Chapter 148: The King of All Gods

Zhou Tian ascended the ancient seat once more. After a dizzying spin of the heavens and earth, he re-entered that mysterious space. This time, he did not rush out but wandered around. The space seemed boundless; although it appeared to span only a short distance, it moved in tandem with his steps.

After a moment, Zhou Tian’s pupils contracted sharply. A flash of light revealed an old man in a hemp robe, his face waxen and eyes vacant. He approached Zhou Tian and spoke:

“What can run swiftly without walking, has a mouth yet never speaks, has a head but never sheds tears, has a bed but never sleeps?”

Zhou Tian was momentarily stunned, unsure of what game was being played here. Yet, such a riddle was no challenge for him. After a brief pause, he answered:

“A river.”

“Congratulations, you are correct,” the old man said emotionlessly before vanishing. Zhou Tian scratched his head in amusement.

Another flash of light, and a young woman appeared, also with vacant eyes and a blank expression. She stepped before Zhou Tian and asked:

“What is enormous yet never grows taller, possesses invisible roots, and towers above trees?”

Zhou Tian was speechless—was this an insult to his intelligence?

“A mountain.”

“Congratulations, correct again.”

Then five more figures appeared—children and adults alike—each presenting him with a riddle, all of which Zhou Tian answered one by one.

At last, the sound of shattering glass echoed, and Zhou Tian’s consciousness returned to his body, accompanied by a rush of inscrutable information flooding his mind.

An expression of disbelief crossed Zhou Tian’s face.

“The Riddle Lord? No wonder this is the weakest of the divine seats.”

From the newly acquired knowledge, Zhou Tian realized he had just undergone the trial of the Riddle Divine Seat—and had passed. He was now the successor, the new Riddle Lord.

The faintly luminous object that had appeared earlier revealed its secret: a mysterious symbol. Zhou Tian learned from the information that this was the emblem of the Riddle Divine Seat.

Without a second glance, Zhou Tian departed. Such a minor divine seat held no interest for him. He could not fathom how the previous Riddle Lord had composed their doctrine. Other divine seats revered the Light or Death; his was simply about solving riddles. The thought alone was awkward.

Without lingering on the lesser seats, Zhou Tian headed straight to the front ranks—that was where the powerful divine seats resided.

Among the first five rows, the top ten powerful gods, only one seat held a divine seat inheritance—on the third row. Zhou Tian did not know what divine seat it was, but it certainly was formidable. He teleported there immediately, but moments later, he teleported back out.

“Why is this trial so difficult?”

Zhou Tian smiled wryly. This trial was of an entirely different caliber from that of the Riddle Lord. The test was simple in concept: after entering, he was given a wooden bow and tasked with hunting several creatures.

The creatures were three Scarlet Flame Dogs, a Frost Giant Wolf, a Hundred-Armed Giant, and an Ouroboros Serpent. Each was massive—each hair or scale was several times larger than Zhou Tian himself—and their eyes gleamed with intelligence and battle acumen far beyond anything the riddle trial could compare to.

Looking around, Zhou Tian realized that although he had snuck inside, there was little he could do. Finally, he fixed his gaze on the seat of the King of Gods. If the third-row divine seat trial was this formidable, the King of Gods’ trial must be even more so. Yet, an irresistible urge, like a curious kitten scratching at his heart, compelled him to investigate.

“Damn it, can they kill me or not?”

Determined, Zhou Tian teleported again. The dizzying spin returned, and he appeared amidst a sea of stars. Before him sat a man whose beauty and ugliness no longer meant anything—Zhou Tian found no words to describe him.

He wore a plain robe, seated cross-legged in the void, the cosmos swirling around him. His eyes opened and closed as if worlds were born and destroyed within them. Every strand of his hair shimmered like flowing galaxies.

“Why is it that a mortal from the Votian Realm has entered here?” the man spoke, the stars beginning to rotate slowly.

“The King of Gods?” Zhou Tian ventured.

“Indeed. Mortal, answer my question.”

The King of Gods furrowed his brow. Stars in the void exploded into brilliant firelight, startling Zhou Tian. Yet, the space they occupied was special; the cosmos were but illusions unable to affect this place. Zhou Tian gave the King a sidelong glance—couldn’t he be less ostentatious?

“How do you know I’m from the Votian Realm?” Zhou Tian asked. The King had declared it without any visible sign.

“I am the King of Gods, omniscient. Mortal, how did you come to this place?”

The King’s pretentiousness was deeply ingrained.

Zhou Tian’s lying skills were equally refined. “Your divine realm no longer exists. We excavated a dilapidated palace on a small hill. I don’t know how I ended up here.”

The King laughed heartily, as if amused by Zhou Tian’s words, his hair sinking deep into the void.

“Your barrier is mere decoration.”

Zhou Tian saw through it. The old man acted as if he held immense power but clearly could not act. Otherwise, why would he waste words on a mere mortal?

“You are courting death, mortal!” the King bellowed, a massive star descending from beyond the void with terrifying might. Zhou Tian swallowed hard, not out of fear, but because the overwhelming power was indescribably awe-inspiring.

As the star neared, it vanished. Just as Zhou Tian suspected, the King of Gods was long dead, having fallen in ancient times. His immense strength had allowed him to preserve a fragment of his soul through his divine seat.

He could still act once, but since the seat no longer belonged to him, any further use of power would cause his soul to dissipate. He did not intend to waste that chance on Zhou Tian.

“Mortal, to which family in the Votian Realm do you belong?”

The King’s grand display ceased. Seeing Zhou Tian’s brazen confidence, he surmised the mortal must have a formidable background.

“My surname is Zhou,” Zhou Tian replied cautiously, revealing only his family name.

“Zhou? So you hail from the Zhou family of the Votian Realm. No wonder—being a venerable lineage, even a mortal from your house possesses such boldness,” the King sighed with a hint of admiration, clearly familiar with the Zhou family.

Zhou Tian smiled to himself, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.