Paintings of Terror - Chapter 300: Bookshop

DESTINY GAMES. It has been 85 years since Earth-11 became aligned with Yggdrasil and 73 years since Icon became the first demigod from Earth. Icon, as the first demigod, was privileged to weave the thread of fate for everyone. He was supposed to cut off Yggdrasil and free Earth-11 from the grasps of the other Earths and their god kings. That’s why everyone helped him climb the tower of Destiny. But instead of ridding earth of Yggdrasil, he turned the destiny of mankind into seven rings of immortality. The first ring was for the immortality of power. The second was for the immortality of the knowledge. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth were for the immortality of the mind, energy, body, and soul. The last ring, the ring of the paragon, was made to rule them all. Icon kept the ring of the paragon for himself and became a dictator. He ruled with an iron fist for many years. His was a reign of terror. But he was eventually vanquished by the collective effort of the world. It has been 62 years since then. Icon is no more, but the damage he had done still remains. Earth-11 is still connected to Yggdrasil. The deadly games of the Tower of Destiny still remain, and the fight for the seven rings of immortality still continues. Kelvin Thorn has just awakened his ability. It came at a good time too since he is running for his life. The ability he awakened saved him, but it came with a cost. He must climb the tower of destiny under the witness of the whole world and accumulate destiny, or he will die. His situation is not unique. Everyone that awakens, which is mostly everyone, must climb the tower of destiny. It is one of the curses that Icon left behind before he died. But Thorn is different because the seventh ring found him. The tower of destiny is where everyone granted power by destiny, be they humans, non-humans, or otherworlders, must fight in games of might, skill, and knowledge to gather the power of destiny. They will either die or eventually overcome death. Kelvin will be one of the latest in the line of billions of others in this struggle.

In the vast world of cultivation, a talisman is formed by merging the essence of heaven and earth with the spirit and soul of the practitioner. Imbuing the formless with power and imprinting it onto paper, talismans hold immense potential. Yet, this art comes with a price—most who pursue the talismanic path exhaust their spiritual consciousness, falling before they reach their full potential.Lu An’s fate was no different—until his soul, shattered by fate, found itself reborn in a new realm of cultivation. Within his sea of consciousness, he discovers the Four Treasures of the Study, mystical tools that allow him to create talismans without depleting his spiritual energy. With this newfound gift, Lu An begins his ascent.[You have drawn a Breath-Concealing Talisman. Completion Rate: 62%. Grade: Inferior, first grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.][You have drawn a Wealth-Bringing Talisman. Completion Rate: 73%. Grade: Middle, fifth grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.][You have drawn a Three-Yuan Gathering Qi Talisman. Completion Rate: 85%. Grade: Superior, ninth grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.]The world of talisman-making opens before him—mastery over the five elements, control of winds and thunder, the study of formations, the nurturing of spiritual creatures, and even the command of ancient treasures. With every talisman, Lu An’s understanding of the Dao deepens, his soul, body, and laws intertwining as one. His talismans grow in power—some divine, some forbidden—each step toward immortality.Using the very forces of nature as his tools, Lu An crafts talismans that can reshape reality. With mountains and seas as his ink and brush, and heaven and earth as his canvas, he will rise to the pinnacle of the immortal realm. Even the immortals and Buddhas will bow before him, for they know him as the Talisman Ancestor.But few recall the man behind the legend, the one named Lu An, whose journey to the top, though formidable, has only just begun.

It always starts with an accident.That’s how all these stories go. One moment, you’re minding your own business, and the next, you wake up in someone else’s body. For Caspian, his accident started earlier than he even knew.Maybe it began when his sister got him into romance novels? Or when he started really sympathizing with the villains at the ends of books? He’d never know. It was too late to worry about it now.For now, he had to find a way to fix this nightmare, or rehabilitate his image, all while trying to free himself from the fate set out for him. All because of the damn “gods” who he'd cut a deal with.These were the only two options he had available, and he wasn’t sure he could succeed at either. The man he had taken over for had been…a true piece of work. And the secret villain of the book he had been reading before he passed.It had been a harem novel. A reverse harem novel.He was trapped in a huge ass CASTLE with a bunch of men who hated him because he was taking affection and time away from their shared wife. All Cass wanted to do was be a good person, not mess around with this poor woman and her far too handsome husbands.But why would no one leave him alone? Was he too suspicious? And why, after going out of his way to avoid them like they had asked, did they keep pestering him?And where did the heroine go?How was he going to manage three, handsome men without the heroine?

In the year 2075, yet another fully immersive VR game New Origin took the world by storm with its unparalleled freedom and virtually limitless play world. This classic yet extraordinary game quickly became a ’second world’ for people, and within just three years, the virtual and real worlds became deeply intertwined. People played New Origin to earn a living, to find freedom, and to escape their hectic everyday lives. Elio started playing for similar reasons. Driven by the eternal flame of an artist, Elio embarked on a journey to experience the true freedom this new endless world had to offer—along with a certain special person. Believing in every creature’s right to freedom, Elio challenged the concepts established in this new world with his companions. Unknowingly, this decision set him on a journey to become the strongest existence in this mysterious otherworld.