Chapter 176
Number 6’s body twisted madly before him, blotting out the sky, warping the whole world around them.
Lu Chuan could even smell the stench of blood and rot.
But what drew the eye most was the sheer unnaturalness of Number 6.
And yet, Number 6 only waved Its limbs around him, never touching him—like someone staring at a dish of braised pork, unsure where to start.
Lu Chuan’s mind spun furiously.
[H-h-host, that Executor just drooled at you! He’s not after the chicken—he’s after YOU!!] #888 shrieked. Never in its wildest dreams had it thought to see, up close, a being that fed on gods. Everything about it screamed wrongness.
Although both Cang Jiu and Number 18 had said that Executors mostly fed on gods and even their own kind, since Cang Jiu was relatively “normal” and Number 18 had been tamed by him, neither Lu Chuan nor #888 had really grasped how terrifying Executors could be.
But the one before them—Number 6—was completely different from Cang Jiu or Number 18.
“He wants to eat me?” Lu Chuan was shocked into calmness. “Then why hasn’t he made a move?”
“Because you’re still a player. We Executors are bound by the Main God System. Without a direct order, we can’t attack players—especially not players on the Master-Rank Leaderboard, who are monitored even more closely,” Cang Jiu’s voice connected to him once again. “Right now, Number 6 can’t act against you because he hasn’t found proof you’re a god. Also, your sanity value hasn’t dropped low enough to mutate. All he can do is use his true form to intimidate you. The moment your sanity drops and you mutate, you’ll be expelled from the player ranks—and then he’ll be free to act.”
Every master-ranked player on the Gods List was considered a precious asset by the Main God System. If one died, it would have to be replaced. But Executors were different—Executors were hard to kill in the first place, and even if one really did die, as long as another Executor devoured the corpse, a new, equally powerful one would immediately emerge. Nothing was wasted.
“Wait, so I’ve been set up by an undercover sting operation?” Lu Chuan exclaimed in surprise. “You guys play it like this?”
“…The Main God System can’t monitor every single being inside a dungeon all the time. Usually, only a handful of players are tempting enough for an Executor to risk pushing the boundaries of the rules to devour,” Cang Jiu said helplessly.
Because Lu Chuan himself had partially become divine and also carried a divine seed, his aura was a jumbled mix. But at the core he was still classified as a player, which made it difficult for Number 6 to strike at him directly.
Normally, even a master-ranked player would lose rationality when threatened by Number 6. But Lu Chuan had probably gotten used to such things, so he stayed calm.
The only reliable way to make him lose rationality was to take away his money.
“Well, I should thank him for holding me in such high regard,” Lu Chuan muttered. “So I’m just going to be under his watch like this?”
“Once he realizes your rationality doesn’t drop, he’ll ease off,” Cang Jiu explained. “The higher an Executor’s rank, the lower their rationality. They’re driven mostly by hunger. So as long as you hide your identity well, he won’t target you. Remember—Number 6 cannot be killed. He will resurrect endlessly. You can only trap him, never destroy him.”
“Got it.” Lu Chuan nodded. “I won’t make reckless moves without certainty.”
Cang Jiu nodded slightly. “If things become truly dangerous, remember you still have a divine seed. Survival comes first. Number 6’s rationality is so low that once he starts gorging himself, his hunger will overwhelm what little reason he has left. At that point, even with the Main God System restraining him, he might still attack you. If that happens, don’t hesitate to use the seed.”
If worst came to worst, he could always find Lu Chuan another one later.
“You don’t need to tell me that,” Lu Chuan replied, then added, “Let’s hang up, or it’ll be bad if we’re discovered.”
Cang Jiu disconnected.
“Senior, if you’re that worried, why don’t you just enter the dungeon yourself?” Number 18 complained. To him, Cang Jiu seemed obsessed—constantly fiddling with that ingot and golden leaf, constantly contacting that player remotely.
Even when the player provoked Number 6, Cang Jiu stood by helping him strategize.
Among the top ten Executors, wasn’t Cang Jiu the only one capable of communication? The rest were just monsters.
Number 18 found it strange. In his mind, his senior was the strongest; even against Number 6, he might not lose.
“If I went in, it would upset the entire dungeon’s balance,” Cang Jiu said. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—he couldn’t.
If two True Gods appeared in the same dungeon, its difficulty would skyrocket beyond measure.
And the Forbidden Zone of Humanity dungeon already had the God of Time inside. The God of Desire couldn’t be added on top.
Besides, Cang Jiu felt that Lu Chuan being pulled into this dungeon might not have been the Main God System’s doing.
If it wasn’t, then it could only have been the God of Time—or Lu Chuan himself.
Either way, it wasn’t something he could interfere with.
“Senior, don’t you think you care too much about that player? You don’t even want to eat him. It’s weird.” Number 18 had been holding back his complaint for a long time.
“He’s my ally,” Cang Jiu replied simply.
To him, he and Lu Chuan had already formed an alliance and established mutual trust. If Lu Chuan were to die because of Executor Number 6, it would be a huge loss.
That was why he cared about Lu Chuan’s safety.
“What’s an ally? Can you eat it?” Number 18 asked curiously.
“…Shut up.” Cang Jiu regretted even trying to explain.
Knowing Number 6 couldn’t strike at him, Lu Chuan immediately relaxed.
He boldly stepped forward and tried to touch Number 6.
Number 6 instantly backed away, his eyes full of puzzlement—why hadn’t this player’s rationality dropped at all?
“Don’t stare. I’m not tasty. Tell you what—I’ll take you to an all-you-can-eat buffet,” Lu Chuan said with a smile. “Otherwise, you’ll just keep drooling at me.”
Number 6 tried to scare him a few more times, but seeing that Lu Chuan’s rationality held steady, he finally realized he couldn’t eat this delicacy. Reluctantly, he shifted back into his pitch-black monstrous form.
“Human, you carry Number 9’s mark,” Number 6 said, swallowing hungrily. “I’m stronger than him. He doesn’t like eating humans, but I could swallow you whole in one gulp. You wouldn’t feel pain.”
“Sorry, I’ve already been reserved.” Lu Chuan waved him off casually. “If you actually try, I’ll report you to the Main God System. I’m a player here to clear this dungeon, and it’s always watching me.”
Number 6 said nothing, unwilling to leave.
His instincts screamed that this player’s taste would be no worse than that of fellow Executors or gods he’d devoured before. He just couldn’t attack because of the System’s constraints.
But that was fine. If he stuck close, the player’s rationality would eventually collapse.
And if devouring this player drew out Number 9, that would be even better.
Number 6 thought of Number 9’s overwhelming power, and his saliva flowed even more. If he could devour Number 9, maybe his endless hunger would finally ease.
A long while later, after Lu Chuan had finished his roast chicken, he wiped his mouth and extended the offer again: “My earlier words still stand. Hide your aura, and I’ll take you to the buffet.”
Number 6 considered, then truly withdrew his aura. At a glance, he was just a drab-looking young man, not intimidating at all.
The aesthetic gap between Executors was wider than that between humans and dogs.
Cang Jiu was breathtakingly beautiful due to his divine authority. Number 18 looked presentable too, even angelic when silent. But Number 6—he looked like a beast wearing human skin. No matter how human he appeared, the essence wasn’t there.
“Let’s go,” Lu Chuan said with a smile.
A sharp blade could wound, but it could also cut your enemy.
Without hesitation, he led Number 6 out of the empty clearing and toward a crowd.
As soon as Number 6 concealed his aura, Lu Chuan was immediately detected by Beautiful Dream of Nothingness and the Plague Rat.
With artifacts from one and a contract with the other, being located was effortless.
Thus, even if Lu Chuan stood still, low-tier gods under their command swarmed toward him endlessly.
In the past, seeing so many minor gods, Lu Chuan would have had to either run or burn rationality cards to shoot his way out. But now was different. He felt like a fox flaunting a tiger’s might.
He stepped behind Number 6 and pointed to the sky. “Look—your buffet’s here.”
Number 6’s eyes lit up. His body warped, half turning monstrous again, and he pounced on the low-tier gods like a starving tiger.
Lu Chuan watched carefully, inching backward.
He remembered Cang Jiu’s warning: Executors only lost control the more they ate.
Hadn’t Number 18 gone berserk before, forcing Cang Jiu to intervene? Number 6 was unstable to begin with—if he went wild, Lu Chuan couldn’t guarantee survival.
If Number 6 decided to attack him despite the System’s restrictions, Lu Chuan would be forced to use his God of Wealth skills to defend himself. And once he did, Number 6 would definitely abandon all other targets and go straight for him.
[Host, let’s run now.]
#888 rapidly scanned and mapped out a relatively safe escape route. [If you follow my plan, there’s about a fifty percent chance you’ll make it out.]
“How much?” Lu Chuan asked.
[Uh, about fifty percent.]
“Too low.” Lu Chuan’s voice was calm. He glanced at Number 6, whose eyes grew redder the more he devoured, and suddenly changed his plan. “I signed a contract with the Plague Rat. If he can locate me through it, then I can locate him too, right? He’s probably with Beautiful Dream now. Let’s lure Number 6 there.”
[Host, that’s too dangerous. You’re far apart—what if Number 6 turns on you midway?]
“He’s already drooling over me,” Lu Chuan said coldly. “Beautiful Dream clearly wants me dead. The Plague Rat’s betrayal happened so quickly—it must have been well rewarded. In this world, there’s no high return without risk. The longer I drag this dungeon out, the worse for me.”
He hadn’t forgotten—the Forbidden Zone of Humanity was part of a series.
And how many had they cleared so far?
An experience dungeon that might not even count, a starting dungeon with barely any danger—at most, this was their third. If he didn’t take bold risks now, who knew if there’d be another chance?
Moreover, Lu Chuan also wanted to know: if he brought Number Six, that walking weapon of mass destruction, to kill [God of Empty Dreams], would everything he’d experienced in the “Experience Dungeon” be altered?
Wasn’t this a heaven-sent opportunity?
With that thought in mind, Lu Chuan made his decision without hesitation.
Number Six was happily devouring a group of lesser deities when he suddenly realized that his “reserved feast” was slipping away.
The buffet was tasty, sure—but there was no way he was letting the main course escape!
He stretched out a hand, its palm opening into a massive maw that continued gulping down the low-level gods, while his body pursued the fleeing Lu Chuan. His arm elongated endlessly, turning into a thin black line so he could eat and chase at the same time.
Lu Chuan glanced back and almost cursed aloud.
What the hell was that thing?
Couldn’t the Main God System create something even remotely normal?
He whipped out the Infinite Holy Pistol, slapped another sanity card on himself, and fired at Number Six without hesitation.
Number Six hadn’t expected his “emergency rations” to shoot at him. The shot hit true—but the divine power condensed into the bullet was far too tempting. He paused, plucked the bullet from his body, chewed, and swallowed it.
That brief pause bought Lu Chuan precious time.
He pulled out a flight tool, sped up, and took off.
[Host, turn left—now straight ahead.]
[Jump through this way; there are plenty of unformed calamities here that can slow him down.]
[Host, Number Six is almost on you again!]
#888’s database was running hot with anxiety.
But Number Six kept closing in.
If not for the sheer number of lesser gods, and Number Six’s reluctance to give up snacking on them, Lu Chuan would’ve been caught already.
That alone proved that if Lu Chuan didn’t escape fast enough, someday Number Six would lose control, choose punishment from the Main God System over restraint, and devour him.
Lu Chuan’s speed was still impressive, and with #888 constantly recalibrating his route, he could always squeeze off another shot whenever Number Six got too close—after which the creature’s attention would again be distracted by nearby “snacks.”
In this world of divine warfare, gods were the least scarce resource.
Ironically, after all the scheming Lu Chuan had done—stirring up conflicts, pushing [Plague Rat] and various deities into battle—not one of them had died as many as Number Six had eaten along the way.
“Hey, System,” Lu Chuan laughed breathlessly, “those historical records say the ‘God War’ caused massive divine casualties, giving humanity room to breathe. Do you think that ‘mass death of gods’ was really from the war… or from Number Six showing up during it?”
888’s circuits almost froze.
[Based on current evidence, Number Six being the primary cause seems… highly probable.]
“In the Experience Dungeon, we never saw any trace of Number Six,” Lu Chuan mused, eyes narrowing. “Which means that by the time of that timeline, either Six had been trapped or… maybe I managed to kill him at some other point?”
A messy timeline had its drawbacks—never knowing what had happened before, needing to reorient at every temporal juncture. But it also had perks: you could reason backward from what had already occurred to predict what might happen.
Like right now.
Lu Chuan accelerated, streaking toward the domain of [Plague Rat] and [God of Empty Dreams].
Meanwhile, the two gods were baffled.
They’d dispatched hordes of believers and even drawn swarms of minor deities to hunt Lu Chuan. Even if he could kill a dozen lesser gods, there was no way he should have survived that many pursuers. Yet all they sensed was wave after wave of divine auras vanishing, while Lu Chuan’s presence crept ever closer—and behind him, a strange, flickering aura.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
But with [Omniscience God] absent, there was no one to consult. They could only send out more believers to gather intelligence. Those who didn’t vanish outright soon returned babbling incoherently, their sanity shredded.
Something was advancing toward them.
[God of Empty Dreams] felt a prickle of dread. Though unwilling to admit it, the human speeding toward his territory made him uneasy.
Perhaps because he was currently “descended” into a human vessel, a faintly human panic clung to him.
“He’s coming!” [Plague Rat] suddenly looked up. Bound by a contract, he was acutely aware of Lu Chuan’s movements.
Lu Chuan sat atop his flying tool, clothes in tatters but eyes shining.
Was he mad?
This was the stronghold of [God of Empty Dreams] and [Plague Rat]; the sheer number of believers here could drown him. Yet Lu Chuan showed not the slightest sign of stopping.
“I’ve only got one last bullet and sanity card left,” Lu Chuan shouted angrily. “If you two don’t die, I’ll die of rage instead!”
Number Six was a gluttonous beast, eating nonstop, devouring nearly all his divine bullets.
With that, Lu Chuan suddenly veered, diving straight toward the incarnations of [God of Empty Dreams] and [Plague Rat].
Trailing him came that long, black thread.
The moment the two deities saw the line, an overwhelming sense of doom struck them. But they had never encountered a “Burial Entity” before; they couldn’t comprehend a being that fed on gods. They failed to link that faint, repressed presence with the formidable predator it truly was.
“Number Six, here’s the exclusive buffet I found for you!” Lu Chuan flung out his hand, diving toward [God of Empty Dreams]’ avatar. “Bon appétit—just remember to pay for your meal next time!”
At the far end of the black line, Number Six finished gulping down the last minor god and instantly warped to Lu Chuan’s side.
And there they were: two divine incarnations.
Drool poured from Number Six’s maw.
If those lesser gods were appetizers, these two powerful avatars were the main course prepared just for him. Especially [God of Empty Dreams]—a rare, high-tier delicacy. Even a “Burial Entity” seldom got the chance to eat one whole; usually, they had to share with their peers. A chance to have one all to himself? Unthinkable.
[God of Empty Dreams] sensed danger the instant he locked eyes with Number Six.
Number Six lunged, seizing him and opening that vast mouth.
The god tried to abandon the human shell—if he could detach quickly, his true self wouldn’t be harmed; he’d merely lose his investment here.
Bang!
A shot rang out.
As [God of Empty Dreams] attempted to escape, Lu Chuan fired without mercy.
Number Six’s jaws clamped down simultaneously.
Assailed from both sides, the god’s consciousness was trapped inside the mortal vessel, nearly immobilized. To survive, he’d have to abandon the divine seeds he’d nurtured and let them perish in his stead.
But at the moment of [God of Empty Dreams]’ death, the bullet coalesced his divine power, reappearing in Lu Chuan’s magazine.
Only when a god’s vessel died could its divine power become bullets.
Lu Chuan glanced at the freshly replenished rounds and gave Number Six a thumbs-up.
“Nice—you’ve just paid your deposit for the meal!”
