"They have even forced the clans of the mightiest insect to continuously retreat toward the coastal waters."
"Oh, and the clan of that Ice Giant in the north seems to have joined forces with those Exotic Creatures as well."
"So, Vortex God, give up. Thereâs no way we can ally with those four on the continent."
When the Sea Rabbit said this, the giant jellyfishâs tiny, bead-like eyes narrowed.
"Hmm... If Iâm not mistaken, havenât the other three on the continent been recuperating underground ever since their battle with that great insect ten thousand years ago?"
"Thereâs no mistake. I can still sense the auras of those three behemoths deep underground."
"So, in my view, their terrestrial clans may have forged some sort of pact with those Exotic Creatures without their permission."
"The actions of lesser beings donât mean everything, Slime God."
As he spoke, the giant jellyfish turned to the eel at his side.
"Cunning Sharp Tooth God, if I were to ask you to contact those three behemoths this time, would you agree?"
Hearing the giant jellyfish call him the Sharp Tooth God, the eel instantly became agitated.
"Damn you!"
"Vortex God, I know youâre stronger than the rest of us, but you canât just insult me like that."
"Iâve told you countless times! My name isnât Sharp Tooth, itâs Torrentâthe God of Torrents!"
"And why should I be the one to contact those three behemoths?"
"Donât you all know that those four behemoths on the land have always looked down on us Sea Gods?"
"Besides, if those four on land hadnât been locked in a stalemate, they would have invaded our ocean domain with their full might long ago."
"And you all know they had a great war on the continent before. Every one of them was injured to some extent."
"When Deities are injured and recuperating, any other Deity who approaches their territory is immediately seen as hostile. And under those circumstances, you still want me to contact them?"
"Are you just hoping I get swallowed whole by one of them?"
The eel Deity was clearly reluctant.
After all, on Barbaric Star, the Ancient Deities had long established their own set of rules.
Namely, when a Deity was injured, any other Deity who entered their domain would be immediately treated as an enemy.
"But things are different now."
"You donât have to actually get close to them. You just need to mention the threat from beyond the Star Sea. With their power, a single sweep of their Spiritual Vision will be enough for them to understand."
"However, since youâre unwilling, Sharp Tooth God... then how about you, Shell God? Are you willing to go?"
The jellyfishâs expression was calm as he turned to the massive, hermit crab-like being.
"Me?"
"I suppose I could go... but, Vortex God, even if we ally with the four behemoths on the continent, can we really defeat that terrifying being from beyond the Star Sea?"
"Iâm... Iâm just so scared."
"I barely managed to survive that terrifying environment from the old days. I really donât want to fight any Deities! Really! Donât you all know me by now?"
The hermit crab-like creature was enormous, but he was truly a coward.
He wasnât particularly bright, either.
But regardless, his cowardice was an essential part of his survival from the ancient era to the present day.
Just as he was now, the creatureâs true body remained shrunken in the darkness of its shell, revealing only a pair of faint, deeply unsettled eyes to the other Ancient Deities.
"And... youâll probably laugh, but Iâll say it anyway."
"If I knew what really happened to the ones who were defeatedâor even subjugatedâby the Exotic Creatures, I wouldâve given up resisting long ago."
"After all, if that giant worm just wants me as a subordinate, Iâd be more than happy to accept."
"As long as I can live, thatâs good enough for me. I couldnât care less about the dignity of a Deity..."
"Traitor! You coward!" the eel scoffed, cursing him immediately.
"Itâs a miracle youâve even survived this long," the Sea Rabbit remarked, remaining rather calm.
"Luck and effort are both indispensable. I must say, the Shell Godâs luck is quite good," the jellyfish said with an unconcerned smile.
Then, the jellyfish said:
"Youâve all said a great deal about the situation in the outside world these past few days."
"Iâm also aware of what happened to the other eight Deities in the ocean. Some were killed, while others directly joined the ranks of the Exotic Creatures, even pledging allegiance to that Exotic Land God from beyond the Star Sea."
"But we are, after all, the Deities of this world. We have to at least try."
"So, from my perspective, what the Shell God said isnât entirely wrong."
"If all else fails, choosing to submit to that powerful Exotic Land God is also an option."
"As for becoming servants to that Exotic Land God, it doesnât matter if weâre eventually devoured or used for some other purpose. Such is the way of a world where the strong prey on the weak."
"Of course, if that powerful Exotic Land God truly wants to subjugate usâif he merely wishes to acquire powerful servantsâthen our resistance actually has its benefits."
"For one, we wonât be underestimated by that Exotic Land God."
"Thatâs far better than being like those other cowards."
The giant jellyfish was clearly more rational and had already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
And since the giant jellyfish, the most powerful Deity in the ocean, had spoken, the other four Ancient Deities could only keep their objections to themselves.
But in the end, both the giant jellyfish and the other four Ancient Deities were extremely wary of the idea of becoming servants to the Giant Serpent God.
At least in this world, none of these Ancient Deities had ever considered taking another ancient divine beast as their subordinate.
After all, even with the current disparity in their Power, they were all Ancient Life born in the same world, in the same era.
Who knew if a subordinate of the same fundamental nature might one day surpass them, or even betray them when the opportunity arose.
Therefore, for these less-than-brilliant Ancient Gods of the Wilderness, the safest method had always been to defeat other Ancient Deities and devour them to accelerate their own growth.
Why trust others when you could trust your own Power?
The idea that might makes right was deeply ingrained in their hearts.
If these Ancient Deities hadnât gradually grown wiser and learned to form alliances to deal with powerful individuals and ensure their own safety, this world would likely have far fewer Ancient Deities today.
Ultimately, among the five Ancient Deities, the Shell God was the one to act.
He headed deep beneath the continent.
He even used the Power of Space to traverse the Subspace, pinpointing the approximate location where the three Land Deities slumbered.
And so.
Dozens of sunrises and sunsets passed in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, in the world outside Barbaric Star, the Feathered Insect Race had been pushed to the brink of extinction.
Countless powerful members of the Feathered Insect Race were being cornered by the Star Empireâs coalition forces within a territory of less than one million square kilometers.
At the same time, the oceanâs Clans had either been wiped out or had surrendered. No Race was left that could resist the Star Empireâs coalition.
It was at this very moment.
Just outside the Star Realm of Barbaric Star.
Suddenly, a ripple in Space manifested less than 3,000 kilometers away from the Giant Serpent God Kukudar.
A creature resembling a black and gray moth appeared.
Its wingspan exceeded fifty thousand kilometers.
It was, without a doubt, an absolute behemoth.
Even if its overall mass wasnât as imposing as Linceâs, or as dense as the Giant Serpent God Kukudarâs serpentine body, its Body Type was by no means small.
But that wasnât all.
At the same time, to the left and right of the giant moth, more ripples suddenly spread through the void.
The next moment, an Ice Giant fifteen thousand kilometers tall appeared.
Following it was a creature that looked like a Tree Stump with a human face, and a massive loach whose entire body seemed to be covered in sludge.
These beings were all at least ten thousand kilometers in size.
And as these four behemoths appeared, they were naturally followed by the five Ancient Deities of the ocean.
A total of nine Ancient Deities appeared all at once in the Star Sea.
In that instant, the Starships of the Star Empire beat a hasty retreat.
But the eyes of the Giant Serpent God Kukudar lit up for some reason.
Then, he slowly uncoiled his massive serpentine body and raised his head to gaze upon them.