The Era of Gods

When it came to their various probes, he gave a uniform reply: the highest bidder wins.

Of course, Lin Xiao also made a list of items he needed, marking a few as priorities.

Those with Powerful Divine Power had an abundance of family possessions; they had all sorts of items, but not all were suitable for him. He marked several items as high-quality competitive goods, giving him priority in the event of equal offers.

For instance, planes unified without any Native deities or high-level Ancient Treasures and the like; such treasures, highly suitable for him, would be prioritized in the bidding process.

Fortunately, with Commander Xie’s warning and protection, and some secret agreement they had reached, nobody engaged in any underhanded actions.

Six days later, while Lin Xiao’s consciousness was in his Divine Realm observing a group of Lesser Naga constructing a new small town in the Water Elemental Divine Realm, he suddenly felt something unusual. His consciousness swiftly returned to his True Body. The first thing he sensed was an anomaly in the Void—an invisible flow of light seemed to be moving between heaven and earth, remarkably similar to when the True Body of Xie Tianyan took action, but much more subtle. The fluctuations were intangible and insubstantial, yet they made his heart palpitate even more.

His first reaction was the arrival of a strong presence, preparing to get in touch with Jin Sisi. However, she appeared proactively and said,

“The War Master of the War Throne has arrived. My War Incarnation is ready to descend with the main force into Totem World. It won’t be long before Gaia Will returns, and then my other incarnation will take you back to the Main World.”

“The War Master!”

His first thought was of The Academy of the War Throne, ranked third among the twelve Super Academies of the Main World, and he couldn’t help asking,

“Is it that War Throne?”

She nodded and said,

“Yes, that War Throne. Currently, only He from the great powers of the Main World has the time to spare. It’s a pity that you are too weak to witness such a being in action.”

Lin Xiao shrugged and said,

“No worries, if I can’t see it now, there will be chances in the future.”

Jin Sisi showed a look of pity and said,

“You have enough luck to seize such a rare opportunity, but right now, you’re too weak to keep it. When you become a True God in the future, if you manage to overcome the difficulties and promote to Powerful Divine Power, you will realize how precious the chance you gave up was. You might never get such an opportunity again.”

After hearing this, Lin Xiao didn’t know what expression to wear on his face. Spreading his hands, he said somewhat laughingly yet helplessly,

“While I can’t comprehend that sentiment, I don’t want to sell, but if I can’t keep it, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Yes, you can’t keep it, that’s why it’s such a shame. In the future, you will definitely have regrets!”

Lin Xiao…

“When you go back, find your girlfriend. If your relationship is strong enough, let her take you to meet your future father-in-law. Otherwise, if someone bids on some rare treasures during the auction, you’ll face trouble either way.”

She glanced at Lin Xiao and continued,

“Some items, though not as valuable as this opportunity, are still highly coveted. If you want to avoid trouble, find a more stable backing.”

“I will.”

“Of course, you already have a ready-made supporter. Commander Xie owes you a huge favor this time. He will definitely ensure your safety. With his existing identity and status, he’s more than capable of protecting you. Moreover, this time his Fifth War Zone has taken the initiative. By leveraging the power of the Fifth War Zone, I believe it’s possible to reap significant benefits in this world. If he manages to seize the opportunity to take that step in the future, this supporter will be more reliable than your yet-to-be-confirmed father-in-law, as long as you don’t court disaster…”

“Additionally, Radiance is a significant aid to you. Although there are many factions within, and several dozen magnates in the Supreme God Council all have their own agendas, regardless of their differences, as long as they gain tremendous benefits in this world, they owe you a favor. These are sufficient for you to have a much easier time within Radiance.”

Two days later, Lin Xiao saw an invisible wave slowly spreading from the center of the Gaia Node. The wave, slow yet resolute, expanded unceasingly, reaching hundreds of thousands of kilometers, tens of millions of kilometers, a hundred million kilometers. The berserk Chaos Energy in the Void was swept by this wave, turning into gentle Elemental Energy. Within this range, the chaotic rules of the Chaotic Void were forcibly altered by an invisible force, becoming rules set by the War Master.

Put simply, great divine power can directly change the underlying rules, transforming any world’s foundational rules into those that suit oneself.

For example, a great divine power could forcibly convert a Nether Plane into Heaven, transforming the Undead into Angels.

A single command could Divine Enthronement, instantly elevating an ordinary person to the status of a True God.

Of course, this would apply only to Indigenous Gods and not gods of the Divine Realm, and it could only be used once a year. Additionally, because of the particularity of the Divine Realm, it was impossible to instantly elevate the children of lesser gods to godhood.

This means that if they wished, they could continuously grant divinity to their subordinate deities, and over ten thousand years, accumulate ten thousand Indigenous Gods in the Divine Realm or a hundred thousand over a million years.

Of course, that’s the ideal scenario. Any deity would need sufficient Power of Faith to sustain them or they would fall. Who could support a million deities? Moreover, ten thousand newly enthroned Weak Divine Powers were incomparable to a single Powerful Divine Power.

So, while the transformative power of great divine power to Divine Enthronement is incredible, it would not be used lightly. It is typically reserved for rewarding subordinates or believers who have made significant contributions.

For example, if Lin Xiao had such transformative power, he would surely grant divinity to his key believers, such as Slarda, Flame Lord Kurbert, and so on.

When this invisible force reached its limit and the rules of the Void changed, Jin Sisi’s War Incarnation left the Fortress and flew directly into the Void.

At this moment, the rules of the Void had been forcibly changed by the great existence, the War Master, imbuing everyone within this scope with abilities such as flight, speed up, and teleportation. They could exert their various powers with ease as if they were within a realm, theoretically allowing even a mortal to enter and survive in this Void.

Majestic divine incarnations transformed into spheres of light and flew towards the distance, where there was a huge platinum vortex—the entrance to the Gaia Node was there.

His gaze fell on the other side of the vortex, where he saw a twisted black hole. He understood that this was where the True Body of the War Master resided; so overwhelmingly powerful that he couldn’t perceive its existence.

Unable to see, naturally, it couldn’t sense him either.

This was a difference in tiers, akin to how, in reality, the true heirs of wealth and the common girls differ. Many a girl may dream of ensnaring a wealthy heir, unaware that from birth, the upper echelons live in an entirely different realm of education and other aspects, perhaps never crossing paths with the common folk in their lifetime. Thus, the tales of transformation into phoenixes are found only in TV dramas and novels, not in reality.

An unending stream of divine incarnations turned into spheres of light and plunged into the vortex. Lin Xiao’s consciousness again reached out to his own incarnation, intending to take one last look inside the Totem World in these final moments.

However, the moment his will connected with his incarnation, he felt an overwhelming and heart-palpitating will surging up along this connection.

He couldn’t see anything, nor did he connect with his incarnation; he only felt an indescribably immense and terrifying will rushing towards him through the link between his True Body and incarnation.

Lin Xiao shouted, breaking off the connection, and instinctively leaned back, with Jin Sisi quickly supporting him and effortlessly inserting a golden ethereal hand into his forehead.

The next second, her incarnation vibrated violently and disintegrated into a shower of golden light before disappearing—it had collapsed.

Still shaken, Lin Xiao took a trembling breath, then turned to see the Void around him begin to twist, quickly morphing into the face of Xie Yufei’s father, Commander Xie Tianyan. His pupils emitted a radiant divine light, exuding a formidable and awe-inspiring presence without anger, surveying his surroundings as he spoke solemnly:

“I didn’t expect that a being on the verge of reaching that level would exist in this world. I’ve been negligent. This incarnation of mine will stay here until you safely return to the Main World.”

Lin Xiao quickly asked:

“Commander Xie, are you speaking of great divine power?”

He nodded:

“Yes, there is a being in this Totem World on the verge of reaching that level. Even my True Body’s descent, combined with the efforts of several generals, would not be able to suppress him. But with the War Master’s descent, it’s only a matter of time before we repel the opposition and stabilize the passage. Remember, don’t connect with your incarnation again, lest you provide an opportunity for detection.”

“I will,” he said, nodding hastily.

He wouldn’t dare to look again; the existence that even the combined effort of beings with God Level 19 and several Possessors of Powerful Divine Power couldn’t suppress was something he dared not pry into amidst the chaos.

In less than an hour, accompanied by a deafening boom, the War Field that extended over billions of kilometers suddenly shook violently and collapsed, vanishing. Immediately after, a massive energy column erupted from the Totem Crystal Wall’s gateway, soaring tens of thousands of kilometers into the Void. A trajectory powerful enough to twist both his gaze and will flashed by in an instant, and the towering column of energy slowly faded away.

It might have been his imagination, but Lin Xiao felt the formerly raging energy of the node’s passage had returned to calm.

A while later, the slender figure of Xie Yufei appeared and spoke to him:

“The battle is over. The War Master has crushed their last resistance. However, as they retreated, the Totem Universe’s will utilized that being’s hand to banish your incarnation along with Gaia’s Will.”

“What, seriously?!”

Lin Xiao was astonished and for a while didn’t know what to say.

His first instinct was to connect with his incarnation to see where it had been banished to, but he dared not make the attempt.

Seeing the shock on his face, Xie Yufei said:

“Don’t try to connect with your incarnation for now. But I suppose you wouldn’t be able to connect with it currently anyway. Later, my father will send an incarnation to escort you back.”

“Though you couldn’t keep this opportunity, the resources you’ve exchanged for it have made you rich overnight. Your wealth will be far greater than your sister’s, so when I run out of money, you’d better not refuse to lend some to me.”

Lin Xiao looked up, his eyes sweeping over her attractive curves, and chuckled:

“Don’t worry, sister. How could I forget you? If you’re willing, I can provide for you right now.”

Xie Yufei’s eyes sparkled as she feigned disdain and spat lightly:

“You’re asking for a beating, aren’t you, daring to take advantage of your sister like that!”

He chuckled inwardly but refrained from responding.

——————

PS: A sacrifice to a reader’s new book: The Drunken Sword Immortal of the Great Zhou.

The introduction is below.