Chapter 270

Wu Chang asked: "What does it mean that the real world is being overly eroded and absorbed into the Abyss Game?"

On a literal level, these words are not a good sign.

The Omniscient Crystal replied: "Each time an erosion instance erodes reality, it leaves traces behind in the real world; Abyssal power flows along these traces into reality, slowly transforming it."

"When the real world is transformed to a certain degree, it adapts to Abyssal power and gradually accepts it."

Wu Chang said solemnly: "Wild transcenders appear?"

The Omniscient Crystal: "This is an early sign of the world being eroded by the Abyss. As more traces remain from erosion instances in the real world, the real world accepts the Abyss more deeply, and transcendent power will gradually spread and become rampant."

"Until the real world you inhabit evolves its own transcendent path."

Wu Chang rubbed his chin; the Omniscient Crystal's explanation so far didn't sound like a bad thing.

Ordinary people gaining transcendent power, if we set aside the chaos caused by sudden acquisition in the early stages, could rightly be called an evolution—even at its worst, it would raise Blue Star's productivity.

But what is the cost?

Heaven doesn't drop pies. The abilities that Abyss Game players fight to the death for, ordinary people in reality gain simply by lying down—this convenient method cannot be without side effects.

He asked: "What impact will Abyss erosion have on the real world?"

The Omniscient Crystal: "For individuals, the vast majority of ordinary people born in ordinary planes cannot fully adapt to Abyssal power without external aid. They may gain transcendent power through the Abyss, but they will also suffer its influence—losing lifespan and willpower, their bodies mutating."

"For the world, too close a connection with the Abyss invites the gaze of entities deep within the Abyss, causing uncontrollable effects."

Wu Chang took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

The answer wasn't good, but it wasn't terrible either.

Wild transcenders who gain power through the Abyss have unstable mental states and weak wills—this is intelligence already confirmed by the Bureau.

Cases of bodily mutation are still rare, but recently, social media on Sakura Island circulated reports of a village attacked by a human-head bear.

It was claimed a man whose body had turned bear-like, wrapped in a blanket, sneaked into the village at night, scaled walls and broke locks, entered homes, and ate people.

At dawn the next day, villagers noticed blood seeping from a neighbor's door crack and realized what had happened; upon closer inspection, they found twenty households had been attacked.

All inhabitants—men, women, children, elders—in the attacked homes were killed; the victims' corpses were horrifying, their faces and hearts entirely consumed.

Village men armed themselves and followed the bloody footprints into the deep forest, where someone faintly glimpsed a monster covered in dripping fur, with a human head and bear body.

Human-head bear—surely a transcender whose body had mutated.

Though ordinary black bears have occasionally committed similar attacks, they aren't that picky.

But whether wild transcenders or such mutated monsters, they can only bully ordinary people; against proper Abyss Game players, their strength is utterly inadequate.

With the Four Organizations in place, they cannot stir up trouble in reality.

But the connection between reality and the Abyss Game inviting the gaze from the Abyss's depths—that's far more troublesome.

Countless instance plots have proven that powerful higher-plane entities can bring immense trouble.

Even without mentioning direct destruction like the Silent Passage's god-corpses, if some upper-tier being, in their madness, allied with an evil god other than Leyman—or a so-called benevolent deity whose methods are no less vile than a Great Mother—reality might become more chaotic than the Wasteland Realm.

With the Bureau around, who would dare ally with such things?

Never mind that the Bureau's internal factions aren't united; Wu Chang has even less faith in the upper-class elders outside the Bureau.

After all, many high-ranking officials care only for their own interests—first to claim credit, then when trouble strikes, all they say is "That's just how it is," or "There's nothing to be done."

Like that Yu-surnamed godling—who, if it means he can safely shift blame, will even kneel before dogs on Bang Island; even when he still wore his queue, few could have done such things.

Fortunately, wild transcenders are gradually increasing, but this has only happened in the past month; Blue Star is still in the early stage of Abyssal influence, so there's still time.

From what he saw in the instance, even if an evil god gazes upon the world, it would take years for the evil god to exert any meaningful influence.

There's still time.

Wu Chang: "What must I do to stop or mitigate the Abyss's erosion of the real world?"

The Omniscient Crystal: "This question is too complex. It requires completion of the Soul Binding procedure, or sufficient transcendent energy, to answer."

Wu Chang clicked his tongue; he'd assumed absorbing the Prophecy Tablet would grant him limited free consultation, but like the Bureau's intelligence database, the public information was all scraps—important intel still cost money.

Still, compared to before, providing transcendent energy to the Omniscient Crystal without Soul Binding now yields answers—that must be the change brought by helping it absorb the Prophecy Tablet.

Just as Wu Chang prepared to ask an easier question, the light on the Omniscient Crystal began to flicker—it was running low on energy.

He did not press further, saving his final query for a critical moment.

According to the Omniscient Crystal, the Painter originally sealed off a portion of the true instance, but because the instance's core shattered, the Night Island region shattered along with it, becoming a projection instance.

When the Painter broke the Ice Shudder Plains, did he open the secret chamber and see the Prophecy Tablet?

And why did he choose to seal off this region?

Wu Chang watched as the flow of time around him gradually restored, and the erosion instance began to collapse; he had a premonition—the instance summoned by the Painter seemed meant for him.

During the collapse of the Night Island instance, the outside world of Wanghai City also changed.

Before Wu Chang's physical body entered the Bureau's underground to rescue others, he left his True Self around the Bureau to prevent the Painter from escaping through the underground while they were trapped in the instance—no one outside could stop him.

But the outcome showed the Painter had other means of escape; the Bureau's underground arrangements couldn't hold him.

At that very moment, True Self received a plea for help from Eileen: someone had discovered the Above-Ground Divine Realm; she tried to contain the person, but due to her negligence, the target escaped and shed her tracking.

Wu Chang told Eileen to further conceal the Above-Ground Divine Realm, then manipulated True Self to leave the Bureau and arrive at a quiet alley; the next moment, Eileen appeared before him, her face filled with guilt.

"I'm sorry, because I..."

Wu Chang reached out and pinched Eileen's cheek, stopping her self-blame: "Learn from your mistakes. Everyone errs. What matters isn't self-reproach, but growth."

"Tell me in detail how the target escaped you—and how he shed your lock on him within the Above-Ground Divine Realm."

Within the Above-Ground Divine Realm, Eileen could briefly unleash the full power of a Power Angel—a Level Two of the Three Tiers of Angelic Rank, a proper lower deity.

Eileen unleashing her full strength might struggle to overpower Joyful, but compared to Mercury or Peren, she wouldn't fall behind—she could dominate the Li Realm.

Someone who escaped Eileen's grasp must be extraordinary.

Eileen cast the Light-Shadow Technique, projecting the recorded battle before Wu Chang.

At their level, ordinary cameras cannot capture anything; even if motion were recorded, it would be incomprehensible.

But Eileen's Light-Shadow Technique clearly recorded every movement and skill of You Feipeng, captured his aura with perfect clarity, and even kindly included a progress bar.

Wu Chang dragged the progress bar straight to the end, and when he saw the lotus leaf blocking in front of You Feipeng, he clenched his fist and smashed it into his palm.

Found it!

Eileen did not recognize this lotus leaf, but he had a deep impression of such leaves; a single leaf capable of withstanding Eileen's attack, spiriting You Feipeng away, and severing Eileen's tracking was definitely the handiwork of Joy!

The life-preserving effect of the lotus leaf surpassed ordinary Grade-B consumable items; whoever obtained it and appeared in the light and shadow technique must be a member of the Bright Society.

Knowing the opponent's background made the rest much easier to handle.

Wu Chang asked, "Do you have a fragment of the lotus leaf?"

Eileen took out a small half-fragment of the lotus leaf; this was a piece broken off during her final attack, which had already lost its energy and become an ordinary shard.

"Will this work?"

Wu Chang nodded and said, "Enough."

He took out Survivor's Revenge and, using the lotus leaf fragment, applied a Hatred Mark to the members of the Bright Society.

"Item Skill: Hatred Mark."

"Skill Description: After obtaining a token of a certain organization, you can use the token to mark that organization; once any member of the organization enters within a 3-kilometer radius of you, you will automatically lock onto their location and deal 10% additional damage to that target. Cooldown time: 12 hours."

With the Hatred Mark complete, Wu Chang took out a map, divided the area into several zones based on a three-kilometer radius, and had Eileen carry him to shift positions rapidly.

When he arrived at the Peace District, the aura of the Hatred Mark began to grow distinct; he could see a faint wisp of smoke in the air, guiding him to locate the members of the Bright Society within the tracking range.

The smoke was very thin and gradually fading, as if the target was attempting to leave Wanghai City.

Wu Chang moved quickly following the smoke, arriving at the location indicated by the Hatred Mark just before the smoke completely dissipated.

Emotion Art Gallery.

The rogue superhumans of Wanghai City were linked to the Emotion Art Gallery, and the fellows from the Earthly Divine Kingdom were also hiding inside; if one claimed this was mere coincidence and found no issue with it, he would be just like Director Gao, running naked around Bai Shui Bay.

Wu Chang clicked his tongue, awkwardly rubbing his nose as he realized he seemed to have been played.

He arranged for Eileen to guard outside and provide support, while he alone pushed open the door and stepped into the Emotion Art Gallery.

The instant he entered, he felt the surrounding space change; the art gallery transformed into a sealed, long corridor, with various paintings hanging on the walls of the first floor and trails of blood not fully mopped up remaining on the corridor floor.

The smoke from the Hatred Mark pointed directly at these bloodstains.

If his guess was correct, the fellow who had escaped from Eileen's hands had already been eliminated.

This was not funny at all; the strength You Feipeng displayed in the light and shadow technique clearly reached the level of Abyss Layer Two, even slightly stronger than the Helmet Man.

Yet such a fellow had died silently within the Emotion Art Gallery, and although he had visited the gallery three times previously, he had detected nothing abnormal.

Did this not make him look rather dull?

Flushed; Wu Chang's face turned red, and his temperature rose with it.

There would be no end to today's affairs!

He looked toward the end of the corridor and discovered that Lu Langfeng, whom he had been searching for earlier, was now sitting leisurely before an easel painting; noticing his arrival, Lu Langfeng even waved at him.

So you've stopped pretending entirely, have you? Wu Chang took a deep breath, relying on the cold air to lower his burning temperature, then clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes.

Did this dog think he had already won, acting so brazenly as if this were the MVP settlement screen?

Without hesitation, he strode toward Lu Langfeng.

After taking only a few steps, he was drawn to the paintings beside him; the artworks radiated intense emotions and used novel, bold colors, such that even he, who knew nothing of art appreciation, could see the creator's extraordinary mastery.

More importantly, the emotions within these paintings physically overflowed the paper, transforming into swords or hands, attempting to strip something away from him.

This kind of attack was purely an inspiration-based assault; unless one's inspiration reached a certain level, one could not even perceive that they were being harmed.

The fellow who had escaped from Eileen's hands must have fallen victim to these paintings.

A quite impressive technique, but for him, it still lacked something.

He snorted coldly, glaring at the images; the moment the emotion attacks overflowing from the paper met his gaze, they ignited, and transparent flames traveled along the emotions back to the paper, finally causing the paintings that launched the attacks to burn as well.

Trying to deal with him using inspiration-type skills; are you looking for death?

Wu Chang advanced all the way toward Lu Langfeng, and every painting he passed spontaneously combusted, turning to ash in an instant.

By the time he reached Lu Langfeng, the long corridor had been burned completely clean.

!

Lu Langfeng felt no distress over the burning of the paintings; instead, he revealed an expression of appreciation, moved the easel aside, turned to face Wu Chang, clapped his hands, and the Emotion Corridor transformed back into the original art gallery.

"I knew you would be fine."

Wu Chang said with a cold face, "Don't try to act familiar; should I call you Lu Langfeng, or should I call you the Painter?"

Lu Langfeng said indifferently, "A name is merely a designation; it is enough that I know you are calling me."

"Young man, I just solved a trouble for you; you ought to express your gratitude, or at least be a bit more polite."

Wu Chang scoffed, "If not for you eliminating that fellow, by this time I should have already started slapping your face."

Lu Langfeng pulled over a handkerchief and, while wiping his hands, spoke unhurriedly, "You can give it a try; surely you don't think the reason you didn't discover me before was simply your own carelessness?"

"If you cannot even see me, how could you possibly hit me?"

Wu Chang cracked his knuckles and said, "I really do want to give it a try."

Lu Langfeng shook his head and said, "Young people are so impatient; once you make a move, our conversation will end completely. Before that, there are still some matters I wish to ask you."

"I can sense that you have broken through the Night Island, correct?"

Wu Chang's eyes shifted slightly, but he said nothing.

Lu Langfeng tossed aside the handkerchief, walked casually toward Wu Chang, and said, "Relax, no need to be so tense; I can tell you clearly that if I had not sensed you entering the Night Island, I would not have appeared here waiting for you to find me."

"Let me ask you once more: have you discovered the secret of the Night Island?"

Wu Chang hesitated for a moment before saying, "So what if I have?"

Lu Langfeng smiled and said, "What did you see on the Prophecy Slate?"

Wu Chang tilted his head slightly, observing the excitement revealed in Lu Langfeng's gaze, and asked, "Why should I tell you?"

Lu Langfeng said as a matter of course, "This is the test question I set for you; if you cannot even accomplish something of this degree, I will be very disappointed in you."

Wu Chang: "Do you think you're qualified to give me a test?"

Lu Langfeng: "I think I am."

Wu Chang closed his eyes, stabilized his mind, and silenced the phantom whispers: "Warning! Warning!"

This dog in front of him had truly enraged him.

Even if Huanxi came down to the mortal realm, he'd still get slapped twice by him.

If I don't give Lu Langfeng a taste of what a black hand is, he'll truly believe he's above everyone.

Wu Chang linked his consciousness to the Omnipotent Crystal and asked his final question.

"How can I make the Painter pay?"

Omnipotent Crystal: "Use the Mamba Iron Elbow on him."

Good!

Wu Chang opened his eyes, met Lu Langfeng's expectant gaze, and asked: "Before answering your question, I have one for you—to test your level."

"Do you have divinity?"

Lu Langfeng answered honestly: "Yes."

Wu Chang smiled with satisfaction; the Painter didn't yet know that Huanxi had already suffered a major defeat before him.

Then he raised his hands before Lu Langfeng and launched straight into the elbow.

"Man!"

Facing the iron elbow that had made countless gods bleed from the nose, Lu Langfeng smiled brightly, utterly unconcerned.

He seemed to want Wu Chang to understand the gap between them.

We're all geniuses, but even among geniuses, there are differences.

In a luxurious studio, a young man resembling Lu Langfeng sat comfortably, gazing at a paper house on the desk, one hand holding coffee, the other controlling a small paper figure through the air.

The paper figure was exquisitely crafted, indistinguishable from a miniature human; its features clearly matched Lu Langfeng.

Inside the paper house lurked many smaller paper figures, each unique and lifelike, including a male student who had once shared a room with Wu Chang.

This was his source of confidence: an A-rank growth item, "Origami House."

He had strengthened it many times, including smuggling it into the Principle Realm to complete its root transformation—its effect rivals that of an ordinary S-rank item, and soon it will grow into an S-rank growth item.

The Origami House is immensely powerful: it can serve as the Painter's many proxies, stirring chaos across the world on his behalf;

it is also his safe haven—it can sever karmic ties; as long as he restrains himself, even if Lu Langfeng's paper figure stands right in front of Wu Chang, Wu Chang's terrifying intuition cannot detect anything amiss;

it is precisely through these two powers that he has continuously monitored Wu Chang and manipulated him at will.

Even if Wu Chang senses something odd, the attack strikes only the Origami House's paper figures, harming the Painter's true body not at all.

Beyond its auxiliary uses, the Origami House is equally formidable in offense: its Origami Domain, even with just one ability activated, cannot be resisted by experts like You Feipeng from the Principle Realm.

Aside from all these advantages, the Origami House possesses its ultimate effect: substitution death.

Every five days, the Origami House creates one paper figure, up to a maximum of ten; each fake can take one hit for the Painter.

Every three instance dimensions, or every 45 days in reality, one paper figure from the house can die in place of the Painter.

This substitution death effect is not like the Four Seasons Fire Lamp—merely immune to one fatal blow—but complete substitution: it swaps the Painter's true body with the paper figure, summoning the Painter back to the Origami House's location, completely escaping the danger.

It was thanks to the Origami House's power that five years ago, at just level 30, he stood up to the Four Major Organizations and forced Bai Ta to yield.

He became famous overnight from that battle—thrilling as it was, it also drew the special attention of a troublesome group that relentlessly pursued him, using threats and bribes, leading to multiple clashes.

As a result, he dared not officially ascend into the Principle Realm until he had made perfect preparations.

Knock knock knock.

After three knocks, a figure dressed as a maid, her body filled with large color blocks, entered and said:

"Master, I've gathered new intelligence."

The Painter: "Tell me later."

The Origami House is nearly a perfect item; its only flaw is its extreme fragility—it must be carefully protected.

The Painter knows this well, so he always keeps the Origami House in a secure location; no living being exists where he is except his own skill creations, ensuring absolute safety for the Origami House.

This is his confidence: even if Wu Chang's stats are sky-high, if he can't find the Painter's true body, how can he possibly harm him?

Inside the Museum of Emotion, Wu Chang's iron elbow smashed into Lu Langfeng's face; the abnormal status on the elbow traveled along the aura straight to the Painter's true body.

The Painter, seated before the Origami House, sensed Wu Chang's ability and showed a look of surprise.

"Striking the true body through aura—what a peculiar ability."

Wu Chang's fearsome reputation preceded him; due to his rapid rise, the Painter had accidentally discovered Wu Chang's true identity but knew little about him.

This unusual, mysterious skill—he dared not risk intercepting it directly, so he used Lu Langfeng's paper figure to absorb the blow.

The elbow about to strike the Painter was pulled by the Origami House's influence; the invisible force of the elbow veered off and struck the Lu Langfeng paper figure inside the Origami House.

The next moment, under the Painter's stunned gaze, the Origami House first crumpled into a ball; wrinkles and negative statuses appeared on its surface, its connection to the Painter temporarily severed; the Painter tried to intervene but could not operate.

Then, an unknown force tore a gaping hole in it, followed by flickering electricity, and the entire Origami House burst into flames.

"Title: Blasphemer"

"Title Effect: When wearing this title, if the target of your attack possesses divinity, you deal additional damage that strikes directly at the source."

When the Blasphemer title triggers, it ignores all barriers and strikes the target's source directly—this is precisely how Wu Chang used it to elbow Mo Qiu Li from afar in the underground shelter.

The Painter possesses divinity; when he controlled Lu Langfeng's paper figure, the elbow strike on Lu Langfeng was treated as an elbow strike on the Painter, triggering the Blasphemer effect.

When the Painter chose to use the paper figure to absorb the blow, the skill check deemed the elbow strike to be aimed at the Origami House; the Blasphemer's direct-source strike then redirected to strike the Origami House's source.

Once triggered, the Blasphemer effect does not vanish—that is the value of a colored title.

The power of the Mamba Iron Elbow is not great; a sturdier item might suffer only minor damage from one hit—but the Origami House's weakness is its fragile true body.

Hence, the current scene.

Watching the burning Origami House before him, the Painter broke.

"No!"

(End of chapter)