novelraw Chapter 118 : Submerged Remains
Chapter 118 : Submerged Remains
Chapter 118: Submerged Remains
When the item in the skeleton’s hand was exposed, the first thing that entered Jiang Li’s sight was a card.
It was a card that looked utterly ordinary, yet at the instant it was stripped free, it emitted a faint starlike glow.
The material of the card was neither metal nor jade. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, yet carried a toughness akin to metal.
Ancient and twisted runes were printed on the front, and on the back, several words were written prominently——【Game of Gods Invitation】!
Jiang Li’s gaze locked tightly onto that line of text, his mind roaring.
“Game of Gods……Transcendents……”
He muttered to himself, his expression turning exceptionally grave.
Ever since the scene of the Neon Nation’s destruction had been broadcast globally a year ago, allowing everyone to witness what could truly be called a “divine miracle,” and to see the terror of “Transcendents,”
After all, that had not been movie special effects—it had been living, breathing reality.
After that, the entire world had fallen into a chaotic period where panic and fanaticism coexisted, with all kinds of urban legends about “divine miracles” and “aberrations” running rampant.
Countries around the world had entered a state of collapse and reconstruction of order, and various transcendent organizations had sprung up like mushrooms after the rain.
“Game of Gods!”
These four characters were now a taboo to ordinary people, but to Transcendents, they were a ladder leading to higher tiers.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, was saying that the world had changed, that transcendence had descended, and that only by participating in the Game of Gods could one become a Transcendent.
As for the four characters “Game of Gods,” anyone who was not living in some remote backwater clearly knew what they meant.
But no one knew how to participate. After the initial fervor passed, most people returned to their normal lives.
After all, transcendence was simply too distant. But now, the invitation in front of Jiang Li had directly placed that vague transcendence before his very eyes!
At this moment, Jiang Li’s calmness came into play.
He did not panic. Instead, like a precision instrument operating at high speed, he began rapidly analyzing every word on the card.
“Transcendent……” Jiang Li let out a cold chuckle, a trace of mockery flashing through his eyes.
This invitation looked like a gift from a god.
But to Jiang Li, how was this a gift? It was clearly a death warrant!
He lightly touched the invitation in his hand with his fingertips.
Then his gaze shifted once more to the skeleton. “Could this corpse be the sacrifice of some ‘Game of Gods’?”
“If that’s really the case, then I absolutely can’t be dragged into this vortex.”
“After all, no matter how good transcendent power is, you still need to be alive to enjoy it.”
“I’ve heard that invitations have already been炒到有价无市 on the black market. When I get back, I’ll take this invitation and sell it there.”
“With that money in hand, I can retire immediately and enjoy life.”
Thinking this, Jiang Li carefully put away the invitation, then cast his gaze back to the remains.
Because there was still another item in the skeleton’s hand.
That item was buried deeper within the tattered clothing, as if its owner had tried to hide it while alive.
Jiang Li expended some effort before finally extracting it.
It was an eyeball the size of a fingernail.
It looked utterly unremarkable, even somewhat crude. Its grayish-white surface was covered in fine cracks, like a poor-quality stone that had aged for years.
However, when it was fully exposed to the air, Jiang Li felt an indescribable eerie aura, like a cold venomous snake silently coiling around his heart.
It did not resemble the eyeball of any known creature, but rather a roughly carved craft item.
Yet Jiang Li could clearly sense that inside this “eyeball,” there seemed to be some kind of unimaginable power.
“This is……”
When his fingertip touched the eyeball, a stream of icy information instantly flooded into his mind——【Transcendent artifact: Eye of Destruction】
【Warning: This item contains extremely dangerous destructive energy. Please use with caution】
Jiang Li’s heart jolted violently!
Eye of Destruction! Transcendent artifact!
This eyeball that looked so ordinary was actually a transcendent artifact!
He stared at the “Eye of Destruction.” On its grayish-white surface, countless tiny cracks seemed to be breathing, and a cold, corrosive aura faintly emanated from within.
The power possessed by this transcendent artifact was truly hair-raising.
Jiang Li’s breathing began to quicken.
An invitation and a transcendent artifact.
Either one of these items alone would be enough to ensure him a lifetime of food and clothing without worry. Who would have thought he would obtain both at the same time!
From this moment on, his life had been completely overturned.
As he thought of this, Jiang Li’s gaze gradually sharpened.
He was not a reckless and ignorant man; he deeply understood the enormous risks represented by these things.
Thus, he understood even more clearly what these things meant under the grand backdrop of the “Transcendent Era.”
“If there were only the invitation, I could still find a way to sell it and secure a carefree life for myself.”
“But now the situation is completely different. Once a transcendent artifact appears, what retirement and enjoyment of life is there to speak of?”
“In the ‘Transcendent Era,’ holding something like this and wanting to peacefully live as an ordinary person is nothing but a fool’s dream.”
Jiang Li clearly knew that this world had already completely changed.
“Sell it? Sell it to whom? Would those major powers allow something like a transcendent artifact to circulate freely and disrupt their plans?”
Once he dared to leak news of the transcendent artifact, what awaited him would definitely not be a fortune, but a merciless pursuit.
If a “Game of Gods” invitation fell into the hands of an ordinary person, it would not provoke too much greed.
After all, the invitation was merely a threshold to stepping into transcendence, and its death rate alone was enough to make many weak-willed people lose the courage to participate.
But a transcendent artifact was different. It was no different from lighting a beacon in the dark night, enough to attract countless greedy gazes.
Because transcendent artifacts carried no risk, only profit. How could this not make those who longed for transcendent power, yet dared not stake their lives, burn with envy?
Thinking this, Jiang Li took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, then tightly clenched the 【Eye of Destruction】 and the 【Game of Gods Invitation】 in his hands.
Then, he looked at the dried skeleton. This was clearly a “player.”
He had accepted the “Game of Gods” invitation and possessed a transcendent artifact like the “Eye of Destruction,” yet he had ultimately still died within the “Game of Gods.”
“So just how terrifying is this so-called ‘Game of Gods,’ that even this couldn’t win?”
Jiang Li murmured to himself. His voice echoed in the enclosed space, sounding exceptionally clear.
Jiang Li’s gaze returned to the two items in his hands.
He knew very well that from the moment he touched these things, he had already been standing at the edge of a massive vortex.
Should he accept the invitation and step into that transcendent world filled with the unknown and danger?
Or should he refuse, continue to be an ordinary person ignorant of everything, and wait to be swallowed by the torrent of the times?
This seemed to be a choice with no real choice at all.