Lord of Prayer

“So, have you figured out the answer?”

“I didn’t have to. The scholars from the Fifth District who specialize in studying the skeleton proposed a theory long ago.”

Tang Ling said, “It seems you never noticed, but that skeleton is extremely similar to the human skeleton. You could even say that humanity evolved using it as a blueprint.”

Zhou Chen’s heart jolted at her words. He recalled the parts of the skeleton he had seen; they were indeed highly similar to human bones.

“You have a bachelor’s degree, at least. Don’t tell me you never considered this?” Tang Ling couldn’t help but tease when she saw how shocked he was.

Zhou Chen stroked his chin. “Maybe the Star Association set up a memetic shield. Otherwise, there’s no way I wouldn’t have made the connection. My clearance wasn’t high back then, so it’s normal that I couldn’t access such top-secret information.

Hmm… in that case, perhaps that skeleton is the ‘progenitor of humanity’?”

“That’s what the Fifth District believes. Their analysis concluded that humanity originated from the skeleton and was directly influenced by it. Therefore, we have a congenital advantage over other races at the genetic level, allowing us to evolve extremely quickly. In other words—humanity was born from the corpse of a God, and we are the descendants of a God.”

“Whoa, that really amps up our street cred. I feel like Darwin’s about to start rolling in his grave,” Zhou Chen exclaimed in amazement.

Tang Ling chuckled. “At this point, which of those old scholars *isn’t* rolling in their grave?”

“Fair enough.”

“But speaking of which, why was the skeleton scattered?” Zhou Chen asked again.

The Star Association has only collected four parts of the skeleton so far. One of them, the “Eye of God,” was acquired some time ago. In the process, they also captured an Evil God from the old era. That guy was incredibly strong. Not only did he realize he was sealed within history, but he also found a way for his Power to seep out of the Divine War Ruins and even managed to escape in the end.

No one would believe he did it all with his own Ability. Everyone knows how underwhelming the Divine Level Transcendents from the old era were. This just goes to show how valuable the “Eye of God” truly is.

The Star Association has probably interrogated that guy by now and found out how he got the Eye of God. However, the related intel was classified as top secret. Zhou Chen thought he might go take a look when he had time.

“It was probably scattered across the World due to geological changes and the skeleton’s own Extraordinary Abilities.” Tang Ling clearly wasn’t sure. “Who knows what happened over hundreds of millions of years? Last month, the Fifth District used a Divination Skill and figured out a part of the skeleton was on the Moon. The lunar base went to dig, and they actually found it.”

“Huh? The Moon?” Zhou Chen couldn’t help but look up at the night sky. Even though the light from most of the Stars was obscured by the glow of the Divine War, the Moon remained bright and clear, its light as cool as water.

“They also unearthed the body of a man in old-era clothing. He wasn’t wearing a spacesuit, just everyday clothes. The theory is that he was one of the Lucky Ones from the old era who accidentally obtained the skeleton’s left leg, then inadvertently triggered its Extraordinary Ability, got teleported to the Moon, and immediately croaked.”

“If he weren’t so unlucky, he’d be pretty lucky,” Zhou Chen commented wryly.

“Tell me about it.”

The two were deep in conversation, jumping from one topic to the next. It was soon two in the morning, and the streets gradually emptied. With a beautiful woman in his arms, it was impossible for Zhou Chen’s mind not to wander, and he slowly started to get ideas.

Tang Ling was already interested and eager to see what would happen, so she leaned into Zhou Chen. When he saw that she didn’t resist, Zhou Chen knew he had a shot. He had originally planned to cultivate their feelings a bit more, but since Tang Ling didn’t object, it would be disrespectful not to make a move.

“Why are you so good at this?” she asked, a question that cut to the core.

“Practice makes perfect,” Zhou Chen replied with the ultimate scumbag line. Seeing her dazed look, he couldn’t help but add, “I thought robots couldn’t feel anything when they kissed.”

“I adjusted my sensitivity. It’s a little high,” Tang Ling whispered, hugging him and breathing into his ear. “Let’s go to the Gaia Royal Palace.”

Sunlight streamed through the window a little after eight in the morning. Since Tang Ling had only taken a half-day off, she had to be at work by nine, so they didn’t have much time to linger.

Tang Ling stretched comfortably, looking utterly refreshed. “I feel like I’m another step closer to becoming a God!”

“That works too?” Zhou Chen was dumbfounded.

“The seven passions and six desires. The more emotions I experience, the more attuned I become to my Soul. A few more times, and I might just become a God… Hey, that’s a good excuse. I’m going to see if I can take a few more days off.” Tang Ling’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Zhou Chen opened his mouth, then closed it. His kidneys began to ache faintly.

·

With his personal affairs settled, it was time for business.

Zhou Chen arrived in the Netherworld. The verification process for the Artificial Death God project was complete. After adding him as the key factor, the success rate had undoubtedly reached one hundred percent, so the Star Association announced that the project would begin immediately.

In the Netherworld, a massive, pale altar stood, covered in ornate carvings. Numerous offerings were placed upon it, and countless complex Alchemy Matrixes surrounded it, forming a grand ritual of unprecedented scale.

With a tremendous RUMBLE, the ritual began. A thick, pale beam of light shot into the sky. In an instant, the world went dark, a sinister wind began to blow, and the entire Netherworld was thrown into violent tremors. A terrifying ripple of power spread out, threatening to crush the Netherworld itself.

The ritual continued for some time. The terrifying, cold ripples of power grew stronger and more suffocating. The temperature in the Netherworld dropped lower and lower, and their breath turned to white mist.

“It’s your turn,” said the scholar in charge of the ritual to Zhou Chen, who was standing nearby, bored and playing with the white mist of his breath.

Zhou Chen immediately focused and descended a Great Miracle upon the Netherworld.