244: Chapter 244 Divine Secrets

Lu Chen's confidence acted like a stabilizing needle, finally dispelling the last of Shen Xiyun's hesitation.

She took a deep breath, and in its place came a sense of desperate determination.

"Alright! Lu Chen, I trust you!"

A glimmer of trust flashed in Shen Xiyun's beautiful eyes: "Let's set off right now!"

Both were decisive people; without needing any preparation, they transformed into two streams of light, leaving the New God Society together and plunging headlong into the desolate world outside, shrouded in eternal blood mist.

The Alien Monster World was despairingly vast, with three blood suns hanging high, casting down an eerie, eternal red glow.

Mountains and land retreated rapidly beneath their feet, while twisted plants and the roars of lurking Invading Monsters became a blurred background.

As a Rank 9 Space-type powerhouse, Shen Xiyun's method of traveling was truly extreme.

With a light swipe of her jade hand, the Void Realm before her was easily torn open like a curtain, revealing the bizarre and kaleidoscopic spatial passage behind it.

A single Space Jump covered hundreds of miles, its speed far exceeding the flight of ordinary Rank 9 powerhouses.

However, Lu Chen, moving side-by-side with her, appeared unusually composed.

Relying solely on his Legendary-grade [Teleportation Ability], Lu Chen easily kept up with Shen Xiyun's Space Jump, his breathing steady and his expression normal, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll.

This effortless depth of skill caused ripples in Shen Xiyun's heart when she caught a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye.

Traveling through the bizarre spatial passage, they were surrounded by the twisted and shattered scenery of the Void Realm.

Lu Chen finally asked a question that had been hovering in his mind: "Big Boss Shen, you mentioned earlier that Rank 10 Demigods cannot participate in ordinary Gods Game; why is that?"

While precisely controlling the Space Jump, Shen Xiyun explained: "Once your Rank steps into Rank 10, your life level undergoes an essential transformation, with one foot truly stepping into the Divine-Grade Domain; thus, Rank 10 is called a Demigod, or quasi-god."

"At this level, the rewards from ordinary Gods Game hold little meaning for Demigods, so the rules restrict such beings from obtaining benefits by participating in ordinary Gods Game."

"Oh?" Lu Chen's gaze shifted slightly: "Then after Rank 10, how does one advance?"

"Only by engaging in the rule-mandated—Divine Transposition Duel."

Shen Xiyun's tone suddenly became incredibly serious, even carrying a trace of awe.

"Divine Transposition Duel?"

"Correct, also known as the Divine Transposition War."

A mix of longing and wariness flashed in Shen Xiyun's eyes: "According to the intelligence our New God Society has gathered from years of exploring the Alien Monster World, the number of gods in a single world seems to be fixed, having an upper limit."

"To become a new god, one can only choose an existing god and initiate the most brutal Divine Transposition War."

"The winner inherits the Divine-Grade position and ascends to the divine throne, while the loser... has their Divine Soul completely destroyed, turning into dust in the Universe."

"Moreover, this Heaven-Defying opportunity only comes once in a lifetime for each Demigod."

Lu Chen's gaze suddenly narrowed, like a cold star bursting into light: "The number of gods is fixed? The winner ascends, the loser falls... So that's how it is."

This cruel rule gave him a deeper understanding of the gods in the Alien Monster World.

"Are there clear Rank divisions among the gods?" Lu Chen asked again.

He wanted to learn as much as possible about these beings standing in the clouds.

"Naturally, there are." Shen Xiyun nodded affirmatively: "Most of the gods we can usually encounter and recognize are Void Gods. Void Gods are not all equal; there are strict Ranks within them, subdivided into three levels: the most common Lower-level Void Gods, stronger Intermediate Void Gods, and the Upper-level Void Gods standing at the pinnacle of Void Gods."

Lu Chen suddenly realized; no wonder the gods he had encountered before had such significant differences in strength.

Lu Chen continued to ask: "Is the Divine Favor Talent related to these Void Gods?"

"Correct! Acquired Divine Favor holders are Job Changers bestowed with talents by Void Gods, usually only able to utilize about 20% - 60% of the corresponding god's talent. Their potential is limited, which is why Acquired Divine Favor holders are also known as quasi-Divine-Grade Geniuses; their limits mostly stop at Rank 10 Demigod."

"As for Innate Divine Favor holders, they can only Awaken innately. Like me and my teacher, the talents we Awakened are comparable to true Lower-level Void God talents and can exert 100% effectiveness. These are the true Divine-Grade Geniuses!"

"Only with this is there a glimmer of hope that, after accumulating enough strength in the future, one can initiate a Divine Transposition War, perform a Heaven-Defying act of slaying a god, and advance to Rank 11 Void God!"

Her tone carried the pride belonging to an Innate Divine Favor holder, but when she looked at this young man beside her who seemed to exist beyond common sense, her eyes couldn't help but become complex and unfathomable once again.

"As for Xiao Yun... her talent is so strong that it far exceeds mine and my teacher's. According to my teacher's speculation, her talent level is at least at the Intermediate Void God level, and it's even... possible that it is at the higher Upper-level Void God level!"

Lu Chen nodded slightly, not surprised by this; his sister ought to have such world-shocking talent.

But at this moment, what Lu Chen was thinking of was the Divine Artifact in his equipment slot—the [god-slaying spear]!

The Divine blood on the spear tip alone had an effect capable of forming an absolute spatial crack defense that even Void Gods would be helpless against...

What kind of terrifying existence must the original owner of this god-slaying spear have been?

"Big Boss Shen, above Void Gods, are there even more powerful gods?" Lu Chen couldn't help but ask again.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiyun's delicate body trembled imperceptibly. Her expression instantly became incredibly solemn, even carrying a trace of awe from the depths of her Soul, as if merely mentioning that name was a form of blasphemy and risk.

"Yes!" She said decisively, her voice unconsciously lowering as if afraid to disturb the existence in the netherworld.

"Above Void Gods are the True Gods! They are the supreme existences that stand above all Void Gods! According to a sliver of ancient divine secrets my teacher glimpsed, the number of True Gods might... only be fourteen!"

"Fourteen?" Lu Chen's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Correct!" Shen Xiyun nodded solemnly, her tone incredibly certain: "These fourteen True Gods very likely correspond to the ultimate sources of the seven major combat classes and seven major lifestyle classes of our Job Change Era! All the power we possess might originate from them!"

Lu Chen's heart shook violently, as if a monstrous wave had been stirred up.

Seven major combat classes, seven major lifestyle classes... Fourteen True Gods!

Could it be that the Peak of power that they, these Job Changers, tirelessly sought, had its end already destined?

Could all of this be under the control and planning of these fourteen True Gods?

"But the secrets of the True Gods are far beyond our imagination and scope of understanding."

Shen Xiyun's voice carried a deep sense of powerlessness: "Until now, not only our New God Society, but also the Otherworlder Kingdom and the Divine Cavalry Order have never truly come into contact with any True God."

"They are equivalent to the foundation of the world, incredibly mysterious, and have never truly appeared in the Alien Monster World. Perhaps only after we are lucky enough to advance to Void God will we have a sliver of qualification to peer into the secrets of the True God Domain."

Lu Chen couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Could the original owner of the god-slaying spear have been a fallen... True God?

But weren't True Gods the foundation of the world?

Theoretically, they should be eternal and indestructible; how could one fall?

He felt that this Job Change world, which seemed to be composed of classes, Ranks, and skills, had secrets hidden behind it that were far deeper, more terrifying, and more complex than they appeared on the surface!

"Matters regarding gods are, for us who are still in the mortal Ranks, ultimately too distant."

Shen Xiyun interrupted his thoughts at the right moment, bringing the topic back to reality: "The most urgent task is to accumulate strength and deal with what is in front of us. Right, there is one crucial point I must tell you: the gods of the Alien Monster World are completely different from the gods you saw on Blue Star."

Lu Chen's gaze narrowed: "How are they different?"

"In many ancient records, the Alien Monster World has another, more fitting alias—World of Gods!"

"This place is a world occupied and ruled by gods! The stronger the strength, the larger the territory occupied, and the closer to the center of this world."

"Our New God Society is currently only barely occupying a relatively safe corner in the edge region of the Alien Monster World."

She turned her head, looking directly at Lu Chen, each word hitting his heart like a heavy hammer:

"Here, the gods we will have to face are no longer cold statues, but the real—actual Gods, possessing supreme Divine Might and wielding the authority of the Divine-Grade position!"

Lu Chen's pupils slightly contracted, and the Qi around his body seemed to freeze for an instant:

"The actual Gods?"