Chapter 677: I Became a God? (Two-in-One)

The entity opposite him had clearly misunderstood something.

Thoughts raced through Yan Jing's mind.

The other party had mistaken him for something else entirely and chosen to flee out of fear.

A peer...

Did he mistake me for a deity?

It wasn't impossible.

He had just used his time-stopping ability, and the other party had clearly fallen victim to it.

Perhaps he had indeed crossed a certain threshold. While he couldn't necessarily call himself a deity yet, he could inflict damage and even pose a threat to one.

With this thought in mind, Yan Jing decided to hold back his explanation and observe how the situation unfolded.

"Yes, I am here to slay you," he said softly.

The resentment on the World-Suppressing King's face deepened.

"I refuse to accept this! It is unjust! I achieved godhood over a century ago and have never committed a single act against heavenly virtue, yet I am reduced to this!"

"Do you think that by aiding the tyrant, you can escape punishment? There is no difference at all!"

"Today, I shall be the one to slay you, you wretched scum!"

With that, the divinity around the World-Suppressing King completely erupted. It surged upward through the rift he had just forced open in the gray zone. In a mere instant, he broke free from the frozen time.

Turning around, the phantom finally revealed his true appearance.

It was a figure clad in an imperial robe embroidered with dragon patterns. He wore a jade crown with a beaded veil hanging over his face. At this moment, his wide sleeves billowed wildly as divinity surged and bubbled around him.

The figure unleashed his full power. Weird energy mixed with divinity swirled around him, and a vision resembling a celestial palace materialized out of thin air above his head. Countless silhouettes milled about within it. Among them were Tenth Tier entities who were near deities, yet they were all chained by the celestial palace, transformed into phantoms brimming with resentment.

The World-Suppressing King raised his hand. The entire celestial palace trembled violently, and the legions of phantoms raised their hands in unison.

In an instant, a terrifying pressure descended.

It bore down upon Yan Jing.

"Suppress!"

The World-Suppressing King roared. His words carried the weight of absolute law. The celestial palace morphed into a massive mountain, crashing down heavily to pin Yan Jing beneath it for all eternity.

But...

Yan Jing raised his hand.

A world materialized.

An entire world.

Yes.

The World-Suppressing King's pupils contracted. Staring at that miniature world, he was struck completely speechless.

A second later, the colossal mountain formed by the celestial palace began to shrink. From a size that blanketed thousands of miles of the sky, it was ultimately reduced to a mere speck, plummeting into that materialized world.

Thud!

A muffled sound echoed from within that world.

But...

That was all.

No matter how small, a world was still a world. Just as the World-Suppressing King's methods, no matter how powerful, could never destroy the Inner World with a single strike.

"Ice."

Yan Jing extended his hand. The World-Suppressing King was instantly encased in ice. He felt as if he had plunged into a boundless, freezing abyss. The abyss was filled with solid ice that only a deity could forge. His very soul shivered from the cold. Let alone moving, even his weird energy had completely stopped flowing.

He looked at Yan Jing in sheer terror.

It was as if he were looking at a ghost.

Noticing his expression, Yan Jing found it somewhat amusing. With a wave of his hand, he thawed the ice over the King's mouth.

"It's you?!"

The World-Suppressing King gasped, his eyes brimming with shock.

"You're not dead!"

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, the hatred in his eyes growing even more pronounced.

"To think that even you have fallen! I spit on you!"

Observing the entity's demeanor, Yan Jing suddenly felt a sense of amusement.

"You know who I am?"

"Who else could a deity of the [Creation] pathway in this world be?! Drop the act!"

The World-Suppressing King fumed.

Yan Jing immediately understood.

The other party had mistaken him for that long-perished deity of [Creation].

Indeed, [Creation] and his own [Creation] sounded virtually identical.

Feeling that this identity might be quite useful, he didn't bother correcting him. Instead, he played along.

"I didn't expect you to actually recognize me."

Hearing this, the World-Suppressing King let out a cold sneer.

"Back then, you launched a direct assault on the Firmament and ultimately fell. Which of our peers didn't feel pity when speaking of you? Which of them wouldn't recognize your pathway? Yet I never expected—heh—that you faked your death! You even became a running dog for the Firmament!"

"So much for defying the heavens! Bah!"

Seeing the World-Suppressing King's reaction, Yan Jing felt increasingly delighted.

Seeking out this fellow had been the perfect move. He was a chatterbox with no filter; Yan Jing wouldn't even need to waste effort coaxing information out of him.

"What is so bad about the Firmament...?"

Yan Jing maintained a cold expression.

"To each their own ambition."

As soon as he spoke, the World-Suppressing King burst into roaring laughter.

"To each their own ambition! Hahaha! What a joke! Do you think becoming a running dog will change the ending? It's nothing but wishful thinking!"

"We maintain the laws of the pathways in this world, and the Heavenly Dao maintains the principles of its operation. You think you've stepped outside our system, but you've never realized that you are nothing more than pawns maintaining the order between us and the Heavenly Dao."

"There is no difference between us! Once you lose your value, the first ones to come for you will be the other running dogs! The sorrow of our path—you don't understand it, and you never will!"

"Come on! Do it! Kill me or torture me, do as you please!"

The World-Suppressing King craned his neck, adopting the posture of a man completely unafraid of death.

Watching him act this way, Yan Jing knew he had probably milked him for all he could get right now. He reached out his hand, causing the gray zone to recede and the ice to melt away.

...

The World-Suppressing King's eyes widened. He had no idea why the other party was letting him go.

He even suspected this was a method to humiliate him. For a moment, he stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

"What kind of trick are you playing?!"

Yan Jing smiled.

"I'm not playing any tricks. I was merely joking with Your Excellency just now. I hope you can forgive me."

"...What the hell?"

The World-Suppressing King grew even more bewildered, and his wariness skyrocketed.

He stared at Yan Jing, who remained standing exactly where he was. A few seconds later, the King bolted into the distance.

It wasn't until he was thousands of miles away and saw that Yan Jing hadn't followed him that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had intended to just leave for good, but the doubts regarding Yan Jing's true identity deepened in his heart. Finally, he actually turned on his heel and headed right back to those deep mountains.

"You're not a Firmament Envoy?"

He got straight to the point, staring at Yan Jing.

Yan Jing smiled and shook his head.

"I don't know what a Firmament Envoy is."

...

The World-Suppressing King stared at Yan Jing in disbelief. Eventually, he spoke slowly.

"You're not that deity of [Creation]?"

Yan Jing shook his head again.

"I am an entity of this era."

"This era?!"

The World-Suppressing King's voice cracked.

"Which era is 'this era'?! The one within the last millennium?!"

Yan Jing nodded, then shook his head.

"The era within the last century."

In truth, that was still a conservative estimate. Strictly speaking, he belonged to the era of the last "two years."

He only phrased it that way so the other party wouldn't dismiss it as a lie.

"Within the last century!"

The World-Suppressing King sucked in a deep breath.

"That's impossible..."

Despite his words, as he looked at Yan Jing, he already believed him to some extent.

Yan Jing's body lacked the natural aura of decay that came with the passage of time.

Even if appearances could be altered, the habits of that stupid River could never be changed. As long as time flowed past, an entity would be tainted with a dense aura of decay, whether they were a person without a tier or a deity.

That thing was as stubborn as a mule. He had never heard of anyone being able to change it.

"You really aren't a Firmament Envoy."

The World-Suppressing King muttered. He had been a bit too panicked earlier to inspect him carefully.

Now that he looked closely, Yan Jing didn't match the descriptions of Firmament Envoys he had heard about.

Those guys were always completely devoid of emotion. Not only were their faces expressionless, but their minds were also practically hollow. Aside from the Firmament's commands, everything else was utterly meaningless to them.

More importantly, the man in front of him carried the aura of the River.

The River and the Firmament were mortal enemies. The Firmament would never allow an entity who had entered the River to become its Firmament Envoy.

"Then who are you?"

Hearing this question, Yan Jing knew the time was right. Only then did he give a brief overview of his identity, his origins, and his purpose for coming here.

It would have been fine if he hadn't spoken, but once he did, the World-Suppressing King was completely baffled.

Hold on—what did he mean by creating his own divine throne?

What did he mean by not knowing whether he had achieved godhood or not?

What did he mean by saying his cultivation time was too short so he didn't know much?

After their conversation, the World-Suppressing King stared at Yan Jing, finding him more and more of an eyesore the longer he looked.

This guy was really unlikable!

Even more unlikable than he looked!

"First of all."

He took a deep breath.

"You have definitely achieved godhood."

Hearing this, Yan Jing nodded.

So his guess hadn't been wrong.

"But I don't feel anything in particular."

He looked at the World-Suppressing King.

"What kind of feeling do you want?"

The World-Suppressing King gave him a sidelong glance.

"For instance, after becoming a deity, shouldn't one have control over their own pathway? I don't feel that."

"Your pathway was just created. No one else is walking this path yet, so how could you feel it?"

"Then for another example, after achieving godhood, shouldn't I be... inducted into the divine pantheon or something? Or in other words, shouldn't I be living with all of you? Hmm, I mean, existing in the same place."

"Heh. Do you think our situation is a good thing? Haven't you noticed that aside from the Revelation of the Gods, none of us can truly descend? This is a restriction placed by the Firmament. We can't shake it off, yet you're actually eager for it. You really are incredibly stupid."

"Then... there should at least be other signs, right? Like anomalies? Or feeling a bottleneck in my heart breaking? Or a massive surge in power?"

"No, no, no! Absolutely none of that!"

For some reason, the more the World-Suppressing King listened to Yan Jing, the more depressed he felt.

"None of that happens. There are only three signs of achieving godhood."

"First, you will feel complete mastery over your pathway, holding dominion over everything in the world related to it."

"Second, you will sense the existence of the Firmament. However, during the phase of the Day of Godhood, it falls into a slumber, so it's normal that you can't feel it right now."

"Third, you become able to see the true forms of other deities, injure deities, and even defeat them. As for a massive surge in power—are you on a strength-based pathway? If so, then that feeling should be obvious."

Listening to the World-Suppressing King's explanation, Yan Jing finally realized where the issue lay.

He actually did feel his power surge dramatically.

But...

It was because he had leaped straight to this point from a Divine Envoy.

So he had no way to judge whether this power surge was the result of a Divine Envoy advancing to the Demigod Realm, or a demigod stepping into godhood.

Moreover, he couldn't find any reference points at the same level.

Therefore...

He was just stuck.

But it didn't matter. Achieving godhood was a good thing.

A smile graced Yan Jing's face.

He had finally become a deity.

After toiling for so long, wasn't it all for this very day?

Now he could enjoy a happy life. Since he was a deity, he and the people around him would certainly be safe from any more trouble.

Looking at the smile on Yan Jing's face, the World-Suppressing King suddenly blinked and leaned in a little closer.

"Were you just wondering what the Firmament is?"

"Was I? I don't think so," Yan Jing replied with a smile.

"Wait, no! Aren't you curious? I mistook you for a Firmament Envoy. Don't you want to know what a Firmament Envoy is?"

"Not particularly." Yan Jing was already making plans in his head about where to rest after he went back.

"You have to be!"

The World-Suppressing King grew a bit anxious.

"You won't be able to hide from it! Once the Day of Godhood ends and the Firmament rises again, you will definitely be summoned by the Firmament. When that happens, you'll lose your freedom."

"What will happen to me then?"

Hearing the King's words, Yan Jing finally showed some reaction and looked over.

"You'll ascend to the so-called divine space just like the rest of us. You'll only be allowed to bring a few familiars with you. From then on, you'll live entirely within the divine space and will never be able to descend to the lower world again."

The World-Suppressing King spoke coldly.

Yan Jing froze.

No one had ever told him that achieving godhood would be like this.

...

Achieving godhood was a lie!!

Yan Jing reached his conclusion.

"Is there a way to revert to the Demigod Realm?"

He looked at the World-Suppressing King.

The King let out a cold sneer.

"You could give up your divine throne. But first, once you hand it over, you will no longer be the apex of that pathway. You'd have to submit to the new deity."

"Second, you would have to pass your divine throne to a demigod. But you created your own pathway. Where are you going to find a demigod for it?"

Hearing the World-Suppressing King's words, Yan Jing's expression grew as dark as still water.

He was suffering the consequences of not gathering enough information.

Mainly, because he had no senior figures to guide him, he was completely ignorant of what achieving godhood truly entailed.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have taken this step.

But he couldn't really be blamed.

It was a vicious cycle.

To understand deities, one had to come into contact with them first. And to prevent those deities from suddenly attacking him, he had no choice but to step into the deity realm himself.

But once he stepped into the deity realm, understanding them became useless because he was already trapped in the snare.

It was an unsolvable dilemma.

...

After a long silence, he raised his head and looked at the World-Suppressing King.

"What is the Firmament?"

Hearing Yan Jing's question, the World-Suppressing King knew he had changed his mind and flashed a smug smile.

"You've been to the River, kid, so you know what that place is, right?"

Yan Jing nodded.

He had indeed been there, and more than once.

"The Firmament is something similar to the River. Aside from the Firmament and the River, there is another similar existence called the Fertile Earth."

"You could say that all three of them are entities that exist even above the deities."

"Among them, the Firmament has the closest relationship with us."

"It governs the deities. In other words, it governs everything about us."

Yan Jing frowned.

"That doesn't sound like an antagonistic relationship."

"Originally, it wasn't."

The World-Suppressing King frowned deeply.

"Originally, the deities and the Firmament simply shared a mutually beneficial relationship."

"That is, until..."

"The new Firmament arrived."

Hearing this, Yan Jing's heart stirred, and he looked at the King.

"During the Severed Era?"

The World-Suppressing King nodded.

"That was the beginning of the Severed Era."