Back in the beginning, when Gu Nan returned to Langya World, he had once bumped into an apostle of the God of Blood.
From that incident, Gu Nan confirmed that this world was indeed related to the game in his previous life—not only did the power levels correspond to each other, but even the gods inside the game existed in this world.
But he hadn't seen any trace of the gods after that, at least not until today.
Unlike a low-end god like the God of Blood, the God of Luxuriant Blossoms was a very powerful Tier 10 god and was one final step away from becoming a major god. This god's apostle wasn't so simple.
Gu Nan pretended to not recognize the two and calmly sat in his seat, but nothing from the scene escaped his eyes.
This was a fight between two side branches of the Lu family. As the head of one of those branches, Lu Yiming wouldn't intervene, and the same went for the opposite side's leaders. This was a competition to see which side had the better connections, as well as which side was better at training their younger generations.
Both sides will send five people each to compete in five matches. The first to win three matches will win the competition.
Xu Yuanjun and Lu Yiming had long been close friends, and the former's law of space was also a very special power, so everyone expected him to fight on Lu Yiming's side. However, the two apostles of the God of Luxuriant Blossoms were unexpected variables.
Originally, Lu Li was bound to fight in this competition, but Lu Yiming didn't let him participate this time.
There were two reasons. One one hand, it was to prevent him and Gu Nan from meeting, and on the other hand, it was because they already got five participants now.
This time, Lu Yiming invited the five match participants over just to confirm the match timing with them face to face and also to thank all of them for their help.
Gu Nan didn't have any feelings about this. He came to help this time purely because of his deal with Lu Zhanyu.
After the match participants left one after another, Gu Nan deliberately slowed down and circled back again. He found Lu Yiming and asked, "Elder Lu, what are those two's origins?"
Lu Yiming knew he was asking about the Lan siblings but didn't find anything strange about that. After all, those two did seem a bit mysterious.
"From our investigations, their specific origins are unclear. One of our family's juniors inadvertently saved the two, so they agreed to come over to help."
"How strong are they?"
Hearing this question, Lu Yiming also replied a little seriously, "Both are at least Infinitesimal Stage, and Lan Ta might even be Domain Stage."
Gu Nan rubbed his chin in thought. 'Sure enough, these two are Tier 3 apostles…'
'But why did they come here?'
'Plus, to think that two people this powerful would actually be saved by one of the Lu family's juniors… If they didn't do it intentionally, then they must've temporarily lost their powers for some reason.'
'Was it because of heavy injuries? Were their powers sealed? Did they temporarily lose their powers because they just arrived in this world?'
Lu Yiming didn't know that so many thoughts had already passed through Gu Nan's mind. He just smiled and reassured, "No matter where those two came from, they are also related to my Lu family. Mr. Gu can rest assured."
Gu Nan nodded with a small smile, then casually found a reason to take his leave.
To say that he wasn't curious about the two apostles—that would certainly be a lie. But he was also in no hurry to make contact with them. After all, his own power was the true foundation for everything.
He wasn't worried about those two discovering his Evil God identity either.
Evil Gods are a very special kind of existence. Besides the miracles that happen in one's Divine Kingdom after the First Round, Evil Gods usually seem no different from normal people. Not even the gods themselves can see through a fledgling Evil God's identity.
Meanwhile, the siblings Lan Ta and Lan Si were talking in their room.
"Big Brother, the people here are so weak! Even Tier 3 cultivators are rare…" Lan Si said playfully as she sat on the bed and kicked off the high heels she was wearing.
Lan Ta was still expressionless. "Don't underestimate them. This is merely one realm in the Myriad Heavens Universe. Besides, there are still Tier 4 and Tier 5 experts around. Remember to hide our identities."
"Got it!" Lan Si pouted, obviously still a bit unconvinced, and muttered under her breath, "The Myriad Heavens Universe is so messy. Who will have time to care about us…"
"Just in case." Lan Ta glared at her. "After the matter with the Lu family concludes and after we've repaid our debt to Little Lu for saving our lives, then we'll look for the Serene Water Stone."
...
Several more days passed. Lin Yunyun's cultivation was steadily improving and was already approaching Innate Realm FIfth Stage. On the other hand, the Lu family's competition had finally arrived.
Gu Nan was guided by the Lu family to a small, hidden arena, where the rest of the crowd was already waiting.
The two sides stood clearly separated from each other. One side was led by Lu Yiming, while the other side was led by a middle-aged woman.
"I didn't expect you to be the one leading the team this year, Little Seven." Lu Yiming was obviously also a bit surprised. He hadn't actually seen the opposite side's team before today. "That old hag Lu Fang really can't walk anymore?"
The middle-aged woman called "Little Seven" replied, "Mother is in the Central Region and cannot come at short notice. Ninth Uncle, please forgive me."
Both sides were showing off during this pointed exchange. Lu Yiming was flaunting his seniority, while the woman was flaunting her side's high-end status. Speaking of which, it seemed like Lu Yiming lost this one.
But Lu Yiming was a thick-skinned elder and didn't care. He casually said, "Then let's start. We'll still follow the previous years' rules."
Then he called behind him, "Old Xu, can you go first?"
"Okay," Xu Yuanjun didn't say anything else and directly agreed.
Before this moment, neither side knew the identities of all the other side's combatants. Each side took turns having the first pick of who would fight in the match.
Gu Nan stood in the crowd and swept his gaze over the crowd on that side.
Lu Zhanyu stood beside him and whispered, "That side knows you're in Heavenly Enterprise Star. When the time comes, the old man will definitely have you fight in one of the later rounds. There's a person on the opposite side who's very suited to be your opponent."
"Oh?" Gu Nan was slightly curious. He wasn't familiar with Star Realm's experts, but learning about your opponents ahead of time would never be wrong.
"See that big fellow?" Lu Zhanyu pointed to someone on the opposite side. "The well-known Star Ranker powerhouse, Feng Zhuotang. He holds the title 'Tempest'."
Gu Nan stroked his chin wordlessly and just stared at Feng Zhuotang, having already equipped the Observer Eyepiece. He carefully analyzed every opening in the other side's defense.
He actually quite understood why this Feng Zhuotang would be considered a suitable match for him.
After the battle with Ye Qinglan, everyone knew that his defense and regeneration were outstanding, and he had the ability to resist domain attacks head-on, so he was least afraid of opponents who relied on frequent but less powerful attacks.
If Ye Qinglan could bring his 39,000 swords together, then not even Gu Nan would dare to take that hit directly.
After studying his potential opponent, Gu Nan planned to withdraw his gaze. The others were none of his business anyway. But at that moment, he spotted an unexpected person in the opposite crowd.
It was a woman who had contributed a Challenge Dungeon to him a long time ago, gifting him with a wave of points and Evil Value.
Qin Xuanji.
When Gu Nan had first ascended to Star Realm, he had bumped into her on the starship he was riding in and even activated a Challenge Dungeon with her as the boss.
Later, they were kidnapped to Radiant Tower together, and the two of them made a deal. Gu Nan helped her leave Radiant Tower, while she taught Gu Nan the method to become an independent reincarnator.
'Qin Xuanji… Why is she here? So she went to the Sixth Region after leaving Radiant Tower?'
Devotee's Game System Inspired Note
» This section of the chapter is a Fan based created system to mock-up or simulate the 'Status Information' of our MC - Gu Nan. This implies that you are free to skip reading this and continue your journey onto the next chapter.
» All catalog data below is a summary of various information achieved by Gu Nan that corresponds till the end of the related chapter and is compiled into a singular 'Status Screen.' Additionally, the invented system below would continue to evolve as we progress and learn more about the novel itself.
MC's Status Information
Name: Gu Nan
Current Location: Lu family's fighting arena, Heavenly Enterprise Star
Current Soul Location: N/A
Status: ⟪ Evil God ⟫
Advancement Direction: Agility Type
Current Evil God Rank: Tier 3
Equivalent/Current Martial Art: Prodigious Realm
◈ Comprehension of Innate ability: Domain Stage
Chosen Core Skill: The Law of Shadow
Current Evil God Temple Quest:
→ Main Mission Objective/s:
-— Evil Event: N/A - Evil God Temple Issued
◈ Status: Pending
→ Side Quest Objective/s:
-— None. - N/A
◈ Status: N/A
Current Evil Points: 100
Overall Evil Points: 3875, Overall Evil Value: 130
Core Skill Acquired
— Shadow. ｢Also known precisely as 'The law of Shadow' - its one of the highest-ranked laws in the game. Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Normal Skills Acquired:
— Resistance. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Your body will resist damage, and any damage taken will be reduced by 50%｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
Exclusive Skills Acquired:
— Deceitful Steps. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Movement Speed increased by 30%. Attack Speed increased by 50%｣
— Power of Shadows. [ LVL 3 ] ｢Allows the players to activate the skill "Hidden Shadows" at LVL 1 and unlocks the skill "Shadow Form" at LVL 2. If the 'Power of Shadows' reached LVL 3, the player will be able to use the 'Law of Shadow' to a much finer degree.｣
▸Hidden Shadows. ｢The power to manipulate shadows to a fine degree.｣
▸Shadow Form. ｢An incomparable handy skill that allows the player to manipulate shadows to create things, like weapons and armor. At the highest level of mastery, it could even create a humanoid clone.｣
Equipment being worn
→ Armor
-— Dawn Sage's Robe. ｢Basic level defense. If you are not attacked within 3 seconds, you will receive the "Praise of Dawn" effect.｣
→ Weapon
-— Blade of the Sanguine King. ｢High attack. Ignores external defense. Enhanced sharpness. Triggers the effect "Curse of Blood" on hit.｣
◈ Curse of Blood. ｢This is a cursed divine weapon. Whenever your attack hits your opponent, you will take equal damage.｣
→ Accessories - Facial Accessories, Necklace, Earrings
-— Observer Eyepiece. ｢An eyepiece that have a fixed Tier 2 magic 'Insight' inscribe in it.｣
-— Dragon Heart Pendant. ｢Allows players to activate the skill "Dragon Power". This skill cannot be upgraded｣
-— Shadow Earrings. ｢Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Equipment Skills Acquired:
-— Insight. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Ability to obtain high-precision data analysis when looking at people or objects.｣
-— Dragon Power. ｢Greatly enhances the player's strength and physique. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes｣
-— Praise of Dawn. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Increases self-healing ability by 300%｣
Item/s owned:
→ Four Element Crossbow. ｢Was used in Chapter 9-104.｣