Secrets (Part 1)

Lin Tian felt the fire-type divine power within him, and through his deity-level soul, it was as if a brand-new door had been opened.

The world Lin Tian saw was utterly different—between heaven and earth, the ubiquitous threads of fire-type laws, like dense red silk strands, were clearly visible, intertwining, flowing, and weaving into the fabric of the world. The distant mountains, forests, and rivers, under his deity-level perception, held no secrets. Every rock's structure, every leaf's vein, every magical beast's aura was clearly mapped within his soul. Space was no longer an obstacle; with a single thought, he could perceive movements thousands of miles away, and even faintly "see" the outline of the plane's barrier, feeling the vastness and boundlessness of the universe.

"So this is... the world of a god?"

Lin Tian's heart trembled with indescribable shock.

A Lower God was nothing in the Coiling Dragon universe; countless Lower Gods were born every moment, and countless others perished, but a god was still a god—an immeasurable chasm from the Saint Domain.

The phenomenon of Lin Tian achieving Internal Deification alarmed the entire imperial city. The Emperor and Empress hurried to his palace. Seeing the deity-level pressure radiating around Lin Tian and the sparks dancing in his eyes, the Empress's eyes reddened with emotion: "Tian'er... you've truly become a god!"

Though Emperor Leo XIII tried 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 be immensely gratified."

Lin Tian grasped his mother's hand, feeling its warm touch, and smiled: "To reach this day, I owe it all to Father and Mother's nurturing, as well as Grandfather and Teacher Laun's guidance."

Just as they spoke, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall. Porter and Laun strode in quickly. Porter looked at Lin Tian's unabashed deity-level aura, tears streaming down his aged face: "Good, excellent! The Leo Family has a worthy successor!" Laun stroked his beard, his eyes full of satisfaction: "Lin Tian, your talent was already heaven-defying. To become a Lower God at such an age, you will surely advance further in the future."

As the four were speaking, Harry's figure quietly appeared in the hall. As a Lower God himself, he was most sensitive to deity-level auras. Now, looking at Lin Tian, a rare smile appeared on his face: "Internal Deification allows deeper integration with the laws. You took the right step. Pack up and come with me to see the Ancestor. He wants to meet you, the newly ascended Lower God, in person."

Lin Tian's heart stirred. The doubts he had accumulated in the Scripture Pavilion and at Fire God Mountain were finally about to find answers.

Stepping onto Fire God Mountain once more, Lin Tian's state of mind was completely different. The pressure that had once filled him with awe now felt like a gentle breeze against his face. The palace atop the mountain remained magnificent, its red rocks flowing with a fiery luster under the sunlight, but this time, Leo I was not seated on his throne. Instead, he was in a garden he had opened behind the hall, sitting by a stream, idly playing with a pulsating flame crystal core.

"Ancestor." Lin Tian and Harry stepped forward to pay their respects.

Leo I turned around. His gaze seemed capable of piercing souls, and when it fell on Lin Tian, it carried a hint of scrutiny before softening into a warm smile: "Not bad. Internal Deification, a perfect fusion of soul and laws. It seems Harry didn't lie to me—you really are good material."

"To become a Lower God, I owe it all to the guidance left by you, Ancestor," Lin Tian said respectfully. "But this junior still has a few things unclear and dares to seek your instruction."

Leo I waved his hand, signaling him to sit, while tossing the flame crystal core into the air, letting it hover above the stream: "What you want to ask—is it about the manuscripts in the Scripture Pavilion, or the agreement with the Plane Overseer?"

Lin Tian was startled inwardly, then replied frankly: "Both. The manuscripts I saw in the Scripture Pavilion recorded insights into the fusion of profound mysteries far beyond the level of a Mid-God, even involving the interweaving of multiple elemental laws. And as for the Plane Overseer, though his strength clearly cannot match yours, Ancestor, he managed to make three Mid-Gods sign an agreement. There must be a hidden reason."

Leo I gazed at the reflection of the crystal core in the stream, silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, his voice carrying the weight of ages: "Since 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 now. At that time, the Saint Domain was everywhere, but there were no Three Great Empires—only countless factions large and small, locked in division. Worse still, experts from other planes often descended. Most were deity-level, some even Upper Gods. They came to fight over the continent's faith power, plunging the land into misery and slaughter."

Lin Tian's heart shook—faith power? So this was the reason behind the Sovereigns' faith wars in the original Coiling Dragon story. It had started this early?

"Walter, George, and I were only at the Saint Domain back then," Leo I's gaze drifted into the distance, as if returning to that era of war. "We three met in a battle against experts from another plane. Because of our outstanding talent, we were all taken in by a powerful figure named 'Blaze Prison.'"

"Lord Blaze Prison was an Upper God from the fire-type Divine Plane, with an extremely high fusion of fire-type profound mysteries. He called himself a Seven Star Demon, and 'Blaze Prison' was his title. He needed people on the Maya Continent to handle miscellaneous affairs, so he took us three as servants. But Lord Blaze Prison often lent us his collected cultivation manuscripts to study—those you saw in the Scripture Pavilion were his treasured collection."

Lin Tian suddenly understood: no wonder those manuscripts were of such a high level—they were the legacy of a Seven Star Demon!

"Lord Blaze Prison frequently fought against gods from other planes. He often said that faith power was a requirement of the Sovereigns, and he was just struggling to survive." Leo I's tone carried a hint of regret. "But after one battle, Lord Blaze Prison never returned."

"We three took his manuscripts and hid in a secluded valley. Without Lord Blaze Prison's protection, we could only hide while cultivating. Perhaps it was the tempering at the edge of life and death, or the insights from the manuscripts, but a hundred years later, I was the first to break through to Lower God. Another thousand years passed, and Walter and George also became gods. But in the Maya Continent of that time, a Lower God's status was lower than a Saint Domain's today. We three could only continue hiding and fleeing."

Then, another thousand years passed. The faith wars ended, and the experts from the Divine Planes and the Higher Planes all departed.

At this point, a flash of pride crossed Leo I's eyes: "We three joined forces and drove out all the Lower Gods entrenched on the continent. By then, the land was scarred and devastated. Following Lord Blaze Prison's words that 'faith must be balanced,' we each established an empire—the Leo Empire governing fire, the Golden Shield Empire governing earth, and the Frost Empire governing water. A three-legged stand prevented faith monopolies and restored order to the continent."

Only then did Lin Tian realize that the establishment of the Three Great Empires was not merely for competing over faith but embodied the wisdom of balance.

"As for the Plane Overseer..." Leo I's tone turned cold.