Chapter 1393: God Clan

Gods, a word that evokes awe and reverence, have existed since ancient times. Legends about them are endless, describing them as supremely powerful.

They are revered and honored by mortals, and feared by cultivators, symbolizing power and omnipotence. The legends of gods are boundless, found everywhere, and have shone brilliantly through the ages.

However, there is much controversy surrounding them in the world. In some ancient star systems, their existence is even denied, seen as transcending common sense and not aligning with reality.

Whether gods truly exist, a question beyond the grasp of mortals, has always been a topic of discussion among cultivators. Consequently, this has led to various opposing arguments.

For a long period, in certain ancient lands, gods were a taboo subject. Those who angered them faced death, while those who revered them prospered, making their nature seem even more profound and inscrutable.

Now, Dragon Horse, Saint Black Bear, Scorpio, Golden Lion, and others carried back a stone coffin. They claimed to have captured an ancient god, which naturally astonished Ye Fan, who felt it was too unreal to be true.

"He claims to be a god, and we collectively forced open his Sea of Consciousness, capturing a wisp of divine thought that proves his words are not false," Dragon Horse stated emphatically, appearing utterly convinced.

To seize opportunities, they had put in great effort on this desolate ancient planet. The twelve saints combined their divine senses, sweeping across numerous famous mountains and rivers to scout for secrets.

Along the way, they found many ruins. Eventually, they discovered an ancient cave dwelling. They forcibly opened its stone gate, entered, and found this coffin.

It was a stone coffin, carved from rare evergreen stone. It appeared ancient and spiritual, a precious coffin for burying the dead, rarely seen throughout history.

The god was white-haired, with skin shriveled and clinging to his bones, all his vital essence seemingly drained. He clearly appeared to be in his twilight years, with not much time left to live.

White strands of hair were falling out, his body was skeletal, and his wrinkled old skin was dry. His eyes were clouded and lifeless, and his lips trembled as if he wanted to speak but struggled to utter any words.

The only thing that made him appear supremely divine and sacred was that even in his decrepit state, his body still emanated divine radiance. This radiance enveloped him like a divine moon, and the halo behind his head resembled a sea of stars.

Ye Fan's entire body glowed. As the 'Zhe' character secret art operated, wisps of golden blood energy overflowed from his body, enveloping him. He appeared even more brilliant than the god, his body luminous and incomparably powerful.

As the two made contact, the god's body trembled violently, and wisps of radiant light flowed into him. This nourished his vital essence, and his dim eyes gradually gained a flicker of light, his entire being showing a renewed vitality.

It had to be said, the 'Zhe' character secret art was unparalleled in the world, a divine healing technique. It even had miraculous effects in prolonging life, thus making it supreme in this domain.

The god, whose life force was withered, showed a slight sign of improvement after receiving the 'Zhe' character secret art's treatment. He could clearly hold on for a while longer and would not suddenly pass away.

"Are you truly a god?" Ye Fan asked. He had already stopped, as the man's origin was depleted, and without an immortal medicine to extend his life, he had no hope of survival.

"I... am a god," he uttered with difficulty. His vital energy, spirit, and essence still struggled to coalesce, with one foot already stepping into the shadow of death.

Who in this world can be immortal? It's almost impossible to find a single example. All ancient prodigies have turned to dust. If gods existed, they should be immortal and permanently reside in the world.

Yet, no one could truly prove that gods were still alive; it was believed they had all perished with the passage of time. They were not truly immortal beings.

"If you are a god, can you still die?" Ye Fan said calmly. He did not believe in the existence of true gods; from ancient times to the present, there had been no shortage of legends about them, but not a single verifiable proof.

"I was... devoured of my origin by someone, otherwise it wouldn't be like this," he said, very weakly and gasping for breath.

Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Dragon Horse, and Saint Black Bear were all startled. Someone had once slain a god here and taken its origin? This was truly momentous news!

"Gods are not necessarily above all else; there are quite a few ancient legends of Great Emperors suppressing them," Golden Lion stated, as it was indeed true.

Ye Fan nodded, thinking of several supreme beings.

Innumerable ages ago, the Heaven Sovereign swept across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, engulfing the cosmos with his might, and subjugated divine beings. He once ruled over all heavens and myriad realms, with all gods in the world honoring and coming to worship him.

That was an extremely glorious era, where the Heaven Sovereign established divine laws and regulations. All gods had to comply, none daring to defy him. It was a true age of myths.

Afterwards, the Immortal Heavenly Emperor rose, also possessing unparalleled might, and once reigned supreme over the world. All gods came to audience, and myriad races jointly worshipped him. Such majesty was incomparable and rare throughout history.

However, those were ultimately legends, long passed. And there was much controversy in the world, with many believing they were not gods in the true sense.

"Who was it? Was it really done by a human?" Dragon Horse asked eagerly.

If a god had its origin devoured by a human, this would be a world-shaking secret. Pondering it deeply sent a chill through one's body.

"You can't even defeat a human, and you dare call yourself a god?!" Dragon Horse scoffed, its large, bell-like eyes wide. It genuinely wanted to know what kind of person that was.

"It must be another kind of god..." Ye Fan murmured to himself. By now, the meaning of "god" had changed, and he believed this person was certainly not the kind of god from ancient legends.

The being in the stone coffin, white-haired and lying like a corpse, was nonetheless enveloped by divine halos. Even in his decrepit state, a divine radiance shone around him. He spoke a name, immediately causing Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and others to tremble with shock.

Yaoguang!

That human was actually Yaoguang, a not-unfamiliar name, though they hadn't seen him for decades. He was the one who had devoured this god's life essence and taken its divine origin for himself.

Many years had passed, and this person still adhered to his consistent principles, maintaining a remarkably low profile on the ancient starry road. Only the Southern Demon had inadvertently caught a glimpse of his whereabouts; no one else knew.

Pang Bo had always been vigilant, but never received any information about him, constantly taking strict precautions. Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon Yaoguang's mysterious trail here.

"It was him?!" Ye Fan's brows furrowed slightly.

"This person is very difficult to deal with and will undoubtedly be a great enemy in the future. He has certainly inherited the Ruthless Great Emperor's legacy!" Pang Bo also frowned, recalling various past events.

During the battle at the Central Continent Ancestral Temple back then, Yaoguang directly used the Dragon-Pattern Black Gold Cauldron to suppress and kill them. Had they not anticipated the danger and countered with the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot, they would have been in grave peril.

Ye Fan had never underestimated Yaoguang, but he also didn't believe Yaoguang could devour gods; it was unrealistic. He stared at the old man in the stone coffin, certain that he was not a true deity.

"You're not a god!" Pang Bo glared, extending his fan-like large hand and poking him. He nearly sent him flying out of the stone coffin.

"This god... is not that god," the being in the stone coffin said weakly. He was worried that Pang Bo's daikon-thick fingers would poke several holes straight through his body, given the frightening power behind them.

"I am a member of the God Clan!" His eyes were dim, yet when he spoke of his race, an astonishing light flashed through them—a mix of pride and arrogance.

True gods are immortal, taboo existences from legends.

But since gods were never seen, people's beliefs wavered. Over time, the meaning of the term gradually changed, often referring to beings of incredible, heaven-defying power.

Thus, the word "god" gradually acquired two meanings.

From ancient times to the present, all "gods" that have been seen eventually aged. They all perished, turning into dust in the annals of history, becoming a handful of yellow earth, unable to achieve true immortality.

The saints believed that miracles, legends, and inexplicable ancient events were actually the actions of powerful beings, not manifestations of true gods.

"God" has two meanings: true gods, and incredibly powerful extraterrestrial beings. By now, the former meaning has almost been entirely dismissed.

This person claiming to be from the God Clan instantly enlightened Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Dragon Horse, and the others, while also shocking them. Indeed, such a race existed, rumored to be the continuation of the gods' bloodline.

Regardless of which meaning of "god" was used to interpret it, it indicated the unparalleled power of this clan. They were considered a heaven-defying race, rumored to be omnipotent.

In fact, after embarking on the ancient starry road, one could hear legends about them. All saints spoke of an ancient path belonging to the God Clan, which was the most mysterious and difficult for outsiders to find.

This clan was very small in number, rarely seen throughout history. There were indeed some powerful races that often called themselves "God Clans," but they were not the true one; genuine members of this clan rarely appeared.

"Not true gods, but a God Clan; I have heard of them," Pang Bo nodded. Then he asked, "Just how powerful is this clan?"

"Extremely powerful, rumored to be almost heaven-defying," Nine-tailed Alligator Dragon said with a solemn expression.

Ye Fan also nodded seriously. Over the years, he had consulted numerous ancient texts and inquired among saints from different star systems along the starry road. He had learned about many powerful races.

Members of the God Clan were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, yet they were truly heaven-defying. It was rumored that the occasional divine physiques appearing among humans were similar to those of this clan!

"What? That's impossible?!" Pang Bo was shocked, somewhat disbelieving.

This secret was truly astonishing; even Ye Fan found it incredible when he first learned of it. However, according to several nearly lost ancient texts, it was indeed true.

"This... is hard to believe. Ji Haoyue and Jiang Yifei, with their rare and powerful physiques, their blood flows similarly to that of the God Clan?!" Pang Bo was genuinely stunned.

It wasn't just individual people, but an entire clan. Even though they were extremely rare, they were still a race. How powerful could such a divine-blooded race be? It was almost unimaginable!

Ordinary members of the clan possessed divine physiques, and the most outstanding among them must be incredibly powerful. With their divine blood returning to its ancient potency, they would surely transcend the world!

"If Ji Haoyue and Jiang Yifei were part of this clan, they would just be ordinary members. If a young king were to emerge within this clan... that's truly hair-raising," Pang Bo muttered to himself.

"Don't worry, this clan is pitifully small and nearly extinct," Nine-tailed Alligator Dragon said. "Most who call themselves God Clans in the world are not the real ones."

For six years, Ye Fan and his companions had traveled the Golden Ancient Road, besides honing themselves. Their primary goal was to follow a clue to find the whereabouts of the Ji family siblings.

Now, they had unexpectedly learned of Yaoguang's whereabouts and met a true member of the God Clan. This was an unexpected gain.

"So, does this mean Ji Haoyue and Jiang Yifei aren't human?" Pang Bo asked.

Ye Fan shook his head. According to those ancient texts, in the distant past, the God Clan was also a branch of humanity. However, their bloodline was too potent, and they considered themselves noble, extremely self-assured, eventually separating to establish themselves as an independent clan.

"This conflicts with the legends of the gods, so the God Clan does not acknowledge it and has never accepted this claim."

However, individual divine physiques occasionally appeared among humans, and in terms of physique and the divine blood flowing in their bodies, they were indeed very close to the God Clan, proving certain connections.