Purgatory Artist
Chapter 556: Chaotic Star

Chapter 556: Chaotic Star

Snowflakes drifted down as heavenly thunder split the sky, relentlessly striking the dummy until it trembled violently.

"What rotten luck..."

Liu Ping sighed, feeling somewhat frustrated.

The secondary rank Occult blade technique was simply too lethal—it annihilated both body and soul, leaving no trace.

This created a problem.

Without being able to capture souls, he couldn’t extract memories for more intel.

—No choice but to take it one step at a time.

Liu Ping gathered the severed heads, scooping snow to clean his hands.

Suddenly, lines of text popped up:

’[Attention:]’

’[All 500 designated professionists have been eliminated.]’

’[Time remaining: 10 hours.]’

’[Use the remaining time to collect more heads for your annual evaluation.]

So that’s how it was!

The 500 professionists were just the opening act—the real focus was the ensuing bloodbath.

"Killing each other... They encourage this?" Liu Ping muttered.

Just then—

A streak of light descended, landing gracefully before him.

A tall, lanky youth emerged.

"0880, only 27 kills? Tsk. I thought you’d make better prey," he said mockingly.

Liu Ping shrugged. "I have my limits—how many have you bagged?"

"76." The youth waved a hand, scattering a pile of heads across the snow.

Drawing his weapon, he advanced with murderous intent. "0880, despite your mediocrity, your head still holds some val—"

BOOM!!!

A crimson lightning bolt struck the youth square in the skull.

His words died as his body stiffened, skin crackling with the stench of charred flesh.

Opportunity!

Liu Ping didn’t hesitate—his blade flashed in a Tremor Slash!

The strike severed the youth’s arm mid-air.

"Damn it!"

The youth panicked, realizing his mortal peril.

No longer caring for pride, he activated a rainbow-hued barrier and shot skyward, fleeing at breakneck speed.

Liu Ping watched him go, making no move to pursue.

This one felt different from the others.

That rainbow light radiated the same aura as the "Corpse of God"—instinct warned Liu Ping of latent danger.

Missing an arm—

He won’t dare come back soon.

Liu Ping turned to the pile of heads.

Now he had 103.

A fifth of the total—not bad at all.

As he calculated, the thunder above began to wane.

Clouds parted.

The tribulation was ending.

"What? Already?" Liu Ping said, dismayed.

With ten hours left, facing enemies without heavenly punishment backing him would be troublesome.

"Hey! Wait a little longer! Don’t end yet!"

He shouted at the sky to no avail—the tribulation dissipated into nothingness.

New messages appeared:

[Congratulations!]

[You have advanced to the Chaotic Star Realm.]

[All attributes—spiritual power, soul strength, physique—are now triple your Mysterious Spirit Realm levels.]

[Through ’Joy of Slaughter,’ accumulated soul energy has boosted you to late-stage Chaotic Star Realm.]

[To progress further, slaying peers will no longer suffice.]

[You must defeat stronger foes.]

Liu Ping stood motionless, savoring the tidal surge of power within him.

"Ah... The Six Paths’ strength is formidable... Pity..."

He trailed off.

During his stint as a designer, he’d studied the setting guides.

While Six Paths cultivators’ techniques were being cataloged, the system’s sheer scale made it a Herculean task.

The Six Paths comprised six distinct worlds, each with unique power systems. The cultivation path alone was an endless ladder—

Take the Chaotic Star Realm—three times stronger than the Profound Spirit Realm.

The next realm, Return to Origin, was twelve times mightier than Chaotic Star.

And beyond that lay realms like Radiant Divine Soul, Void Gazing, Wandering Seeker, Revolving Void, Three Thousand Realms, Saint of Four Pillars, King Yama, Lord Maheswara, Lord of Sumeru Mountain...

Other Six Paths worlds had their own systems—Ancient Beast Kings’ primal arts, Asura’s battle ladders, Hungry Wraiths’ cursed techniques, Yellow Springs’ divine weapons, and the inscrutable Celestial Realm.

Even for the Nightmare World, this was a gargantuan undertaking.

Thus...

High-tier cultivation powers remained outside the settings.

Liu Ping’s musings were interrupted—

More streaks of light approached.

"Tch..."

Annoyed, he quickly gathered the heads and waited.

The newcomers materialized as a group of youths.

"So it’s 0880. We’ve heard of you, but there are five of us," one said.

"Hand over the heads, and we’ll let you leave," another added.

"I don’t have any heads," Liu Ping said, spreading his hands.

The group blinked.

"He says he doesn’t have heads."

"Right, he said that."

"Then why are we wasting time here?"

"Without heads, he’ll fight desperately if we attack—not worth it."

"Let’s go!"

After some discussion, they flew off.

Liu Ping stood alone in the snow, momentarily stunned.

"Huh? That actually worked?"

New text appeared:

[As your power grows, so does your Occult ability.]

[Your ’Deception’ has strengthened—easier to cast, with newfound potency.]

[Combat Log:]

[You casually deceived them.]

[They believed you.]

Liu Ping didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He’d simply acted on instinct—and it worked!

Those youths had bought his lie and left...

Before he could process this, the lights reappeared in the sky.

They were returning!

So the effect was short-lived.

Perhaps his cultivation wasn’t high enough—with a few more breakthroughs, his words might hold permanent sway.

The youths landed, one charging at Liu Ping with a roar.

The others cried out:

"Wait! 0911, he’s strong!"

"Don’t!"

"Stop!"

Ignoring them, the attacker yelled, "A group only needs one leader—me!"

A hazy silhouette emerged around him.

Liu Ping’s body trembled—not from fear, but as he activated his full-powered Deception:

"Hey... you’re already dead."

The boy collapsed, lifeless—convinced he’d perished.

A notification popped up:

[This ’Deception’ lasts: 10 seconds.]

Ten seconds? One is enough!

Liu Ping’s blade flashed like lightning, beheading the boy before he could react.

The head rolled across crimson-stained snow.

"Anyone else? One-on-one? Or all at once?" Liu Ping asked, caressing his blade.

The remaining youths stared in awe, as if beholding a monster.

"0880... You made him believe your words..." one whispered.

"Yeah. If he’s gullible enough to die, that’s not my fault," Liu Ping said, shrugging.

Silence.

"Alright, since you want a fight—let’s go," Liu Ping said, drawing his blade.

Instead, the group collectively retreated.

"No need," one said.

The others nodded.

"With such talent even before manifesting, you’re beyond our reach," another admitted.

"We’d stand no chance in a real fight," a third added.

Now it was Liu Ping’s turn to be baffled.

"Then why come back?" he asked.

"To pledge allegiance," the lead youth said. "We’ll follow you, offering our gains to boost your evaluation score."

"And then?"

"You’ll likely succeed. When you do... we hope you’ll remember us."

Their earnestness was palpable—they weren’t lying.

This made it even stranger.

Liu Ping had no idea what "success" entailed, but having lackeys to gather intel suited him fine.

"Fine. You can join me."

The youths brightened.

One stepped forward, placing heads at Liu Ping’s feet. "My tribute."

The scene resembled gangsters paying dues—absurd, yet the grisly tokens kept it chillingly real.

One by one, they offered their "dues," forming an impromptu faction under Liu Ping.

"Normally, I’d treat you all, but circumstances forbid it," Liu Ping said, playing the part.

The group nodded.

"0880, I know where two cowards are hiding—they killed comrades and stole fifty heads, waiting out the hunt," one revealed.

"Let’s eliminate them," another urged.

"Hold on," Liu Ping interjected. "I don’t know your capabilities yet. We should familiarize ourselves first."

"I’ll start!" A youth stepped forward.

"0880, I’m 0891. My ability is Manifest Parents."

"Manifest... parents?" Liu Ping echoed.

"Yes. Our parents are far stronger. I can summon their projections to aid me—they love me dearly," the youth explained.

To demonstrate, he murmured, "Father, Mother, help me kill."

Two monstrous figures wreathed in gray mist materialized beside him.

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