As soon as Chi Ze saw Li Xue, he rushed forward, inspecting her carefully from top to bottom and left to right. Seeing that she was unharmed, he finally let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried sick! Thank goodness Master is alright."
When Li Xue’s spiritual power had drained away earlier, a sense of forewarning had struck her heart. As her spirit beast, Chi Ze had naturally sensed it as well. However, without a summons, he could not leave the Dream Realm on his own and could only fret in silence.
Zi Huang flew onto Li Lin’s shoulder and began chirping incessantly. "Master, Master, Little Huang was scared to death! My poor little heart hasn't stopped thumping. It’s a good thing Master is back, otherwise, I would have charged out myself!"
Li Lin rarely interacted with Zi Huang; the bird was far too restless for his stoic temperament. But hearing Zi Huang’s nagging now, a warmth spread through his chest, and his expression softened.
Li Xue pulled Jin Sang forward and introduced him to everyone. "This is our new friend, the Golden Crow Messenger, Jin Sang. He will be one of us from now on."
Everyone looked at Jin Sang with curiosity. The spirit beasts, in particular, sensed the powerful aura of the God Race emanating from him and stepped forward respectfully to greet him.
"Jin Sang, please tell everyone what is going on. What is this 'Venerable One' and 'Excellency' business?" Li Xue asked, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
Jin Sang’s lips twitched. *Venerable One, Excellency... what a mess.* Alas, the Venerable One’s cultivation was simply too low, and many things could not be explained clearly yet. However, he had to clarify the basics, or they would never be able to get along harmoniously.
Everyone was highly intrigued. They found spots to sit or stand; Li Xiaoyin snuggled into Li Xue’s arms, resting her chin on her hands with the expectant look of a child waiting for a bedtime story, drawing amused smiles from the group.
Jin Sang pointed toward the vast expanse of white mist in the distance. "If this realm gathers all five elements and has enough time to evolve, a divine palace will likely appear there. In the God Realm, it is known as the Ancient God Palace."
The eyes of the crowd gleamed with excitement. This was their home; if a divine palace truly manifested, did that not mean they all had the chance to become gods?
Hei Yan, Bing Yan, Chi Ze, and Yun Xi were even more shocked. They had harbored suspicions, but to hear it confirmed was another matter entirely. In the God Realm, the number of Ancient Gods could be counted on one's fingers. To encounter one was a stroke of celestial luck.
"This type of realm also has a name in the God Realm: an Ancient God Realm. Only an Ancient God can possess one," Jin Sang continued. "This place should be the Snow Goddess’s Ancient God Realm, the seat of the Ancient God Palace. Even in the God Realm, it is a mysterious existence."
He went on, "Aside from the Dragon, Phoenix, Celestial Fox, Elf, and Human races, there are many other Divine Beast tribes in the God Realm. The most famous are known as the Nine Divine Beast Tribes: the Black Wolf, Wind Tiger, Silver Lion, Ice Whale, Blue Marten, Golden Crow, Thunder Peng, Cloud Crane, and Phantom Butterfly.
"Once members of these nine tribes reach the God Realm, they can enter divine service and are known as the Nine Divine Guards. Depending on their strength and destiny, a god can sign a Divine Office Contract with a guard. Of course, there are also instances where a Spirit Beast Contract signed before godhood evolves into a Divine Office Contract.
"An ordinary god might only possess one or two Divine Guards. Those at the Great God or Heavenly God boundaries might have more, but only an Ancient God possesses all Nine Divine Guards. This is because the Ancient God Palaces are the pillars of the Six Realms; each palace has its own jurisdiction, maintaining the stability of the universe.
"In addition to the main hall, an Ancient God Palace has five secondary halls distributed according to the Five Elements. These are presided over by five Heavenly Gods, assisted by Divine Guards.
"The main hall consists of the Ancient God’s central chamber and four side chambers, which are presided over by Heavenly Gods from the other four great Divine Races. For example, if the Ancient God is of the Human race, the side chambers must be presided over by Heavenly Gods from the Dragon, Phoenix, Celestial Fox, and Elf races.
"The identities of the Heavenly Gods presiding in the Ancient God Palace are known to no one except the Ancient God themselves. Only when a great catastrophe arrives and the Ancient God Palace is fully opened will the Heavenly Gods return to their positions. Usually, the palace is guarded by the Nine Divine Guards."
This was the first time anyone had heard of the origins of the Ancient God Palace. Even Yun Xi and Hei Yan were hearing this for the first time; the existence of such a palace was extremely secretive, and even a Great God like Grandma Yun knew very little.
"Before I was injured, the only one left guarding the Snow God Palace was the Black Wolf Guard of the Central Secondary Hall," Jin Sang said, glancing at Hei Yan. "The other guards were traveling through the various realms, and the Snow Goddess herself had not appeared for millions of years. As it turns out, she had already entered the cycle of reincarnation."
Li Xue and the others now had a general understanding. Li Xue asked, "Then how can you be sure I am the reincarnation of the Ancient God? Is it just because my name has the word 'Snow' in it?" After all, the original owner of this body hadn't even been named Li Xue.
Jin Sang chuckled. "You are the master of the Ancient God Realm, and you practice the Snow Dance Divine Manual. You must know that only the Snow Goddess can cultivate that technique."
Li Xue rolled her eyes. "Grandma Yun gave that to me. I didn't know it before."
"And yet, the Venerable One still ended up practicing it, did she not?" Jin Sang’s face was bright with sunshine. The honor of being able to follow the Venerable One as she cultivated back to her status as an Ancient God was something countless members of the God Race would envy. The thought made him incredibly happy.
"I suppose so," Li Xue said helplessly. "But I am currently only a Nascent Soul cultivator. Who knows how long it will take to become a god?" Whether she was a mortal or an Ancient God in her past lives was a matter of the past. She never expected to become a god overnight, nor did she desire to be an invincible, domineering ruler. She simply wanted to work hard to reach immortality, then godhood, taking it one step at a time to transcend reincarnation and achieve eternal life.
"We have plenty of time. The Venerable One should not underestimate herself; your current cultivation speed is already very fast," Jin Sang encouraged.
"Indeed, Master is already doing very well. I cultivated in the ice for ten thousand years and still couldn't take human form!" Bing Yan added complimentary.
"Jin Sang, just call me 'Master' from now on. All this 'Venerable One' talk makes me embarrassed," Li Xue added.
"Yes, Master," Jin Sang replied respectfully.
Hearing this, Li Xiaoyin asked curiously, "Brother Jin Sang, does that mean no one knows who the Heavenly Gods in the Ancient God Palace are? Is the Flower God a Heavenly God?" The cultivation technique Li Xiaoyin used was created by the Flower God, so she felt a great deal of affinity for him.
"The Flower God is indeed at the Heavenly God boundary, but I do not know if he holds a position in the Snow God Palace." Jin Sang patted Xiaoyin’s head. This little person who looked exactly like his Master was simply too adorable.
"Oh. Then can we let the Flower God take a position in the Snow God Palace later?" Li Xiaoyin frowned as she asked. She felt the Flower God was a good person and should be considered one of their own.
"That... we can ask Lord Flower God when we return to the God Realm in the future," Jin Sang answered. Privately, he thought that the esteemed Flower God might not necessarily grant them an audience. Of course, if Master could reach the Ancient God boundary, meeting a Heavenly God would be easy.
"I see. I guess that's all we can do for now." Li Xiaoyin set this distant dream aside.
"Alright, while everyone is here, let’s plan our future development," Li Xue continued. "Aside from our cultivation, our main goal is to find the five elemental spirits. Once the spiritual energy in the Dream Realm can circulate on its own, everyone’s cultivation speed will increase even further."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Currently, the Dream Realm possessed the Earth Spirit, the Water Spirit, and Li Xiaoyin. As a flora spirit, Li Xiaoyin counted as the Wood Spirit. They were now only missing the Metal and Fire spirits.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 古神殿 | Ancient God Palace | The central residence/hub of an Ancient God. |
| 古神界 | Ancient God Realm | A private world/dimension owned by an Ancient God. |
| 雪神 | Snow Goddess | Li Xue's presumed past identity. |
| 九大神兽族 | Nine Divine Beast Tribes | Nine specific powerful tribes in the God Realm. |
| 黑狼族 | Black Wolf Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 风虎族 | Wind Tiger Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 银狮族 | Silver Lion Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 冰鲸族 | Ice Whale Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 蓝貂族 | Blue Marten Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 金乌族 | Golden Crow Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 雷鹏族 | Thunder Peng Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 云鹤族 | Cloud Crane Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 幻蝶族 | Phantom Butterfly Tribe | One of the Nine Divine Beast Tribes. |
| 九大神卫 | Nine Divine Guards | Divine officials serving an Ancient God. |
| 天神 | Heavenly God | A high-ranking deity below an Ancient God. |
| 雪舞神诀 | Snow Dance Divine Manual | A unique cultivation technique for the Snow Goddess. |
| 草木精灵 | Flora Spirit | A spirit of vegetation/plants (referring to Li Xiaoyin). |
| 神职契约 | Divine Office Contract | A high-level contract between a god and their subordinates. |
