Once they had caught their breath, the three clan leaders knelt down and began to pray. No matter which god had come to their rescue, they could not afford to leave a bad impression.
At that moment, Laia, who had just finished integrating the new territory into her realm and was examining the traits of these tribes, suddenly received a surge of faith.
Immediately afterward, several divine crystals appeared before her eyes. Having been exiled for countless years, their prayers were unusually sincere and precious.
In no time, Laia gained a hundred divine crystals. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the crystals in her hands.
These newcomers were quick to contribute. But then she thought of her rowdy overlords, and her expression darkened slightly.
They would probably lead these new followers astray. It seemed her main income would still come from offerings. She brushed the thought aside and focused on finding more resources.
As she was about to leave, she sensed something unusual and looked upward.
A massive ship glided past above her, enormous and elaborately carved, radiating sacred light even in the void. The terrifying void mist could not penetrate it at all.
Laia frowned. What was this? It could resist the void mist? Some wealthy god's private vessel? It must be worth a fortune.
She shook her head, ignored it, and quickly moved away.
On the ship, a guard rushed to the innermost chamber and spoke softly. "My lord, a strange figure appeared in the mist just now."
A deep voice answered. "A wild god, a fallen god, or a void creature?"
The guard kept his head low. "It seemed to be a newly born god. I am too weak to discern its strength."
At this, the master of the chamber slowly opened his eyes. "A new god? How could a new god wander into the Forbidden Lands?
Is it protected by a powerful being, or a high-tier artifact?"
The guard hesitated. "My lord, I detected no aura of an artifact, not even a divine barrier. It appeared to be an innate trait."
The room fell silent. After a moment, he asked, "Did you see its face? Or its divine energy fluctuations?"
"Apologies, my lord. The void mist was too thick for me to see clearly."
Another short silence.
"Continue the patrol."
After the guard left, the lord grew curious.
Few beings in existence could move freely through the void without being harmed.
No god could truly ignore the void.
Even with the top-tier Void Resistance trait, the void would still erode one's realm.
Most realms could only withstand one or two weeks of void erosion before collapsing.
Even without artifacts, he could only wander the void for a few months. If his own realm endured a century of void erosion, it would shatter too.
And he stood at the peak of the empire's power.
He smiled faintly, his eyes sharp with killing intent. The Abyss had been meddling in affairs beyond its reach again.
The world had forgotten his terror for too long. It was time to visit the Abyss and cut off those greedy claws to buy some peace.
Meanwhile, Laia flew aimlessly through the void and soon frowned.
She was lost. A homebody who rarely left her realm, she had a terrible sense of direction. Surrounded by endless void mist, she had flown in the wrong direction.
She did not realize her mistake until she felt a familiar, dangerous aura lingering nearby—the same oppressive presence she had sensed during her earlier trip into the void.
Panicked, she crushed a void crystal, wrapping herself in mist to hide from whatever was approaching. She remained still until the presence faded and slipped away unseen.
Once she was safe, she marveled at how dangerous this world was. She had to return for the tournament soon. Luckily, she had left one day early.
But facing the endless mist, she had no idea which way to go. She considered asking a local for directions if she could find one.
Just as she was at a loss, she spotted a small patch of land ahead, glowing with soft light, almost identical to a normal divine realm.
Laia blinked in confusion. What was this place? Out of curiosity, she flew toward it.
Upon stepping onto the land, she felt a warm, comforting sensation all over her body, as if bathing in a hot spring.
She sighed softly, and when she opened her eyes again, she was filled with joy.
Though she did not know what this place was, her divine power was no longer draining away.
Normally, gods of different ranks had to consume divine crystals to stabilize their power while traveling through the void.
This place solved her most pressing problem.
Calming her excitement, she surveyed the area one last time.
The land was rich in divine minerals, including a type that could suppress divine power loss.
After a moment of thought, she took a small portion and fused it into her crudely made artifact.
Feeling her power stabilize, Laia sighed in relief. Her biggest worry was finally solved.
She looked at the remaining divine minerals and wondered how to use them.
She could not leave them behind, but she could not sell them either. Divine ores were monopolized by several powerful clans, and without official certification, they were illegal to trade.
Such rare resources could not be sold, so she had no choice but to use them for herself.
She sighed and thought about her options.
Divine minerals were typically used to forge artifacts, craft divine cards, or strengthen one's realm.
The amount here was not overwhelming. After thinking for a moment, she decided to store them in her realm.
She stared at the land beneath her feet and had a sudden thought. This land could block void erosion. What would happen to her realm if she absorbed the entire patch?