regions of the present world, such as the "Ancient Demon Boat," there exist many Demon Star Order holders. Add to this the prodigy holders within the subsidiary small worlds, spacetime bubbles, and strange domains of the present world, as well as those recruited tentatively within the Boundless Spirit Realm before the Demon Star Order was upgraded.

It can be said that their numbers are vast.

Initially, after viewing the many functions of the Demon Star Order following its elevation in authority, the holders were indeed overjoyed.

As long as they weren't fools!

Anyone could see how heaven-defying the upgraded Demon Star Order was.

The original qualifications of an order holder were already extremely precious.

Now, it could be called a unique opportunity.

Precisely because of this, the holders were panicked, for they had all seen the new function, [War of Titles], and all understood what it meant.

"We are finished!"

"Everyone, the good news is that the Demon Star Order can bring us supreme opportunities; as long as we don't die halfway, given time, we are all certain to ascend to godhood... The bad news is that the peach-pickers have arrived, and we likely won't be able to keep this benefit."

"That War of Titles and the Camp Master... it's clearly a function for raising gu; letting us slaughter each other is one thing, but the key is that the competitors will be those things following the [True God's Gift] path. How are we supposed to fight that?"

"The battlefield is the Boundless Spirit Realm, the opponents are recipients of a True God's Gift, and the mission targets are the natives of the Boundless... We have none of the advantages of timing, location, or people. I fear none of us will be able to keep our title as an order holder, right?"

"Sigh, I fear so."

"Needless to say, we practitioners on the path to godhood are all merely shallow believers to a 'True God'... Once we clash with those gifted by a True God during the conquest, not only will we be unable to call upon a True God for help, we might even be suppressed."

"Perhaps only those chosen by gods, like Hu Buku, Gongsun Qi, and Xu Xuan, can barely preserve themselves in the [War of Titles]."

"Thinking too much won't work either. Hu Buku is indeed chosen by the Merciful Father, but if his opponent is a [Merciful Father's Divine Child] or [Merciful Father's Favor], even if their combat power is similar, the moment both call upon the Merciful Father, Hu Buku will lose priority."

"I have already quietly prayed to the [Ming God], asking if He would treat me fairly if I were to wage war against the divine children and favored ones under His command... The result was that this old water ghost revoked my Ming God brand, called me a blasphemer, and crippled one of my origin divine abilities... It is fortunate that this water demon body was refined by myself, and fortunate that He is imprisoned; otherwise, I would have been gone with a single thought from Him."

"Wasn't it said that the Demon Star Order was forged by the gods to cultivate us? Now that it has transformed, they come to steal the fruits of our labor?"

"If I die, I die, but to make me give up voluntarily is absolutely impossible."

"In the matter of cultivation, one is like a boat sailing against the current; once you give up this opportunity, you will have no hope of ascending to godhood in this life. One must always give it a try."

"Who says I must rely on that nonsense True God to continue... My sequences and divine abilities were all gained through my own hard cultivation; aren't they cleaner than those who sell their souls to a True God?"

"Slaughter those divine children, favored ones, and chosen ones... seek shelter under the Demon Star Order, and this opportunity will still be mine."

"You didn't finish, did you? Just wait until my wings are fully grown, then I'll storm that bird god's divine kingdom and replace Him? Hehe."

Li Yu lurked and watched the conversation, where the atmosphere was gradually changing drastically, and a sharp glint flickered in his eyes.

He had originally thought that he would be the only one facing those countless True God's Gifts.

At this moment, it seemed that was not necessarily the case.

Sure enough!

There really wasn't a single one among those chosen to be "Demon Star Order holders" who was easy to deal with.

Once they realized the logic behind it, they were all terrified.

This was normal!

The new function of the Demon Star Order: War of Titles.

Although it could allow participating holders to become strong at an unimaginable speed.

It could be said that winning one battle could lead to an instant ascent to the heavens.

With good luck, one's combat power could leap across more than one sequence.

But it was indeed lacking in fairness.

It was almost impossible for the native holders to win.

Because a large portion of the "new and old holders" had the same True God as their backer.

Once they fell into a slaughter and called for help, if the True God descended personally to tip the scales, would the old holders still have a chance to win?

Naturally, there was none.

Everyone could realize this, which was why they were so anxious.

But soon, the madness of these holders surged; looking at the conversation, it seemed they were all about to turn from shallow believers into blasphemous heretics.

Especially the citizens originating from [Wanfu City]; they all seemed like unteachable rebels.

Their remarks were particularly manic.

Some even shouted the arrogant slogan, "When I am strong in the future, I will slaughter the divine kingdom and seize the throne."

Regarding this change, Li Yu pondered for a moment and vaguely understood why.

"The Lord of the Curtain, a True God who has perhaps already surpassed the Dominator level, has had His narrative domain shroud Wanfu City for who knows how many years. To the citizens, they are prisoners whose cognition has been forcibly altered and bound, puppets manipulated at will, but they can also gain some benefits from it."

"For example, a lawless and manic temperament, a very shallow faith in every True God, hidden thoughts of rebellion, and comprehension and talent far exceeding other practitioners in the present world..."

"It can be said!"

"Those who can be lured into Wanfu City are not decent people... After entering the city, their attributes in all aspects will increase unknowingly."

"From the puppet of Zuo Ci, we know: this is the 'welfare' given by the Lord of the Curtain, using narrative divinity to forcibly improve the citizens' talent and cultivation speed. The more potential one has, the greater the benefit."

"Hmm?"

"Have I not also received this share of welfare in the dark?"

"This does align with some rumors about the Lord of the Curtain: He has a penchant for grand scenes and big stages, but He always provides benefits to the puppet actors under His command."

"Speaking of big stages, what must Wanfu City look like now?"

Once this last question arose, Li Yu stopped lurking.

It was enough to confirm that these native holders still had the courage to struggle.

Perhaps in some future missions or camp slaughters, they could still be of use.

Compared to these holders who felt despair and were merely struggling based on their manic temperaments, he, Li Yu, was naturally very different.

After all, he was the initiator of the unique mission [Lord of the Demon Star].

He was one step ahead of all the new and old holders. Most importantly!

The current Li Yu was no longer a loner without any power.

Under his command, he already had a [God Emperor Sect] and an entire Long Chao star system, with a population of tens of billions.

His combat power was still far from the True God level!

But to call the territory he controlled a god's domain would not be an exaggeration.

"At this stage, I only need to achieve two goals!"

"First, find a way to completely perfect the [Food-Eating True Monarch] sequence."

"Second, first tip off the righteous gods, then hide in the shadows, observe the changes, and decide whether to participate based on the situation."

With this thought.

Li Yu did not make any exchanges; carrying an unimaginable fortune, he decisively left the Demon Star space and returned to the present world.

Outside Wanfu City, the Pioneer Station, Ancient God Camp.

Inside the Immortal Fortress, Li Yu appeared.

He did not immediately attend to the mechanical fortress, which had been repaired and iterated many times, possessing the ability to wander the multiverse.

Instead, a certain premonition immediately arose, and he then looked through the transparent porthole toward... the Wanfu Kingdom.

That's right!

It could no longer be simply called Wanfu City.

Before his eyes was clearly a vast and magnificent extraordinary kingdom built around "Wanfu City."

Although this kingdom had recently suffered the catastrophe known as the Heavenly Work Aberration, which had caused Wanfu City—which could previously be called "flesh-and-blood cyberpunk" style—to be almost uprooted and turned into ruins.

If it were before, when Li Yu returned from a strange domain, he would still see ruins.

After all, the strange domains the Demon Star Order previously conquered were all subsidiary small worlds, and the flow of time was controllable.

One day in the present world was one year in the strange domain.

But this time was different.

To complete the mission, Li Yu had stayed in the "Long Chao star system" for nearly a year.

Facts proved!

The risks were great, the costs were great, and the gains were even greater.

Li Yu's combat power had not increased significantly.

But the potential, resources, and power he possessed had grown exponentially.

Most importantly, he had seized the initiative.

And a year was enough for "Wanfu City" to undergo another unimaginable transformation, which was the scene reflected in Li Yu's eyes at this moment.

Countless floating islands,

A giant river of black water piercing through the earth,

A spiral glazed tower standing in the city,

A fungal forest filled with infinite filth and plague,

A Palace of Ultimate Bliss continuously playing various scenes of evil gods,

A jade-green lake that appeared inexplicably like a vast ocean,

A strange labyrinth that seemed to be projected from another plane,

Unfamiliar!

Terrifying!

Magnificent!

Even Li Yu felt a significant impact at this moment.

The previous Ten Thousand Blessings City and the three great forbidden lands were already quite spectacular existences.

But compared to what he saw now, they really counted for nothing.

How could a flesh-punk style city compare to a divine kingdom on earth that, while horrifying and terrifying, was completely complex and magnificent?

Even though Li Yu had not entered the interior of Ten Thousand Blessings City.

Just seeing the "wonders" everywhere within this kingdom, as far as the eye could reach, was enough to form a judgment.

"Ten Thousand Blessings Kingdom?"

"I'm afraid it should be called the [Ten Thousand Gods Kingdom], right?"

"The Curtain... this old fellow who loves to show off is really willing to spend a fortune; has he invited all the true gods of any weight here?"

"In one year, he managed to create such a grand stage."

"It seems that the upcoming first [Boundless Spirit Realm Grand Tournament] is not just a prelude to the plan for the collapse of the present world."

"Perhaps, to the Master of the Curtain, it is also one of the main acts."

"A grand tournament with ten thousand gods as the audience... tsk tsk, it is indeed enough to make one excited."

"I previously thought: if one cannot become a divine entity, one cannot get onto the chessboard."

"Now it seems I still underestimated the difficulty of surviving in this Boundless Spirit Realm."

"Let alone a mere true god, even a powerful divine entity still cannot get to the table; they lack the ability to participate in the game."

"Only by ascending to the Sovereign level!"

"Is it possible to become a chess player."

"These somewhat stifling, bitter days still have a long way to go."

Li Yu could not help but sigh in his heart.

(End of this chapter)