Many powerhouses had come to Ross Childe's rites of pa.s.sage. The Childes were reputable. Two demiG.o.ds were invited. Including the demiG.o.d who was already in the family, one could say that they had three demiG.o.ds guarding them. Additionally, there were twenty-three Rank-13 powerhouses and a few hundred Rank-12 Gene Bodies.

Condensed into a single force, their combat strength was only second to the Lord's bodyguards in the entire Faye Cosmic Nation.

Nevertheless, they were not a single cohesive force but a collection of dozens of small circles. In other words, everyone had their own agenda and it was not that simple.

News of Gu Ding's arrival on Red s.h.i.+eld soon spread. The powerhouses who had been invited to the rites of pa.s.sage finally figured out who the Childes was facing. They were facing one of the most famous newcomers in Faye Cosmic Nation–Gu Ding.

Most of them had heard Gu Ding's name because he had been under the media's spotlight a lot lately. In particular, the video in which he and Grand Duke Roland appeared in the tavern more than half a month ago had been viewed more than ten billion times; it was one of the top one hundred most viewed videos of the year in Faye Cosmic Nation. Hence, it was hard for Gu Ding to keep a low profile.

Most of the people who had come for the rites of pa.s.sage had seen that video. Unlike ordinary people who read about the latest gossip, the powerhouses were more concerned about Biggie's swordsmans.h.i.+p. The two men whom he had beheaded had not managed to attack, so it was impossible to determine his Gene Level. Furthermore, the media did not offer any comments on him. Nevertheless, judging by the speed of his strike, many of them had come to the conclusion that Biggie had combat effectiveness similar to that of a demiG.o.d.

As for the rest of Gu Ding's crew, the opponents they had encountered in the videos were at most Rank-12 Gene Bodies. However, the videos were from more than a month ago, and no one could tell how much Gu Ding's crew members had changed in terms of strength.

In the Repentance Tower in the Childe family mansion, Ross was motionless. He kept his back straight, and the upper part of his suit did not have a single wrinkle.

The heavy tower door was pushed open amid a dull roar. Ross, who had his back to it, heard the sound of footsteps and slowly opened his eyes. “You again?” He asked without looking back.

“How did you know it was me?” Lucia asked, somewhat confused.

“Footsteps are discernible. Servants take small, frequent steps and try to keep themselves as quiet as possible,” Ross turned around and explained, “You must be here for another reason aside from bringing me my food? Has Gu Ding and his crew arrived?”

“You guessed right,” Lucia said angrily. “They've arrived, but instead of coming straight to the door, they casually had breakfast in a shop near the port and then went shopping. It's like they're not here for trouble at all.”

“They're waiting for the rites of pa.s.sage,” Ross replied without thinking.

“In that case, shall we get rid of them before your rites of pa.s.sage? Lest they make trouble.” Lucia thought simply.

“Didn't you want to see Gu Ding?” Ross teased while laughing.

“I admire him, but not to the point where I'm a mindless fan. For people like us, family comes first, and when necessary, we can sacrifice ourselves, not to mention the rest.” Lucia shook her head.

Her statement made Ross fall silent for a moment before he spoke up again, “It isn't that easy to make Gu Ding and his crew leave. The family powerhouses cannot attack unless they stir up some trouble. Otherwise, outsiders will take it as we Childes don't welcome Interstellar Pirates and are hostile to them. There's a part of our family business that's tied with Interstellar Pirates, so we can't give our clients such an impression.”

“Then, should we let somebody else do it?” Lucia pursed her mouth disapprovingly.

“I'm sure the old man has thought of everything you could possibly think of. You don't have to worry about this sort of thing. They should have their plans.” Ross pointed to the plate Lucia was carrying. “Aren't you tired carrying that for such a long time?”

Gu Ding and his crew leisurely strolled through the marketplace near Red s.h.i.+eld's port. Just as Gu Ding had expected, the Childes did nothing more than send men to spy on their movements. Hence, Gu Ding's crew did not even try to shake off their pursuers since there was no need to do so.

Not to mention, they were aware that there was more than one force stalking them. Gu Ding reckoned that at least one other force was keeping an eye on them and that was the Army. Nevertheless, he did not care, for the Army had made it clear that they did not want to get involved in his feud with the Childe family.

Gu Ding also knew that just because the Army and the Childes had not done anything, it did not mean they could not get others to intervene.

They were also stopped on the road by a young man.

“Well, isn't this Gu Ding's crew? It's quite a coincidence for us to have come across each other at such a place.” The young man appeared to be about twenty years old, around two meters tall, muscular, unarmed, and was clearly a close-combat martial arts pract.i.tioner like Gu Ding.

“Is it? You began following us ever since we got off the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p,” Elsa blatantly exposed his lie.

Elsa was not the only one who had noticed him, the others had noticed him because he was really bad at hiding his tracks. The other stalkers were stealthy, like stars on a rainy night, hardly visible to the naked eye. However, he was like the moon on a clear night, easily visible to the eye.

The muscular man turned red and coughed awkwardly. He then looked at Gu Ding and shouted, “Gu Ding, do you dare accept my challenge?”

“What's in it for me if I accept your challenge?” Gu Ding did not agree immediately and instead asked.

“If you lose, you and your crew must leave Red s.h.i.+eld and never set foot on it again,” the muscular man recited the lines he had been told to say.

Hearing this, Gu Ding knew without a second thought that the muscular man had been prompted by the Childe family to challenge him. It was something no ordinary person would have asked for. “Hey, I'm asking for my personal gain, not yours.”

“Your personal gain? No one told me to give you anything,” the muscular man muttered, scratching his head.

“Since there's no benefit on my end, I refuse your challenge,” Gu Ding said boldly.

“That won't work. Would you still be a man if you don't accept my challenge?” the muscular man shouted hurriedly.

“Is there a causal link between accepting the challenge and whether or not I am a man? If so, please explain it. Besides, I don't accept challenges that won't benefit me. Not accepting it doesn't mean I'm afraid to accept it. One more thing, I think I need to remind you that if anyone takes a shot at me without my consent, my crew will collectively take them down.” Gu Ding's words rang in the ears of the surrounding audience. For a brief moment, many of them heard the solemnity in Gu Ding's tone.

The muscular man gulped; Gu Ding's last words had made his back sweat. He had seen the video of Biggie in the tavern, and at that speed, he thought there was no chance of him surviving. Hence, he had jumped out and challenged Gu Ding instead of the whole crew because Biggie was someone who could kill him instantly.

“What can I do to make you accept my challenge?” The muscular man did not step out of the way immediately but asked after a moment of silence.

“What's the most valuable thing in your Inventory?” Gu Ding asked without beating around the bush.

“Well…” The muscular man hesitated after hearing his question.

“If you're not serious about challenging me, just go away and let us shop peacefully.” Gu Ding reckoned that there was something of value judging by how hesitant the Rank-13 Gene Body powerhouse was.

“All right, I'll talk.” Having been pressured by Gu Ding, the muscular man said, “It's an incomplete Deity Position.”

“What? !” Not only was Gu Ding stunned, but everyone present was shocked as well.

The so-called Deity Position was something a demiG.o.d coalesced in their soul s.p.a.ce after being promoted to a deity. The coalescence of the Deity Position was usually done in the blink of an eye and only deities possessed Deity Positions. Of course, a demiG.o.d could become a deity by taking away someone else's Deity Position, but a Deity Position that had been usurped could not be promoted.

“I stumbled into a secret border three months ago and found it on the floor,” the muscular man explained, “As soon as I picked it up, I was teleported out.”

“Very well, I'll take it!” Gu Ding agreed at once.

It has to be said that Neptune had blocked all communication systems on the planet the moment the muscular man said he was in possession of a Deity Position. He had done so to prevent anyone from informing other demiG.o.ds.

A Deity Position was something that attracted demiG.o.ds who found themselves unable to become deities even after a long time. Even if the Deity Position was incomplete, it was sure to be contested by many people.

Elizabeth was the only one in Faye Cosmic Nation to have become a deity over the years. Hence, one could imagine how difficult it was to ascend from being a demiG.o.d to becoming a deity. If demiG.o.ds became aware of the Deity Position, they would come to like moths drawn to a flame, swooping madly around it regardless of the consequences.

Nevertheless, Neptune also began to worry about their future. He could stop the information from spreading for a while but not forever. News of Gu Ding acquiring a Deity Position would be spread sooner or later. Then, the entire crew would be hunted down by demiG.o.ds.

“Gu Ding, we cannot take the Deity Position.” Lilliath knew how serious it was. She grabbed Gu Ding by the arm and shook her head at him.

“Don't worry. We'll take it first. I know how to deal with it.” Gu Ding nodded, well aware of the potential disaster it would cause him and his crew if not handled properly.