All the Blood Mist creatures that drew close were crushed by the Gluttony Demon, while the Ghost Kings guarded the perimeter, slaughtering any who dared approach.

They were like the most loyal knights, and for a moment, Xu Lang truly felt like a king.

Touching the crown on his head, Xu Lang sensed the Black Crown growing stronger.

"All who fall on the path to kingship become fuel for the Black Crown's power."

The Black Crown's influence was expanding relentlessly.

Xu Lang kept waiting, waiting for a Blood Mist creature that could actually get close to him.

But he didn't have to wait long. The calamity he anticipated soon arrived!

The colossal, terrifying black shadow stood before the horizon, and as Xu Lang's gaze swept forward, he saw the blurred outline of a giant tree!

From beyond the horizon, it didn't seem too large, but in reality, it was nearly a kilometer tall. As it moved, the earth churned and the ground shook with heaven-shaking force.

As the giant tree walked, its roots snapped and cracked, yet it charged forward without hesitation.

"TO BE KING!!!"

The twisted face on the tree's trunk let out a deafening roar, the sound wave causing Blood Mist creatures to explode on the spot!

Before it even entered the ghost domain's range, its attack arrived first.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Massive vines burst out from the ground like spears, moving not particularly fast. Xu Lang easily dodged them and slashed back in retaliation.

The vines were severed, their ends oozing green sap.

All the vines rapidly grew back, their tips blooming with purple-red flowers, sending hallucinogenic pollen scattering through the air.

The Blood Mist creatures and tales were tainted by the pollen, falling into deep sleep without the slightest resistance!

"Damn bastard, it's the anesthesia I hate most..." The Gluttony Demon's words trailed off as it collapsed into slumber.

Xu Lang's eyelids drooped heavily. Pure Yang True Qi blazed around his body, yet it couldn't suppress the overwhelming drowsiness.

At the critical moment, he retreated into the Grave Pasture.

...

"Ha..." Xu Lang let out a deep yawn.

The next second, he cut off his own head with a single slash.

The ability of a certain Herd Spirit, "Steel Bones," activated, causing the blade to chip with a crack.

Still, the head fell off and flew quite a distance.

...

"Please choose your method of resurrection."

"One: Sacrifice a Herd Spirit."

"Two: Return to the Other Shore."

"Three: Become a Tale."

From some distant place, Xu Lang's consciousness snapped awake.

The sensation of death was strange—no emotions, absolute calm, a state of extreme nothingness that made one desperately crave the feeling of being alive.

Returning to the Other Shore meant incarnating as a Ghostly Deity of the Netherworld, deviating too far from the simulation. The error would be absurdly large.

Yet, Xu Lang chose to return to the Other Shore anyway.

The Black Crown's effects had been proven, no further testing needed. And since he had no immediate plans to challenge that giant tree, gathering intelligence had become an unnecessary move.

Just by experience, he estimated that tree was on the same level as the Apocalypse Fighter Jets. Its racial tier was unknown, but it was at least level fifty.

The moment Xu Lang's consciousness made the choice, a faint glow appeared before his eyes.

Then, the entire world blazed with light!

The "brightness" was relative. The world Xu Lang now inhabited was still dominated by dark tones. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

In the distance, the River of Forgetfulness flowed silently, Spider Lilies bloomed on its banks, grasslands stretched endlessly, and a giant crimson egg floated in midair, trembling gently.

Xu Lang had returned to the place where he once fought the Remnant Nether Lord, but now he was a blood-red egg.

"A freshly hatched Ghostly Deity embryo..."

Just as Xu Lang observed his surroundings as an egg, a voice drifted over.

Space tore open, and a woman in palace attire stepped out.

She was the one who had spoken.

"Third Sister, the previous Lord of the Other Shore died less than ten years ago, and now a new one is born. The depths of this place really are remarkable." Another figure in a tall hat stepped out of the rift as well, his feet surrounded by purifying halo that made him look sacred and divine.

"Something's wrong with the timeline..."

Xu Lang frowned inwardly.

A span of ten years was far too long. Either the gestation period for a Ghostly Deity upon birth was naturally that long, or the simulation had gone awry.

"Yes, the Other Shore has been coveted by those Nether Lords for a long time..." The woman in palace attire and the tall-hatted man began chatting.

But much of their conversation was lost to Xu Lang.

For the first time, Xu Lang felt the Simulation ability was somewhat lacking, because he could sense that the missing words were due to the simulation's large margin of error, not any external interference.

There was no point in lingering anymore.

Xu Lang raised his hand, tore open the blood-red egg, and burst forth.

Looking down at himself, he found he had become a non-human form. Though not as bizarre as the Remnant Nether Lord, he was still worlds apart from a normal human.

"You!" The woman in palace attire was utterly stunned. Her limpid eyes scrutinized him carefully before she suddenly shouted, "You're that Xu Lang! You've fused with the Netherworld Origin Essence! How dare you!"

"Third Sister, calm down. His origin has already changed. He's one of us now." The tall-hatted man held her back.

But the woman ignored him, hurling a red embroidered ball at Xu Lang.

"I've been waiting for him all these years!"

"He can't stay alive! Let's devour him together!"

"Before he grows!"

Her words were urgent, her movements swift. The tall-hatted man hesitated, failing to block the attack in time.

Clang~

Xu Lang raised his Sharp Claws and struck back, his palm clashing with the red embroidered ball in a metallic screech.

In that instant, Xu Lang was astounded.

Beautiful!

So beautiful!

This new body's stats were gorgeous!

As a War God, his control over power was impeccable, and he instantly grasped how strong that slap had been.

At least ten times stronger than his old body!

To put it in perspective, when the Remnant Nether Lord was first born, its two main attributes were only around one to two thousand.

Additionally, Xu Lang noticed several important points.

Many of his abilities had gone missing. The World-Burning Immortal Flame, the Mind-Shattering Demon Eyes—none of them could be used.

Including the Taleblade Demon Box!

The Taleblade Demon Box had abandoned him, or rather, the current box couldn't traverse life and death to accompany him through reincarnation.

Just then, a familiar system prompt appeared.

[Player "Xu Lang" has awakened. Identity Number: "Mad King-3"]

[Mad King Building's pact with the Netherworld's Greater Consciousness has been completed.]

[Player Number is being unsealed. Loading Player Module... Module loading...]

Xu Lang twitched his mouth. Though the system prompt had appeared, it felt fake. The simulation wasn't accurate at all.

While he was dealing with all these anomalies, the woman in palace attire unleashed another move. She formed hand seals, and light threads scattered like a starry net, sealing off the surrounding ten thousand meters of space.

"Since it's all fake anyway, let me play with you a bit!"

Xu Lang took a deep breath, shrank his body into a ball, then lashed out with both arms in a cross-slash.

Self-created skill: Inverse Chaos Cross Slash!!!

Boom, boom, boom!

The blade light shook heaven and earth, causing explosions to resound across ten thousand meters of the Other Shore. The air and gray mist seemed to be blasted into dust.

Whoosh~

Scarlet Herding Chains extended from the void, three of them, shooting toward the woman in palace attire and the tall-hatted man.

The Sequence's Status was truly high. Even after Xu Lang's reincarnation, it still followed him.

And hell, it had even leveled up!