MTL - Lord of the Secret Art! - Chapter 4 Twenty years late

Deep below the earth's surface, a mystifying subterranean seascape lurks, an archipelago bathed in inky blackness where suspense and horror hold court. Here lie strange islands and even stranger monsters, far beyond the realms of human imagination. In this domain, mankind is far from dominant; instead, madness and death rule supreme.

Pleading for mercy from the unknown creatures of the deep only leads to a slow, tortured existence. The trapped survivors gradually distort, losing what made them human, both physically and mentally, to the gloom as they remain trapped in this eternal obscurity. Their only hope? A perilous expedition into uncharted sea territories.

Fueled by determination, Charles embark on this daunting voyage aboard his steamship, aiming to reclaim humanity's past glory. Together with his crew, they sought a way out of this hidden sea world, a path back to the sunlit world above, where humans once stood tall.

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I read a few comments from Chinese readers that compared this novel with Lord of Mysteries because of similar elements: Lovecraftian, western fantasy, first industrial revolution, and steampunk. However, I have yet to finish reading Lord of Mysteries to do any actual comparison, but I do think those who have enjoyed that novel would enjoy this as well. Also, the author of LotM, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, also did a shout-out for this novel, so I guess he approves of it too?

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Regret filled Valyr as he witnessed Earth before him crumble into nothingness. Although he and the others had done everything they could, their efforts were all for naught as they stood powerless to stop the inevitable, causing billions upon billions of innocent lives to perish in the cold and unwelcoming darkness of space.

Indignant at the outcome, Valyr asked the heavens above to give him a second chance, a chance wherein he would make sure the inevitable didn’t happen. Though he knew that the likelihood of it happening was slim to none, surprisingly…

The heavens answered.

Opening his eyes, he swiftly found out his wish had been granted, in more ways than one at that. Not only was he brought back to the time where everything had yet to unfold, he was also reborn as an NPC in the game where everything started and everything ended.

The True Immersion VRMMORPG, Greater Beyond.

Utilizing his newfound advantages, in conjunction with his knowledge of the game and its various versions from his previous life, Valyr was going to make sure that what happened before wouldn’t happen again. And all of that began…

With him picking up the Blacksmith class.

Seratus tahun yang lalu, Ordo Cahaya mengalahkan Raja Kegelapan dan mendirikan pemerintahan yang mereka sebut era perdamaian.Namun, di balik senyum para penguasa Cahaya, tersimpan sistem yang menindas. Orang-orang yang dianggap “kotor” atau “berbeda” dimusnahkan atas nama kemurnian. Siapa pun yang mempertanyakan Ordo dituduh sebagai pemuja kegelapan dan dihukum mati.Namun, ada rumor yang mengatakan bahwa sisa-sisa kekuatan kegelapan perlahan-lahan bangkit. Seorang pemuda misterius bernama Kaelen, yang memiliki darah gelap, mulai mengumpulkan pengikut untuk menumbangkan tirani Cahaya. Mereka tidak bertarung untuk menghancurkan dunia, tetapi untuk mengembalikan keseimbangan dan mengungkap kebohongan Cahaya.

Chen Shen traveled to a world of immortals and became the corpse collector of the Xianzong, burying the dead disciples every day.

To bury the disciples of the seventh level of Qi training, to obtain their immortal skills and experience, and to obtain part of their spiritual roots.

To bury the disciples of Daofeng’s inner disciples in the array, get the spirit-gathering array, the killing array, and the experience of the array.

Bury alchemy masters, get Peiyuan alchemy recipes, build foundation alchemy recipes, and get alchemy master experience packs.

Bury super geniuses, complete spiritual roots, and achieve heavenly spiritual roots…

Twenty years later, Chen Shen, the body collector who has grown into a Jindan Zhenjun but is still low-key, discovered that the corpses sent this time were unusual, as if they were from the whole sect!

- Description from novelbuddy