247: Chapter 247 The Eternal Desolate Wasteland!

"Good. Then, delightful little fellow, I shall await your good news."

Seeing Lu Yin agree, Ailithos's figure dissipated like an illusion into the twilight.

Lu Yin wasted no time and turned back to his own room in the Gods Dormitory.

He needed to make some preparations for his journey to the Everlasting Desolation Plain.

The Everlasting Desolation Plain, the God of Misfortune.

The name itself was filled with ill omen.

Furthermore, wanting to defeat a god was, for a mortal, akin to scaling the heavens in difficulty.

But since he had promised, he naturally had to give it his all.

"clone dice..."

Lu Yin opened his palm, the ancient-looking bone die resting quietly in his hand.

Without much hesitation, he directly chose to use it.

"Roll."

*Click!*

The clone dice spun on the ground, finally coming to a stop with one face up.

"You've got to be kidding me, such bad luck?"

Looking at the glaring single red dot on the ground, Lu Yin felt some regret but wasn't overly discouraged.

A one meant the doppelganger could only last for ten days.

Still, ten days was pretty good.

At least while he went to the Everlasting Desolation Plain, the doppelganger could continue cultivating through the wrath of athena.

And there was also the acquisition of the stone of god. It was already the best of both worlds.

*Hum!*

Just as this thought crossed Lu Yin's mind, the bone die suddenly erupted with a hazy gray light.

The gray light wasn't dazzling, but it carried a strange, reality-warping fluctuation that quickly enveloped an area in front of Lu Yin.

Space seemed to turn into a viscous liquid, churning and distorting violently.

Immediately after, a blurred outline slowly began to sketch itself out from the void.

The outline gradually clarified—muscle lines, body proportions, even the subtle expression between the brows—it was identical to Lu Yin himself!

As the last trace of the outline solidified, the gray light abruptly contracted inward, completely disappearing into the doppelganger's body.

The doppelganger slowly opened its eyes.

They were eyes as deep and dark as Lu Yin's own, yet devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Like two bottomless ancient wells, they reflected Lu Yin's slightly surprised face.

Lu Yin could clearly perceive that an incredibly profound connection had been established between himself and this doppelganger before him.

It was as if he had gained an additional body extension that he could control completely at will.

With a mere thought, he could command it as easily as his own limbs.

Lu Yin's thoughts shifted, and the doppelganger's eyes sharpened, its attributes instantly switching to Agility.

Its footwork changed, its figure leaving a series of afterimages in the room like a ghost.

The doppelganger's figure left trails of afterimages in the room, its movements as fluid as if Lu Yin himself were performing them.

With a slight shift in Lu Yin's will, the doppelganger abruptly stopped.

The blade of eternal silence, condensed from magic power, silently appeared in its hand.

The dark blade sliced through the air, stirring faint spatial ripples.

"Perfect."

Lu Yin murmured to himself, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.

The doppelganger not only inherited his attributes but could even replicate his equipment attributes.

The only flaw was that it couldn't copy the skills on the equipment.

But this minor flaw couldn't obscure the brilliance; the clone dice's ability was already outrageously powerful.

After completing the doppelganger summoning, Lu Yin took out his communicator.

Regarding the Everlasting Desolation Plain, he currently knew nothing, so he needed to conduct some investigation.

And the most direct way was to contact Xiao Wanguo, the major general he was most familiar with in the military.

The communicator connected quickly, and Xiao Wanguo's steady voice came through.

"Hello? I heard you've been in seclusion at the Gods Dormitory lately. Why the sudden contact?"

"Officer Xiao, I want to learn about a place—the Everlasting Desolation Plain."

Lu Yin got straight to the point.

"The Everlasting Desolation Plain? How do you know about that place?"

"It's a forbidden land that even Third Awakening Experts wouldn't set foot in lightly."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator, and Xiao Wanguo's tone turned grave.

"Even Third Awakening Experts are unwilling to enter? Is it that terrifying?"

Lu Yin was momentarily stunned. He originally thought a place forbidden before the Third Awakening couldn't be *that* terrifying, no matter how bad.

"Correct. Its terror lies not in monsters, but in a curse that targets the soul itself."

"A curse?" Lu Yin frowned slightly.

"Yes, the Misfortune Curse."

Xiao Wanguo's voice carried a rare trace of apprehension.

"All who enter will receive a 'Doom Mark.' This mark deepens over time."

"The mark's effects?" Lu Yin pressed.

"Initially, it's attribute suppression. In the mid-stage, various unfavorable statuses begin, like decreased accuracy, ineffective evasion, and so on."

"In the later stages, all small-probability unfortunate events will befall you. Moreover, this curse cannot be dispelled by conventional purification skills."

Hearing this, Lu Yin's gaze sharpened. "Is there a way to break it?"

"The only known method is to find the 'Altar of Misfortune,' but its specific location is unknown."

"And it's said the altar is guarded by the God of Misfortune's apostles."

Before ending the communication, Xiao Wanguo repeatedly warned.

"Lu Yin, if you absolutely must go, you must withdraw before the curse enters the third stage."

"Once, a Third Awakening Expert refused to believe it. He never returned."

After hanging up, Lu Yin fell into deep thought.

"The Misfortune Curse..."

Lu Yin murmured to himself. After a moment's thought, he headed towards the bamboo grove where Chen Yuan resided.

As his teacher, Chen Yuan was knowledgeable and experienced.

Being an Awakening Level expert, perhaps he had some method to counteract the curse.

Passing through layers of verdant bamboo, the fresh scent of bamboo mixed with the smell of earth greeted him.

Bamboo leaves rustled softly, as if whispering ancient secrets.

Lu Yin stopped before a clearing embraced by bamboo. Chen Yuan was sitting cross-legged on a smooth bluestone.

His eyes were slightly closed, his aura blending seamlessly with the surrounding world.

Since returning from the Wailing Land, Chen Yuan had stopped drinking, seemingly having fully awakened from the painful memories of the past.

"Teacher." Lu Yin bowed respectfully.

Then, he got straight to the point, inquiring about the Everlasting Desolation Plain.

"The Everlasting Desolation Plain..."

Chen Yuan took a light sip of tea, his gaze drifting towards the swaying bamboo shadows.

"The curse there is indeed troublesome. Even Third Awakening Experts can fall."

"However..."

He changed the subject, his fingertip lightly tracing the rim of his teacup.

"Bai Zhengguo, the dean of the Sacred Dragon Academy, has an Awakening Skill that is a curse-immune blessing technique: Dragon Soul Protection."

"It's said this skill can construct a barrier at the soul level."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "Can it completely immunize against the curse?"

"No." Chen Yuan shook his head.

"But it can significantly slow the erosion speed of the curse."

"That would be a great help for you in finding the Altar of Misfortune, wouldn't it?"

"Then, Teacher, can you help me contact Dean Bai?"

Lu Yin nodded and then said.

"Of course. Given your relationship with that old man's granddaughter, he will definitely help you."

Chen Yuan took out his communicator and dialed a number.

The call was quickly answered, and an old man's voice came through.

"Old Chen? You're actually taking the initiative to contact me?"

Chen Yuan chuckled lightly, his tone carrying a rare seriousness.

"Old Bai, I need a favor."

He briefly explained Lu Yin's situation.

Bai Zhengguo fell silent for a moment on the other end.

"Alright. Have him come to the Sacred Dragon Academy to find me. I happen to have a few questions for him as well."