Chapter Four: A Treasure of Great Value

Passing through the golden-hued trees, a vast cavern appeared ahead. Inside, an emaciated old man with long, graying hair flowing down to his waist sat chained. His only garment was a tattered cloth, and his limbs were mere skin and bone, bound tightly by four massive dark-red chains to a crimson rock within the cave.

Though the old man seemed destitute now, his identity was formidable. From the extensive research Lu Yang had gathered in his previous life, this was none other than Kardas, the Flame Demon God, one of the Four Demon Gods of Hell.

After the failed war between gods and demons, the immortal Kardas was imprisoned here by the gods. The golden-fruited tree at the cave’s entrance was a manifestation of Kardas’s energy. Anyone who picked its fruit and delivered it to him would be rewarded with a treasure capable of evolving into god-tier equipment—the Heart of the Demon God.

Just like in his past life, Lu Yang approached the old man with compassion. “Sir, how did you come to be trapped here? Do you need help?”

The old man said nothing, his eyes fixed longingly on the fruit hanging on the tree outside.

“You want those fruits, don’t you? I’ll get them for you.”

Lu Yang went to the tree, plucked all the golden fruits, and returned to the old man. “Sir, I’ve picked the fruits for you. Please eat.”

Unable to resist the temptation, the old man opened his mouth wide and devoured all the fruits Lu Yang had brought with great relish.

After finishing them all in one go, a satisfied expression crossed his face. He looked up at Lu Yang and asked, “Young man, who are you, and why have you come here?”

Lu Yang scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m an adventurer. I accidentally fell off a cliff, but thankfully, some branches caught me, or I wouldn’t be here now.”

The old man was momentarily taken aback. “You are indeed fortunate. Since you have come here, it must be the will of the Supreme God. You helped me regain my strength and saved my life. In return, I will give you a gift. Prepare yourself.”

Before the old man, a crimson heart appeared, and Lu Yang cupped it carefully in his hands.

Heart of the Demon God (Level 0)
Stamina +1
Strength +1
Agility +1
Intelligence +10
Constitution +1
Spell Critical Chance +1%
Spell Casting Speed +1%
Spell Hit Rate +1%
Equip Level: 0

Seeing this heart, Lu Yang’s excitement surged, and he clenched his fists tightly. This was the very treasure he had relied on to gain fame in his previous life—a special item capable of evolving into god-tier equipment: the Heart of the Demon God.

In the Second World, artifacts were scarce. Every player who possessed one became a dominant power.

The leader of the Brotherhood of Loyalty, Bloodstained Pride, wielded the legendary Great Axe Invincible, and in a 100,000-person guild war, he unleashed the special skill “Boundless Hell,” slaying the opposing guild leader and hundreds of elites within a 100-by-100 area with a single overhead swing, breaking their command system. Following this, he led a decisive assault, forging a legendary victory of 30,000 against 70,000.

There was also Leng Ye, leader of the Scar Empire. During the Nine Guild Wars, thousands of enemies launched a surprise attack on the Scar Empire’s rear base. Leng Ye single-handedly defended the fortress gate with his bow, the legendary Moon Goddess Bow. No enemy came within 100 yards. He ultimately unleashed the bow’s ultimate skill, Meteor Shattered Moon, killing the tyrannical guild leader Lei Yun and hundreds of players nearby with one arrow—a true testament to the phrase, “One man guards the pass, and ten thousand cannot break through.”

In his previous life, Lu Yang had been lucky to obtain the Heart of the Demon God but did not realize it could evolve into legendary equipment. Unable to find materials to upgrade it, even at level 200, the Heart remained at level 0. Only when he reached a bottleneck in his development did he experiment with upgrading it out of boredom.

After gathering the materials and upgrading for the first time, Lu Yang realized how immensely powerful the Heart truly was.

Each level doubled the attributes and added several extra bonuses. After upgrading the equipment straight to legendary status, Lu Yang’s life changed completely. The legendary Heart allowed him to transform into Kardas, the Flame Demon God, one of the Four Demon Gods of Hell. For thirty minutes, he could cast any high-level spell without cooldown, automatically learn the three forbidden fire spells, and gain a 30% chance of 10x critical hits, among countless other benefits.

With this equipment, Lu Yang conquered countless difficult dungeons and slew many epic-level bosses, enabling him to equip his 300 elite subordinates and establish a fortress. Unfortunately, he realized the treasure’s true power too late.

Now reborn and in possession of the treasure once more, the first thing Lu Yang resolved was to upgrade the Heart of the Demon God, starting with the first level, which was the easiest.

Equipping the Heart, Lu Yang’s attributes instantly shifted:

Name: Lu Yang
Class: Mage
Level: 0
Stamina: 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 Chance: 0%
Spell Critical Chance: 1.1%
Spell Casting Speed: 1%
Spell Hit Rate: 1%
Spell Recovery Rate: 1 point/5 seconds

In the game, 1 point of Intelligence equals 1 point of spell damage and 10 mana. The Heart’s 10 Intelligence doubled Lu Yang’s Intelligence and spell damage and increased his mana by 100 points.

“Sir, thank you for this gift. I don’t know your name yet. Is there anything I can do to help you?” Lu Yang asked respectfully.

The old man looked at Lu Yang’s level and chuckled warmly. “You’re too young to help me now. Wait until you reach level 200, then we’ll talk. As for my name, it’s better you don’t know it for now.”

System Prompt: Do you accept the old man’s quest? (Legendary level)

Lu Yang smiled. He hadn’t expected that a simple question would earn him a top-tier quest. In his previous life, Lu Yang never took this quest seriously after receiving the Heart. As a member of the Ice Workshop’s gold-farming team, pressed by his team leader, he didn’t linger, hastily asking the old man to send him back to the surface to earn money. This time, however, rebirth brought unexpected fortune.

“I accept.” Who wouldn’t? A legendary quest guaranteed legendary rewards—if not equipment, then something of equal caliber.

“Don’t worry, sir. When I reach level 200, I will come to rescue you,” Lu Yang promised.

The old man’s face remained expressionless as he waved a single hand. Lu Yang felt dizzy and suddenly found himself back on the cliff north of Saint Gall City.

“Well, now I have to run all the way back,” Lu Yang muttered, half an hour’s journey ahead. He wondered why the old man hadn’t kindly sent him back to the safety of the town square.