Lin Tian sensed the fire divine power within his body. Through his divine soul, it was as though an entirely new door had been opened.
The world Lin Tian saw was utterly different—between heaven and earth, the ever-present threads of fire-element laws were densely packed like red silk strands, plainly visible as they entwined, flowed, and wove together the texture of the world. Distant mountains, forests, and rivers held no secrets under divine perception. The structure of every rock, the veins of every leaf, and the aura of every magical beast were clearly reflected in his soul. Space was no longer an obstacle; with a single thought, he could sense movements thousands of miles away and even vaguely "see" the outline of the planar barrier, feeling the vastness and desolation of the universe.
"Is this... the world of gods?"
Lin Tian was shaken beyond words.
Lower Gods were nothing special in the Coiling Dragon universe. Countless Lower Gods were born at every moment, and countless Lower Gods met their deaths. But a god was still a god, separated from the Saint Domain by an immeasurable gulf.
The phenomenon of Lin Tian achieving Internal Deification stirred the entire imperial capital. The Emperor and Empress hurried to his palace. Seeing the divine pressure swirling around Lin Tian and the sparks of starlight dancing in his eyes, the Empress's eyes reddened with emotion. "Tian'er... you really became a god!"
Though Emperor Leo XIII tried his best to restrain himself, his voice still trembled. "Good lad! The Leo Family has gained another Deity-level Expert! If your great-grandfather knew, he would surely be immensely gratified."
Lin Tian held his mother's hand, feeling its warmth as he smiled. "I could only reach this day thanks to Father and Mother's upbringing, as well as Grandfather's and Teacher Laun's guidance."
As they spoke, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. Porter and Laun strode in. Seeing the undisguised divine aura around Lin Tian, Porter burst into tears. "Good, wonderful! The Leo Family has successors!" Laun stroked his beard, his eyes full of satisfaction. "Lin Tian, your talent was already heaven-defying. To become a Lower God at such a young age, you will surely be able to go even further in the future."
As the four spoke, Harry's figure silently appeared in the hall. As a Lower God, he was the most sensitive to divine auras. Looking at Lin Tian now, a rare smile appeared on his face. "Achieving godhood within the body grants greater fusion with the laws. You took the right path. Clean yourself up and come with me to see the ancestor. He wants to meet you personally, our newly advanced Lower God."
Lin Tian's heart stirred. At last, the questions he had accumulated in the Scripture Pavilion and on Fire God Mountain had a chance of being answered.
When Lin Tian set foot on Fire God Mountain again, his state of mind was completely different. The pressure that had once filled him with awe now felt no more than a breeze brushing his face. The palace atop the mountain remained magnificent, its red rocks flowing with a flame-like sheen beneath the sunlight. Yet this time, Leo I was not seated upon the throne. Instead, he sat beside a stream in the garden behind the hall, turning a pulsing fiery crystal core over in his hand.
"Ancestor." Lin Tian and Harry stepped forward to bow.
Leo I turned around. His gaze seemed capable of piercing the soul. When it fell upon Lin Tian, it carried a hint of scrutiny before turning into a gentle smile. "Not bad. Internal Deification, perfect harmony between soul and laws. It seems Harry did not lie to me. You really are fine material."
"I only became a Lower God thanks to the guidance left behind by Ancestor." Lin Tian spoke respectfully. "However, there are several matters I do not understand. I dare ask Ancestor for instruction."
Leo I waved for him to sit, then tossed the fiery crystal core into the air and let it hover above the stream. "What you wish to ask about is those manuscripts in the Scripture Pavilion, or the agreement with the plane overseers?"
Lin Tian was startled, then answered openly, "Both. The manuscripts I saw in the Scripture Pavilion recorded profound mysteries of fusion far beyond the level of Mid-Gods, even involving the blending of multiple elemental laws. Yet the plane overseers were clearly weaker than Ancestor, and still they were able to make three Mid-Gods sign an agreement. There must be hidden reasons behind it."
Leo I gazed at the crystal core's reflection in the water. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying the vicissitudes of age. "Now that you have become a god, you have the right to know these things. I will tell you slowly."
"Eight thousand years ago, the Maya Continent was not as peaceful as it is today. Saint Domain experts were everywhere then, but there were no Three Great Empires—only countless forces, large and small, dividing the land among themselves. Worse still, experts from other planes often descended here. Most were gods, and some were even Upper Gods. In their struggle for the continent's power of faith, they plunged this land into untold misery."
Lin Tian was greatly shocked. Power of faith? So this was why the Sovereigns launched the wars of faith in the original Coiling Dragon story. Had this happened so early?
"Walter, George, and I were only in the Saint Domain at the time." Leo I's gaze drifted into the distance, as if he had returned to that war-torn era. "The three of us met during a battle against experts from other planes. Because of our outstanding talent, we caught the eye of an expert named Blaze Prison."
"Lord Blaze Prison was an Upper God from the fire Divine Plane, with extremely high attainments in the fusion of fire-element profound mysteries. He called himself a Seven Star Demon, and 'Blaze Prison' was his title. He needed people on the Maya Continent to handle various matters for him, so he took the three of us as servants. Lord Blaze Prison often lent us the cultivation manuscripts he had collected for study—the ones you saw in the Scripture Pavilion were Lord Blaze Prison's treasured collection."
Lin Tian suddenly understood. No wonder those manuscripts had been at such a high level—they were the inheritance of a Seven Star Demon!
"Lord Blaze Prison often fought gods from other planes. He used to say that the power of faith was a demand of the Sovereigns, and that he was merely trying to survive." Leo I's tone carried regret. "But after one battle, Lord Blaze Prison never returned."
"The three of us took his manuscripts and hid in a secluded valley. Without Lord Blaze Prison's protection, we could only cultivate while hiding. Perhaps it was the tempering of life-and-death trials, or perhaps the insights contained in the manuscripts, but a hundred years later, I was the first to break through and become a Lower God. Another thousand years passed, and Walter and George also became gods one after another. Yet on the Maya Continent at that time, the status of Lower Gods was not even as high as that of Saint Domain experts today. The three of us could only continue hiding from place to place."
Another thousand years passed, and the wars of faith came to an end. The experts of the Divine Planes and the Higher Planes all departed.
At this point, a trace of pride flashed in Leo I's eyes. "The three of us joined forces and drove out every Lower God entrenched on the continent. By then, the land was already devastated, so following what Lord Blaze Prison had once said—that 'faith requires balance'—we each established an empire. The Leo Empire governed fire, the Golden Shield Empire governed earth, and the Frost Empire governed water. With the three standing in balance, we avoided monopolization of faith and restored order to the continent."
Only then did Lin Tian understand that the Three Great Empires had not been established merely to compete for faith, but also embodied the wisdom of balance.
"As for the plane overseers..." Leo I's tone turned colder.
Before you continue