Thud!
Splat!
The instant Redding withdrew his God's Domain, White Tiger Laius and Vermilion Bird Nemo collapsed to the ground one after the other.
His limbs weak and limp, Laius felt as though all his strength had been drained away. He didn't want to move a muscle.
Nemo, sprawled nearby, was in even worse shape. Her feathers were soaked through, her dark red wings hung limply, and her usually sharp eyes were weary.
Black Tortoise Bowen, on the other hand, remained standing. Although all four of his legs were visibly trembling, at least he hadn't collapsed to the ground like Laius and Nemo.
As the God's Domain dispersed, Redding slowly withdrew the divine power and pressure his Water Element Divine Clone had released.
Laius and Nemo, who had been pressed to the ground, slowly got back up as well.
Supporting himself on all fours, White Tiger Laius raised his head and fixed his enormous tiger eyes on Redding. "Big brother, I want to become a god!" he said, a hint of urgency in his voice.
Over the past ten thousand years, Redding had mentioned comprehending the Profound Mysteries of the Laws to Laius, Nemo, and Bowen, but the three Divine Beasts had paid him no mind.
The Divine Beasts' uniquely blessed bloodlines had given them extraordinary talents. They were bound to become gods upon reaching adulthood, and even if all they did was eat and sleep every day, their strength would continue to grow.
So when Redding had eagerly offered to explain the Profound Mysteries of the Laws to his three siblings, they had unanimously refused.
As Laius and the others saw it, if their strength could grow easily and naturally, why go to the trouble of comprehending those tedious Profound Mysteries of the Laws for so little reward?
After repeated attempts to persuade them failed, Redding had given up and comprehended the Profound Mysteries of the Laws on his own.
The world had only just come into being, and most of the creatures born were Super Divine Beasts of extraordinary talent. There was no telling what heaven-defying beings might appear. If he became a god and began fusing Profound Mysteries sooner, he could get a head start by the time the Sovereign Sparks appeared.
Only now that Redding had become a god did his former words deliver a resounding slap to the three Divine Beasts.
After Redding had given him a thorough beating and shown him the power of a god, White Tiger Laius immediately declared that he wanted to learn the Profound Mysteries.
Vermilion Bird Nemo and Black Tortoise Bowen didn't tell Redding as directly as White Tiger Laius had that they wanted to become gods, but the eagerness in their eyes was impossible to conceal.
A smile touched Redding's lips as he sat down cross-legged and looked at the three Divine Beasts gathered around him. "To become a god, you need a sufficiently deep understanding of the Profound Mysteries," he said with a chuckle. "If you cultivate the Profound Mysteries of the seven elements, for instance, you have to fully comprehend at least one Profound Mystery to become a god."
As he spoke, Redding's gaze swept over Laius and Nemo before settling on Black Tortoise Bowen. "I'll start with the Profound Mysteries of Earth that Fourth Brother cultivates."
"There are six Laws of Earth in total: Vitality, the Profound Mysteries of Strength, Pulsation of the Earth, Gravity Space, the Profound Mysteries of the Earth Element, and the Earth Travel Technique."
"If you comprehend any one Profound Mystery to its limit, you can become a Lowgod. Fully comprehend two, and you'll be a Midgod. Fully comprehend all six, and you'll be a Highgod."
"I'll start by explaining the Profound Mysteries of the Earth Element to you..."
The Laws of Earth were the Profound Mysteries of the Laws Redding had been most familiar with before his rebirth. In Coiling Dragon, Linley had mainly cultivated the Laws of the Earth Elemental System and the Laws of Wind, so Redding basically knew how to cultivate most of the Profound Mysteries of those two systems.
Time passed unnoticed in cultivation. Redding's explanation lasted three months, during which he covered not only the Earth Elemental Law but also a small portion of the Profound Mysteries of the Laws of Wind and the Fire Elemental Law. After all, the Profound Mysteries of the Elemental Laws shared certain similarities, and their explanations had points in common.
Three months later, Redding's explanation of the Profound Mysteries came to an abrupt halt.
Bowen, his body as large as a small mountain and all four limbs planted on the ground, suddenly opened his great maw and let out a tortoise's cry toward the sky.
It lacked the soaring pitch of an Azure Dragon's roar, the piercing note of a Vermilion Bird's cry, and the reverberation of a White Tiger's roar. It held only the weight and solidity of the earth, qualities unique to the Black Tortoise.
Beside Black Tortoise Bowen, White Tiger Laius and Vermilion Bird Nemo looked at him with envy and longing in their eyes.
Laius's throat moved slightly. "Fourth Brother did it," he said, his voice carrying a hint of a White Tiger's deep rumble.
The Vermilion Bird beside him nodded slowly.
His Water Element Divine Clone hovering in the air, Redding folded his hands behind his back and glanced at Laius and Nemo. "Fourth Brother has become a god. You two need to work harder."
"Don't worry, big brother. I'll become a god within a hundred days!" The Vermilion Bird's sharp eyes flashed, and her voice was firm and resolute.
White Tiger Laius said nothing, but his tiger eyes remained fixed on Bowen.
As the only Super Divine Beasts in the world, the Four Divine Beasts all possessed the very highest level of talent.
Although the three Divine Beasts had never actively tried to comprehend the Profound Mysteries of the Laws before, they were actually only one step away. Even without Redding's guidance, their becoming gods within a hundred years had been all but certain.
While Redding, Laius, and Nemo talked, the Laws of the Universe quietly descended.
A light radiating an indescribably profound presence completely enveloped Black Tortoise Bowen.
A cold voice sounded in Black Tortoise Bowen's consciousness. "Choose: Internal Godhood or External Godhood?"
With Redding's reminder in mind, Bowen didn't hesitate. He blurted out his choice: "External Godhood!"
The moment Bowen made his choice, a rounded crystal radiating an earthy yellow light took shape as the Laws of the Universe gathered.
Immediately afterward, under the pull of the Laws of the Universe, the soul within Black Tortoise Bowen's Saint Domain True Body split in two.
The larger portion remained in his Saint Domain True Body, while the smaller portion was drawn by the Laws of the Universe into the newly formed Divine Spark.
"Aah!!!"
The moment the soul was pulled out of Bowen's Saint Domain True Body, Laius and Nemo heard a bloodcurdling scream that raised goosebumps on their skin.
Enveloped by the Laws of the Universe, Black Tortoise Bowen's limbs twitched uncontrollably.
It hurt. It hurt too much!
Even with Redding's warning, Bowen had felt he was mentally prepared, but when his soul split, he still let out an agonized scream.
The pain of a soul splitting struck at the very heart of everyone who became a god. The tearing seemed to run through soul and body alike, reaching every inch of the body.
Enveloped by the Laws of the Universe, Bowen remained utterly conscious, and in that state, the pain was magnified several times over.
Watching Bowen beneath the Laws of the Universe, Laius couldn't help shivering. "Big brother, is Fourth Brother going to be all right?"
Redding's tone was calm. "What could happen to him? It's normal for it to hurt more the first time. Once he breaks through to Midgod and Highgod later, he won't feel this again.
"The same goes for you two. When you become gods, you must choose External Godhood. If either of you dares choose Internal Godhood, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Laius and Nemo declared that they would obey their big brother without question.
At the thought of the lesson Redding had given the three Divine Beasts just after becoming a god, Laius and Nemo felt a chill run down their spines.
No matter how painful splitting a soul was, it lasted only a moment. If Redding set his sights on them, that would truly be a fate worse than death.