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

That kind of calmness, devoid of any excitement, with an emotionless demeanor, sent a chill up Lu Yuan's spine, crawling from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but widen his eyes in genuine terror and apprehension.

This kind of calmness.

He was all too familiar with it.

So familiar that the mere thought of it sent a cold shiver down his spine.

The Conch might have had limited experience and hadn't grasped the situation. He subconsciously wanted to console her, but had no idea how to express it.

In the end, Lu Yuan could only whisper in comfort, "Conch... maybe you should stop looking..."

…

"I've wanted to become a god for so many years, countless years," the High Priest stated calmly.

"Pretending to be an animal with emotions every day is very tiring," he continued.

"Your race, with its innate longevity and excess of free will, lacks cohesion. Constantly finding ways to lead you to survive on the Pangu Continent is exhausting."

"Accompanying you from weakness, growing up to this point, has been tiring."

"It's truly exhausting; do you know how much energy it has cost me?!"

"Five thousand years, and now we are at the very last step."

"I indeed didn't expect that there would still be people unwilling to enter Green Grass Paradise, preferring to witness everything from outside... truly, not everything in the world can be foreseen. That place is heaven, how could you refuse it?"

"But can the two of you with your combat power still stop me? Come, hand over the Soul Gem, and I can let you die without pain."

Such deceitful words were said with a calm indifference, and even the Conch realized something.

The terrifying atmosphere enveloped her like thick ink.

Now, even as a mere spectator to the Illusion Realm, her brain had almost ceased to think.

She couldn't imagine what kind of pressure her parents endured at the beginning.

This was actually a...

[Demon]!!

The sagacious and grand High Priest, who had ruled over civilization for five thousand years and spanned the entire rise of the civilization, was actually a [Demon]!

The [Demon] had endured for five thousand years, just to ascend further, to become a [God]!

The [Demon] wanted to take over a [God]!!

But such taking over required time.

After all, a newly born god is still a [God], and there is only a chance of success at the moment of birth.

The [Demon] could not be disturbed by the outside world in order to succeed in the takeover.

Thus, the parents of the Conch, the only two living people on the square, became the last thorn in the [Demon]'s side.

If they didn't die, the plan would never succeed.

"You can destroy the Soul Gem, but that is your own daughter," the High Priest said indifferently. "The Opium Poppy Tree, containing all the spirits of the Green Grass Civilization, also has great value."

"Even if I don't become a god, I can endure until the next Epoch, waiting for a new opportunity."

"If you hand over the Soul Gem, I can promise to leave Green Grass Paradise behind."

"At least, the self-consciousness of your people will still exist."

"I can even protect you, ensuring your survival until the next Epoch."

The [Demon] only wanted to take over a [God], and to it, Green Grass Paradise was indeed just an insignificant existence.

But to the parents of the Conch, that represented the self-consciousness of hundreds of millions of their people, an unbearable burden.

Even if they couldn't become gods, they wanted to keep Green Grass Paradise.

The High Priest opened his arms and said with a smile, "What will be your choice?"

"You should be clear, your true combat power is no match for mine!"

"You cannot escape!"

"Come now, make the right choice! After so many years together, I don't wish to destroy the Green Grass Civilization. I too... have emotions, don't I?"

No one could answer that question.

So in the silence, dark clouds covered the sun, and a sudden downpour fell heavily on the ground.

This was an unimaginable catastrophe in the history of Green Grass Civilization.

And for the parents of the Conch, it was an unbearable hardship.

…

At this moment, Lu Yuan was in extreme shock, his fists clenched tightly as he looked at the man and woman in front of him, nearly bent over by the immense pressure.

"This..."

The Conch was also silent, just staring blankly ahead.

Back then, she was only an infant.

Yet she was the center of the storm.

...

However, at this moment!

A twist occurred once again.

Di suddenly let out a wretched laugh, followed by a burst of hearty laughter.

"Actually, I never thought of betraying civilization. Not in the past, not now, not in the future, it's impossible to betray civilization," he said.

"But sometimes I do think about it, what consequences would those heinous acts lead to... What if, just what if?" Discover stories with empire

"My spouse and I have discussed in private, how can we ensure our daughter's survival?"

"Even though every method is wrong, absurd... but we did think about it, truly we did!"

Di's voice was filled with both misery and determination, as he laughed wretchedly.

"Do you think, you are destined to win?"

"Hui!" he cried out miserably, calling for his wife.

In that instant, Hui used a strange small dagger to stab her own arm, causing blood to spurt out.

She collapsed to the ground.

The dagger, known as "Keller's Space Dagger," allowed for one short-distance instantaneous movement at the cost of the user's blood.

The next moment, she underwent Spatial Teleportation, reaching the massive Opium Poppy Tree.

Then she took out something strange, like a compass.

Her spirit was drawn away by the Opium Poppy Tree from afar—"Drawing the Soul" was the Divine Skill of the Opium Poppy Tree, not even a [Demon] could stop it.

The spirit of the Conch's mother suddenly merged with the Opium Poppy Tree.