"Gods?!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python's enormous body suddenly trembled, and the scales around its neck even made faint scraping sounds.
The tremor it caused sent distinct ripples spreading across the lake near the shore, where the water slapped softly against the rocks.
At that moment, waves surged within those profound eyes that had witnessed the rise and fall of countless species and the changes of eras.
"Gods... those illusory things that only exist in stories fabricated by humans in their wishful thinking..."
The Sky Azure Bull Python could not help but doubt it.
"Are you sure you mean 'gods'? The kind that transcend mortal life and possess unfathomable power... beings that truly exist?"
It had lived through who knew how many tens of thousands of years.
It had occasionally heard fragments about the concept of gods.
But it had always regarded them as unattainable fantasies, desperate hopes placed by the weak in powers they could not comprehend.
Too distant.
So distant that they had no sense of reality whatsoever.
Believing in them was as absurd as believing the moon reflected in the lake could truly be scooped up.
"Gods truly exist."
Lin Qing nodded firmly.
"The traces and inheritances they left behind may not be as unimaginably distant from this continent, from you and me, as we think."
Lin Qing returned to the campfire, plopped down, and casually picked up a branch.
He idly scratched at the damp mud, the campfire stretching his shadow long behind him.
The tip of the branch finally stopped, leaving behind two clear words—"Gods"!
Under the firelight, those two words seemed to carry an immense weight.
"There really were powerhouses in the history of Douluo Continent who successfully took that step and transcended mortality to become saints."
Lin Qing raised his head and looked toward those lantern-like azure eyes in the darkness.
His voice was especially clear by the silent lakeshore.
The Sky Azure Bull Python's massive head shifted slightly, and soundless ripples spread across the lake.
"The two closest to the present were."
Lin Qing held up two fingers. "One was Poseidon, the Sea God who controlled the power of the ocean and was revered by countless Sea Soul Masters and Sea Soul Beasts."
"The other."
He continued, "was the Angel God, the supreme being of legend who established the foundation of faith for Spirit Hall."
Lin Qing remembered this matter quite clearly.
Moreover, both of their God Positions had been self-created.
Poseidon became a god through the faith of the ocean.
The Angel God became a god through humanity's faith in light and justice.
Compared with gods who inherited God Positions, their standing in the God Realm's hierarchy on Douluo Continent was extremely high, which was why they were both first-class gods.
The night wind swept past, and the campfire suddenly leaped several inches higher.
"..."
The Sky Azure Bull Python remained silent.
But Lin Qing could sense that its gaze had grown heavier.
He threw out even more shocking information, going straight to the heart of the matter.
"Level 100 Soul Power is the insurmountable chasm between mortals and gods."
"For Soul Beasts like you, the equivalent is a cultivation of one million years."
The branch lightly tapped the ground, emphasizing the terrifying significance of that number.
"Beyond Douluo Continent, there is an even higher Plane—the God Realm."
"Those who successfully advance to God Rank will be forcibly guided to the God Realm."
"So, naturally, you won't see true gods walking the world around here."
He spread his hands, his tone carrying a hint of matter-of-factness.
The Sky Azure Bull Python still did not speak.
But the Soul Power Fluctuation swirling around it exposed the unrest in its heart.
Lin Qing added more fuel to the fire.
"Moreover, the gods within the God Realm have strict and clearly defined ranks."
He spoke as though chatting about everyday matters, yet what he said were secrets that overturned all understanding.
"Beginning with the lowest-ranking God Officials, above them are third-class gods, second-class gods, first-class gods, and even more powerful God Kings who rule over all gods."
"..."
A long silence descended, broken only by the crackling of burning firewood.
The Sky Azure Bull Python had lived for countless millennia. It considered itself knowledgeable and looked down upon Star Dou.
Yet tonight, this human's casually spoken words were like a heavy hammer that smashed apart the framework of everything it had believed.
The God Realm?
Becoming a god at level 100?
Ranks among gods?
Every one of those terms was like a thunderclap, exploding into monstrous waves within the ancient well-like stillness of its heart.
For the first time, it felt that even its millennia-long life was still as insignificant as dust before some vast existence.
"You..."
The Sky Azure Bull Python finally spoke, its voice dry like rusted metal scraping together.
"Why do you know so clearly about such illusory matters, secrets that could be called absolutely confidential?"
Its gaze locked tightly onto Lin Qing, trying to find a flaw in his face.
In its eyes, Lin Qing had become increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.
"Actually, there's nothing strange about that."
Lin Qing brushed the ash from his hands, looking somewhat helpless, while also carrying an expression that seemed to say, Isn't this obvious?
"Many human myths and legends were not fabricated from nothing. They are historical fragments with traces to follow."
"But you Soul Beasts are different."
His tone was decisive.
"It isn't merely because you lack a civilization with systematic inheritances. More importantly, Soul Beasts cannot become gods!"
He looked at the Sky Azure Bull Python, his eyes blazing.
"This is an ironclad law! It is the most fundamental restriction that the laws of heaven and earth place upon your Soul Beast Clan!"
The night wind made the campfire flicker, and Lin Qing's face looked especially solemn amid the shifting light and shadow.
"After reaching one hundred thousand years, you must undergo a Heavenly Tribulation every additional hundred thousand years."
"Each Heavenly Tribulation will be more terrifying and more lethal than the last."
His voice lowered, carrying a heavy resonance.
"As far as I know, under normal circumstances, almost no Soul Beast can endure every Heavenly Tribulation and reach the one-million-year level alive."
"Much less break the laws of heaven and earth and defy fate to become a god."
Of course.
A certain exception instantly floated through his mind—the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, that fellow who had somehow become a one-million-year charging battery just by eating and sleeping.
That did not count as a normal situation. It was purely a bug.
He silently mocked it in his heart.
"So..."
Lin Qing's summarizing tone returned to normal.
"Information and inheritances concerning 'gods' naturally circulate in secret only among the very few strongest humans."
"It is perfectly normal for ordinary Soul Beasts like you not to know."
"..."
This time, the Sky Azure Bull Python neither refuted nor questioned him.
Those future daughters of Lin Wu'er who had appeared out of thin air were themselves the strongest proof.
Proof that Lin Qing was entangled in causality beyond common sense.
Moreover, as its hundred-thousand-year cultivation grew increasingly profound, that vague sense of impending danger became clearer and clearer.
It had indeed faintly sensed that some day in the future, a destructive trial would descend upon it.
That was probably the "Heavenly Tribulation" Lin Qing had mentioned.
At that thought, a chill could not help but rise in its heart.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming somewhat heavy.
Lin Qing suddenly raised his head.
His gaze became exceptionally serious as he looked directly into the Sky Azure Bull Python's enormous azure pupils.
He spoke clearly, one word at a time. "In fact, according to some extremely secret records I know of..."
He deliberately slowed his speech, ensuring every word struck deep into the other party's heart.
"After successfully inheriting a God Position and gaining the divine power of a god, it may even be possible for those Soul Beasts whose souls remain completely preserved after Sacrifice..."
"...to come back from the dead!"
Before you continue