I Reborn as a God Within a Statue, And You Ask Me to Enslave All Gods?-Chapter 170 --Teammates and Enemies

Heaven.

It wasn’t Owen’s first time arriving in this place. Yet despite his familiarity, the moment his gaze fell upon the boundless, multilayered firmament stretching beyond sight, he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of insignificance. The vastness of Heaven wasn’t just spatial—it was spiritual, conceptual, infinite in every sense.

Even after his Godhood rank had risen yet again, even with his power and insight elevated to a whole new level, standing beneath this immeasurable sky still made him feel like a speck of dust in a grand, unknowable cosmos.

He walked upon clouds—pure white and soft as cotton—blanketing the divine ground beneath. Like a snowy quilt, the clouds extended in all directions, endless and serene.

"Last time, the Divine Order Exchange Tournament was held here," Owen murmured thoughtfully. "And now, this time around, the clash of Planar Deities is set to take place here too. Clearly, this ’Heaven’ isn’t just some random battleground."

"Could this be a designated stage arranged by some mastermind behind the scenes?" A thought stirred in his mind, though he kept his expression composed.

As he speculated silently, his gaze swept across the space around him, taking note of the various divine auras gathering into spheres of golden light. Each floating orb signaled the arrival of another deity.

Everyone present here, without exception, was at least a 1-Star peak Ancient God—each emanating the faint yet majestic golden aura of divine might. Upon their brows, the sacred god marks glimmered, signaling their authority and power.

They stood spaced apart from one another, yet together they filled every visible corner of the horizon.

The combined presence of these deities sent divine pressure rippling across the skies—so vast and immense that the void itself seemed to tremble under the weight of their gathered might.

A hundred million gods.

That was the scale of this gathering.

A river of starlight made of deities, stretching as far as the eye could see. And even though most of them maintained a low profile, the divine radiance leaking from their bodies was still enough to cause awe, even fear.

Owen’s gaze sharpened. "From a single glance, I don’t see any 2-Star Ancient Gods nearby. It seems the majority are still at the 1-Star peak rank. So, 2-Star Ancient Gods must still be extremely rare."

"I wonder what kind of system this Planar Clash of Deities will use to determine the rankings?"

He was genuinely curious.

There were far too many gods here. If they wanted to produce a ranking list from this gathering, it wouldn’t be a simple task.

Would it be like the previous God War?

Constant match-ups, randomized one-on-one duels?

If so, the accuracy of the rankings would be questionable. After all, if a deity faced a powerhouse too early, it could lead to an unfair early elimination.

Or perhaps it would be structured as a tournament-style arena battle?

Each arena numbered and ranked, and the gods would battle through the ranks to climb the ladder?

That method, while time-consuming, would ensure a solid top ten thousand—accurate and fair.

Just as he was pondering, a sweet-sounding voice interrupted his thoughts.

A young goddess with a sugar-sweet expression floated over, cradling a wand shaped like a lollipop. She looked at Owen with innocent curiosity and asked:

"Big brother, your god mark seems... unusual. It’s different from the rest of ours. Are you already a 2-Star Ancient God?"

She looked so harmless, with her bright, innocent eyes sparkling like gemstones. The pure, curious look on her face could disarm almost anyone.

But Owen didn’t buy into appearances.

To become a peak 1-Star Ancient God required cunning, ambition—and often ruthlessness. No one reached that rank through purity alone.

This girl had undoubtedly participated in at least one God War and emerged victorious. So no matter how she looked, she was anything but simple.

He responded with a casual nod.

"I got lucky. Judging from your aura, you’re not far off either."

"Ugh, the path of divine ascension is just too difficult!" the young goddess pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "I’ve only gathered a little over six thousand divine points, and I still need more than four thousand to reach ten thousand—the requirement for advancement!"

"And divine points are just so hard to earn! There’s even this lunatic near my territory who’s been dumping tier-3 Hellish Artifacts for dirt cheap. He even sells tier-4 ones at cost. It’s impossible to make a profit!"

Her cheeks puffed out like a goldfish, her rosy lips nearly pointing toward the heavens in indignation.

Owen raised an eyebrow, a trace of amusement glinting in his eyes.

A lunatic dumping high-tier Hellish Artifacts at cost?

Could she be talking about... him?

Impossible.

Absolutely not!

He wasn’t dumping them—he was spreading opportunity!

By selling at or below cost, he was lifting up the lower-ranked deities, helping them gain strength faster. He was a model deity—sacrificing his own profits for the greater good.

How could that be called madness?

"How much do you hate this so-called lunatic?" he asked with a smirk.

The adorable goddess perked up instantly, seemingly eager to vent her thoughts. Tilting her head in a playful manner, she suddenly declared with a devious glint:

"I may not be strong enough to beat him in a fight, but I fully intend to touch his soul!"

"...Touch his soul?" Owen echoed blankly, unsure what to make of her words.

"I’ll disguise myself as a soft, cuddly loli and lick—I mean flatter—him endlessly until I win his trust. Then I’ll deliver a devastating emotional blow!"

"That lunatic won’t resist someone like me, right?" she added mischievously.

Owen: "..."

Well then.

No wonder she became a deity. That mental leap alone proved she wasn’t ordinary.

Her plan wasn’t bad—twisted, sure, but creative. A subtle, indirect tactic with psychological warfare at its core.

But alas, she was overthinking it.

There was no way someone like Owen would fall for something so shallow.

Just then, Owen’s eyes suddenly turned skyward.

A shadow—massive, divine—began to take form.

It was a tree.

A colossal world tree appeared high above, its branches reaching past the edges of reality itself. Vast and indescribable, its roots extended into the abyss, and its crown stretched beyond the stars.

Even with divine eyes, he could not see its borders.

Its entire structure was interwoven with complex strands of divine order—patterns so dense and ancient they defied understanding.

At the edges of the tree’s leaves, brilliant orbs of light began to appear—each one glowing with a strange pulling force, tugging at the deities below.

Then came the system notification.

[Planar Clash of Deities begins!]

[According to your Godhood rank and divine point total, you will be assigned to a corresponding tier group.]

[Each group consists of five deities, forming a team. Two such teams will be matched to battle, using the same rules as the Divine War format.]

[Victory earns points. Overwhelming your opponent earns more.]

The divine script appeared in every god’s mind.

Owen’s expression grew more serious.

A team-based system?

That would complicate things.

Battles would no longer be decided by one’s own power alone—his Vassal Gods and devotee legions would be part of a greater group now. The strength of one god could be diluted or bolstered by the rest of the team.

But in truth, this posed no problem for Owen.

Regardless of rules or systems, the strength of his subordinates—both Vassal Gods and devotee—were firmly in the T0 tier!

Back in the wraith city of Dantean Hell, he was still the only one occupying an eighth-tier zone.

That fact alone proved the gap between him and the rest of the so-called "gods."

Even if he was paired with four completely useless teammates, he was confident he could carry the team to victory—and claim first place.

——

Meanwhile, in another region of the same celestial space...

Charlotte, the undisputed number one of the Taylor Star System, stood in solemn silence. Her golden hair glimmered under the divine light, and her icy blue eyes narrowed at the floating world tree above.

The new rule structure weighed heavily on her mind.

"If this is how teammates are assigned... there’s a good chance I’ll be grouped with another first-place deity from a different plane."

"And if not—if I get matched with someone weak—things could become very, very troublesome."

Her brows furrowed slightly.

She had always held herself to the highest standards. Last time, she had taken first place, and she had no intention of relinquishing that title.

This time, she would be first again—no matter the cost.

If her teammates were trash, the difficulty would spike dramatically.

She took a deep breath and glanced at her divine point reserve: 100,000 points.

She relaxed slightly.

"At least I came well-prepared this time. Even if my teammates are literal dogs, as long as they follow my strategy, we should be fine."

She only needed 50,000 more points to reach the threshold for becoming a 2-Star peak Ancient God.

Her subordinates—devotees, Vassal Gods, Infernal Envoys—had all grown far stronger.

There was no way any other deity could match her.

"First place—I will always be first."

Her eyes burned with determination.

She clenched her fist, a terrifying will radiating from her entire being—unyielding, unshakable.

Then, a great suction force descended from the world tree.

Her body vanished into the pull, absorbed into one of the glowing leaves above.

——

At the same time, in yet another location...

"I was second last time."

"This time, I’m taking first."

Lassal’s eyes gleamed with rare focus.

That last Divine Order tournament... being the runner-up had left a scar on his pride.

"If this team system truly matches teammates by Godhood rank and divine point count... there’s a very real chance I’ll be grouped with the number one."

"If that happens, I’ll get to see who this so-called ’first place’ really is."

"I’ve got five tier-4 devotees and three 1-Star Vassal Gods. A lineup this luxurious... how could anyone possibly surpass me?"

He scoffed, his gaze filled with obsession and burning ambition.

Although this was a team battle, individual contribution points would still determine one’s personal ranking—so the competition was far from over.

He would show the gods who deserved the divine throne.