Deducing that Weixi was the Spectre Prophet was hardly difficult.
Or rather, he had never intended to disguise himself at all.
A strange Sanctuary sorcerer who not only possessed intimate knowledge of secret godly lore, but also commanded soul miracles capable of directly dominating Legend sorcerers—devious in action and ruthless by nature. With so many clues piled together, and considering that even stray dogs knew the Spectre Prophet had just resurrected in the Distant Sky Realm last month, it would have been a wonder if Yaxiu and Weise failed to guess Weixi was the Spectre Prophet.
What was more, both of them had read the Spectre Manual at least twice. Weise had studied it for the Spectre Prophet's brazen ruthlessness and cautious calculation, while Yaxiu simply read it as light entertainment, like a dark rebirth power fantasy. Consequently, they were intimately familiar with the Spectre Prophet's modus operandi, temperament, and verbal tics. Even though the Spectre Manual only chronicled the first half of the prophet's life, he had already lived two lifetimes and his worldview was long set in stone; his latter half would hardly be any different.
And that was indeed the case. The moment Weixi had appeared, Yaxiu had felt an intense sense of deja vu. If he had to describe it, it was like finishing a horror story about a ghost that knocked thrice before killing someone, and the second you closed the book, you heard three knocks at your door. Weixi gave him precisely that chilling feeling of a nightmare bleeding into reality.
It was precisely this preconceived notion that had allowed Yaxiu to quickly deduce his true identity.
While tending to their wounds, Yaxiu had shared the intel about the Four Pillar Cult following behind them with Silver Lantern. Silver Lantern had immediately deduced that the Four Pillar Cult and the Spectre Prophet were likely in league—perhaps with the Spectre Prophet even calling the shots. A coward like Mercury Trojan would never dare partake in an apocalypse capable of upending the world.
Yet after discerning his identity, an even bigger question arose in Yaxiu and Weise's minds: Why would a resurrected figure who had stepped into the realm of gods come to a beginner's village like Senluo?
Sure, Weixi could stomp noobs here, but in today's sorcerer world, slaughtering novices in reality was virtually meaningless. After all, sorcerers had little thirst for material resources in the physical realm. Only sorcerers who couldn't cut it in the Void Realm bothered living fulfilling mortal lives; any sorcerer with a real future ignored the outside world entirely, behaving like shut-in recluses holed up at home researching sorcery and exploring the Void Realm.
No matter how powerful you were in reality, it was all fleeting illusion; true strength lay only in conquering the Void Realm.
Moreover, the six great realms were the exclusive domain of the Divine Masters. If the Spectre Prophet dared to stir up trouble, he would surely be crushed by a Divine Master. Most people therefore speculated that after his resurrection, he would lay low in some shadowy corner to cultivate quietly.
Yet far from hiding away, Weixi had triggered this cataclysm ensnaring the fates of all living beings in Senluo. Even if he was a chaotic hedonist who loved watching rivers of blood flow, he was currently an apprentice chef who was practically a Lalafell on the chopping block, barely able to save his own skin—how could he squander his energy on cheap amusement?
Only now was Weixi's monstrous ambition finally laid bare before Yaxiu and Weise.
He wanted to seize the Master of the Deep's gods!
The Master of the Deep was not dead yet—He still clung to His final breath! Yet Weixi dared to encroach upon the Master of the Deep's gods right inside His own realm! Furthermore, Weixi still had a mortal body. For a mortal vessel to command a god was exceedingly difficult to begin with, let alone seizing someone else's god!
Though through a sequence of schemes, the gods had been immobilized—in order to plug the apocalyptic breach, their true forms could not resist outside interference, much like being wedged inside a wall—it truly was a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity for usurpation. Even Yaxiu felt a slight flicker of temptation just contemplating it.
Yet as for how to brainwash gods into one's slaves while they were already bonded to a master, Yaxiu and Weise didn't even have a theoretical approach, much less the ability to put it into practice.
They were certain that methods for forcefully seizing gods were exceedingly rare even among Divine Masters. After all, few mortal sorcerers possessed miracles capable of snatching another person's sorcery spirits. Only an evil sorcerer like the Spectre Prophet—a reincarnator fit for a sewage treatment plant—would possess such vile knowledge and have the audacity to enact it.
As expected of the Spectre Prophet, casually accomplishing what normal people wouldn't dare dream of!
And so, Yaxiu and Weise firmly stationed themselves beside the three gods, sorcery mana surging through them as they glared at Weixi like hawks.
Fate was so wondrous and unpredictable. Just minutes ago, the three gods were hunting the pair down while Weixi was aiding them. Yet minutes later, Yaxiu and Weise were willingly shielding the three gods against the enigmatic Spectre Prophet.
Circumstances change with the times, and changes require new measures.
Though their stances had turned upside down, everyone's core objective remained unchanged. From start to finish, the three gods wanted to accelerate the Master of the Deep's demise. The people of Senluo were a crushing burden to the Master of the Deep, so the gods had sought to restrict Weise's inheritance and execute Yaxiu, the smuggler snakehead, all so the people of Senluo would continue weighing down the Master of the Deep.
Now that the people of Senluo were dying too fast and in too great numbers, continuing down this path would allow the Master of the Deep to revive. Therefore, they had to seal the apocalyptic breach. As for saving or destroying the world, they couldn't care less.
Weixi wanted to seize the gods, so he could not let the three gods kill Weise—the apocalyptic spell—while simultaneously needing the cataclysm to bind the gods. As for saving or destroying the world, if pressed, someone like Weixi probably preferred world destruction. After all, watching someone else's garden burn was always the most magnificent spectacle.
As for Yaxiu and Weise... they didn't really care about the world's rise or fall either—or rather, not enough to sacrifice their lives and bodies for it.
There was no need to mention Weise; she had long prepared herself mentally to end the world and greet her 'eternal future' within illusion. Yaxiu was largely the same. He was not the type to arbitrarily shoulder others' lives or drown himself in uninvited guilt.
His baseline when coming down to find Silver Lantern was simply that she didn't destroy the world immediately. At the very least, she had to wait until Yaxiu and the others escaped; after that, what Silver Lantern did would be beyond his power to stop anyway (not that he ever could).
He was willing to give his all for the people by his side. But as for playing savior, he would at most do his best—he had no intention of throwing his life away.
Even at his most impulsive, Yaxiu still remembered that far more important people were waiting for him.
Just as the shadow on the sixteenth floor had said: even if his conscience troubled him in the future, couldn't he just touch Sword Princess and the Witch's 'consciences' to recharge his peace of mind?
Logically speaking, they should not have meddled in the contest between Weixi and the three gods. Even if Weixi's current rank was merely Sanctuary sorcerer, the sheer mastery of his sorcery realms was enough to grant him Legend-tier combat prowess. Moreover, Weixi still held hidden trump cards; counting him as near-god combat strength was by no means an exaggeration.
Take Weixi's earlier 'Daydream' move, for instance—Yaxiu and Weise had practically no way to resist it!
Yet Yaxiu had to step forward. He had to face Weixi in battle!
Igola, Harvey, Tamashi, Gwen, Chikala... they were still up above!
The cataclysm had already raged for several minutes. Yaxiu had previously been in utter despair, but now that a turning point had finally emerged, all he knew was that he had to defend the three gods' sealing ritual. At least that offered a glimmer of hope!
As for whether this turning point came in time, he didn't dare dwell on it.
Weise's reason was far simpler.
"You reincarnated into Senluo on purpose and expended so much effort preparing this scheme. If you fail, will you stomp your feet in fury?" Weise drew her bronze submachine gun. A signature specialty of the Bronze Law Cult, the bronze submachine gun was a top-tier homemade firearm aside from Grey Fox weaponry. "To me, this is also a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity.
"An opportunity to ruin a demigod's plan!"
Weise lowered her eyelids. Her turbulent sorcery mana even caused her void wings to unfurl as she declared in a frigid voice, "The first mistake you made was not killing me just now. No one has ever dominated me!"
"Whoa, a woman's grudge really is terrifying." Weixi weaved through the burning forest, his steps brisk and effortless. "But we are civilized people, so why not resolve matters through civilized means? Weren't you trying to unleash the apocalypse just a moment ago? I merely gave you a nudge. Right now, it's the three gods stopping the apocalypse. Even if you won't help me deal with them, how can you stand in my way instead?
"Oh right, right—as long as everyone dies, the Master of the Deep will awaken and receive you as His angel. As an apology for my presumption, how about I handle them for you so you can become an angel sooner?"
Weise let out a cold laugh of disbelief. "You're offering something that was already mine as a gift?"
"Don't be so quick to claim things as your own before they're in your grasp," Weixi said leisurely. "Otherwise, life will be filled with regrets."
"What about me?" Yaxiu suddenly asked. "I don't seem to be getting any benefits here."
"Oh, there are, there are." Weixi spread his hands. "Once the people of Senluo are all dead, someone still needs to inhabit this realm. Work a little harder, start a new race with Miss Angel here, and years down the line, you'll be the progenitor of all Senluo. How does that benefit sound?"
Yaxiu snapped angrily, "What nonsense are you babbling?!"
Weixi raised his eyebrows. "Answering like that is going to make the lady beside you very upset..."
"If there are only two people, our offspring would have to intermarry, and in a few generations, they'd go extinct from genetic defects!" Yaxiu said in all earnestness. "There aren't enough people! Why don't you sponsor a few more?"
"..." Weixi paused, taken aback. "In all my years, you're truly the first person to ask me for women..."
"Besides, that benefit is way too far off. Can't you offer something practical?" Yaxiu rubbed his hands like a fly. "You're the Spectre Prophet who stepped into the realm of gods! Even a scrap dropped from your inheritance would be a feast for a mortal sorcerer like me, right? I've actually cleared past the sixtieth trial in the Spectre Inheritance. Are you interested in taking an apprentice?"
"Interesting." Weixi chuckled aloud. "Yaxiu, was it? You truly are an amusing fellow. At any other time, I might have indulged you in stalling for time. Regrettably, these gods are terribly important to me, and I've already finished preparing.
"How about this: after you die, I'll imprison your soul, and we can chat at our leisure."
Yaxiu's smile vanished, his voice turning cold. "You really never planned on letting us go from the very beginning."
"Not quite. In Miss Silver Lantern's case, I genuinely want her to become the Master of the Deep's angel." Weixi tapped his temple. "I'm quite tolerant toward geniuses, so long as they're willing to let my consciousness take up residence inside them. Progress together, develop together—draining the pond to catch all the fish while maintaining sustainable development is the premier management strategy, after all. Since my principle has always been..."
Weixi, Yaxiu, and Weise spoke in unison: "'Use what serves me, discard when finished.'"
It was the inner monologue that appeared most frequently in the Spectre Manual; it was hard for Yaxiu and Weise not to remember it.
From the very beginning, there had been zero possibility of cooperating with Weixi. The Spectre Prophet was the scum of all scum, the lowest of the low. As long as he believed there would be no consequences, he would kill any sorcerer he came across, purely on the logic: What if you threaten me in the future?
Those with value were exploited, then slaughtered the moment their usefulness expired. He had no concept of 'allies' or 'friends'—only 'tools.' He would compromise, but he never let go of vengeance; every enemy who had ever forced him to back down was later repaid with the extermination of their entire clan.
He was not purely driven by profit either. After all, the defining trait of a pragmatist was cooperation and compromise, yet while prioritizing personal gain, he maintained an almost manic bloodlust, frequently killing for the sheer sake of killing.
Many people, including Yaxiu, believed the Spectre Prophet's bloodlust was related to his soul cultivation. Watching him massacre left and right in the Spectre Manual was thrilling, but when he appeared right before your eyes, you quickly learned what it felt like to encounter a lunatic. There was not a chance in hell Weixi would spare enemies like Yaxiu and Weise who actively stood in his way.
Weixi blinked, then smiled. "I'm delighted that we at least reached some common ground.
"Well then..."
The fiery blossoms suddenly parted. A colossal draconic silhouette manifested behind Weixi—part mist, part sunset glow, resembling both turtle and serpent. The draconic silhouette abruptly detonated, flooding the entire battlefield with an endless, dense fog. Yaxiu and Weise immediately expanded their sanctuaries to resist, but unable to stray too far from the three gods, they could only stand back-to-back on the ground, keeping vigilant watch!
"Since it's two against one—bullying the few with the many—therefore..."
Out of the dense fog walked one, two... ten, fifty... a hundred, a thousand...
An endless legion of Weixis virtually crowded their entire field of vision. The voices of the Weixis converged into a single chorus, dripping with mockery that shook heaven and earth: "...don't complain that I'm fighting dirty."
Chapter 734