Chapter 181
[H–Host… I feel… like I’m about to go offline…]
888’s voice suddenly began to stutter.
At this moment, Lu Chuan was following the route given by the Father of Nature, heading toward the final destination.
Divine power could only send him close to the destination, not directly inside.
So, for the rest of the journey, Lu Chuan had to walk on his own.
As he moved forward, Lu Chuan noticed plenty of traces left by others along the path.
On both sides of the narrow mountain trail lay scattered bones and weapons of all kinds, as if many had been trapped there.
“Little System, can you hold on a bit longer?” Lu Chuan asked worriedly. If #888 went offline now, that would be troublesome.
[Host… I’ll activate the backup program first…]
After several failed connection incidents with Lu Chuan, #888 had learned its lesson: it had made a backup of itself apart from its core data.
When the backup program activated, #888 could only retain data analysis and scanning functions—everything else would be sealed to shrink its memory and strengthen its link with Lu Chuan as much as possible.
That way, the next time the host called it, it wouldn’t lose connection.
“Alright,” Lu Chuan agreed.
[Backup program activated successfully.]
888’s voice became much more mechanical, no longer as warm and lifelike as before.
[Host, the backup program is now active. For the moment, I can only provide data analysis and scanning functions. Please be aware.]
“I understand.” Lu Chuan wasn’t quite used to #888 talking like this, but he knew there was no helping it—#888 had to shut down many modules to compress its data and prevent disconnection.
Lu Chuan continued forward.
The road was strange.
Just a minute ago, the path had been springlike, with wildflowers blooming and the occasional bee. But the next moment, Lu Chuan felt a chill; both sides of the path were now blanketed in snow. Before he could take out a down jacket from his inventory, he took another step forward, and all the plants and flowers had withered and turned yellow.
Lu Chuan pondered.
So, along this road, the seasons were all jumbled.
No wonder so many people the Father of Nature had sent in before never came out. The farther they went, the more frightened they must have become as problems mounted—and without any way to contact the Father, they probably just stayed here and perished.
But Lu Chuan wasn’t afraid.
He had plenty of items, and with #888 at his side, this kind of thing didn’t scare him.
He’d slain gods before—why would he fear this?
Walking onward, Lu Chuan finally reached the destination.
He stood in front of a cave.
Instead of rushing in, he paused, wearing an odd expression, and asked #888 with rare doubt, “Little System, why do I feel like this cave looks familiar?”
[Host, that’s perfectly normal.] #888 answered matter-of-factly. [I just scanned it for you—this cave has a 99% similarity to the one you saw in the God of Desire instance.]
What kind of boomerang was this?
Lu Chuan suddenly felt maybe he shouldn’t go in.
“Little System, can you contact Cang Jiu right now? Sometimes it’s better to just ask the person involved,” Lu Chuan said sincerely.
[Sorry, Host. This cave blocks all contact.] #888 was helpless—since it could only run in backup mode, contacting Cang Jiu was out of the question.
Lu Chuan sighed at this.
No wonder that stinky rat didn’t dare to come in himself. The people he’d sent here couldn’t get out or contact him, and there was a reason for that.
This cave was a place cut off from the world, perhaps even the weakest point in the entire instance.
Sometimes, such places appeared naturally.
In cultivation novels, they’d be “blessed caves.” In science fiction, they’d be where portals through time and space existed.
It made sense why Cang Jiu had buried his body and consciousness here back then—only in this place could he escape the pursuit of other Executors and the Main God.
Lu Chuan rubbed his chin and circled the area around the cave.
“I always thought it was strange. This instance is supposedly under the domain of the God of Time, but it feels far too real. Apart from not having the ‘Evil World Game,’ everything else is almost identical to the real world. I originally thought it might be a parallel world, but now it seems this could just be another aspect of the world we live in,” Lu Chuan mused.
This cave before him was the best proof.
No matter how other things might change—societal structures, pantheons—some special places couldn’t be altered.
Back then, Cang Jiu had hidden part of his true form in this cave, drawing Beautiful Dream of Nothingness and Xi Jiangyuan here, then reviving with their help. Now, the God of Time could also shape this cave into a special place.
“Maybe we really have found a loophole in this instance, a direct way out.” Lu Chuan’s fists itched with excitement. After a moment’s thought, he decided to step inside.
888 was equally eager.
“Boss Lu, this is the land we just acquired.”
“Guildmaster, the Resurrection Guild has agreed to merge with us. They’ve even nominated you as guildmaster.”
“Guildmaster, we’ve found another gold mine—perfectly intact!”
“Just a small token of respect.”
Lu Chuan found himself sitting in a resplendent palace, even the chair beneath him crafted from pure gold, inlaid with jewels.
Below him, people stood respectfully, holding gifts to offer him.
Huh?
Lu Chuan paused, trying to recall what he had been doing just now.
Oh, right—after becoming the guildmaster of the Star Guild, he had opened up trade routes everywhere, integrating the economies of the five major Guilds. He now controlled the lifeline of the world’s economy. Combined with his immense power and the authority of the God of Wealth, all the players flocked to him. Even the Main God System dreaded him and didn’t dare to oppose him lightly.
Now, all the world’s money was his.
His gold was so abundant that, after building this palace, he still had plenty left. The Golden Tower had become an iconic structure both in reality and in the Infinite World.
Any living being entering his domain had to pay taxes. You could say that even if Lu Chuan lay down and daydreamed, he’d earn an astronomical amount during that time.
Money, to him, had become something he could draw on at will—impossible to measure.
After Lu Chuan became the God of Wealth, #888 retired in glory, though it would occasionally drop by to complain that the new candidates for the title couldn’t compare to him, and so many had perished in the new world trying to become God of Wealth—it was exhausting.
Lu Chuan just smiled, saying that a capable host like him was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck for #888; how could it expect to meet someone like him every time?
Now, this extravagant life, where he could have anything he wanted, was the reward he deserved for his past struggles.
“You don’t need to give me anything. Just follow the rules. The last thing I need is more money—it hurts my eyes,” Lu Chuan waved, signaling them to take their gifts away. “I’ve already worked half an hour today; it’s time for me to rest.”
With that, Lu Chuan slowly departed, as the others bowed and thanked him.
“Greetings, Guildmaster.”
“Hello, Boss Lu.”
“Good to see you, Guildmaster.”
Lu Chuan had barely taken a few steps when he saw Cang Jiu approaching. Beside him, Number 18 held an enormous golden platter, piled with Lu Chuan’s favorite foods, topped with flecks of gold—luxurious beyond measure.
“You’ve worked so hard for half an hour. Have a bite first,” Cang Jiu said warmly. “Though you’re now the God of Wealth and don’t need to eat, you can still enjoy yourself.”
“Then let’s eat together,” Lu Chuan replied, looking at the gentle, refined Cang Jiu without sensing anything amiss. “When it’s dinner time, invite Cynthia and her brother to join us. As for Shen Li—he’s been busy with blind dates lately, so let’s not disturb him.”
“Alright.” Cang Jiu nodded. “I’ll eat with you first, then I’ll go catch a few deities for you. If they’re useful, let them be your subordinate gods. If not, we’ll just devour their divine essence. You’ll need to stock up for your coming battle with the Main God System.”
“Sigh, if only the Main God System had been willing to split the world with me, I wouldn’t have kept fighting against it.” Lu Chuan spoke offhandedly. “After all, even if I only had half the world’s wealth, it’d still be more than I could spend in a lifetime…”
Wait a second!
What nonsense am I saying?
Lu Chuan immediately came to his senses. Looking again at the gentle Cang Jiu before him, then glancing at the golden brilliance all around, he felt something was wrong.
“Cang Jiu, don’t you think I’m acting strange?” Lu Chuan couldn’t help but ask.
“What?” Cang Jiu looked at him curiously. “Strange how?”
“I must be under some kind of influence.” Lu Chuan said firmly. “How could I ever give the Main God System half of the wealth? What a joke! If I can control the world, then all of the wealth should be mine. How could I let someone else sleep soundly next to my bed? If I’m going to be the God of Wealth, I’ll be the only God of Wealth in the universe! No one else is taking my money, and no one is taking my territory!”
Cang Jiu’s smile in front of him suddenly looked a little stiff.
“Aren’t you the God of Desire, Cang Jiu? Your desires should be even heavier than mine.” Lu Chuan stared at him doubtfully. “Sharing half the world with the Main God System—that’s absolutely impossible. Speak. Who are you really?”
Crack.
Crack, crack.
The scene before him suddenly shattered, as though a glass wall had been struck and splintered. The cracks spread wider and wider until the entire world changed before his eyes.
“Wait, my gold!” Lu Chuan saw his resplendent golden palace vanishing and exploded in outrage. “Don’t erase it so completely! Can’t I pretend to be fooled again—will that still work?”
But it was already too late.
Lu Chuan jolted awake, and once again what lay before him was the pitch-black cave.
[Host, you just froze for about ten seconds. Did something happen?] #888 asked.
“Nothing, I just fell into an illusion. Now I understand how those people outside died.” Lu Chuan shrugged. “This cave has something that can stir up my desires, but it doesn’t seem all that strong. Little System, help me search carefully and see what’s really inside this cave.”
[Yes, Host.]
Lu Chuan didn’t stay idle either. He pulled out a tool for both illumination and defense, and began searching through the cave.
The cave was far larger than expected, but in the end, it was still just a cave. No matter how big, there was a limit.
Soon, Lu Chuan and #888 found something strange inside.
It was a crystal-like, dreamlike glass orb.
But when Lu Chuan looked into it, what reflected back was not his own face—it was a glittering golden ingot.
Moments later, the orb itself turned into a golden ingot.
“This thing… looks a lot like a Seed of Desire.” Lu Chuan felt its aura was familiar, though slightly different.
[Host, you could try using the mark left on you.]
“Oh, right.” Lu Chuan remembered the imprint Cang Jiu had left on him.
He carefully released its power. The mark was absorbed into the golden ingot, which then shifted back into the shape of the glass orb.
“So it really is a Seed of Desire!” Lu Chuan raised his brows. “No wonder I walked into this cave and instantly saw a beautiful illusion—it was feeding on my desires. But the illusion was weak. Even inside it, I didn’t dare oppose the Main God System. Can this thing really be a true Seed of Desire?”
[Host, my current scanning functions still need upgrading.] #888 replied. [Once we leave this place and I can restart the core program, I’ll be able to confirm.]
“I’d love to leave, but it’s not that easy.” Lu Chuan frowned. The ingot had sprouted fine roots from its base, burrowing into his palm. He shook it, but it wouldn’t come off.
Oddly, there was no pain, no sensation at all.
[Host, it’s trying to enter your body.] #888’s usually calm tone now carried a hint of urgency. [It wants to seize control of you.]
“Probably because the God of Desire in this instance wants to absorb the authority of the God of Wealth.” Lu Chuan mused. “Without the Main God System, the God of Desire wouldn’t have fallen. Instead of lying dormant in this cave awaiting revival, He may have left behind a seed to absorb other gods’ authorities. That explanation fits.”
Or perhaps, since both the God of Time and the God of Desire were true gods, the former lacked the authority to drag another true god into His domain. Transforming the god into a seed instead would make sense.
“Interesting. Without the Main God System, maybe my hunt wouldn’t be for the God of Exchange, but for the God of Desire instead.” Lu Chuan chuckled. After all, greed for wealth was a form of desire too, and compared to exchange, it suited him even more.
