Chapter 134
Lu Chuan unceremoniously pocketed all ten sanity cards.
“No need for change. We’re old friends. If you think it’s not enough, I’ll just sign another official and transfer it to you.” Once something went into Lu Chuan’s pocket, it never came back out. And sanity cards were as good as currency among leaderboard players.
“Cheapskate.” Chen Ji rolled his eyes again, but he didn’t mind the small loss—he’d gained a solid client. “I’ll take these contracts. But even if you kill those officials, the key is still finding the god’s vessel in the mortal world. Without that, you can’t destroy City of Immortality’s entrance, nor dispel the god’s protection.”
And without meeting one of those two conditions, Lu Chuan couldn’t clear the dungeon.
“No rush. A meal is eaten one bite at a time. Once the officials and residents are all sacrificed, finding the god’s vessel among the survivors should be easier.”
Chen Ji seemed to understand Lu Chuan’s thinking, but given dungeon constraints, he didn’t comment further.
After finishing the deal with Chen Ji, Lu Chuan leisurely went to find Starry Ming.
Starry Ming seemed impatient. “Where were you? We don’t have time. You need to get some players out of the city first.”
“What’s the hurry?” Lu Chuan asked. “According to our plan, it’s still early.”
“The officials in the City Lord’s mansion suddenly sped things up—they plan to trade with the god sooner, before something goes wrong. Probably because too many of them borrowed from you. They want to kill their creditor before you come collecting.” Starry Ming explained.
Officials had talked while carving the ritual array—and discovered all of them had gone into debt with Lu Chuan. The bank was nearly emptied.
That wouldn’t do. Better to kill the creditor first, before he demanded payment.
“I can influence the pace of the city’s destruction? Ha! Didn’t know I was that amazing.” Lu Chuan scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “I was just doing my job.”
“…No one’s praising you.” Starry Ming laughed in frustration. “Can’t you focus?”
He was beginning to wonder if this guy was really Lu Chuan at all. At such a critical time, he was still wandering around, proud of himself.
“Isn’t the real job getting those players out? Fine, I’ll just send more today.” Lu Chuan stretched lazily. “No big deal. But let me see the magic array first. I’m curious—what does a ritual that trades an entire city’s population with a god look like?”
“Get the players out first, then I’ll show you.”
“Deal.”
Lu Chuan had a good rapport with the stone lions. He just had to hide the players inside their bellies, and they’d smuggle them out.
Starry Ming raised a brow. “So you rely on them? I tried talking to them too, but they wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Because you didn’t figure out what they really wanted.” Lu Chuan smiled.
“I offered them soul value. Said I’d give as much as they wanted if they helped me.” Starry Ming pressed.
“And that’s the problem.” Lu Chuan countered. “They’ve guarded the city gates for years. They’ve heard that line a hundred times. You didn’t talk risks or feasibility—why would they trust a stranger? Me, I laid out all the risks plainly. No base pay, commission only. They can end the deal anytime. With you, control stayed in your hands. With me, it’s in theirs.”
If the lions refused to ferry people anymore, Lu Chuan had no recourse.
It looked like weakness, but it gave the lions maximum security.
Sometimes, taking a step back makes a deal easier to seal.
Especially with suspicious partners.
Starry Ming thought it over, then nodded. “Didn’t expect you to be so skilled at this. No wonder you’ve grown so fast.”
Putting yourself in another’s shoes sounded simple. But any player with power tended to focus only on themselves. Once elevated and praised, who would care about the thoughts of NPC ‘ants’?
The higher you stand, the less you care for ants’ feelings.
“I really admire you. Would you consider working with me? With your help, the guild could be greater than ever. I’m not young, and my leaderboard rank is high enough. Soon, like the other Guildmasters, I may be stuck in the game permanently. Then the guild would be yours to command. I’ll clear the obstacles for you first—wouldn’t that be good?” Starry Ming said sincerely.
Though they hadn’t spent much time together, he could already see Lu Chuan’s strength clearly.
All the investigation before was nothing compared to experiencing a dungeon with him firsthand.
By now, Starry Ming had shown real sincerity. His intent was obvious.
As long as Lu Chuan agreed, the next guild master’s seat would definitely be his. Starry Ming had even said he wouldn’t stay in the position for long.
To be honest, Lu Chuan was tempted.
#888: [Host, how can he be so sure it’s you?]
#888 was stunned — the host had hidden his identity so well, even wasting a “Rationality Card” to stay undercover.
Lu Chuan: “He ruled out the other players, so naturally I’m the only possibility. I just sent off three or five players; how many players can there be in this instance?”
He sighed helplessly. “Can’t be helped — the tree that stands out in the forest is the first the wind destroys. My charm and talents are impossible to hide. Even if I cover it for a while, I can’t hide it forever.”
#888 fell silent, still grieving over the wasted Rationality Card.
#888: [Actually, his offer isn’t bad. Starry Ming made a point: his rank on the Master-Rank Leaderboard is already high. Host, in the early stages he cleared dungeons no slower than you — he even managed to probe you. He’s got skills. If he keeps climbing and his rank keeps rising, he’ll get stuck battling gods and won’t be able to leave instances. By then the guild will still be yours alone.]
At most, Lu Chuan would have to wait ten or twenty years.
He was only in his early twenties — even if he waited, he’d still be the youngest guild master!
Lu Chuan: “Yeah, Little System, I’m tempted. If he’d said this six months ago, I’d have agreed.”
“I didn’t fight Cynthia for first on the rookie list, so of course I’d be willing to take my time and grow slowly. Unfortunately, I can’t.”
If he hadn’t learned about Cang Jiu, Lu Chuan would have agreed to Starry Ming’s proposal. Why make an enemy when you could both benefit?
But in the last instance, Lu Chuan had met Cang Jiu — the dignified God of Desire, targeted so hard by the Main System that he had to revive in an Executor’s body, unable to reclaim all his power and authority. As a mere candidate for the God of Wealth, Lu Chuan might already be on the system’s radar.
At this point, he couldn’t afford to slow down.
He had to become guildmaster as fast as possible, channel every resource into himself, and speed up his path to becoming the God of Wealth — only then would he have a chance against the Main System.
He couldn’t wait ten or twenty years.
So he couldn’t accept Starry Ming’s deal.
Lu Chuan (playing dumb, with disdain): “Why would I leave the Resurrection Guild to join your Abyss Guild? No thanks — I’m doing fine. We’re just cooperating for now. Once we clear this dungeon, it’s every man for himself.”
Starry Ming gave him a deep look, saying nothing.
So this guy was still pretending? Refusing the offer?
Arrogant and foolish!
The deal had nothing but benefits for Lu Chuan, yet he turned it down. Either he couldn’t read the situation, or he was stupid enough to think he was invincible.
Starry Ming (coolly): “In that case, there’s nothing more to say. Let’s rely on our own skills.”
Lu Chuan: “Fine. Don’t forget what you promised — take me to see the magic array first.”
Seeing Starry Ming’s attitude cool, Lu Chuan knew he’d just made another enemy.
All thanks to the cursed Main System.
If only he had a choice!
But Lu Chuan could only swallow those words and keep acting as if nothing was wrong, continuing to cooperate with Starry Ming — just with sharper caution.
Starry Ming kept his word, soon leading Lu Chuan to observe the carving and layout of the magic formation inside the City Lord’s mansion.
Starry Ming, casually explaining, “I haven’t fully figured out the materials the officials are using for the array, but they’re likely linked to soul value. Early on, they tricked residents into signing papers with all kinds of perks, then gave out freebies, letting people feel they were getting real benefits. Little by little, that built up the ‘reason’ to treat them as property. Even the orphanage and welfare offices were entirely funded by the officials.”
In other words, the officials fed the city’s residents a lot of hope and benefits.
The residents thought it was all part of the city’s welfare, not realizing they were being nudged straight into hell.
Starry Ming: “The formation spans the city’s edge. At this pace, they’ll finish carving in under three days. After that, the City Lord himself will trade with the God of Exchange, swapping all the residents’ remaining value for his own immortality. And not the shoddy kind — true eternal life. I tried sending someone to assassinate him; even if he’s killed, he revives almost instantly.”
But the City Lord’s resurrections were limited — hence the need to sacrifice the townsfolk again.
To achieve genuine immortality, a man had to pay with an entire city’s life. To such elites, perhaps that seemed fair.
Lu Chuan, a bit shocked, “You’ve done a lot. And you still haven’t been caught?”
Starry Ming arching an eyebrow, “To clear an instance, you try everything. If a god might be sleeping here, isn’t the City Lord the biggest suspect? If my probing wakes the god, all the better.”
It made sense.
Lu Chuan nodded. If he’d had the chance, he would’ve tried assassinating the City Lord too.
Starry Ming saved him the trouble.
Lu Chuan, “Did you try destroying the array? The lines are painted with special ink — even if you can’t erase them, breaking the slabs should disrupt it.”
Starry Ming, “I tried. Useless. Once inscribed, the formation auto-repairs. Only massive destruction — leveling the whole city in one blow — could erase it, and you’d need an S-rank attack item with minimal side effects. And doing that would pit you directly against the God of Exchange. In a divine challenge dungeon, destroying the scene just frees the god. You’d die for sure.”
Lu Chuan mentally bookmarked that for later — handy when fighting gods.
Lu Chuan, “Alright, I’ve seen enough. When do we leave? In three days the array will complete — we need to be gone first.”
Starry Ming, “Tomorrow. The sooner the better — no need to risk anything now.”
Lu Chuan, “Good.”
They shared a knowing glance.
After parting, Lu Chuan turned to #888.
Lu Chuan, “Little System, check my system. Do I have enough tools to smash if I need to? Prep both offensive and defensive items — I bet Starry Ming will strike tonight or tomorrow morning.”
#888 startled, [Already?]
Lu Chuan, “He knows I’ve been using the lions to send players out. He’ll definitely destroy it. Then I’ll be trapped, stuck as a sacrifice with the others. Even if I never signed anything, standing inside the array means the God of Exchange won’t mind adding me as a bonus.”
#888 shocked, [But if he smashes the lion, he can’t leave either! Does he want to die with you?]
Lu Chuan eyes narrowing, “He’s got an escape plan. He’s hiding something from me — I just don’t have time to dig. But I’m sure he can get out; otherwise, how could I find a way while he couldn’t? If I escape, I’m hard to kill. Dying here with the main quest is his best shot at burying me.”
Yes — Starry Ming would act.
He was the kind who’d rather destroy what he couldn’t have. Shen Li had warned him many times not to underestimate Starry Ming’s destructiveness.
#888, [Host, sorting by power: about 100 offensive items, 100 defensive ones. But high-tier gear is scarce. Starry Ming’s kit should be at least as good — plus Shen Li said his skills are nasty.]
Lu Chuan, “If worst comes to worst, I’ll use the God of Wealth skill. But keep watch — if I can tank it myself, I will. I’ll only spend money if I must.”
He sighed helplessly. Circumstances were stronger than men.
He remembered Shen Li describing the “Greedy Wolf Star” — the guy was formidable; otherwise, how could he rank so high on the Master-Rank Leaderboard?
And worse, Shen Li’s intel on Starry Ming’s powers might be incomplete. He might have developed new tricks. After all, Master-Rank players who hunted gods could acquire extra abilities, drastically reshaping their power.
Could Shen Li even obtain the full data on Starry Ming’s abilities? Lu Chuan doubted it.
Outside the dungeon, Shen Li couldn’t help but sneeze.
“Lu Chuan must be cursing me inside the dungeon!” Shen Li grumbled to Starry Shasha. “That guy better stay out of trouble with that maniac Starry Ming. If Lu Chuan gets beaten up by him, I’ll laugh at him to death.”
Starry Shasha pouted.
Brother Shen was all talk but soft-hearted. Who had been stockpiling healing items ever since Lu Chuan entered the dungeon?
Obviously, he was worried!
After Starry Ming parted ways with Lu Chuan, his expression instantly turned cold as ice.
He gathered the rest of his NPC subordinates.
The players had already secretly moved his real body elsewhere.
Even if he stayed in this city to cut off all of Lu Chuan’s escape routes, at the last moment he could still swap souls with the “self” outside the city and return to his true body.
But he also couldn’t underestimate Lu Chuan.
“At that time, you’ll do this… and this…” Starry Ming carefully laid out his plans.
What a pity.
Starry Ming thought to himself—Lu Chuan was the most talented, most promising player he had ever seen in the Star Guild. Compared to his useless younger brother, Lu Chuan was infinitely better. As long as Lu Chuan accepted his proposal, the next Guildmaster would definitely be him. Yet despite such favorable terms, Lu Chuan flatly refused.
Which only made him more suspicious!
For players, ten or twenty years was nothing. But Lu Chuan would rather make a mortal enemy out of him than accept. Clearly, Lu Chuan was planning something dangerous—something that might drag the entire guild down with him.
Otherwise, what could be so urgent that it couldn’t wait?
From Lu Chuan’s past behavior, he had always chosen win–win paths.
But this time, even when Starry Ming offered him one, Lu Chuan still rejected it.
That meant he was desperate for the guild’s resources, unwilling to wait even a moment longer.
Lu Chuan was absolutely plotting something, and it might throw the guild into a disaster it could never recover from.
That was something Starry Ming could never allow.
Since Lu Chuan was such an unstable factor, killing him was the best solution.
Starry Ming had already made up his mind—he would not allow Lu Chuan even the slightest chance of escape.
That very night—Lu Chuan didn’t dare sleep.
He didn’t know if Starry Ming would make his move at night or wait until morning.
Either way, better not to sleep at all.
Several figures silently slipped into his room.
Daggers in hand, they stabbed down fiercely at the bed.
“I’m over here.” Lu Chuan leaned casually against the bathroom door, smiling at the first wave of cannon fodder. “Starry Ming only sent you guys to deal with me? Don’t tell me he’s letting me off easy on purpose?”
The lackeys immediately turned their blades toward Lu Chuan.
They were weak, little more than expendables sent to test the waters.
When faced with Lu Chuan’s counterattack, they didn’t hesitate—they self-detonated, igniting the entire room in flames.
“Damn it!”
Lu Chuan threw up a defensive item and bolted without holding back.
Now wasn’t the time for a head-on clash. He was outnumbered.
But running away had its tricks. Instead of fleeing randomly, Lu Chuan sprinted toward Chen Ji and the City Lord’s mansion.
Since Starry Ming wanted him dead, he might as well drag others into the chaos.
But when he got downstairs, Starry Ming was already waiting with reinforcements on the road to the City Lord’s mansion.
Starry Ming glanced at him lightly, then waved his right hand.
A barrage of offensive items rained down, cutting off both Lu Chuan’s path forward and his retreat.
“So what if you’re rich?”
“So what if you’ve got more items?”
For the first time, Lu Chuan regretted not hoarding even more tools.
Gritting his teeth, he cursed—he knew exactly where I’d try to run.
No wonder he was a master-ranked player.
One by one, Lu Chuan’s defensive items lit up and burned out, yet he barely gained a few steps.
Starry Ming was proving to be a tough opponent indeed.
