Chapter 328

Wu Chang and the other two stared at the massive temple before them, instinctively entering a state of alertness.

The divine realm of the Deep Sea Lord they had seen along the way had forced them to raise their guard.

Wu Chang, originally the most relaxed of the three, had also grown cautious after uncovering the secret of the Lost Continent.

The Deep Sea Lord within the temple differed from any divine projection he had ever encountered, including the corrupted remains of the drowned god within the wreck zone.

This was a genuine divine avatar, possessing a complete divine realm.

Even for him, encountering such a monster in the Wasteland Realm was beyond his limits.

But since they had come this far, they couldn't flee without even laying eyes on the Deep Sea Lord.

He took a deep breath, gripped Erin's hand, and said: "Let's go in."

The three approached the massive temple, and when they entered within a hundred meters, a dangerous aura emanated from the two stone statues at the temple's entrance.

The statues depicted humanoid octopuses crouched atop square steles, resembling Cthulhu in form but with far slimmer bodies and less complete "evolution."

Rather than human bodies with octopus heads, the statues more closely resembled octopuses that had grown limbs.

Sensing the presence of intruders, the two statues began to tremble, shedding their stone shells and slowly descending from the steles, speaking in a garbled, alien tone:

"You have disturbed the awakening of the Great One, intruders."

Clear divine aura radiated from the two temple guardians; each possessed strength equal to Dagang's.

The Deep Sea Lord had not yet appeared, so Wu Chang did not rush to reveal his power. He frowned and immediately stepped behind the Great Mother.

The Great Mother cast a disdainful glance at him, then gave Erin a hand signal—one each.

Both women floated into the air and simultaneously revealed their divine true forms.

Unlike Wu Chang, they lacked the Blasphemer's enhancement; they had to assume divine forms to harm targets imbued with divinity.

Erin's transformation was seamless—her wings sprouted from her back, and in the same instant, she had shifted into her divine true form.

The Great Mother's shift was slower, but the temple guardians, unlike Wu Chang, did not act dishonorably; though she lagged a few seconds behind Erin, she too assumed her divine form.

The Great Mother's divine form differed entirely from Erin's angelic state—she retained her human shape, clad in the incomplete, pure battle armor she had yet to fully manifest; more like a Valkyrie of war than a merciful Mother.

Both unleashed light-based magic, binding the light guardians with chains, then coating their weapons with radiant light to strike as flying beams at the temple guardians.

The Great Mother's weapon was a white knight's sword, while Erin wielded a golden warhammer.

The temple guardians were merely native deities of the Wasteland Realm, and at this moment they were on land, unable to leverage their deep-sea race's advantages.

The balance tipped decisively.

The Great Mother possessed ultimate mechanics—her pure battle armor, though unable to withstand Wu Chang's Mamba Iron Elbow, was effortless against the temple guardians.

Whether the guardians' tentacles slammed, their black water spewed, or their strange mists radiated, none could touch the Great Mother in her state of absolute purity.

No matter how desperately the temple guardians tried to block, the result was always the same—the Great Mother remained untouched.

In contrast, every attack the Great Mother launched was beyond what the temple guardians could endure.

Her white knight's sword bore unquenchable holy fire; whenever it struck the guardians' bodies, the fire clung like a malignant tumor, refusing to cease until the guardians were reduced to ash.

Not only the holy fire—she was also a master swordsman; her swordsmanship was elegant and light, yet the blade's edge was razor-sharp—any misstep by the guardians resulted in a severed tentacle.

The temple guardians' attacks proved useless; each strike they absorbed inflicted massive damage.

They did not last three minutes—before being stripped of all their tentacles, they were engulfed in white holy fire and turned to ash.

If the Great Mother represented absolute mechanics through her pure battle armor, unextinguishable holy fire, and Gao Chao's swordsmanship, then Erin demonstrated absolute stats.

In her normal state, Erin's stats were tied to Wu Chang's; when she entered her divine true form, her attributes were further amplified based on her baseline.

After possessing the doll, the Great Mother's total normal stats neared 300 points, meeting the Wasteland Realm's standard for ascension—already overpowered in the originally C-rank instance of the Quiet Town.

Erin's total normal stats, however, matched Wu Chang's: 866 points.

This did not include Wu Chang's activation of the Abyssal Leviathan transformation or the Breakthrough Master state, nor did it account for the absence of Wasteland Realm rejection—Erin's divine true form was far more complete than the Great Mother's.

In short, in her divine true form, Erin's stats were at least four times those of the Great Mother.

This massive stat disparity altered Erin's combat style.

She swung her warhammer to launch a determined charge, immobilizing the temple guardian while the holy light infused by her willpower melted off one-third of its body.

Then, as the stunned guardian reeled, Erin swung her warhammer with the force of a greatsword, splitting the guardian vertically in two.

From start to finish, the battle lasted less than ten seconds.

By the time the Great Mother elegantly finished her foe and turned to look at Erin, Erin had already returned to Wu Chang's side, sitting on a small stool, observing the mid-god's Gao Chao combat techniques, and clapping the instant the battle ended.

As the sole spectator, Wu Chang did not hesitate to praise loudly:

"No wonder you are the Great Mother, Your Radiance—your battle style, forged through countless trials, is utterly delightful and awe-inspiring!"

The Great Mother: …

She silently extinguished the holy fire burning on her knight's sword—the flames were too close, making her too hot.

She stared at the temple guardian reduced to pulp; she had fought the other for three minutes and knew well how strong these monsters' defenses were.

To crush such a creature so effortlessly meant Erin's body contained immense power.

That body had once been hers.

She turned away, expressionless, and said: "The gatekeepers are gone. Let's go inside."

Wu Chang packed away the stool and dried meat, and together with Erin, approached the temple's great doors.

As he neared the Great Mother, he noticed fine cracks appearing on her pure battle armor—not just the armor, but the body she possessed was also covered in tiny fissures.

This was not damage from the temple guardians; it resembled spontaneous bodily collapse.

"Your Radiance, your body…"

The Great Mother, expressionless, replied: "Merely doll durability degradation. Ignore it."

Wu Chang did not press further, but observed closely with his eyes.

The Great Mother turned to face his scrutinizing gaze and said coldly:

"Mortal, your gaze is an affront."

"Sorry." Wu Chang showed a good attitude in admitting his mistake, immediately shifting his gaze from intense staring to glancing every few seconds.

The Great Mother clenched her fists, but remembered the temple guards crushed by Ailin, and held back.

The three arrived before the temple's great gate; Wu Chang pulled Ailin behind the Great Mother and said:

"Great Mother, we believe in your absolute purity."

This is the gate of the Deep Lord's temple—who knows what curses or other dangers might be on it?

The Deep Lord can establish a complete divine realm in the Wasteland Realm; Wu Chang, though he believes his insight and will are slightly above average, dared not risk it.

Letting Ailin push the gate, relying on her attribute advantage, might avoid major problems—but if she got hurt, he would feel heartache.

After a full inspection, the Great Mother had both power and a purity battle armor guaranteeing immunity; most importantly, if she died, he wouldn't care—she was perfectly suited to trigger this trap.

The Great Mother looked helplessly at Wu Chang; she regretted cooperating with this damned mortal.

Whatever. Just endure a little longer—this isn't the time yet.

The Great Mother stepped before the temple gate, pressed her palm against the massive metal door, and unleashed divine power to push inward.

The instant she touched the metal door, the hieroglyphs on it flickered with colorful starlight; light spread from the point of contact, soon illuminating the entire outer surface of the temple.

An ancient, filthy, and malicious malice coalesced from the hieroglyphs, sweeping toward the Great Mother.

This malice came from the Deep Lord, and from the beliefs of the lost continent's believers over a thousand years.

As tangible as solid matter, even Wu Chang, whose will exceeded two hundred points, felt immense threat from it.

This surge of malice far surpassed the true divine form displayed by Leyman; if this malice were made visible and broadcast on "Hot Topics Every Issue," every player in the Wasteland Realm except Wu Chang would descend into utter madness.

Of all things Wu Chang had ever seen, only the black resentment hidden within the Omniscient Crystal Core was more terrifying than this malice.

Without "The Whisper of the Nameless," he would never attempt to touch such malice.

Fortunately, though he had used up "The Whisper of the Nameless," he had the Great Mother.

The malice passed over her—same result as the temple guards.

The Great Mother remained unaffected.

The malice dimmed the glow of her purity battle armor slightly, but didn't even cause her a single moment of hesitation.

Wu Chang now watched the Great Mother's eyes glow—her purity battle armor was definitely a good thing; such a thing must be obtained for Ailin.

The Great Mother had no time to notice the gaze behind her; her full attention was fixed inside the temple.

As the temple gate fully opened, an indescribable twisted aura seeped out.

A stinking wind blew from within the temple, shaking the eternal holy flame atop the Great Mother's head.

The Great Mother first leapt backward, then shouted: "Fall back!"

She had already fled before warning them—but when she turned, she found Wu Chang had already pulled Ailin far ahead of her.

Damn mortal.

In the instant she was distracted by Wu Chang's maneuver, a thick tentacle lashed out from the temple's doorway, striking her.

This time, the Great Mother was not unaffected.

The thick tentacle pierced through her purity battle armor, striking her true body; the Great Mother was flung high into the air like a perfect home run—fast, far, and in an instant, she passed Wu Chang and Ailin, who had fled earlier.

Wu Chang couldn't help but praise: "No wonder you're the Great Mother—your movement speed is incredible."

Even with her legendary restraint and divine dignity, she now couldn't help wanting to curse—dirty, filthy curses.

Wu Chang and Ailin reached the spot where the Great Mother had fallen; the Deep Lord's strike had badly wounded her.

Her purity battle armor, shattered by the blow, now revealed vast stretches of skin—and beneath the torn skin, her internal alchemical devices.

Her internal alchemical devices were nothing like the delicate, refined mechanisms Ailin possessed when she was an artificial deity, designed to create a perfect living flesh being.

Now, the Great Mother's vessel was crude and brutal; precision was abandoned—her goal seemed merely to be functional.

She hadn't been wrong before—her current body truly was just a puppet.

Wu Chang recalled the vision he saw in Professor Ebert's resentment: after the artificial deity project that created Ailin failed, the Augre State Church shifted to another path.

From the Great Mother's body, which trembled at the slightest exertion, and from this crude puppet form, the Augre State Church's path clearly abandoned the pursuit of a perfect artificial deity.

They no longer sought perfect compatibility or divine presence—they now targeted consumables, capable only of temporarily housing a divine projection.

No wonder, the moment he saw the Great Mother, he felt she was a clumsy imitation of Ailin, radiating false perfection—it wasn't his illusion.

Facing the broken Great Mother, Wu Chang still showed concern and asked:

"Great Mother, are you alright?"

The Great Mother struggled to rise from the ground, coldly saying: "This body won't collapse—for now."

Wu Chang relaxed—he was glad she was fine; just don't damage Ailin's purity battle armor.

He turned toward the temple and asked: "What do you think of the Deep Lord?"

The Great Mother, having just taken a blow from the Deep Lord, surely understood his strength well.

The Great Mother steadied herself, swaying, and said: "Strong. His divine realm is far more complete than I imagined."

As she spoke, the temple gate stood fully open; a writhing black shadow slowly crawled out from within.

Like the corpse of the evil god Wu Chang had seen on the Silent Passage, the entity within the temple was also a colossal octopus—its appearance resembled Cthulhu less than the mythic Kraken.

The only difference: behind it were a pair of enormous bat-like wings.

Unbound by seals or grievous wounds, its body dwarfed the one on the Silent Passage instance—standing over five hundred meters tall as it crawled, like a living mountain.

It seemed fused with the entire lost continent; the oppressive presence of this colossal being induced dread.

As Wu Chang observed the Deep Lord, his eyes suddenly lit up—he pointed at one tentacle and said:

"Great Mother, isn't that your holy flame?"

At the tip of the tentacle that had flung her away, a white flame burned—tiny against the Deep Lord's massive body, yet stubbornly refusing to extinguish.

Before Wu Chang could cheer her on, boost her confidence, and urge her not to retreat at the last moment—

The Deep Lord spat a jet of black water, extinguishing the white flame at the tentacle's tip.

Wu Chang: "..."

Immediately after, the Deep Sea Lord let out a low roar, the sound waves spreading outward in shockwave form, and as they swept over the three of them, they extinguished the white holy fire atop the Grand Matriarch's head.

In the Lost Continent, absolute darkness fell.

Except for a single wisp of red light.

The sound wave swept over the head of True Self, who was drifting outside the Lost City. Perhaps the Deep Sea Lord's energy had weakened by the time it reached here, or perhaps the Year Fire was unusually resilient.

The sound wave only made the flame on the lampwick leap rapidly—it failed to extinguish it.

True Self clicked his tongue. One shout and the world plunges into darkness—quite the display of might.

He spoke to the Omniscient Crystal in his hand:

"You've seen the situation on the main body's side, right? The power the Deep Sea Lord has shown—even if the main body of Joy came, it would still be far inferior. What right does He have to possess this kind of power can exist in the Wasteland Realm?"

"Is there any channel to report Him? He must have cheated."

Seeing the Omniscient Crystal show no reaction, Wu Chang shrugged his shoulders. Looks like the game administrator had been slacking off—not even setting up an in-game reporting mailbox.

If he couldn't report it, then he'd have to find another way.

"Can you see His weakness? Think of a way to let me take Him down."

The Deep Sea Lord, within His own divine kingdom, had stats that surpassed his own. To defeat the opponent, he could only rely on mechanics.

"Item Effect: Weakness Insight"

"Skill Description: Lock onto an enemy target, observe that target in combat for 30 seconds, and you can discern one critical weakness of the target. Cooldown: one hour."

He still remembered how Schultz had used the Omniscient Crystal to spot a flaw and effortlessly crushed the three of Mercury. Now was the time for it to play its role of seeing through weaknesses.

This time the Omniscient Crystal did not remain silent, transmitting a piece of information into Wu Chang's mind.

According to the Omniscient Crystal, the Deep Sea Lord's divine kingdom was far less powerful than it currently appeared. The strength He was displaying now was not His true power, but rather the result of borrowing a special celestial phenomenon—a clever workaround.

He possessed the ability to resonate with the stars. By borrowing the celestial phenomenon of the Stars Returning to Position, He drew upon the power of the stars, temporarily merging His divine kingdom into the plane, plunging the world into the dream He had woven.

The truth behind the Deep Sea Lord's ability to circumvent the Wasteland Realm's restrictions and deploy a complete divine kingdom was that He had not circumvented the Wasteland Realm's restrictions at all.

His seemingly omnipotent strength at this moment all stemmed from the fact that this was all a dream. Everyone who had entered the Lost Continent and stepped into His divine kingdom had been silently pulled into the dream under the influence of the stars.

Including Wu Chang and the Grand Matriarch in her pure battle armor—and they were completely unaware of it.

This was the power of the stars.

To defeat the Deep Sea Lord, one must break the dream divine kingdom. To break the dream divine kingdom, one must first break the celestial alignment of the Stars Returning to Position, severing the Deep Sea Lord's borrowing of the stars' power.

After explaining the Deep Sea Lord's weakness, the Omniscient Crystal then provided a method to defeat Him.

On the other side, facing the Deep Sea Lord surging toward her like a small mountain, panic appeared on the Grand Matriarch's face for the first time.

That kind of panic was similar to when she had seen Aileen possessing a Pillar of the Divine Kingdom.

Her voice was hoarse and dry, and she said with a bitter smile:

"The completion of the Deep Sea Lord's divine kingdom has exceeded my imagination. Let alone in the Wasteland Realm—even a divine kingdom constructed in the Reason Realm would rarely compare to the one before us now."

In the Grand Matriarch's view, under absolute power, they didn't even have the qualification to flee.

Wu Chang suddenly asked: "Do you feel impressed now?"

The Grand Matriarch was stunned for a moment, not immediately registering what Wu Chang was saying.

After thinking for a bit, she recalled that when the Lost Continent had just risen from the seabed, Wu Chang had sighed that the sight was very impressive, and she had mocked him as a frog at the bottom of a well, making a fuss over an ordinary divine kingdom.

Thinking through the whole story, even the Grand Matriarch couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Her body here was only a projection—losing it would at most be a bit painful. But this mortal was different; if he died here, he would truly be dead.

How could this damned mortal hold such a grudge? With death at the door, he was still dwelling on those trivial little matters.

The Grand Matriarch looked at Wu Chang with eyes full of pity and said, as if offering end-of-life comfort:

"I take back what I said earlier. The Deep Sea Lord's divine kingdom in the Wasteland Realm has left me impressed."

With this, when he died in a while, he should be able to close his eyes in peace, right.

After receiving the Grand Matriarch's reply, Wu Chang grinned and said:

"Heh, next, I'll show you something even more impressive, so you'll know that though a frog at the bottom of a well has narrow horizons, the height of the sky it sees is not necessarily lower than yours people above the well."

After Wu Chang finished speaking, he took out a wooden carving from his hand.

"Wuqu Star Lord Wooden Carving."

(End of this chapter)