[Vol. 6] Chapter 250: The Nature of a God
The priestess, now gradually calming down, exchanged another glance with the Xiao Kong or rather, the Fox God. She took the initiative to let go of her grip, stepping back half a step, carrying the faint, elegant fragrance of the girl, like orchids blooming in a secluded valley. Without hesitation, she gave her answer.
"It's... [Divinity], right? Or rather, the manifestation of laws and rules. An entirely different ‘concept’ from ordinary life."
"Yes, it seems you've understood quite well," Xiao Kong nodded.
"Do you remember when you once asked me about my power? At the time, I firmly told you that my power wasn't [space] itself, and that wasn't a lie."
"[Kong] represents part of the law of [space]. The active and dynamic side of it, such as traversing, connecting, and tearing apart. Meanwhile, the other half is called [Hen], representing the still and restrained aspects, like sealing, stagnation, and isolation."
"[Kong] and [Hen] are two sides of [space], just as they are two sides of the [Nine-Tailed Fox]. Only when both exist together do they truly encompass the full concept of [space]. The original [Supreme Sacred Fox God]."
"That is the relationship between me and Hen."
"Another... split?"
Upon hearing this, Violet had already begun to piece together the truth.
She recalled that Sethlin had once casually mentioned that within the neutral faction of the gods, there had been a chief deity representing the law of [space]. However, this deity rarely appeared in the [Origin Realm], their whereabouts always a mystery. Even the Goddess of Earth knew little about them, and for some unknown reason, they had vanished tens of thousands of years ago.
Violet had always been intrigued by this because the Goddess of Life had once clearly stated that the [inventory] function she used bore a strong resemblance to the authority of the God of Space. Furthermore, the [Diviner] of the Spirit Veil Merchant Guild believed that this ability was a special privilege granted by the Fox God to the Spirit Fox Shrine Maidenes. Was it really just a coincidence?
Especially after arriving in the Ancient Spirit Realm, meeting both Hen and Xiao Kong, and witnessing Xiao Kong’s extraordinary mastery over space, her suspicions had only grown stronger. This was why she had repeatedly tested the cat-girl before.
It seems that there really is an intricate connection between them.
"So, the [Nine-Tailed] Fox God, Konghen, is the true God of Space? And the reason why the God of Space disappeared... could it be because they split into you and Hen?"
"The God of Space... Some gods from other worlds did call me that. I never admitted it, but I also didn't bother to correct them. However, Dawn didn't like that title, so I changed my appearance and started walking the world under the name [Fox God]. But back then, our divine authority hadn't been divided yet."
Xiao Kong smiled slightly, correcting a few parts of the priestess’s assumptions before adding more details.
"When you first mentioned that old title, I was quite surprised. Only someone who has lived for tens of thousands of years could have come across it. So, who told you about it?"
The priestess had no intention of hiding anything. There was nothing to keep secret in the first place.
"The Goddess of Earth, Seth. Do you know her?"
"The Goddess of Earth... Oh, so it's that one. I do have some impression of her. If I remember correctly, she’s one of the native gods of the [Origin Realm], right? One of the first deities born after creation, formed from the world's fundamental laws. She was also one of the leaders of the [Origin Realm]'s pantheon and classified all known gods into three factions: Order, Neutrality, and Chaos."
"Gods like me and the Ancestral Dragon, who were born in other worlds but didn't show any signs of hostility, were considered neutral by her. But we didn’t really interact much. After all, it's extremely difficult for a god to travel across worlds in their true form. Unless they’re one of those troublemaking evil gods, most prefer to stay in their own realms and mind their own business."
"I see..."
This explanation matched what Sethlin had previously described.
During the Age of Gods, the [Origin Realm] was the strongest world, holding an overwhelming advantage. But otherworldly gods also existed back then, such as the Four Demon Lords, as well as figures like the Fox God and the Ancestral Dragon of the Ancient Spirit Realm.
However, after the calamity of the Divine Cataclysm, the gods of the [Origin Realm] suffered the greatest losses, allowing other worlds to gradually close the gap, leading to the current balance of power.
After confirming the true nature and identity of the so-called God of Space, Violet didn’t dwell on minor details. Instead, she immediately shifted the conversation to a more important question.
"If the law of [Space] is the true power of the Fox God, then why is it now split into two parts: [Kong] and [Hen]? Did your divinity also split?"
Miss Nine-Tailed Fox tilted her head curiously, catching a key detail in the black-haired girl’s words.
"Also? Have you encountered a similar case before?"
"Yes, actually, I was just talking about the Goddess of Earth. She..."
Violet took some time to briefly explain how the Goddess of Earth, who controlled the law of [Life and Withering], had internal conflicts within her divine authority. Over time, this conflict led to the emergence of two separate consciousnesses, which eventually resulted in disasters. The gods on the Order side killed and sealed her away, but after over a thousand years, she was revived. Only to fully split into two separate deities, one representing Life and the other Withering.
"Hmm… A divinity splitting due to internal conflict? That’s quite an interesting concept," the Fox God said.
Without much formality, she sat cross-legged on the spot, resting her chin on one hand while her nine large tails swayed lazily behind her. A thoughtful expression appeared on her face.
"I had only heard bits and pieces of news from that side before. Something about gods responsible for maintaining order breaking into civil war, one of the three main gods, the Goddess of Earth, falling, and the [Origin Realm] descending into chaos. I didn’t know there was such a complicated backstory behind it."
The girl twirled her fingers lightly.
"First, let’s make one thing clear. My situation and Seth’s are completely different. Her divinity represented two completely opposite forces, [Life] and [Withering]. While these two can transform into each other, and that’s one of the reasons she was so powerful, a contradiction is still a contradiction. Life and Withering were never meant to exist within a single being, so when external forces interfered, a split was inevitable."
"Gods aren’t easily affected by outside influences. In my opinion, at least 70% of that disaster was Seth’s own fault. I’ve never heard of another god having the same problem. Take me, for example, [Space] is a single, complete concept. While it can be broken down into different aspects, at the core, it remains the same fundamental law."
As she spoke, a playful smile suddenly appeared on her face.
"So, if we put it that way, maybe the [Primordial Light] was just being lazy when it distributed the laws of the world~"
"Eh...?"
After casually joking about the [Primordial Light] that no one knew whether it existed, Xiao Kong quickly returned to a serious tone.
"Back to the main topic. Technically speaking, the Supreme Sacred Fox God, Konghen, did undergo a kind of split. They became the two separate entities you see now, [Kong] and [Hen], each representing a part of the divine power. But the nature of this split is very different from the example you gave."
Instead of immediately explaining further, the fox girl suddenly brought up an unfamiliar term.
"Do you remember the 'Creation of the world Project'?"
"?"
A question mark practically appeared above the black-haired girl’s head. But before she could respond, the fox god gave a knowing nod, looking somewhat resigned.
"You don’t remember... I thought so. Violet, can you tell me exactly how you met and got to know Hen?"
"......"
Xiao Kong’s question was sharp.
To answer it properly, she would have to reveal details about [Illusory World], the game itself, and the fact that she had crossed over into this world as a player. That would mean exposing her greatest secret, something not even Xiao Guang fully knew.
As she looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face before her, a past conversation with Xiao Kong in [Great Secret Realm of Chaos] surfaced in her mind.
[Violet, what are you to me? Why should I entrust you with such an important secret?]
That’s right. Did she have the resolve to return the same level of absolute trust that was being placed in her?
How should she face Xiao Kong’s expectations?
It was time... to make a decision.