"Man, this final stretch is tough. With my talents, I'm looking at a hundred thousand years at least, and if luck's not on my side, make that a million."
Lin En mumbled, unaware that if any other Main Gods or top-notch Asuras overheard this, they'd be infuriated by his casual tone. Who talks like that!
...
In the eerie Underworld, at Mount Hades.
Beside a bend of sparkling emerald-green water, Lin En, the water deity, cracked a smile. His fishing rod, vibrating with his emotions, sent ripples across the lake, startling a fish away.
A melodious voice of a young girl broke the silence, "Ew, your laugh is gross…"
Lin En looked over and saw a red-haired girl sitting under a large stone cloaked in green moss, about a hundred meters away. She wore an elegant purple robe and looked at him with a mix of disdain and disgust, as if she'd spotted a weirdo.
"Your compliments flatter me."
Lin En, the water deity, replied with a composed smile.
"…"
"She dared to step out of the material plane, huh? Thought she'd hide away for millions of years."
Lin En had deliberately kept his power level moderate, not too weak but not too strong either, making his fishing expedition more feasible.
Lin En chuckled to himself, telepathically saying, "No big deal, I'll head out soon. Don't mind me!"
Now that he had no weak points to exploit, Lin En was all set to reel in the big catch!
"Swoosh…"
In a mere thousand years, those soldiers from the old Main God's army could never forget Lin En's face. They would forget their own parents before forgetting him.
Maintaining a balance that tempted both dreams and risks was ideal.
Too strong a presence, and no 'fish' would dare bite.
The red-haired girl watched Lin En's every move; after all, this was happening right at her doorstep. How could she possibly miss it?
Using a mid-tier destiny Main God badge as bait, it's a test of temptation!
On his flight, a somber, chilling voice echoed in Lin En's mind.
Upon seeing Lin En himself, the planar guardian Hannah knelt down hastily.
Standing there.
The fishing rod swayed, creating ripples.
Kursk, who was known as 'Bone' two hundred million years ago, had accidentally stumbled upon a mid-tier death Main God badge, transforming into a Main God overnight.
When the teleportation array from the material plane lit up, a soldier from the Main God's army glanced and instantly stiffened, hurriedly kneeling down, "Main God!!"
She was more than just annoyed.
Everyone wanted the best for themselves, those greedy souls!
Water deity Lin En nodded, his face turning serious, "I plan to send my family back in secret first."
Centered around the daunting Bone Mountain, the area within a hundred thousand miles was shrouded in a grayish-white veil, ghostly and filled with an air of malevolence, as if housing countless sinister spirits.
Lin En instantly recalled all the info he had on him. Over the past thousand years, his water deity avatar had been discreetly gathering intel while staying near the death sovereign.
Carefully, Lin En tore open a portal and pulled the metallic lifeform inside, finally feeling relieved.
The death sovereign raised her eyebrows slightly, murmuring, "This kid's got some mettle; I may have underestimated him."
Water deity Lin En gathered his fishing gear and dashed towards Mount Hades. Wrapped in his powerful will, he breezed through the thunderous chains and arrived unimpeded at the palace at the top.
He was a formidable Main God!
His dark deity avatar made sure his family was settled.
Suddenly, it struck him – it had been a thousand years!
The death sovereign perked up, interestedly watching him, and casually asked, "So, you're ready, aren't you?"
By the green waters at the base of the mountain.
...
Behold Kursk, the Bone God!
Renowned for his cold-blooded cruelty and unyielding arrogance, his talents were nonetheless remarkable. After two billion years, bolstered by a segment of the power of faith, his prowess had reached the level akin to a quintuple fusion in the Law System!
"Testing me... so blatantly..."
Surrounded by a ghastly fortress of bones under a cloak of death, stood a mountain, daunting in its height. Atop it, a grim, grey-white castle, its gates adorned with a terrifying skull, eyes burning with eerie blue flames.
"It's time to head home."
Lin En, indifferent to these trivialities, vanished in an instant, unleashing his divine might without restraint.
Lin En stepped onto the portal leading to the Underworld, activating it himself. As a foggy grey light ascended and then faded, he was gone.
She understood Lin En's intentions but didn't intervene.
The Gods of the Underworld, each restless in their own right, outwardly reverent to her, the Master, but secretly conniving.
The power of faith had been dwindling over the years. Although subtle, like normal fluctuations, the Sovereign of Death was no fool to their petty schemes.
His voice echoed loudly, silencing the surroundings instantly, followed by a sea of kneeling figures.
Merging with his water deity counterpart, he surged through the spatial maelstrom, enveloped in the might of a God.
The Netherworld's divine circle buzzed with activity.
With a crackle, a rift in space opened, revealing Lin En's avatar of Destiny!
He appeared, clad in a white robe with golden embroidery, a silver-blue fur mantle gracing his shoulders, his demeanor calm and assured, a hint of a confident smile on his lips.
He lived by a simple creed: the less said, the better. Letting others speculate was often more effective.
Atop Bone Mountain.
He gathered his family, ushering them into a small metallic vessel.
These were but fortunate deities who had stumbled upon divinity, their newfound status inflating their egos. Instead of dutifully gathering faith for the collective, they indulged in selfish whims.
"Suit yourself."
On the fringes of the Violet Realm.
The Sovereign of Death, unamused, dismissed him with a wave. She had long since figured out his cunning and bold nature.
His antics were intriguing; such interactions with another God were new to her.
If too blatant, it was akin to openly admitting a trap, waiting to see who would foolishly spring it.
"Quite the speed, nearly matching a triple fusion of the Law System."
"Sovereign!"
"Lin En, what brings you to the Underworld?"
Thus...
"Oh, isn't that the fortunate one!"
The Sovereign of Death displayed her nonchalant attitude.
His displayed speed rivalled that of a God with a quintuple fusion of the Law System!
Destiny's avatar approached the teleportation array.
Within the castle, on a throne of polished bones, sat a slender man, his face dark and brooding, eyes glinting with a chilling light.
"He's here for his family," the Bone God surmised.
A thousand years prior, Lin En's visit with his water deity to the Underworld was an open secret, observed by many Gods from the shadows.