[Vol. 7] Chapter 161: The Era of Lost Magic
"The fall of the gods... That should have been impossible. It means that the Divinity, something that was supposed to be indestructible, has shattered. Splitting from a complete concept into countless fragments, eventually losing its very essence. It is no longer part of the world’s foundation, which was originally granted by the Primordial Light."
"But you’ve seen what happened to the God of Truth, Surst. They truly died, just as we discussed before. Their Divinity fractured into numerous pieces, some became artifacts, some merged with lingering resentment to create disasters, and some were even entangled with [Octavier], another deity. Back in the Age of Gods, this would have been an earth-shattering, unprecedented event that shook the entire world."
Sethlin paused briefly before continuing, speaking in a quiet corner where no one else could overhear their divine-level conversation.
"To be honest, when I first heard this from you, I was utterly shocked. But Surst’s fate became the strongest proof to confirm the possibilities I had pieced together from countless clues."
"In that unknown war a thousand years ago, a great number of gods perished. Their Divinities were torn apart by some unknown force. Most of their main fragments are still missing, but some smaller remnants attached themselves to newly formed lifeforms, resulting in what we now call the [God's Favored]."
"Besides that, Violet, I’m sure you’ve noticed as well. Since the [Divine Catastrophe] a thousand years ago, the number of top-tier beings in the Origin Realm has plummeted dramatically. Even among the Mythical Species, the older generation has gradually died off for various reasons, while the new generation has failed to fill the gap. In today’s world, even sixth- or seventh-tier beings are incredibly rare."
"Back in the golden age of the gods, just my subordinate angels alone numbered in the tens of thousands. The decline has been nothing short of catastrophic, it’s completely unnatural. It’s highly likely that this is because the core divine laws once governed by the gods have shattered and scattered. Without them, the amount of energy living beings can absorb and utilize has diminished significantly."
"Cases like the demon god Olivia, who deliberately passed down her divine authority before her fall, preserving her power for future successors, are the exception rather than the rule. In short, our world’s overall power level has drastically fallen."
"Even the growing hostility of the Origin Realm toward outsiders and the formation of the world’s barriers could very well be tied to these changes. Of course, that’s just my theory for now. Ultimately, we still don’t know exactly what destroyed the gods, what kind of ‘malice’ wiped them out, or where their most important divine laws and authorities have gone."
“So... you're saying this world has been ‘downgraded’?”
Sethlin’s theory matched the suspicions Violet had already formed deep in her heart.
Ever since her journey to the Ancient Spirit Realm, after inheriting Dawn’s memories and Divinity, Violet had noticed something striking. The Origin Realm, supposedly the first and oldest world personally created by the Primordial Light, had a drastically lower number and quality of powerful beings compared to that place. In fact, the difference was downright ridiculous.
The Ancient Spirit Realm had already suffered a devastating calamity from the Beast of Chaos Taotie, leading to near-total destruction and forcing the world to rebuild from almost nothing. The entire inner region was even severed by the Xiao Kong to seal the Taotie's body. To say it suffered immense losses is an understatement.
Yet despite all that, even after enduring a catastrophe far worse than anything in the Origin Realm, that world still had far more and far stronger warriors, both at the lower and higher levels.
Even if she didn’t count Spirit Veil Immortal Island, just from what Violet had personally seen and heard of in the Ancient Spirit Realm, there were at least ten pseudo god level powerhouses, including figures like the Twelve Peak Sages of Cangyun Mountain, the Seven Heavenly Demon Lords, and the top-ranked experts of the Ancient Spirit Realm Top 100 List ranking. True transcendents were rarer, but not nearly as impossible to find as they were in the Origin Realm.
Even ordinary humans, such as Mu Ze, the Wandering Sovereign, and the Ten Thousand Sword Sovereign, were able to break through to transcendent, or even beyond. Purely through their own efforts. And most of them had only emerged after the great disaster.
But in contrast, what had become of the Origin Realm?
This was once the strongest world, home to the greatest number of gods, far surpassing any other realm. And yet now, even among the Five Great Nations, the strongest powers left, it was difficult to find even a single pseudo-god level. And those that did exist had strange and unnatural origins.
Some are artifact spirits like the Bright Light Saintess, others are ancient angels, or high priests of the Sky Temple who inherited a portion of divinity, or ancestral spirits formed from faith.
Clearly, something was deeply wrong with the Origin Realm itself.
It was like one of those stories where a world loses its ability to support cultivation—where magic thins out, making it nearly impossible to grow strong. No matter how talented a genius might be, without the right environment, they would struggle to reach even the heights their predecessors had once ascended with ease.
In contrast, there were individuals like the [God's Favored], a unique phenomenon that didn’t exist in other worlds and seemed somewhat inexplicable. This further supported Sethlin’s theory, it was likely the truth.
"If that’s the case, then the [God's Favored] are more like successors. Those who inherit the will of the fallen gods and protect the world in their place. Too bad their power can’t really be used for combat…"
With a teasing smile, Violet turned her gaze back to the [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus], who had just finished her speech. As the applause thundered across the hall, she gracefully left the stage with the other representatives, and the invisible "force field" around her naturally faded.
"So, Sethlin, have you figured out which ‘Law’ her power comes from?"
Surprisingly, the goddess shook her head without hesitation.
"I’ve told you before, this Imperial Princess is an anomaly, even among the [God's Favored]."
After a brief pause, Sethlin spoke with a thoughtful expression.
"Out of all the [God's Favored] I’ve encountered, there are only two whose abilities remain a mystery to me. One of them is someone you know, Princess Menna of the Human United Kingdom. The other… is her."
"Huh…"
The green-haired girl set down her empty cup, picked up the wine jug, and poured another half glass for herself and Violet.
"Princess Menna’s power is clearly related to ‘Time.’ But the Law of Time flows through the River of Time itself, controlled by the world, never belonging to any god. No god has ever died and left behind such a power, nor has any mortal ever managed to wield it."
"As for Princess Carinvega, you’ve seen it yourself, Violet. Her ability seems to let her subtly influence the minds of those around her simply through words and actions, what you’d call ‘informational contamination.’ But that isn’t a normal Law either. It feels more like an invisible force of causality. Otherwise, you and I should be able to see through it more clearly."
"And I can’t shake the feeling that, as a [God's Favored], her power isn’t limited to just this one ability. There’s a good chance she possesses multiple abilities…"
A wave of thunderous applause swallowed Sethlin’s soft and graceful voice. The ceiling lights flickered back to full brightness, casting their glow across the grand hall. In the dazzling illumination, Sethlin’s emerald eyes sparkled with amusement.
"So tell me, Violet, don’t you think someone this… ‘unique’ is worth getting to know a little better~?"