In the upper tier of the Spirit Realm, the true gods reigned, gazing down upon countless lives. They were magnificent, vast, omnipotent, and ruled all—save for the Outer Gods.

Take, for example, the Crocodile-Headed God. As a subordinate deity of void and anti-reality, it stood as the strongest shield of the Great Null, its single authority enough to place it at the pinnacle of the true god hierarchy.

"There is a trivial being…"The crocodilian deity slowly opened its eyes, its fury resonating like a tidal wave that swept across the Spirit Realm."A trivial being dares to peer into my existence!"

The true god rose from its throne, using an almost imperceptible connection to gaze back at the intruder, opening its primal spiritual sight to confront the voyeur.

Gods must not be gazed upon!

Gods must not be understood!

Gods must not be desecrated!

This is the iron law!

The Crocodile-Headed God saw it. It saw the intruder.

This primal spiritual sight allowed it to perceive the essence of things. As it focused, it became overwhelmed by the presence of an infinitely superior being—an existence beyond any imaginable limits!

Gods must not be gazed upon.

The Crocodile-Headed God fell to the ground, divine blood streaming from its eyes, consumed by an indescribable shock and fear that threatened to tear apart its understanding of reality.

It beheld the most forbidden knowledge of the cosmos. It heard the great prayers and the murmurs of the supreme.

Trembling, the deity's senses were utterly upended; colors, sounds, even self-awareness shattered under the gaze of that great being!

Everything became dubious and ethereal.

Then came fear—pure, primal fear that enveloped it like the coldest liquid in the universe, seeping into every cell...

Before the greatest, were true gods and mortals truly different?

"Save... me..."The Crocodile-Headed God prayed for the protection of the Great Null, whose gaze smoothed its chaos and despair, but that profound fear remained etched in its heart like a deep wound...

It had fallen.

"My authority..."it murmured amidst tears of blood."Part of it has been lost..."

Meanwhile, the nine great gods awakened in their infinite heights, gazing down at the Crocodile-Headed God, murmuring among themselves in deep, unfathomable tones.

"Is... it?"one of the Outer Gods trembled slightly, peering toward the subspace.

"It has awakened, seeking to reclaim its lost authority... since when?"

The nine great deities fell silent, the Lord of the Abyss hesitating to speak.

"It must be the vermin of the Old Council... eradicate them completely!"The furious god, master of the sun and war, declared with finality.

"Hunt down all the lowly ones of the Old Council!"

"Let us issue a decree for the gods to descend!"

"It must not return!"

---

When Chen Xiang awoke, he felt a dull ache in his head. This dream was different—he had seen a small, adorable lizard.

Shaking off the grogginess, he opened his eyes to find himself on a soft bed in a closed room. Nearby, an elderly woman sat in a chair, watching him with a cautious smile.

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"Are you awake?"she asked gently.

She scrutinized the boy before her, who seemed ordinary, slightly stronger than an average martial artist. If it weren't for the hand bell in his possession, she might have doubted his connection to the incident.

But she felt nothing unusual about him.

Taking another look, Chen Xiang rubbed his forehead, tracing the crack-like tattoo on his wrist, and calmly asked,"Who are you?"

The elderly woman replied respectfully,"I am Wu Mengling, the Second Deputy Director of the Secret Regulation Department."

Chen Xiang's heart sank. He didn't fully grasp the implications of a deputy director, but based on Wei Qingqiu's descriptions, the head of the Secret Regulation Department was second only to the city lord—an entity beyond the level of a celestial being, stepping onto the path of godhood. What about a deputy director?

Before he could say anything, an intense discomfort and emptiness gripped his heart, causing his mind to blur and a sense of unreality to engulf him.

He recalled the burning sensation when he acquired the Black Flame, and his expression darkened as he tried to suppress the emptiness, but it was futile...

Wu Mengling noticed something was amiss, he stared at the young man before her, watching as his figure flickered strangely—one moment seated before her, the next moment vanished, then reappearing once more...

Her expression changed as she was about to speak, but suddenly a rift split the air in front of them, revealing the vast Spirit Realm beyond. Simultaneously, a profound life energy surged from the Spirit Realm towards the boy.

At that moment, as the heavy life energy poured into him, the boy's flickering intensified, and he suddenly shut his eyes tight, appearing as if he were in a deep slumber, savoring the devotion of earnest believers...

Wu Mengling stood up in shock, trembling with fear. Others might not recognize or sense this life energy, but as a transcendent of the third tier, she knew all too well that this energy was derived from... sacrifice !

Beings from the Spirit Realm were offering sacrifices to the boy before her.

And only a god was worthy of receiving such offerings.

While a false god at the steps of divinity might accept sacrifices from mortals, the spirits of the Spirit Realm would never offer sacrifices to them. They had better choices—the true gods at the pinnacle of the Spirit Realm.

In other words, the life forces of the Spirit Realm only sacrificed to gods , or at the very least, to true gods .

And now, right before her eyes, a being from the Spirit Realm was sacrificing itself to this boy.

Overwhelmed with dread, Wu Mengling realized that the boy named Chen Xiang was openly receiving a sacrifice, making it clear to her...

The deity stands before you.

The sheer terror momentarily suppressed the thoughts of the unspeakable , unseeable , and unexplorable . The elderly woman fled frantically toward the door, pushing it open only to find herself dumbstruck in front of Chen Xiang once again.

She ran outside, then froze in place, staring at him blankly.

Time looped back around.

Having experienced this before, the elderly woman quickly realized her predicament, her hair standing on end.

She noticed tendrils of mysterious mist emanating from the boy's wrist, first enveloping him, then spreading throughout the room, causing everything to become hazy...

Just as the world blurred into incomprehensibility, she glimpsed the crack-like tattoo on his wrist rising into the air, expanding to reveal countless wandering souls and a blazing sun...

"The god is right in front of me."

Wu Mengling abandoned all resistance, her vision fading to a misty void where nothing remained.

---

Chen Xiang found himself in a pitch-black expanse, surrounded by swirling voids, while a massive life energy surged within him...

This life energy stemmed from the remnants of the orphanage director's internal organs, incinerated by the Black Flame—a pure essence far superior to Mandong!

Once again, he experienced the sensation of being"overwhelmed."

For a moment, he disregarded the discomfort brought on by the Phantasmic Authority and focused entirely on mastering this vast life energy, nurturing his flesh and bones.

But mere flesh could no longer absorb such a tremendous force!

Chen Xiang had to shift his focus inward, examining his fragile internal organs. Gritting his teeth, he carefully guided the life energy into his vulnerable organs. Though he couldn't yet master it with precision, the energy crashed over them like a torrent, leaving cracks in its wake.

Yet, alongside the intense pain, the ruptured organs were swiftly healed by this formidable energy...

In the cycle of destruction and restoration, his organs grew increasingly resilient, and Chen Xiang's control over the energy became more refined.

Time passed.

His kidneys transformed, dramatically boosting his vitality.

His spleen renewed, blood infused with potent energy circulated throughout his body, while the old, ineffective blood turned ethereal and vanished.

Then came his liver, lungs, heart...

He had no idea how much time had gone by.

Eventually, Chen Xiang yawned and slowly opened his eyes. The dimly lit room appeared remarkably bright to him, and he could count each speck of dust floating in the air...

He was momentarily dazed, instinctively glancing at the elderly woman who claimed to be the deputy director.

She sat quietly in her chair, her head respectfully lowered.

"You're awake?"she asked, her voice filled with reverence.