Mystery: The Ultimate Tarot

Chapter 413 The Trap of "God"

Having just returned from digesting the potion in the Southern Continent and summarized how to efficiently digest it, Raphael sensed that his counterpart in the Western Continent had made considerable progress in "harmonizing with the Dao."

Raphael closed his eyes and sensed it. He seemed to suddenly feel a vast and boundless galaxy moving slowly in his mind in a magnificent form.

In an instant, Raphael understood the true meaning of the universe, and the extraordinary meaning of it.

This was a completely new experience, and it was wonderful.

Then Raphael raised his hand, and the surrounding spirituality immediately gathered in his palm, so much so that it seemed to form an illusory white glove.

At the same time, he realized that the connection with the extraordinary properties within his body had also been strengthened, allowing the extraordinary properties to exert an even greater effect.

In addition, Raphael sensed the delicate balance of the properties of the two pathways within his body.

He hadn't been able to sense these things before. Taking a deep breath, Raphael sat cross-legged on the sofa, quietly sensing the relationship between the two paths that intersected and clashed with each other.

This is a feeling I've never had before.

Raphael soon realized that he could use his own power to make certain adjustments to these two paths.

After a brief attempt, Raphael immediately understood the meaning of what the "Netherworld Man" meant by how to use one's own power to manipulate the power of the universe.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Raphael is now above the extraordinary. The power of the extraordinary remains unchanged; it's like a stubborn rock in the water, standing quietly.

Even if "Harmony with the Dao" makes a breakthrough, the extraordinary characteristic is still the extraordinary characteristic, but Raphael can influence it in other ways.

For example, changing the direction of the water flow could cause it to wash over the "rock" from the other side. Moving the "rock" could also affect the Raphael River to some extent.

At the same time, because Raphael strengthened his connection with his surroundings, he was able to extend his spirituality over hundreds of kilometers. Abilities such as "curse" and "ignite desire" could be used within a range of 300 kilometers.

300 kilometers! That's like having a cheat code.

In addition, he could perform some advanced operations. With this in mind, Raphael immediately entered the "Dark Abode". He wanted to use the arrangements made by "God" in the "Dark Abode" and the seal on the "Super Star Overlord" to experience the changes after "merging with the Dao".

Upon entering the "Dark Hut," Raphael was first surprised by the changes inside, and then he turned his attention to the arrangements made by "God."

"Congratulations, young man." A sinister voice suddenly appeared in Raphael's ear.

Raphael's eyes narrowed as he saw the second "Master of the Dark Lodge" standing beside the high-backed chair.

All along, the only one who still had some self-awareness, the second "Master of the Dark Lodge," sat quietly in the corner, as if waiting for himself to be completely annihilated.

But after communicating with the "Netherworld Man," Raphael sensed that something was wrong with him. However, Raphael did not show it and continued to wait and observe quietly.

Now, this "Master of the Dark Hut," who looks like a dried-up corpse, has finally moved.

Raphael smiled and said, "So you can move."

The second "Master of the Dark Abode" wore a strange smile on his withered face: "Yes, I never said I couldn't move."

Raphael glanced at the "Origin," which was shaped like a glowing sphere. It was still floating in mid-air in the distance, seemingly oblivious to what was happening here.

Raphael then asked the "Master of the Dark Chamber," "What is your opinion on the arrangement of God's 'Dark Chamber'?"

The second "Master of the Dark Lodge" said in a hoarse voice, "You seem to have some unique insights."

"Yes," Raphael said. "At first, I always thought that 'Dark Lodge' was in the Western Continent, which was the territory of 'Celestial Venerable,' so 'God's' arrangements should have been in a dormant phase for a long time."

"It wasn't until the 'Master of the Underworld' and others joined forces to conquer the Penglai Sect that 'God's' arrangements began to take effect and began to influence the Demon Kings in the outside world."

Therefore, I deduced that the active period that God arranged in the "dark house" should be in the fourth century.

The "Master of the Dark Lodge" let out a laugh that was more like a cry: "This deduction is quite reasonable."

"But later I changed my mind." Raphael smiled and said, "I heard from the 'Man of the Underworld' that the 'Master of the Dark Lodge' was influenced by the arrangements of 'God' a long time ago."

"Moreover, thanks to the efforts of the second master of the Dark Abode," that is, you, this influence was reduced to a controllable level. At least the two subsequent masters of the Dark Abode were no longer affected by the arrangements made by "God."

Raphael's expression grew increasingly grim as he spoke: "All the clues indicate that God's arrangement in the 'Dark Abode' isn't a serious matter. It seems that only some spiritual imprints of 'God' exist here, capable only of mechanical reactions."

The second "Master of the Dark Lodge," Ziguang, also became indifferent: "So, when did you begin to have a different perspective?"

"After communicating with the Underworld Man and the current owner of the Dark Lodge," Raphael replied, "The Underworld Man clearly said that the main problem was that the hidden danger in the Dark Lodge was brought under control after you confronted it."

"But when I came to the Dark Lodge and asked you about God's arrangements, you gave a very perfunctory answer, as if you were not the one who was mainly fighting against God's arrangements."

"Later, during a conversation with the current owner of the Dark Lodge, he casually mentioned that since the second owner of the Dark Lodge resolved the hidden dangers of the Dark Lodge, those dangers had no substantial impact."

Raphael chuckled, "Heh heh, everyone says you solved the problem, but you're unwilling to talk about it much. It's hard not to be suspicious."

The second "Master of the Dark Lodge" stood there quietly, without saying a word.

Raphael looked at the other person coldly and said, "The consciousness of the second master of the Dark Lodge has long been extinguished. You are the arrangement of 'God' within the Dark Lodge."

Raphael continued, "I suspect your plan is to suddenly rise up after I advance to Sequence 2, completely control me, and then use me to control the entire Dark Lodge."

"Because your true form cannot awaken, you have no way to control the entire Dark Lodge right now," which is why you need to use the second master of the Dark Lodge, and use me, and even the Demon King, to achieve your goal.

"However, after I made some progress in my Dao attainment, you became restless, so you stood up, intending to attack me prematurely."

The second "Master of the Dark Lodge" nodded: "You're right. But it's no use saying all this now. Haven't you noticed? I've already cut off your control over the Dark Lodge."

"Hehe, this operation is actually very simple. All you need to do is set up a seal around this high-backed chair."

At this point, he looked at the "Origin" floating in mid-air with his withered eyes, and then said, "You don't need to count on His help anymore. He didn't stop me when I was setting up the seal."

"It seems your alliance isn't that strong."

"Besides, he's too weak to do anything."

Raphael replied, "Although you have taken over the consciousness of the second master of the Dark Abode, you have not even bothered to understand the concept of 'harmonizing with the Dao'."

"This might not seem like an important thing to you at all."

"But today I want to tell you that the path of 'harmony with the Tao' is a way to break down your innate, old 'authority and symbols.'"

Raphael raised his hand and still mobilized the power of "Dark Lodge".

The second "Master of the Dark Lodge" exclaimed in surprise: "This—how is this possible?"

"Why not?" Raphael smiled and said, "The essence of 'harmony with the Tao' is to establish a connection between oneself and the power of the universe."

"Such a connection transcends the authority and symbols you take pride in; it is the ultimate understanding of the universe by intelligent beings."

"But you certainly won't understand, or you'd rather not understand."

As he spoke, a surge of power formed around the high-backed chair, and the seal of the second "Master of the Dark Abode" was broken.

Then Raphael used his spirituality to wrap the "Master of the Dark Hut," who resembled a dried corpse, and sent his sleeve into the "Colorful Lights" in the canyon.

Upon noticing Raphael's actions, the other party burst into laughter: "So you also don't trust 'The Beginning,' so you plan to use me to keep Him in check."

Raphael replied, "No, I completely trust him when it comes to dealing with 'God' and 'the Divine One'."

He smiled and said, "I will seal you away and use you as a whetstone for 'harmonizing with the Dao'."

As he said this, he glanced at "the beginning".

But "Initially" still didn't react much, so Raphael directly sent "God's" clone into the "colorful lights" over there, sealing it together with the aura of the "Chaotic Sea".

In an instant, the aura of the "Chaotic Sea" began to expand, but Raphael easily sealed it away again.

At this point, "Initial" said, "You shouldn't have sealed them together."

Raphael laughed and said, "What if we don't seal them together? Is there any spare space in the 'Dark Abode'?"

"Initially" did not comment further, but said, "The reason I did not stop God's clone just now is because I wanted to use all my energy to seal Super Star Overlord, so as to prevent him from releasing Super Star Overlord."

"And I know that His seal is no longer effective against you."

Raphael nodded: "I know."

He secretly rejoiced: Sure enough, improving one's strength is always the most important thing. Now even "the beginning" has to explain itself to me.

It seems that the breakthrough of "harmonizing with the Dao" has indeed put them at a great disadvantage.

Based on the other party's reaction, Raphael realized that he had a certain chance of winning after advancing to Sequence 2.

However, we cannot let our guard down, lest they join forces or make some other arrangements.

Thinking of this, Raphael checked the seals of "God" and "Superstar Ruler" again. As long as they were sealed properly, he wouldn't be afraid of them "merging".

After confirming that their seals were intact, Raphael went to check on the previous "Masters of the Dark Lodge". The second "Master of the Dark Lodge" was now sealed, while the first "Master of the Dark Lodge" had previously shown signs of merging with the "Dark Lodge", but now he had completely disappeared.

Raphael thought it was because his breakthrough in "Harmony with the Dao" made his communication with "Dark Lodge" more direct and closer, which caused some changes in "Dark Lodge".

Therefore, the first "Master of Dark Lodge" completely merged with "Dark Lodge" and became a part of this source substance.

The third "Master of the Dark Lodge," who was previously reduced to a skeleton, also suffered the same fate, demonstrating that they were indeed not affected by the arrangements made by "God."

The fact that the fourth "Master of the Dark Abode," who is shaped like a large tree, remains unchanged shows that the influence of the "Mother Tree of Desire" also needs to be taken seriously.

Raphael tapped his fingers on the armrest of the high-backed chair, pondering the methods of the "original" after advancing to Sequence 2, and figuring out how to counter them.

Thinking of this, Raphael felt very fortunate. Fortunately, he had met the "Netherworld Man" and was fortunate to have the way to "merge with the Dao". Otherwise, he would still be a pawn, like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.

After calming himself down, Raphael got down to business.

Today, besides using "God's" arrangement to test the power after "aligning with the Tao," he also plans to...

Let's communicate with "the owner of the dark cottage".

According to Raphael's shared memories from the Western Continent, the Western Continent may soon go to war with the "Penglai Sect". Raphael plans to give some of his accumulated traits to the Dark Lodge in order to improve their strength as soon as possible.

These traits are primarily derived from the "Prisoner" and "Mystic" pathways, and include several Saint-level traits, which Raphael currently has absolutely no need for.

He originally intended to make a deal with the "Temperance Faction" regarding the characteristics of the "Prisoner" pathway.

However, the "Temperance Faction" could not afford to pay such a high price, so Raphael only traded with them some of the characteristics below the Saint level.

The remaining traits definitely can't be left to gather dust here. There are already many unused traits in Sel City, so there's no need to consider them either.

Therefore, Raphael thought of the Dark Lodge in the Western Continent. This organization could be completely subdued after Raphael advanced to Sequence 2. Giving them some special characteristics early would not affect the subsequent incorporation.

However, these characteristics are enough to allow Dark Lodge to have several more "Blood Sect disciples" at the Saint level, which may play a significant role in the battle against the "Penglai Sect".

Raphael then found the "Master of the Dark Abode" who was meditating and unleashed his power upon the western continent.

Western Continent, Jingzhou.

In the secret room of the Dark Lodge headquarters, the "Master of Dark Lodge," who was meditating, suddenly looked at the illusory wall over there.

The next instant, a solid black figure appeared before him.

This figure possessed both a sense of sacredness unfamiliar to the "Master of the Dark Abode," and a sense of etherealness that he was very familiar with, capable of drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.

The "Master of the Dark Abode" narrowed his eyes, sensing that the person inside the "Dark Abode" had become much stronger.