Chapter 168
Lu Chuan calmly watched the beast massacre the cultists, while also observing their methods of resistance.
He needed to know whether the cultists of this world fought the same way he expected.
Sure enough, once the beast had slain most of them, the [God of Omniscience] could no longer sit idle. He sent down a fragment of divine power into one of the believers.
That believer instantly lost his consciousness. His eyes rolled back, and a moment later his pupils shifted, filled with a touch of otherworldly divinity.
The beast, seeing the descent of the [God of Omniscience], immediately tried to flee.
“Leaving so soon?” the possessed believer said coldly. With a mere gesture, the beast that had been escaping was pinned like a toy in his palm.
The remaining cultists, witnessing this miracle, shouted the god’s name in frenzy, kowtowing in gratitude, ready to offer even their lives.
But the [God of Omniscience] didn’t strike immediately. He sensed divine aura lingering on the beast.
Clearly, it had attacked His believers at the behest of another god.
Now, looking over the kneeling believers, He could not locate the source of the [God of Exchange]’s aura.
The [God of Exchange] was stronger than Him. If that god wished to remain hidden, there was no finding Him.
But why would the [God of Exchange], who usually cared only about building a few cities of immortality, suddenly appear here? Unless there was something in Star City worth His attention.
Perhaps the city’s founder had hidden something within it?
Even among humans, those so-called legendary investigators were troublesome to deal with.
The [God of Omniscience] could not even peer into their origins. Whenever He tried, two powerful forces always blocked His sight, leaving Him unwilling to act rashly.
For although He was a god, there were deities stronger than Himself.
That was why He had never touched Star City when Wen Renxu was still around. But now Wen Renxu had been missing for over a century, and the city’s defenses were at their weakest. The [God of Omniscience] would not miss this chance. Taking Star City might even reveal the secrets of those legendary investigators.
“God of Exchange, if you cooperate with me, we can share Star City together,” He offered sincerely.
Kneeling among the believers, Lu Chuan naturally gave no reply.
Sorry, I’m not the [God of Exchange]. I’m actually hunting Him. I just happen to carry one of His seeds.
Truthfully, if the beast had been a little stronger and wiped out every believer, Lu Chuan would have dared use the [Seed of Exchange] to swap with the possessed believer, forcing a direct clash with the [God of Omniscience]. He wanted to see whether that god could withstand his god-touched soul and the brand left behind by Cang Jiu.
But since some believers remained alive, the [God of Omniscience] still had vessels to shift into. Lu Chuan had to put aside this tempting idea for now.
Hearing no answer, the [God of Omniscience] concluded the [God of Exchange] had already left.
He crushed the beast with ease, then commanded His believers: “Proceed to Star City at once. No delays.”
With that, His power departed. The believer He had possessed instantly melted into a pile of sludge, flesh and bone dissolved together.
“This is our holy vessel,” the High Priest made strange gestures and bowed to the fallen believer. “After we finish our rites, we shall bury him. To be chosen as a vessel is the reward for his years of devout cultivation!”
The believers erupted in fervor once more.
Lu Chuan, watching the familiar scene, finally felt a bit of relief.
Good. It seemed that even in this timeline, the [God of Omniscience] had only these few tricks at His disposal. Gods were arrogant beyond measure—so arrogant that They believed Their three little moves could dictate everything.
Compared to them, the God of Exchange and the God of Desire are far more down-to-earth, always keeping up with the times. No wonder those two are doing so well. One has expanded their territory who knows how much, and the other, even after dying so miserably, managed to resurrect from the ashes—truly not just an empty boast.
At this moment, in Star City.
Everyone stared at the divine presences suddenly appearing on the compass, then looked at the black dot that had just dissipated. Their expressions varied.
Some were thankful they hadn’t sent anyone out—sure enough, when deities clash with calamities, it sometimes ends up solving a crisis for them.
Others lamented the terrifying power of the gods. That calamity had already been incredibly strong, yet it couldn’t withstand even a single blow from a deity. If such powerful gods turned to attack them, could Star City’s defenses hold?
“We chose to stay. That means we’re prepared to sacrifice.” The lead investigator stepped forward to steady the others. “Even if we can’t match the gods, we won’t let them slaughter us so easily.”
“That’s right. Since we chose to remain, there’s nothing to fear.”
“So what if they’re evil gods? Haven’t we killed them before?”
…
Rallying morale was never easy, yet humanity often works like this—only when death looms close do people manage to draw tightly together.
Lu Chuan hurried with a few other cultists toward Star City’s gates.
Since most of the believers had already died, the high priest had no choice but to hand several critical tasks to Lu Chuan—which conveniently gave him the chance to strike from the shadows.
The cultists who just reached the gates looked utterly exhausted. Though their fanatic faith made them appear energized, in truth they were like taut strings—ready to snap at the slightest pluck.
Above them, the Omniscience God and other deities already hovered over Star City.
The city’s defenses were formidable—they couldn’t break through.
To breach them, the only option was to flatten the city.
But gods needed vessels to descend.
These cultists were the perfect disposable vessels for the Omniscience God and the others to inhabit.
Lu Chuan pulled out a mirror to secretly observe the heavens.
Directly looking was impossible—his sanity was low, and he didn’t want to waste money on defensive skills. Using the mirror to catch a reflection dulled the impact somewhat.
The sky above blazed with golden light, so bright the mirror showed almost nothing.
Originally, the sun and moon of this world had disappeared due to the presence of evil gods—day and night alike shrouded in gray haze. But now, with these gods’ appearance, the world shone bright as day, just as the old legends said.
Such brightness should have uplifted spirits, but under these circumstances, no investigator could feel joy.
“Attention—don’t look at the sky, and don’t stare at anything that feels off.” The lead investigators reached the city gates with their group, fixing their eyes only on the cultists below, refusing to glance upward.
“We just need to kill the remaining cultists. Without vessels, the gods can’t unleash their full power. Once the time runs out, their bodies will collapse, and the gods will be forced to withdraw. If that happens, we’ll have survived the first wave.”
Yes—the first wave.
Because the compass clearly showed that cultists from around the world were still converging on Star City.
Unless they could kill every last one, they’d be dragged into battle after battle, worn down endlessly.
It seemed inevitable the city would fall—it was only a matter of time.
But what they were fighting for was time.
As long as they held out long enough, the trainee investigators who escaped could regroup with their captains, vanish into the shadows once more, and at least preserve humanity’s spark.
Perhaps among them, a new legendary investigator would arise—someone who could reclaim their lost homeland.
So they readied all their tools and weapons, each clutching bottles of calming potions. When fighting cultists empowered by divine descent, they could replenish their strength and avoid dying instantly.
With death before them, the investigators’ faces were resolute. None noticed that the cultists before them were already spent arrows, their strength at its limit.
“Believe in my Father, and you will live.”
“Surrender—you can’t fight the gods.”
…
The cultists jeered from below, brandishing dried meat and weapons, showing off to the investigators that surrender and devotion to the gods was humanity’s only hope.
“Bah! You call yourselves human? You’re worse than those calamities,” a younger investigator spat. “You’re a disgrace to humanity. If I were you, I’d bash my head on a rock in shame!”
“You—you…” One cultist pointed at him, about to retort, when his body suddenly seized up. He stiffened, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed.
Everyone froze—cultists and investigators alike.
“Uh? Did I… did I just curse him to death? Can I kill them all just by scolding them?” the young investigator muttered dumbly.
“He’s poisoned.” The lead investigator, experienced, immediately recognized the symptoms—rigid limbs, foaming mouth. Clearly poisoning.
And soon after, the other cultists began collapsing one by one, writhing in pain.
Even the high priest tried to heal himself with divine power but couldn’t guard against betrayal.
Lu Chuan drew his dagger—one swift strike pierced the high priest’s heart, shattering it. He calmly retrieved the pouch the priest had been hiding.
“My things aren’t so easy to take. Beyond the principal, there’s always interest. Your life? Let’s call it interest.” Lu Chuan smiled, pulling the blade free. “Took me a lot of effort to collect these poisons. And you idiots thought dried meat was safe? If I want to poison you, where can’t I? A touch, a word, or a smear on your lips while you sleep—it’s child’s play.”
Not to mention, these zealots constantly recited the Omniscience God’s scripture. Poisoning their books was simplicity itself.
They had never imagined such methods.
The investigators were dumbfounded, watching cultists collapse one after another, until only one remained standing. They could hardly believe their eyes.
And the gods above were enraged. They wanted to descend immediately into Lu Chuan’s body, intending to crush him under their power.
But the first god that touched his soul let out a shriek and instantly dissolved into nothing.
How could such a minor god touch Lu Chuan—who carried two God Seeds within, whose soul was already partly divine? Even the mark Cang Jiu left on him was enough to make these gods suffer.
“…Did I see that right? Did he just… destroy a god without doing anything?” The investigators on the wall couldn’t believe their eyes. Yet it had clearly happened before them—the radiant descent had simply vanished on contact with this mysterious man.
For a moment, both investigators and gods were paralyzed, staring at him in confusion.
Who was this man?
Could he be a legendary investigator?
The thought struck both sides at once.
Lu Chuan lifted his head, letting his face be clearly seen by those on the walls.
Waving cheerfully, he called out with a grin:
“Hello! I’m Lu Chuan. Sorry—looks like I awakened a little power earlier. You call this… legendary investigator, right?”
—
[Human Forbidden Zone: Version 2.0 Infinite World]
Starry Ming and his team successfully arrived in this world.
This time, they hadn’t been separated by the system but woke up together in a single room.
Each wore a badge identifying them as an investigation squad.
Comparing them, they saw their photos and names matched exactly, and they were all grouped in the same squad. It was reassuring.
They also found many yellowed books and journals in the room, detailing the state of this world and clarifying their assigned roles.
“Captain, our luck is great this time—the start couldn’t be better,” one teammate said excitedly to Starry Ming. “This must be the Guildmaster watching over us. With this instance, we’ll definitely be able to bring him back. Then you’ll be the undisputed next Guildmaster!”
“Haha, of course.”
“Our captain really is the best.”
“Wait a second — I don’t think this is right.”
The vice-captain frowned. “Something about this is off. Everyone, calm down.”
Starry Ming looked at his vice-captain with satisfaction. Compared to the other members, the vice-captain was clearly more composed.
Right now, none of their backup plans were useful.
Normally, when players like them entered an instance as a party, the system would scatter them to different starting points. Their first step was always to figure out their own identity, status, and mission, then regroup at a prearranged landmark to tackle the scenario together.
That was the standard way for team players to clear an instance.
But here, they hadn’t been separated at all — they’d been placed together from the start.
That was the biggest anomaly.
Since when had the game system ever been so considerate?
And this was the very instance that even Guildmaster Wen Renxu couldn’t escape from — how could it possibly be so easy?
“The only reason the system would let us gather like this is if it’s judged that even together, we can’t tip the balance,” Starry Ming reasoned. “It even kindly handed us basic intel about the world. That means our situation is more dangerous than we thought.”
He gestured for everyone to stay cautious.
“Don’t rush. Let’s scout for information first. Something about this world isn’t right. My system inventory won’t open — what about yours?”
“Mine won’t either.”
“But the items I was carrying didn’t get reclaimed.”
“Abilities still work, thank goodness.”
“This world feels off… kind of creepy.”
…
After a short rest, they left the room.
Surprisingly, there were no obstacles — everything felt almost too natural.
They realized they were all lodged in the same small inn, and there were many other investigation teams staying there as well.
Outside, the street bustled with people; shops lined the road.
Shopkeepers shouted over one another, hawking their goods:
“My calming potion’s been improved over several versions — absolutely the most effective!”
“Don’t miss out — weapons here that can fight evil gods!”
“Freshly harvested calamity eyeballs! Edible or usable — cheap!”
Starry Ming glanced at the gray sky above, then at the lively street full of people and children running everywhere. The scene felt jarringly out of sync.
According to the intel they’d gotten inside the room, most of this world was still under the evil gods’ control. Why did these humans look so hopeful? And why were there so many kids — you couldn’t walk a few steps without nearly tripping over one.
Starry Ming found a tavern and slowly began collecting information.
The others split up into pairs or trios to do the same.
When they pooled their findings, everyone was baffled.
“…Captain, we’ve cross-checked all the intel and filtered out the fluff. This should be solid.”
“We interviewed some city elders and found old records.”
“It really matches.”
“This instance is seriously strange.”
The team was stunned.
They were sure they had entered this instance before Lu Chuan. When they’d prepared to form a rescue party for their Guildmaster, Lu Chuan had still been out roaming the world, nowhere near the guild’s headquarters.
And yet, everything pointed to something absurd.
According to what they’d learned, Stardust City had two officially recognized lords:
One was their familiar Guildmaster Wen Renxu — the city’s founder, immortalized in a statue at its center.
The other was Lu Chuan.
Supposedly, this legendary investigator had appeared out of nowhere when Stardust City was on the brink, saving it, repelling the “Omniscience God,” revealing his legendary status, then reorganizing civic affairs: boosting commerce, founding an investigator academy, researching recipes to expand the food supply, even increasing subsidies for pregnant women, doubling the population, and more.
If Wen Renxu had created Stardust City, Lu Chuan had brought it to full bloom.
“It’s just a timeline discrepancy,” Starry Ming said, quickly regaining composure. “Lu Chuan must have entered after us, but somehow landed earlier in its history. Judging by the intel, though, he didn’t clear the instance — he never found the Guildmaster.”
From the reports, Lu Chuan had done brilliantly otherwise.
Under him, the city’s number of investigators nearly doubled; their skills grew; he taught dueling techniques and how to manage their abilities, greatly reducing side effects.
Yet despite all that, Lu Chuan never found Wen Renxu.
Worse, according to the stories, in his tenth year as city lord, Lu Chuan faced a joint assault by the Omniscience God, the Mother of Fertility, and Dream of Nothingness. He repelled them, gravely injuring the trio, buying the city long-term stability — but died in that same battle.
Author’s Note:
Lu Chuan: I didn’t die, thanks. I just changed accounts and came back.
