I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

Chapter 694: Chapter 514: Digging Up a Bunch of Old Predecessors

Even if we leave in such an absurd way, what about Sky City? What about the Opium poppy tree?

We can’t just abandon the entire city and start anew, can we…

These are all questions laid bare in front of us.

At this point in the discussion, the Duke of Lanpeng Civilization, Magmit, suddenly seemed despondent, tears rolling from the corners of his eyes: “Why didn’t we think of this? It’s not even that complicated! Why didn’t we… think of it?”

“Don’t be sad, Your Grace. This solution might only have a chance of success if attempted by a Great Spirit Rhythmer with super divine attributes…”

“And besides, we have a city; we can’t just abandon all our assets either, can we?”

Lu Yuan hesitated, unsure whether he should hand the spring water to the other side.

The Old Snake Man, seeing their reluctance to honor the agreement, grew irritable: “I gave you intel. You give me the spring water. Young one, don’t think you can bully an old man! Don’t tell me your conscience has been devoured by a ghost!”

Lu Yuan’s face twitched a few times. “Elder, are you sure you’re aware of your current status as a prisoner?”

Old Cat whispered through the headset: “I’ve already locked onto this old guy’s true form.”

“Even if he’s a demon, wherever he runs, I can possess him with ease.”

“This slippery fellow seems to have some intel; why not cooperate with him for a bit?”

The one-eyed Snake Man seemed to sense their suspicion and craned his neck to signal them to untie the rope first.

This rope was more symbolic than functional; if the other party were a demon, no one would expect a Superior-level rope to actually restrain it.

If the other party wasn’t a demon, not using the rope… wouldn’t matter much.

After a long silence, Lu Yuan finally loosened the rope.

“If this method allows you to leave, why wouldn’t you leave with us?”

“Go where? I have nowhere to go. Where is my civilization?” The Old Snake Man stretched his stiff body, “Even though I have the ability of the Memory Library, my recollections are dwindling. I only remember coming here to search for treasure; I don’t even remember my own name!”

Lu Yuan’s gut instinct was to disbelieve such search-for-treasure nonsense.

Could this place really sustain normal life? If you could escape, why wouldn’t you?

“Then, the demons here? Do you know them?”

The Old Snake Man turned his head: “Demons? I don’t know. We have no value; demons wouldn’t bother taking over us.”

Old Cat replied cryptically: “It seems this cunning bastard wants to embrace the role of prisoner. My suggestion? Drag him back and give him a good round of interrogation with the electric chair.”

“Cat Director, let’s keep things graceful.”

“How could I use something as crude as an electric chair?” Lu Yuan explained to Old Cat, “Have you come up with any novel interrogation methods recently?”

Old Cat spoke seriously: “The first method involves slight deformation of the soul—with the injection of a potion, the soul undergoes mild distortion. This distortion is curable and leaves no lasting effects, but the pain it causes is extraordinarily severe. Even the toughest men can’t endure the agony of soul distortion.”

The Old Snake Man shuddered slightly.

Lu Yuan shook his head: “That’s no good; what if we drive them insane?”

“The second method involves bodily deformation—surgically implanting an organ from the Insect Race. This organ induces an ecstatic, euphoric state. Even the toughest men can’t resist such pleasure.”

Old Cat’s tone carried an abundance of emotion, causing Lu Yuan’s skin to break out in goosebumps.

The one-eyed Snake Man trembled once again. These people were truly devoid of scruples, utterly without moral restraint.

“Don’t take me! I have an important task here! There are others like me—abnormals—several of us still alive!”

“Oh?” Lu Yuan was clearly not inclined to trust the Snake Man lightly. “Looks like you’re quite familiar with the situation here? How many demons?”

The Snake Man replied: “My Memory Library ability has preserved fragments of recollection. There are likely four demons, and an additional five abnormals—them being Great Spirit Rhythmers.”

“Your wariness against demons is understandable. But we abnormals pose you no threat; our waters don’t mix.”

“As for our task… it’s to guard this place, keeping everything here running smoothly.”

“Don’t ask too much; I don’t know beyond what I’ve said.”

“Killing us would be a colossal mistake.”

Lu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. From the confidence in this guy’s tone, it seemed a bit believable.

“These demons likely remain in a low-intelligence state.”

“Without consuming Mandala Fruit, they can’t sober up.”

Putting it that way, he calmed down slightly.

“Is there a flaw in his statement?”

“Sounds more credible than treasure-seeking.” The Think Tank said from behind, “This Snake-man Palace is obviously the work of a super civilization.”

“Deploying Great Spirit Rhythmers as guardians is a method we’ve observed before.”

On a UFO belonging to Quantum Civilization, a Great Spirit Rhythmer was there guarding a Deformed Ghost.

This prairie was far more perilous than the UFO, with living conditions unbearably harsh—surviving on wild fruits, exposed to the elements every day. The Great Spirit Rhythmer’s godhood points were dwindled to 4-5.

Lu Yuan sighed deeply. Truly, day after day, year after year.

…

The Old Snake Man twisted his waist, sunbathing: “By the way, how does your civilization survive? Didn’t ghosts go out hunting for you last night?”

“You even used hydrogen bombs or something? Youngsters, resorting to hydrogen bombs, though they’re pretty useless.”

His expression was puzzled, as if recalling distant memories.

“Of course, we relied on space abilities to escape… We have a Spirit as our foundation.” Lu Yuan paused for a moment, feeling he could tentatively trust him—after all, Old Cat had already locked onto him.

“A Spirit with space abilities? No wonder… That’s quite rare.”

“But you won’t be able to persist forever, right? Ghosts crawl out every night; how long can your Spirit foundation sustain you?”

“Decades should be manageable.”

“That’s so fleeting… Like the blink of an eye.” The one-eyed Snake Man, who had lived untold years, yawned.

After some contemplation, Lu Yuan still handed over the Eternal Spring Water. Having a living test subject for observation was always beneficial.

He didn’t think the Old Snake Man would deliberately provoke the ghosts.

After all, as long as there was no war with the ghosts, other issues were more easily resolved.

“You’ve made a wise choice… I’ll first deal with this lifespan issue.”

The Old Snake Man, visibly excited, shakily picked up the Black Iron Box, reaching his shriveled hand inside.

He merely dipped it lightly into the spring water, dabbing some on his lips, then stopped.

His expression could only be described as…

A look of unparalleled comfort, like he had consumed a forbidden substance.

Within seconds, the wrinkles around his eyes began to fade visibly!

Even his blind eye started showing signs of recovery.

His soul and lifespan began to increase substantially!

The only downside was that his divine attributes declined. His gaze turned hazy, like a zombie losing vitality in his eyes.

The spring water’s effects were genuinely overwhelming! A reduction in divine attributes was tolerable, as it could be regained through consumption—just 4 godhood points were sufficient to maintain relative rationality.

Such a miraculous effect—from something made by a mere monster?

Ten minutes later, the Old Snake Man sighed quietly, ate a Mandala Fruit, and quipped self-deprecatingly: “Better to live miserably than die well.”

“It’s amusing, isn’t it, youngsters? That people survive in this ghostly place.”

“Living, living! Forgetting everything. What’s the point then? Having struggled to clear your mind for a day, come nightfall, you lose your senses again.”

“If you don’t lose your senses, you face death.”

“It’s fortunate to have even a brief respite during the day.”

Lu Yuan was deeply moved, sighing softly: “Elder, why do ghosts retreat during daylight?”

“How would I know? I’m just the guardian here.”

“Anything else you know? Share it all. If we can help, we’ll do our best.”

“But don’t expect much from us; we’re barely hanging on ourselves. We need to find a way to escape this ghostly place.”

“There’s indeed something… Let me show you the other five abnormals still alive.” The Old Snake Man began moving. “If you wish to see the demons, you can, but don’t kill them.”

The group traveled from the city’s west side to the east. The Old Snake Man, thin as he appeared, began digging into the soil: “Help me out—there are other abnormals alive in here!”

Though frail-looking, he had some strength. The Great Spirit Rhythmer’s foundation had not been entirely depleted.

Three sets of Power Armor dug for minutes and unearthed an ancient marble sarcophagus, covered with detailed engravings. Due to its long burial underground, it remained fairly intact.

Inside was a humanoid figure clad in heavy black armor…

The armor’s quality was undoubtedly exceptional, reaching Epic level!

As for the creature inside, whether alive or dead, it emitted a rotting stench—could something this decayed truly revive?

The Old Snake Man took a vial, dripping a few drops of Life Spring into it: “You—Ninth Epoch—are you still alive?”

The black-armored abnormal stiffly rose from the sarcophagus, its crimson pupils staring blankly at them.

It too had lost its wisdom, with divine attributes reduced to 3 points.

The Old Snake Man handed over a few Mandala Fruits.

The armored abnormal devoured them ravenously.

“I’ll return part of your memory; don’t act out.”

The Old Snake Man’s eyes emitted a glowing light—Divine Skill: Memory Library!

This Divine Skill was rare and powerful, having preserved fragments of memory during the Epoch Disaster, now restored to this armored warrior.

[Abnormal·Wanderer: A powerful being preserved from some Epoch. Specific details unknown.]

This creature’s combat strength clearly exceeded that of the Old Snake Man, its specific attributes remaining indeterminable.

The black-armored abnormal bowed slightly to them.