The process was always the same: the rebelling subordinate would try to convert his master’s allies to his side—the faster, safer, but illegitimate way. Or, he would directly challenge the master to a death match.
Before such a death match, a blood contract would be signed stating that the winner would gain full ownership of all the other subordinates.
Regardless of the method, it was rare—extremely rare—for the subordinate to win. Unless the master was slacking in cultivation, they almost always won in the end.
And yet... it looked like Ileus had chosen the illegitimate way.
But if he succeeded... he would become the Supreme God. The ruler of the entire cultivation world—galaxies and planets that rely on Qi.
Still... the God of Light was confident. That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
When Lia heard Ileus’s words, she only shrugged.
She already knew what he was after... but still asked. She was stalling—deliberately wasting time, praying Deus would arrive before Ileus completed whatever plan he had begun.
"What about the rest of you? Would you be my servants!?"
His voice was cold, careless. He reduced the pressure on them, allowing them just enough freedom to speak.
"Just kill us!!!" the God of War coughed out hoarsely.
He would rather die than suffer this shame. But deep down, he knew Ileus wouldn’t grant him that.
"Hmph! Didn’t I tell you fools already—I’m done playing cat and mouse. I should kill you just so you come crawling back next century, thinking once again that you’re stronger than me!?"
High-ranking gods like them were practically immortal. They couldn’t be killed by normal means. When their physical bodies were destroyed, their souls would instantly be transported to their private soul subspace.
There, a new, perfectly identical body would be created for them. But there was always a price: they would lose half their cultivation base.
Afterward, they would hide and cultivate in secret—recovering their former power before reemerging into the world.
Even with halved strength, they were still stronger than most other gods... still difficult to kill.
But—if they died again right after being reborn, before their strength returned—it would be their true end. Their soul would lack the Qi and essence required to form another body.
That’s why they never left their soul subspace until they had fully recovered their former strength.
Being high-ranking gods, their cultivation speed was tens of thousands of times faster than regular gods—and billions of times faster than mortal cultivators.
"Did you think I’ll kill you just because you asked me to!?" Ileus’s voice echoed.
It was the most foolish question he had ever heard.
His voice turned mocking—sarcastic.
He was amused. Kill the God of War? So he could return in a hundred years and cause trouble again?
’It seems the God of War didn’t think clearly before speaking.’
It was honestly shameful—this coming from a being who had lived for billions, if not trillions of years.
Where was his wisdom? Where was the experience gods were supposed to boast of?
Why was he speaking like a mortal?
Only mortals believed that death was the end of suffering... some even went so far as to end themselves.
Ileus sighed at the foolishness before speaking again.
"Do you think I need your consent to make you my servants? The Law of Dao and Qi doesn’t apply to me. I can imprint my Sigma on you... whether you like it or not."
The cold voice of Ileus resounded across the environment, and the gods gulped upon hearing it. From his tone alone, they could tell—he was serious, and his words were no lie.
"You know, I’m giving you your last chance to decide... because if not, you’re going to pass through a torrent of pain like nothing you’ve ever experienced since the day you were born."
A clear, calm, and confident voice echoed out. The gods instantly recognized the voice.
It was the legendary God of Light—Lumen.
They were shocked. They had all assumed he would be the second to last to agree, at least. Yet he turned out to be the first.
They couldn’t even turn their heads to confirm it was him, as they were still trapped within the invisible stronghold of Ileus’s telekinesis. But there was no doubt. That voice was unmistakably his.
They saw Ileus wave his hand calmly.
They understood immediately—he was activating the servant-to-master link.
Confusion spread among them. Didn’t he need to place his thumb on their foreheads for that to work?
Now they understood—that wasn’t the only method he had.
A few seconds passed.
Then Ileus asked, "Anyone else?"
The God of War grit his teeth in fury as he recognized the two voices that followed.
One belonged to the God of Ice.
The other... to the God of Nature—Elf Elena.
His heart was burning with rage. They gave up. Just like that. Betraying their master without a second thought?
He considered joining too—but stopped himself.
’This is the first time I’ve ever been in this kind of situation... I’m supposed to be the one doing the recruiting. If he thinks I’ll cave just because of his chicken words, then he’s gravely mistaken! This isn’t the first time I’ve gone through pain. I’ll survive whatever he throws at me. If I can’t, then I was never worthy of the title God of War to begin with!’
He held his pride tightly. He, the God of War, along with the God of Darkness and... the Unknown—
That voice sent another wave of rage crashing through him.
Even the Unknown God had joined him.
"I-ILEUS!!! I’ll fucking kill you!!! How dare you betray the God of Dao!? Who the hell do you think you are!!!..." The God of War thundered as he struggled violently against the telekinesis trapping him.
But it was all useless.
No amount of power could break Ileus’s hold. He looked like a mad lunatic chained down, screaming and writhing in place.
The God of Darkness now looked unrecognizable. All his veins had turned completely black. He remained silent, but his body trembled with fury.
The God of War continued cursing endlessly. Ileus, however, had had enough.
Without wasting breath on a response, he simply waved his hand.
A bloodcurdling scream followed.