Chapter 147

As the arena's world shattered, the group returned to Mikael I's tomb of eternal life.

Wu Chang's true self approached Mikael I; initially, he only intended to drag Mikael I off the Wang Zuo, but upon applying slight force, he discovered Mikael I seemed fused to the Wang Zuo, inseparable.

After tearing open Mikael I's luxurious royal robes, a massive wound could be seen on his back—deep and wide, exposing his pure golden spine.

Each vertebra's spinous process protruded outward, piercing flesh and skin, embedding directly into the Golden Wang Zuo; now, the two had become utterly fused, indistinguishable.

He had grown into the Wang Zuo.

Previously, when Passto and Lu Zhi and others acted, their bodies underwent some transformation—that was due to the Blood Moon Eternal Life, where the Wish Moon's consciousness had died, and its prior emotions influenced the fulfillment of wishes, causing deviations.

Yet during his battle with Mikael I, he maintained his normal human form throughout, even preserving the dignity befitting a monarch.

At the time, Wu Chang had assumed Mikael I had hoarded too much, constructing a perfect tomb of eternal life and obtaining the complete version of Blood Moon Eternal Life.

Now it seemed, fused with the Golden Wang Zuo, he was even more abnormal than Passto, Lu Zhi, and the others.

Wu Chang stared at the Golden Wang Zuo embedded in Mikael I's back, shook his head, sighed, and marveled at the importance of medical advancement—had no one ever told Mikael I that prolonged sitting causes chronic spinal strain, leading to bone spurs?

Look here—others who lie in coffins suffer no such issues, yet he sat here for centuries, and his bone spurs had grown to what extent?

But Mikael I had met Wu Chang—he was truly unlucky. A master craftsman with such skill and strength, once he made his move, he guaranteed complete cure, total eradication.

Wu Chang's true self stepped before Mikael I, one hand gripping his head, the other pressing against the Golden Wang Zuo's backrest, took a deep breath, and exerted force with both arms, exhaling sharply.

"Break!"

Ssschhh.

Under the force of 170 points, Mikael I and the Golden Wang Zuo separated with a crack—except for a few vertebrae still attached, everything else came apart.

The effect was immediate, though the treatment looked gruesome; beside him, Erin couldn't help turning her head away.

Mikael I, seated on the Golden Wang Zuo, though caught off-guard and his head exploded, still slowly regenerated thanks to the Blood Moon's power.

But after being forcibly ripped from the Golden Wang Zuo, deprived of his greatest support, his flesh withered and aged rapidly, in an instant reduced to nothing but a skeleton.

Wu Chang inspected the residual spine on the skeleton—the spinous processes were smooth and clean, healthy enough to be donated directly to a medical college as a specimen.

Never mind the process—just tell me, was it cured or not?

After eliminating Mikael I, Wu Chang controlled his true self and hurried to the corpses of Lu Zhi and the others.

Before Mikael I dragged him into the inner world, he had only managed to absorb Lu Zhi's vital energy; the others had not yet been absorbed.

But upon closer inspection, he was stunned—the monsters slain by Mikael I had all become hollow shells; not even vital energy, red Blood Moon energy, nor black death energy or gray energy between life and death remained.

Wu Chang gazed at the tomb of eternal life and quickly understood the reason.

While trapped in the inner world, Mikael I had seized the opportunity to monopolize the energy, and most of the Blood Moon energy he absorbed had likely been used to sustain the inner world's operation.

Yet it wasn't entirely without gain—he controlled his true self and consumed Mikael I's lingering vital energy, gaining 25 points of strength.

His true self's strength attribute neared the 200 threshold.

In this state, even a god would bleed if he elbowed him.

He stared at Mikael I's skeleton on the ground, then glanced at the fallen Golden Wang Zuo, and sneered mockingly.

Since becoming the Chosen One, every action Mikael I took was for this chair.

To remain seated on this chair and become the immortal true king he spoke of, he unleashed a plague nearly destroying the kingdom, and orchestrated Blood Moon Eternal Life, using everyone as pawns—yet ended up transforming himself into a monstrous abomination.

Was this chair worth it?

He sighed, lifted the fallen Golden Wang Zuo, and sat upon it himself.

The instant he sat on the Wang Zuo, Wu Chang's eyebrows lifted, his expression turning strange.

You know what? It really was worth it!

Perhaps because good deeds bring good rewards—after killing Mikael I, he actually looted the Golden Wang Zuo.

"Item Name: Golden Wang Zuo"

"Item Rank: A"

"Item Skill: Chosen One"

"Skill Description: When equipped with the Golden Wang Zuo, there is a 30% chance to resist incoming abnormal states; when affected by abnormal states, negative effects are reduced, with reduction magnitude dependent on user's will."

"Item Skill: Treasure"

"Skill Effect: Any energy-containing item may be transformed into a decorative gemstone on the Golden Wang Zuo, powering it. When gems are embedded in the Golden Wang Zuo, Treasure Mode activates, allowing switching between three special forms: Great Sword, Armor, and Scepter."

"Item Skill: Golden Kingdom"

"Skill Description: Constructs a sturdy inner world; within the Golden Kingdom, equipping the Golden Wang Zuo greatly enhances spatial abilities."

Feeling the Golden Wang Zuo beneath him, Wu Chang now understood Mikael I—this Golden Wang Zuo was truly a magnificent treasure.

Three skills, each immensely powerful.

The description of Chosen One was simple, yet radiated a raw numerical elegance.

Merely resisting 30% of abnormal states, and reducing their severity based on will, was already an extremely practical defensive ability.

You should know that the negotiation master in the Bureau held in the same regard as Xiang Jianxing, the red title she became famous for—even setting aside its hidden effects and looking only at its stated abilities, it wasn't necessarily more practical than that of the Chosen One.

The second skill, Treasure, had been clearly demonstrated by Mikael I.

Perhaps due to the weakening effect of purification, or perhaps because Wu Chang had not fused the Golden Wang Zuo with his body as Mikael I had.

Wu Chang's unlocked Golden Wang Zuo was significantly weaker than Mikael I's version.

To activate the Golden Wang Zuo's other forms, he must first transform energy-containing objects into gemstones and embed them into the Wang Zuo.

After embedding, he could only use one form of the Golden Wang Zuo at a time—he could not use two or all three forms simultaneously.

Still, recalling the immense power of the Golden Great Sword, Golden Armor, and Golden Scepter, being able to switch forms was already a delightful surprise—what more could he ask for?

As for the third skill, Golden Kingdom, it was the greatest surprise of all.

As he had previously sensed, Golden Kingdom indeed created an inner world; after gaining control of the Golden Wang Zuo, he discovered Golden Kingdom could synergize with his mastered spatial secret art.

His spatial magic's "Efficient Space Utilization" and inner world editing functions could also influence Golden Kingdom.

And as a more potent method of inner world usage, mastering Golden Kingdom triggered a breakthrough in his "Inner World" skill.

Now, he no longer needed to carry dozens of mystical tools or set up elaborate spatial arrays to easily construct a Inner World.

The Golden Kingdom's manipulation of spatial abilities was not merely a skill—it was a teacher.

He had a premonition: not only would the Inner World change, but as his spatial magic level rose, the higher applications of space within the Golden Kingdom—such as spatial folding and spatial cages—would eventually transform the corresponding skills in his own spatial magic.

Yet the most dazzling application of spatial power by the Golden Wang Zuo was undoubtedly this: when Wu Chang sat upon it, the Golden Wang Zuo would use spatial rules to float and move freely according to his will.

The Sword Sect, transformed from Sword Star, was often rated one of the most stylish careers due to its ability to fly by sword.

But flying on a sword paled beside flying seated upon the Golden Wang Zuo.

If one day he achieved ultimate mastery of his divine art and no longer feared any faction, he would sit upon the Golden Wang Zuo while Ailin summoned two pairs of shimmering, radiant wings with holy magic, and display the long string of colorful titles from Ye You Feng atop his head.

Then he'd say, "If you're a brother, come kill me"—and perhaps the Abyss Game administrators, overcome with excitement, would invite him to become the Abyss Game's spokesperson.

As he maneuvered the Golden Wang Zuo through the Tomb of Eternal Life, he couldn't help but reflect: as he entered more and more dungeons, he realized the gap between items of the same rank was no smaller than the gap between dungeons of the same level.

Take the Golden Wang Zuo—it was only an A-rank item, yet any one of its three skills, if extracted and made into a standalone item, would be rated A-rank in strength.

Items dropped from Real Dungeons, especially those on the verge of going out of control, were far stronger than items of the same rank from Projected Dungeons.

If the Golden Wang Zuo concealed its item rank and displayed only its attributes and skill effects, many would mistake it for a weak S-rank item.

After a dungeon became polluted, its difficulty surged dramatically, yet the base rewards for completion remained unchanged—perhaps this missing portion of reward was compensated by the enhanced performance of the dropped items.

When Wu Chang's True Self consumed the last trace of Michel I's vitality, a prompt flashed before his eyes: "Player has completed hidden side quest: Open the True Tomb of Eternal Life for Duke Michel."

"Player has received hidden side quest reward: Crown of Ascension."

As he watched the Crown of Ascension slowly coalesce before him, Wu Chang finally understood why the Treasure Skill of the Golden Wang Zuo lacked a crown form.

The two were not one and the same.

"Item Name: Crown of Ascension"

"Item Type: Special"

"Item Description: Crafted by multiple Alchemy Masters and Mysticism Masters to help Michel I better harness the Golden Wang Zuo and fully control the Blood Moon Force."

"Item Skill: Ascension"

"Skill Description: Bind an item to become part of yourself, and elevate that item."

Often, the shorter the item description, the stronger the skill effect.

!

The Crown of Ascension clearly belonged to this category.

Anyone who had witnessed Michel I's battles would realize the Crown of Ascension and the Golden Wang Zuo were a perfect match: once Ascension was activated, the Golden Wang Zuo's abilities underwent a qualitative leap—its power could rightly be said to have risen from A to weak S-rank.

But when Wu Chang read the item description of the Crown of Ascension, his attention immediately fixed on the words "Alchemy Masters" and "Mysticism Masters."

He took out the Proof of Pride and stared at the final note in its description.

"Note: Legend says the Proof of Pride hides the secret to becoming a god—perhaps clues to deciphering it lie with the Mysticism Masters."

The Crown of Ascension, jointly forged by Mysticism Masters and Alchemy Masters, could bind an item and integrate it into one's body.

Combined with his earlier wish upon entering the dungeon—to eliminate all hazards—

A flash of insight struck him: the Crown of Ascension might work on Ailin.

Instantly, he acted.

He first bound the Proof of Pride to the Crown of Ascension; the moment binding occurred, the Proof of Pride transformed into a cross-star and embedded itself atop the Crown of Ascension.

He called Ailin forward, explained his theory, and had her place the crown upon her head.

The next instant, the Crown of Ascension blazed with blinding light; beneath its glow, the complex magical runes on the walls of the Tomb of Eternal Life ignited one by one, forming a vast magical array.

Empowered by the magical array, the Crown of Ascension surged with even more radiant light.

The setup Michel I had prepared for himself now benefited Ailin.

With the Crown of Ascension's aid, the cross-star formed from the Proof of Pride merged into Ailin's forehead, and immediately, the divine halo was drawn forth by the cross-star.

The floating golden halo fused with the Crown of Ascension above Ailin's head, becoming a luminous crown suspended above her.

The next moment, from beneath Ailin's black robe, two massive golden wings unfurled.

These wings were not illusions conjured by holy magic, mere floating phantoms.

They were real, forged from energy and rules—true divine wings.

Bathed in the radiance of these golden wings, one's soul felt unprecedented peace and tranquility.

At this moment, Ailin stood floating in midair, fists clenched, eyes shut, a halo of sacred light hovering above her head, golden wings spread behind her—like a god descended.

Sensing the abnormal energy within the Tomb of Eternal Life and fearing Wu Chang and the others were in trouble, Brother Han Er descended to assist—only to fall to his knees in worship at the sight.

As Ailin's golden wings sprouted, the status on the Saint's Mask regarding Ailin changed: from "Artificial God (Defective)" to "Artificial God (Ascended)."

Status: Artificial God (Ascended)

Status Description: Ailin has fully restored all Sacred Marks and completed Ascension through a special ritual. In the Artificial God state, Ailin may activate the power of the Sacred Marks at any time, reveal her divine true form, and transform into an Archangel.

Ailin's talent also changed.

Talent Name: Archangel

Description: Through manipulation of the Sacred Marks, Ailin may transform into her divine true form with no cooldown. The duration of her divine form depends on energy consumption. When Sacred Mark energy is depleted, it may be restored by absorbing holy energy, basking in sunlight, or absorbing faith power.

Watching Ailin's attribute panel change, Wu Chang involuntarily sucked in a breath—he was breathing for the dungeon boss and other players.

He had guessed right: Michel I's use of the Crown of Ascension seemed standard, but actually using it to elevate an item was still too narrow-minded.

When Ailin's status was still "Artificial God (Defective)," the status noted that once her Sacred Marks were fully restored, she could ascend to Seraph.

Paired with Michel I's prepared Tomb of Eternal Life, the Crown of Ascension directly elevated a god—turning Ailin from Seraph straight into Archangel!

Watching Ailin float in midair, perfectly embodying the meaning of power and beauty, Wu Chang rubbed his hands together and suddenly missed the Demon God Lyman and the Great Mother.

They boasted themselves as gods, loved to project images, and harvested faith—when would they be ready for a meeting?

When they met, he could say: "Xiao Liang—no, Ailin, give him a show!"

Ailin's Ascension lasted ten minutes; when she landed, the golden wings of divinity behind her had vanished.

Theoretically, after Ailin became a true deity, she could maintain her divine true form at any time.

But they were now in the Wasteland Realm, and the world's rules of the Wasteland Realm did not allow such powerful beings to enter—this was also why the evil god Layman and the Great Holy Mother could only smuggle themselves into the Wasteland Realm through projected avatars or possessing puppets.

Her struggle against the Wasteland Realm's rules forced Ailin to expend enormous energy to maintain her divine true form, which meant she still had to move about in her ordinary form on a daily basis.

The settlement of the hidden side quest, and the end of Ailin's ascension, meant that everything within the Mausoleum of Immortality had come to a complete end.

But outside the Mausoleum of Immortality, the impact brought by the second Blood Moon Immortality had only just begun.

Due to the absence of the Tomb Keepers, and because Lutz and the others had deliberately attacked large numbers of Tomb Keepers before acting, the Blood Moon-enhanced undead poured out of the kingdom's great cemetery in massive waves, following the aura of the living and charging all the way toward the Selina city districts.

Behind the undead, the Blood Moon Immortality spread out like an ever-extending carpet.

Lacking the barrier formed by the Tomb Keepers, and also lacking the great nobles who wished to monopolize the Blood Moon Immortality, this time the radiance of the Blood Moon Immortality would spread to every single person in the city of Selina.

The strange phenomenon of the Blood Moon Immortality caused extreme panic in the Selina city districts; people flooded into the churches where they normally prayed, begging for the protection of the gods.

The Hunguangda Cathedral, as a church that had triggered three miracles, naturally gathered the most citizens.

Facing the swarming crowd, Hearing Zhanghuo waved his hand grandly and let them all enter the Hunguangda Cathedral.

He would rather let that dog-thief who stole his Four Directions Lamp of Eternal Flame take the chance to escape than fail to lift the blockade of the Hunguangda Cathedral—all for this very moment.

The gathered crowd was prime material; as long as he could use them to successfully trigger a true miracle, he could stand out among the candidates and become a true Holy Son.

Once he became the Holy Son, all the grievances he had suffered at the hands of that dog-thief could be compensated to him twofold by the Tranquil Church.

At that time, he could command the Tranquil Church's influence in the Wasteland Realm to launch a pursuit against that dog-thief.

Just you wait—don't let me catch you.

Hearing Zhanghuo had just thought this far when he suddenly heard a clap of thunder outside; he frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

A guard walked up to Hearing Zhanghuo and said, "On the plaza outside the great cathedral, a gravely ill believer was affected by the Blood Moon and turned into an undead, launching an attack on a knight mixed in among the crowd."

Hearing Zhanghuo walked out of the Holy Light Cathedral to where the disturbance had occurred and saw a charred corpse lying in front of Lei Hu; the corpse was thoroughly dead, and all the Blood Moon energy on its body had been scattered by Lei Hu's lightning.

Hearing Zhanghuo twitched his nose; he smelled a heavy concentration of lightning spiritual power in the air.

Why does this spiritual power feel somewhat familiar?

During the Annual Peace instance, after the clearers left, it seemed a heavy concentration of lightning spiritual power was also left behind, lingering for a long time.

There were only so many players who had entered the instance, and Oda had already figured out the backgrounds of most of them; he refused to believe that among so few people, there could be two experts who used lightning spiritual power.

Hearing Zhanghuo narrowed his eyes—well played, you dog-thief, trying to pull a fast one right under my nose; I've finally caught you now!

(End of this chapter)