All Gods: Starting with Two Families

Chapter 140 Epochal ChangeThe moment the battle ended, Zhou Zheng felt something enter his true form as a deity.

It was not Divine Power, nor was it a Law, but something... indescribable.

The Sun God drifted over from a distance.

His condition was not great; there were several cracks on his body, and his radiance was much dimmer than before. But his eyes were bright.

”The victor’s reward,” he said. ”You could understand it as a gift of Luck, destiny, or something of the sort. I believe you are quite familiar with it.”

Zhou Zheng froze for a moment, then immediately realized what it was.

When he created the first version of the mecha, he had felt something similar. It was the recognition of the world will, a commendation for a ”new Dao.”

He looked around. The deities of the Divine Alliance still on the battlefield also had faint traces of light flashing across their bodies. Some were brighter, some dimmer, but all had it.

”They received a share as well,” the Sun God said, following his gaze. ”Although not much, it will manifest as good fortune descending upon them in the near future. It could be a Breakthrough for their followers, the discovery of resources, or a sudden loosening of a long-standing Bottleneck.”

He paused.

”This is also an important reason why they were willing to participate in the battle.”

The Sun God suddenly gestured for him to be quiet. ”The changes aren’t over yet. Stay calm.”

Before he could finish speaking—

The sky brightened.

This was not a metaphor; it truly brightened. The true sun that had been extinguished earlier reappeared in the Void Realm.

Its light pierced through the crystal wall, through the Planes, and into every corner. The bitter cold that had lingered for who knows how long dissipated instantly, like snow meeting sunlight.

Zhou Zheng could feel that the sun was brighter than before. It was as if it were trying to make up for its absence during that time, desperately releasing light and heat.

At the same time, he vaguely sensed something else.

The world was changing.

The production of metal resources was falling. Not just a little, but a cliff-like drop. Those mineral veins that were originally overflowing with wealth suddenly became barren. Those metal Materials that were once easily obtainable suddenly became scarce.

The probability of inanimate objects gaining sentience was also decreasing. Previously, a weapon might develop a spirit after being used for a long time—now, the probability was so low that it was almost negligible.

There were other changes, vague and hard to articulate, but they definitely existed.

Zhou Zheng suddenly understood.

These were all adjustments made by the world to ”ripen” the mechanical civilization.

In order to let the mechanical civilization develop faster, the world had increased metal production, raised the probability of mechanical creations gaining sentience, and adjusted countless subtle rules.

The reason those ancient God Systems were caught off guard by the mechanical calamity wasn’t because they were weak, but because the entire world was helping the mechanical civilization.

Now, the mechanical civilization had achieved its results—mechanical Life had been born, the mechanical Law had taken shape, and the mechanical Dao had been paved.

The world had obtained what it wanted.

Therefore, it had withdrawn those tilted resources.

The Sun God’s voice came from the side: ”The end of an era is often the beginning of the next. The development of the mechanical civilization is only truly beginning now.”

He looked at Zhou Zheng, his eyes carrying a hint of seriousness.

”You must be careful in the future.”

Zhou Zheng froze for a moment.

”Do not take the smooth sailing of this period for granted,” the Sun God said. ”Many people who rise with the tide fall after the ’grand finale.’ The world will has already obtained what it wanted and will no longer provide you with extra care. From here on out, whether you live or die depends entirely on yourself.”

Zhou Zheng was silent for a moment.

Then a word popped into his mind:

Used and discarded.

”Thanks,” Zhou Zheng said sincerely.

The Sun God waved his hand.

Hell Flower appeared from nowhere. She also had several wounds on her body, but her mental state was good, and she was holding a mechanical head as a trophy.

”What are your plans now?”

She looked at Zhou Zheng.

The calamity had passed. There was no longer a common enemy. Zhou Zheng had reached the Third-Tier, and he had not signed a divine contract with the Myriad Spirits Divine System; theoretically, he could leave at any time.

Zhou Zheng thought for a moment.

He recalled what he had learned not long ago about what was needed to advance to the Fourth-Tier—

A divine office.

He looked at the Sun God.

”Is there a list of divine offices that have already been occupied?”

The Sun God glanced at him, his expression somewhat subtle.

”Are you asking as a deity of the Myriad Spirits Divine System, or as an ally?”

Zhou Zheng did not hesitate: ”As an ally.”

The Sun God froze, then laughed. The smile contained a hint of helplessness, a hint of admiration, and a hint of understanding that said, ”You brat, just as I thought.”

”Very well.”

He raised his hand, and a document was uploaded to the Divine Alliance’s exchange library.

Zhou Zheng took one look at the price, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

It was truly expensive.

But considering it involved such secrets of advancement, it would be strange if it weren’t expensive. He gritted his teeth, used the ”victor’s reward” he had just received, and exchanged it for the document.

The document unfolded within his Divine Thought.

He read through it line by line, becoming more silent the more he read.

Five thousand three hundred and forty-seven divine offices.

Each one was marked with ”Occupied.”

From the most common [War], [Death], [Life], [Wisdom], to the slightly more obscure [Harvest], [Hunt], [Forge], [Poetry], and even those he had never heard of like [Morning Dew], [Rust], [Echo], [Balance]—

All were taken.

Zhou Zheng raised his head and looked at the Sun God.

”These are not all of them,” the Sun God said. ”Only the ones our God System has currently discovered. There are many more that are hidden, unknown, or not on record.”

Zhou Zheng was silent for a while.

Over five thousand.

It sounded like a lot.

But the lifespan of a deity is too long. How many years can a Third-Tier Deity live? Hundreds of thousands of years? Millions of years? Or even longer?

Those ancient God Systems, accumulated over generation after generation, how many Third-Tier Deities must they have?

The Myriad Spirits Divine System alone had nearly a thousand deities at one point.

These five thousand-plus divine offices, spread across the entire endless world—were quite scarce.

Pathetically scarce.

He finally understood why a deity like the Sun God was also stuck at the Third-Tier and had not advanced.