Blasphemy Wizard by Deceit World-Chapter 25: Stone of Truth

Halving, beheading, hanging—good grief, they're all punishments from the Middle Ages.

Fortunately, it's just a text-based game with no CGI visuals. If Yang Qizhou had to witness the brutal deaths of the characters, he surely wouldn't be able to stomach it.

Wait a second.

Yang Qizhou suddenly noticed something in the text. He quickly scrolled upward, leaping off the couch in excitement without realizing it.

"Nice."

"I thought I was going to lose miserably, but didn't expect an unexpected turnaround. Even on the brink of death, the character didn't forget to grab some loot. I absolutely love this greedy, shameless, and audacious personality!"

Stone of Truth (Quasi-Excellent): Originates from the Truth Sect of the Golden Country. Upholding righteousness and pursuing ultimate truths of the world, this object is a gift from Truth believers to a True Law Enforcer. Effect: You may designate a target, and for the next five minutes, they must answer all your questions truthfully. After use, it enters a 24-hour cooldown.

The stats are decent, but compared to the "Wind Bell Town's Law Book," it's worlds apart.

The key issue is this "quasi-legendary" artifact is currently in a non-usable state. Only by completely destroying Wind Bell Town can its full power be unleashed. For now, it's a useless ornament.

However, the "Stone of Truth" can be used immediately, making it a tangible asset right away.

Obtaining items from the "Deceit World" is always an uphill battle. Just look at the equipment of the "Deceit Bureau" members. Even though this is only a quasi-excellent item, Yang Qizhou was already satisfied.

"I hope today's storyline progresses to 'Dark Mist Town,'" Yang Qizhou murmured, shifting his focus back to the game.

"Forever treading the road to death without rest, explorer, your soul unerringly returns to the River of Death. The unknown presence once again focuses its attention on you, but still does not intend to reveal itself."

"The light of blessing has grown faint. You only have one more chance to alter your fatal destiny."

"Alternatively, you may use the power of the 'Dark Crow of Profane Fortune' to return to the moment of your last critical choice."

"So, explorer, what will you choose?"

Isn't it obvious? Of course, use the ability of the "Dark Crow of Profane Fortune" to go back to before entering Wind Bell Town.

Restoring the character by normal resurrection would still leave them in Wind Bell Town, and the theft of the "Law Book" would remain an established fact. By then, whether it was the nameless Divine Envoy or the townsfolk already mutated into monsters, none would spare this thief lightly.

"You choose to use the ability of the 'Dark Crow of Profane Fortune' to return to the moment of your last critical choice."

"Drenched in sweat, you open your eyes again in the wilderness. Fear still lingers in your heart—after all, being executed by the laws of order is far from a pleasant experience."

"So, explorer,"

"Now standing once again at the crossroads of fate, will you venture once more into the eerie and horrifying Wind Bell Town, or set out to Dark Mist Town to fulfill Lena's quest?"

Isn't it obvious? Of course, the latter.

Yang Qizhou chose "two."

The text continued to refresh...

"Choosing to continue your journey towards Dark Mist Town, regret fills your heart. After all, if you returned to Wind Bell Town, you could acquire another 'Law Book.' Wouldn't that be double the fun?"

"The 'Hidden God's Clothes' take effect, placing you in a hidden state."

"You press on toward Dark Mist Town."

"You are on the road."

"You remain on the road."

"You encounter an Ancient Dominator, feasting upon a deity. It does not notice you, but seems to sense something, vaguely lifting its gaze."

"You quickly distance yourself from the Ancient Dominator, cold sweat covering your body."

"You continue on the road."

"You are getting very close to Dark Mist Town."

Yang Qizhou felt a bit nervous. He silently hoped nothing would go wrong again.

Today, he'd already used the power of "Dark Crow of Profane Fortune" four times: once during his plunge from reality to illusion in Fire Stealing Village; once during the fall of the "Dream Hidden King"; once at the end of the fractured Divine Path; and once just now in Wind Bell Town.

Normal death-resurrections had occurred twice: once when killed by the "Dream Realm's Child," and once when stomped into pulp by a giant.

Add to that the previous timeline rollback. The power of the "Dark Crow of Profane Fortune" was now unavailable.

In short,

If the character died again, Yang Qizhou would have to rely on normal resurrection, exhausting all revival opportunities. He would then have to wait until tomorrow to continue the story.

If death occurred more than three times without the protection of Destiny Power, not only would the character sink into the River of Death, but Yang Qizhou himself would perish in reality.

"You have entered the bounds of 'Dark Mist Town.'"

Nice...

Seeing the game text notification, Yang Qizhou was thrilled. Finally, a new map was about to unlock.

Keep going. Keep going.

Today's goal: to complete the rescue quest for Fire Stealing Village.

"You are stunned, unable to believe your eyes. Before you, there is no towering city wall, no bustling town filled with residents. Instead, stretches a vast, desolate swamp, teeming with countless abominable creatures—fish-headed yakshas, tentacle-lashing octopuses. Their eyes brim with despair as they howl and slaughter with madness."

"You begin to doubt if you took a wrong turn. How could this possibly be the Dark Mist Town Lena spoke of, a haven for sects including the Fire Stealing Sect?"

"You double-check your map and compare the landmarks."

"You are certain you did not take a wrong turn."

"A chill runs through your body. A deep sense of fear wells up as you try to comprehend what catastrophic event reduced Dark Mist Town to this barren hellscape."

"A cool breeze brushes past you."

"Your eyes begin to itch. You scratch them, tearing out your eyeballs along with the sockets. You feel a strange comfort underfoot. You look down and find your lower body has turned into a fish's tail. You sense a sudden, inexplicable worship of the wind, yearning to offer up your life."

"You lose your sanity and charge forward."

"You are torn apart and devoured by the swamp's monsters."

"You are dead."

???

A thousand question marks filled his mind.

Wasn't "Dark Mist Town" supposed to be the next map after leaving the Newbie Village? Shouldn't it have stronger NPCs, greater opportunities, and higher-level quests?

How did everything end up like this?

Where is the Fire Stealing Sect's leader? What about the other sect elites? And the Ancient Gods who blessed humanity through epochs?

Not even a trace remains.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"No wonder the Divine Path shattered for no apparent reason. Turns out Dark Mist Town had already been annihilated. Naturally, the Ancient God's Blessing Power would vanish as well."

"Truly befitting of the old lands—cities collapse as easily as people perish."

The new map was ruined. How was he supposed to keep playing?

"Your soul arrives at the River of Death."

"You see the gray-black waters surging turbulently. Countless souls rest in the riverbed. On the riverbank, a skeleton garbed in grass stands, gray flames flickering in its eye sockets, as though waiting for someone."

"The mysterious skeleton fixes its gaze on you."