Chapter 93: For the Sake of Maintaining Version Balance, Nerf It First

For Medusa, this was an unknown evil creature.

However, with her extensive experience in witchcraft research, she instantly discerned some clues.

“This chaotic creature isn’t actively emitting mental witchcraft; rather, it’s a passive biological form. Its very existence makes it impossible to look at directly or listen to its voice.”

Medusa’s expression shifted several times. “But can such a terrifying creature truly exist? A level of life form so incomprehensible… it must already be a god, and likely a chaotic god of extreme evil.”

The witches around her also grew tense and panicked. What kind of terrifying creature was this?

And it was currently moving through their lands?

This was a moving catastrophe!

Medusa took a deep breath. “Although one cannot look directly at its body or see what it truly is, its movement speed suggests an enormous size, comparable to a colossal mountain range. The witches in that area won’t have time to escape! Issue orders immediately!

Wizards in that region must put on blindfolds and earplugs,

and simultaneously use witchcraft to shield their sight and hearing. They must also restrain their mental power and not probe outwards, lest they encounter the evil god and suffer mental collapse.”

“Lady Medusa, will this really work?”

Someone couldn't help but ask, “Furthermore, wouldn’t losing our sight and hearing make us even more vulnerable?”

“I don’t know if it will work,”

Medusa shook her head with a bitter smile. “Such measures should defend against its passive killing ability, but merely defending against that passive aspect is enough to cripple us. If this terrifying moving catastrophe truly intends to kill, then we will be powerless.”

Soon, the witches in that region began to implement the plan.

The players continued to walk, encountering a group of aimless witches, blindfolded and with their ears plugged, appearing like the blind and the deaf.

“Damn, that’s repulsive!”

“Oh my goodness, our self-esteem is severely bruised!”

“Good heavens! Are we already too ugly to look at? Blindfolding yourselves, are you not even listening to our voices now?”

“Be careful, they’re all blind now! We shouldn’t step on them. We already feel guilty about those earlier ones who saw how ugly we are and instantly collapsed and died from the shock.”

“It’s all Speed of Mount Akina’s fault! Come out and take your beating online!”

Rose Palace.

Medusa received news that shielding their sight and hearing had indeed kept them safe.

“Indeed, to them, we humans are insignificant beings, utterly disregarded. The deaths of others were not intentional; they simply collapsed and died instantly upon inadvertently seeing its presence or hearing its voice.

This unknown creature’s true target isn't us, but the young God of Flame, the Phoenix! It has descended upon our wizarding world to slay a god!”

The thought sent shivers down Medusa’s spine.

But its direction of movement was undoubtedly towards the Neftis Great Desert, towards the Orc Kingdom—the very dwelling place of the Phoenix.

Medusa’s expression changed. “What is going on? Could this suddenly appearing evil god be a rival to the gods of 'Achilles,' the Land of the Gods? Has it come to stop the young Phoenix God?”

“This cannot be.”

Medusa stood up, pacing back and forth, growing increasingly anxious.

No matter what, she was a person of this world.

Although the natural gods were merely legends, no one had ever truly seen them.

But if the Phoenix, God of Flame, were to die, terrifying consequences might ensue.

The world itself might be thrown into turmoil.

“An evil god has descended upon the mortal realm. I must attempt to communicate with the gods in the heavens.” She couldn’t help but rise and head for the Kingdom of Babylon.

Kingdom of Babylon.

Almin instantly became wary upon seeing Medusa approach.

“Disciple of the Alchemist Emperor, I have no time for you. I am going to seek an audience with the great God of Wisdom, Hermes, to implore the great god to answer my doubts,” Medusa said coldly.

Almin immediately replied, “The gods in heaven will not heed tyrants. You cannot communicate with them.”

Medusa, however, completely ignored her.

Instead, she went directly to the Temple of Wisdom and devoutly prayed before the statue of the God of Wisdom: “Great God of Wisdom, an unspeakable evil god has broken through dimensions and descended. It is now heading to the Great Desert to act against the young God of Flame.”

“What!?”

Almin stood rigidly in shock. “A god has descended to the mortal world?”

On this land, apart from the Creator God of the world-ending Great Flood in ancient Babylonian myths, no true deity had ever descended to the mortal realm.

Previously, even the legendary God of Wisdom, Hermes, had only sent an avatar to the mortal world.

No one had ever seen the true form of a deity, nor did anyone know the extent of a god’s terrifying power.

“What is a true god like?” Almin asked, her voice trembling.

“A god cannot be looked at directly, nor can their voice be heard!”

As Medusa thought of this, recalling the horrifying encounter that defied all common sense—that mysterious level of life transcending everything—she couldn’t help but tremble.

Medusa described some characteristics, filling even Almin, an epic witch, with extreme fear.

“So, a god is truly such a terrifying existence!”

Almin whispered, “The God of Wisdom, Hermes, is very benevolent. We have never truly seen his true form. It turns out it’s not that he was unwilling to descend in his true form, but that a god’s true body cannot be looked at directly by mortals! Nor can their voice be heard!”

Xu Zhi rubbed his nose and chuckled.

“This conceptualization is great, I like it.”

He had finally perfected the entire wizarding world’s worldview.

Previously, no gods had ever appeared, and he had been bluffing, fabricating the Land of All Beings and the gods in the heavens, which had left him constantly troubled.

Everyone merely thought gods must be powerful, but without any concrete understanding.

Now, with an evil god finally appearing, they would fully grasp the terrifying, insurmountable nature of gods, indirectly proving that he wasn't just boasting.

His mysterious God of Wisdom was also that powerful.

“Since Medusa has come to the temple to seek my help, it’s time to refine the worldview, give them a movie, and run a plot-driven CGI animation.” Xu Zhi smiled. “I need to make ‘Achilles,’ the natural Land of the Gods, make an appearance. However, since it hasn’t been built yet, I can only use a drone as a placeholder to make it look the part.”

Xu Zhi sat at the edge of the doorway in his courtyard, looking at a black DJI drone nearby.

He had been prepared.

Relying solely on Pan Yuxian wasn’t enough to stir things up; at least in the short term, she was no match.

Xu Zhi rested his chin in his hand, contemplating, “At the same cultivation level, the combined creature with four heaven-defying genetic talents is essentially invincible. Although it’s not yet a demigod, and hasn’t even integrated its first gene, its combat power can no longer be measured by ordinary cultivation divisions. It’s already an evil god with combat power comparable to a demigod.

This public enemy of the world is still too strong upon entering. Currently, no one can break through to demigod to contend with it, and once they integrate their first gene, they'll become even more invincible. It definitely needs to be weakened; it affects the balance of this version too much. I need to reduce this evil god’s strength.”

Medusa and Almin needed terrifying pressure to break through, but not the kind of pressure that would result in instant death from a single slap.

The gap was too vast.

“First, I’ll break them apart, scattering the evil god’s limbs across the wizarding world, significantly weakening their power… Then, you masses of flesh will slowly reassemble yourselves, guided by your own will. That will be the true beginning of your otherworldly journey!”

Xu Zhi, the mastermind behind the scenes, had already made his arrangements for them.

Neftis Great Desert.

With a crisp, mournful cry, the Phoenix stained the desert sand with its blood and swiftly flew away into the distance.

“We won!”

“How miserable. When the Phoenix was at the Epic realm, it was bled by the Alchemist Emperor, who possessed epic combat power. After centuries, it finally entered the demigod realm, and the Alchemist Emperor couldn’t defeat it or extract its blood anymore. But before it could even take a breath of relief, it was our turn to appear and continue drawing its blood.”

“Hahaha! This young God of Flame has been a lifelong blood donor throughout its journey!”

“Brothers of the Arm, start transforming! Quickly, turn into bowls and collect its blood; don’t waste any.”

“The 'first gift' is done! Let’s go to the Kingdom of Babylon, meet our idol Almin, and get autographs!”

Before the Temple of Wisdom.

To Medusa and Almin’s shock, both completely forgot their animosity.

After all, it was likely an evil god that had broken through dimensions and space to descend upon their world, intending to kill the young Phoenix God.

A flash.

Suddenly, a light shone from the Temple of Wisdom, and a strange black bird descended, accompanied by sacred radiance.

“I have heard your prayers.”

A gentle voice echoed, and the strange black bird slowly emerged, bathed in pure white holy light.

“An evil god has descended upon our world, great God of Wisdom, what is truly happening?” Medusa asked excitedly and urgently.

The black raven gazed deeply at the two of them and whispered, “Mortals, do you think our world is the only one?”

At that single sentence, they were instantly shaken, their minds blank.

“We, the gods in heaven, have constantly been resisting invasions from other worlds, and we ourselves have been invading other worlds. Not only have they suffered immense losses, but we too have sustained heavy casualties, with only a few left who can still fight.

After all, our world is a new one, only recently created by the Creator, and it lacks sufficient foundation... Otherwise, I would not have descended upon Babylon all those years ago to bestow upon the people of this land the threefold knowledge of truth and civilization.

And the young Phoenix God is the offspring of two gods who fell in battle: Ares and Enyo. It’s unthinkable that an evil god from another world has descended to strangle it in its cradle. The God of Flame is our future strength!”

Hearing such astonishing and terrifying news, both women were completely stunned in place.

The gods in heaven have suffered countless casualties, and there are actually only a few left?

Our world was only recently created, and there are other extraordinary worlds beyond ours?

The God of Wisdom spoke again: “Currently, the Phoenix God has been severely wounded by the evil god in the Great Desert and barely escaped. That evil god is now heading towards the Kingdom of Babylon, preparing to slaughter the witches of this land.”

“Heading towards us?” Almin’s heart pounded. “It intends to slaughter our three great wizarding kingdoms?”

Players: ???

Damn it, there’s a scoundrel framing us here!

We are not some Burning Legion expedition, a cataclysm meant to destroy world after world.

We are friendly, peaceful envoys. We never intended to kill the Phoenix, just to draw its blood. And coming here now, we merely planned to use Phoenix blood as a welcoming gift, get autographs, and help Almin deal with Medusa…

You’re slandering us in front of our idol, Almin!

“Almin, Medusa, you must confront this evil god, so that this world is not destroyed.”

The God of Wisdom’s voice resonated,

“I am still battling in the heavens and cannot descend. I can only deliver a fatal blow to the evil god. You must seize the opportunity to use witchcraft, tear it apart, and scatter its limbs across the world.”

Almin and Medusa nodded eagerly at that moment.

More than ten days later.

Thump, thump, thump!

The ground was shaking.

A terrifying, colossal figure, blotting out the sky and sun, with a body over six thousand *zhang* tall, strode through the clouds and mist, advancing towards the Royal Capital of Babylon.

Countless trees were trampled and crushed.

“Hahaha, we’re about to meet our idol.”

“Just thinking about it makes me a little excited! What cool pose should I strike later?”

They walked excitedly towards the royal capital, only to see Medusa and Almin standing on the city wall in the distance, ready for battle.

They had already self-shielded their vision and blocked their hearing, to prevent looking directly or listening to its voice.

Rumble.

Above the vast, boundless azure sky, a shimmering light suddenly appeared, revealing a floating island drifting amidst the clouds.

It was the DJI drone, enhanced with lighting and visual effects.

The giant looked up, saw this divine marvel, and instantly erupted in a buzz of whispers.

Haruko Loves Learning: “Wow! A floating continent, could it be the Land of the Gods, emerging from the eye of the storm?”

Little Tiger Descends the Mountain: “Our actions were too big; we’ve angered the native gods, and they’re going to destroy us. They really do see us as invaders.”

Speed of Mount Akina: “What are you afraid of?! Brothers, let’s go for it! The Phoenix wasn’t even a match for one of our hands before. We’re gods now, don’t chicken out, fight it!”

Having thrashed the Phoenix God, they were now incredibly arrogant. They quickly bent down, picked up a small mountain, and hurled it violently towards the sky.

The stone flew.

The luminous Land of the Gods in the sky deftly shifted, dodging the attack.

Sitting in his courtyard, Xu Zhi watched the drone’s screen, his heart pounding. “These guys are still sneaky, launching a surprise attack without a word. My newly bought DJI drone, worth a staggering twelve thousand currency units, you almost smashed it down.”

Xu Zhi sat at the courtyard entrance, took a bite of an apple, and composed himself.

If it were to deal with the natives of the wizarding world, like Gilgamesh, the Three Witches, or Medusa, Xu Zhi might still have to put in some effort, needing to control individual destruction through the Zerg Hive’s intelligence sub-brain.

However, dealing with these guys, this otherworldly evil god, was remarkably simple.

Xu Zhi sat on his chair, took another bite of his apple, and remotely operated the drone. Using the small loudspeaker mounted on it, he spoke with a slight mumble as he ate:

“I am Hermes, the God of Wisdom. A mere evil god from another world, breaking through dimensional passages to descend upon this realm, turns out to be nothing more than this!”

Most of them couldn't understand the native language, but a few among the one hundred and seventy-three players had learned the otherworldly native language and quickly translated for them. Instantly, the players became agitated.

“What God of Wisdom? Just like that, spouting threats from up there. If you’ve got guts, come down and fight us!”

“Exactly!”

“If we had learned witchcraft, instead of being mere mortals who can only throw stones, we'd have flown up there already!”

“Come down, I’ll kick your ass!”

“I’ve never chickened out of a schoolyard fight!”

Fortunately, their otherworldly language was also unintelligible to the natives due to the language barrier; otherwise, it would have greatly diminished the evil god’s image.

“Very well then, let me show you what true divine magic is.”

Boom—

In the Land of the Gods in the sky, a hazy light surged, and a resonant, majestic voice pierced through the clouds, spreading across the land.

In the courtyard, Xu Zhi, having uttered his harsh words, simply put down the apple in his hand.

“Still dare to rebel?”

He chuckled and shook his head,

“You players are truly getting too arrogant. You don’t know how powerful the native gods of other worlds are, or the Land of the Gods in the sky! Very well, then I shall show you the price of defying a god.”

Under the astonished and bewildered gaze of the populace in the Royal Capital of Babylon and the players, Xu Zhi calmly and secretly muttered five words to himself:

“Grand Disconnect Technique!”

The next second, with a sudden rumble, holy light flashed, the world fell silent, and the wind and clouds calmed.

All the players instantly saw a black screen: ?????

Boom!

The enormous evil god completely lost control; its body exploded, cracked, and collapsed.

Its skin, bones, and flesh peeled off layer by layer, raising countless clouds of dust into the sky, creating an utterly terrifying spectacle.

Countless players went offline, distraught, and quickly posted on the forums.

“Did we suddenly get a black screen?”

“Is it a game bug? Did we get disconnected?”

“Holy cow! I’m so mad! So mad! Drag out that bastard planner for sacrifice!”

“It can’t be a game bug forcing us offline! This game never has bugs. It must be that Hermes, the God of Wisdom, used some terrifying divine magic that caused us to have a black screen, just like when the slimes were stunned.”

“So it wasn’t a forced logout due to a bug?”

“I thought that bastard planner was messing with us!”

“Damn, what terrifying divine magic! As expected of the legendary Hermes, God of Wisdom!”

“We must have been knocked out by a single move!”

Boom, boom, boom!

The terrifying scene of collapse was like an apocalypse, a mountain flood, or a tsunami descending.

A colossal giant, six thousand *zhang* tall, heavily collapsed and disintegrated, like building blocks made of stone.

It was at this exact moment, the instant of its collapse, that the people of Babylon dared to open their eyes and witness the true form of this vast, otherworldly evil god that had pierced the clouds, impossible to look at directly or hear its voice.