After Lin Xun stored the two demon statues inside the Starlight Cage, he immediately headed deeper into the mausoleum.

[You descend the steps and arrive in the deeper level of the Ancient Mausoleum…]

[The scene here is similar to that of the upper level. The difference is that the number of clay urns piled up in the burial chambers has sharply decreased, and the urns themselves are much larger.]

[You casually pick one urn and skim the text carved on its surface.]

[From the inscription, you learn that the owner of the urn was a powerful demon of demon god level who created many glorious feats in the God Wars and finally fell honorably in battle…]

[The demon race has extremely strict hierarchies. Unlike the upper level of the mausoleum, all demons buried on this level are at least at demon god level…]

[You open several urns and find that they too are filled to the brim with black sand-like powder…]

[You simply stop paying attention to these urns and hurry at full speed toward the deepest part of the mausoleum…]

[…]

[Passing through burial chamber after burial chamber, you finally reach the end of the mausoleum.]

[The final chamber is vast in area, yet completely empty, with only three tall thrones standing at the very back.]

[At last the scene before you is no longer the monotonous sight of endless urns. Your interest is immediately piqued as you stride quickly up to the thrones…]

[The three thrones are empty, bearing only three black horns of differing shapes and sizes.]

[The largest of them is bigger than an entire Brass Carriage, while the smallest is only as long as an ordinary person’s arm.]

[Even after countless ages and the erosion of the river of time, you can still feel how terrifyingly powerful the owners of these three demon horns were in life.]

[For some unknown reason, these three demon horns were not ground into sand and sealed inside clay urns like the others but instead were left alone upon the thrones.]

[You have discovered Lord of Corruption’s Horn (Special Item).]

[You have discovered Demon of Slaughter’s Horn (Special Item).]

[You have discovered Pillar of Gloom’s Horn (Special Item).]

[Do you wish to take the three demon horns?]

“Huh? So the owners of these three horns are the strongest demon deities the Statue Demons mentioned just now?”

Delighted, Lin Xun did not immediately press the option to take them.

[Although time is tight, you choose not to take the three horns left behind by the three strongest demon gods right away, out of caution.]

[You know that the entrances to the deeper levels of the mausoleum are all guarded by Statue Demons. Now that you stand before the relics of the three strongest demon gods of old, there must certainly be corresponding guardians or some kind of trap here as well.]

[You carefully observe the surroundings and cautiously probe, yet you find nothing that stands out.]

[You circle around the thrones and discover more text carved on the backs of the seats…]

[These inscriptions record the life stories of the three demon gods. You skim them in haste and still find nothing abnormal…]

“Tsk… that’s not right.”

“Knowing this hellish game’s style, with three demon god horns right in front of me, there has to be a boss or some massive trap.”

“Since no boss has appeared and I can’t detect a trap, does that mean I have to actually pick up the items to trigger it…”

[Suspicious Apostle, what will you choose next?]

[1. Take the risk and choose to seize the three demon god horns even knowing that there will definitely be associated traps. After all, people die for wealth and birds die for food. To brave danger for great profit is not recklessness but the courage to face crises head on…]

[2. Shrink back and turn away even knowing that there will definitely be associated traps, wisely choosing to retreat. After all, there are still many demons waiting for you outside the mausoleum. If you die here, the noble identity of the Abyss Child will slip far away from you…]

Narrowing his eyes, Lin Xun pondered carefully for a moment, then finally pressed the first option.

[You stride up to the thrones and collect the three demon god horns one by one…]

[You have obtained Lord of Corruption’s Horn (Special Item).]

[You have obtained Demon of Slaughter’s Horn…]

[You have obtained…]

[After taking the three demon god horns, your entire body tenses. You focus completely, ready for anything.]

[Whether it is a sudden trap or some guardian monster bursting out from who-knows-where, you are mentally prepared.]

[However, after you store away the three horns, nothing at all happens…]

“Did the hellish game change its personality?”

“Or maybe the mechanisms and traps have broken down over the long years?”

Seeing such an abnormal turn of events, Lin Xun had no time to think. Controlling the shell, he immediately turned and ran.

Now that he had obtained the most precious items in the mausoleum, why would he stay here waiting for the trap to trigger instead of running?

He sprinted all the way, quickly returning to the upper level of the mausoleum.

On the way, he opened his Inventory to check the items’ attributes.

[Lord of Corruption’s Horn (Special Item): A horn left behind by one of the strongest deities ever born among the demon race. After countless ages of tempering, the horn’s special material has long lost its effectiveness, and the power that once resided within it has nearly vanished… Aside from commemorating the greatness of the demon god of the past, it seems to have no other use.]

[This item’s effect is unknown and cannot be actively used.]

[Demon of Slaughter’s Horn (Special Item): A horn left behind by one of the strongest deities ever born among the demon race…]

[Pillar of Gloom’s Horn (Special Item): …]

The descriptions of the three items were identical. All stated that the divine power remaining in the horns had already dissipated, and the use option for the items was grayed out.

In polite terms, it was ‘This item’s effect is unknown and cannot be actively used.’

In more blunt terms, it was ‘This item is a collectible. Look but do not touch.’

“Damn, no wonder there was no boss guarding this treasure. It turns out they are trash that does not match the label.”

Lin Xun had a vague feeling that the horns must have some other function, but from how easily they were obtained, he could infer that even if they did have a hidden effect, it probably would not be that strong.

[…]

[You arrive at the massive gate at the mausoleum’s exit and are just about to push open the incredibly heavy stone doors…]

[At that very moment, countless flickering, jumbled characters appear out of nowhere in a corner of the burial chamber.]

[The characters gradually piece themselves together and form a gigantic, ferocious beast.]

[The beast is composed entirely of chaotic characters that continue to tremble and shift shape. Just looking straight at the beast makes you feel disorder and chaos.]

[You have discovered a Beast of Disordered Knowledge.]

Lin Xun froze. “What is going on?”

He could not tell whether it was because one of his choices had been wrong, or if the Servant of Knowledge wanted to summon him again.

[As the ferocious beast lunges toward you, the consciousness body of the Great Sage appears behind you…]

[He raises his staff and dragon lances pierce through the beast’s body, blasting it into countless scattered characters…] 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

[As if drawn by some force, these characters are absorbed into your body…]

[You have defeated the Beast of Disordered Knowledge.]

[Your Blessing of Knowledge +8 is increased to Blessing of Knowledge +9. After overloading your Knowledge stat, your Knowledge cap has once again increased.]

After the Beast of Disordered Knowledge died, no teleportation gate appeared as before. This showed that the Servant of Knowledge was not summoning him. Rather, it meant that one of his choices was indeed wrong.

Sending down the Beast of Disordered Knowledge was meant to help him correct that mistake.

“Is it telling me not to leave the mausoleum yet…”

“No. There must be a major mistake for the Beast of Disordered Knowledge to come.”

Realizing at once what it meant, Lin Xun hurried back into the deepest part of the mausoleum.

[You quickly return to the deepest part of the mausoleum and once more see the three massive demon god thrones.]

[The thrones are now bare. The only items of value, the demon god horns, have already been taken by you.]

[You look around to confirm that you have not overlooked anything…]

[Do you wish to leave the mausoleum immediately?]

Lin Xun already had a faint guess as to why the Beast of Disordered Knowledge had emerged.

The hellish game had constantly misled him, making him think that demon horns were the only things the demon race could leave behind.

This made him assume that once he had obtained the three demon god horns, he was done and could flee the mausoleum.

The truly precious object very likely was not the demon horns at all but something else entirely.

Since there was nothing else in this burial chamber that could hide anything, the only possible places to conceal other rewards were the three thrones.

“Could it be that the treasures are not placed on the thrones but hidden inside them?”

“Do I have to break them open…”

That thought in mind, Lin Xun noticed that, even with such a clear intent, the hellish game did not pop up any option to forcibly dismantle the thrones.

“That means if there really is something hidden inside the thrones, then that thing is very likely not a reward that is supposed to be given in the normal game process.”

“Smash them, then. At worst, I die once.”

He immediately switched to the Child of Evil shell and used Flesh Authority to forcibly control the shell.

[You stride up to the throne on the far left. The massive throne is carved from a single enormous boulder. Compared to your small body, the throne is like a two-story building.]

[You take a deep breath as terrifying power gathers and swirls within you…]

[You suddenly step out, leaping high into the air as the surging power is unleashed through a single downward chop of the Scarlet King’s Sword.]

[With a thunderous boom, an earthshaking crash erupts.]

[The whole mausoleum quivers faintly under your fearsome blow and dust cascades down from the ceiling above…]

[With the Scarlet King’s Sword in hand, you cleave down from top to bottom and split the entire throne, pedestal and all, cleanly in two…]

[Yet to your surprise, the throne’s interior is solid stone and contains nothing.]

Frowning slightly, Lin Xun did not give up but turned to the remaining two thrones.

The commotion from his violent demolition had been quite large. If he did not hurry and leave the mausoleum, something bad might happen.

[…]

[You cleave open another throne and still find nothing.]

[…]

[You move to the final throne. This seat is where the horn of the demon deity known as Lord of Corruption had been placed.]

[Compared to the other two demon gods, the Lord of Corruption’s horn is far smaller, being only about as long as an ordinary person’s arm.]

[The throne before you is correspondingly smaller, roughly the size of the carriage frame of a single Refined Copper Carriage…]

[Bearing your last hope, you strike with all your might and split the throne.]

[Stone fragments explode outward and dust billows in the air as the throne is cleaved in two…]

[At the base of the throne, where it had previously seemed solid, the pedestal is actually hollow…]

[Inside lies a tall demon with jet-black skin. Its eyes are tightly shut and there is not a trace of life upon its body.]

[Compared to other kinds of demons, this one is not particularly huge. It stands just under three meters tall, its entire body covered in black scales. Behind it is a pair of bat-like black wings, and its thick tail is lined with dense bone spikes.]

[On its savage head, no horns grow at the sides of its forehead. The horns have been broken off at the roots and their whereabouts are unknown.]

[You have discovered the Abyss Lord of Corruption.]

[Abyss Lord of Corruption Shell: One of the strongest deities ever born among the demons, fallen during the first God Wars. Countless ages have passed since. This shell has not been preserved by any special method, yet despite the erosive wash of the long years, its body remains intact. This is the sign of having reached the eternal realm.]

[Even though its divine power has faded, the physical durability of this shell alone reaches a pseudo god level of immortal grade.]

Overjoyed, Lin Xun felt as if fortune had fallen straight into his lap.

“If the Servant had not warned me, I would have missed out on a fortune raining from the sky.”

This shell was clearly not a reward that should be obtainable in the normal flow of the game and could not be acquired by any ordinary means.

When an Apostle harbored strong intent, if the hellish game did not provide a corresponding option, then the shell could not be used to carry out actions that the game did not allow.

Without Flesh Authority, Lin Xun absolutely would not have been able to see the demon god shell hidden beneath the throne.

He was just about to Possess the shell when he realized he had been happy too soon.

“What the hell, why is there no Possession option?”

Carefully scrolling through the text log, he saw that the hellish game had indeed not provided any option to Possess.

On reflection, this made sense. The Possession option was also something granted by the hellish game.

He had used Flesh Authority to bypass the game and obtain a reward that did not belong to the normal flow, so naturally the right of ownership did not belong to him.

It was just like when Lin Xun had used Flesh Authority to forcefully tear the teleportation painting of the Starlight Cage from the wall.

Even though he had obtained the painting, he did not truly own it. As a result, the teleportation painting could not be placed into the Inventory and the hellish game did not pop up any option to store it.

The same applied to this shell. Having bypassed the game’s restrictions, the game naturally would not provide the Possession option.

“You think I am out of options just because you did not give me one?”

After thinking for only a brief moment, Lin Xun decided to reuse an old trick. First grab the shell, then worry about who owned it.

He immediately used the Teleportation Trap Device and locked this long-dead shell inside the Starlight Cage.

After he finished all this and confirmed that he had missed nothing, Lin Xun retraced his steps at once.

[…]

[You arrive once more at the massive gate at the mausoleum’s exit and push the incredibly heavy stone doors open…]

[This time, no Beast of Disordered Knowledge appears. You smoothly push the door open and see the crowd of demon lords anxiously waiting outside…]