Chapter 178
Who would’ve thought Lu Chuan would actually faint?
888 nearly choked, its little head spinning, trying to figure out how to protect him.
This had almost never happened in past instances.
If Lu Chuan’s teammates were here, #888 wouldn’t be so worried.
But Wen Renxu… he and Lu Chuan weren’t close. All it could do was gamble on Wen Renxu’s kindness.
But facing Executor Number 6, could Wen Ren really fight and win while carrying such a badly injured Lu Chuan? That itself was a problem.
888’s processors were nearly fried trying to calculate.
If nothing else worked, maybe it should just grab its host and run.
888 felt a bit useless—at critical times like this, the only thing it could do was help its host escape.
“Don’t panic.” Cang Jiu came online in time. He had always been watching Lu Chuan’s actions, so naturally he could quickly reconnect with #888. “The timeline you’ve crossed into is in the past. If Lu Chuan dies, then the rest of the dungeons won’t exist.”
[But timelines can be changed.]
“Under normal circumstances, not by much,” Cang Jiu replied. “Just observe for now. Wen Renxu is the guildmaster of the Star Guild—his rationality is actually quite high.”
Everyone assumed Wen Renxu, with his multiple personalities, must have very low rationality, but the truth was the opposite.
The fact that he could suppress so many sub-personalities proved his core personality was actually strong and highly rational.
Many times, he could make the most advantageous choice.
And as guildmaster, protecting the next Guildmaster was the most natural thing to do.
Wen Renxu glanced at the unconscious Lu Chuan, then at Number 6 with his hungry eyes. He had no choice but to put Lu Chuan into a medical storage tool, setting him aside to heal so the fight wouldn’t accidentally harm him. Once Lu Chuan was patched up, he’d probably be able to run on his own.
888 let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Wen Renxu hadn’t handed its unconscious host over. Otherwise, even if Lu Chuan woke up later and cursed it, it would have had to burn a skill to save him first.
Turns out its host did have a bit of luck left.
“Looks like Wen Renxu chose to save him.” Cang Jiu chuckled. “Now you can relax.”
[Yes.] #888 nodded vigorously. [When my host wakes up, we’ll be sure to repay Wen Renxu.]
At such a critical moment, having Wen Renxu step up was the best possible outcome.
With that, #888 finally relaxed, and Cang Jiu also calmed down.
Logic told Cang Jiu that Lu Chuan wouldn’t really be in danger—but sometimes logic couldn’t eliminate every risk.
Before Cang Jiu even realized it, he had already linked back up with #888.
Sometimes, instinct was indeed faster than thought.
So at this moment, both Cang Jiu and #888 found themselves on the same side.
Good thing it was Wen Renxu they had encountered.
But Wen Renxu himself was conflicted.
If he abandoned Lu Chuan here, maybe he’d never have gotten tangled with Number 6 in the later timelines.
In this dungeon, the shifting timelines meant that every choice might alter the future or even the past. Sometimes, what you changed became the future. But sometimes, you really could alter the future itself.
Back when Lu Chuan told him he’d been stuck in this dungeon for more than twenty years, constantly hounded by Executor Number 6, Wen Renxu hadn’t understood.
Falling into a dungeon he could accept—sometimes you just failed.
But why Number 6 would keep hunting him made no sense. He had no grudge with an Executor.
Yet once he split from Lu Chuan after the starting dungeon and entered any timeline within this “Forbidden Zone of Humanity,” Number 6 always came for him unprovoked. Naturally, Wen Renxu came to believe Lu Chuan’s words.
What he hadn’t expected was that their entanglement with Number 6 actually began here.
Because he saved Lu Chuan, Number 6 kept pursuing him. The fights deepened their grudge until it became personal hatred.
And after twenty years of battling Number 6, word would eventually reach the guild and then to Lu Chuan’s ears.
Hearing that, Lu Chuan would dive back into the dungeon to find him, which in turn triggered their very first enmity with Number 6.
A time loop.
This dungeon could really give you a headache.
Wen Renxu sighed. His fifth personality had already sorted the logic.
“…The situation is urgent. This is clearly a turning point in time. If you turn your back and leave, you won’t get entangled with Number 6 anymore. Without that, you may not be stuck in this dungeon for twenty years,” the fifth personality told him. “But that’s only speculation. Number 6 doesn’t seem particularly smart—maybe he isn’t the main reason you were trapped. Still, without him, your life would be easier.”
“What’s there to hesitate about? We’ve only met this guy once. Just dump him and mind our own business,” another sub-personality said immediately. “You think Number 6 is easy to fight? Every time I’ve taken over to battle him, I’ve taken a beating.”
“I don’t see the harm in saving him. Right now, we don’t even know why we’re stuck here. If not saving him means we can’t leave this dungeon, then the guild loses one of its most valuable people.”
“I still say don’t save him.”
…
Different personalities, different judgments.
But Wen Renxu, as the core personality, had final say.
He glanced at the unconscious Lu Chuan and quickly made his choice.
Sigh. This was, after all, the Star Guild’s future guildmaster. He couldn’t let him be eaten by Number 6.
If he couldn’t even protect his own guild’s members, what kind of guildmaster was he? Might as well quit.
Looking helplessly at Number 6, Wen Renxu sighed. “He’s not mutated, not a god. Eating him would do nothing but earn you punishment from the Main God System. Why can’t you just leave him?”
“Don’t eat him? Then I’ll eat you.” Number 6 saw Wen Renxu refusing to hand over Lu Chuan, and immediately transformed into his true form, lunging to attack.
“…Your temper really hasn’t improved.” Wen Renxu had fought Number 6 countless times, but now, Number 6 didn’t recognize him. During the fight, Number 6 found all his moves anticipated, his tricks seen through as if his opponent knew him inside out.
The mighty Executor Number 6, being beaten down by a human player?
If word got out, he’d be laughed to death by the other Executors.
That only made him angrier.
Humans were all rotten—better to just eat them all!
Wen Renxu, however, was enjoying himself. In past battles, he’d had to rack his brain just to hold his own against Number 6, always wary of endless tricks. But now it was different. He knew Number 6 well, while Number 6 knew nothing about him. All of Number 6’s trump cards were useless. Wen Renxu was suppressing him across the board—it was as satisfying as feasting on a banquet and then basking in the breeze!
“Haven’t you eaten a pile of gods? Your strength feels flimsy to me. Is this supposed to tickle?”
“If you can’t even break through my defense, forget about dreaming of eating a member of my guild.”
“Hey, I told you already—that trick won’t work on me!”
Wen Renxu showed no mercy, relentlessly crushing Number 6. Catching him off guard, he slew him several times, forcing Number 6 to burn merit points to resurrect again and again.
At first, Number 6’s attention was still on Lu Chuan, but after being killed so many times, his rage at Wen Renxu exploded. He stopped glancing at the recovering Lu Chuan and focused solely on slaughtering Wen Renxu to vent his hatred.
Their battle was so fierce that within a thousand miles, no living creature dared approach. The area became a dead zone.
Meanwhile, Lu Chuan lay in the medical pod, healing slowly.
Gradually, though his body was still weak, his consciousness cleared. #888 could finally speak to him again.
[Host, thank goodness you’re okay. We gambled right—Wen Renxu really came, and now he’s fighting Number 6 outside.] #888 said excitedly. [Oh, and while you were unconscious, Cang Jiu came online too. He said Wen Renxu would save you, told me not to worry. But I don’t think he actually came to help, so maybe he’s not that sincere. What do you think?]
“Alright, don’t make me laugh, system. I’m still injured.” Lu Chuan chuckled. “Things are already chaotic enough. If Cang Jiu showed up in this dungeon too, then I’d really have a headache. I can’t even handle Number 6, and if you add Cang Jiu to the mix, I wouldn’t be able to manage at all.”
[That’s only because you’re a candidate for the God of Wealth, not really a combat type.] #888 insisted its host was the best. [As long as you recruit a few strong sub-gods in the future, you’ll be fine. I think Wen Renxu is a good pick.]
888 was already scouting talent for him. [I’ve scanned so many players, and Wen Renxu is the strongest. Lilus wouldn’t last five minutes against him—the gap’s too big.]
“If Lil heard you say that, he’d think you were complimenting him.” Lu Chuan smiled.
The fact that Wen Renxu could vanish for twenty years and still have enough influence to deter other guilds from attacking the Star Guild spoke volumes.
And to think he could also gain the upper hand against Executor Number 6, who had devoured so many gods—it was no wonder Number 6 would hound him in the future.
Yes.
When Lu Chuan came fully to, he realized he himself was probably the very reason Wen Renxu and Number 6 became enemies.
The timelines were tangled beyond telling—where the start and end were blurred. By the time they figured it out, everything was already set in stone.
Wen Renxu and Number 6’s battle lasted nearly two full days and nights.
In the end, it concluded with Number Six’s defeat.
Before fleeing, he still spat out a threat at Wen Renxu, swearing he would never let him off easily and that Wen Renxu would become his number one target for pursuit.
Wen Renxu only smiled and replied, “Only kids talk tough after losing.”
That one line was enough to make Number Six furious all over again.
Once he was certain that Number Six had left, Wen Renxu finally let go, collapsing weakly against a large tree.
“Lu Chuan, you should be waking up about now,” Wen Renxu called out.
Inside the medical pod, Lu Chuan slowly opened his eyes and nodded. “Many thanks, Guildmaster, for saving my life.”
“I didn’t expect you’d give me such a big surprise.” Wen Renxu gave Lu Chuan a helpless look. “I’d been wondering all along what kind of grudge Number Six had with me. Now it seems I really didn’t wrong him by making him my enemy.”
Lu Chuan looked a little embarrassed. “I didn’t expect things to end up like this either.”
“Forget it,” Wen Renxu sighed. “How many times have you jumped timelines in this series of instances now? Let’s compare notes. Judging from your condition, once you recover, you’ll probably have to jump again.”
“Alright.” Lu Chuan was more than willing. Back at the starting point, Wen Renxu had only just arrived, and the two of them couldn’t exchange intel even if they wanted to. Now there was no problem.
“Counting the Experience Dungeon, this should be my third timeline,” Lu Chuan calculated aloud. “After our first meeting, I came into this timeline, and most of the items I’d collected before were consumed. That suggests that somewhere in the timelines ahead, I’ll also face crises that force me to use up a lot of resources. In the Experience Dungeon, I became the City Lord of Star City—oh, that’s the city you founded, Guildmaster…”
Lu Chuan described the events of the Experience Dungeon’s timeline, even mentioning the box Wen Renxu had left behind.
“Alright, if I reach that timeline, I’ll leave a box for you and establish Star City as well.” Wen Renxu thought for a moment. “I don’t know yet what I’ll put in it, but whatever I leave, when you enter the password, just use the numbers 023341.”
“What do those numbers mean?” Lu Chuan wondered. They didn’t seem to match any of Wen Renxu’s significant dates.
“Oh, I’ve never told anyone this.” Wen Renxu smiled faintly. “Those were the numbers I used for a lottery ticket once—the only time I ever won, sixth prize. I remembered them as a little symbol of good luck. Sadly, it’s been so long I forgot the rest, but I remember these.”
Lu Chuan silently committed the numbers to memory.
“This is the fifth timeline I’ve crossed.” Wen Renxu organized his thoughts and spoke slowly. “In all the timelines I’ve experienced, I didn’t encounter you, but I vaguely heard of someone called ‘Manager Jin.’ That’s probably you, isn’t it?”
“Uh, under normal circumstances, yes, that should be me.” Lu Chuan admitted.
“Then you’d better be careful.” Wen Renxu’s expression remained calm, but his gaze carried a warning. “I only heard of Manager Jin once, in one timeline. He’d hired a ton of investigators, even had a bunch of cultists guarding him—that’s how I learned about him. Back then, Manager Jin was in a deep sleep, apparently waiting to awaken. Do you have some kind of substitute-death item?”
Lu Chuan thought for a moment, then nodded frankly.
“Then it’s definitely you.” Wen Renxu nodded. “When the time comes, find somewhere hidden, because at that point I don’t know Manager Jin is you. I suspected he was a mortal incarnation of some god, so I was actually planning to kill you then.”
A wave of pressure hit Lu Chuan. “Absolutely, absolutely—I’ll find a way to hide properly.”
“Mhm. Once you’re almost done healing, you can come out. The timeline is already trembling.” Wen Renxu glanced a little wistfully at his medical pod. “This is the finest healing device there is—each use damages it, and it only has a few uses left.”
There was an indescribable look in Wen Renxu’s eyes as he gazed at Lu Chuan. “If you can’t become the Guildmaster later and take the Star Guild to the next level… heh.”
Lu Chuan answered calmly, “Don’t worry. Even if you didn’t say so, I’d still make the Star Guild the strongest.”
After Lu Chuan’s wounds were fully treated, he finally stepped out of the medical pod.
As he emerged, he thought he heard a faint cracking sound from the pod.
“The timeline is trembling,” Wen Renxu said, taking two steps back. “I’ve only just arrived here, so I won’t go further.”
“Alright.” Lu Chuan nodded. “Guildmaster, take care of yourself. I hope we can leave this instance together.”
Wen Renxu smiled and waved.
Lu Chuan took the initiative to step into the rippling waves of time.
Who knew where the next timeline would take him? But Lu Chuan could already sense that all the timelines were slowly converging.
Perhaps, when every timeline finally merged, he might even meet the God of Time.
“Hello, three bottles of Calming Potion, please.” Lu Chuan handed over three eye-ingots to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper cheerfully produced three bottles of Calming Potion and passed them over. “Investigator, would you like to try our new potion? We’ve got other discounts too.”
“No, thanks.” Lu Chuan waved it off. “This is all I need for now.”
He’d already tried the other potions—they were useless. His player stats were nearly maxed; to keep growing, he needed to raise his attribute cap, which couldn’t be done with dungeon potions.
Ah, this timeline sat roughly between a hundred years before the Experience Dungeon and a few decades after the gods’ great war. Humanity was enjoying a brief peace, and the investigators’ ranks were expanding rapidly.
Still, Lu Chuan hadn’t been able to find any trace of Wen Renxu; perhaps he hadn’t arrived yet at this point in time.
Ah, it would have been nice if he were here too.
It almost felt as though the God of Time was deliberately keeping the two of them apart, letting their meetings be few and far between.
Probably because, if they worked together, there wouldn’t be many challenges left in the dungeon.
On another note, after arriving in this timeline, Lu Chuan discovered that his gold and other items had returned. That filled him with security, letting him be bolder in gathering intel.
No worries—he had plenty of money now.
Nothing was happier than regaining lost gold.
And sure enough, Lu Chuan uncovered some intriguing news.
For instance, after the gods’ war, the deities had suddenly become rare creatures. Large numbers of cultists perished, and humanity gained room to thrive. Various calamities were only slowly taking shape, their threat still minor. But among all these reports, Lu Chuan pieced together that his old acquaintance, Plague Rat, had grown quite formidable.
With the aid of Empty Dreams, he’d become a mid-level deity, later escaping from Number Six.
Empty Dreams had taken even greater damage than he had and had fallen into a deep slumber—just like Mother of Fertility and the Omniscience God.
The stronger a god, the slower their recovery from injury.
That gave Plague Rat an enormous opening.
In the ensuing years, the stage practically belonged to him alone.
He quickly devoured other gods, absorbing their authorities.
From Plague Rat, he evolved into the God of Plague, then merged with other disease-related authorities to become the God of Disease. Soon after, he swallowed another deity, the God of Healing, and combined their powers into the so-called Tree of Life. Continuing his spree, he claimed several more mid-tier deities, ultimately becoming the Father of Nature.
Yes—the lowly little god from the start had become one of the Four Great Evil Gods.
His luck could only be described as “chosen by the heavens.”
At first, Lu Chuan hadn’t connected the dots. But after compiling years of information, he realized these divine evolutions aligned perfectly in time and sequence.
When there are no tigers in the mountain, the monkey becomes king.
In the previous timeline, Lu Chuan had encountered the other three deities, but not the Father of Nature. Not because that god was hiding—simply because he hadn’t yet been born.
Now, Plague Rat had seized this once-in-a-lifetime chance: while all the higher deities were wounded and slumbering, he expanded wildly, using tricks learned from Lu Chuan to lure other gods and devour them whole.
That talent was truly one of a kind.
[Host, now all four of the Great Evil Gods are your rivals.]
888 couldn’t help but sigh in admiration for his host’s uncanny luck—pinpointing every major god so precisely was remarkable. No wonder, back in the Experience Dungeon, all the evil gods had wanted to make trouble for Lu Chuan.
And how could they not?
They were all ones Lu Chuan had offended before.
“I have to admit, I might be a bit cursed,” Lu Chuan said, stroking his chin. “My pull on these gods is like honey to ants—I can’t help doubting my own charm. I mean, I’m not the God of Desire; why do they keep chasing me?”
Honestly, even the gods vying for the Desire authority hadn’t pestered him as much.
[Uh, Host, I think it’s because your charm is unmatched,] #888 replied insincerely. After all, the host just loved to stir things up—and especially loved provoking deities.
Who can you blame for that?
Author’s Note:
The news Lu Chuan received twenty years later might not be accurate. In the God of Time’s dungeon, time is a closed loop. This leads to a result where events from twenty years later influence what happened twenty years before. That’s why this dungeon is nearly impossible to break—it’s a god’s domain, a forbidden zone for humans.
