"Worse?"

"Tell me about it, let me see how bad it can get."

Xu Zhi became interested. The current situation was already bad enough, how much worse could it get?

[I examined Ye Yan's body. Although his Archbishop foundation has been destroyed by you, I can still detect some residual aura.]

[Then I discovered that this aura of arrogance was similar to what we had discussed, very weak.]

"Is it because it's broken?" Xu Zhi asked curiously.

[This is partly the reason, but more likely it's because it wasn't strong enough to begin with.]

Wasn't it strong enough originally?

"Why?"

[Because this is an incomplete, forcibly created false archbishop's foundation.]

Xu Zhi:?

"What do you mean? Explain clearly."

Just like the fragment you absorbed is a fragment of God.

The narrator omitted certain words.

[Ye Yan's Archbishop's Foundation was also made from a real Archbishop's Foundation fragment.]

Rather than saying he is an archbishop, it would be better to say he is a puppet with the aura of a real archbishop.

[Because of his incomplete foundation, even though he holds the rank of Archbishop, he is unable to gain much power.]

Even if I checked the authenticity of that foundation, the answer I got was still that this is indeed the Archbishop's path.

[Everything about him looks real, but the weak aura deep within his strength and foundation reveals him to be a fake.]

".Is there such a thing?"

No, this has never happened before, so I thought things might be going badly.

【Because this is a huge anomaly that cannot be ignored.】

[I'm afraid that not only Ye Yan, but also the other archbishops, including Yu Shenwei, you, and the archbishops that the little alien has come into contact with now, are all fake.]

[No, they can't be called fake, they should be called: defective products.]

Xu Zhi was puzzled: "But why?"

[Yes, why? I was thinking about this as well.]

[Anyone who could accomplish this must be incredibly powerful, at least at the level of an Archbishop. However, since the resurrection of the Transcendent, no true Archbishop has descended, which means this wasn't done by an Archbishop. Therefore, the only one who could accomplish this is "He."]

Xu Zhi could understand that this "He" was probably the supreme being with the "Cup" attribute that the narrator had been talking about.

But why would He do this? What would He gain from doing this?

"What you did in the city center really angered Him. He must kill you. Why didn't He send the real Archbishop?"

[Is it impossible, or is there another purpose? ]

"Wait, weren't those things at midnight what I was angry about?" Xu Zhi grasped the point.

Regarding this point, you need to think about it yourself. I can't tell you the answer directly. Secrets cannot be spoken directly, as it will bring danger.

Extraordinary abilities bring convenience, but also many troubles, like here.

Once some secrets about mysterious and powerful beings are spoken out, or known by another person who is not part of the plan, the person who created the secret is very likely to sense that someone has "leaked the secret."

Even more powerful secrets have a layer of protection, and once leaked, there will be backlash.

Therefore, the narrator does not want to say it, but he really cannot say it.

At this moment, several possibilities suddenly emerged in Xu Zhi's mind, but no matter which one, he could not avoid the fact that tearing open the crack was very important in his plan.

Why is it important?

Is it to release something inside?

Or is it simply a need to open up a channel between midnight and the real world in order to achieve a certain goal?

He had laid the foundation for the fake archbishop even before Xu Zhi angered him. In other words, from the very beginning, he had been prepared to create a false archbishop.

Why?

What good is this to Him?

The narrator is obviously also thinking about this question.

[Common sense suggests that He has no reason to do this. The Archbishop is an extremely important believer of the Cup, one of its powers, and also its authority and mouthpiece in the world. What's the point of creating a few fake ones?]

The reason for this anomaly seemed to puzzle the narrator. Xu Zhi blinked and thought, "He obviously needs an archbishop. If not, why would he go to the trouble of laying the foundation for a false archbishop so early?"

Need, but don't make a real archbishop

"Is there any reason why He cannot produce a real archbishop?" Xu Zhi asked.

【There is one and only one reason.】

【The current archbishop's path has been occupied.】

"Ah" Xu Zhi sighed helplessly. Before Yu Shenwei obtained the [Jealousy] path, the real [Jealousy] Archbishop had already appeared, so He had to make a fake one, and also fake the subsequent paths?

This is impossible!

"Could it be that the former archbishops haven't died yet and are still occupying the road?"

My memory and knowledge are limited. I only know what has happened in this world so far. Before this, He did fall and was sealed in...

[You must know that every attribute has its supreme being. Perhaps He was once a human, or a mutated animal, but when He became the Supreme, He was no longer the same person as before, but became a being that was almost a rule.]

[When He falls, the rules of the cup will also be broken and fall. As you know, most of the ritual formations with cup attributes are incomplete and need repair. This is the reason.]

[And the Archbishops cannot avoid the fate of death, because they are closer to Him and are more intimate with Him.]

"I see."

Learned new knowledge.

[However, since it is almost the embodiment of the rules, it is naturally impossible to kill it completely. After its fall, as time passes, the rules will be re-established. When the new rules take shape, it will be the day of its return.]

Xu Zhi felt that this sentence was vaguely familiar.

She remembered what the game console had said to her at the very beginning.

[All things are in cyclical motion. The old order and ancient gods have been buried by time. Now, a new order has been born. Do you aspire to become a god of this new order?]

"Is there no new Supreme Being in the new order?"

[Of course there is. Just stand before Him and reach His level, and then eat Him.]

[Even the rules among gods are based on the survival of the fittest.]

"So He made this arrangement in order to avoid being eaten and to prevent the birth of a new supreme being?" Xu Zhi's eyes lit up, and he felt that the topic had finally come to the core point.

[Shh. 】

【Don’t speak nonsense.】

[But who doesn't want to return? Even those guys in the middle of the night are longing for resurrection.]

Although the narrator did not give a direct answer, it almost confirmed Xu Zhi's guess.

It was also at this moment that Xu Zhi vaguely felt that a gaze from a distant and untouchable place swept over her. This slight glance seemed to carry a deadly murderous intent, making Xu Zhi's body instantly feel like it fell into an ice cellar, and even her heartbeat stopped for a few beats.

She even felt that if that prying consciousness was more careful, it would definitely be able to find her and kill her easily.