I logged into the God panel.

Chapter 22: They Bowed Down to Me

Friday.

For three days in a row, the house was empty.

Lu Daosheng was about to throw up from eating bread and fried eggs.

In two days, the accumulated attribute points reached 0.05, the constitution increased by 0.06, and the agility and spirit also increased by 0.02 respectively.

However, it's noticeable that the effects of the training are... decreasing.

Indeed, adding points is the key.

"Unfortunately, the Holy Fist Manual doesn't contain any extraordinary fighting techniques, and the Dawn Meditation Method doesn't provide any spells either... I guess the Knight Commander and the High Priest didn't think Li Qiuhua and I would need them."

Helpless, Lu Daosheng closely monitored the movements of Lin Shu'en, the director of the Southern District Office, and Zhang Youwei through Shen'en.

Every now and then, he would enter the perspective of the dried corpse to check on the situation in the northern suburbs.

This tense, small-scale war seems to be nearing its end.

I turned on the computer in my parents' room and logged onto the Hidden Home Forum as usual. The Guardian of the Heart hadn't sent me any private messages in the past two days.

Lu Daosheng, using the ID "Shepherd," had become quite familiar with other netizens on the forum and had a basic understanding of the forum's purpose.

"It is used by a small group of second-generation individuals with special status within the Silvermoon Province for communication."

Lu Daosheng stroked his chin and muttered to himself:

"Judging from the exchanges over the past few days, there seem to be only about ten people on the forum, and each of them holds a high position in real life... Their elders also hold high positions."

For example, the Heart Guardian, judging from his past posts, private jets and bodyguards are commonplace for him, and he even occasionally reveals the policies of the Silvermoon Province's high-level officials in advance.

Unsurprisingly, his immediate family members are high-ranking officials in Silver Moon Province.

Donghai City is located in Yinyue Province.

Most importantly, some early forum posts mentioned that this "Hidden Home" forum was not just a simple internet forum...

Its creation is related to a certain sealed object.

That's really bizarre.

Moreover, because of the existence of the sealed artifact, unless an invitation has been extended by a member, even the top hackers should not be able to enter this forum... So how did I manage to do it?

Lu Daosheng thought for a moment and then sent a question mark.

On the other end of the internet cable, the girl in her pajamas took a sip of juice and could clearly hear her father talking to several church bishops in the living room.

She typed on the keyboard.

[God's Xiaomi: As far as I know, the four major orthodox churches have already been eliminated from the battle for the sealed artifacts in Donghai City.]

[God's Xiaomi: And I also know that the upside-down cross is inextricably linked to the Grim Reaper of the Underworld. The followers of the two ancient gods, the Grim Reaper and the Lord of Shadows, are fighting over it.]

Lu Daosheng narrowed his eyes, the old god...

I've read quite a few posts on the forum these past few days, and I've gained some understanding of the Old Gods.

The Old Gods, as the name suggests, are gods of the past, and their sects are all classified as heretical cults.

Followers of the Old Gods are, in the traditional sense, cultists.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Daosheng typed out a line of text.

[Shepherd: Once things have settled down, I can give you specific details, but according to forum rules, what about payment?]

[God's Xiaomi: What do you want?]

[Shepherd: I am very interested in the magic and extraordinary fighting techniques of this era]

[God's Xiaomi: This Era? ?]

Lu Daosheng smiled but did not reply further.

This was a "handle" he deliberately left behind... it could be considered a casual move.

They waited quietly for a while.

[God's Xiaomi: Sure, give me a message when the time comes, and I'll give you magic and extraordinary fighting techniques, but the message must be accurate.]

[Shepherd: Deal]

The image of God's Xiaomi dimmed.

"call....."

Lu Daosheng exhaled, stared at the yellowish-brown forum, pondered for a moment, and tried to locate the specific positions of other people in the forum using some basic hacking techniques—but failed.

Moreover, even if I change my network address, my IP address on the forum will still be Donghai City.

Even after Lu Daosheng tried unplugging the network cable, the forum still functioned normally...

"From this perspective, the forum really is related to a special sealed artifact, but we don't know if that sealed artifact has an owner."

"We still need to proceed with caution."

Lu Daosheng muttered to himself, then his expression suddenly changed.

Through divine grace, he observed that the Southern District Chief had received new instructions.

"Is the turmoil in the northern suburbs nearing its end, and restrictions gradually being lifted?"

Lu Daosheng raised an eyebrow, showing some interest.

So, who will ultimately get their hands on the Sealed Artifact 101?

What are they going to do now?

"I have to take a spirituality test tomorrow. How well should I perform?" he wondered, his thoughts wandering.

…………

The capital of Silvermoon Province, Crescent City.

Hearing the visiting bishops leave the living room, Ren Mili closed the Hidden House Forum and left the room.

"dad!"

The middle-aged man in the silver robe frowned and sighed softly:

"What's wrong, Xiaomi?"

Ren Mili stepped forward:

Are you still worried about the situation in Donghai City?

"Um."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly:

"Death God followers and Shadow followers have gathered in large numbers in Donghai City, vying for Sealed Item 101. Their motives are unknown, and the potential consequences of Sealed Item 101 are currently unknown..."

He sighed, looking troubled, and said:

"The most crucial thing is that we can't even find out which side the sealed artifact 101 ultimately belongs to... Forget it, why bother telling you all this?"

Ren Mili pouted:

"Dad, I have a friend in Donghai City who knows some inside information. He says he can find out the final destination of the sealed artifact 101."

The middle-aged man glanced at his daughter and chuckled:

"What kind of shady friends are they now?"

He clearly didn't believe it; the four major churches had all been forced out, so the specifics were unknown, and his daughter had a so-called friend...

Ren Mili put her hands on her hips:

"Dad, how about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?" the middle-aged man asked, amused.

Ren Mili smiled slyly:

"I'll tell you who owns Sealed Item 101 later. If I'm right, you'll allow me to go to the Extraordinary Academy!"

"What if I say something wrong?" the middle-aged man said irritably.

Ren Mili was full of confidence:

"If I'm wrong, I promise you I won't have any more contact with supernatural beings!"

She had already made up her mind. She didn't know if that 'shepherd' was reliable or not, and the Heart Guardian hadn't said much either...

It doesn't matter.

It's good if they're reliable, but if they're unreliable, they can just cheat when they lose.

Thinking of this, she smiled and her eyes crinkled.

"Okay."

The middle-aged man readily nodded and smiled:

"I'd like to see what your cronies are all capable of... Don't be fooled. And if you lose, are you going to try and cheat?"

"How could that be!"

Ren Mili felt wronged and a little guilty, so she turned around and ran back to her room.

"Just you wait, Dad!"

The middle-aged man chuckled and shook his head. His phone vibrated at the right moment, and he answered it.

"Is it over already?"

His expression hardened.

…………

"Is it over already?"

Lu Daosheng quietly observed everything from the perspective of the dried corpse.

I couldn't see anything, just darkness and gloom.

"Self" and the cross seemed to be contained inside some kind of container, and only some dull footsteps could be heard.

Time passed little by little, and I don't know how much time has gone by.

Click-clack!

The lid above his head was moved, and Lu Daosheng quickly manipulated the dried corpse to close its eyes.

He felt "himself" being moved out, followed by a dense cacophony of footsteps and collisions.

I forced myself not to open my eyes.

After a long while, all movement disappeared, leaving only the sound of burning flames and the sounds of breathing and heartbeats.

"We know you have woken up."

An aria-like sound arose.

Lu Daosheng frowned, manipulated the dried corpse, and slowly opened his eyes.

It was at an altar.

"Myself," or rather, the sealed artifact 101, the upside-down cross, is on an altar.

Above them were dark rocks, suggesting they were inside a cave. Around the altar stood a group of worshippers dressed in black robes and wearing raven-face masks.

The person speaking to him also wore a crow-face mask and held a wooden staff in his hand.

Lu Daosheng remained silent, simply gazing at the group and observing the situation.

next second.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

The man with the wooden staff struck the ground three times, and one by one, the believers standing around him prostrated themselves.

They were worshipping.

"Your Excellency Nostaan."

The man with the cane smiled and said:

"We know that you are not just an ancient ghost of the underworld... In ancient times, you were an angel, the gatekeeper of the underworld, guarding the Grim Reaper."

Lu Daosheng stared at the man wielding the cane, frantically absorbing information. So... these are followers of Death?

He saw a shallow wound on the hand of the man with the cane, from which black blood was seeping out.

"Honorable Nostaan," the staff-bearer spoke in a low voice, "you guarded the gates of the underworld for ten thousand years for Death, but what did Death give you in return?"

"He allowed you to be nailed to the cross, watching you endure the burning in purgatory for a thousand years and a thousand years, until you finally died, turning into a wooden seal, becoming a conceptual entity between life and death..."

The cane-wielder's voice suddenly became impassioned:

"We know that the followers of Death will come to take you back and will use your power to accomplish some despicable schemes."

"But before that."

The staff-wielding man wearing a crow-face mask said solemnly:

"I would like to ask, have you ever considered...?"

"Or perhaps we should surrender to the embrace of the Great Lord of Shadows?"

The mummified corpse on the cross remained silent for a long time, then slightly opened its mouth and uttered a hoarse, laborious sound.

"Ten... sealed... items!"

The Shadow Cultists, who were bowing in worship, looked up in astonishment, staring at the dried corpse as if it were a madman.

The man with the cane twitched his lips:

"I cannot make decisions regarding the ten sealed items."

"We can't afford it either."