The Power of Four Deities, The Invisible Lifeline

In the realm of night.

Gu Yan gripped Phantom Annihilation, his chaotic eyes fixed on his opponent. This deity felt entirely different from the previous gods of death and war.

This deity... had no visible lifeline above their head...

Not even the faintest trace.

Why...? He had already reached the thirteenth-tier divine realm, so why couldn't he see it?

Could it be... that this deity's power surpassed his own?

Only one way to find out.

If he couldn’t sever the lifeline, he could still obliterate them using the power of the Heavenly Dao to achieve the same result.

As Gu Yan studied the figure before him, they too watched him.

They seemed in no hurry to attack. Instead, their divine form slowly extended a hand toward Gu Yan.

Their lips parted, and a voice like celestial music flowed forth: "Gu Yan, you cannot escape the dictates of fate."

"Join us. Become a servant of the Heavenly Dao and slay Leng Qingqiu."

"In return, our master shall grant you power and status beyond your imagination."

Leng Qingqiu, once a member of the Celestial Clan, would never die as long as even a sliver of her will to live remained.

A million cycles of reincarnation were enough. If only they could sway Gu Yan, this mortal, to their side...

If they could plunge Leng Qingqiu into despair and extinguish her will to live... then the feud between the Celestial Clan and the Heavenly Dao... would finally end.

Yet, just as the divine figure expected—

Gu Yan merely tightened his grip on his weapon, his voice calm. "Fate?"

"I’ve never believed in fate. And you... along with your Heavenly Dao..."

Whoosh!

He raised his blade toward the divine figure, his voice icy. "—will be destroyed by me and Leng Qingqiu together!"

Hearing this, the divine figure smiled faintly, as if everything was proceeding exactly as foreseen. "Stubborn as ever, so confident in yourself. Just like in your first life, when you believed you could lead humanity to victory..."

"But this arrogance will be your downfall."

"I have stood by my master’s side and witnessed countless insects who dared defy the heavens."

"You are not the first... but you are the most tenacious."

"Even the most persistent insect becomes tiresome when it keeps reappearing."

"Gu Yan... you are the first insect whose name I have bothered to remember."

"In this life... you will perish for good. There will be no more reincarnations."

"However... if you lay down your weapon now and swear fealty to our master, the Heavenly Dao, then..."

Her tone was light, almost conversational, as if she were speaking to an old friend.

The next instant—

Hum!

No more words were exchanged. The surroundings were instantly shrouded in a domain of night.

[Night’s Domain], merging with the [Realm of Night].

Gu Yan’s power surged hundreds of times over!

The expansion of the domain cut off the divine figure’s words.

"Night’s Domain... Gu Yan, do you truly not see the gap between us?"

Her voice carried a hint of regret, as if lamenting his choice.

"You talk too much."

Gu Yan’s voice was cold. The edge of Phantom Annihilation gleamed with an eerie light.

Whoosh!

Gu Yan struck first, his form dissolving into a streak of darkness as he closed the distance in an instant.

Phantom Annihilation swung down toward the divine figure’s head—every movement fueled by the intent to crush his opponent in a single blow.

"Interesting. So this is the Night’s Domain that trapped that fool, the God of Death? No wonder your power has grown so drastically."

"But alas..."

"I’ve seen it too many times before."

The divine figure chuckled softly. Even with Phantom Annihilation mere inches away, she lazily raised a hand.

[The Divine Decree: Let There Be Balance.]

With those words, the blade that should have already struck... was abruptly halted by an unseen force.

A single finger blocked it.

Gu Yan clenched Phantom Annihilation with all his might, trying to force the strike through.

Yet... the opposing force matched his own perfectly.

Realizing the nature of this power, Gu Yan spoke coldly. "Balance... This is the power of the God of Equilibrium."

"Clever. But of course... that’s not all."

The divine figure smirked. With a flick of her finger against the blade’s tip—

BOOM!!!!

In an instant, dense vines erupted from Phantom Annihilation’s edge, surging toward Gu Yan’s arm.

His expression remained unchanged as he instantly retreated.

Whoosh!

He purged the vines with the power of night, sensing another divine energy within them.

The God of Nature...

Gu Yan looked up at the figure before him. This deity possessed two divine authorities?

"I suppose you’re wondering if I only wield two divine authorities."

"Unfortunately..."

"You’re wrong."

The divine figure smiled. In that moment—

BOOM! An overwhelming pressure erupted from all directions.

Hummmmm!!!

Golden figures materialized from the void, one after another.

Every single one... possessed divine-tier power!

Even more astonishingly, each figure bore Gu Yan's likeness—even the weapons they wielded were identical!

Materializing objects at will... this was the power of a Creator God.

Three divine cores...

[No, four! This one’s different from the previous deities!]

[She has another divine core inside her—the Omniscient God’s!! We must end this quickly. The longer this drags on, the more the Omniscient God will decipher the function of your Phantom Annihilation! If that happens... it’s over!]

[And... I faintly sense an even stronger deity behind this existence. It’s possible that very god erased this one’s lifeline!]

The voice of the Heretic Scripture echoed in his mind.

Gu Yan understood—four divine cores fused into one, was it?

What a pain.

The divine figure curled her lips into a smirk. She drifted leisurely onto a broad stone pillar in the Night Realm’s plains, then gazed down at Gu Yan from above. "That earlier clash allowed me to absorb a wisp of your divine energy and Night Force."

"Using the Creator God’s power to replicate it, these divine avatars not only possess divine-tier strength but also every ability you wield!"

As her words fell—

Boom!

Countless golden figures surged toward Gu Yan.

His expression remained unchanged as he swapped Phantom Annihilation for a dagger.

"Every ability, huh..."

Gu Yan murmured under his breath. The Night Force churned violently within him, his power skyrocketing to its peak in an instant.

The dagger in his hand began radiating an eerie black glow, as though it could devour all existence.

The golden figures mirrored him, their weapons shifting into daggers as well.

Let’s see if you can truly replicate everything I’m capable of.

Gu Yan tightened his grip on the dagger.

Swish!

In the next moment, he appeared before one of the golden figures, his expression icy as the dagger flashed like lightning.

A streak of black light—squelch!

The golden figure split cleanly in half, dissolving into motes of light that scattered into the air.

Without pause,

Gu Yan moved like a phantom, weaving through the golden figures with blinding speed—thud! thud! thud!!

Every slash claimed another golden life.

Though these clones shared his abilities, they lacked his combat instincts and experience.

The divine figure watching from the stone pillar shook her head with a faint smile.

A pity... a pity the War God’s core resides with Gu Yan. Otherwise... these golden avatars might’ve truly inherited his battle instincts.

She had no intention of intervening in the fight below. She relished this game of cat and mouse.

Step by step... she would crush this insect’s confidence entirely.

On the plains, Gu Yan’s figure blurred into streaks of shadow, darting between the golden figures with lethal precision.

Every strike was flawless—a reaper’s scythe harvesting lives.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In mere seconds, countless golden figures were obliterated under his dagger, vanishing into golden dust.

"How amusing. Then how about this?"

The divine figure waved her hand again, summoning an endless tide of golden avatars from the void.

Gu Yan’s voice was frigid. "No matter how many you bring, the outcome remains the same."

"After watching for so long... it’s time you joined the fray."

As he spoke,

his figure vanished once more. The dagger’s black light flickered relentlessly through the Night Realm.

With the Night Force accumulating rapidly—

"Annihilate."

Boom!!

Gu Yan’s cold whisper unleashed a raging vortex of Night Force.

In an instant, every golden figure within range was shredded into nothingness.

As the last avatar disintegrated, Gu Yan teleported before the divine figure.

His dagger swept horizontally in a vicious slash.

"Heh..."

The divine figure chuckled, clearly surprised by Gu Yan’s speed in dispatching her clones and launching an immediate assault.

Interesting.

Swish!

Her form vanished from the pillar just before his strike landed.

Boom!

Gu Yan’s attack obliterated the stone pillar, reducing it to ash.

"Gu Yan, I’ll play with you for a while."

Amid the swirling smoke,

the divine figure’s voice whispered beside Gu Yan’s ear.

With a flick of his right hand, Gu Yan dispersed the smoke, revealing the divine figure now standing before him.

She stood calmly, smiling. "This body’s first battle... and against you, no less. Not a bad start."

Her sleeve fluttered as she raised her hand—whoosh!

Countless starlight blades erupted from her robes, hurtling toward Gu Yan.

His expression didn’t waver. Gripping the dagger, he charged forward.

Clang! Clang! Clang!!

His slashes were a blur, deflecting the incoming blades with inhuman speed.

Their clash gradually lifted them off the ground, the battle shifting midair until the final blade shattered.

Boom!

A blinding flash and deafening roar erupted—

"......"

Gu Yan wasted no words. The dagger in his hand erupted with a surge of dark light as his figure abruptly accelerated—

Hum!

In the next instant, he appeared before the divine figure, his blade aimed straight for the heart.

"Targeting my divine core, are you...?"

"A pity..."

The divine figure remained unruffled, flicking a finger to summon an invisible barrier before her. Clang!

A dull impact rang out as Gu Yan's strike was deflected.

The tremendous recoil caused Gu Yan to stagger slightly, but he didn’t retreat. Instead, he pressed forward with even greater ferocity.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His dagger relentlessly hammered against the barrier until—Crack!

With a crisp shatter, the barrier fragmented.

Gu Yan lunged again.

"Your strength is commendable, but before me, it remains insignificant."

The divine figure’s voice was calm yet mocking. With a casual wave of her hand, a radiant sword of starlight descended from the heavens, hurtling toward Gu Yan.

"Is that so...?"

"You’ll soon learn just how much this power will hurt when it strikes you."

Gu Yan’s tone was indifferent as he tightened his grip on the dagger and met the starlight blade head-on. Boom!

The two forces clashed violently in midair.

Every collision sent sparks and fragments flying, as if the very fabric of space was being torn apart.

Boom!

The starlight sword shattered.

Gu Yan flashed before the divine figure once more—but this time, she didn’t defend.

Instead...

She summoned a dagger—identical to Gu Yan’s—and gripped it in her hand.

Clang!

The two blades collided, locked in a deadlock.

The divine figure chuckled. "You cannot break the power of balance. With the force of creation and equilibrium combined, you will never be my match."

"And you will inevitably fall to me."

Boom!

As she spoke, the dagger in her hand suddenly erupted with boundless dark light, forcing Gu Yan back several yards.

Gu Yan steadied himself mid-retreat, hovering in the air.

He sheathed his dagger and calmly observed the space above the divine figure’s head.

Yet... there was nothing there.

Not even the faintest trace of a lifeline.

It seemed... relying on the dagger to sever her lifeline was futile.

After expending so much effort without even a glimpse, she must have employed some other means.

With that realization, Gu Yan remained silent.

He swapped his dagger for Illusory Extinction.