Chapter 384: The Hunt

Chapter 384: The Hunt

The Veiled Sage instantly appeared in the Divine War Ruins.

The ethereal, serpentine form materialized, using its connection with Lu Ke to transform into a vast torrent of data, leaping through the void without ceasing even as it was eroded by chaotic divine power.

Using this method, which inflicted the most damage but was the fastest, the Veiled Sage struggled to enter the Abandoned Land.

Its body shrank, discarding the parts of the data that had been eroded. Following the connection, it vanished and reappeared several times in the void, quickly arriving at an endless, barren plain.

Occasional lightning bolts illuminated the landscape in the deep darkness, revealing monstrous creatures with deformed bodies, covered in warts and sores, wandering aimlessly. Twisted plants writhed and moaned as if they had a life of their own, but there were no other abnormalities.

Countless black and white eyes appeared on the Veiled Sage's massive body, rapidly spinning, with intricate runes floating in their pupils.

The Eye of Secrets!

As a Living Uniqueness with the title "Veiled", the Veiled Sage naturally possessed the authority of "secrecy", though not as powerful as the Mother of Secrets. However, Lu Ke was not the actual Goddess of the Night.

Layers of mist were peeled away, and the concealment of "secrecy" became ineffective, revealing the situation within.

A handsome young man with a slender, tall figure stood with his eyes tightly shut. His body had become ethereal and blurry, gradually decomposing into a vast amount of knowledge.

His body was still half-transparent, indicating that the ascension ritual was not yet complete.

The black and white eyes spun, attempting to gather more detailed information about the enemy, but the feedback was completely indecipherable.

This bizarre situation made the Veiled Sage stop advancing, doubting the authenticity of the Lu Ke before it.

Feint? Lure? Deception?

As it hesitated, over a hundred Secret Puppets, serving as guards, raised their eyes, their cold, indifferent gazes all focusing on the Veiled Sage.

Some tried to manipulate Spirit Threads, some emitted dreamlike light, some wielded authoritative commands, and others ignited black flames that seemed capable of burning the soul. Various chaotic attacks rained down on the Veiled Sage like a storm.

The Veiled Sage's body suddenly transformed into a torrent of data, evading most of the attacks. The few that managed to get close were absorbed as information into its body.

It coldly watched as Lu Ke continued to advance toward the Sage, not moving to confront him directly. The Eye of Secrets lit up with complex symbols, flooding Lu Ke's mind with an overwhelming amount of useless knowledge.

During the ascension process, one must convert oneself into an "information being", a process that is extremely vulnerable. If other chaotic knowledge is mixed in, the ascension will fail, and the individual will fall into a state of madness, becoming a difficult-to-handle Beyonder known as a Knowledge Gremlin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Despite the massive influx of useless knowledge, Lu Ke remained unharmed. In contrast, the heads of the surrounding Secret Puppets exploded as if from internal pressure, showering the ground with blood. The number of fallen Secret Puppets rapidly increased, nearly half of them destroyed in an instant.

In the center, Lu Ke's closed eyes trembled rapidly, and the speed of his transformation accelerated slightly, as if he was trying to speed up the ascension process.

When the last Secret Puppet fell, one-third of Lu Ke's body remained untransformed.

The Veiled Sage did not let its guard down, continuing to flood Lu Ke with a vast amount of useless knowledge.

But this time, the "Knowledge Flood" was ineffective.

Lu Ke in the center showed no change, and the ascension process continued normally, the "informationization" becoming faster, as if he was about to succeed at any moment.

Unable to predict, unable to uncover secrets, unable to divine, and unable to interpret the information captured.

The Veiled Sage realized how terrifying the abilities of the First Lastborn were.

If "secrecy" merely hid information deeply, making it difficult to discover, then "unknown" transformed the information into a form that no one else could understand, rendering it incomprehensible even if it was uncovered.

The ethereal, serpentine light flickered, the situation at a stalemate.

Seeing that Lu Ke was about to complete his ascension, the Veiled Sage no longer hesitated, transforming into a vast torrent of information and charging at Lu Ke without hesitation!

If it couldn't kill him now, it would be even harder once he fully ascended!

Whoosh—

The torrent of information enveloped and consumed Lu Ke, his body breaking down into a series of information, transforming into text that no one could decipher.

The Veiled Sage's massive body stiffened at that moment.

A flood of knowledge erupted in its mind, vast and complex, originating from over a dozen different worlds.

This knowledge came from Lu Ke's original body, from the drop of Elder Blood, and from the contributions of all the Lu Kes in the shared space.

After the original body awakened its golden finger, some of the memories were recognized by this world and became true mystical knowledge, while others, due to compatibility issues, became accumulated useless knowledge.

The valuable yet useless knowledge related to the Elders erupted, though it didn't burst the Veiled Sage, it did make His movements stiff and sluggish, rendering Him temporarily immobile.

The black and white pupils turned slowly, gazing at a certain point in the void.

The background of darkness transformed into a starry sky, and a shadowy figure, now completely converted into an information being, slowly emerged from the gaps of history.

Lu Ke sneered at the trapped Veiled Sage, his tone indifferent as he revealed the truth.

"I recreated the scene of my ascension after I succeeded, luring you over."

Being found during the first ascension was due to a lack of foresight, but how could he make the same mistake the second time?

A little thought would reveal that, as a manifestation of the Unity of All, the avatar of the Elders, who controlled the "fragmentation" and "aggregation" of all Extraordinary Traits, how could he possibly let a high-ranking member of the current pathway sense him through the "aggregation" instinct when he was prepared?

That one just now?

That one was naturally a "historical projection"!

A projection shrouded in "Unknown", impossible to probe for truth!

"Clearly one of the two Knowledge pathways, and you know I wouldn't be unprepared, yet you still act so rashly. I don't know whether to call you stupid or broken."

Lu Ke shook his head in disdain, "I feel like eating your brain would make me dumber."

A dreamy radiance, interwoven with grayish-white mist, emerged from his body, as if the scene from last time was replaying, vague and indistinct, with several objects that seemed to be "Abstract Stomachs" faintly appearing.

Mystic Resurgence, a chase under the starry sky!

This time, those Abstract Stomachs were clearer and more real, their appearance dimming the surrounding stars, as if even light couldn't escape their "aggregation."

After the fusion of the "Ancient Scholar" and "Mystic", and the integration and elevation of "historical projection" and "Mystic Resurgence", Lu Ke's use of "Mystic Resurgence" was now very similar to the "Reenactment" of the Sequence 2 Wanderer in the Gate pathway.

As long as he had sufficient understanding and a thorough grasp of mystical knowledge, he could perfectly recreate the "characters" and "items" in the entire scene.

Compared to the "Reenactment" of the Wanderer, Lu Ke's current "Mystic Resurgence" allowed for more precise control and had the advantage of becoming stronger the fewer people knew about it.

Coupled with his unique status and unparalleled "historical knowledge" and "mystical knowledge", the realism of "Mystic Resurgence" was almost indistinguishable from reality.

The Veiled Sage coldly watched the approaching Abstract Stomachs, not resisting but using the remaining power to rewrite the surroundings.

Boom!

The plain turned into a mountain peak, the earth split into canyons, and the soil became an ocean. All the information was altered, and the loud noise seemed to echo throughout the Abandoned Land.

He wanted to attract the gods of this place.

The creator of all, the ruler behind the veil of shadows, the fallen nature of all living beings.

The True Creator!

Lu Ke took a Monocle from his pocket, put it on his left eye, and smiled slightly.

"Recently, I learned a small trick to alter fate and conceal the scene from a certain Monocle. The sound here won't reach anywhere else unless observed at close range by a sufficiently high-status entity."

—

The Abstract Stomachs devoured everything, including the false starry sky of "Mystic Resurgence", the stars along the way, and the vast data stream of the Veiled Sage.

Lu Ke returned to the darkness of the Abandoned Land. He extended his hand, and the Abstract Stomachs rapidly shrank, as if finding their home, being "aggregated" into his hand.

The symbol of Unity of All was originally half derived from the Primordial Hunger.

Lu Ke poked the Abstract Stomach he deliberately kept, which seemed unwilling to move, finally regurgitating a vague, nebulous form.

This was the data stream that made up the Veiled Sage's body, with His will erased, but it didn't contain the Unique Trait of the "Hermit" or the "Knowledge Emperor" of the Secret Pray pathway.

Lu Ke seemed unsurprised by this result. He looked up indifferently at a certain point in the void.

In the next moment, a stream of information, glowing with an ethereal light and resembling a giant serpent, reappeared from the void, its lashless, cold, and merciless eyes staring at Lu Ke.

The Veiled Sage, unharmed by the information bombardment, had returned.

He dared to rush in, knowing it could be a trap, because he had means to ensure his survival.

Information can be copied, information can be transmitted, and information can be backed up!

And the Veiled Sage had made countless backups across the world!

...

Tinggen City, the industrial zone.

Bernadette looked down from a high vantage point, her eyes manifesting as distinct black and white orbs as she used the Eye of Glimpse to rapidly search every room in the factory.

The place where the Child of the Evil God was born and the ritual conducted would need an endless supply of resentment, a tangible darkness and oppression to catalyze it.

The factory was the perfect setting for these conditions, a breeding ground for the Evil God, thanks to the industrial revolution brought by Emperor Roselle and the machines and factories he created.

In her prophecy, she also heard a faint, rhythmic noise—the sound of machinery in operation.

As the Eye of Secrets rotated, the entire factory came into clear view: the humming machines, the dusty environment, and the pale, expressionless workers performing repetitive tasks...

Bernadette felt a mix of emotions seeing the knowledge of Roselle being used in such a place. She quickly composed herself and continued her search.

Room after room flashed by, and her gaze finally paused on a dim, hidden room. She spoke slowly.

"I've found it."

...

In the outskirts, in a house with a tall red chimney.

Ince Zangwill lay on the ground like a corpse, his abdomen swollen, his body immersed in a foul, putrid liquid. Nauseating tumors, sores, and decaying flesh sprouted from various parts of his body.

"0-08" scribbled absurd and laughable stories on the ground.

"Queen Bernadette, who appeared here for unknown reasons and was only noticed by '0-08' now, showing up in a small place like Tinggen City, has added complications to Ince Zangwill's plans."

"Fortunately, he has long been accustomed to plans going awry after repeated setbacks, which is why he set up so many helpers."

"Due to Lanrwys' death, the divine essence within his body was lost, reducing his chances of escape. The True Creator has increased his investment in the Child of the Evil God within Maeve Ouse."

"This divine child is not a Sequence 3 Tri-Headed Sanctuary of the Secret Pray path but a Sequence 2 Elder of Filth, an angel and a solid divine vessel."

"When this divine child is born, the True Creator will descend upon it, sacrificing all of Tinggen City to break free from the seven gods' seal and return to the mortal world!"

"Bernadette, having fully absorbed the effects of the Magic Potion and now a Master of Prophecy, has foreseen Maeve Ouse's impending childbirth of the Child of the Evil God. It is clear she will not protect or help anyone but will intervene to prevent this disaster."

"Ryle Bieber, who has fully absorbed the residual power of Antigonus' Notes, has become a near-Sequence 4 monster and has completely lost control."

"This mad monster will go to the Black Thorn Security Company and kill everyone... What? You say the Nocturne Team hasn't even found him yet, let alone started the hunt?"

"Indeed, Ryle Bieber's reasons for killing the Nocturne Team are not strong enough, but a madman can do anything."

"It's all just a third-rate writer's trashy script, written in tears while being violated by a necrotic monster and covered in disgusting slime."

"And now, this third-rate writer, this pitiful soul who harbors a grudge against the Church of the Night for failing to advance to Sequence 4, this one who constantly borrows the power of the great '0-08' and the great 'Pen of Alasuhod'..."

"Is about to go to the Black Thorn Security Company, kill everyone, and steal Saint Serene's Ashes to take revenge on the Church of the Night!"

A classical quill pen floated gracefully in the air, adding the final sentence.

"Along with his laughable necrotic creature 'husband.'"

A pale, cold hand suddenly reached out, and Ince Zangwill, who had somehow risen, grabbed the mocking "0-08."

He walked expressionlessly toward the Black Thorn Security Company, dragging a long, dark shadow behind him.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end