Crossover anime, and you call this a slice-of-life story?

Soan's voice trembled uncontrollably and trembled with sobs. He spoke very quickly, as if afraid that if he slowed down even a second, he would follow in the footsteps of that demonic scorpion. "This humble god... this humble god is named Soan. In the divine realm, I hold a few minor powers of 'journey and chance encounters'. I am truly an insignificant god."

He swallowed hard, continuing to crawl on the ground, "This humble god left the divine realm and descended to this remote place, indeed... indeed with a purpose. This humble god accidentally obtained a secret message from an extremely ancient lost scroll and the fragmented memories of several fallen adventurers..."

Soan's voice trembled even more with excitement and fear: "The news says that deep within the Blackwind Mountains, in the remote 'Silent Valley,' lies an ancient 'Eris Labyrinth' that is beyond imagination!"

The labyrinth was incredibly bizarre, said to be a hundred levels deep! Each level was a self-contained space, filled with powerful magical constructs, ancient monsters twisted by strange forces, and countless deadly law traps; the deeper one went, the more dangerous it became! The scroll vaguely recorded that a powerful figure who had touched the threshold of godhood had perished below the seventieth level!

He suddenly raised his head, his face a mixture of extreme longing and extreme fear, tears mingling with sand, making him look utterly disheveled.

"However! The scroll's secrets record that in the deepest part of that labyrinth, on the core altar of the hundredth level, a supreme treasure called the 'Primordial Spirit Crystal' is being nurtured! That crystal is no ordinary object; legend has it that it contains the purest and most primordial energy of the laws at the beginning of the world's formation. It can greatly purify divine power, stabilize divine status, and even... it even has a very high chance of helping to break through the long-standing power bottleneck!"

"Oh? It can help with a breakthrough?"

Shangguan Yun never expected that randomly grabbing a deity would yield such delightful news.

It's truly a case of searching high and low without finding it!

According to this weak god, this so-called Primordial Spirit Crystal is indeed a rare and valuable item.

Maybe this can help my brother break through.

Of course, he didn't have high expectations, after all, this Soan was so weak, and the treasure he mentioned might not be able to help a seventh-level expert break through.

If this Primordial Spirit Crystal were that powerful, it probably wouldn't have been available to the other party; it would have been seized by that God-King Os long ago.

However, now that he has discovered it, this Primordial Spirit Crystal belongs to Shangguan Yun.

Soan's voice was filled with humble pleas and resentment.

"Your Excellency, please understand! I am a lowly god in the divine realm, with meager divine power and insignificant divine status! Above me are the imposing presence of the major gods, and below me are countless demigods who covet my position and yearn to be replaced!"

Minor gods, so weak and insignificant, live in constant fear and trepidation in the divine realm, struggling to survive amidst daily scheming and infighting! Without sufficient strength and resources, they could easily become cannon fodder in the battles between greater gods, or even be stripped of their divine status and banished to the mortal realm!

"This humble god...this humble god only desires that 'Primordial Spirit Crystal'! This humble god only wishes to use this treasure to increase his strength by a little and purify some divine power, so that he can have a small foothold in the Divine Realm, so that he won't...won't live such a humble and difficult life, living on the brink of death! Your Majesty!"

When Soan got emotional, he was almost in tears, vividly portraying the bitterness and despair of a nobody struggling at the bottom of the divine realm, yearning for a glimmer of hope.

"Oh? You're also Brother Bo Bing?"

"what?"

Suo An's emotions became disjointed after Shangguan Yun's words.

Not understanding what Bo Bingge meant, he could only become more fearful and cautious in his tone.

"Your Excellency, according to my extensive inquiries, the exact location of the entrance to the 'Eris Labyrinth' and the incomplete map of the first thirty levels are not in the hands of the common people or ordinary merchants. Instead, they are secretly kept in the treasury of the city lord of 'Ironforge,' the most powerful human city within a thousand miles of this area! They are considered priceless treasures that must never be revealed to outsiders!"

Soan secretly observed Shangguan Yun's unchanging expression, his heart pounding, and continued to explain, "This humble god... the reason why this humble god disguised himself as a traveling merchant and infiltrated this caravan heading to Ironforge was to travel with the caravan while observing the various aspects of these tiny creatures on their journey. This humble god originally planned to use some divine power to sneak into the city lord's mansion after arriving, and either spy or cleverly obtain... the map and entrance information."

His voice grew softer and softer, and his head drooped lower and lower, clearly indicating that he himself felt that his plan was utterly ridiculous and humble in front of Shangguan Yun.

He originally enjoyed the feeling of disguise and manipulation, looking forward to the mortals' amazement and worship of his power, and even fantasizing about the scene of greatly improving his cultivation and holding his head high in the divine realm after successfully obtaining the treasure.

However, at this moment, all fantasies turned into the deepest fear under Shangguan Yun's unfathomable gaze.

"Your humble god is foolish! Your humble god is ignorant! Your humble god deserves to die!"

Soan slammed his forehead heavily against the sand again, making a dull thud. "How dare this lowly god be blinded by greed and presumptuously try to use and test Your Majesty's divine power! This lowly god is ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life! Spare this lowly life of mine! This lowly god is willing to offer everything, and from now on follow Your Majesty by your side, as your slave and servant, only asking Your Majesty to give this lowly god a chance to repent!"

He pleaded tearfully, his heart filled with despair and a tiny sliver of hope.

He revealed all the secrets of the underground palace, even pointing out the location of key information.

It was partly due to the irresistible pressure of death, and partly a desire to divert attention from the terrifying being before him, hoping that the person would become interested in the underground palace and the "Primordial Spirit Crystal," thus temporarily ignoring the thoughts of this insignificant little god.

“Eris Labyrinth, Lord of Ironforge…” A barely perceptible glint of interest flashed in Shangguan Yun’s eyes. This hundred-layered labyrinth had also piqued his desire to explore.

He looked at Soan, who was crawling on the ground, his acting superb but unable to hide his fear. He could see through Soan's little scheme, but he didn't care.

The thoughts of a minor god are meaningless in the face of his absolute power.

"Lead the way to Ironforge," Shangguan Yun said calmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "As for your life, that depends on your performance from now on."

Upon hearing this, Soan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and was almost exhausted. He kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you for sparing my life! Thank you! I will do my best to guide you! I know a little about Ironforge and will be able to serve you!"

He struggled to his feet, led his pack animal to his feet, his posture extremely humble, no longer daring to entertain any thoughts of "playing in the mortal world," and obediently led the way ahead.

The entire caravan was still in a state of shock and bewilderment. Looking at Mr. Shangguan, who had instantly killed the terrifying scorpion, and Lord Soan, who had suddenly knelt down, kowtowed, and wept bitterly, but was now extremely submissive, they felt that what had happened today was completely beyond their comprehension.

Shangguan Yun mounted the pack animal that Suo An had respectfully led over, not even glancing at the still-stunned caravan members, and simply said to Suo An:

"Let's go. Don't keep me waiting too long."

Soan snapped to attention and quickly responded, not daring to delay any longer. Leading his pack animal and with Shangguan Yun by his side, he strode quickly toward Ironforge, leaving the caravan, still in a petrified state, far behind.

His "game" was completely over, and in its place, he became a humble guide who was an unfathomable being.

The Lord of Ironforge and his secret treasure are about to receive a visitor they could never have imagined.

Chapter 264 It's impossible for humans to exist in such an awesome state!

Suo An led the pack animal, his posture humble as a servant, guiding Shangguan Yun toward the enormous city built against the mountain in the distance.

If his followers saw their god in such a lowly state, their faith would probably collapse.

This posture is no different from when they usually serve the gods.

But Soan, who knew his life was in the other party's hands, felt nothing.

This guy is a formidable figure who could fight the Emperor of the End without suffering any damage!

In the realm of gods, only His Majesty the God King can stand on equal footing with him.

It's no exaggeration for a weak god like him to be humble in the face of such an existence; as long as he can survive, there's nothing shameful about it.

Along the way, he dared not make the slightest unnecessary movement, nor dared to utter a single unnecessary word. He only occasionally used the most concise language to point out the path ahead or to introduce some basic information about this world, keeping his voice extremely low, for fear of disturbing the person resting with their eyes closed on the back of the beast.

Shangguan Yun also gained a deeper understanding of the world from the other party's words.

This guy named Soan explained things in much more detail than the Emperor of the End.

Based on the other party's description, he also mentally compared the division of realms and strength with this world.

The realms in this world are divided into seven stages: Awakening, Elite, Title, Saintly Realm, Legendary, God-level, and World-level!

This does correspond to their first to seventh tiers, and even if there are some differences, they probably won't be that significant.

The mainstream cultivation system in this world is divided into knights and mages.

For example, both knight apprentices and formal knights belong to the awakening stage, while earth knights and sky knights belong to the elite stage. Once they reach the title stage, they will have their own unique titles. Above that are the holy domain level paladins and the legendary level legendary knights.

Correspondingly, mages are also divided into the awakened stage of magic apprentices and low-level mages, the elite stage of intermediate and advanced mages, the title stage of archmages, the holy stage of grand archmages, and the legendary stage of legendary mages.

Reaching the legendary level among humans is already the pinnacle.

As for the higher levels of Divine Knight and God of Magic, only two humans on the entire continent have reached those levels.

Those two also submitted to the Central Divine Realm, becoming minor gods with little power within the realm, even less powerful than Soan.

This is why Soan believes that Shangguan Yun is not human but a top-tier being disguised as a human.

There couldn't possibly be someone this awesome among humans!

The closer Thoran got to Ironforge, the more profound his shock and fear became.

He secretly observed Shangguan Yun and found that the other party's aura was completely concealed, as if he had merged with the surrounding environment. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought that the person sitting on the beast was just a phantom.

You have to understand, he's a genuine god! Yet he couldn't even sense the slightest difference in the other party's strength!

The massive obsidian walls of Ironforge gradually came into view, with bustling traffic and heavy guard at the city gates.

When the strange pair of Suo An and Shangguan Yun approached, they immediately attracted the attention of the guards.

A fellow who looked like an ordinary traveler was leading a pack animal, on the back of which sat a black-haired youth with an extraordinary air about him but strange clothes.

"Halt! Who goes there? What are you doing in the city?" A guard captain stepped forward to question him, his gaze mainly fixed on Soan.

Normally, a single glance from Suo An would be enough to make these mortals kneel and worship, but at this moment, he dared not act rashly in the slightest. He merely bowed slightly and forced a smile that was as "kind" as possible on his face.

He spoke in a tone befitting his current identity as a "traveling merchant": "Sir, we are merchants passing through your esteemed territory. We wish to enter the city to conduct some business and, incidentally, visit an old friend."

The guard captain frowned; he had never seen these two people before.

He knew the local merchants well, so he naturally wouldn't let two unfamiliar faces into the city so easily.

If anything happens, that hot-tempered and ruthless city lord will definitely skin him alive!

However, just as he was about to question him more thoroughly, his gaze met Soan's "kind" eyes for a moment.

hum!

The captain of the guard felt a buzzing in his head, as if a gentle yet undeniable sun had risen in his consciousness.

All vigilance, suspicion, and displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by a strange trust and... awe?

He couldn't even explain where this awe came from; he only felt that the figure of the blond man in front of him was magnified infinitely in his inner world, like a god, making him unable to help but bow down and worship.

Not only him, but the other guards around him, as well as some passersby nearby, all subconsciously developed an inexplicable sense of goodwill and trust towards Soan.

Soan has only managed to this extent; he doesn't dare to make these humans bow down and worship him.

Didn't they see that there's an even more powerful figure behind them? What if this group of people kneels before them, and that powerful figure gets annoyed and slaps them to death?

But that doesn't stop the other side from seeing that the guard captain looks like he's about to come up and 'seek death'.

It's fine if he's looking to die, but he mustn't drag himself down with him!

Soan cherished his life to the extreme and was unwilling to allow anything to displease this being.

The affected guard captain's tone softened instantly, becoming respectful as he said, "Oh...oh, so you're a merchant owner...you need to register and pay a fee to enter the city..."

Before he could finish speaking, Soan had already handed over a small bag of coins: "We know the rules, this is just a small token, please have a drink with the soldiers and brothers."

The captain of the guard almost instinctively took the money bag, forgetting to even check it, and quickly waved his hand: "Go on, go on, welcome to Ironforge."

And so, Suo An led the pack animal, carrying Shangguan Yun, and entered the heavily guarded city with ease, as if flowing with water.

Upon entering the city, a bustling and vibrant atmosphere immediately greets you.

Shops lined both sides of the wide street, and the clanging of blacksmiths, the cries of vendors, and the shouts of mercenaries filled the air. The air was thick with the mixed aromas of coal, metal, spices, and various foods.

Suo An dared not delay and whispered to Shangguan Yun, “Your Excellency, the City Lord’s Mansion is located at the highest point of the inner city. I will find you an inn to rest first, and then I will go to the City Lord to get what you need and bring it to you.”

“Sure.” Shangguan Yun didn’t mind; he was happy to have someone to guide him.

Although the opponent wasn't particularly strong, their ability to assess the situation and adapt to changing circumstances made them quite a character.

Chapter 265 The City Lord's Collapse and Terror

After settling Shangguan Yun in a luxurious suite on the top floor of the "Heart of the Furnace" inn, the most luxurious place in Ironforge, Soan rushed to the Lord's Mansion, located at the highest point of the inner city.

He was filled with trepidation, yet dared not delay in the slightest, only wanting to complete the task assigned by that esteemed person as soon as possible.

He considered whether he should take this opportunity to escape and then inform the divine realm.

But he quickly abandoned the decision. To the Divine Realm, he was nothing more than an insignificant figure. Let alone whether the Divine Realm would make an enemy of such a powerful being for his sake.

If a conflict breaks out, he will definitely be the first one killed, regardless of what others say.

Instead of yearning for the divine realm, it's better to cling to this super-powerful figure that has fallen from the sky.

Who knows, maybe in the future, Suo An will be able to rely on his status as a lackey of such a powerful figure so that no one will dare to provoke him?

Therefore, he took the tasks assigned by this young man more seriously than anyone else.

Meanwhile, deep within the city lord's mansion.

In an extremely luxurious palace covered with thick magical beast furs, spring was in full bloom.

Alec Ironbeard, Lord of Ironforge.

This top-tier Sky Knight, known for his bravery and volatile temper, was pinning his newly acquired ninth wife, a viscountess renowned for her gentle charm, beneath him, engaging in the most primal "conquest."

Heavy breathing and seductive moans echoed in the palace, the air thick with the decadent scent of passion and perfume.

Lord Alec was in his prime, full of energy, and especially fond of this art. At this moment, he had reached the most crucial and ecstatic moment.

He growled, his muscles tense, poised to reach the pinnacle of ecstasy—

boom! boom! boom!

At this most crucial moment, an extremely untimely and even somewhat urgent knocking sound, like a cold iron hammer, shattered the enchanting atmosphere of the room!

"My lord! My lord! There's an urgent matter to report!" came the anxious voice of the trusted steward from outside the door.