Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 548 The Play of Falling Souls
The sparrow's shadow captivates the soul, not by bewitching the body, but by bewitching the heart.

—From *Zi Bu Yu* (The Book of What the Master Did Not Discuss), specifically the section on "The Fallen Soul"

The fog is getting thicker and thicker.

The thick, grayish-white fog clung to the ground, winding its way up to their feet inch by inch.

Like the tide, and like living fingers.

Si Ming and his group ran desperately, their footsteps echoing through the empty streets.

The tall building stood like a tombstone, with all the windows on both sides sealed off.
Only the occasional shard of glass reflected a faint, deathly light.

They didn't know how long they had been running.

Fog behind, fog in front,
The road beneath our feet seemed to have no end.

Selene carried the unconscious guild member on her back.
Although his breathing was steady, cold sweat had already beaded on his forehead.

Her red eyes gleamed faintly in the mist.

"They didn't catch up?" she asked breathlessly.

"You're wrong." Si Ming's voice came from ahead, as cold as iron.

"They were always behind."

"what?"

Roland turned around abruptly.

At the edge of the fog, three red figures slowly emerged.

The distance was just right, neither too far nor too near.

They were neither fast nor slow.

And so it followed at an almost constant speed.

The laughter came again.

"Hehe...hehe...hehe."

The voice was soft and eerie, like someone humming a lullaby in the fog.

Roland gritted his teeth: "They're playing us."

"Playing with prey," Si Ming replied coldly.

"What they want is not to hunt, but fear."

A sudden gust of wind arose, and shadows swayed in the fog.

The three red figures seemed to be getting closer.

Celian gritted her teeth, her lips turning pale: "Siming, this isn't working!"

"Keep your distance," he whispered. "Don't turn around!"

"I've had enough!"

Roland abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, his face so dark it was almost distorted.

"I am the embodiment of the Star Calamity—the plague,"

I'm not some useless coward who had to run for my life from a mere female ghost!

He slung his backpack aside and pulled out several mysterious cards from his waist.

"I'll go and have a go at them."

"Roland, no!" Si Ming had just called out.

It's too late.

Roland raised his hand, and the Mysterious Card burned in his palm.

A greenish-black light spread out from beneath his feet.

The air was instantly corroded by the toxic fog.

Blood mist and poison mist churned together.

The two colors of gas intertwined around him, creating a storm.

He laughed loudly, his voice filled with a frenzied catharsis.

"Come on! I want to see if you can get through the plague!"

The fog rolled in.

The poisonous wind whipped up the ashes on the ground, making them writhe in the air like a snake.

Si Ming frowned: "Roland, be careful! Step back!"

"It's nothing!" Roland turned around and grinned.
"I'll turn even their souls to ashes!"

Before he could finish speaking,

The fog moved.

Three red figures looked up at the same time.

Their pace did not quicken.
But in an instant—they reached the edge of the poisonous fog.

Blood and mist mingled.

The red-clad figure bloomed like a flower amidst the poisonous gas.

Their bodies were not corroded.

Instead, it became even brighter in the black fog.

Roland's smile froze.

"How...how is it possible?"

He took a step back,
But the woman in red was already in front of him.

"I've found you."

The sound was like a dream.

A pair of pale hands emerged from the mist and wrapped around his neck.

It felt cold to the touch, yet had a sticky texture.

The poisonous mist swirled around their bodies, only to be gradually absorbed away.

It blends into their skirts.

Roland's figure quickly blurred.

The blood mist and poisonous mist mingled together, churning and engulfing each other.

“Roland!” Celian exclaimed.

In the fog, only his short, labored breaths remained.

"I...will not lose to you...!"

The words stopped abruptly.

The wind is still.

Siming and Selian's gazes froze simultaneously.

They saw—the spot where Roland had originally stood.

Only a swirling cloud of gray mist remained.

There was nothing in the center of the fog.

The three female ghosts reappeared.

Standing side by side.

Their heads turned to one side at the same time.
The corners of their mouths curved in the same arc.

"First."

The sound was as soft as a breeze.

"Round 1."

After they finished speaking, they all looked up at the same time.

Silently, they walked back towards Si Ming and Selene.

The fog had become even darker.

The light from the streetlights was swallowed up, leaving only a pale red glow.

Selene felt a chill run down her spine, and her throat tightened: "They're taking a headcount."

Si Ming's expression was gloomy.

"It's the rules of the game."

He raised his hand, and the chessboard pattern unfolded beneath his feet.

"They've started the next round."

"what!!!"

That scream sounded like it was being torn apart from the clouds.

Siming and Selian looked up at the same time.

Above the fog, a figure was falling rapidly.

That's Roland.

His body rolled around, as if he had been thrown down from the sky by an unseen hand.

The wind howled in his ears, and the arc of his fall tore a pale white line through the night.

Siming reacted almost instantly.

"Illusory Chessboard—Unfold!"

The chess-like light spread out from beneath his feet, with white and black squares extending outwards.

The air began to collapse, and space was stretched.

The God of Fate supported himself with one hand on the ground and whispered the command:

"Coordinates have decreased! By thirty degrees."

The grid lines on the edge of the chessboard suddenly lit up.
The world seemed to have been folded downwards.

Next second,
"boom!"

Roland crashed heavily onto the street.

Dust and gravel flew everywhere.
The barrier erected by the God of Fate weakened the impact by two-thirds.
But the shock still caused half of his body to sink into the ground.

Selene rushed over, braced herself with her elbow, and dragged Roland out of the pit.

"Damn it...you're badly injured!"

Roland's breathing was intermittent, and his chest was sunken.

Si Ming squatted down and looked at the bones in his chest, noticing that several of them were broken.

"He's not dead," he said calmly. "He can still be saved."

Roland gave a strained smile.
His mouth was covered in blood.

"I'm alive... thanks to your chessboard. Otherwise... I'd be mincemeat."

Roland tore open his coat and conjured a plague injection from chanting cryptic words.

"Damn it, I really don't want to use this."

"Heh..." Roland made a few sarcastic remarks, then gritted his teeth and pushed the medicine into his body.

As the medicine was injected, a shimmering light appeared in the blood.

His body twitched slightly, and fine blood bubbles appeared at the wound.
Then, the bones gradually returned to their original positions.

A few minutes later, Roland struggled to sit up.

"It hurts so much... but I can still move."

Si Ming didn't speak, but just looked up in the direction of the fog.

The three red figures are still there.

They weren't in a hurry to get closer.

It just floated there, as if waiting.

Roland wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gave a bitter smile.

"It doesn't chase, it plays."

Celian frowned: "What do you mean?"

“I see it, the rules of the game,” he gasped. “They’re not meant to kill, they’re meant to make people fall.”

The moment they touch you, you'll be 'taken to the rooftop'.

No matter how far you hide, you will fall.

Running won't help.

Selene's face darkened: "Then how about we fight?"

My summoned blood servants can't touch them, and Roland's poison mist has no effect.

Roland shrugged with a wry smile: "Yes, we can't fight them."

The wind around us began to turn cool.

The mist writhed around their feet like living things.

It was as if I was listening to their conversation.

Si Ming did not respond immediately.

He looked down at the shattered chessboard beneath Roland.

The lines of white and black are constantly being rearranged.

It was as if the whole world was being "watched" by those three red figures.

“Escape is futile,” Si Ming murmured.

He looked up, his eyes becoming deep.

"They are the 'fallen souls' of Queyin, fallen by the rules of the game ordained by fate."

Selene looked at him and said, "What can we do? We can't fight back, and we can't run away."

Si Ming looked up, staring at the red mist in the distance.

"A talisman."

He uttered those two words.

"Only a talisman can break the spell."

Roland frowned: "But where would we find such a talisman? We don't even know what it is."

"There will be some eventually." Si Ming's gaze swept over the ruins at the street corner.

His gaze was calm yet sharp.

“Every altar has a protective object.”

Those are the rules, that's 'order'.

He pointed forward.

"Serian, take the wounded away and find a place to take shelter."

Roland, you and I will split up and search for the treasure.

Roland wiped away the blood, stood up with a wry smile.

"Okay, but let me make this clear first,"
If that thing pulls me up again,
You'll have to save me again.

Si Ming didn't laugh, but simply said:

"Try not to get touched."

Roland opened his mouth, then sighed, "That's fucking useful advice."

As she adjusted her position, Celian held the unconscious guild member tightly in her arms.

"You two be careful."

If you find a clue, send a signal—I can see it.

Si Ming nodded and raised his hand.

The checkerboard pattern was laid out again, and the black and white light spread across the street like a tide.

He watched the approaching red figure.

His eyes moved slightly.

"Walk."

Roland faces left, and Fate faces right.

The blood mist spread between them, forming a red curtain.
It divided the street.

Behind them, three female ghosts still floated slowly.

They didn't chase after them.
Just watch quietly.

The wind blew, and their red dresses billowed.

A female ghost slightly parted her lips.

It uttered a barely audible murmur:

"The second round of the game... is about to begin."

Even the air carried a damp, sweet, and fishy smell.
It felt like breathing in a giant graveyard.

Si Ming and Roland parted ways.

The light from the black and white checkerboard splits into two extending roads on either side of the street.

Every road is extending and twisting.
It adjusts its direction like a living thing.

Selene remained where she was, carrying the unconscious guild member.
Bloodwing half-spread, eyes fixed on the depths of the fog.

She could hear whispers.

Someone whispered words she couldn't understand in her ear.

It looks like they're counting.

"one two Three……"

She gasped.

He gripped the mysterious card tightly in his hand.

On the side of the God of Fate.

He ran all the way.

The chessboard beneath your feet extends continuously, forming a continuous passage.

He tried to find any possible "suppressing objects" in this misty ruin.

On both sides of the street,

Abandoned buildings loomed in and out of view in the fog.

Broken light signs, collapsed billboards, shattered idols,

They all look like repetitive backgrounds.

Si Ming walked through an old teahouse,
Turn over the incense burner on the table,

Lift the carpet,

I opened the cabinet door—but nothing happened.

There was no mysterious light that triggered it.

There was no vibration notification from the system.

Everything was deathly silent.

He reached out and touched the teacup on the table.

My fingertips were icy cold. In that instant, the mist seemed to draw closer again.

He turned around.

That ghostly figure reappeared at some unknown time.

The distance remains the same.

Not too far, not too close.

Siming's breath hitched.

He stopped and stared at them.

"...You never left at all."

The female ghost slowly raised her head.

The red dress swayed in the mist.
Laughter was like the wind passing through a bamboo flute.

"Got you."

The words fell,

The space in front of Si Ming suddenly collapsed.

The world has changed.

The ground beneath his feet turned into a blank gray.

The sound of wind suddenly surged in.

The tinnitus was mixed with a woman's sobs.

"Why don't you believe me... You clearly said forever."

Rooftop.

He was standing on the rooftop of a building.
The surrounding cities were swallowed by fog.
There was no light underfoot.

Only nothingness.

Si Ming frowned, his eyes remaining calm.

He turned around.

The female ghost was standing right behind him.

Her hair fell to her chest.

Her face was covered by a red veil.

Arms are bent backwards and extended from the sides of the body.
Strands of blood trailed from his fingertips.

She looked up, her voice soft, almost like a laugh:
"It's time to fall."

The God of Fate took half a step back.

The wind ruffled his coat.

He understood that this was the core rule of "Sparrow Yin Soul".

Not killing,
It means falling.

Once you're caught up in this illusion...
The only way out is to "fall".

His gaze sharpened, and he took a deep breath.

"...Then let it fall."

The female ghost paused for a moment, then her smile deepened.

"very good."

She held out her hand.

Cold fingertips gently touched his chest.

Gravity caused it to collapse instantly.

fall.

The wind brushed past my ear.

Urban transformation

The floors receded one by one.

Siming's body plummeted rapidly through the air.
The fog trailed a long tail behind him.

The airflow entered the ears, producing a low buzzing sound.

The line of sight is constantly stretching.
The sky, buildings, and streetlights were all stretched into thin beams of light.

At the very end of that light,

He suddenly saw,
A blurry black shadow.

Hanging in mid-air.

It looks like a bird, or a tattered piece of cloth being blown up and down by the wind.

It trembled gently in the wind.

It seemed as if a pair of extremely thin claws were gripping something tightly.

Si Ming's brow twitched slightly.
The shadow flashed by.
As if it never appeared.

A sudden tightness gripped his heart, and he instinctively raised his hand.

I wanted to catch that faint black afterimage.

But the wind was too strong.
The fog is too thick.

Only his fingertips cut through the air.

I didn't touch anything.

He didn't panic.

I simply closed my eyes and moved my fingertips slightly.

"On the illusory chessboard, the king makes his move."

Light instantly spread around him.

Black and white squares appeared in mid-air, like floating wings.

"Falsehoods and lies, misplaced destiny."

The sound of the wind was interrupted.

Space has become misaligned.

He fell and split in two in mid-air.

The white light split open.

One of the celestial beings continued to fall downwards.
And another shadow of the Fate Master,

It slowly takes shape on a white king chess piece on the ground.

"boom!"

The chess piece exploded into dust.

The shaman on the ground opened his eyes.

He leaned against the wall at the street corner.

His chest heaved violently, and his fingers trembled slightly.

He looked up.

In the mist, the dark shape seemed to flicker again in the distance.
It was then swallowed up by the night.

Si Ming's brow twitched slightly.

“…What is that?”

The wind blew by, leaving nothing behind.

The rooftop was deserted.

The crimson shadow vanished, leaving only a wisp of blood mist.

The God of Fate murmured softly:

"The rule...falling is a fixed event."

He stood up,

He wiped away a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.

The chessboard is unfolded again.

Like a spreading wisp of light.

"and so,
To break it
We need to break her rules.

His eyes lit up briefly in the mist.
The corners of his mouth rose slightly.

In the distance, the faint sound of Selene's shouts could be heard carried on the wind.

The God of Fate looked up, turned around,
Once again, I stepped into that thick fog.

The fog, like a sea, rolled through every corner of the ruined neighborhood.

The God of Fate's aura was disordered, his footsteps treading on the chessboard, white and black light flickering uncertainly around his feet.

He stumbled out of the alley and saw Celian carrying the unconscious union member, struggling to back away.

“Serian!”

She turned around, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, which turned into joy the next second.

"you are still alive!"

“For now.” Si Ming took a breath and answered coldly, “The rules they play are not enough to kill me.”

Selene paused, before she could even ask the question,
A cool breeze swept between the two of them.

Three red figures emerged from the mist.

They no longer pretended; their bodies were almost transparent.

A smile bloomed on that pale face.

The laughter mingled together, like torn threads.

The sounds pierced my ears.

"We've got you."

"The second one, the second round."

The sounds rose and fell, like the echo of a pendulum.

Selene clenched her fist, and her blood wings unfurled.

"I'll block it!"

"Don't move!" Siming shouted, and the chessboard-like patterns rapidly spread across the ground.

Three female ghosts simultaneously stretched out their hands.
Slender fingertips brushed lightly through the air.

Selene felt her body stiffen.
A chilling sensation crept up my spine and up my head.

A hand pressed down on her from behind her shoulder.

"It's time to fall."

Sima Yi reached out his hand at almost the same time.
"The Illusory Corridor! The Misplaced Substitute!"

The light flashed, and the chessboard shattered with a "crackling" sound.

A Queen's chess piece rose from the void.

It hung above Selene's head.

Her body suddenly disappeared.

At the same time, a scream came from the sky.

A blood-red figure plummeted from the sky—

That was Celian's illusion.

The chess piece exploded.

Si Ming reached out and pulled, and Selian reappeared beside him.
The two staggered backward at the same time.

The Queen's Chess pieces on the ground crumbled into white powder.

Before Selene could catch her breath, she roared, "Damn it!"

The God of Fate did not answer, but only looked up ahead.

The three female ghosts have stopped again.

They glided forward slowly.

The red dress trailed on the ground, like she was walking through a silent wedding.

Roland ran back from the other side.
He still had an unhealed wound on his shoulder.

"Have you found the talisman?" Siming asked.

Roland shook his head, his expression grave.

There's nothing there. This area is like it's been sealed off.

Even the mysterious reactions were blocked.

The laughter of the three female ghosts rang out again.

The sounds overlapped and resonated.
Getting closer.

Selene whispered, "What do we do?"

Si Ming's gaze shifted between the female ghosts.

Suddenly, he chuckled softly.

"The most dangerous place,"

Selene paused, then asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"That is where the talisman is located."

He raised his head, his eyes cold and indifferent.

“We’ve been on the run, but they’ve never left.”

"The talisman is with them."

Roland's pupils contracted slightly: "You wouldn't be thinking of...?"

The God of Fate had already walked forward.

Serian panicked and grabbed his sleeve.

"Are you crazy? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

He turned around and smiled slightly at her.
That smile was so calm it sent chills down your spine.

"Don't be afraid."

"Watch me perform magic."

He let go of her hand.

The light on the chessboard shone again.

Black and white checkered lines spread out beneath his feet like a tide.

The three female ghosts stopped at the same time.

Their heads were tilted slightly to one side.
It was as if they were "watching" him.

Si Ming raised his hand,
White light flowed along my fingertips.

"The rule of falling is to fall, so let me fall."

After saying that, he stepped onto the broken railing.

The wind was blowing up from below.
It carried the chill of death.

Looking at the gradually approaching female ghost in front of him, Si Ming raised his arm, slowly made a middle finger gesture, and then leaned back with a smile.

fall.

His body swept through the air.

Long hair and coat fluttered in the wind.

The gray fog left a white line behind him.

In the instant of his fall, he saw it.

mid-air,
There is a power line that crosses the street.

The power line swayed, and a sparrow was perched on it.

It was entirely black, with reddish eyes.

The claws gripped the wire tightly.

It had a charred piece of paper talisman in its mouth.

Si Ming's lips curled up.

"found it."

He stretched out his hand, his fingertips flashing with chess patterns.

"On the illusory chessboard, the pawn makes its move!"

The chessboard pattern exploded in mid-air.

The light spread out behind him.

Like wings.

He grabbed the ghostly sparrow.

Meanwhile, in another space,

A soldier piece fell to the ground.

Shattered.

The exchange between the virtual and the real has been completed.

Si Ming landed steadily on the spot.
The ghost sparrow struggled frantically in the palm of his hand.

Its wings flapped with a piercing sound.

Gray smoke emanated from his body.

He looked down at the ghostly sparrow.

Laughed.

"It's time for me to take the stage."

The three female ghosts in the distance paused simultaneously.
The laughter stopped abruptly.

Their eyes gleamed beneath the black veil.
No further progress.

The wind died down.

The fog seemed to have been paused by some force.

The whole world froze for a moment.

Si Ming raised his hand and lifted the ghost sparrow.

The ghost sparrow's crimson eyes trembled in his palm.
Feathers fell off one by one.

Transformed into points of light.

And behind him,
The three female ghosts slowly lowered their heads.
The red dress fell silently in the wind.

The situation has reversed.

Those who fall will fall, and those who leap will rise.

Only by understanding the path to death can one attain the opportunity for ascension.

—From *Zi Bu Yu* (The Master Did Not Discuss), Chapter on Sparrow Shade

(End of this chapter)