"The supreme gods are the shackles of all deities, while the Heavenly Dao is the shackle binding us."
Shi Lan voiced her question. The supreme god before her answered without hesitation:
"Deities are born from their followers. Only when favored by the Heavenly Dao can they awaken and give birth to a divine consciousness—their own self. Once you become a supreme god, you become part of this world. Your divine fire will burn for the Heavenly Dao, not for yourself."
As the supreme god spoke, the divine radiance surrounding them gradually faded, allowing Shi Lan to see their true appearance.
The supreme god's appearance was somewhat unexpected. There was nothing unusual about them; they looked so plain and ordinary that it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female. They possessed not the slightest hint of divine might, making it hard to imagine them as a deity—and even harder to remember their face.
"Deities were never meant to have a self. Once you learn to weigh gains and losses, you will naturally lose your 'divinity.'"
They looked at Shi Lan, their dark eyes as bottomless as an abyss.
"You must cast aside part of yourself and dull your emotional fluctuations, returning to the state you were in before awakening. Only then can you reclaim your 'divinity.'"
With that, they turned and slowly raised a hand.
"I agree to the Grand Primordial Lord's ascension to supreme godhood."
As their words fell, the incense and fire prayer power around them stirred, gathering into thick clouds of black smoke that poured into Shi Lan's golden body.
The instant the prayer power entered her, Shi Lan's cultivation began to soar at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was no slower than the rate at which source power raised her cultivation—in