Su Xingyu stepped through the door. His vision blurred, and the next moment, he found himself standing on a wide street.
This was a colossal ancient city. Su Xingyu could feel the proximity to the void itself—it was even possible the entire city was built on the edge of it. Here, the suppression of plane laws was incredibly weak, almost nonexistent.
As the restraints on his body vanished, Su Xingyu's form expanded to its natural state—three meters tall. He now resembled a towering little giant. Even so, he appeared small compared to the scale of the street around him, like an ant wandering through a forest.
Above him, a blazing, radiant sun hung in the sky.
Beyond that lay the endless, dark starry sky. A thin, transparent dome separated the City of Gods from the vacuum of space beyond.
[System prompt: You have entered the absolutely safe zone "City of Gods." Fighting is prohibited here. Violators will be expelled!]
People bustled back and forth along the street, each of them distinct in shape and form.
There was a human with a dragon's head, another with a bull's head, a third with the head of a fish. A red-scaled lizardman strode past a green-skinned goblin.
They were all gods like Su Xingyu, but their appearances differed based on their divine attributes, racial bloodlines, and the nature of their powers.
Of course, Su Xingyu had no right to laugh at any of them. His current form was equally unusual.
Gasps echoed through the crowd as a dark figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the street. The figure towered above most of them, radiating a suffocating and terrifying divine aura.
What a powerful presence...
The City of Gods hovered in the sea of stars, where no perfect order or planar rules existed. Many gods struggled to suppress their divine nature in this place, often manifesting strange and chaotic phenomena.
Here, the most direct way to judge a god's strength was to compare their physical size—especially among gods of the same kind.
Take, for instance, the Goblin God. If a Goblin God manifested a body over three meters tall in the City of Gods, it was a clear sign of overwhelming power and authority beyond their peers.
At this moment, Su Xingyu stood tall in his human god form, his body also measuring three meters. For a human god, that was considered unusually large and drew attention.
Noticing the stares from all directions, Su Xingyu furrowed his brow. The Ye Tribe had been expanding at an astonishing rate recently. With the surge in believers, his divine power had grown so fast he could barely control it.
With a thought, he restrained his divine aura. His body shrank slightly, down to a more manageable ten feet. Though he still looked imposing, the adjustment made him appear less monstrous.
He merged into the crowd and took in his surroundings.
On either side of the wide street, countless stalls had been set up. Weapons, armor, ores, blueprints—an eclectic array of goods lined the walkways.
"It seems that even after becoming gods, we still can't avoid selling things on the street," Su Xingyu muttered dryly, noting the resemblance to mundane markets back in the main world.
After browsing for a while, disappointment began to set in. Though the selection was vast, none of the items met his standards.
Either the quality was poor, or the quantities were too small to be useful.
Just as he was about to leave, a voice called out from the side.
"Brother, is this your first time in the City of Gods?"
Su Xingyu turned and saw a slightly plump young man smiling at him, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. Su Xingyu nodded. "That's right."
"Need a guide?"
The fat young man grinned. "I won't charge you."
Su Xingyu hesitated. He wasn't sure what the man's intentions were, but he needed information, and the City of Gods was designated a safe area. He had nothing to fear.
"Alright. Thanks."
"Think nothing of it. At home, we rely on family. When we're out in the world, we rely on friends. Helping each other is how we thrive."
The young man spoke warmly and respectfully, his tone humble.
"It's a bit noisy here. How about we talk somewhere quieter?"
"Sure."
The two chatted casually as they walked. Before long, they left the main road and entered a courtyard styled like a medieval estate from the West.
Su Xingyu was quietly surprised. Though he didn't know the exact cost of housing in the City of Gods, he could guess it wasn't cheap. Just entering this place cost 10 Divine Sources—renting or owning property here had to require a fortune in divine resources.
Once inside, the fat man spoke again. "We've talked all this time, and I still don't know your name. I'm Wang Dong, a religious god."
Su Xingyu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "What do you mean by 'religious god'?"
Wang Dong blinked. "Brother, haven't you read the forum posts?"
The forum was located in the [Information] tab of the system. Anyone could post articles there by spending a bit of divine power.
Su Xingyu shook his head. "I just finished a mission. Haven't had time to check."
"Then let me explain."
Wang Dong paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts.
"In this world, everyone obtains a godhood. Depending on the attributes and powers of that godhood, people take different development paths.
"Some gods are ideal for forming tribes, expanding through sheer numbers of believers. Gods of war or slaughter, for example, naturally thrive this way. We call that the Leader Flow.
"But some godhoods aren't suited for tribal growth. Take mine, for example—'Merchant.' Sure, I can run a trading market, but building a tribe? That's not realistic. So instead, I establish religions. I attach myself to existing tribes and focus on growing my influence through worship.
"This is the Religious Flow. Between the two, Leader Flow is generally stronger, but also much harder to develop."
"Interesting," Su Xingyu murmured, intrigued. "Are there other flows besides those two?"
Wang Dong nodded. "Yes. There's one more, known as the Unique Flow, or Individual Flow.
"Not everyone manages to complete their initial mission. Some gods lose their tribes early on. Believers are crucial. They're our anchors. The more believers you have, the more stable your divine state becomes. Lose them, and you're like water without a source.
"While mortal transcendent beings can't kill gods directly, if we lose our followers, we eventually fall into eternal sleep. And to us, that's the same as death.
"But some gods, faced with that fate, choose a different path. They abandon the divine realm, fusing their godhood directly into their bodies to become divine creatures. It's a harder road, but better than fading into nothing."
Su Xingyu nodded quietly. He understood that all too well. The Ye Tribe had nearly been wiped out multiple times. If not for his strength, he might've become one of those wandering, rootless gods.
The appeal of the Individual Flow was obvious. You relied only on yourself—one mouth to feed, one will to steer. Divine creatures lived long and possessed natural talents far superior to others. Surviving wasn't hard.
But given the choice, most people still preferred to lead.
It was the difference between being a boss or a worker. And if people could, they would always choose to be the boss.
Su Xingyu smiled and extended his hand. "Xingyu. Leader Flow."
Wang Dong looked startled for a moment, then returned the handshake with a smile. "Wang Dong. Religious god."