The River of the Underworld interrupted him with a sinister chuckle.
“Are you looking down on me, kid, hm?”
“You think I don't know about those black thread fragments in your sea of consciousness? I literally live inside it.”
Chen Zhou's brow furrowed even tighter. “Then you should know the consequences.”
“If I entangle myself with the karma of the Heavenly Tribulation once more, I might truly be targeted by Him—”
“Go ahead and steal it, you have nothing to worry about.” The River of the Underworld's tone suddenly grew firm, much of its usual laziness vanishing.
“You have so much merit, He won't let anything happen to you.”
Chen Zhou: “...”
The River of the Underworld continued to coax him, “Rest assured, your merit is the real deal.”
“Even though He has been asleep for so long, the rules of heaven and earth still stand. You have accumulated seven zhang of merit, so He won't easily let you meet with disaster.”
“Merit is essentially a contract between you and Him.”
Chen Zhou fell silent for a moment.
The River of the Underworld continued, “Besides, although the source of that white pollution is the Heavenly Tribulation, it has long been diluted by countless layers.”
“What you are stealing is a diluted version, so the karma involved isn't that heavy.”
Chen Zhou was still somewhat hesitant.
He looked up, gazing at the two dark glints of light in the depths of the water. “How long?”
“Hm?”
“How long can I steal it for?” Chen Zhou asked.
“The gap in our ranks is clear. The duration of the Xuandu Ghost Decree's theft depends on the difference in our ranks.”
“What's the maximum time I can maintain it?”
The River of the Underworld thought for a moment. “A few breaths.”
“Exactly how long depends on whether you can withstand that thing once you steal it.”
“What can I do in just a few breaths?”
“You can do plenty of things.”
“Don't overthink it, young man. Hesitation is defeat!”
Chen Zhou did not answer immediately.
He was weighing his options.
The River of the Underworld made a valid point. In their current state, they couldn't defeat the Fate Officer. Even if they fought with everything they had, they wouldn't gain any advantage.
But if he could steal the Tears of Heavenly Weeping, even if only for a few breaths, it would deal a substantial blow to the enemy and buy them more time.
But the price was that he would have to face the gaze of the Heavenly Tribulation once more.
Chen Zhou closed his eyes, images of the black thread fragments running rampant flashing through his mind.
Pain.
Coldness.
Suffocation.
And that invisible hand descending from the highest heavens.
The River of the Underworld seemed to see through his hesitation. It chuckled and said, “You are, after all, the future Lord of the River of the Underworld.”
“Though you aren't worthy of the title yet, you will definitely be the one to rule the entire Underworld in the future. Would I ever set you up to fail?”
Chen Zhou opened his eyes.
The two dark glints of light in the depths of the water watched him quietly, like two eternal, unchanging crescent moons.
“Go forth with courage and confidence! Don't back down, young man!”
As soon as the River of the Underworld finished speaking, a massive upward thrust surged from the depths of the water, violently pushing Chen Zhou's consciousness upward.
The darkness rapidly receded, and the sound of cold, rushing water faded away as his mind was forcefully propelled out of the River of the Underworld's space.
He opened his eyes.
Only an instant had passed in the outside world.
Another white earthen arrow had just been shot from the distance. Its piercing whistle still echoed in the air, and it was less than ten zhang away from him.
Plague Rat was standing in front of him, charging recklessly toward the group of weeping puppets.
Chen Zhou had almost no time to think.
He suddenly reached out, grabbed Plague Rat by the tail, and violently flung him backward.
“Yipe—!”
Plague Rat was sent flying, doing a flip in the air before crashing right next to Hong Xiu's feet.
The white arrow grazed the spot where Plague Rat had been standing a moment ago, embedding itself in the ruins and exploding into a massive crater.
Chen Zhou did not pause.
He immediately deactivated his Bone Incarnation. His grayish-white Ghost Domain enveloped Jian Huaishuang as he swiftly retreated, landing beside Hong Xiu.
With that done, Chen Zhou took out the Xuandu Ghost Decree.
The black decree settled into his palm, feeling cold and heavy, its dull luster faintly shifting under the gloomy sky.
Chen Zhou took a deep breath and channeled the Source of Divine Power within his body.
A grayish-white aura surged from the depths of his godhead, pouring into the Xuandu Ghost Decree. The patterns on the decree lit up one by one, emitting a low, resonant hum.
【The gifted are those favored by heaven and earth. Some are born with knowledge, some learn and comprehend, and some break through when cornered.】
【The holder of this decree can consume one portion of the Source of Divine Power to steal any single ability from an enemy target, up to the level of divine techniques.】
【Upon a successful theft, the original owner will lose the stolen ability. The stolen ability will persist for a duration determined by the original owner's mastery of their own ability and the difference in status between both parties.】
【Note: Only one ability can be stolen at a time. The target must be within the user's line of sight, and the target's ability cannot exceed the limit of the holder's own status.】
Chen Zhou's consciousness was elevated by the ghost decree, breaking through the confinement of the gray membrane and soaring into a vast starry sky.
This time, he had a clear target.
He knew exactly what he was looking for.
His consciousness transformed into a streak of light, weaving through the stars and passing countless dim starlights as it flew straight toward the star radiating a pale white glow.
The Heavenly Weeping Star.
The star was located extremely deep within the cosmos, hidden at the very edge of the sea of stars. It was surrounded by a grayish-white halo, within which the vague silhouettes of countless weeping figures could be seen.
The moment Chen Zhou's consciousness touched that star, an indescribable wave of grief surged into his heart, shaking his entire divine soul.
Clenching his teeth, he turned his burning Source of Divine Power into a tempestuous force that poured into his hand. His consciousness coalesced into a giant hand, which tightly gripped the thickest and brightest line of light on the outer layer of the star.
It was the very rule thread the Fate Officer had used earlier to unleash the white rain.
“Come here!”
The giant hand yanked violently.
The thread shuddered violently, and the grayish-white halo on the surface of the Heavenly Weeping Star surged tempestuously. In that instant, the Fate Officer sensed something was wrong.
His faceless head snapped toward Chen Zhou's direction, the slit of his mouth tightening for the first time into an expression of sheer shock.
“You—”
Chen Zhou did not give him any time to react.
The Source of Divine Power burned frantically, draining almost all the death qi stored in the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm and pouring it all into the giant hand.
The giant hand clenched tightly once more.
The rule threads on the surface of the Heavenly Weeping Star were peeled off inch by inch. The thickest and brightest line of light struggled fiercely in his palm for a moment before being completely ripped away from the star.
Chen Zhou's consciousness snapped back into his physical body.
He opened his eyes abruptly, holding a ball of pale white light in his hand.
The light emitted a bone-chilling cold in his palm, and a wave of deep grief surged from it, causing his entire body to shudder.
At the same time, a notification lit up on his system panel:
【Theft Successful】
【You have obtained the temporary ability: Tears of Heavenly Weeping】
【Duration: Ten breaths】
【Tears of Heavenly Weeping: Allows the user to summon the rain of Heavenly Weeping, covering a large area. The rain contains the power of Heavenly Weeping, which can erode all living entities not of the user's faction and disrupt the target's emotions, plunging them into a state of profound grief.】
【Note: This is a temporary ability and will automatically disappear after the duration ends.】
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