I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early-Chapter 696 - 516: It’s Time to Reassess Human Potential

This… is the sensation of being alive!

Especially the Old Snake Man, who shook his tail with an air of false bravado, producing the rattling sound of a Rattlesnake.

“Young one, were you planning to torture me with the electric chair just now? And transplant some kind of deformed organ onto me?”

“Ahem, that was just a joke…” Lu Yuan was thick-skinned, as usual, turning his head away.

The Snake-Man was utterly delighted.

We’re seasoned veterans, our skill in scraping by far exceeds yours by a thousand folds.

Quickly bring us some good food!

Even casual pointers from us would be immensely valuable for you!

“Gah gah gah!” (tail rattling)

“Gah!” (strange howl)

The scene was utterly chaotic.

Lu Yuan was speechless.

He was a person with decent patience; a few taunts wouldn’t exactly strip a piece of skin off him.

But you can’t all act so insane.

Taking a deep breath, he said dramatically, “Respected seniors of the Level 5 Civilization, please save us!”

“The Third-level Civilization is going to die, die, die!”

He even dragged out the tone, nearly startling the [Ghost].

A cool breeze brushed past, chilling everyone.

The strangers felt a bit awkward after his shout. We don’t actually have that ability… It was tough enough trying to show off, only for him to ruin it.

The Old Dengs collectively quieted down.

Lu Yuan coughed and asked, “So, what achievements must a Level 5 Civilization fulfill?”

“Naturally… mastering initial space technology,” a creature in Crystal Man form sighed. “Our kind of Level 5 Civilizations are rare; there aren’t more than a few per epoch.”

“Starting from Level 5 Civilizations, escaping from the Pangu Continent becomes possible.”

“Maybe… maybe my civilization still survives…”

His translucent, somewhat cloudy glass-like eyes looked toward the midday sun.

“What level is the Great Lai Empire?”

“Which Empire… Can’t quite remember…”

“What about the Gear Civilization?”

“Oh, that one… seems familiar…”

The craftiest Old Snake Man even started charging fees, extending a long, withered hand toward Lu Yuan to demand payment. “Little one, your questions are getting too many. One question—one unit of Spirit Essence…”

“Forget Spirit Essence, it’s useless. Answer one question, and you owe us a favor. How about that?”

“Fine, fine, owing favors works!” The Old Dengs clapped their hands collectively.

Seeing them asking for payment, Lu Yuan secretly lamented his predicament.

My favors as a Greedy Demon God aren’t so cheap!

But greed is one thing; scams are another. Breaking promises isn’t the style of the Greedy Demon God…

“Seniors, you are the noble remnants of a Level 5 Civilization. How could you exploit us rookie newbies?”

“As ancient strangers, we’ve weathered countless storms. The memories we hold are incredibly valuable. Charging an intellectual property fee isn’t excessive!”

Inwardly, Lu Yuan began calculating furiously.

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“These folks, with their eccentric tendencies—clearly, something isn’t quite right in their heads. Be mildly polite, and they start acting high and mighty.”

“What, should I resort to torturing them seriously?”

He quickly dismissed the idea. “Sigh… if these fellows have indeed made major contributions and still hold important missions, torturing them wouldn’t be appropriate.”

On the other hand, Level 5 Civilizations are indeed vastly superior to Third-level ones.

However, as individuals, the knowledge they hold is merely so-so.

If they can’t provide matching technologies, torture would hardly produce meaningful results.

Of course, digging up additional intel would still be valuable—things like historical knowledge, epoch secrets, hidden mysteries, etc.

“But whether this information is real or fake is anyone’s guess…”

Lu Yuan pondered taking these fellows into the Immortal Palace, where lying would become impossible for them.

The secrets of the “Immortal Palace,” however, he didn’t want to reveal carelessly. After all, the risks of the “Immortal Palace” are far higher than the dangers posed by [Steel] abilities.

Thus, this conversation reached a temporary stalemate.

…

After a while, Mr. Lao Mao returned from scavenging near the spring.

As a robot, it could resist the allure of the Eternal Spring water quite well, and the [Ghost] barely reacted to it either.

It gathered a pile of miscellaneous junk.

A few water bottles filled with the Eternal Spring water were among the spoils too.

“What’s the reconnaissance situation?” Lu Yuan urgently asked through his earpiece.

“The quantity of Eternal Spring Water is abundant—more than expected,” Lao Mao said. “I estimated it; approximately a hundred tons emerge daily, most of it evaporating—practically worthless.”

“How does the spring water appear?”

Lao Mao replied, “It doesn’t gush out from underground; rather, it originates from an unknown Different Space. The Spirit Essence contained within the water is minimal… not sure how it achieves its immortality function.”

“Once the spring water leaves the pool, it loses its functionality within one day. This means that trying to package and transport it is impossible.”

“Alright, taking it back for research might still prove useful,” Lu Yuan said.

“Any further investigations?”

“There are too many secrets here; it’s unnecessary to delve into all of them. Our capabilities ultimately don’t match the level of comprehension for this place. Asking those strangers would be safer.”

Lao Mao nodded. “However, these Old Dengs are severely mentally deranged. You’d better suppress their arrogance but avoid provoking them too much.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll ensure they’re properly disciplined into full obedience.”

Meanwhile, Duke Magmit was meticulously examining the items Lao Mao had brought back. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he detected a faint scent of history.

But he quickly calmed his mind, realizing the place wasn’t safe. He intended to wait until they returned to examine further.

…

As the sun drifted westward, Lu Yuan greeted the Old Dengs with a respectful bow.

“Respected seniors, the sky is getting dark, and the [Ghost] may soon appear.”

“Please continue your gathering; the Third-level Civilization cannot withstand the [Ghost]’s attack. We must take our leave!”

The posturing stranger group immediately felt puzzled.

What… leaving, just like that?

Lu Yuan waved his hand. “Here’s a box of canned fruit as our offering.”

Without hesitation, he turned to leave.

What, truly leaving?

The strangers stared at the box of canned fruit, dumbfounded.

Why not plead with us a bit?

Initially, they were still trying to keep up appearances.

It wasn’t until they noticed a small spacecraft descending to load three sets of Power Armor and preparing to take off that they started panicking.

Wait for us!

“Hold on!” The Old Snake Man slithered forward in a hurry.

“What’s the matter, senior? Anything else?”

The Old Snake Man shamelessly grabbed Lu Yuan’s arm. “Young one, we’ve crossed paths, at least share a meal with us? Eating Mandala Fruits every day gets old—we’re keen on something better for once. Surely you wouldn’t be so stingy?”

His tone was noticeably softer.

Lu Yuan sighed, “Third-level Civilization, small family, limited resources. If one of you happens to be [Demon] trying to take over one of us, we simply can’t afford the risk.”

“Don’t be so timid, Third-level Civilization,” said the oversized Crystal Man. “Those few [Demons]—I’ve marked them with Divine Skills. I can even pinpoint their locations…”

Mid-sentence, he suddenly looked puzzled.

“Huh? Why is there one missing?”

“It hasn’t revived yet? Where’s [Demon·Controlling Ruins] gone off to?”

The Divine Skill—[Soul Mark]—can permanently mark anomalies or life forms, revealing their precise life status.

Even if they flee to the ends of the earth, they can be found.

Lu Yuan paused briefly.

“It took over someone, tried to seize our city, but we caught it, killed it, and sealed it away.”

Immediately, the strangers’ expressions shifted as they turned to stare at Lu Yuan in surprise.

“You’re bluffing…”

“What’s there to bluff? The whole process was shockingly intense.”

The strangers breathed heavily, as if trying to discern from the Power Armor his expression.

They were well aware of the power of [Controlling Ruins]’s abilities.

Time System capabilities are undeniably formidable!

And yet, it was forcibly killed?!

A mere Third-level Civilization—how was it done?

To put it bluntly, even using hydrogen bombs in the city wouldn’t guarantee [Controlling Ruins] couldn’t escape.

The oversized Crystal Man sensed for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. “[Demon·Controlling Ruins] is truly dead… its remains are over in that direction…”

“What he said is true.”

The other strangers immediately tensed up, each thinking about various implications.

“Third-level Technology—how was it achieved?”

Killing [Controlling Ruins] warranted a reassessment of potential.

Wait, why was [Controlling Ruins] trying to take over someone in the first place?

That question carried serious implications.

The Old Snake Man angrily remarked, “It seems it’s fallen…”

“True [Demons] willing to fight should confront challenges head-on. Taking over a [Ghost]—that’s their true value! What’s the point of taking over ordinary people?”

Another stranger countered, “You’re wrong.”

“The [Demons] of later generations are failures—they’ve grown too clever, engaging in these opportunistic and ignoble deeds.”

“They’ve abandoned their objectives, instead gaining a free will of their own. Utter disgrace. [Controlling Ruins] deserves permanent sealing! Let it perish in the cold wasteland of time.”

Lu Yuan replied helplessly, “The outer world likely doesn’t have [Demons] with such resolute goals anymore.”