I upgraded and added points in the Holy Inquisition

Before actually reaching the fourth floor, Lloyd had imagined what the scene would be like here and had fully prepared himself mentally.

Especially since the former dean had just specifically reminded me that something terrible was going on here...

So in Lloyd's imagination, this place might be dark and humid, with a fishy and pungent stench in the air, surrounded by twisted and squirming flesh walls, and all kinds of indescribable precious objects underfoot, creating an atmosphere of curiosity, thriller, blood, and horror.

However, when this scene really comes into view, it is a scene of peace and tranquility.

There is plenty of light and sunshine here, with lush green grass underfoot and a blue sky in the distance.

It seemed that everything was emitting a bright and soft light, as if covered by a beautifying filter, looking extremely holy and pure.

If we ignore the liquid spiritual pollution in the air, the air here is fresh and the scenery is beautiful. It is refreshing and refreshing, and it is easy to associate it with an unfamiliar word -

sacred

In the context of this fucked-up world, the sacred is never a good word. It often refers to the untouchable, incomprehensible, truly unknown and terrifying.

But here at least, before Lloyd's eyes, the word was restored to its original meaning.

And in this sacred atmosphere, Lloyd could still feel a clear, fresh pulse of life.

That's why he once thought this place was alive...

This is not the life pulse emitted by any specific creature. Looking around here, there is no moving object in sight.

What Lloyd felt was perhaps the word "life" itself...

Just like parents giving birth to their children, it is a more thorough and intuitive interpretation of the word "life".

Something is brewing here, waiting to awaken and be born.

"What... do they want to do?"

Lloyd asked in a low voice.

"Creating Gods..."

The former dean was unable to move, but still replied in the same low voice.

Lloyd asked again quickly:

"Creating a god? You mean... the ritual to achieve the so-called godhood?"

The former dean chuckled disdainfully and replied:

"Oh~ maybe? Who knows? You should also know that I have never been very interested in the idea of ​​becoming a god. From the beginning, I thought it was an absurd and naive fantasy. Even today, my opinion has not changed much. If it weren't for you, if it weren't for the Book of Madness, I wouldn't even think of this path."

After that, he paused for a moment, as if taking a breath or thinking, before adding:

"Wait! I remembered the madman who first mentioned the concept of the God-ascending to me, and his crazy and naive plan. If his mental state at that time was still normal, then the situation he described to me would be very different from what we see now."

"Hmm? You mean..."

"I'm afraid this isn't the 'God-like place' we imagined. At least it's different from what I heard before..."

The former dean did not finish his words, but suddenly changed the subject and said:

"Go deeper and see more."

Lloyd nodded and led him forward.

Thanks to the gradual effect of resistance to mental pollution, I no longer feel like I'm soaked in water when I continue to move forward, and my mobility gradually returns to normal.

But this is not entirely a good thing, as it means that Lloyd's wave of numerical improvement has come to an end.

Fortunately, he had gained a lot of attribute points, but Lloyd was not in a hurry to add more for the time being. He took a quick look first. It was almost at 5000 points. When it decreased to only +1+1, it should be enough.

However, so many attribute points meant that Lloyd suffered more than 5000 million mental pollution in such a short period of time. Excluding the burden he shared for the former dean, the total was more than 2500 million, three times higher than the previous three levels.

I feel like the panel is about to smoke, and my head is a little hot...

And if there is no panel, or the help of the "Book of Madness", the intensity of this mental pollution is so strong that even a saint would go crazy...

So, if one were to "ascend to deity" in such a "crazy" environment, what kind of god would be created in the end?

With this question in mind, Lloyd quickened his pace and quickly crossed the grassland-like hall in front of him and came to a deeper place.

If the lobby in front could give people a feeling of "paradise", then the wider, more sacred, and more noble area deep inside only made Lloyd think of one word -

Kingdom of God

The place was surrounded by a light mist, but it did not appear hazy or blurry. Instead, it added a bit of mystery to the holiness. It also did not prevent Lloyd from appreciating the magnificent building in front of him that seemed to reach the sky.

That should be the so-called "temple", right? There are tall white jade pillars everywhere, with exquisite and artistic reliefs carved on them;

There are all kinds of lifelike sculptures all around, posing in lively poses, as if they could come alive in the next second. They are also holy and noble, yet weird and curious...

Whether it is the images on the reliefs or the images on the surrounding sculptures, they are all in the style of the humanoid monsters mentioned above, and each one is more hideous and weird than the other, but they are modified by artistic means to be extremely noble and elegant, forming a kind of sharp contradiction and contrast.

Maybe this is indeed very artistic, but it just doesn't quite fit Lloyd's aesthetics...

Of course, this was not in line with the previous dean's opinion, so he couldn't help but mutter in a low voice:

"Oh my god...isn't this too ugly?"

“Is this the kind of art you guys did back then?”

"Don't talk nonsense. These people are the ones who are messing around. The art we created back then was still in line with the overall aesthetics of humanity, but it wasn't so advanced."

The former dean explained weakly, and then urged:

"Let's go in and have a look."

Lloyd nodded, and continued to discuss as he walked:

"Hmm... By the way, have you noticed that these sculptures and the reliefs on the pillars seem to have not been completed yet?"

"I noticed that there are large areas of blank space and some decorations are missing. Maybe they want to add them after the god is born?"

The former dean made some guesses at first, but when Lloyd took him past a sculpture, he suddenly realized something and quickly lowered his voice and said:

"No! It's not like that! Be careful!"

In fact, Lloyd himself noticed something strange without his reminder, so he quickly slowed down his pace and adjusted his route, choosing to take a longer detour and stay further away from the sculptures.

He felt that these sculptures were not completely dead objects...

Although they are not alive, they seem like they will come alive at any time.

They are frozen there motionless, as if waiting for the final 'finishing touch'.

"It could be some unique chaotic creature, or something weird mixed in there."

The former dean continued.

"Well... I can even feel them secretly looking at me."

Lloyd responded, and quickly released his [Projection] again, and then unfolded the [Distortion Realm].

When he tried his best to avoid the sculptures and finally reached the broad and clean steps of the temple, he suddenly felt a chill on his back and looked back quickly.

The curious sculptures that had previously maintained their respective postures and faced different angles suddenly turned around or turned their heads to stare at Lloyd's back...

Maybe they will come alive soon and rush over.

This made Lloyd feel creepy and he stopped as he was about to step onto the stairs.

"This... I think it's best not to stop..."

The former dean whispered a reminder.

"I know... but I feel nervous when they stare at me like that."

Lloyd explained, and then...

[Distorted Realm] is expanded to its maximum extent, [Projection] is at full firepower!

Since you feel nervous, why not just smash all the things that create tension?

You like to scare people from behind, right?

Then, accompanied by the crisp sound of rocks breaking and the smoke and dust raised by the flying stone chips, Lloyd's tension disappeared after just five seconds.

There was no longer a complete sculpture in sight; hundreds of sculptures had all turned into broken stone chips.

"Well... this is indeed a solution..."

The former dean said something hesitantly.

Lloyd replied confidently:

"As a young artist with a high level of aesthetic taste, I hate this kind of abstract art the most."

As he spoke, he raised his head slightly and glanced at the relief on the pillar next to him.

The relief quickly withdrew its gaze from him and pretended to be just a normal work of art.

But then again, these sculptures are different from the monsters that were transformed from works of art on the first and second floors. Smashing them will not cause mental pollution, nor will they leave behind strange things like [beacons].

But that doesn't mean it's all in vain.

"Wait a minute, did you see that?"

The former dean spoke up again to remind him.

As he spoke, a faint power emanated from him.

It's not meant to cause harm or anything, it's more like...

Blow a whistle?

Then, a few drops of pitch-black liquid substance as sticky as asphalt emerged from the debris of the sculpture, automatically flew in the air, gathered together, and then slowly floated in front of Lloyd and the other man.

"This is... the blood of the Most High?"

Lloyd immediately recognized the origin of the black viscous liquid.

Although it is somewhat different from what I have encountered before, the shape and color are very different. The Blood of the Supreme that I got last time was still in the form of red ice slag.

But there is no doubt that this is the same stuff, I just don't know why it has become so black and so sticky?

Before Lloyd could think about it, he heard the former dean hurriedly urging:

“Take it away!”

So he quickly took out the strongest container in his storage bag—

This was also what Lloyd got in exchange for credits. It looked similar to the common lead boxes used to store materials, but it was said to have stronger resistance to corrosion, mental pollution, and interference. It was advertised as the most comprehensive and sturdy container on the market.

As soon as the container was opened, the sticky liquid floated in by itself and was then sealed tightly by Lloyd.

The former dean heaved a sigh of relief and sighed:

"No wonder these things can come alive. It turns out that there are such dangerous things mixed in them."

"Is the blood of your Most High so dangerous?"

"According to our current understanding of the Supreme Beings, the [Brilliant Gold] at the time were basically at the stage of 'Immortal Beings'. The stronger ones among them, such as me in my prime, could probably be considered 'Dominant Beings' in some areas, right? So you know why it's so hard for us to die?"

"Well... if that's the case, your collective disappearance back then was even more bizarre..."

"Don't think too far ahead. I can sense that there are more of these things deep down here. Do you have enough containers?"

"Maybe?"

Lloyd nodded.

He exchanged a lot of miscellaneous things this time, and he also exchanged a few extra high-grade lead boxes, including several of the largest sizes, which were big enough to fit a whole person in, like a coffin.

This kind of preparation was made because they really wanted to bring the former dean's body back safely.

"That's good. This kind of blood is very dangerous. It's also one of the main reasons why we can't die. If we take all of it away, then no matter what those weirdos plan to do next, they will lack the key element."

The former dean gave a simple explanation.

Although he did not explicitly say what was dangerous about the blood, Lloyd had some idea of ​​it when he recovered it earlier.

If this thing were to be released into the human world, and were to receive a little stimulation, it would probably transform into some kind of terrifying monster...

It doesn't need to be fused with anything, nor does it need to be drunk by anyone. Just this blood itself can transform into a monster...

And if someone or some creature really drank it, the consequences would be even more horrifying...

So no matter what the plans of those weirdos are, the judgment of the former dean will not be wrong. He will "confiscate" the most dangerous part first.

So Lloyd continued to move forward, climbed the stairs with brisk steps, and came to the main hall of the temple.

As expected, this place is still in an unfinished state, with almost no decoration and many places are still empty. It looks much more "unfinished" than the outside.

The only thing inside was probably a pool as big as a children's swimming pool.

And the three people sitting around the pool...

One of them looked very familiar to Lloyd. His ordinary appearance was like that of the former dean when he was young...