Reverend Ecstasy

The whole Celestial Assembly gathered in one spot, the last time that such an event took place was about 10,000 years ago, on the day of Xinzi's birth. Back then, the gathering involved more curiosity than schemes, but today, even Heaven couldn't predict what the gathering would lead to.

"Clan master, the portal will open now. As you know, the Celestial Paradise's peaceful outlook hides no end of struggles. Many of the Divine Ancestors of the Great and Lesser Pantheons, even those that belong to the Primevals' lines, are growing restless and yearning for a leader that can save their declining pantheons. Faith energy isn't experiencing meaningful growth, making many consider a war for the transformation and incorporation of the Infernal and Holy Paradises. Others aim to maintain the ancient status quo and the founding laws of Heaven. Others still want a complete overhaul.

For some, you represent hope. For others, you are their greatest fear, and others still see in you a tool to bring about the changes that they ache for. Perhaps by the end of this day, your position in the Celestial Paradise will rise to a brand-new level."

"Oh?"

"Hehe, I'm being chatty. Clan master, you can go ahead. The Divine Ancestor has been waiting for this day...long before you were born." Following these cryptic words, a dark-blue portal formed before Xinzi, leading straight to the gate of the Highest Heaven Palace.

Great and Lesser Pantheons both had a similar issue, one that guaranteed their dependence on the Divine Pantheons: Self-Sufficiency. 

As all should know, despite the existence of an Ice and Fire Pantheon, neither Ice nor Fire Spirits are divines. The former are Great Spirits, while the latter are Lesser Spirits. Great and Lesser Spirits both had Elemental Souls. In the case of Great Spirits, a rare few would be born with Venerable Souls. This means that neither the Lesser nor the Great Spirits would ever be born with a Divine Spark. Without a Divine Spark, they'd never have the opportunity to cross the Divine Consecration Ladder and become deities. 

So where did the Gods of these pantheons come from? Other Gods. The Sovereign God of a Great Pantheon would expend vast quantities of Divine Power to create Sparks and groom a couple High Gods. Then these High Gods would in turn help them create, False, True and Great Gods to populate the pantheon. 

As for Lesser Pantheons, their High God would endeavor to create some False, True and Great Gods. But these couldn't help them create more deities, making the Lesser Pantheon's Divine Ancestor the only source of new Gods. 

With that said, the birth of new Gods in the Great and Lesser Pantheons always required the intervention of High God level deities or above. So while Great Pantheons had it better, both were screwed. 

Divine Spirits, on the other end, could produce Divine Souls and Sparks without the intervention of their respective pantheon's deities. The Gods didn't have anything to do and could focus their Divine Power on more productive matters. 

Divine Power doesn't grow on trees.

Depending on constitution and godhood rank, divines started with more or less Divine Power. But there weren't five cultivation methods in the whole Celestial Paradise that enabled a divine to increase their Divine Power. Most relied on the conversion of Faith Energy into Divine Power, and considering the many creative and destructive applications of that primordial force, Gods would rather conserve it. So while the Primevals sometimes helped their vassals with the creation of new deities, they couldn't, wouldn't waste what they'd need to in order to stop the inevitable decline of their pantheons.

The only two with the ability to efficiently stop the decline of the Great and Lesser Pantheon...were Heaven, and its emissary: Shenzhuo.

Xinzi stepped into the portal, crossing millions of light years to land at an impossibly tall white gate that rippled with mystical Dao chants. Two giant guards stood at the gate's left and right, dressed in silver heavy armor and holding long white halberds.

Both over 10 meters tall, these two guards, Shenshu and Yulei, were High Gods of the Divine Dao Pantheon, tasked to defend the Highest Heaven Palace from unlawful intrusion and warn the Heavenly Emperor of offenders they couldn't suppress. Like all Divine Dao Spirits, Shenshu and Yulei didn't have free will. Their every word and deed followed Heaven or the Heavenly Emperor's will.

Shenzhuo was the only member of the Divine Dao Pantheon equipped with high levels of free will. But even he couldn't resist Heaven's direct orders—not that it mattered now.

"Lord Zhen? You've grown up. The Celestial Assembly and his Divine Majesty have been waiting for you. Please enter," Shenshu and Yulei said, their voice like a dull and grating rumble that formed a sharp contrast with the melodious Dao Chants unfurling from their heavy armors.

In the Celestial Paradise, High Gods ranked extremely high and would only use honorifics with fellow High Gods or higher-ranked deities. But since Xinzi was appointed upon birth as the master of the Hengye clan, his status in the Celestial Paradise surpassed many Sovereign Gods.

Honorifics were a must.

The two High Gods pulled their gargantuan halberds back, opening the gate for Xinzi to walk in. He did so without delay, his Heart of the Stainless Sovereign remaining unmoved despite the magnitude of the event.

A long flight of stairs, akin to a mortal bridge, appeared before Xinzi, flanked by Heavenly Guards that all wore silver heavy armor and spear. They stood with impeccable military discipline, stomping the bottom of their spears as Xinzi walked past them.

The lowest of these guards had an early-stage Great Principle cultivation base—with the Heavenly Guard numbering 100,000 soldiers. As for the likes of Shenshu and Yulei, they reached an altitude that the current Xinzi didn't need to consider.

This was another reason why in his time, Hengye Jie, the supreme elder of the branch clan in the Great Desolation World, would rather become Hierarch than God-Monarch. True, he wanted to ascend to Heaven—but with glory, not as another dismissible weakling. If he couldn't rise with glory, he'd rather die in the Great Desolation World.

Xinzi could understand that sentiment. Too many spent a lifetime preparing their Ascension, only to realize that in the Celestial Paradise, they didn't have the qualifications to lick a dog's paws.

A dome of light pulled Xinzi in, drawing him into the throne room. Xinzi closed his eyes, and when they opened again, an immense hall appeared before him. Thousands of silver circular platforms hovered in the air, ordered at the throne room's left and right sides. On each of these platforms lay a deity dressed in white official robes, with tall hats that reminded of mortal magistrates.

The lords of the Celestial Assembly appeared. Immeasurable energies leaked from their forms, reminding the onlooker that horrifying strength backed their status.

Underneath them, palace ladies sang Dao Chants, creating an atmosphere of peace and enlightenment.