Chapter 722: Gifting You a World
The Origin of the Gods
What is a God?
The common description is that a God is the creator, the source of all things.
These are merely the fantasies of mortals, the myths passed down in books.
Gods from different worlds have different origins. Some are born from chaos, some from crystals, some from faith, and some from outer space...
The Primordial Gods of Earth were different. They were initially just ordinary human beings, often illiterate and uncultured, living the primitive life of hunting and survival every day.
Then, one day, an aurora appeared in the sky. Something indescribable flew from outer space and landed upon them. These ordinary humans began to evolve.
Their bodies grew larger, their power stronger. They could fly through the heavens, penetrate the earth, move mountains, reverse seas, summon wind and rain, and turn stone into gold.
These people were the first deities, the Primordial Gods. All gods on Earth were their descendants. Though the methods of reproduction varied, the result was the same.
Power bred ambition. They no longer called themselves humans, but Gods—the rulers of all things and the origin of all life.
That was the beginning of the Age of Gods, which lasted for countless ages until its curtain call five thousand years ago.
Over this long period, new gods constantly appeared, and old gods constantly died. As the number of deities grew, the gods discovered a terrifying truth.
Their power was diminishing.
The more descendants they had, the greater the reduction. Although this was not enough to shake the foundation of their divine authority, it made them uneasy, especially the Primordial Gods. As the ancestral source of all divine bloodlines, every new god that appeared would siphon off a portion of their power.
The feeling was like dividing an inheritance: the more children there are, the less the assets.
Some Primordial Gods could not tolerate having their power stolen. So, they raised their executioner's blades against their own children and grandchildren. This led to the First War of the Gods, the forgotten war of the Primordial Gods.
The deities banded together to attack their fathers, grandfathers, and grandmothers. That war lasted for hundreds of years and finally ended with the defeat and demise of the Primordial Gods.
The Primordial Gods vanished, and the world welcomed new rulers. However, the flaws of their divinity remained. The surviving gods began exploring the reason for their power decay while regulating their own reproduction.
After extensive investigation, they finally traced it back to that ancient aurora. Divine power was born from the aurora, but the total amount of the aurora was fixed.
The Cheetah Goddess, originating from the Senu tribe in Africa, was privy to this knowledge. She told Luke: If you can't take the final step conventionally, why not start at the source?
Find that light, and you can become a god—the most powerful Primordial God.
The Final Decision
At this moment, the multicolored halo of light hovering before him was that light, and the fastest way to achieve godhood. Devouring it would make him a God.
Luke looked at it expressionlessly. For some reason, his desire suddenly vanished.
A sense of loss.
Luke raised his hand. The green flame transformed into a box, sealing the halo of light. He casually threw it into the whirlpool.
The moment the halo vanished, the sky-high giant also disappeared. Its body rapidly petrified, turning from head to toe into an immense stone statue.
Luke flew out of the statue and merged with his physical body.
Diana asked nervously, "Did you succeed?"
Luke nodded. "A few twists, but the result is pretty good."
"Then you..."
"I haven't become a god yet," Luke said, laughing softly to himself. "Actually, I've been debating whether to take that final step."
Diana looked confused.
"Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
"Yes, it is what I wanted, but it might not truly belong to me."
Luke looked up at the sky. "What you said earlier was very wise: Power is only truly yours if it originates from you. Any other kind of power will never truly belong to you."
"To become a god, I'd have to use an external object. If I consumed that thing, I could take the final step and become a god. But that object doesn't originate from me. If something went wrong, or if I ran into its original owner, they could just snap their fingers and cast me back to the mortal world, just like the giant turned to stone."
"Diana, do you think I should consume it?"
"You shouldn't," Diana answered without hesitation. She grabbed Luke's hand and spoke with rare seriousness.
"My man is the smartest man in the universe. He possesses endless knowledge and can see the essence of fate. No problem can stump him. He is omnipotent. I believe he can penetrate the secrets of that object and create a power that belongs only to him. I've always believed in him."
Luke's eyes lit up. The confusion in his mind instantly cleared. He couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Diana, you really are my lucky goddess. I think we should have a long, productive conversation right now."
With that, he pulled her tightly into his arms.
Diana's cheeks flushed. She stammered, "Let's find another place. This isn't appropriate."
"Don't worry. There are no living things within a thousand kilometer. It's just the two of us."
Luke didn't wait. A dark cloud appeared in the sky at an unknown point.
The tides ebbed and flowed; the moon waned and waxed.
A World as a Gift
Luke and Diana sat together on the summit of Mount Buzhou, gazing at the nearby night sky.
"When are we going back?" Diana asked.
"What, homesick?"
Diana nodded. "Perhaps it's the lingering shadow from the Underworld, but I just feel uneasy anywhere else."
"Alright then. We'll head back tomorrow morning."
"What are you going to do with the Celestial Court?"
"I'm gifting it to you."
"Gifting it to me?"
Diana was stunned. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm completely serious."
Luke looked at her with utter seriousness. "For certain reasons, I can't give you a commitment right now, so I'm compensating you by gifting you a world."
Diana was completely bewildered, her mind spinning, unable to register anything.
At that moment, The Buddha flew over from a distance, holding a box made of gold. The lid was open, revealing a yellow jade seal glowing with a white halo inside.
Luke took the seal and placed it in Diana's hand.
"This is the key to the Celestial Court World. From this moment on, this world is yours, and yours alone."
Diana stared blankly at her hands. It took her a long time to react.
"Luke... you... you..."
"What, you don't like it?"
Diana quickly waved her hands. "No, I... I... I..."
Luke laughed heartily, pinching her cheek.
"Look at you, you look like a goofy goose right now."
Diana's cheek twitched. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. She felt her body was on fire, and her mind was completely overwhelmed.
A whole world!
It was truly insane. Only Luke could pull off something like this.
Full Story Finished in Patreon
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!