Tomb River.
Gu Qingshan crouched on the riverbank, a thoughtful look on his face.
Rows of Crimson Small Characters hung in the air, flashing without pause:
"Status: Forbidden."
"Heavenly Court and the twin cities of the starry sky have been established. The contest to choose the Holy Chosen of the Human Realm has ended."
"As the God of Death, you cannot enter the competition for supremacy in the Human Realm."
Gu Qingshan released his divine sense and carefully swept the surroundings.
Several thousand miles away, a tomb had been opened. Three Holy Chosen lay inside.
They had no breath left. They were clearly dead.
A mass of flowing black liquid circled them a few times, then gathered into the shape of a black lizard.
The lizard spoke in a human voice. "As payment for letting me out, I'll leave your bodies intact."
With that, it climbed the steps without looking back, left the tomb, and slipped into Tomb River. It soon vanished from sight.
After watching this, Gu Qingshan pondered for a moment, then disappeared from where he stood.
He appeared inside the tomb, bent down, and patted each of the three Holy Chosen.
The three dead Holy Chosen sprang to their feet.
They stared at the middle-aged man before them.
—Power as deep as the sea surrounded the middle-aged man, gathering behind him into an inscrutable, mysterious aura. Even a moment's exposure to it left them feeling suffocated.
How powerful!
"Sir, did you save me?" one of them asked gratefully.
"Thank you, sir—when you let that monster out, I thought I was done for," another said with relief.
The third bowed. "Thank you for saving my life. May I ask your name, sir?"
Gu Qingshan shrugged. "I'm Rod."
"Rod?" the three echoed together.
"That's right. You may not know