Feicui Long is calmly returning from a successful hunt alongside Gloria, but for some strange reason, no one comes to greet him as they usually do. He finds it odd, so he heads to the house to take a look. Inside, he sees that everyone is lined up in his room.
Sensing that something is terribly wrong, he enters, and the scene he encounters is chilling. Isabella is lying in bed with a black eye, swollen cheeks, and a body covered in wounds that have stopped bleeding. Fortunately, he has left several sixth-grade healing potions that he has obtained purely by luck and by using higher-quality ingredients.
He wants to ask what has happened, but just by looking at the wounds, he already knows. These are clearly injuries from a hand-to-hand fight. The only one who uses a body technique besides him…
Is Mariane. He spots Annie nearby and says seriously, "Annie, bring Mariane here right now."
Annie, slightly trembling, says: "Please, sir, don't be too hard on Mariane…"
Feicui Long is a little surprised. He hasn't thought she gets along so well with Mariane, to the point where she would even set aside her shyness to plead for someone else. He then says: "Alright, just bring her."
Annie runs out.
After a few moments, she returns with Mariane, her head down. Before assigning blame, he wants to know what is happening, so he asks for explanations.
…
After about half an hour of explanation, Feicui Long is surprise by everything that has happened, but also once again surprise because the one who explains the context is Annie. She explains everything that happens without omitting any details.
It is evident that both are at fault, Isabella for saying such cruel things and provoking her, and Mariane for almost killing her.
Feicui Long feels like his head hurts without having done anything. He wants to get angry, but he can't. It is a strange feeling.
Even so, he lets out the biggest sigh so far and says: "Isabella, you know that you are also at fault, right?"
Isabella looks at him, also with her head down.
Feicui Long takes a breath and says: "We won't do it for two weeks. Besides that, I will stop practicing with you during that time, not only to punish you but also because I have to check the state of your body. Besides that, we won't bathe together, nor will I carry you during breakfast."
Isabella wants to cry, but it hurts to do so. Feicui Long then continues with Mariane, "You too, Mariane, I will not train you for three weeks. Besides that, you will have to meditate on what you did, using the technique I taught you without leaving your room. You will only be able to see Annie and will also take care of the slimes and horses. During the remaining time, you cannot do anything else."
When he is satisfied, he hears a question from Isabella, "Darling, is it true that you are the Supreme Dragon Sovereign of the Dragons?"
Feicui Long is stunned. He quickly shakes his head and says: "That is impossible. How can you believe that?"
Isabella, looking a little disappointed, says: "But that dragoness said so. Even Mariane confirmed it today…"
Feicui Long, realizing that he can no longer hide this from Isabella, since doing so would come at the cost of her trust in him, simply decides to bring forward what would inevitably happen sooner or later and says: "Alright, everyone except Mariane, Annie, the twins, and the girls must leave."
The reason the girls can stay is simple. He has already established a contract with them. Although it is a apprentice contract, a type of contract used by forces of all levels of power or alignment since it neither limits nor binds anyone, it only prevents others from revealing important information, ensuring they cannot speak about it. In some cases, it acts like the twins' contract, erasing their memories if necessary. This was to protect them, as having little girls who know his identity and could reveal it in front of strangers would ensure that they put themselves in danger, as they are easy targets.
Isabella's group looks at each other, confused. Even Gloria looks very puzzled. Andrea asks in a slightly trembling voice, "I… I w-want t-to s-stay."
The others nod in unison in agreement. Feicui Long looks at them seriously and says: "I'm not joking. All of you must leave."
But although these women hesitate, looking at each other, none of them want to leave.
Feicui Long, frustrated, says: "Whoever doesn't leave will be forced out or will have to sign these slavery contracts."
Feicui Long puts his hands together and generates several slavery contracts, hoping that this will make them leave.
But he does not expect Andrea to snatch them from his hands and even sign one with her blood, followed by Freja. Seeing Freja, he is astonished, as the saying goes: curiosity killed the cat, not the dog.
Arianne, the dwarf, and even Gloria take one. The only one left is Caroline, who is clearly hesitant. Feicui Long says to her, "You don't have to sign it. Value your freedom and go to the guest house."
But despite trembling, Caroline cannot help but sign it. Her best friend is Freja, and they have always done everything together. She does not think this time should be an exception.
Feicui Long is left speechless. Who is crazy enough to sign a slavery contract without even reading it? He understands Andrea, not wanting to be separated from Isabella again, and Gloria, who must protect her. But the others? It makes no sense.
In any case, Feicui Long activates the secret formation in his room. It is designed to protect them from curious gods, like the last time, and this time, it will shield them from their sight, as it is linked to his three divine authorities.
Then, he finally begins to speak: "Before getting to that part, let me introduce myself again. I am Feicui Long, a descendant of the Feicui Long clan from the Sanctuary of All Races, a nine-star superpower-ranked force. I was the heir to the Sanctuary, but I lost my position when I was exiled for being unable to cultivate due to a curse."
All the women are a bit confused. It is true that this is a curious and interesting fact, but they do not know this so-called Sanctuary. However, the fact that he comes from a superpower-ranked force of the highest level is a bit concerning, but they let him continue.
Feicui Long adds to what he said: "Or at least, that is what I am in this life, because my true identity is Feicui Long, the Emerald-Golden Dragon of Space and Time. Some also call me the Emerald Dragon God or the Emerald-Golden Dragon God of Space and Time. Others refer to me as the Supreme Dragon Sovereign, the Supreme Space Sovereign, the Supreme Time Sovereign, the Guardian and Protector of this universe, or as the First Among the Gods."
This time, rather than looking confused or surprised, they appear skeptical and distrustful. This is normal, Feicui Long knows it.
Gloria asks: very, very doubtfully, "Let's say it's true and we believe you, but how can you prove what you're saying?"
Feicui Long nods and says: "I expected this, but before jumping to that part, why don't we start from scratch? How much do you know about what a god is? Or how much do you know about gods in general?"
Freja, who is a warrior priestess, says: "Gods are gods. What else is there to know?"
Feicui Long does not answer. He is waiting for all of them to respond.
Caroline, not fully understanding the question, says: "Wouldn't they be those who can grant blessings or divine gifts and other godly things?"
Andrea, a bit timid, says: "A being born from divine power…"
Arianne, the wisest of them all, says: "A being capable of obtaining power from faith and using it as a power source to do various things."
Isabella, slightly in pain, says: "They are those cultivators who reach the earthly divine realm."
Gloria is the last to answer: "Very powerful beings from the divine clan?"
Feicui Long lets out a short chuckle. "Hahaha, no, but close. First, let's clarify something. The divine clan has nothing to do with being gods despite its name. They are only called that because they are born with certain abilities of the gods, but they are actually on a different level, particularly due to something called divinity."
Feicui Long then continues, "The important term here is divinity. You might be able to use it. Divinity is what emerges after the divine palace is formed and condenses what is known as divine space. And although divinity is closely linked to being a god, it is not the only requirement to become one."
At this point, they all sit cross-legged, looking at him. They already know this will be a long explanation, just like the lessons he gives them.
Feicui Long raises a hand with three fingers up and adds, "To explain it, let's define the types of gods. There are many types of gods, gods by sacrifice, gods by possession, temporary gods, gods by formation, gods by artifact, etc. But there are only three types that can be considered the most important, prominent, numerous, and therefore the main ones: gods with divine authority, or simply called gods; gods who gained that name by reaching the earthly divine realm, also called gods without divine authority or deities; and lastly, faith-based gods or faith deities."
Feicui Long takes out a bottle of wine from his spatial bag and pours himself a cup. After taking a sip, he says: "Let's start with the third type. Faith-based gods are normally the weakest type of god because, to become a god through this method, you only need to reach a sufficient level of faith. In simple terms, you need a certain number of believers. The exact amount depends on how far you are from the divine realm. If you are a demigod, it ranges from one million to ten million believers. If you have no cultivation, it could go into the hundreds of millions or even billions."
Arianne, unable to contain her insatiable curiosity, asks: "But why are they the weakest? Isn't that quite an efficient and good method?"
Feicui Long, smiling at her, says: "Because reaching the divine realm by relying on faith means that, to stay there, you need to maintain that level of faith. In other words, you must keep the same number of believers and will always want to gain more or at least protect them, since your power depends on them. The only way to escape these chains is to use that power to cultivate yourself and advance until you make it your own. That is, while being a faith-based god, you must use faith to raise your real cultivation realm and condense your divinity with that energy."
Feicui Long takes another sip and says: "But that's not simple. It's very, very difficult, especially because if you ascended through that method, it was usually because the other path was too hard for you, and it will continue to be so. Faith is a decent aid, but more importantly, as I said, your main weakness is your believers. That means that if any deity or a god decides to kill them, you're finished. Besides that, faith-based gods tend to have less combat power because this method does not grant the same power as ascending by oneself or having divine authority."
Mariane, who had been silent, adds: "That's because faith-based gods don't have their own law and energy that they dominate or have fused with. Their law and energy come from the abilities assigned to them by their followers. Therefore, they don't have the same familiarity, capability, knowledge, mastery, influence, power, or affinity with that law and energy."
Feicui Long smiles and nods, then moves directly to the next topic: "The second type is gods without divine authority, gods or deities, whichever you prefer to call them. These are cultivators who, through their own power, were able to reach the divine realm. They are usually the second strongest type of gods among all that exist, not just among the three, because, as Mariane pointed out, they themselves have mastered their laws, their energies, and chosen their paths. As a result, they are highly familiar with them and everything else she mentioned, including affinity."
Isabella, curious, asks: "But can they make use of faith? Or is it completely useless to them?"
Feicui Long replies with a certain sweetness in his voice: "Of course. Gods without divine authority can also make use of faith to strengthen themselves or as a source of energy. That's why they all establish their own churches to gain more power, but obviously without the disadvantage of the previous type. Besides that, another advantage is that they are freer than those who possess an authority and are not bound to it. Additionally, they can suppress cultivators of the same law or cultivation, though to a more limited extent."
Gloria, frowning, says: "But if, despite all those advantages, they aren't the strongest type, then which one is?"
Feicui Long then answers her: "Simple. The strongest of all are the first type I mention, gods with divine authority. Gods with divine authority are usually born with it, but it can also be obtained through inheritance, when the god who possesses it dies and it seeks an heir, or by suppressing it and forcing it to submit. However, this usually requires being significantly stronger than it, and depending on its level, the difficulty increases progressively. Another way is by possessing a higher-level authority of the same type."
Feicui Long looks at them all, seeing that their faces show they do not fully understand what he is saying.
Arianne is the one who asks the key question he has been waiting for: "What is a divine authority?"
Feicui Long inwardly says bingo, before proceeding to answer the question: "A divine authority is the representation or physical form of a law that manifests in a universe. In other words, it is the law itself."
Arianne widens her eyes and asks: "But you said there were levels, how…"
Feicui Long interrupts her, pronouncing the words she is about to say: "How can laws have different levels? That is because there is not just a single set of laws. All laws descend from the Absolute Heaven Law. From it, 35 laws emerge. These are called the Supreme Laws. From these, all others descend, but in turn, they also have inferior versions of themselves, and the same applies to their own descendants."
Feicui Long takes a sip and says: "Although it is customary to speak of universes as inert entities, in reality, just like planets, stars, or moons, they also have spirits, souls, and minds. In other words, they are 'living' beings. And just as humans not only have veins and arteries but also vessels and capillaries, they need laws of different levels that are inferior versions of the higher ones in order to cover the entirety of their immense bodies and allow existence."
Faced with this new perspective, Arianne almost seems to have an epiphany, but Feicui Long is not finished.
Feicui Long adds: "So, you see, the levels of laws and therefore divine authorities are organized as follows. First, there are levels ranging from mortal, inferior, very low, low, mid-low, medium or intermediate, mid-high, high, very high, superior, and supreme. These are divided into 11 grades: mortal, terrestrial, sovereign, mythical, spiritual, sacred, immortal, divine, universal, celestial, and absolute. Each grade is further divided into five ranks, but there is an exception to this…"
Caroline, who has been silent, interrupts Feicui Long with a frown and asks: "But why would such an elaborate classification be needed, and who created it?"
This time, Mariane answers her: "It is created in the First Absolute Treaty. The reason it needs to be so complex is very simple. Do you know how many gods exist per star system? How many gods of stars, planets, moons, seas, etc.? If we scale it to a universal level, they are countless."
Feicui Long nods and adds to that, "You see; to understand this amount, you need to know this. There are four types of subordinate authorities or laws. The direct ones with the same name are an inferior version of the main one. The direct ones with a different name are authorities that are subordinate to a higher authority within an area. For example, the divine authority of elements, one of its subordinates would be the divine authority of fire."
Feicui Long finishes explaining this part: "Then there are the indirect ones, who are only subordinates because they have a certain relationship, but they are not direct descendants. The divine authority of curses is a subordinate of that of chaos. Lastly, there are shared subordinates, which are authorities that descend from a mixture of divine authorities. For example, the divine authority of nature descends from the divine authority of life, death, reincarnation and destiny."
Isabella pulls his shirt and says: "Darling, I would like to know what the exception to the classification is."
Feicui Long remembers that Carolina interrupted him and continues: "The exception to that classification is the supreme level, since they are not divided into grades, only into ranks: inferior, low, medium, high, and superior. These are the reason why subordinates are necessary, as they end up expanding the number to such a great extent. It is because of these, and as I told you, that only 35 supreme laws exist. Therefore, there are only 35 authorities per universe, and thus, they must oversee the entire universe. But even for that level of power, there are limits for just one, and that is where subordinates arise."
Feicui Long, continuing, says: "So, gods with authority possess the support of the very laws themselves. Furthermore, since they are born with them, they can cultivate themselves faster, become familiar faster, and have greater affinity, among other things. But more importantly, they can suppress anyone who uses the same law and energy as they do. Even if it is another god, as long as they do not possess a divine authority of the same type but superior or of the same level, they will not be able to escape from that."
Feicui Long, finally finishing his explanation, says: "But not everything is an advantage. Gods with authority must fulfill their task because, more than being owners, in reality, they are like administrators. And if they do not ensure that their law functions as it should and maintain the balance of the universe, their authority can unleash a counterattack that can kill them instantly, including their soul. Or, in the best-case scenario, abandon them or cripple them. By the way, divine authorities also have a mind, soul, and spirit. Lastly, gods with divine authority are usually called by the name 'god' and the level of their divine authority, grade, and rank, or by their name if it is very long."
Feicui Long, seeing this, he smiles bitterly and says: "Alright, I will show you something. I will protect you, but do not look at them for too long, especially the topaz-colored one; she does not like being stared at by strangers."
They are all extremely confused. Only Mariane and the twins understand what he is about to do.
Feicui Long extends his hand, and three spheres emerge from it, each about the size of his fist one emerald, one topaz, and the last one amethyst-colored.
The women do not understand what they are, but when they look at them, they witness an image they will never forget. Through the amethyst one, they see themselves in limitless space, witnessing stars, galaxies, black holes, supernovas, and all kinds of celestial phenomena, a boundless grandeur.
Through the topaz one, they see eras passing by, entire civilizations vanishing, new ones rising, as if they were watching a clock that never stops, witnessing time relentlessly move forward.
But the one that surprised and scared them the most was the emerald one, because the image they saw was… an irresistible power, a power capable of destroying everything and sweeping everything in its path, unstoppable, inevitable, incomparable, indomitable, endless, and above all, uncontrollable, a pure and limitless power. They could see how it occasionally took the form of a dragon. If something existed, it was because this unrestrainable force allowed it to be, in both a positive and a negative way, meaning things existed because it either intervened capriciously or precisely because it did not.
Feicui Long closes his hand, and the spheres disappear. Everyone remains silent, except for Gloria, who still has doubts. They knew it was undeniable. Even if they did not want to believe it, they could not lie to themselves. Their souls instinctively tell them this is real.