Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 555 The Flower Hunting Ground

"The difference between hunter and prey lies in who enjoys the game."

In the disaster-stricken areas, even fate is merely a part of the pollen.

—From the "Supplement to the Book of Light Erosion: The Chapter on Mad Flowers"

The gray sky was as clean as if it had been washed with water, but there was no sunlight.

The square is a forgotten stage—the surrounding eaves are like departing audience members, and only the statue in the center, half-buried in vines, still tries its best to maintain its posture.

A breeze swept in from afar, carrying the scent of pollen and old ashes, causing the rose petals in the cracks of the stone slabs to tremble gently.

Si Ming slowly walked up the steps, his footsteps echoing in the open space, the sound swallowed by the four walls and then pulled back by the wind.

He didn't rush to hide, nor did he look back in the direction behind him.

He reached into his inner pocket and his fingertips touched the familiar pocket watch—the metal was worn smooth, and there was a thin crack on the surface, but it still retained warmth in his palm.

He took out his pocket watch, the hands of which stopped on a static number, like a bet that had already been settled.

He glanced at the sky, a smile curving his lips as if he were joking with himself: "This must be the best place, Natasha?"

The sound was soft, yet amplified into an echo by the vast emptiness. Then he closed his pocket watch, tucked it back into his chest, and stood calmly beneath the statue half-hidden by vines, as if waiting for some important appointment.

The sea of ​​flowers stirred. Her voice arrived first—not in front of me, yet as if right next to my ear.

The voice was soft and elegant, with a hint of amusement: "Oh? The Lord of Fate actually came to the square to wait for death?"

She appeared without haste, and roses grew in abundance at her feet like a tide.

The white dress was faintly stained with blood powder, and the hem of the skirt between the ground and the flowers looked like a moving flower field embroidered.

Her smile was more radiant than any flower—Miyoko, the bloodthirsty rose, every step she took was fraught with thorns.

Si Ming raised his eyes, his smile containing both wine and the sharpness of a blade. "I'm not here to wait to die. I just want to see if there's a true 'god' in this game. If there is, I want to smash His face."

He spoke of it casually, as if he were ordering afternoon tea.

Miyoko took a step forward, and the roses tumbled at her feet, their petals seeming to respond to his provocation.

"What's the stake?" she asked, her voice as fast as a flower blooming.

"Fate." Si Ming answered without hesitation, the words falling like a trump card, "My fate."

The reply was like a spark falling into a haystack.

A sudden red wind arose, pollen swirled in the air, and the sky above the square seemed to be dyed half red.

Vines sprouted from the cracks in the ground, their blossoms spreading outwards in concentric circles, slowly engulfing sight and distance: the disaster zone opened its doors at her feet, circle after circle, transforming the entire open view into her garden.

Miyoko smiled as if listening to a beautiful song: "What a gamble. Fate, you really know how to pick a place."

There was no threat in her words, only a hint of amusement; but that amusement was enough to make the surrounding roses throng the wind even more passionately.

The God of Fate did not retreat, like the last person to place a bet at a gambling table.

He raised his arm and pulled a stack of playing cards from his waist—the cards had been mysteriously enchanted by him, their metallic edges gleaming coldly in the leaden light.

The first card was flipped up between his fingers, like a small silver knife.

He saw the petals at Miyoko's feet trembling in the wind, like ripples on the sea.

"Let's begin then." He tossed out his cards with a clean and decisive motion, like throwing dice or tossing his last chip.

The playing cards swept through the air, bringing with them a gust of cold wind, cutting straight towards the sea of ​​flowers.

The sea of ​​flowers responded.

Countless rose petals, like blades, exploded and flew out from the disaster area, and the overwhelming rain of petals pressed down on the God of Fate in an invisible order.

The square was instantly shrouded in a red rain curtain, and the light was dyed like freshly cut meat.

He wasn't flustered. His smile grew even more mocking, like a gambler enjoying the thrill of winning their first bet.

The playing cards traced white lines in the red mist, severing several clusters of petals, but before the deeper waves of flowers, they became fragile little boats.

Miyoko approached step by step, each step causing more vines on the ground to stand tall, and each step making the devouring power contained within the disaster area more real.

“You really should change your hairstyle, Miss Rose,” Si Ming said, throwing out his second card with a teasing tone.

"Those concentric circles of flowers look quite suitable as a shawl."

She chuckled, and the petals clustered together to form a giant floral palm, pushing it toward him: "You're quite bold—daring to gamble on my table, daring to gamble on my food. Come and eat, Lord of Destiny."

In the square, red light and gray shadows intertwined. The wind stretched and fragmented their conversation.

The two are like two players facing off in a casino without spectators, the stakes being life itself, and the rules of the game being simultaneously determined by the flower and the knife.

The buds of the disaster zone, circle after circle, enveloped the field of vision into a giant blood-red bowl;

In the center of the bowl, Siming and Miyoko each held their own chips and gazed at each other.

Si Ming threw out the third card, which exploded in the air into a circle of cold light, and the edge of the card flashed with a faint light.

He pressed the pocket watch to his chest, as if pressing a secret code.

Miyoko nodded slightly, as if appreciating a good show, and then took a step into the sea of ​​flowers.

There was neither the sound of battle bells nor the sound of battle bells; only the wind, the flowers, and the breathing of the two gamblers remained.

The smile on Siming's lips was magnified into mockery and folded into resolute determination amidst the rain of petals.

The wind stopped.

The dust on the square was sucked into the cracks in the ground, the stone bricks shook, and a sliver of red light flowed out from the cracks.

The red light crawled along the ground, coiling around the statue's feet like a living thing, and then climbing up the flower petals.

The next second, the whole world took a breath.

The ground collapsed, flowers grew wildly from the blood, and the humidity in the air suddenly soared.

The gray sky was swallowed by the red tide, and the boundary between heaven and earth blurred into one.

The Red Sea rises, and translucent petals ripple like ocean waves.

The dome slowly closed high in the sky—as if guided by some higher will.
The door to the world is closing.

Si Ming looked up, squinted, and chuckled, "Nice venue."

His cuffs trembled slightly.

A stack of silver playing cards flew between his fingers.

The air instantly filled with the whistling sound of metal cutting.

The playing cards flew out quickly.

The flowing light formed a storm.

Silver arcs crisscross,

Each one carries symbols of fate-related energy.

Like a meteor shower tearing through the air.

The petals were torn apart, scattering into flames and ashes.

The sea of ​​flowers rippled.

next moment,
The broken petals closed up in the air and were reborn.

They reconnected.

It was as if nothing had happened.

The sap that seeped from the ground condensed into new flower stems.
Blood throbs in the heart of the flower.

Si Ming let out a soft sigh: "Not bad, the health recovery speed is faster than I expected."

In the distance, Miyoko smiled.

The roses at her feet rippled like the tide, highlighting the light and shadow on her skirt.

That smile was so gentle it was almost pitying.

"Let's try a different way of betting then."

The Fate Master interlaced his fingers, and a gray talisman appeared in the void.

The air peels away layer by layer.

Dozens of phantom masks hung behind him.

Expressions could be crying, angry, or laughing.
They all emitted a piercing low hum.

A storm suddenly arose, and wind blades intertwined to form turbulent currents.

A slit was cut into the entire sea of ​​flowers.
The air seemed to have been ground into dust.

however,
Miyoko raised her hand.

My fingertips gently touched a torn petal.

The sound was very soft, yet in an instant, it swallowed up all the sounds of the wind, leaving only a sweet floral fragrance.

As the storm subsided, the petals fell to the ground again amidst the fragrance, transforming into new flowers.

Siming's smile froze, and his gaze turned serious.

"Even the air is helping you?"

“Of course,” Miyoko said gently, “every breath I take now is my rule.”

Si Ming licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed maniacally.

"Then I'll see if a lie can shatter the petals."

A lie becomes the truth; a dark star is destroyed.

The air vibrates.

He drew a crack with his fingertip, from which black light surged forth, as if the sky had been ripped open with a pupil, and gravity was instantly unbalanced.

Petals, dust, light, and sound were all sucked into that black hole.

A force that seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart swept across the entire plaza.

However, it only lasted two seconds.

Red light shone at the edge of the black hole, and as the petals were sucked in, they turned into points of light, spinning and blooming in the void.

The black hole collapsed and disintegrated, leaving behind only a giant rose suspended in mid-air.

Si Ming whispered, "Even Dark Star is ineffective?" He threw out a few more cards, which burned, and lotus flowers of fire bloomed in front of him.

Lord of World-Shattering Calamity - Crimson Lotus Burns the Realm.

The flames burst out in all directions along the cracks in the square, the high temperature swirling away the air, even turning the sky orange.

Flames engulfed Miyoko's figure, and the heat wave burned the petals layer by layer to ashes.

But when the flames subsided, she remained standing in the same spot.

The hem of her skirt was spotless, and the flowers at her feet had bloomed again.

Si Ming's fingers trembled slightly, and only a few playing cards remained in his palm.

"Even the fires of hell can't burn your dress, I'm truly impressed."

Miyoko stretched out her hand, and several vines slid out from her palm. Red sap dripped down the vines, which twisted into snake shapes in the air and suddenly attacked.

Si Ming rolled over to dodge.

A snake grazed his leg, splattering blood.

Pain and burning sensation exploded inside my body.

Miyoko's tone remained gentle, as if she were lecturing to students.

"Your movements are good, but your steps are too slow." The petals beneath her feet swirled into a vortex.
Turn gently with her steps.

Each flower became her eyes, watching Si Ming's every move.

“It’s a pity—” she whispered, “in the disaster zone, your skills are just fireworks.”

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers lightly.

The sea of ​​flowers contracted, then instantly converged, countless petals suddenly becoming sharp.
Like hundreds of blades ringing in the air.

The air was filled with the sound of petals being cut.

"The ball," she chuckled softly, her skirt billowing, "has only just begun."

Si Ming staggered to his feet, his sleeves torn by the blade's energy, and his skin covered in tiny blood lines.

A gray light flashed in his eyes. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his laughter as soft as if mocking fate.

"The dance is beautiful." The wind swept across the square, gray and red intertwined, and two figures were locked in a fierce battle in the center of the sea of ​​flowers, one still and one in motion, as if they were locked in a moment that would never stop.

Heaven and earth fell silent, only the roses continued to bloom.

The wind stopped.

The sea of ​​roses completely closed off, and the square disappeared.

Only a deep red circular space remained, like a beating heart.

The God of Fate was entangled in the center of that "heart".

Countless rose vines rolled in from all directions, wrapping around his limbs in layers.

Each time he struggled, the barbs of the vines dug deeper into his flesh.

Blood seeped from the thorns, blooming into tiny flowers all over his body.

The flower wasn't a real flower, but rather his blood congealed in the air, blooming, withering, and blooming again.

Miyoko walked out from the depths of the sea of ​​flowers.

She walked slowly, her skirt tracing an arc on the ground.
The curve was so elegant, it was like dancing a slow waltz.

Her eyes were shining, but the light wasn't of pity.

Rather, it is the satisfaction that painters feel when looking at their own works.

"You seem more... vulnerable than I thought."

Her voice was so gentle, as if she were comforting a patient.

Her fingertips traced Si Ming's face, from his jawline down to his neck.

He paused for a moment on the blood-stained wound and gently stroked it.

The touch was gentle, yet colder than any knife.

Si Ming lowered his head, his breathing slightly erratic.

His hands were still struggling, but they were already tightly bound.

Miyoko raised her hand and gently closed her five fingers.

The sea of ​​flowers suddenly contracted as if it had received a command.

The vines suddenly swept up from behind.
Spikes pierce the air.

Almost instantly, he was about to cut Si Ming into pieces.

"Lord of Fate, stop moving."

Her tone was like a lover's whisper, but the next second, gray light exploded from among the vines.

The Man of a Thousand Faces: Favored by Fate

Siming's body vanished suddenly, and the flower vines slashed through the air, only shattering a layer of shadow.

A gray shadow appeared behind her.

Panting, Si Ming raised his hand, and the playing cards transformed into sharp blades, slashing down horizontally.

Petals scattered, and Miyoko turned to the side.

The blade grazed her hair, but only sliced ​​off a strand.

The vines burst forth from the ground once again.

He teleported again, his shadow flashing and disappearing amidst the sea of ​​flowers.

Every time he dodged, new vines would pounce from different directions.

Like countless blood snakes dancing.

He escaped quickly, but every time he brushed past someone, barbs would cut his skin.

The blood flowed along the ground, was absorbed by the petals, and turned into new vine buds.

Fragments of playing cards were scattered all over the floor.

The Star of Absurdity twinkled behind him, as faintly as a breath.

Si Ming's shoulders heaved, his trench coat already soaked in blood.

He looked up at the sea of ​​flowers, his voice low and hoarse: "You really like... this kind of sadistic romance."

Miyoko smiled, a hint of mockery flashing in her red eyes.

"Romantic? This is healing."

She reached out, and the petals transformed into fine threads in her palm, creeping up Si Ming's wound.

"Look at what you look like now."

She moved closer to him and whispered, her lips almost touching his earlobe.

"Have they even lost the courage to burn like a star?"

The light in the sea of ​​flowers gradually dimmed.

She bent down, her voice almost drowned out by the fragrance of flowers.

"The Lord of Fate is nothing more than this."

Si Ming closed his eyes, his breathing became steady, and the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth were dried by the wind.

"……Yeah?"

He raised his head slightly, and his gray eyes lit up again.

The pocket watch vibrated gently against my chest.

"Click."

The sound of metal rubbing together was particularly jarring in the silence.

Miyoko paused, her brow furrowing slightly.

She saw Si Ming extend a blood-stained hand and slowly pull out the old pocket watch from inside his trench coat.

The cracks on the dial reflected the red light, like a cold, indifferent eye.

Si Ming smiled, a tired smile that revealed a hint of victory.

He glanced at the time and said softly, "Oh... I just don't need to waste my life-giving stars on dead people."

Miyoko's smile froze.

The petals stopped trembling.

She seemed to sense something, and her gaze tightened inch by inch.

The pocket watch in Si Ming's hand gleamed coldly in the red light, ticking as the hands moved slightly.

Gray and red light collided in the center of the square, distorting the air into concentric ripples.

The sea of ​​flowers began to riot, with petals flying everywhere.

Si Ming's figure was gradually swallowed up by the waves, but that cold smile remained in place.

The flower-shaped dome slowly closed.

The wind stopped, and the sound ceased.

The square fell silent.

In the silence, the hands of the pocket watch skipped a beat.

Tick.

"If a hunter becomes addicted to a game, he will eventually be hunted by fate."

Flowers bloom and then wither, but time never fades.

—From *Zi Bu Yu* (The Master Did Not Discuss), Chapter 5: *Zai Hua Lu* (Record

(End of this chapter)