A Fallen Deity Is Worse Off Than a Dog

Anbaixiu had no desire to cross a powerful deity—that would be courting death—but that did not mean he could not listen to what the Lady of the Mists was offering. After all, what if she could pull out an IOU signed by Ao himself? When it came to gods, who could say for sure? However, her reply proved disappointing. "I have lost my divine portfolio and cannot offer much assistance, but I can teach you an illusion spell named after me." Anbaixiu frowned. "Can this illusion fool gods?" The Lady of the Mists hastily replied, "How could that be possible? Even the weakest deity possesses immense resistance to mortal magic. But I guarantee it is the most formidable illusion spell in existence." Anbaixiu was speechless. Rumor had it that this Goddess of Deception had been an extreme shut-in, which was why the absurd story of a goddess holding the portfolio of lies being deceived and stripped of her divinity had ever occurred in the first place. Her lies were more like mischievous pranks than the intricate, soul-piercing conspiracies of true intriguers. Now that her portfolio was gone, the woman did not even understand the most basic social tact. "My apologies, but if that is all you have to offer, I am not about to cross the Prince of Lies. The risk and the reward are far too disproportionate." Only a fool would make an enemy of a god for the sake of an illusion spell. The Lady of the Mists said calmly, "Refusing is pointless. You are in far too deep. Over your lifetime, you have told countless more lies than anyone else. Even if you don't agree, you will inevitably be dragged into this chaotic struggle sooner or later. Surely you have noticed it yourself—in recent years, individuals of extraordinary talent have emerged one after another, and reclusive powerhouses have begun stepping onto the public stage. The world grows increasingly chaotic, and wars break out more and more frequently, don't they? Every deity is making preparations, and before long, a war of chosen against chosen will begin!" Hearing these words, several figures surfaced in Anbaixiu's mind. Just as the goddess had said, he truly had encountered far too many geniuses of late. His student Harvey had become a divination wizard simply by reading Anbaixiu's introductory notes. The paladin Alan Watson, despite having his confidence utterly crushed by Anbaixiu, had received personal psychological counseling through a divine descent from the Lord of the Dawn and achieved immediate enlightenment. Among the druids was Brandir Sanda, who had attained the legendary tier at only thirty-eight—a genius among geniuses. Even Catherine, a shut-in of several centuries, had been swept along by the upheaval at Silvermoon High Court and ended up traveling across the continent with him. An era of turmoil was raising its curtains. In places hidden from Anbaixiu's view, who knew how many more such exceptional figures were rising? The Lady of the Mists continued, "I can sense that you harbor immense ambition to achieve godhood, but have you considered what portfolio you would claim? Others have deities backing them, but what about you? Your teacher, the God of Alchemy, was grievously wounded. Can you truly rely on him?" "Then what are you proposing?" Anbaixiu asked. The Lady of the Mists hurried to say, "Lies and Deception. That is the portfolio best suited to you. I can help you rip it away from Cyric and present it to you whole." Anbaixiu said nothing, merely smiling at her. Since this fallen deity could read his thoughts through the dream, she had surely caught his meaning. Ripping away a godhead sounded grand, but the prerequisite was slaying the Prince of Lies, a greater deity, before tearing the portfolio of lies and deception from his corpse. If Anbaixiu ever became capable of killing a greater deity, would he even care about such a portfolio? Still, the Lady of the Mists was not wrong. Anbaixiu did need to find a direction to strive toward. Becoming a god required an opportunity, but one had to be prepared before that opportunity arrived; otherwise, he would be unable to seize it when it came. The Lady of the Mists clearly sensed Anbaixiu's refusal, but she did not give up. She pressed on, "It is true that I have few benefits to offer you right now, but I do not expect you to go and risk your life against Cyric in person. I am well aware that mortal beings cannot ordinarily pose a threat to gods. All I need is for you to await an opportune moment. "When that moment comes, stand on my side and help me take my revenge. Before then, I will aid you with all my power. Aren't you preparing to have that little pet of yours transform into a dragon? Dreams are merely a form of falsehood. I can help your little pet enter the dreamscape without any need for a druid's prayer." Anbaixiu said helplessly, "If you had mentioned that earlier, I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble. But now that I already have the prayer, your offer isn't particularly useful, is it?" When all was said and done, this fallen goddess was still trying to get something for nothing, expecting Anbaixiu to shoulder the burden of deicide without offering any tangible reward. "Then what exactly do you want? As long as it is within my power, I will give it to you." Anbaixiu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Why were you able to enter my dream?" "It wasn't that I entered your dream. Rather, the dream realm blanketing this forest was created from my remains in the first place. After my portfolio was stripped away, Azuth found my broken body and buried me here. I don't know how many years passed before I recovered a sliver of consciousness. When I awoke, I discovered that these druids had settled here and erected a powerful magical barrier, part of which was formed from portions of my physical form." *A fallen deity is truly worse off than a dog,* Anbaixiu thought. *She couldn't even keep her own corpse intact.* He then asked, "Does the Oak Father not know about this?" This was a land blessed by that god, yet a fallen deity's remains had been used to construct a barrier—a rather reckless act. Then again, it explained why the Dream Barrier could not be resisted even by the undead; since it was built from the flesh of a deity, gaining immunity to such power required the blessing of another god. "Aside from Ao, no deity is omniscient and omnipotent. Silvanus merely bestowed his power upon these druids. He doesn't necessarily care how they employ it. Even if he knew it was my body, in his eyes, I was already dead long ago." Anbaixiu did not entirely buy that explanation. Still, it concerned the Lady of the Mists' own safety, and if she believed there was no issue, he was not about to pry further. All that mattered was that she could be of use. Anbaixiu continued, "In other words, you can enter the dream of any druid here, and you can also control whether this barrier affects specific individuals, correct?" The Lady of the Mists replied, "I can indeed influence the barrier's effects on a small scale. But if I make major alterations, the druids will notice." "Good. That's enough. I agree to your proposal. If a genuine opportunity for revenge presents itself in the future, I will make an attempt. But don't expect me to actively provoke the Prince of Lies. I don't mind kicking him while he's down, but you can forget about me leading the charge. If you can accept that, we have a partnership." "Agreed, absolutely!" the Lady of the Mists answered without hesitation. "Then what about that illusion spell you mentioned? How about teaching it to me now?" Anbaixiu asked with a grin. The Lady of the Mists suddenly felt an odd pang of suspicion. Anbaixiu seemed to have agreed to something, yet he also seemed to have committed to nothing at all—and in the end, she was still the one handing things over. Was this what it felt like to beg for help? She had been a goddess for so long that she had forgotten how it felt to seek assistance from others. Yet she had no other choice. Finding another liar in this world with Anbaixiu's extraordinary talent was near impossible. Even back when she had been a reigning deity, none of her mortal followers could compare to him. His arrival here had to be the design of fate. With no alternatives left, even if she was being taken for a ride, she could only see it through to the end. *** After an indeterminate amount of time, Anbaixiu awoke from his slumber. Glancing out the window, he saw that the night was just as deep as before; it seemed he had only been lying down for a dozen minutes or so. Yet within the dream, time flowed at an entirely different pace. It felt as though several days had passed—plenty of time for him to master the illusion spell taught to him by the Lady of the Mists: Leira's True Phantasm. Anbaixiu began chanting an incantation in a slow, measured voice. A faint gleam of magical radiance flickered into existence, then swiftly dispersed. Beside him, another Mengge Grayriver appeared. The double looked identical to the real person, capable of walking, moving, and holding basic conversation. If someone reached out to touch him, they would feel body warmth and suppleness, just like a living human. Meanwhile, Anbaixiu's true body had vanished into absolute invisibility, undetectable to the naked eye. It was, after all, a spell devised by a deity—its effects far outstripped ordinary illusions. With this spell combined with Anbaixiu's own casting prowess, he might even be able to deceive the Holy Light barrier of the Ryan Empire. Mastering this single illusion made the endeavor immensely worthwhile, to say nothing of having turned the Dream Barrier over the Emerald Dream Forest into his personal backyard. As for slaying a god, that was a matter for the distant future. Leading an assault on Cyric's divine realm was out of the question. But if that deity ended up clashing with the Lord of the Dawn, got pummeled into oblivion, and plummeted down to the mortal realm, Anbaixiu certainly wouldn't mind swooping in to reap the spoils. Whether they would actually fight... Well, who could ever predict the disputes between gods? Anbaixiu pushed open his door and walked outside. The turmoil across the Emerald Dream Forest had yet to settle. In the distance, continuous dragon roars and the detonations of assorted spells could still be heard echoing through the air. *What in the world did Catherine do to cause such an enormous ruckus?* Curious, Anbaixiu took flight toward the source of the chaos. A moment later, he spotted two giant dragons locked in combat high in the sky. A green dragon and a silver dragon were tearing at each other with their most primal, savage claws and teeth. Anbaixiu flew stealthily toward Catherine's treehouse castle and saw her standing on the balcony, watching the duel between the two dragons with a tense expression. He landed beside her and dismissed his invisibility. His sudden appearance startled Catherine so badly that she nearly drew the dagger at her waist to stab him. "Calm down! It's me!" Anbaixiu said quickly. Catherine gasped in shock. "You?! How is that possible?!" A wizard's invisibility spell was far from invincible. At the legendary tier, abilities that saw through invisibility were commonplace, and Catherine herself carried magical gear designed to pierce concealment. Yet those items had proven completely useless. Just how potent was the invisibility spell Anbaixiu had cast? Had he been holding back before, or had he grown stronger in just a few days? Naturally, Anbaixiu offered no explanation. Instead, he asked, "What's going on with those two dragons in the sky? You really went above and beyond with this commotion." Catherine replied awkwardly, "Actually, this has nothing to do with me. Those two up there are Brandir Sanda and his father." Anbaixiu's jaw dropped. "What? Father and son are brawling? Don't tell me his father fell for you too and wants to marry you, making you Brandir's stepmother." Catherine shot him a furious glare. "What kind of nonsense is that? Brandir Sanda suddenly came looking for me, saying he had thought it through and wanted to join Silvermoon High Court to serve the elven race. Naturally, there was no way I could agree. Who would have thought his father would rush over right then? The two of them exchanged a few heated words, and before I knew it, they were at each other's throats." Anbaixiu was left utterly speechless. *That lovesick fool actually wants to marry into her family?*