101: Captain! Don't take us with you if you want to brag!

Heavenly Realm, Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.

This was the power center of the Temple of All Evils.

The dome was not a physical entity, but a swirling, screaming scarlet nebula formed from pure ‘malice’.

Countless thrones, forged from bones and resentful souls, were arranged in a circle, from high to low, with strict hierarchical order.

Each throne was occupied by a terrifying existence capable of plunging an entire world into eternal night.

The Mother of Tyranny and Destruction.

Her body was composed of flowing magma and boiling blood.

Every breath she took sent scorching ripples through space.

The Mother of Greed and Deceit.

Her figure was shrouded in a mist of gold coins and jewels.

Her true form was indiscernible; only a series of alluring, decadent whispers could be heard.

There were also various other forms, sub-gods, and representatives of god systems, each exuding the aura of different authorities like plague, sloth, and arrogance.

They constituted the highest ruling echelon of the Fallen Immortal Path.

And at this moment, these hundreds of evil gods, who usually vied and warred with each other incessantly.

Were, without exception, focusing their gazes—filled with scrutiny, suspicion, greed, and reverence.

On the Throne of the End, which had hung empty for hundreds of thousands of years at the very top of the council hall, representing supreme authority.

Gu Yanci was seated there.

Behind him, the other four members of the Joint Squad stood with hands lowered, like the most loyal shadows.

He released no divine might, merely sat there quietly, chin propped on one hand.

With a bored expression, he surveyed the ‘Demon God Assembly’ below, a gathering capable of making any universe tremble.

His posture was so casual, so self-assured.

As if he was born to sit in that position.

As if the hundreds of powerful deities below him were nothing more than a noisy swarm of insects in a courtyard.

Ding! You have entered the ‘Assembly of Ten Thousand Demons’ scenario! The current environment is extremely dangerous!

Lord of the End’s acting proficiency: 65%.

Gu Yanci’s inner thoughts were far from as calm as his exterior suggested.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at an inconspicuous throne below.

On that throne sat a bizarre deity composed of countless distorted, weeping, and laughing faces.

He was the Lord of Deceit and Lies.

After the fall of the Deceitful Evil God 100,000 years ago, the authority of deceit was split in two.

Half resided with the Mother of Greed and Deceit, and the other half with the Lord of Deceit and Lies.

Thus, he was a Mother God with extremely unique and challenging authority.

His core authority was “lies.”

Combined with half of the authority of deceit, no form of “lie,” whether spoken, written, or a mental fluctuation, could escape his perception.

Before him, all falsehoods would be exposed!

This was the true “Hongmen Banquet” that Kuji Demon General had prepared for him!

“Silence.”

A hoarse voice emanated from Kuji Demon General’s mouth.

He stood beneath the Throne of the End, surveying the entire hall, his murky old eyes filled with warning.

The council hall instantly fell silent.

“Lord of the End, after the War of the End, he slept until now, only recently returning.”

“You, as the inheritors of the orthodoxy established by Lord of the End, why do you not quickly offer your loyalty?!”

Kuji Demon General’s words rang with authority.

However, the gods below remained motionless.

They merely scrutinized Gu Yanci on the throne with various gazes.

Finally.

The Mother of Tyranny and Destruction, whose body blazed with tyrannical flames, was the first to stand up.

Her voice, like countless volcanoes erupting simultaneously, was filled with frenzy and doubt.

“Loyalty? Kuji, you old immortal, don’t think we don’t know what you’re thinking!”

“Who knows if this fellow, who appeared out of nowhere, isn’t just a puppet you found!”

“You want us to pledge loyalty? Fine!”

“Let him display power worthy of the name Lord of the End!”

“As long as he can take one of my moves and survive, I’ll immediately kneel and lick his toes!”

Ding! Detected a fatal provocation! Lord of the End’s acting proficiency -5%!

Current acting proficiency: 60%!

The hearts of the Joint Squad members instantly leaped into their throats!

Take one move?

What a joke!

They didn’t even have one percent of their peak strength now; let alone taking a move, a single sneeze from the opponent could blow them all to death!

However, faced with this blatant provocation.

Gu Yanci’s face remained unperturbed.

He didn’t even bother to glance at the Mother of Tyranny and Destruction.

He simply cast his gaze towards the Lord of Deceit and Lies, whose face bore four different expressions.

Then, with a tone as if speaking to a somewhat interesting toy, he slowly began.

“You.”

“Tell them.”

“Am I lying?”

This sudden question stunned all the gods.

Including the Lord of Deceit and Lies.

For the first time, his four distinct faces showed a unified expression: “astonishment.”

What did he mean?

He wanted me to judge if he was lying?

But he hadn’t said anything yet!

Ding! Behavioral logic conforms to Lord of the End’s capricious and rule-defying character! Acting proficiency +10%!

Current acting proficiency: 70%!

Seeing the acting proficiency rise, Gu Yanci’s heart settled.

He knew he had made the right gamble.

To deal with these chaotic evil gods, one couldn't play by the rules!

The more you explained, the more suspicious they became.

The more indifferent you appeared, the more wary they became!

“Lord of the End…”

The voice of the Lord of Deceit and Lies, for the first time, carried a hint of uncertainty.

“You… haven’t spoken yet, I… cannot judge.”

“Oh?”

Gu Yanci finally shifted his gaze away from him, as if he had lost interest.

He slowly rose from the throne.

An intangible, formless pressure, originating from the depths of his soul, from the Humanity God Lord.

Mixed with the decaying, terminal aura of the Primordial Demon Heart, it instantly enveloped the entire council hall!

He did not answer any questions.

Nor did he respond to any provocations.

He merely, with a tone as if reminiscing about the past, filled with vicissitudes and indifference, slowly began to tell a “story.”

“This Lord once witnessed the ‘end’ of a world.”

“It was a world constructed from the purest ‘sorrow.’ All things withered, all beings sank into depravity, and even time, in that endless grief, turned to dust.”

“This Lord stood at the end of that world, watching heroic epics turn into elegies; watching the flames of civilization finally extinguish. In that ultimate ‘stillness,’ I rediscovered My ‘root’.”

Upon hearing this.

Ling Xi’s eyelid twitched violently.

‘World of Sorrow? Captain, you call that broken place where Guardian Su Ke Ke exiled him ‘the end of the world’? And ‘rediscovered his root’? Your shamelessness is truly something!’

Gu Yanci ignored his teammate’s internal grumbling and continued in his emotionless tone:

“This Lord also once stepped into a ‘sea of wrath’.”

“The beings there, from the moment of their birth, burned with an unquenchable rage. They hated each other, destroyed each other, using each other’s bones as steps to climb towards the throne forged of ‘tyranny’.”

“This Lord, bathed in that ‘wrathful fire’ that incinerated all things, felt the most primal power of ‘destruction’, and reforged My ‘bone’.”

This time, it was Cang Xuan and Ye Qiong’s turn to twitch their mouths.

‘World of Wrath? The World of Wrath that affected us the moment we entered, almost making us kill each other? How did it become ‘reforged my bone’ when you say it? You’ve added too many embellishments!’

Gu Yanci remained expressionless.

His gaze swept across the hall, finally resting on the Mother of Tyranny and Destruction.

A mocking and pitying curve appeared at the corner of his lips.

“This Lord, moreover, personally created a World of Joy.”

“There, there was no sorrow, no pain, only eternal and pure ‘happiness.’ Every being was immersed in endless bliss, their smiles more radiant than stars.”

“And then…”

He paused, his smile turning incredibly cold and sinister, as if recalling his reluctance in that illusion.

“This Lord personally crushed it.”

“At the moment that the most extreme ‘light’ shattered, at the instant that the sweetest ‘hope’ plunged into the abyss, this Lord finally recovered My heart.”

“Now…”

He spread his arms as if embracing the entire world.

“Root, bone, heart, a trinity.”

“This Lord…”

— “I have returned.”

A “montage-style” monologue, full of epic scope and grandeur, concluded.

The entire Hall of Ten Thousand Demons was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All the evil gods were completely awestruck by the three “worlds” Gu Yanci had described, worlds filled with philosophical meaning and ultimate terror!

To go to the “end” of the world to find the root?

To reforge bones and muscles in the “wrathful fire” of destruction?

To personally create a “perfect paradise” and then personally destroy it, just to find one’s “heart”?

This… what a terrifying realm! What a grand feat!

This was the Lord of the End they envisioned, the one who created the Fallen Immortal Path, who viewed all things as a game, and the universe as a chessboard—this was how he should be!

The Mother of Tyranny and Destruction, who had previously clamored for Gu Yanci to take one of her moves.

At this moment, she was already scared limp on her throne, not daring to utter a single sound.

And the Lord of Deceit and Lies, his four constantly shifting faces simultaneously displayed expressions of “shock” and “fanaticism”!

Because in his perception.

Every word Gu Yanci had just spoken, every scene… was all—

“True”!

Ding! Successfully subdued the Lord of Deceit and Lies! Acting proficiency +10%!

Ding! Words and actions conform to Lord of the End’s core character! Acting proficiency +18%!

Current acting proficiency: 98%!

Warning! Acting proficiency is too high! Your mind is being severely eroded by Lord of the End’s authority!

A terrifying will, cold, indifferent, and viewing all beings as ants, once again surged wildly from the depths of Gu Yanci’s heart!

He stood up, almost losing control, wanting to annihilate all these “subjects” who, in his eyes, were like “ants” whispering amongst themselves!

“Enough!”

Gu Yanci roared in his heart!

He forcibly suppressed the urge to kill, stabilizing his acting proficiency at 85%.

And at the very moment the acting proficiency stabilized!

A brand new prompt box popped up before his eyes!

Ding! Congratulations! Lord of the End’s acting proficiency has stabilized at 85%!

You have gained temporary access to a portion of the Authority of the End!

Currently callable authority:

① Gaze of the End: Your gaze will carry the authority of “decay” and “withering.” Any existence you gaze upon, if below your current rank, will feel the fear from the end of life.

Warning: Each time you invoke authority, the erosion of your divinity will deepen! Please use with caution!

Looking at this acting proficiency, everyone in the Joint Squad let out a long sigh of relief.

But Gu Yanci knew that the play was not over yet.

Just as all the evil gods were still immersed in shock and hadn’t fully recovered.

He issued his first “edict” since his return, in an unquestionable, world-dominating tone.

“Since your curiosity has been satisfied.”

“Then next…”

His indifferent gaze swept over every deity present.

“It’s time to talk about serious matters.”

“In these years of my slumber, were you using such a crude method of raising livestock to harvest ‘faith’?”

“Truly…”

— “Foolish, and inefficient.”

His words stunned all the evil gods.

“From today onwards.”

Gu Yanci straightened his posture. In order to find the incarnation of evil, he had to rely on the power of the evil gods.

Thus, Authority: Gaze of the End — activated!

A wave of “end” pressure, even more terrifying and suffocating than before, erupted from him!

“This Lord wants to change the rules of this boring game.”

“The Sin Ranch will no longer be your backyard for casual amusement.”

“It will become… a gladiatorial arena for this Lord, for the Heavenly Realm, to select the strongest ‘evil’ warriors!”

“This Lord will personally bestow ‘divine oracles’ and select one hundred and eight ‘Chosen Demon Children’ in the Human Realm!”

“They will be your only source of ‘faith’ in the future!”

“You can, as before, bestow them power, guide them to depravity, and let them wage wars and spread disasters for you!”

“And ultimately.”

A cruel smile, one that sent shivers down the spines of all the evil gods, appeared at the corner of Gu Yanci’s lips.

“The sole survivor of that ‘Hundred Demon War’ that sweeps across the entire Human Realm…”

“Will receive the supreme glory personally bestowed by this Lord.”

— “He will be personally elevated to ‘God’ by this Lord!”

“Becoming one of you!”