Suddenly, the Water God's essence came, a soothing contrast to the violence before it. It flowed through his meridians like a tranquil river, cool and endless. But its gentleness was deceptive—the moment Yun Lintian relaxed, the current tightened, threatening to drown him in its depths.
He wrestled against the tide, forcing it into submission until it became an unbreakable wellspring of stamina within him.
The Wind God's gale came next, howling through the chamber like a vengeful spirit. It sliced at his skin, seeking to flay him alive, but Yun Lintian stood firm.
He inhaled deeply, and the wind bent, its fury tempered into precision. Speed unlike anything he had known before thrummed in his veins—now, even the blink of an eye was an eternity to him.
The Earth God's resilience was heavier, slower, but no less brutal. It settled into his bones like molten iron, hardening his flesh to diamond-like toughness. His weight doubled, then tripled—the stone beneath him groaned, cracking under the pressure—but he endured, letting the earth's unyielding nature become his own.
Then, the shadows moved.
The Shadow God's cloak slithered around him, a living darkness that sought to smother his light. It whispered in his ear, promising oblivion, but Yun Lintian gripped it by the throat and forced it into submission. The shadows stilled, then draped over him like a second skin, making his presence flicker in and out of reality.
Last was the Radiant God's radiance, a blinding white glow that seared his eyes. It clashed violently with the shadows, threatening to tear him apart from within, but Yun Lintian slammed the two opposing forces together, merging them into balance. The light purified, the shadows concealed—and in their harmony, his divine energy reached new heights.
When it was done, Yun Lintian sat amidst the wreckage of the chamber, his body humming with power.
Yun Lintian exhaled slowly, his breath stirring the dust floating in the ruined chamber. With a wave of his hand, golden light spilled from his fingertips, weaving through the shattered stone and broken formations.
The cracks in the walls sealed themselves, the scattered debris lifting back into place as if time itself were reversing. Within moments, the training chamber stood pristine once more.
His gaze turned inward, assessing the eight newly refined divinities thrumming within his body. The Storm God's lightning crackled along his right arm, the Fire God's flames pulsed in his left palm—each power now an extension of his will.
But he wasn't finished yet.
With a thought, he summoned the God of Light's power—the essence Yao Xi had left him. Unlike the others, this energy didn't resist. It recognized him.
White radiance bloomed in his palm, warm and welcoming. This was the second God of Light's power he would absorb—the first having come from another timeline.
The two energies resonated, vibrating in harmony as they merged seamlessly. His divine core brightened, the light within him growing purer, sharper. The process was effortless compared to the torment of the eight divinities.
When the last traces of light faded into his skin, Yun Lintian's aura carried a new weight—a luminosity that seemed to repel darkness by its very existence.
Only one power remained.
Yun Lintian's expression hardened as he called forth the God of Mortals' essence. A swirling mass of golden energy materialized before him, pulsing with the collective will of countless mortal souls.
Unlike the divine authorities he had absorbed before, this power wasn't just strength—it was belief. The hopes, dreams, and defiance of humanity given form.
The moment his fingers touched the energy, the world shifted.
Yun Lintian suddenly found himself standing atop a mountain of corpses—gods and demons alike piled beneath his feet. The sky burned crimson, the earth trembled, and before him knelt millions of mortals, their faces upturned in reverence.
"Human Emperor!" their voices roared as one. "Savior of the World!"
Power unlike anything he had ever known flooded his veins. Not just divine might—but faith. The absolute conviction of billions that he was their protector, their god, their only hope.
For a single, terrifying moment, Yun Lintian believed it too.
With a thought, he could reshape continents. With a gesture, he could erase suffering. The mortals worshipped him, and in return, he could give them paradise. He could become the supreme ruler, the final arbiter of all existence—
The thought struck him like icy water.
This was exactly how Fan Shen had fallen.
Yun Lintian's eyes snapped open back in the training chamber, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The God of Mortals' power still thrashed in his grasp, trying to drown him in that intoxicating vision of absolute dominion.
He wrenched his mind free.
"I am not your god," he growled.
The energy recoiled, then surged forward again, more violently this time. It wasn't just power—it was temptation. The seductive promise that he could shoulder all burdens, that he alone could decide humanity's fate.
Yun Lintian clenched his jaw.
In the vision, he had walked this path several times. Every time he had tried to play the savior, it had cost him too much.
"I will carry your hopes," he told the writhing energy, "but I will not become your master."
With that, he forced the God of Mortals' power into submission—not by crushing it, but by understanding it. The energy resisted, then slowly, reluctantly, settled into his core.
When it was done, Yun Lintian sat in silence, his body trembling.
Nine authorities now dwelled within him. Only four remained—Time, Star, Moon, and Fate.
Two of them belonged to Nian Shi while the God of Fate's power was nowhere to be seen. Yun Lintian still had no idea where it was. As for the Moon God's power, Yun Lintian had to ask Hongyue and Lin Xinyao about it.
The moment the God of Mortals' power settled into Yun Lintian's core, the eight divine authorities within him suddenly erupted.
The Mountain God's unyielding might.
The River God's endless flow.
The God of Darkness's consuming void.
The God of Light's radiant purity.
The God of Life's boundless vitality.
The God of Death's silent embrace.
The God of Heaven's celestial decree.
The Sun God's scorching brilliance.
All eight authorities manifested around him, swirling like orbiting stars. The training chamber vanished—or perhaps he vanished from it. In an instant, Yun Lintian found himself standing in an endless white void, a blank canvas of nothingness.
A woman's voice, soft yet carrying the weight of eternity, echoed through the emptiness.
Yun Lintian's body tensed.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
A figure materialized before him—a woman clad in simple white robes, her features indistinct yet radiating an impossible sense of familiarity.
Yun Lintian's breath caught.
"Are you... the Creator?"