Spellcasting Gods

"Yes, on the surface, the plan does seem to be progressing quite smoothly, unbelievably smoothly." Zhang Cheng nodded thoughtfully.

He didn't know why, but lately he felt that something important was about to happen, and that it was closely related to him.

Although he was notoriously bad at this, he gained some sensory abilities after becoming the ruler.

This is the universe's reward to its most beloved child, a blessing from a life form standing at the pinnacle of life's evolution.

No ruler can ignore the sensations that arise within him, no matter how vague or difficult to interpret they may be.

Allens was unaware that his master's thoughts had already transcended this planet and entered the vast and boundless outer space. He lowered his head and asked cautiously, "Master, regarding that underground ruin, it's almost finished. I wonder when you plan to go and set it up to ensure it's like a real ancient ruin, filled with monsters, treasures, and puzzles."

"Don't rush, my loyal servant. Those adventurers are still on their way; I have plenty of time to make arrangements. Besides, you'll never guess what kind of surprise I've left them in the deepest part of the labyrinth." With that, Zhang Cheng's lips curled into a graceful smile, appearing both cruel and wicked.

"Oh? What is it?" Allens' eyes revealed intense curiosity.

"Hehe, the most important thing about a surprise is that it must maintain a sense of mystery and anticipation. If you know it in advance, it won't be a surprise. Okay, now go do your thing. Don't bother me these next few days. I have a lot of creative ideas that need to be put into practice."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng waved his hand and placed the disc on a stand.

moment!

The metal disc began to emit beams of light, which formed countless complex symbols.

Without a doubt, these symbols are encrypted data, and no one other than the person in question can possibly understand them.

Allens merely stood there and glanced around, only to find that he didn't recognize a single symbol. He could only sigh in frustration and walk alone toward the library.

It is estimated that in his inherent mindset, whenever he encounters characters and symbols he does not recognize, it must mean that he has not studied hard enough or deeply enough, and that he is completely unaware that there are things in the universe that cannot be compensated for by learning alone; sometimes it is a difference in the essence of life.

After a few minutes, the light on the disc gradually dimmed.

Zhang Cheng casually disassembled the disc, returned to his throne, and muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear, chin in hand: "Interesting! I never expected my true advantage, the rules, to be so bizarre, something I could completely hide as a trump card..."

"What's your trump card?"

Accompanied by a familiar voice, Gru suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his tone revealing undisguised exhaustion.

Although he looked like a large beetle, making it difficult to discern his facial expressions, his physical and spiritual weakness was undeniable.

"What's wrong with you? Did you fight with other rulers?" Zhang Cheng asked with interest, stroking his chin.

Gru shook his head without hesitation: "No, not a battle. I've recently undertaken a series of very extensive time-space journeys and done some necessary preparations. Oh, by the way, another one you asked me to pass on a message to: he will soon appear in another life form, so you'd better be careful."

"What do you mean? You saw him?"

Upon hearing the word "Initiator," Zhang Cheng's expression immediately turned serious, and his gaze became full of scrutiny.

“Yes, I saw him, a guy just as crazy and terrifying as you. My guess is that he might be conducting some forbidden experiments, planning to become the most powerful ruler in the entire universe. And you are the most important step in his whole plan.” Gru didn’t try to hide anything and openly told everyone what he knew.

"What kind of forbidden experiment?"

"I'm sorry, I can't say, otherwise you'd do the same thing. Remember, this universe is far larger than you imagine, hiding countless secrets, some of which we can understand, but others even the rulers cannot comprehend or control. They are like unpredictable factors; triggering any one of them could lead to an irreversible catastrophe. That's all I have to say. I suggest you join the Chaos faction and form an alliance with the other nine rulers to protect yourself. As long as you live, his ambition will never succeed..."

Chapter 1090 The Skinning Monster (Part 1)

Undoubtedly, Gru's sudden warning caused Zhang Cheng to fall into deep thought.

However, he did not feel any anxiety or fear, but rather an unprecedented sense of curiosity.

He sensed an unprecedented fear in the other person's words, as if they were afraid of something happening.

For a sovereign who claims to stand at the pinnacle of life in the universe, such emotions are quite unusual.

Although Zhang Cheng wasn't entirely clear on what the Initiators were planning, one thing was certain: the plan was definitely related to some secrets he was unaware of.

The thought of this made him excited.

As for worry and fear, they have long been eliminated from existence. Even when facing death, one can remain calm and composed, rather than weeping and wailing like an ordinary person, or being in a state of extreme excitement and doing things that one would never normally do.

Just as he casually finished building the complex underground labyrinth and began investigating the so-called "forbidden" thing, the first group of adventurers finally arrived at their destination after overcoming numerous hardships.

Staring at the huge, dilapidated arched entrance to the tomb, the leading man couldn't help but exclaim, "My God! There really is a massive underground labyrinth in this desolate wilderness!"

“It’s truly unbelievable! Look at these exquisite reliefs, and the surrounding pillars and statues—it’s even more magnificent than a royal palace. I wonder how much manpower and resources the people who built it spent.” Another member exclaimed in admiration.

"Hahaha! Look! There isn't even a single footprint here!"

"That's right! Whatever treasures are buried inside, they now belong to us."

"Let's set up camp and rest for the night, and start exploring early tomorrow morning."

"Light a campfire! Send two people to hunt some animals so we can have a hot meal and then get a good night's sleep. I've been traveling non-stop these past few days and I'm almost completely exhausted."

……

And so, in a cheerful atmosphere, the team members began to perform their respective duties: some chopped wood and boiled water, while others went into the forest to hunt small animals.

About an hour later, just before sunset, white steam and a rich aroma of meat began to rise from several large pots.

Those who have never experienced a long trek in the wild will never understand the agonizing torment of eating only dry rations and jerky for ten or fifteen days straight.

Putting aside the question of whether or not vitamins are supplemented, the dry and hard texture alone can cause significant damage to teeth.

Eating these foods for a long time can lead to various gastrointestinal diseases, and also cause teeth to wear down much faster than normal.

Therefore, being able to camp in a relatively safe place and have a hot meal is an absolute luxury for them.

But just as these adventurers were enjoying their delicious meal, a dark shadow silently emerged from the tomb.

Its movements were so gentle, without making a sound, and its two dark red eyes revealed hatred and cruelty.

The meal lasted very short, only about ten minutes.

As several people went to the river to clean their wooden bowls, a dark figure stealthily followed behind a young man.

Just as the young man bent down, the dark figure pounced on him with lightning speed, pinning him to the ground and forcefully sucking him out with its gaping maw.

In less than a minute, the young man's soul was extracted and devoured.

But that's not all!

After killing its target and devouring its soul, the shadowy figure raised its black claws and skinned the victim alive, slowly putting the skin over itself.

Incredibly, once these bloody skins came into contact with its body, they instantly seemed to come alive and healed rapidly, eventually becoming exactly like the dead young man, except that his eyes still occasionally emitted a red light.

Glancing at the mangled, skinless corpse thrown into the river, the monster let out a low, hoarse chuckle, turned around, picked up the wooden bowl that had fallen to the ground, quickly washed it with drinking water, and then returned to the camp.

The unsuspecting adventurers remained gathered together, excitedly discussing tomorrow's expedition. None of them realized that a terrifying monster was lurking among them.

As the last rays of the sun completely disappeared and the sky was dominated by endless stars, most people opened their sleeping bags or blankets, closed their eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep, leaving only about two or three people to take the first shift of watch.

Since they found no trace of any carnivores or their kind in the vicinity, the watchmen were not very vigilant. They simply sat around the campfire, chatting idly.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the shadowy figure secretly punched a woman unconscious, dragged her into the bushes where the campfire couldn't reach, and devoured her soul using the exact same method, peeling off her skin to disguise her as someone else.

Clearly, a woman's identity is far more useful than a man's, especially in that she can fully utilize her body's physiological urges.

Before long, four or five men were lured into the bushes and became the prey of the shadowy figure.

Its killings were so stealthy and efficient that a third of the team disappeared without anyone noticing.

The next morning, when the leader planned to have some people guard the camp while others followed him underground, he suddenly discovered that so many of his team members were missing. He immediately began to organize people to search for them.

As expected, some skilled trackers easily found the skinned corpses.

"Damn it! Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" the team leader cursed loudly, his voice trembling.

Although the body had lost its skin, it was not difficult to determine its true identity from the deceased's height and pupil color.

After all the bodies were found, his hands and feet began to tremble uncontrollably, and his eyes revealed deep panic and terror.

There's no way I can not be terrified!

They had only been asleep for a short while when a third of the adventure team they had painstakingly put together inexplicably died, and without exception, the corpses had all been skinned.

Some of the skins disappeared completely, while others were simply discarded on the ground.

“Boss! Do you think there might be some deadly traps or monsters hidden in the tomb that we don’t know about? After all, we’ve come this far and never encountered anything like this before. We’ve only stayed here for one night, and a third of our people have already been killed for no apparent reason.” Another young man wearing leather armor asked cautiously.

Chapter 1091 The Skinning Monster (Part 2)

"You mean... something terrible came out of the entrance?" The team leader narrowed his eyes, his expression grave.

To be honest, the real adventure hadn't even begun yet, but the team lost a third of its members overnight—it was a complete nightmare.

If the legendary holy sword hadn't been lying inside, he would have left with the rest of the people without hesitation.

There's a saying that goes, "People die for wealth, birds die for food."

When faced with the lure of enormous profits, most people become exceptionally foolish, often knowing full well the danger, yet still choosing to take the risk without hesitation.

The gambler's mentality, in fact, exists deep within everyone's heart.

The young man in leather armor bent down, used his dagger to pick up a piece of human skin, and explained in a deep voice, "That's right! Look at these skins that have been peeled off! What do you think they were used for?"

"Disguise?!" The team leader suddenly snapped out of his daze, a slight, uncontrollable tremor running through his body as he scanned the remaining members with a scrutinizing gaze. "That monster! It's hiding right among us!"

"what?"

"You mean, it used skinned human bodies to impersonate one of us?"

"Damn it! Who is it? Get the hell out here right now!"

……

Accompanied by roars mixed with fear and anger, each squad member drew their weapons, staring nervously at their comrades. The previously harmonious atmosphere suddenly became tense.

In an instant, feelings of antagonism and unease spread rapidly, like a pile of dry tinder doused with gasoline; now, just a tiny spark is all it takes to ignite a raging inferno.

As a special group that lives on the edge of danger, adventurers are not submissive tenant farmers. Their rich experience accumulated through years of fighting and traveling makes them exceptionally efficient in killing. In small-scale brawls, they are even more powerful than most professional soldiers, and have always been a destabilizing factor in society.

Especially in large cities where adventurers congregate, it's not uncommon to hear of adventure teams clashing with local law enforcement, even killing some guards, and then fleeing the scene.

So when their lives are threatened, who knows what outrageous things they might do.

"Damn it! Put all your weapons away! What are you trying to do? Are you going to start killing each other before you even find the monster?" The team leader, realizing the situation was getting out of hand, immediately stepped forward and shouted, trying to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Unfortunately, just as everyone carefully retreated to a safe distance, intending to obey orders, a scream suddenly came from the woods.

"Aaaaaah!!!! Get away! Get away from me, you monster!"

"It's Mersen! Good heavens! The monster is over there!" Without saying a word, a woman holding a short bow turned around and rushed towards the source of the sound.

After the others realized what was happening, they followed suit.