All-Heavens Game, the Strongest Player

Chapter 35 Dungeon Ultimate Reward
There are no meaningless actions in politics. The enfeoffment of princes was intended to appease the feudal lords and sow discord among them.

So, what about bestowing titles upon the two god-kings?

It's obvious they want to support someone to fight Chu Xiu, attracting attention while also benefiting from both sides and perhaps even reaping the rewards!
"Great God Chu, I've finally met you!"

Once behind closed doors, Empress Dowager Wu Zetian was no longer the dignified and majestic figure she once was; instead, she became quite charming and greeted Chu Xiu in a soft, sweet voice.

Unfortunately, Chu Xiu remained unmoved.

"Talk about something!"

"Great God Chu, aren't you curious why, during the Battle of Hulao Pass, when you were clearly in a league of your own among the players, another player was listed alongside you when the kings were being enfeoffed?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu immediately pressed for an answer: "Why?"

Although he was certain that the woman had no good intentions, he knew that if she were just an ordinary person, she wouldn't be able to put up a fight even if she wanted to.

That other "God King" must be very special.

Therefore, he was also curious about the other party's situation.

"Sigh, this involves the ultimate reward of the dungeon and the struggle for the Great Dao. I'm just a newbie caught in the middle, and I don't dare to offend either side. It's a really difficult situation!"

Empress Dowager Wu Zetian said with a pitiful expression.

"The ultimate reward?"

"Doesn't the Great God Chu know? The dungeons in the All Heavens Game have an ultimate reward. If you can get it, the dungeon will become your personal dungeon, and you can enter and exit it at will. No other player will ever enter the same dungeon again!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu's eyes immediately narrowed.

A personal instance, where players can enter and exit freely, and no other players will ever come here again—doesn't that mean the instance becomes a world in the player's own hands?
To possess a world and become its master—the temptation is truly immense!
"What does that have to do with being conferred the title of God-King?"

"Because the most basic condition for triggering the ultimate reward is to control people's hearts, to shake the will of Heaven with people's hearts, and to circumvent the Heavenly Way with one's own thoughts, only then can one obtain the ultimate reward!" Empress Dowager Wu Zetian said, "And faith is the best means of controlling people's hearts, without exception. Therefore, when Shen Tianci came to me and asked me to bestow upon him the title of God-King in the name of the court, I dared not refuse!"

"As a fellow player, are you afraid of him?"

"Who isn't afraid? Shen Tianci is the only son of 'Shen Dufu,' a seventh-tier player. In the Eastern District, where there are no eighth-tier players, he's the ultimate rich kid! Of course, Blue Star has the 'Potential Player Protection Regulations' established by the three overlords and Zhou Wudao, the number one player in the Eastern District, so Shen Dufu wouldn't dare to violate them. But as a high-level player, he has plenty of points and items. Even if his son Shen Tianci is a pig, we ordinary players can't afford to mess with him!"

She paused for a moment, then added, "Not to mention, Shen Tianci himself is a genius among geniuses. He entered with nothing and has already successfully acquired the hidden profession 'Divine Craftsman'!"

The meaning is quite clear at this point.

She dared not offend Shen Tianci, but she also dared not completely side with Shen Tianci and offend Chu Xiu. Therefore, she could only bestow the title of "God King" upon both of them at the same time.

As for who will ultimately have the last laugh and receive the hidden reward, that's none of her business.

"So, you called me here just to say this?"

"Of course not!" Empress Wu Zetian suddenly stood up, removed her covering to reveal a beautiful figure, and said, "Shen Tianci has feelings for me, but I don't like him. I prefer a handsome guy like Master Chu!"

After saying that, he walked straight toward Chu Xiu.

But after taking only two steps, she found that no one was in front of her—Chu Xiu had disappeared the moment she stood up using "Four-Wheel Illusion"!

They didn't linger for even a second longer.

As for why it can be performed out of thin air?
Even if Chu Xiu were to be resurrected, he wouldn't be reckless. Before entering, he had Cao Cao's army surround the imperial city and set up a super-large military formation!

"He wouldn't even ask my real name? Heartless!"

Empress Dowager Wu Zetian was speechless.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the maid spy approached Lü Shengnan once again. Without beating around the bush, she asked directly, "How much do you know about the ultimate reward?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Shengnan did not answer directly.

Instead, he looked at "Chu Xiu" with a half-smile and said, "Did she seduce you?"

"you know?"

"I suspect that woman's investigative abilities are just a side effect; her main talent is likely 'dual cultivation,' using 'sleep' to steal other people's abilities!"

Chu Xiu was speechless upon hearing this.

What kind of talent is this? Born to be a prostitute, a template for Pan Jinlian?
"Have you been infected?" Lu Shengnan asked with a gossipy look on her face.

Chu Xiu was speechless and said irritably, "Do you think I'm that easy to fall for? I've always been a person of integrity, and even if I'm starving, I won't go to any lengths—I'd rather sleep with a tough woman like you than with a woman who's so promiscuous!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Shengnan's face immediately revealed a murderous intent.

"Stop your sweet talk, come and sleep with me if you dare, or I'll kill you!"

But Chu Xiu didn't respond at all.

Instead, they pressed further: "Don't you care at all about the ultimate reward?"

Lu Shengnan comes from a high-class family, so her aspirations are definitely higher than those of ordinary people. Chu Xiu was very curious: Did she not have any thoughts about the ultimate reward at all?

However, Lü Shengnan did not answer directly upon hearing this.

Instead, she said, "Empress Dowager Zetian was deceived by Shen Tianci!"

"What do you mean?"

"She's not some well-established second-generation player, so it's unlikely she knows about the ultimate reward. Only someone who's attached to a second-generation player with a high-level family member could find out—if I'm not mistaken, she's probably already seduced Shen Tianci, but he's also kept something in reserve, not telling her the real difficulty of obtaining the ultimate reward, or what the reward itself actually is!"

This made Chu Xiu look curious.

"Isn't it difficult enough to win the hearts of the people and the hearts of Heaven?"

“Not only that!” Lü Shengnan shook her head and said, “If you really do that, you might become the master of the dungeon, but you will also be trapped in the dungeon and never be able to return to Blue Star. In fact, it’s not worth it!”

"Then what else needs to be done?"

"We also need to help the world upgrade, and when it advances in rank, we need to obtain the 'Mark of the Heavens', and then use the mark to connect to the game of the heavens and return to Earth!" Lu Shengnan said, "In fact, becoming the master of the dungeon is just a side benefit, not a very important reward. The 'Mark of the Heavens' obtained when the world upgrades is the real ultimate reward."

As she said this, a look of longing appeared on her face.

He continued, "Legend has it that if someone can obtain the Nine Heavenly Marks, they can grasp the ultimate secret of the Heavenly Game and become the master of all the myriad worlds!"

"Just a legend?"

"Hmm!" Lü Shengnan nodded and said, "In fact, looking at the entire Blue Star, the only player who openly possesses the Mark of the Heavens is 'Zhou Wudao' from the Eastern District. It was with that Mark of the Heavens that he was able to surpass three eighth-tier overlords at the seventh tier level and become the number one player on Blue Star!"

"So, on the surface, there isn't even a second person on Earth who possesses the Mark of the Heavens?"

“Ordinary people don’t even know about the existence of the Marks of the Heavens, or the existence of the Ultimate Reward. Zhou Wudao even ordered it to be removed from textbooks!” Lu Shengnan said, “Because only after achieving final victory can one pursue the Ultimate Reward. Blue Star has already lost too many geniuses because of the Ultimate Reward!”

Of course, there is another possibility that she didn't mention.

That is because Zhou Wudao didn't want anyone to surpass him, so he deliberately suppressed the news of the ultimate reward to prevent a second person on Blue Star from obtaining the Mark of the Heavens.

(End of this chapter)