Yan Xiaoxiao and Lan Si walked side by side outside the Evil God Temple. They seemed to be discussing some of the Divine Kingdom's management problems.
Ever since he discovered Yan Xiaoxiao's lack of energy, Gu Nan told Lan Si to take over the burden as soon as possible—she was full of energy and usually maintained an energy value of at least 95.
The two had just dealt with some affairs outside and were habitually walking towards the Evil God Temple. Both management platforms were here, which were the items they had the most contact with inside the Divine Kingdom.
But just as they were about to arrive, they discovered that the ground was shaking slightly, and the Evil God Temple in front of them had grown in size without any warning, pushing away everything around it.
"This…" Lan Si stared at this scene in amazement. Over the years, she had also seen her fair share of strange events. It wasn't like it was hard to accept seeing something created out of thin air. It's just that such a scene was getting closer and closer to what she saw and heard in her early years.
'Wasn't this what divine miracles looked like back when I was in the Divine Kingdom of Luxuriant Blossoms?'
"Teacher made another breakthrough."
Yan Xiaoxiao, however, was quite happy. She'd gradually accepted her status as the administrator of the Divine Kingdom. Being in charge of an entire world was also consistent with her pursuit.
The changes in the Evil God Temple continued, but it was much gentler than before.
The two women waited until the ground stopped shaking completely, then started forward and slowly walked into the Evil God Temple, where they saw Gu Nan standing quietly up ahead.
"Teacher…" Yan Xiaoxiao called out carefully, afraid to disturb Gu Nan's breakthrough.
Gu Nan turned his head, looking like he'd just returned to his senses, and casually greeted, "Oh, you're here."
The two women exchanged a glance. Gu Nan's bearing truly didn't seem like that of a Star Ruler Realm powerhouse. Of course they wouldn't know that Gu Nan was busy activating the Saint Corridor just now.
As for himself, although he had indeed reached Tier 6 and could officially be called a "god," it wasn't like Gu Nan was an inexperienced novice who hadn't seen the world. Was this anything worth getting excited about?
A silver light shimmered from not far away. Only then did the two women discover an elegant circular corridor inside the new Evil God Temple. The silver light was emitted from the statue in the center.
The silver light gradually faded, slowly forming a human figure. The person was dressed in a silver robe. His expression was refined and serene, but his face was an exact copy of Gu Nan's.
The next moment, his expression suddenly changed, looking indifferent while also a little prideful, as if he would only respond with: "Oh, that's cool" to everything.
Gu Nan had taken over this saint clone.
...
Not long after Gu Nan left Zi Luo Heaven, he came back again. However, it was no longer with his true body this time, but using the saint clone instead.
He guessed that the people from Astral Gate found him because of the matter regarding the frontline planes, and he also just happened to be interested in the Time Arena.
And if he wanted to participate in that event, this saint clone was enough.
The power of the saint clone would always be at the very peak of Tier 4—that is, the strongest level in the mortal world. However, since it also inherited Gu Nan's laws and extremely strong physique, its actual combat power naturally far exceeded Tier 4.
But it was true that this kind of combat power held no room for further growth. No matter how much he upgraded the Saint Corridor, the strength of the saint clone would still remain at Tier 4. At most, it would inherit more of Gu Nan's techniques.
This touched upon a basic principle from the game: "God cannot be created."
Tier 4 was merely taking a single step beyond the mortal world, so someone at that level could be called a "saint," while starting from Tier 5, players could be regarded as gods. All they lacked was a handful of divine fire.
The same was also true of the Myriad Heavens Universe. Cultivators who were at least Tier 5 were collectively referred to as Star Rulers, even if the power range among Star Rulers was as high as the distance from heaven to earth—some Star Rulers were even weaker than top Void Cutters, while others could fight against major gods who were all at least Tier 10.
Star Ruler Realm represented a completely different level. So even Zuo Zuo, who was known as one of the strongest under the Thirteen Heavens, only had top Void Cutters under his command but didn't have any Star Ruler subordinates.
It was like how with the exception of the major gods, the World of Gods never had any gods that attached themselves in servitude to other gods' Divine Kingdoms.
'Therefore, those interested in Clockwork Heaven's summons will probably at best be normal Star Rulers without their own astral worlds?' Gu Nan secretly calculated in his heart.
Gu Nan appeared inside his home in Zi Luo Heaven. The blood here was already cleaned up, and even a young girl was especially waiting for him.
"Your Excellency Gu Nan, please follow me." The girl's appearance was refined, but there was no expression on her face. Even her voice seemed calm and even indifferent.
Her tone was far less arrogant than that of the previous four, but it revealed an unquestionable and imposing aura—this was the result of being in a high position for a long time.
"Lead the way." Gu Nan didn't start anything this time. Plus, he also did want to meet the person behind this.
The young girl led the way very straightforwardly, and with a swipe of her finger, a silvery white road appeared in front of them, pointing to an inexplicable distance.
This ability was no longer a Void Cutter's instinctual ability to tear open space, but a finer manipulation of space.
Gu Nan slowly followed the girl inside. After reaching the end of the road, they arrived at a damp courtyard, where two people were already waiting for him.
A calm-looking, respectful old man and a handsome man in his thirties in a black suit.
The old man was also wearing the uniform of Astral Gate, but his clothing was purple, which was the exclusive uniform of representatives.
Gu Nan instantly recognized his identity—Duan Wenqi, the parliament representative who ordered his arrest.
Gu Nan's eyes swept over the two, waiting for them to speak first, but the one who made the first move wasn't them, but the girl who led the way.
She took one more step forward, and her body suddenly swelled up, turning into a silver dragon 100 meters long, coiling in the sky and then falling down.
Falling onto the shoulder of the man in the suit.
The hundred-meter-long giant dragon landed on the man's shoulder with its feet together, making for a very bizarre picture, but there was a strange sort of harmony between the two.
"I'm Lu Wen," the man took the initiative to speak. He had a gentle smile on his face, looking just like a normal person.
But the fact that he could stand here and was also named Lu Wen only meant one thing—he was the Star Ruler of Clockwork Heaven, the supreme powerhouse who could fight with a major god!
But no matter how high his status or power, Gu Nan could still keep calm because he was using an alt account right now.
"Something the matter?"
His impolite attitude made Duan Wenqi's expression change slightly, but Lu Wen remained calm. "I hope you can do something for me."
"What is it?"
"Help a child defeat other opponents in the Time Arena and obtain the sand of time."
Gu Nan smiled silently. "He invited me before, but I refused."
Duan Wenqi interrupted from the side, "If you still refuse right now, I'm afraid the consequences won't be something you want to see."
"Haha." Gu Nan expressed his attitude with two unique words.
However, Lu Wen waved his hand. "I've never liked forcing people to do things. The sand of time can be given to you as a reward. It's very helpful for starting up one's astral world."
Duan Wenqi's expression didn't change much when he heard this. He was also a powerful Star Ruler, and his realm wasn't lower than Red's. Naturally, he could see through Gu Nan's current identity as a mere clone.
"What if I still refuse?" Gu Nan asked after some thought.
"Then I can only express my regret and find someone else to help." Lu Wen sighed. "Although it may be someone that little friend doesn't know, he must win the sand of time."
"Then it's settled!" Gu Nan said with a clap of his hands, "I'll just wait outside to rob Lou Wanying instead."