Chapter 470: The Galaxy Is Also a River
“What’s happening to us…?” The Light God slowly woke up, feeling as if he had been in a different world.
He felt like he had been asleep for an incredibly long time.
The Light God saw his six companions lying nearby, their eyes glazed over.
What had happened?
The seven deities were close in strength, and after the Light God regained consciousness, the other six gods gradually woke up as well.
The Beast God was a lion with a human body. He shook his mane and recalled that before losing consciousness, it seemed related to time magic.
“I remember now. There was a mysterious believer who demanded skills from us. We were bound by faith and had to respond to his requests,” said the Elf God, who appeared as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman with a slender figure.
At the mention of the mysterious believer, the gods all shuddered in unison.
That believer was terrifying, almost draining them completely.
Having lived for over a thousand years, this was the first time they had encountered such a demonic individual.
“No, that man who called himself the Executor of Honghu over a thousand years ago was just as inscrutable,” the Light God recalled the Executor of Honghu, who claimed to be from the Immortal Realm.
“You mean this believer and the Executor of Honghu both come from the Divine Realm and might even be on the same level of existence?” asked the Wind God, the unluckiest among the seven. Every time that believer had a request, he had to pay respect to him, which led to his severe injuries. He was still very weak now.
In the Ayla World, there were legends about the Upper Realm. For example, the original Frost Giants had ascended to the Upper Realm. More than a thousand years ago, the Ayla World referred to the Upper Realm as the Divine Realm.
Even if the Executor of Honghu told them that the Upper Realm was called the Immortal Realm, they could not break their habit.
“Very likely,” the Light God said gravely. The impression left by the Executor of Honghu was too deep. The Executor seemed omnipotent, with unfathomable methods.
“Something’s wrong. Why can’t my body heal?” the Wind God shouted. No matter how badly injured he was, he should not have remained in a wounded state for so long.
“Is the faith power drastically decreasing? Have we been unconscious too long, causing people to forget about us?” The seven gods were terrified. Although they wanted to break free from the shackles of faith power, they could not completely sever their connection to it.
“Let me see what’s happening.” The Light God possessed one of his statues and observed the movements of the clergy below.
The clergy were unaware of being observed by the gods. They took out a statue of the River God and secretly worshipped it.
The River God faction was a small force within the church, not recognized by the bishop. They could only worship the River God in secret to show sincerity.
“The River God is above; I hope my daughter remains safe in the dungeon.”
“I wish the church would increase our salary.”
“Please, River God, help me pass the clergy examination and become an official clergyman.”
“River God, please answer me—should I stay in the church or become an adventurer?”
They tried several times but found the River God statue did not respond.
The clergy looked up at the seven-god statues and quietly asked their companions, “I heard that the River God does not manifest near the seven-god statues. Could it be true?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go out and try.”
The Light God was baffled. After switching statues several times, they kept finding clergy who had changed their faith.
If even the church was in such a state, one could only imagine how ordinary people felt.
“That River God is the believer who made wishes to us!” The Light God recognized the identity of the River God.
“The time has come; the River God is about to awaken!” The clergy shouted excitedly, leaving the church to gaze at the starry sky.
Rumors circulated that tonight, the River God would fully awaken.
Upon hearing this news, the seven gods hurriedly condensed a physical body using faith power to see what kind of being the River God truly was.
The seven gods had no physical forms; they were composed entirely of faith power. Wherever faith power existed, so did they.
They were scattered across the world. When believers cast skills, the seven gods composed of faith power would automatically assist them.
The Scripture of Light said the seven deities were omnipresent, which was no exaggeration.
Statues inside the church acted as faith power enhancement points, helping them use faith power more conveniently and granting skills to believers.
The seven gods communicated through divine consciousness. Their previous meeting, vomiting blood, and unconsciousness had all occurred within divine consciousness, not in any physical location.
The seven gods hid their bodies, quietly observing the reactions of the populace from the shadows.
They could not change their appearances; whatever believers imagined them to look like was how they appeared.
From the conversations of the people, the seven gods learned about the newly emerging River God.
The River God sounded weak, but according to legend, his origin was earth-shattering and terrifyingly powerful.
“I made up that I was born from chaos, yet someone actually built upon my lies and claimed to be the River God of the Primordial River?” The Light God was amazed, feeling he had met a master of fabrication.
“The World Tree is the same story—claims to be the first seedling born from chaos are nonsense.”
That said, the miracles of the River God and the World Tree did exist. The seven gods knew each other possessed true abilities.
“Look!” That night, countless people stepped out of their homes to gaze at the night sky.
The galaxy shone as brilliantly and charmingly as ever, dense with stars containing endless knowledge and power, tempting people to explore its mysteries.
How did the planets move? Was this world flat or spherical? What was the center of the universe—the Ayla Continent or the sun?
When people looked at the boundless night sky, such questions always came to mind.
But tonight, no one had such distractions.
It was as if a giant creature slept within the galaxy. Countless stars shifted their orbits, forming a vague human figure.
With hearts and minds anchored to the starry figure, people forgot the passage of time.
Any skill, any experience, any identity lost meaning in this moment.
Even those fifth-tier adventurers, the hero party who had slain ancient dragons and Hellhounds, were as insignificant as dust compared to the giant in the galaxy.
The figure trembled slightly, as if about to awaken. The stars once again shifted in an incomprehensible way, forming a clear humanoid shape.
In the eyes of the crowd, the figure gradually overlapped with the image of the River God statue.
The World Tree swayed its branches, celebrating the River God’s awakening and blessing all living beings.
The stars constructed the River God as he awakened from the galaxy and slowly rose. Every movement he made stirred the hearts of his believers.
At this moment, countless people wavering between faith in the seven gods and the River God resolutely chose to believe in the River God.
People’s faith in the River God reached its peak.
The starry River God fully awakened, his appearance consistent with the River God people usually saw, only grander, more divine, and untouchable.
The River God used the galaxy as his bed. Upon rising, he stretched leisurely, utterly relaxed. He looked down at the seven gods, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
“I have found you.”
The seven gods’ faces changed drastically.