The spatial chaos hurtled past on all sides as Lin Lei was carried forward at terrifying speed by Berute.
Lin Lei's mind was completely blank. "How is this possible? Moving at such a fearsome pace through the spatial chaos — one could say he's ignoring it entirely. Berute… what level of strength is this?" Lin Lei turned his head to look at Berute beside him, his eyes filled with disbelief.
There was no other possibility.
Berute had absolutely surpassed the level of a deity. And surpassing the level of a deity meant there was only one thing he could be — a Chief God!
"Lord Berute, you… you're a Chief God?" Lin Lei asked.
"Haha…" Berute laughed heartily, unable to resist stroking his black beard with evident pride. "Lin Lei, to fly at will through the spatial chaos at such speed — and at a velocity ten or even a hundred times faster than your flight in the material plane. Tell me, if I'm not a Chief God, what would I be?"
Lin Lei was stunned.
Berute had obviously admitted it. He was a Chief God!
"A Chief God… no, that's… how is that possible?" Lin Lei's thoughts were a tangled mess, completely thrown off. "Lord Berute, aren't Chief Gods unable to enter material planes? The material plane can't withstand a Chief God's terrifying energy."
In the Okarin Plane, the Destruction Sovereign and the Radiant Sovereign could only create plane projection clones.
"Haha… among deities, it is indeed rumored that Chief Gods cannot enter material planes," Berute said, stroking his beard with a smile. "However, the accurate information is… foreign Chief Gods cannot enter material planes!"
"Foreign Chief Gods?" Lin Lei frowned.
"Lin Lei, do you understand the principle behind why Chief Gods cannot enter material planes?" Berute changed the subject.
"The principle? Isn't it because a Chief God's energy is too powerful for the material plane to bear?" Lin Lei said.
"Lin Lei, you say 'a Chief God's energy is too powerful, so the material plane can't withstand it.' Think carefully — if a Chief God wanted to restrain their energy, not a single wisp would leak out. So how would that cause the material plane to collapse?" Berute chuckled.
"That's right." Lin Lei couldn't make sense of it either.
If a Chief God restrained their energy and aura, even standing right in front of Lin Lei, he wouldn't be able to sense them. With such complete control, how could they cause a material plane to collapse?
"So, the explanation you've all been given isn't entirely accurate," Berute said with a faint smile.
Berute sighed thoughtfully. "I imagine you could rack your brains and never figure it out, so I'll tell you myself. This touches upon the origin of souls! Every day, new lives are born within the material planes. Each new life naturally possesses a new soul! Take the Yulan Plane, for example. Any life born within the Yulan Plane has a soul that resonates with the Yulan Plane. The Yulan Plane is its home!"
Lin Lei nodded involuntarily.
He could feel it… returning to the Yulan Plane, even though the elemental energy there was far thinner than in the Abyss, he simply felt at ease. It felt different. Lin Lei had always assumed it was just his own feelings. But now it seemed that his soul had actually been born within the Yulan Plane.
That made sense!
When mortals died, their souls entered the Netherworld and became undead. When the undead died, their souls dissipated!
When deities died, their souls dissipated!
If souls could dissipate, then naturally, new souls could be born!
Within a material plane, every birth of a baby, every birth of a magical beast, was a new life. And a new soul! This new soul would naturally have a special connection with the plane it was born in!
"A foreign Chief God cannot enter a material plane because their soul was not born within that material plane. When they try to enter, they naturally face rejection from the plane! The material plane and the Chief God's energy repel each other, and because the Chief God's energy is too powerful, the material plane collapses!" Berute explained in detail.
Lin Lei suddenly understood.
It was the mutual repulsion that caused the material plane to collapse.
"But if the Chief God's soul was originally born within a particular material plane — if that material plane is their home — then even after becoming a Chief God, the plane won't reject them. And if there's no rejection, then naturally the Chief God can enter that material plane," Berute said with a smile.
"Lord Berute, you mean… if a Chief God's homeland is a certain material plane, they can return to that plane. But they cannot enter any other material planes," Lin Lei said.
"That's right," Berute replied with a mild smile. "Of the countless material planes out there, my Chief God body can only enter the Yulan Plane. As for the other material planes, I cannot enter them either."
Everything was clear now!
"The Yulan Plane… our home!" Lin Lei exclaimed.
He had been born in the Yulan Plane, and his soul had been born there as well. The Yulan Plane was his home! No matter how powerful he might become, home would never reject its children.
"Lord Berute, since you're a Chief God, then… why didn't your Chief God clone go to the High Planes, and instead stayed in the Yulan Plane?" Lin Lei couldn't help but ask. "Also, how did your deity clone become the messenger of the Blood Peak Chief God?"
"My deity clone became a messenger in order to help the Four Divine Beast Families," Berute said calmly. "As for why my Chief God clone didn't go to the Abyss or any of the other High Planes and instead remained hidden in my homeland — that's because… if my Chief God clone left the homeland, I would be hunted down by the Radiant Sovereign!"
"Hunted by the Radiant Sovereign?" Lin Lei was shocked.
So Berute was hiding from an enemy. That was why he didn't venture out.
This strategy was effective — the Yulan Plane was Berute's home, not the Radiant Sovereign's. Berute could hide inside without coming out, but other Chief Gods couldn't enter.
"Why would the Radiant Sovereign want to hunt you?" Lin Lei was full of questions.
"Haha… of course he wants to hunt me. He hates me to the bone. Even the fact that my deity clone can safely remain in the Abyss is only because I paid a steep price to ask the Destruction Sovereign for help," Berute laughed. "Enough, let's not dwell on this. What matters now is picking up your original body as soon as possible and returning to the Yulan Plane."
Lin Lei nodded quickly.