I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

Lu Yuan rubbed his eyes, feeling he couldn't continue to wallow in despair.

He hoisted the recently caught 50-pound fish onto a small, modified cart, and then shouldered his backpack filled with weapons, slowly making his way into the distance.

Old Wolf followed behind him with a few female wolves, matching his pace step for step.

Occasionally, they would paw at the large black fish.

Old pal, why can't you let us enjoy such a big fish? My wives are pregnant and need nutrition.

"You can't touch this, it's an offering for Lord Yama."

After walking for over two hours like this, he arrived at the arid canyon where the Fire Lizard lived.

At the edge of the canyon, he dug a large, deep pit, where he placed rows of sharp steel long spears, along with a net made of woven vines.

On the wooden mast at the edge of the pit, there were even two boulders, each weighing 300 pounds, suspended!

These boulders had been moved from afar by Lu Yuan, exerting all his strength, with the help of several wolves.

The greatest strength of humans is not physical, but intelligence.

With his strength alone, it was impossible to hoist a 300-pound boulder 10 meters up into the air, but with the help of pulleys, a lot of effort could be saved.

Using one pulley could save half the effort.

If two pulleys were used, it could save 3/4 of the effort; with three pulleys, 7/8 of the effort could be saved.

But that was the limit.

Bound by manufacturing techniques and material quality, he couldn't possibly hoist any larger boulders.

"This should be about right, the opponent I am going to challenge..." Lu Yuan muttered to himself, looking into the distance.

"Awooo!" Old Wolf suddenly bit Lu Yuan's trouser leg, its eyes sharpening as it warned him not to go any further.

Lu Yuan tugged a few times, trying to break free.

"Awooo~"

Old Wolf bit down hard, snarling fiercely at Lu Yuan, signaling the immense danger that lay ahead.

The Fire Lizard, with an aura as vast as an abyss, was unnerving every single wolf, making them anxious.

Even the female wolves paced restlessly, their fur bristling.

This was the absolute dominance of a higher being over a lower one.

Any creature with a bit of intelligence wouldn't dare cross that line.

"Old pal, you don't understand. You can eat, sleep, and breed every day, but I can't," Lu Yuan pointed to his temple, "I need to find some hope for myself."

"Seeking extraordinary power is my only pursuit."

"If I can't find it, I can't return home. Staying here would drive me insane," he said casually, describing his current mindset.

Old Wolf lifted his head, looking at his master.

It noticed that the master was different from the first time they met.

When they first met, Lu Yuan didn't really emanate any killing intent; he seemed harmless, like a sheep that eats grass.

That's why it dared to follow him from a distance.

Back then, Old Wolf was really at the end of its tether, with no other choice but to beg.

But at this moment, Lu Yuan looked gaunt and somewhat haggard.

His eyes emitted a cold light.

That was an indifference to life, not even valuing his own life that much.

His skin was tanned by the sun, his hands were calloused, and his dorsum was marred with scars, like cuts from a knife.

These were the results of long-term hard work.

If it met Lu Yuan as he was now, it definitely wouldn't dare to follow and beg.

"Actually, every day I think about giving up, just lying there like you, doing nothing..."

"This thought grows day by day, from a fleeting moment each morning to every hour, now it occurs to me every few minutes."

"I feel there's no more joy in life."

"If I could just plunge a dagger cleanly into my chest, it would be an end to my absurd existence."

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, his indifferent eyes reflecting the dim sunlight, "So, no matter what, I must try once. For myself!"

The wolf and the human locked eyes.

Old Wolf still looked ferocious, with the wrinkles on its snout deeply furrowed, its expression seeming to say, "Are you looking for death?"

Lu Yuan, on the other hand, was expressionless.

Within a minute, Old Wolf sensed his master's strong will and obediently let go of its mouth.

Lu Yuan patted the wolf's head and sighed.

He couldn't remember when he started talking to himself when alone; nor did he know when he began to realize that his life force was slipping away.

This drain of vitality was not on a physical but on a spiritual level.

He began to disregard his own appearance, too lazy to brush his teeth or wash his face, indifferent about what he ate—initially he wanted a good meal, but now, even that didn't matter.

He wasn't even concerned about his own life, as if nothing could ignite his passion anymore.

Only the company of Old Wolf and a few she-wolves provided him slight consolation.

Without them, he might have gone mad long ago.

"A hundred days already, eh? It's about time to tidy myself up, even if I'm really going to Hell, I shouldn't look this hideous."

Lu Yuan took out a pair of scissors and cut his hair short, then "scritch, scratch, scritch" shaved off his beard.

He shaved meticulously, as if it were a farewell ritual.

In his eyes, the human world was infested with the lice of 'solitude,' inescapable, unavoidable.

His body was already riddled with lice, with only his eyes still barely bright.

He had intended to recite a poem, to add some atmosphere, but in the end, he lost interest.

Lu Yuan then took out a bottle of animal oil from the Storage Space, containing the precious Spider Poison Gland.

With a sharp knife, he lifted the Spider Poison Gland and, along with the entire knife, stuffed it into the fish's belly through its mouth.

Then with that bottle of oil, he carefully wiped down every spear tip of the long spears.

After doing all this, there were no other tasks left.

...

"I'm off."

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, pushed the cart, and slowly entered the Fire Lizard's territory.

Old Wolf was anxiously pacing outside the canyon.

It just watched from afar and didn't dare to enter, not even daring to howl.

The cart was modified by Lu Yuan himself, with large tyres made of scrap rubber, capable of handling slightly rough terrains.

But many parts were rusted, and the bearings were a bit warped, so it couldn't go very fast.

This little path had been scouted many times, with no particularly high rock drops.

Lu Yuan saw the clouds on the horizon, mackerel skies indicating it might rain today? The God in heaven maintained its dark sense of humor, as usual—if he died, it would still put on an act of mourning for a while.

The tranquil interior of the canyon, sunlight striking the sallow steles, casting withered spots of light.

And there lay the big fish, quietly on the cart.

Its eyes hadn't sunken in yet, quite fresh.

The tyres scraped against stones, making a "clack clack" sound.