Reversing Falsehood and Preserving Truth: All Gods and Gods Are in My Hands

On the day of the mock exam, the senior high school building was enveloped in a tense atmosphere.

The countdown to the college entrance examination was in the corridor, the numbers were glaringly red, and the candidates clutched their pencil cases, even their footsteps were extremely soft, for fear of disturbing the solemnity before the exam.

The exam paper was handed out, and the smell of ink wafted into Lu Yu's nostrils, but his pen tip hovered just an inch above the paper, hesitant to write.

The quadratic function curve on the math exam paper shimmered in his eyes like flowing threads of light within a myriad of interconnected paths, instantly drawing out images of Nuwa's snake tail, his grandmother's dying words, and the rampant tentacles in the shopping mall...

He shook his head to pull himself back to reality and hurriedly lowered his head to do calculations.

But just as he figured out one step, the out-of-control ancient coins in the Shouzhen Bureau, Liu Jing's purification seal that tore through the darkness, and Shen Che's cold, frost-like short blade all rushed into his mind, completely disrupting his answering rhythm. His draft paper was filled with meaningless lines, tangled with the function graph.

Zhao Lei from the side presents a completely different picture.

In the upper left corner of his draft paper, he had drawn a crooked "God of War" holding a long sword, with a red heart next to it that said "Bless." Then he scratched his head at the multiple-choice questions on the math test, his eyes darting back and forth between the four options A, B, C, and D, swaying like a weight.

He first rubbed his hands together and muttered to himself, "If there are three long and one short, choose the shortest; if there are three short and one long, choose the longest." But when he glanced at the options, he found that the numbers in all four answers were exactly the same length, and he immediately deflated.

He closed his eyes and silently prayed for the God of War to appear. He randomly pointed to a C on the answer sheet. After pointing, he glanced up at the proctor guiltily. Seeing that he was not being noticed, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then lowered his head and drew a little figure kowtowing next to the God of War, praying that he would guess all the questions correctly.

During the exam, he tried to sneak a peek at the answer sheet of the person next to him, but as soon as he turned his head, he met the sharp gaze of the proctor. Startled, he quickly lowered his head and pretended to do some calculations, writing a string of illogical numbers on the draft paper.

Su Wan sat diagonally behind Lu Yu, much more composed than the other two. Her pen moved smoothly across the answer sheet, but she felt that the sycamore leaves outside the window were swaying abnormally...

It was clearly a gentle breeze, yet the leaves seemed to be moved by an invisible hand, their rhythm almost mechanical. She gripped her pen tightly, her spiritual power slightly spreading out, but she could sense nothing. She could only suppress the unease in her heart and refocus her attention on the exam paper.

At the same time, deep within the underground pipe network of Zhongzhou City, the harsh environment was even more suffocating than the solemnity of the examination hall.

Inside the narrow pipe, a musty smell mingled with the metallic odor and the stench of silt, and a greasy film floated on the surface of the stagnant water. The beam of the searchlight swept across, revealing the dark green gleam of the moss on the pipe walls, and water droplets clung to the cobwebs, dripping into the stagnant water and creating tiny ripples.

Old Chen, the watchman in his construction uniform, his trouser legs soaked through, moved forward sideways and whispered to Shen Che behind him:

"Team Leader Shen, the old city's pipeline hub is just ahead; there's a bit more space there."

Shen Che's short blade was already pressed against his palm, the aura of the Shadow Hunter's Path quietly spreading out. The red light of the Shadow Lock flashed in his eyes, and his Adam's apple tightened like a string: "Hold your breath and don't make a sound."

His footsteps were extremely light, like a night owl blending into the shadows, leaving only the faint sound of his clothes brushing against the pipe wall in the narrow passage.

Before he finished speaking, three dark figures suddenly sprang out of the silt at the top of the pipe, bringing with them a foul stench.

The ethereal textures shimmered with a dark purple luster, and faint Dao patterns were wrapped around them.

Shen Che's pupils contracted sharply, his short blade instantly glowed, and the domain of the Shadow Hunting Path unfolded. He dodged the first tentacle's piercing attack and locked onto the thickest ethereal spirit marked by his Shadow Tracking.

Immediately, the short blade gleamed with a cold light, carrying the sharpness of the Great Dao, and slashed towards the ethereal flesh. The sound of the blade cutting through the air was as clear and sharp as tearing silk.

The moment the blade touched the ethereal texture, it was blocked by the Dao patterns on it, producing only a soft "sizzle" sound. The sparks that flew up landed on the tube wall and were extinguished instantly. The sharpness that could have cut through everything only scratched the surface and couldn't even touch the core.

The three ethereal beings instantly surrounded each other, their tentacles weaving a dense net within the narrow passage, making the stench of the slime even stronger.

Shen Che protected Old Chen behind him, slashing several times with his short blade. The Xuan light and purple light collided, sparks flew, but only two thin tentacles were severed. His own arm was grazed by a tentacle, and blood instantly seeped out, dripping onto the water and spreading out in a red circle.

The battle remained deadlocked for a long time.

The Shadow Hunter's Path emphasizes rapid reaction, and continuous combat consumes energy extremely quickly. His breathing gradually became heavy, and his foot speed also slowed down slightly. He could only rely on his movement technique to barely maneuver among the tentacles. The Shadow Hunter Domain shrank into a ball inside the pipe, firmly protecting Old Chen.

In the examination room, Lu Yu finally finished the last question, but a strange sense of panic suddenly surged up, as if an invisible thread was pulling at his nerves.

He handed in his paper early and rushed out of the classroom. He had just taken out his phone to contact Liu Jing when he remembered that the signal jammer in the exam room was still on, and the words "No Service" on the screen were stark white and glaring.

The battle in the underground pipe network had reached a critical point. A phantom tentacle suddenly wrapped around Shen Che's wrist, nearly causing him to drop his short blade. Another tentacle, wreathed in purple light, hurtled straight for his throat.

Just then, a cold, crimson blade of light suddenly cleaved through the illusory spirits, like a crimson ribbon passing through, instantly severing the tentacle that was wrapped around the wrist. The illusory aura at the cut was instantly evaporated by the runic power within the blade of light.

Senior Li, who had been polishing his longsword in the Shouzhen Bureau, appeared at the pipe entrance at some point. The runes on his sword shone brightly. He roared in a deep voice, his tone as sharp as a chivalrous swordsman: "Come with me!"

The ethereal spirit behind him let out a mournful roar, but dared not pursue rashly. It only twisted its muscles in place, leaving behind a trail of foul-smelling viscous fluid that corroded the pipe walls, making a "sizzling" sound.

The bell rang suddenly, signaling the end of the exam.

The commotion in the corridor quickly spread as Zhao Lei chased after Lu Yu, wailing in despair:

"Oh no! I didn't answer a single essay question, and I guessed on all the multiple-choice questions. My parents are definitely going to give me a double beating this time, and they might even add a belt to the mix!"

On his draft paper, the head of the little war god figure he drew was so worn out from poking it open in his haste.

Su Wan walked to Lu Yu's side, her fingertips trembling slightly, her voice extremely low: "I feel like there's a stone hanging in my heart... I just feel like something's not right."

Lu Yu's heart sank. He looked up at the distant horizon, where the clouds were gathering eerily, like a heavy black cloth.

No one knew that the covert battle over the underground pipe network had only just begun to reveal the tip of the iceberg beneath the calm surface of Zhongzhou City.