Regarding the Godstone's correct usage, in the early days of the game when players were still inexperienced, people came up with countless different theories.
Some people said to just swallow it, while others used it to raise a god of their own from scratch. There were even some players who wanted to use the Godstone as bait… This debate continued until a way to directly convert the Godstone into Evil Value appeared.
Since then, no one ever attempted any of the other theories again. The latecomers could only exclaim in sarcastic admiration with the benefit of hindsight, "You really are a frigging genius!"
Reality proved that none of those messy methods gave the user more benefits than directly converting it into Evil Value.
The Godstone slowly approached Lan Si, and the blue light shone brighter and brighter, while the fragment on Lan Si's forehead also began to shine with the same brilliance. That was the Godstone fragment in her possession.
Under Gu Na's control, the Godstone was much more powerful than it was under Feng Lun's control.
In just a single minute, Lan Si couldn't resist at all as the fragment in her body completely separated from her and fused with the Godstone.
The Godstone, which was finally whole, seemed to be completely awakened at this moment.
Under the faint light, lines forming mysterious patterns began to appear, instantly covering the stone's entire surface.
The Godstone was blue and white, exuding an astonishing amount of sacred brilliance. Lan Si almost wanted to prostrate herself in worship when faced with this incomparably holy power that originated from the same source as her own powers.
However, in the next moment, a trace of black began to appear on the Godstone, then quickly spread all over its surface.
The originally supreme and noble holy aura disappeared from the Godstone. Lan Si seemed to realize something and shouted, "Demon! You're a demon!"
Lan Si had never seen a Godstone before, but she still knew that not even foreign gods could change a Godhead's fundamental attributes.
'Unless the other party was never a god to begin with…'
Only demons could do such a thing. They were corrupting the Godhead!
Gu Nan was noncommittal about this. In the game's lore, very few characters knew about the existence of Evil Gods. Even many of the gods themselves were ignorant of Evil Gods, let alone an apostle like Lan Si.
But Gu Nan's current act really was corrupting a Godhead, so it was no wonder that Lan Si misunderstood.
Evil Gods were the natural enemies of gods. Corrupting a Godhead was practically second nature to Gu Nan. He easily left his own mark on the Godhead, then pushed the Godhead back to Lan Si.
That entirely pitch-black Godhead once again stopped in front of Lan Si, surprising the latter.
"Feel this? This is power." Gu Nan said in a strange tone, "What you desired, what you refused to accept, and what you once lost… Pick it up, and you'll grasp everything."
Gu Na's voice seemed to contain some kind of demonic power. Lan Si began to unconsciously look at the Godstone. What emerged in her mind was the scene where the Godstone recognized Feng Lun as its master and when her older brother decided to help Feng Lun.
She was unwilling to accept this—unwilling to accept the fact that she had to end up as a slave after serving her Mother Goddess for twenty years, while all Feng Lun did was get lucky…
'Power, I want power…'
The Godstone approached Lan Si until it completely sank into her forehead, while Gu Nan watched this entire process with a small smile.
He'd never been worried about Lan Si resisting the temptation and not falling. To begin with, her faith wasn't absolute and had weak spots. But even if she was a devout believer, Gu Nan still had ways to make the other party fall.
Because the crux of the matter was: no one can resist the temptation of power.
Especially for apostles—the Godhead's power came from the same source as their own powers. As long as they accepted the Godstone, they'd gain the potential to become gods.
The more strongly an apostle worships a god's power, the greater their chances of falling when faced with such a situation.
Unfortunately, this power had already been corrupted by an Evil God. By the time Lan Si regains her senses, it'll already be too late.
After a long time, Lan Si finally opened her eyes again. She didn't even have time to pay attention to Gu Nan; all her attention was focused on the Godstone.
Lan Si held a hand out in joy. A ball of blue light flickered in the palm of her hand.
This divine power was different from the power granted by the God of Luxuriant Blossoms. It was a power that belonged to Lan Si… and also belonged to someone else.
With a single thought from Gu Nan, Lan Si felt all the divine power throughout her body suddenly freeze, and the Godhead in her mind also stopped releasing any divine power.
"You…" Lan Si suddenly realized that Gu Nan had done something. She glared at Gu Nan but only received a cold look in response.
"You can no longer turn back." Gu Nan said flatly, "Either accept this power and become my apostle, or return to Rolensia's Divine Kingdom and be burned as a heretic."
Lan Si looked down with dull eyes and gazed at her hands, which were brimming with a strange new power, and almost had the urge to sob.
"Mother Goddess, I… I couldn't withstand the temptation…"
And Gu Nan's figure was already long gone, leaving her alone in the room.
...
Gu Nan sat in the living room, waiting for the good news. He knew that Lan Si wouldn't let him down.
His eyes stayed on his Evil Value. The number there had already jumped from 130 to 176. This contribution was from Lan Si fusing with the Godhead.
In theory, it was very simple for players to turn a Godstone into Evil Value.
Based on the principle of "blasphemy is sin", players only needed to find a way to have the Godhead be absorbed by a nonbeliever who didn't worship the gods, and this process would be able to provide players with Evil Value.
Of course, players had to corrupt this Godhead first so that the game system would recognize the player's claim to the Godhead.
In the next moment, the Evil Value jumped again, reaching 196, then slowly started rising.
200… 210… 220…
Gu Na's Evil Value only stopped increasing when it hit 252, but this was already enough of a pleasant surprise.
The 122 jump was almost the total of all his previous gains!
After all, this was an item given to Tier 5 players. Even if it was the lowest-grade Godstone, it was still enough to make Gu Nan rich overnight at this stage.
And Gu Nan also knew that this was far from the limit. This was simply the maximum divine power that Lan Si could accept right now. As her strength grows and as the corrupted Godhead becomes more and more complete, it will continue to provide Gu Nan with Evil Value.
'What a pity. If my Evil Value can reach 300, I'll be able to awaken an arcana for the power of shadows…' Gu Nan sighed discontentedly, still unsatisfied.
'Not only will my injury heal quickly, but I'll also be able to experience a leap in strength.'
An Evil Value of 300 was equivalent to Wei Donghai and Yue Qianleng's level of power.
With Gu Nan's means, once he reached that stage, he'd naturally be invincible when facing enemies at the same level, and he'd even be able to fight back against Tier 4 enemies.
Just when Gu Nan was lamenting and considering how to help Lan Si become stronger, Lan Si had already shuffled out of her room with a little embarrassment.
Her current appearance was very different from before. Her blue hair had turned pitch-black, and even her iris was now black with hints of purple. Although her face didn't change, her entire aura now seemed bewitching and demonic, which held a different kind of charm.
She saw Gu Nan silently sitting on the side and slowly came up, biting her lip and saying, "Lan Si greets Lord…"
Gu Nan smiled silently. Just when he was about to speak, a message suddenly came from the Evil God Temple in his brain.
｢Evil Event Complete: Lan Si's Fall. Total Evil Value obtained: 50｣
｢Event Chain Complete. Reward obtained: 1,600 points｣
Devotee's Game System Inspired Note
» This section of the chapter is a Fan based created system to mock-up or simulate the 'Status Information' of our MC - Gu Nan. This implies that you are free to skip reading this and continue your journey onto the next chapter.
» All catalog data below is a summary of various information achieved by Gu Nan that corresponds till the end of the related chapter and is compiled into a singular 'Status Screen.' Additionally, the invented system below would continue to evolve as we progress and learn more about the novel itself.
MC's Status Information
Name: Gu Nan
Current Location: Gu Nan's residence ( the villa ), Heavenly Enterprise Star
Current Soul Location: N/A
Status: ⟪ Evil God ⟫
Advancement Direction: Agility Type
Current Evil God Rank: Tier 3
Equivalent/Current Martial Art: Prodigious Realm
◈ Comprehension of Innate ability: Domain Stage
Chosen Core Skill: The Law of Shadow
Current Evil God Temple Quest:
→ Main Mission Objective/s:
-— Evil Event: Lan Si's Fall. - Evil God Temple Issued
◈ Status: Cleared
→ Side Quest Objective/s:
-— None. - N/A
◈ Status: N/A
Current Evil Points: 1700
Overall Evil Points: 5475, Overall Evil Value: 302
Core Skill Acquired
— Shadow. ｢Also known precisely as 'The law of Shadow' - its one of the highest-ranked laws in the game. Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Normal Skills Acquired:
— Resistance. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Your body will resist damage, and any damage taken will be reduced by 50%｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
Exclusive Skills Acquired:
— Deceitful Steps. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Movement Speed increased by 30%. Attack Speed increased by 50%｣
— Power of Shadows. [ LVL 3 ] ｢Allows the players to activate the skill "Hidden Shadows" at LVL 1 and unlocks the skill "Shadow Form" at LVL 2. If the 'Power of Shadows' reached LVL 3, the player will be able to use the 'Law of Shadow' to a much finer degree.｣
▸Hidden Shadows. ｢The power to manipulate shadows to a fine degree.｣
▸Shadow Form. ｢An incomparable handy skill that allows the player to manipulate shadows to create things, like weapons and armor. At the highest level of mastery, it could even create a humanoid clone.｣
Equipment being worn
→ Armor
-— Dawn Sage's Robe. ｢Basic level defense. If you are not attacked within 3 seconds, you will receive the "Praise of Dawn" effect.｣
→ Weapon
-— Blade of the Sanguine King. ｢High attack. Ignores external defense. Enhanced sharpness. Triggers the effect "Curse of Blood" on hit.｣
◈ Curse of Blood. ｢This is a cursed divine weapon. Whenever your attack hits your opponent, you will take equal damage.｣
→ Accessories - Facial Accessories, Necklace, Earrings
-— Observer Eyepiece. ｢An eyepiece that have a fixed Tier 2 magic 'Insight' inscribe in it.｣
-— Dragon Heart Pendant. ｢Allows players to activate the skill "Dragon Power". This skill cannot be upgraded｣
-— Shadow Earrings. ｢Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Equipment Skills Acquired:
-— Insight. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Ability to obtain high-precision data analysis when looking at people or objects.｣
-— Dragon Power. ｢Greatly enhances the player's strength and physique. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes｣
-— Praise of Dawn. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Increases self-healing ability by 300%｣
Item/s owned:
→ Four Element Crossbow. ｢Was used in Chapter 9-104.｣
→ Luxuriant Blossoms' Godstone. ｢Also known as EXP stone by players. The source of this Godstone is Rolensia.｣