The King of Black Fog

Li Changzhou raised his hand and gently brushed off the snow from Yang Qinglan's head and shoulders. Darkness surged, and the Black Hand held a black umbrella over the two of them.

They returned once more to the Abyss Land.

{These ice pillars were tactics used by the Saints during battle to "protect" me. Even if their strength was weakened and they were broken in half, they could still freeze countless Water Qi into solid ice and create a snowy plain.}

"Just right," Li Changzhou said.

The Black Hand lifted the half-broken ice pillar, still full of blue liquid, and hurled it forward with force.

The surging cold air flooded like a torrent, exploding outward with an overwhelming freeze.

Everyone was shocked; at such a close range, the cold could directly freeze them to death!

The cold wave approached. The Black Hand pulled out the 'Extreme Cold Ice Sword' from the waist of the Turquoise Pool and drew a sphere with a fifteen-meter radius with Li Changzhou at its center.

The cold struck it, as if hitting a solid wall.

"Scared me to death!" Little Radish's legs went weak.

The butterflies, turned into specimens by tension and fear, slowly spread their wings.

Cold surged outside the sphere, freezing even the air into ice, this ice emitted a blue glow, its hardness exceeding that of solid ice.

"Monsters, Ice Corpses, bearers of Great Power in the frontier camp, fall into eternal sleep." Li Changzhou returned the Extreme Cold Ice Sword to the Turquoise Pool's waist.

{It's a good method,} the voice said, {If you use mana, it will attract the attention of the Saints.}

After recovering mana, you can avoid the 'Prophet's Remains' range and directly shatter stars in the cosmos.

But the power of shattering stars, in the eyes of Saints, is like an ant yawning, existing between reality and nothingness, yet there is a tiny probability that a Saint just happens to notice.

Like a person walking on the road, occasionally looking up and seeing a shooting star passing by in the night sky.

When mortals see a meteor, they might make a wish, which may or may not come true;

When a Saint sees a "meteor shower", they might want to take a look at it; if the Saint has this thought, it will traverse time and space, coming to this place and knowing everything about the shattering of the star.

Li Changzhou used the Saints' own power to freeze the abyss, minimizing the risks.

Even angels could not approach this place anymore.

Not only the abyss but the temperature outside would also drop lower and lower, even Della's tavern would soon become an uninhabitable frigid zone for ordinary people.

"What will you do?" Li Changzhou asked.

{I'll teach you a mantra and spell that can confine my strength.}

Li Changzhou formed the spell with his hand and recited the mantra.

"Pā! Bì! Chōng! Hè!"

A fierce golden light blossomed from his brow.

On the altar, the great bell slowly rose, gradually shrinking in layers of golden light waves, quickly becoming only palm-sized.

The writing on the bell's wall became so small it seemed to disappear.

{Now, even if you all recover mana, as long as you don't directly gaze at me for a long time, you won't be 'infected'.}

Li Changzhou, personally using the spell, felt something in his heart and was the first to open his eyes, finding nothing amiss.

"All good now."

As he said so, the others opened their eyes and for the first time observed the abyss (no longer the same as before under the cold tide).

"How do we take it out?" Turquoise Pool asked, "The 'Favored Concubine' is suppressed, if she were still here, I could have taken it directly."

"We must take a risk," Li Changzhou said, "I'll come back after the task is done."

If possible, everyone hoped to leave no trace here; their understanding of the Saints' power was insufficient, but one thing was clear—they didn't need to exert force to kill them, just a thought would be enough.

Earth Immortals share the same lifespan as their Inner Heaven and Earth, and strong ones like Li Changzhou can even shatter stars, but what does that mean?

A tiny strand of Divine Will from a Divine Will Saint could turn a mortal into a Heavenly Position expert!

"When we return, I'll see if I can secure a Divine Will Crystal from the clan to erase our traces." Si said.

"Alright." Li Changzhou nodded.

Considering the rarity of the Divine Will Crystal, he added, "If the Divine Race has conditions, just tell me."

He could directly deprive players of their skills, some experts of the Divine Race should know this, which could be a basis for exchange.

Moreover, the Alien Clan and the Divine Race shared a deep enmity, and he and the Alien Clan also harbored a deep enmity, so his closer interactions with the Divine Race might be mutually agreeable.

"I will." Si said.

She looked at the small bell floating in the golden light and asked about the ultimate objective of the task: "How do we remove the 'Ancient God' curse?"

{Which Ancient God?}

"Space Life Form." Si had conducted numerous investigations, "He has thousands of eyes, which are diamond-shaped, capable of locking onto targets and absorbing their energy."

{Hmm...}

"What is it?" Si stepped forward.

{I should add,} the voice said, {Before completing the records, I actually lack searchability. Everything I know now comes from the materials I've read myself.}

"Then aren't you useless?"

Everyone turned to the outburst from Yang Qinglan.

The small bell floating before them, though they didn't know how much of the body it occupied, was after all part of a Saint's body. Calling it useless, isn't that... rude?

Yang Qinglan continued, "It seems the 'Prophet' chose this path due to weariness and having no other way out."

"Qing Lan, how do you know this?" Li Qianxia, who had recovered one of her heads, asked curiously.

"Recording events of all time and space is simply impossible unless there comes a day when time and space ends—you can't have seen a printer capable of printing all information, can you? The information is endless. Ultimately, it's the printer that breaks down."

{So the Saint used his own body...}

"Yet the things printed are 'omniscient'."

{...} The voice fell silent for a moment, {You are correct. The 'Prophet' knew long ago this path was unviable, and even after countless ages, I can still only be considered a pre-Creation Artifact.}

"Still just a fragment," Yang Qinglan said.

{... a fragment of a pre-Creation Artifact.}

Yang Qinglan looked at Li Changzhou, "Might as well just leave it here; a library without search capabilities only wastes time. It's not worth our risk."

Everyone understood her meaning.

The 'Prophet' (part) lacking a search function would only waste time, as knowing the knowledge is in there and finding the needed knowledge are two entirely different matters.

Those with weaker resolve might even waste away their years, spending all their time seeking answers.

For instance, an immortal nearing the end of life, whose lifespan might expire before finding the information they sought if they chose to search the archive rather than taking a final gamble.

At that point, they'll regret and think: if only I'd taken that gamble instead of wasting time seeking answers.

{But I assure you, you promised to take me with you.}

"Don't worry, I'll take you with me." Li Changzhou assured.

Yang Qinglan wasn't truly intending to leave this pre-Creation Artifact behind; she merely wanted to 'reprimand' the newcomer, making it aware that they didn't really need him.

{You see, 'Prophet' had long known this path was futile, even after infinite ages, now I can still only be considered a fraction of the Creation Artifact,} the voice said after a moment of silence, {but the knowledge that is 'omniscient' could be printed...}

"Okay. I get it," Si said, "We won't abandon you."

She nodded and continued, "When we settle accounts, we'll pay attention to this kind of tool. A Saint's single strike involves a vast sea of Laws and Power Systems, and as long as that Ancient God hasn't achieved Divinity Transformation, he won't be able to withstand it."

In the glow, they disappeared from the blue ice-encased sphere.

Only the small bell remained floating in place, shimmering with waves of golden light.