After passing through the golden trees, Lu Yang found a huge cave ahead. Inside sat an elderly man with a withered face and hair that reached his waist, streaked with gray.
The old man wore only tattered cloth. His limbs were little more than skin and bones, yet four enormous dark-red chains bound him to a dark-red rock within the cave.
Though the old man looked wretched now, his identity was extraordinary. Based on the information Lu Yang had gathered from many sources in his previous life, this old man was Caldas, the Blazing Demon God, one of the Four Demon Gods of Hell.
After the defeat in the war between gods and demons, Kardas, who possessed an immortal body, had been imprisoned here by the gods. The trees outside bearing golden fruit were manifestations of Kardas's energy. As long as someone picked the fruit and gave it to Kardas to restore his energy, he would grant the player a treasure that could grow into divine equipment—the Demon God's Heart.
Just as in his previous life, Lu Yang walked up to the old man and said sympathetically, "Sir, how did you end up trapped here? Do you need help?"
The old man said nothing. He merely stared longingly at the fruit on the tree outside the cave.
"You want those fruits, right? I'll get them for you."
Lu Yang walked to the fruit tree, plucked all the golden fruits, then returned to the old man. "Sir, I picked the fruit for you. Hurry and have some."
At the sight of the tempting fruit before him, the old man could no longer remain calm. He opened his mouth and sucked every fruit Lu Yang had picked into it, chewing wildly.
After devouring all the fruit in one breath, the old man revealed a satisfied expression. He raised his head, looked at Lu Yang, and asked, "Young man, who are you? Why have you come here?"
Lu Yang scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm an adventurer. I accidentally fell off a cliff, but luckily, the branches growing from the cliff face saved me from falling to my death."
The old man froze for a moment. "I never expected you to be such a fortunate person. Since you came here, it must be the will of the Supreme God. You helped me recover my energy and saved my life, so I'll give you a gift in thanks. Catch it."
A crimson heart appeared before the old man, and Lu Yang caught it with both hands.
Demon God's Heart (Level 0) Endurance +1 Strength +1 Agility +1 Intelligence +10 Constitution +1 Spell critical hit chance increased by 1% Spell casting speed increased by 1% Spell hit chance increased by 1% Equipment Level: 0
Looking at the heart, Lu Yang was so excited that he could not help clenching his fists again. This was the treasure that had made his name in his previous life, a special piece of equipment that could grow into divine-grade equipment—the Demon God's Heart.
There were only a handful of divine artifacts in Second World, and every player who obtained one became a powerful overlord in their own right.
Shi Xue Aotian, the leader of the Brotherhood Alliance, wielded the legendary great axe Ten Directions Undefeated. During a guild war involving one hundred thousand people, he activated the equipment skill Boundless Hell and slew the opposing guild leader and several hundred core players within a 100-by-100 range with a single axe strike from the air. He directly shattered the enemy's command system, then led his forces in pursuit and created the legend of thirty thousand defeating seventy thousand.
Then there was Leng Ye, president of the Heavenly Mark Empire. During the war of nine factions, several thousand enemies launched a sneak attack on the Heavenly Mark Empire's rear base. Leng Ye alone stood atop the city wall with a bow in hand. Relying on the legendary Moon God Bow, he kept several thousand players from coming within a hundred yards of the wall. In the end, Leng Ye unleashed the Moon God Bow's ultimate skill—Falling Star Shattered Moon—killing Hegemony Guild's president Lei Yun and several hundred players around him with a single arrow. He truly held the pass alone against ten thousand foes.
After Lu Yang had luckily obtained the Demon God's Heart in his previous life, he had not known it was a treasure capable of growing into legendary equipment. Unable to find the materials needed to upgrade it, the Demon God's Heart had remained at Level 0 even after Lu Yang passed Level 200. It was not until Lu Yang reached a bottleneck in his development that he tried upgrading it out of boredom one day.
Once he had gathered the materials and upgraded it, Lu Yang finally discovered just how powerful the Demon God's Heart truly was.
Its attributes doubled with every level, and it gained several additional attributes. After he upgraded it all the way to legendary grade, Lu Yang's life changed completely. The legendary Demon God's Heart could transform Lu Yang into the Blazing Demon God, one of the Four Demon Gods of Hell. For thirty minutes, he could cast any high-level spell without cooldowns, automatically learn the three great fire-element forbidden spells, gain an additional 30% chance of dealing tenfold critical damage, and receive countless other benefits.
Relying on this equipment, Lu Yang cleared countless high-difficulty dungeons and killed innumerable epic bosses. Only then had he been able to equip his three hundred elite core members, establish fortresses, and build his strength. Unfortunately, he had awakened too late.
Now that he had regained this priceless treasure, the first thing Lu Yang wanted to do was upgrade the Demon God's Heart. The first upgrade for the Demon God's Heart was also the easiest.
After equipping the Demon God's Heart, Lu Yang's attributes immediately changed.
Name: Lu Yang Class: Mage Level: 0 Endurance: 4 Strength: 2 Intelligence: 20 Spirit: 10 Agility: 4 Constitution: 5 Health: 80 Mana: 200 Physical Damage: 1-2 Spell Damage: 20 Defense: 4 Physical Critical Hit Chance: 0 Spell critical hit chance increased by 1.1% Spell casting speed increased by 1% Spell hit chance increased by 1% Spell recovery speed: 1 point/5 seconds
In the game, one point of Intelligence equaled one point of spell damage and ten points of mana. The Demon God's Heart's ten points of Intelligence doubled Lu Yang's Intelligence and spell damage while also giving him an additional hundred mana.
"Sir, thank you for giving me this treasure. I still don't know your name. Is there anything I can help you with?" Lu Yang asked respectfully.
The old man looked at Lu Yang's level and chuckled. "You're still far too weak to help me. Come back when you reach Level 200. As for my name, it's better that you don't know it yet."
System Prompt: Old Man's Commission (Legendary). Accept?
Lu Yang grinned. He had not expected that one extra question would make the old man issue him a top-tier quest. In his previous life, Lu Yang had never received this quest. After obtaining the Demon God's Heart, he had not thought much of it. At the time, he was an employee of Frost Ice Studio's gold-farming team, and under the constant urging of the team leader, he had not dared linger. He had no time to speak further with the old man and had begged him to send him back to the surface quickly so he could earn money. He had not expected that this rebirth would bring such an unexpected gain.
"Accept." Only an idiot would refuse. The reward for a legendary quest was bound to be legendary as well, even if it was not equipment.
"Sir, don't worry. Once I reach Level 200, I will definitely come back and rescue you," Lu Yang said.
The old man expressionlessly waved one hand. Lu Yang felt a wave of dizziness, and when he came to, he had returned to the cliff north of St. Gall City.
Great, now I have to run all the way back. It was a half-hour journey. Lu Yang grumbled inwardly that the old man could have been kind enough to send him directly back to the plaza's safe zone.
Before you continue