Sorcerer’s Handbook

Guessing that Vichy is the Specter Seer was hardly a challenge.

Or rather, he never intended to hide it.

A stranger sanctuary sorcerer, not only well-versed in the secrets of deities but also possessing the soul miracle capable of directly dominating legendary sorcerers, acting mysteriously and with a cruel nature. With all these factors combined, and considering that even a dog would know that the Specter Seer had just resurrected in the Distant Sky Domain last month, it would be surprising if Ashe Vesser couldn't guess that Vichy was the Specter Seer.

Moreover, they had both read the "Specter Handbook" more than twice. Vesser studied the Specter Seer's cautious and ruthless nature, while Ashe simply treated it as a dark rebirth novel for leisure. Therefore, they were very familiar with the Specter Seer's style, personality quirks-even though the "Specter Handbook" only recorded the first half of the Specter Seer's life, he had lived two lives, and his worldview was already set, so there wouldn't be much change in the latter half of his life.

Indeed, when Vichy appeared, Ashe felt a strong sense of déjà vu. If one had to describe it, it was like reading a horror novel where a ghost knocks three times on the door before killing, and then hearing knocking sounds right after closing the book-Vichy gave him this kind of 'horror fantasy coming to life' feeling.

It was precisely this preconceived bias that allowed Ashe to quickly recognize his true identity.

While healing, Ashe shared the intelligence about the Four Pillars Cult with Silver Lantern, who immediately concluded: the Four Pillars Cult and the Specter Seer were likely in cahoots, possibly even led by the Specter Seer. Mercury Trojan Horse, that coward, wouldn't dare participate in such a world-overturning Doomsday event.

But after recognizing his identity, Ashe and Vesser had an even bigger question: why would such a resurrected being, who had entered the Divine Dominion, come to Senlo, this beginner's village?

Although Vichy could bully the weak, in today's sorcerer world, bullying the weak in reality was almost meaningless. After all, sorcerers have little desire for real-world resources; only those who can't make it in the Virtual Realm would live in the real world. Promising sorcerers wouldn't care about the outside world's storms; each one is a reclusive homebody, staying at home to study Spellcasting and explore the Virtual Realm.

Moreover, the six Kingdoms are the Divine Sovereign's exclusive domain. If the Specter Seer dared to stir trouble, he would likely be crushed by the Divine Sovereign. Many speculated that after the Specter Seer's resurrection, he would hide in the shadows to slowly grow.

However, not only did Vichy not hide, but he also triggered this cataclysm involving the fate of all life in Senlo. Even if he enjoyed watching chaos, he was now like Lala Fatty learning to cook-struggling to survive, how could he waste energy on amusement?

Only now did Vichy's arrogant ambition reveal itself to Ashe and Vesser.

He wanted to seize the Chasm Sovereign's deity!

The Chasm Sovereign wasn't even dead yet, still clinging to life, and he dared to occupy the Chasm Sovereign's deity in his Kingdom! And he was still in a mortal body, which made wielding a deity extremely difficult, let alone seizing someone else's deity!

Although, through a series of designs, the deities were immobilized, unable to resist external influences as they plugged the Doomsday loophole, like being stuck in a wall. It was indeed a rare opportunity to seize them, and Ashe found the idea slightly tempting.

But how to brainwash them into his slaves while they were in a state of recognizing their master was beyond Ashe and Vesser's imagination, let alone putting it into action.

They were certain that the method of seizing deities was extremely rare even among Divine Sovereigns. After all, there were few mortal sorcerers capable of stealing others' spirits, and only an evil sorcerer like the Specter Seer, reborn from a sewage treatment plant, would know such dark knowledge and even dare to put it into practice.

Truly worthy of the Specter Seer, effortlessly doing what normal people wouldn't dare!

Thus, Ashe and Vesser resolutely stood beside the three deities, spellforce flowing, glaring at Vichy.

Fate is so mysterious, truly unpredictable. Just minutes ago, the three deities were hunting Ashe and Vesser, with Vichy assisting them. But minutes later, Ashe and Vesser were actively protecting the three deities, opposing the enigmatic Specter Seer.

Circumstances change, and so do the world and its preparations.

Although positions had flipped, everyone's core demands remained unchanged. The three deities were always aiming to hasten the Chasm Sovereign's demise, and the people of Senlo were a heavy burden on the Chasm Sovereign. Therefore, they wanted to limit Vesser's inheritance and eliminate Ashe, the Stowaway leader, to ensure the people of Senlo continued to weigh down the Chasm Sovereign.

Now, with the people of Senlo dying too quickly and in large numbers, if this continued, the Chasm Sovereign would revive, so they had to plug the Doomsday loophole. They didn't care about saving or destroying the world.

Vichy wanted to seize the deities, so he couldn't let the three deities kill Vesser, the World Destruction Procedure, but he also needed to trigger Doomsday to restrain the deities. As for saving or destroying the world, if one had to say, Vichy probably preferred destruction, as watching someone else's Garden burn was the most entertaining.

And Ashe and Vesser…

They didn't really care about the world's rise or fall, or rather, they didn't care enough to sacrifice themselves.

Vesser was already mentally prepared for the world's end, ready to embrace her 'eternal future' in the falsehood, and Ashe was similar. He wasn't the type to burden himself with others' lives or feel guilty on his own.

His bottom line for coming down to find Silver Lantern was simply that she shouldn't end the world immediately. At least, at least wait until Ashe and the others left, then Ashe wouldn't care what Silver Lantern did (not that he could control it anyway).

He was willing to go all out for those close to him, but as for the savior's duty, he would do his best but wouldn't die for it.

Even in his most impulsive moments, Ashe remembered that there were more important people waiting for him.

As the shadow on the sixteenth floor said, even if he felt guilty later, he could just touch the sword Princess Witch's heart to replenish his peace of mind.

Logically, they shouldn't get involved in the game between Vichy and the three deities. Even if Vichy's current level was only that of a sanctuary sorcerer, his Spellcasting realm alone was enough to grant him legendary combat power. Moreover, Vichy had trump cards, making it not an exaggeration to consider him near-divine in strength.

Ashe and Vesser were almost powerless against Vichy's move, "Daydream"!

But Ashe had to stand up, had to face Vichy!

Igor, Harvey, Tamashi, Gwen, Chikara… they were still up there!

The cataclysm had been going on for several minutes, and Ashe had been in despair. Now, a glimmer of hope appeared, and he knew he had to protect the Ritual of the Three Gods' blockade. That was the only hope!

As for whether this turning point would come in time, he dared not think too much.

Vesser, on the other hand, was much simpler.

"You deliberately reincarnated in Senlo, wasting so much effort to prepare this plan. If you fail, will you be so angry that you stomp your feet?" Vesser drew out the Bronze Assault Gun, a specialty of the Bronze Law Cult. Besides the Gray Fox gun, the Bronze Assault Gun was the top-tier self-made gun, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me too."

"The opportunity to destroy the Demigod's plan!"

Vesser lowered her eyelids, the surging spellforce even causing her virtual wings to unfold, and said coldly, "Your first mistake was not killing me earlier. No one can ever dominate me!"

"Wow, a woman's resentment is truly terrifying." Vichy moved swiftly and effortlessly through the fiery forest, "But we're civilized people, why not solve problems with civilized means? Weren't you just trying to start an apocalypse? I merely gave you a push, and now it's the Three Gods stopping the apocalypse. If you don't help me deal with them, how can you obstruct me?"

"Oh, right, once everyone is dead, the Chasm Sovereign will awaken and take you as an Angel. As a bold apology, I'll handle them for you, so you can become an Angel quickly, how about that?"

Vesser laughed in anger, "You're offering me something that already belongs to me?"

"Don't rush to claim it before it's in your hands," Vichy said leisurely, "Otherwise, life will be full of regrets."

"And what about me?" Ashe suddenly asked, "I don't seem to be getting any benefits."

"There are, there are." Vichy spread his hands, "Once everyone in Senlo is dead, the Kingdom still needs inhabitants. If you work a bit harder and recreate a nation with the Angel lady, in a few years, you'll be the ancestor of the Senlo people. How's that for a benefit?"

Ashe was furious, "What nonsense are you talking!"

Vichy raised his eyebrows, "Your response will make the lady beside you very angry…"

"With only two people, the descendants would have to marry closely, and within a few generations, they'd go extinct due to congenital defects!" Ashe said sincerely, "There aren't enough people. How about sponsoring a few more?"

"…" Vichy was stunned for a moment, "You're the first to ask me for women…"

"And this benefit is too far off. Can you offer something more practical?" Ashe rubbed his hands like a fly, "You're a Specter Seer who has stepped into the Divine Dominion. Any Inheritance you casually leak would be enough for a mortal sorcerer like me to feast on, right? I'm actually at the sixtieth level in the Specter's Inheritance. Are you interested in taking a student?"

"Interesting." Vichy laughed, "Ashe, that's your name, right? You're indeed an interesting person. At other times, I might let you delay, but unfortunately, these deities are very important to me, and I'm already prepared."

"So, after you die, I'll imprison your soul, and we can chat slowly."

Ashe's smile faded, and he said coldly, "You never intended to spare us from the start."

"Not entirely. Like Miss Silver Lantern, I genuinely want her to become the Chasm Sovereign's Angel." Vichy pointed to his temple, "I'm quite lenient with geniuses, as long as they allow my consciousness to reside within them. We can progress together, develop together, both exhaustively and sustainably. That's the best management strategy. After all, my principle is…"

Vichy, Ashe, and Vesser simultaneously said, "Use for my benefit, discard after use."

This inner monologue, which appeared most frequently in the Specter Handbook, was hard for Ashe and Vesser to forget.

From the beginning, they had no possibility of cooperation with Vichy. The Specter Seer was the epitome of scum, the worst of the worst. If he didn't foresee consequences, he would kill any sorcerer he encountered, just because "what if you threaten me in the future?"

He would exploit anything of value and kill immediately after use. He never had "allies" or "friends," only "tools." He would compromise but never give up revenge. Any enemy who forced him to retreat would be killed along with their family afterward.

He wasn't purely interest-driven. After all, the most important trait of a realist is cooperation and compromise. Yet, while focusing on interests, he maintained an almost insane killing instinct, often killing just for the sake of killing.

Many, including Ashe, believed that the Specter Seer's killing instinct was related to soul cultivation. It's thrilling to read about his mass killings in the Specter Handbook, but if he appeared before you, you'd know what it's like to encounter a madman.

For enemies like Ashe and Vesser, who actively stood in his way, it would be strange if Vichy didn't kill them.

Vichy paused, then laughed, "I'm glad we've at least reached one consensus."

"Now then…"

Suddenly, the fiery trees scattered, and a gigantic dragon shadow appeared behind Vichy, like mist and fog, like a turtle and snake. The dragon shadow exploded, and endless dense fog engulfed the area. Ashe and Vesser immediately expanded their Sanctuary to resist, but they couldn't stray too far from the Three Gods, so they stood back to back on the ground, vigilant!

"After all, you two are ganging up on me, so…"

From the mist emerged one, two… ten, fifty… a hundred, a thousand…

Countless Vichys almost filled their vision, the voices of the Vichys merging into one, full of mockery, shaking the heavens and earth, "…don't complain that I'm too despicable."