Chapter 730 - 454: Heaven-Seizing Technique (2)

The last one standing would only die a more miserable death facing the Deceit Puppet Master.

At this thought,

she looked toward Han Yun.

Her expression grew uncharacteristically serious.

"Let’s hear your thoughts..."

...

While Su Ta and Han Yun discussed the mission for the Ten-star Novel World,

on the last remaining island shrouded in mist,

the tip of a Gothic spire peeked out.

Silver moonlight spilled down from above.

At that moment,

if anyone could have entered this place, they would have been stunned by the sight that greeted them.

Within the mist,

the entire island was not deserted.

Quite the opposite,

it was teeming with flickering figures, and rows of buildings stood everywhere.

It was like a miniature civilized world.

Faint coal smoke lingered between lampposts forged from Black Iron. Inside their glass shades, weak flames danced, illuminating the immediate area.

Mist from a recent rain steamed off the stone-paved streets.

Black mud and horse manure were caked in the cracks between the stones, releasing a sickly-sweet, rotting stench into the damp air.

Just then,

a cry rang out.

A black carriage rumbled past.

Its wheels rolled over the potholed road, their iron rims grinding against the loose stones with a piercing shriek.

The coachman’s shout and the crack of his whip startled a flock of gray pigeons pecking at scraps on the roadside.

The gray pigeons fluttered their wings and took to the sky.

As one’s gaze followed the pigeons upward,

one could see,

in the distance, factory smokestacks pierced the sky like the fangs of colossal beasts, endlessly spewing black smog.

Farther still, the roar of a steam locomotive echoed.

Looking down from above,

the people on the streets below were all going about their business.

At a glance, everything seemed normal.

But upon closer inspection,

one would discover their eyes lacked the spark of a living soul, replaced by a dull, wooden expression.

They were like puppets on a string.

At that moment,

in an old oak tavern on the street corner, a gentleman sat in a corner by the window, sipping coffee.

He wore a brown trench coat. Beneath the shadow of his black fedora, a pair of round, gold-rimmed glasses rested perfectly on his high-bridged nose.

His slender fingers tapped lightly against the cup’s rim, his gaze behind the lenses fixed on the swirling vortex of coffee within.

Unlike the other ’people’ here, he seemed different.

He was none other than

the last remaining Manager.

No one knew his name.

He was known only by his title:

The Deceit Puppet Master.

’The Ten-star Novel World is finally here!?’

He whispered to himself.

’I never expected to completely contain the Book Spirit with a Manager’s authority, but this is happening a little too quickly.’

For a moment, something seemed to cross his mind.

A dark glint flashed in his eyes.

’No matter what, this time, I will succeed...’

...

「Deep Dark Zone.」

Within a bubble world.

Compared to other worlds,

this world was unique.

Unlike other worlds, there was no solid ground here, no clear sky, only endless gaseous Chaos.

As far as the eye could see, there was only a violent, ceaselessly churning sea of clouds.

An ocean of liquid metallic hydrogen boiled and churned under extreme pressure, dyeing the entire world an eerie, dark gold.

The atmosphere was like a thick, venomous soup that had simmered for eons. Hydrogen, helium, methane, and hydrogen sulfide were violently churned by ceaseless supersonic hurricanes, forming dizzying fluid vortexes.

Yet in this Purgatory, which should have annihilated all Vitality, a unique group of lifeforms miraculously existed.

However, they were not carbon-based organisms, and had even abandoned the shackles of physical existence.

They were beings of pure energy.

These gaseous beings resembled sentient nebulae. Their bodies stretched and flowed freely with the violent currents, sometimes coalescing into brilliant clusters of light, other times diffusing into a transparent haze.

And yet, within this extreme environment,

there was one area completely at odds with its surroundings.

It was far too calm.

Utterly serene.

None of the gaseous lifeforms dared to enter.

At the core of this Domain of absolute stillness, the figure of a Young Man sat cross-legged, suspended high in the air.

Suddenly, his closed eyes snapped open, revealing depths that seemed to hold swirling galaxies.

’A Ten-Star World? Interesting...’

Just a moment ago,

he had received information from his Clone in the Reincarnation Bookstore, transmitted through the Mind Realm.

’If I play my cards right this time and get the other three Managers killed in there, perhaps my Clone’s authority can be elevated. Then I’ll be able to uncover the hidden truths of this mysterious Reincarnation Bookstore.’

The importance of this, to him, was self-evident.

These thoughts flashed through his mind.

But he didn’t dwell on it.

He had more important matters to attend to.

With that in mind,

he focused his attention on himself.

’It’s finally done!’

"Crimson!"

The moment he spoke,

a crimson panel materialized before his eyes.

...

[Yin Yang Heaven-Stealing Strategy (Entry-Level) △]

—

[Modification Point: 513,450 (17%)]

The Young Man was none other than Hu Qi’s main body, who had left the Bottomless Realm.

After such a long period of contemplation,

he had finally reached the Entry-Level with the Yin Yang Heaven-Stealing Strategy.

Seeing this,

a thought occurred to Hu Qi, but he didn’t upgrade it.

Instead, he commanded,

"Crimson! Modify the Yin Yang Heaven-Stealing Strategy. Turn it into a Secret Technique that seizes the Great Dao to empower my own body!"

He had originally planned to analyze this Dharma Gate himself, but that would have been an incredible waste of time.

Now that he had enough Modification Point, Hu Qi naturally chose to use his crimson panel to speed up the process.

As far as Hu Qi was concerned,

he never shied away from using external assistance.

To him, it was just another tool at his disposal.