The Etheric World was vast and boundless, containing countless dangerous and forbidden regions that isolated everything within them.

  Communication had always been a tremendous challenge for most civilizations.

  Only highly advanced etheric civilizations could truly solve this problem—such as the Atlantean civilization , which possessed a High-Dimensional Information Space.

  They transmitted information into a high-dimensional information field located within the Imaginary Dimension, using it as a broadcasting hub across vast territories.

  ---

  High-Dimensional Information Space

  Civilizations at this level, due to the enormity of their territories, typically established communication networks and information stations within the Imaginary Dimension to exchange data in real time.

  Their cultural records and historical data were also stored within multidimensional information spaces for easy retrieval.

  However, because of the rules of Infinite Space-Time in the Imaginary Dimension—where countless overlapping dimensional layers coexisted—it was nearly impossible to locate the information space of an enemy civilization.

  > “Countless civilizations have perished, yet their databases remain intact—treasures for grave robbers and adventurers of the Imaginary Dimension.”

  ---

  The stone carvings resembled scrolls narrating an ancient story.

  When O’Neil examined them closely, he was shocked to discover they depicted the history of the Dragon God.

  They told of the golden, purple-eyed dragon known as the Luminous Dragon King, who slew his twin brother—the purple-gold–eyed dragon called the Heavenly Destruction Dragon. They also described how the Luminous Dragon King created the Nine Dragon Kings.

  O’Neil guessed that this virtual space might be connected to the gods.

  As they continued excavating deeper, O’Neil witnessed depictions of the Great War of the Gods.

  There were few records of that war, and even fewer detailed accounts of its outcome.

  The primary record concerned the fall of a god—more precisely, the fall of the Beast God.

  He had taken the form of a serpent and was slain by the Luminous Dragon King, who had been corrupted by the Crimson Abyss.

  Yet the god had not been completely annihilated. Part of his remains transformed into a stone statue—which O’Neil obtained.

  The moment O’Neil touched it, he received a “divine revelation.” He witnessed fragments of the god’s past life and gained a portion of his power and wisdom.

  After that, there were no further records.

  ---

  When O’Neil finished observing the final mural, he finally stood before the stone statue.

  It was enormous—ten meters tall—standing in the center of a pool, its base submerged.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The statue resembled a coiled giant serpent. Its stone eyes seemed conscious, staring directly at O’Neil, radiating an oppressive aura of cold power and profound wisdom—as if judging the purity of his soul.

  The statue still retained the aura and authority of a god.

  Gods do not decay easily, nor are they easily erased.

  Meanwhile, O’Neil’s spiritual sea extended outward, carefully probing every detail around the statue.

  Behind it, he discovered a unique engraving.

  The engraving consisted of two layers: one circle above, three circles below. The three lower circles were connected to the upper circle by three lines.

  Inside each circle was a mysterious symbol.

  O’Neil had never seen these symbols before. Yet upon seeing them, he instinctively understood their meaning.

  “A pure soul. Absolute power. Noble bloodline… to obtain the Holy Spirit? The three lower circles connect to the upper one… Does that mean all three conditions must be met to achieve the result above?”

  His eyes trembled.

  “Are these the conditions for inheriting a divine position? So this is the ultimate secret of the Holy Spirit Sect—Divine Succession.”

  It seemed the fallen Beast God had left behind an inheritance—and O’Neil could understand it at first glance.

  He possessed the Spiritual Sea ability and the power to purify corruption—both spiritual attributes.

  He carried the noble bloodline of the Deep Sea Clan, said to descend from the Hidden Deep Sea Emperor—though he had not fully confirmed this.

  Within his bloodline flowed the ultimate attributes of water and ice.

  He met the conditions.

  O’Neil smiled.

  “This was meant for me.”

  Though this divine position originally belonged to the Beast God, humans could inherit it and ascend to the same divine rank.

  Moreover, supernatural abilities could evolve into divine laws.

  ---

  After confirming there were no immediate dangers, O’Neil raised his left hand. A Heartforce barrier—formed from the Wall of the Heart and the Will of the Heart—wrapped around the serpent statue as he prepared to claim it.

  He continued probing deeper.

  The true core of the statue—the divine inheritance left by the Beast God—was hidden in its deepest part.

  O’Neil found it quickly.

  A magnificent gate radiating white light appeared at the chamber’s deepest point. Beyond it lay the inheritance of the divine position.

  The crimson corruption of fallen divinity was blocked entirely by the invisible white light, unable to approach the sacred authority within.

  When O’Neil stepped into the region of white light, he entered effortlessly.

  The inheritance did not reject him.

  At the gate, he no longer needed to maintain his Heartforce shield. The barrier returned to its pure white state.

  “It seems the divine inheritance awaits here. I wonder if I will truly be acknowledged.”

  He believed he at least satisfied the external requirements.

  He reached out and touched the gate.

  Above it was the same circular pattern—but inverted: one circle below, three above, connected by three lines.

  His hand touched the lower circle.

  The circle lit up.

  Light surged upward along the first line and entered the first upper circle. A divine force scanned his body.

  The first circle illuminated successfully.

  “Noble bloodline…”

  The light flowed along the second line into the second circle. Another divine force examined him.

  The second circle lit up.

  “Absolute power…”

  Finally, the light rose along the third line into the final circle.

  This time, the divine force examined his soul.

  But the third circle did not immediately light up. Instead, all light vanished at once.

  The final examination lasted far longer, as if struggling with the condition of his soul. O’Neil felt unusually tense.

  At last—

  The final circle lit up.

  He had passed.

  Boom!

  The inheritance gate trembled violently. O’Neil stepped back, Heartforce activated, wary of potential danger.

  What if this was possession rather than inheritance?

  Fortunately, his fears were unnecessary.

  The gate slowly opened. Dazzling white light engulfed him.

  He received the inheritance of the divine position.

  An immense torrent of knowledge and experience flooded into his Spiritual Sea by force.

  Through it, O’Neil learned of the god who came before him.

  The Beast God.

  The Holy Spirit.

  The Feathered Serpent.

  A First-Rank God—God of Wisdom.

  The Feathered Serpent possessed noble serpent blood. Brilliant, multicolored feathers replaced scales, granting resistance to all elemental attacks and the ability to traverse the cosmos.

  It possessed immense spiritual power, vast knowledge, and detested chaos and ignorance.

  But it was torn apart by the rampaging Dragon God.

  Thus, it fell.

  Before perishing, the God of Wisdom left behind this inheritance.

  Due to the urgency of the war, there was no divine trial—yet the conditions remained extremely harsh.

  Noble bloodlines still existed, particularly on the Golden Planet, homeland of bloodline sorcerers.

  Extreme attributes were rare there—but those who inherited them were guaranteed exceptional talent.

  As for purity of soul, it was not merely moral purity. It required awakened spiritual awareness—the opening of the Spiritual Sea.

  Thus, successors must either possess a pure heart, inherit it in innocent childhood, or wield special abilities such as Heartforce.

  Fortunately, Heartforce satisfied this condition.

  “No wonder no one has obtained your inheritance,” O’Neil muttered.

  Beyond matters of divinity, he gained immense knowledge—artifact crafting, divine relic forging, transcendence at the level of a First-Rank God, and profound insights into the world and the cosmos.

  Worthy indeed of the God of Wisdom.

  Yet there were no personal memories of the Feathered Serpent.

  O’Neil had hoped to glimpse the ancient era.

  Still, the inheritance was priceless.

  Even in the era of the Luminous Dragon King, First-Rank Gods were rare—and the God of Wisdom ranked among the finest.

  Should he accumulate greater wisdom, he might even ascend to God-King.

  When the white light faded, his Spiritual Sea finished receiving the knowledge.

  O’Neil blinked, returning to awareness.

  Within his Spiritual Sea, conflicting sensations stirred.

  Another change occurred—

  The Mark of the God of Wisdom appeared upon his forehead.

  He would only officially become the new God of Wisdom once his Spiritual Sea fully assimilated the knowledge.

  Whether he truly possessed that capacity remained uncertain.

  As his Spiritual Sea slowly stabilized, the mark of inheritance shone faintly upon his brow.