It’s going rather smoothly.
With the "Dark Crow of Profane Fortune" as his backing, Yang Qizhou felt at ease, though outwardly he feigned an appearance of frustration, teeth clenched in feigned rage.
"You haven’t actually spotted me, were those shouts earlier merely deception?"
The man wearing the monster mask nodded, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion. "Your stealth technique is exceptional. I’ve already used high-tier items designed to ’Prevent Tracking,’ yet I haven’t managed to uncover a single speck of evidence of your presence. If not for being cautious and yelling randomly as a last resort, I might have actually noticed nothing at all."
Calling randomly wasn’t any insurance either—your acting was embarrassing, and this master already saw right through it.
Yang Qizhou narrowed his eyes.
Unfortunately, the "Stone of Truth" effect is still on cooldown; otherwise, five minutes of truth or dare would have allowed me to squeeze out plenty of useful information.
"The activation of the ’ruined statue of the Abyss Old God,’ the full invocation of the true name of the Old Earth’s deity in reality—were all these your doing behind the scenes?"
The man with the monster mask did not respond to the question.
"You are... the lamp holder?"
Yang Qizhou neither confirmed nor denied it.
The man wearing the monster mask remained indifferent, continuing to speak to himself, "Why don’t you ask me why I’ve done all these things?"
This could be considered tacit acknowledgment.
"Why did you do it?" Yang Qizhou, intending to lead the other into revealing more information, casually asked.
The masked man replied, "First answer me—how did you make the Abyss God that was on the verge of being born give up all resistance and allow itself to be bound and sealed by the members of the Deceit Bureau? Then I’ll tell you."
Are you playing nesting dolls here?
Yang Qizhou keenly felt the shamelessness of this mastermind, with his words layering trap upon trap, naturally dictating the rhythm of the conversation.
Still, Yang Qizhou didn’t refuse to answer. He spoke plainly of everything—from the pitfall leading to the death of the high-tier Old Gods to the attributes of "Destiny Achievement."
Anyway, this mastermind will ultimately forget it all...
"Using despicable methods to trap and kill three high-tier deities and earning an S-class Destiny Achievement—this could make deities instinctively sense danger from you?"
The opponent’s shock was evident, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly. "You aren’t lying, nor have you committed any act of deceit. This is truly incredible—it turns out all of this is actually true."
This mastermind actually has a way to discern lies.
Yang Qizhou grew even more cautious internally.
The exact truth in his account was motivated partly by his reliance on the "Dark Crow of Profane Fortune" and partly by the suspicion that the opposing party possessed tools to discern lies.
"Mr. Monster, it’s now your turn."
"You’re wearing a monster mask, and I don’t know what to call you, so I simply came up with a random name. Don’t take offense."
"Randomly chosen? Well, I quite like it..."
The man in the monster mask seemed to have thought of something, fixing his gaze on the "lamp holder" before him. His eyes shone with unusual excitement.
Yang Qizhou shuddered.
This person wouldn’t have some strange fetish, would he? No, wait—I still have my heroic, handsome, mesmerizing face hidden under this mask. He shouldn’t be able to see it.
"Lamp holder, you’re strong—really strong. I sincerely invite you to join the Hermit Association."
The Hermit Association?
So it seems similar to the Secret Cultivation Society—a hidden organization in reality composed of players after the appearance of the Deceit World.
"I’ve already told you quite a bit, but you still haven’t answered my original question."
Yang Qizhou didn’t respond directly, his voice low, hoarse, and grave as he spoke.
The opponent could discern lies, and Yang Qizhou had no intention of joining the Hermit Association. If he simply followed the opponent’s lead, their talking would collapse quickly.
"Lamp holder, haven’t you already seen it?"
"Why do this? Of course, it’s to allow a true deity to be born—to rule this filthy and sinful world."
"Humankind is born with original sin."
"Greed, filth, darkness, bloodshed, violence, selfishness, arrogance—all these things, how many species in the natural world have gone extinct because of humanity? How many originally beautiful places on Earth have turned to deserts due to human greed?"
"Human history is a symphony of sins."
"Only under the radiance of a deity’s light can humanity’s sins be cleansed, and their souls redeemed."
"In the past, deities were false—they didn’t exist..."
"But now it’s different. The Old Earth’s deities weren’t Fake Gods—they were real deities wielding authority and representing certain cosmic symbols. It’s just their light hasn’t shone upon this sinful, deity-abandoned land."
"So we must create a deity unique to this planet?"
"A deity who can lead humanity, cleanse sin, and redeem souls."
"We have many companions."
"We’re all working hard for this."
So the Hermit Association’s ideals are this lofty—to create deities, cleanse sin, and redeem souls... My ass.
Almost led into an empty ditch.
Is this person mad? Nature operates under the principle of survival of the fittest. On the Old Earth, lower-tier deities were devoured by higher-tier ones.
Yang Qizhou didn’t plan to argue, knowing you can never win against a mentally twisted lunatic with a warped worldview.
He only wanted to extract more information.
"So, the Hermit Association’s goal is to create Old Gods?"
Mr. Monster’s eyes gleamed fanatically. "Exactly, the real deities. Once They descend, humanity as a whole will be redeemed."
"If I were to join, what would I need to do?" Yang Qizhou continued.
"If Mr. Lamp Holder were to join..."
The mastermind seemed to realize something at that moment, abruptly halting his words mid-sentence. His gaze turned wary. "Mr. Lamp Holder, you haven’t said whether you are willing to join the Hermit Association."
Looks can’t be dragged out any further.
Might as well end this with a graceful irony for the finale.
"Join... your... f***ing... cult."
The mastermind’s shadow began to twist, resembling a grotesque eldritch entity opening a gaping maw. Intricate, secret ceremony-like symbols formed steadily on the ground, emanating mysterious forces. Evidently, he sensed the lamp holder’s attempt to extract information and took swift action to prevent escape using hidden powers.
Yang Qizhou’s escape method didn’t quite align with his expectations.
"Dark Crow of Profane Fortune... Take me back to the moment of my previous choice."