Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 542 White Robes and Firelight

There are three types of altars: small ones are for suppressing evil spirits, medium ones for calming the spirit, and high ones for soothing the soul. Ghosts must not be killed, but only suppressed with objects; altars must not be disorderly arranged, otherwise disaster will occur.

—From *Zi Bu Yu* (The Master Did Not Speak Of), Chapter on "Suppressing the Altar"

Night once again enveloped the ruins of Snail Shell Alley.

The air still smelled of burning fungi, the ground was damp, and fog was slowly receding.

Si Ming, Selian, and three surviving members of the Mystic Guild sat around a pile of burnt-out ashes, sparks flickering in the wind.

Their leader spoke first: "We are from the 'Polar Day Branch' of the Mystic Guild. I am Roland, the Cataclysm, codenamed Plague Avatar."

His tone was calm, like a doctor taking medical records.

"The two of them are Chen Shi, the 'Star Orbit Reverser'. Lei Qun, the 'World-Shattering Calamity Master'."

Lei Qun was a burly man with several bloody marks on his face. He was cleaning his weapons while looking up.
"Originally there were seven of us, but we never expected that only three of us would make it out alive."

Roland continued, "Our task was to conduct preliminary reconnaissance, find out the rules of how the instance works, and provide intelligence to other teams in the guild. Unfortunately..."

He gave a wry smile. "There's something in the instance that's worse than the rules."

Celian tilted her head: "You mean that old ghost?"

“It’s not a ghost,” Roland shook his head, his gaze shifting to the white misty forest outside the window. “It’s a person.”

A faint hissing sound suddenly came from the ground. The fog began to thicken, and a layer of white mycelium appeared on the wall, spreading upwards along the metal sheet.

Roland's face darkened: "They're here."

He raised his hand, signaling everyone to step back, and then pulled out a metal nozzle.

The nozzle emitted a pale white gas, which froze the mycelium like a cold mist.

"Don't move, this is a fungal blockage. Someone is closing the door."

Celian frowned: "The mechanics of the dungeon?"

“No.” Roland’s voice was cold. “The dungeon isn’t that smart.”

As he controlled the sprayer, he whispered, "We met up with other teams at the ruins of the ancestral hall that day, and then we were attacked. A group of people dressed in white came down from the sky and cleared the area."

Si Ming's eyes flickered: "White robes?"

“That’s right, research suits, all white. The emblem on the chest reads ‘Umbrella Corporation.’” Roland’s eyes deepened. “Their motto is ‘Cleanliness and Control.’”

The fog is still moving.

Chen walked to the door, took out a transparent crystal instrument, and the instrument emitted a slight hum.

He whispered, "I'll show you for three seconds."

Si Ming raised an eyebrow: "What three seconds?"

"The past three seconds."

He raised the instrument, and the air distorted around his hand. Dust from the alleyway flew backward, footprints reversed and returned to their original positions, and a thin mist condensed into images.

That was a fragment of time that remained.

In the video, a group of people wearing white protective suits walk in unison through the ruins of an ancestral hall.

Each person carried a sampler and had a gun on their shoulder, like a scientific research armed team.

Walking at the very front was a woman.

She stopped and turned around, her black hair slipping down from the hood.

Only one glance—amber pupils gleaming with green light, as cold as glass.

Her lips moved, and her voice, transmitted through her instrument panel, carried an almost gentle coldness:

"Protective Umbrella, clear the area. Lock down the entire instance and hunt down non-members. Gluttonous Beasts."

The screen flickered and then collapsed.

Chen Shi took a breath and put down the instrument: "That's all we can see. The time period is too far back, and the data is messy."

Selene frowned: "Who is that woman?"

Chen Shi looked at Si Ming and said in a low voice, "She calls herself Miranda."

He paused, then added, "The voice was like a knife, very cold."

Roland added, "They're all Aberrant Beast Kings from Planetary Cataclysm. That fungal wall was their doing. We're not dealing with dungeon monsters, we're dealing with living people."

Si Ming suddenly had a playing card in his hand, which he twirled gently between his fingers.

“The hunting grounds,” he said softly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Lei Qun, who was usually taciturn, raised his head and said in a low voice, "I saw the traces they left in the ancestral hall. Our union's emblem was stuck in the fungal roots."

A "crack" sounded from the fire. No one spoke.

Selene's gaze turned cold, and she said in a flat tone, "So, they're hunting everyone down?"

“That’s right.” Roland nodded. “They want to monopolize the dungeon, control the loot, and block information. Their target is the Supreme Card, ‘Gluttony’.”

Si Ming paused, and the playing cards stopped in his hand.

He smiled, but his expression was as cold as fog.

"It seems they have quite an appetite."

The air vibrated again.

Roland frowned and looked outside: "The fungal reaction is enhanced... the reconnaissance device has arrived."

Everyone crouched low and peered out through the cracks in the window.

A white mechanical bee streaked across the sky, its tail flashing as it scanned the ground.

Those were Umbrella's unmanned reconnaissance bees. The light swept across the iron house, paused for two seconds, and then flew away.

No one spoke until the light completely disappeared.

Si Ming placed the playing cards on the edge of the table and tapped them lightly twice with his fingertips.

“Here, we don’t even have the right to whisper.”

He stood up, his expression indifferent.

"The feeling of being watched."

Outside, the wind blows, and the shadow of fungi sways on the wall like an invisible hand.

The night was deeper.

In the small clearing behind the tin shack, there was a pile of burning wood. The firelight cast flickering shadows on everyone's faces.

Roland spread a crumpled hand-drawn map on the ground and gestured with a piece of wood.

"We're here to create a dungeon guide for our guild members," he said.

"The rules we've figured out so far are roughly like this."

He pointed to several circles drawn on the map: ancestral hall, crossroads, river bend, and cemetery.

"There are three types of altars in the dungeon: small altars, seven-spirit altars, and three-soul altars. You progress from the outside in, layer by layer."

Lei Qun added, "The outer ring consists of small altars, which are low-level world points. Each time you break one, you can get a 'world-type item card'."

“Similar to the ‘Secluded Dharma Altar’ you just received.” Roland glanced at Siming.

Si Ming touched the card in his sleeve: "Consider it a reward, right?"

“Yes.” Roland nodded. “The cards dropped from the small altar are not bound; they’re gone once they’re used. But in dungeons, they can be lifesavers.”

He paused, his tone becoming serious: "Further inside are the Seven Souls Altar and the Three Souls Altar. We speculate that this is the main objective of the dungeon."

Selene rested her chin on her hand: "Sounds a lot like level levels."

Roland smiled and said, "It's something like that. But the rules are stricter. You can't kill ghosts unless you bring a corresponding talisman."

"A talisman?" Siming raised an eyebrow. "Equipment?"

“I suppose so.” Lei Qun pulled a string of cloth rope from his pouch, with several copper pieces and talismans wrapped around it. “Like this. It’s called the Broken Observation Talisman Rope.”

He tossed the rope over his shoulder, and it flew to the fire.

Just then, the shadows of the trees nearby began to sway.

A shadow flickered, revealing a blurry face—eyeless, with only two empty black pits. It stared at the people outside the firelight, as if spying.

Selene stood up, her fingertips gleaming with blood: "I'll go clean it up."

"Wait a minute." Si Ming stopped her.

He took the talisman rope from Lei Qun, tied the string of talismans to the torch, and then stuck the torch into the ground.

As the firelight flickered, the ghostly figure let out a low wail the moment it approached.

The talisman burned brightly, as if triggering some kind of "rule judgment." The ghostly figure twitched twice, then turned and retreated back into the darkness.

Roland smiled and said, "The talisman is not a weapon; it is not meant to kill. Ghosts and monsters follow the rules and will retreat once they recognize who can overcome them."

"It's a bit like a 'mechanics solution' for dungeons." Si Ming nodded.

Roland drew another line on the map: "Order is also important. We discovered..."

"First, attack the small altar, then the Seven Souls Altar, and finally the Three Souls Altar. If the order is wrong, something bad will happen."

Celian blinked: "What is it?"

Lei Qun answered decisively: "Red mist, monster rampage, map refresh, total wipeout."

“That sounds like a bug in the game,” Celian said, pursing her lips.

Roland smiled helplessly: "We tried it once, and two of them did die. We later learned that this place is supposed to be 'the soul comes first, the spirit comes second,' the order is reversed."

Chen Shi looked up and added, "The three souls are the nodes of a high-level barrier, while the seven spirits are the supporting layers. If the order is wrong, it will cause spatial resonance and trigger a disaster."

Si Ming listened, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Quite interesting. So there's 'modeling logic' in dungeons."

Roland continued to explain, "Each altar has a guardian spirit. You need to find the object that corresponds to its name to break the spirit. For example, the old man with the snail shell that you fought before had a snail shell as its guardian object."

Selene yawned: "So this is a 'puzzle-solving plus monster-fighting' game?"

"Pretty much," Roland sighed, "except that you'll die if you solve the problem wrong."

Lei Qun pulled out a tattered card and handed it to Si Ming: "This is a drop card from the small altar we destroyed before. Take a look."

Si Ming took it; the card was already mottled, and a stone altar pattern was printed on it.

Lei Qun explained: "These types of cards have one common characteristic: they are all-encompassing and can be used all the abilities of the altar at once, without any binding restrictions. Once used, they become grayed out."

Si Ming shook the card: "It's like a consumable." "Yes," Roland said, "It's a life-saving tool, don't use it recklessly. The ancestral hall ruins are even more difficult, let's think of another way before we go there."

The fire crackled.

While warming her hands, Celian casually remarked, "So these items drop at a fixed rate?"

“No.” Lei Qun shook his head. “The area around each altar will randomly spawn a combination of guardian spirits and talismans. To clear it, you have to figure it out yourself.”

Chen sighed: "We were planning to organize the data and send it back, but then those people from Umbrella broke in. All the data was destroyed."

Si Ming whispered, "They've come to steal the Taotie?"

"Most likely." Roland glanced at him. "You're here for that thing too, aren't you?"

Si Ming didn't answer, but casually inserted the card into the card slot in his sleeve.

The firelight dimmed.

The wind blew down from the top of the fog, carrying a slightly fishy and sweet smell.

Chen Shi suddenly shivered, her voice trembling: "She's watching."

Everyone looked up at the same time.

In the shadows of the fog-shrouded peak, a green halo slowly unfolded, like a blinking eye.

It looked at the crowd, turned around, and then disappeared.

Selene's lips twitched: "Could it be that Miranda?"

Roland gritted his teeth: "Her spore network can see us. Let's not stay here."

Si Ming tucked the playing cards in his hand back into his sleeve and said calmly, "She knows what we're talking about."

He stood up and looked at the distant patch of misty light.

Let's go. Next stop.

The flames gradually died down, and the wind blew across the ashes.

At the edge of the fog, something was gently wriggling.

The fog is getting thicker and thicker.

Following Roland's map, they found the ancestral hall deep inside Wangchuan Town.

This place was originally supposed to be the center of the town, but now it's just a pile of collapsed bricks and stones.

The altar collapsed, and the white banner hung in mid-air, spinning in the wind.

There were drag marks, bloodstains, and charred pieces of iron on the ground.

A union badge lay buried under rubble, its emblem stained dark red with blood.

“Our third squad lost signal after we got here.” Roland crouched down, lifted up the rubble, and picked up the arm patch.

The moment he looked up, his expression turned completely somber.

On the door hinge, a piece of white cloth was nailed to the wood.

It has a blue umbrella-shaped pattern printed on it.

Umbrella Company.

“They made a move here,” Lei Qun said coldly.

The floor of the ancestral hall was covered with white mycelium, like a living carpet.

The mycelium is spreading outward little by little, weaving into a dense net, slowly "enveloping" the entire ancestral hall.

Selene looked up at the fungal web: "This thing looks like it's breathing."

Roland stood up, frowning. "Don't come near. That's a sealing barrier. An external sealing barrier."

Chen squatted down and gently touched it with his fingertip.

The next second, with a "bang", the spores exploded, spraying out a cloud of white mist.

Roland pulled him back: "I told you not to touch it! This is a blockade created by an alien cosmic disaster."

Selene clenched her fist: "They really treat the instance as their own territory."

“That’s right,” Si Ming whispered, “They’re setting traps on the hunter’s path.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a low laugh suddenly came from the shadows of the ancestral hall's main gate.

A figure hovered in mid-air—it was a female ghost with a hanging throat.

Her tongue was almost touching the ground, her eyes were vacant, and her mouth was split open to behind her ear.

"Be careful," Chen said through gritted teeth.

Just as Selene was about to rush forward, Si Ming raised his hand to signal her.

Lei Qun took out a small copper bell from his bag and handed it to him: "Silence to suppress evil spirits, effective for three seconds."

The god of destiny took it, bent down and shook it, and the copper bell rolled on the ground into the threshold of the ancestral hall.

"Ding--"

A crisp sound echoed in the air.

The female ghost froze, frozen in place by Lingyin, as if forcibly "paused" by the system.

"Three seconds in the window," Roland reminded him.

The group quickly rushed across the threshold.

As soon as I entered, the ground suddenly shook.

Countless white roots hung down from the ceiling, descending towards them like snakes.

The fungal seal is starting to close!
"Here we go again!" Chen looked up.

Si Ming directly pulled out the "Secluded Altar of Dharma" card from his sleeve.

He flicked it lightly, and the card spun in the air, transforming into a silver-gray halo.

[World-type Low-tier Mystic Card: "Secluded Altar" Activated]

Effect: Creates a small enclosed space of 30 meters, reduces the time flow rate by 60%, and causes the sound to echo three times.

"The altar is set up," Si Ming whispered.

boom--!
A translucent, pale silver barrier opened up, surrounding everyone in the center.

Time seemed to slow down instantly, as if the movements of the fungal roots were being dragged into slow motion.

Roland seized the opportunity to raise his hand and unleash a black and green plague field.

When the white spores come into contact with the black mist he releases, they are gradually "neutralized," much like viruses eating each other.

Lei Qun pulled out the cracked blade and used brute force to smash open the sealing wedge in the stone wall.

"The passage is blocked, I have to—"

Before he could finish speaking, he slammed his fist down, shattering the stone wall into pieces.

Chen's hands flew across the air: "Coordinates will reset in three seconds - reverse path."

Time was briefly reversed, and the cracks in the ground that had been sealed off by spores reopened.

Selene protected the rear, sweeping her blood claws across and severing several falling roots.

It ends in three seconds.

The female ghost let out a low growl, shattered into pieces by the last lingering sound of the bell.

The fungal veil was torn open, revealing the stone path behind it.

The card "Secluded Abode at the Dharma Altar" has turned gray, and the powder is scattered in the wind.

Si Ming reached out and caught a few grains of ash, whispering, "Use it and burn it. The rules are really stingy."

Roland smiled, a hint of weariness in his eyes: "At least we can get through alive."

They continued forward.

As soon as I stepped into the main hall of the ancestral hall, a strange light suddenly illuminated the entire wall.

Dense green mycelium emerged from the wall, eventually coalescing into a semi-transparent woman's face.

Her black hair fell to her shoulders, she wore a white research coat, and a faint smile played on her lips.

Those eerie green eyes were watching them.

“Miranda,” Roland whispered.

The woman's voice was soft yet cold: "You have finally arrived, Lord of Destiny."

Siming looked up: "The one with the Eye of Primordial Chaos?"

Miranda smiled, her voice almost a whisper: "Don't worry, I'll clean up this mess. We'll talk about the ownership of 'Gluttony' later."

Her gaze swept over Celian, her tone like a spell: "May your lives adapt to the new anomaly as quickly as possible."

As the sound faded, all the mycelium on the wall simultaneously contracted into a single point, turning into white powder and dissipating.

The air was quiet for a few seconds.

Roland gave a wry smile: "You saw the projection of yourself, didn't you? Now you know why we retreated."

Si Ming stood in front of the altar, staring at the traces of a small altar covered by a red cloth.

He reached out and lifted the cloth.

All that remained were ashes and a few broken talismans.

He said calmly, "Follow the rules first, then talk about her."

Selene clenched her fist and smiled, saying, "What do we do next?"

Si Ming nodded: "Let's search the area first to see if there are any clues."

The group stepped into the stone path leading to the back hall.

In the corner, the ashes of a small, destroyed altar glowed faintly.
Like a prompt
[Dungeon Progress Update: First Floor Unlocked]

When the spirit is disordered, the body decays; when the soul is disordered, life ends. The solution lies in order, the destruction in substance; one mistake, and the city is shrouded in red mist.

—From *Zi Bu Yu* (The Master Did Not Discuss), Chapter on the Order of the Soul (魄)

(End of this chapter)