It wasn't surprising that the Gus Divine Race had been so ignorant before, not recognizing divinity. After all, divinity was something only a Creator God possessed, and very few Creator Gods ever fell, almost to the point of none.
The Grand Elder, seeing the fervent gazes of everyone present, chuckled, "My friends, I know what you're all thinking, but don't blame me for not warning you. This divinity of the Metaverse is not something anyone can covet. It is destined to be mine, and only I can inherit it."
"Grand Elder, what are you saying? Of course, it's for you to inherit. You are the strongest of our Gus Divine Race. Besides you, who else is qualified to inherit it?"
"Exactly. While we are indeed envious and longing for it, it is merely longing."
Everyone knew their own limitations and dared not compete with the Grand Elder, for he was one of the three supreme gods of their Gus Divine Race, and the strongest among them.
"It's good that you all understand. The reason I'm sharing this information is naturally not because I fear your envy. Once I inherit this divinity and become a Creator God, everyone in the family will ascend to glory, and our family's status will be elevated to the highest level."
"Mmm-hmm." Everyone was filled with excitement.
"By the way, Grand Elder, did that Founding God Yang Ding mention how this divinity can be inherited?" asked one of the elders.
"He did, otherwise, how could I be so confident?"
"Then, how is it inherited?"
"Apologies, this involves a critical secret and I won't tell you."
Everyone nodded. It was true, revealing it was divinity was already a great favor, there was no need to explain the inheritance method. The Grand Elder knowing it himself was sufficient.
"Heh heh, since you all want to know so badly, I don't mind telling you, as I'm about to inherit it anyway. The method of inheriting this divinity is to enter the Metaverse and become its master within it."
"And how can one become its master?" someone asked with doubt.
"Heh heh, Founding God Yang Ding said it's very simple: become the strongest existence within the Metaverse, and make everyone within it know that I am the master. By doing so, one can inherit this divinity."
"So that's how it is!" Everyone suddenly understood. Some among them inwardly regretted that they had been focused on refining it from the outside and had never considered a strategy from within. If only they had thought of a way from the inside back then, wouldn't it have been...! The others dared not dwell on it, blaming themselves for their lack of foresight.
Although the high-ranking members of the Gus Divine Race present verbally declared they dared not have any designs on the Metaverse, they still regretted not having studied it from within.
"Heh heh!" The Grand Elder smiled and waved his hand at everyone, "You may all disperse. I am going to inherit the divinity."
With that, the Grand Elder vanished from his spot.
Meanwhile, within the Metaverse, several years had already passed. After all, there was a significant time difference between the outside world and the inside. A single trip in and out of the Metaverse meant at least two months had passed inside.
And their meeting outside, which lasted over 20 minutes, translated into countless trips in and out for the Metaverse. Even if each trip took ten seconds, 20 minutes would mean 120 trips, equating to 120 months, or at least 25 years when converted to years.
In other words, Zhou Hong had been proclaiming himself the master of the Metaverse for 25 years.
At this very moment, Zhou Hong was in a small world within the Metaverse. This small world was somewhat similar to Earth, but different. It was inhabited by creatures that resembled mutated cockroaches, possessing immense strength.
Zhou Hong's presence here was naturally for the purpose of his proclamation.
He had initially expected it to take only a year or two, but it had already been 25 years. This put his mind at ease somewhat. He had already cleared all the worlds in the Immortal Realm and the worlds below.
Now, only a few small worlds remained to be proclaimed.
Specifically, two worlds. The one he was in now was the second to last, and the last one was Earth.
Therefore, the dawn of victory was within sight, provided his theory was correct and this method could indeed lead to inheriting the Metaverse.
"Listen, all beings on the planet below." Zhou Hong stood outside the planet, shouting to all the lifeforms on the entire planet below. His voice pierced the eardrums. At this moment, hundreds of millions of powerful, cockroach-like creatures on the ground writhed in pain as their eardrums were struck by Zhou Hong's shout. Everyone felt as if the end of the world had arrived, looking up at the sky to see a massive, ethereal silhouette, its face clearly visible—it was Zhou Hong.
"My name is Zhou Hong, from the Immortal Realm. I am the master of this world. If you understand, nod immediately and kneel, shouting 'Master.' This will alleviate your pain."
The cockroach-like creatures on the ground immediately knelt and nodded, shouting "Master." Strangely, the pain they were experiencing instantly ceased.
In almost an instant, all the cockroach-like creatures on the entire planet were free from their suffering.
Zhou Hong smiled faintly. This meant his proclamation was complete. All the beings on this planet now knew that he was the master of this universe.
"Alright, that's all. As long as you know I am the master of this universe, you may go about your business." Zhou Hong vanished and instantly reappeared in another small world.
This small world was none other than Earth, his final stop for proclamation.
Zhou Hong deliberately placed Earth last because his rise began from Earth.
Zhou Hong stood on the moon, gazing at the azure planet in space.
"Earth, my homeland, it's been a long time. You are still as beautiful as ever. Whether my wish can be fulfilled depends on you. Mother Earth, please bless your child." Zhou Hong murmured to himself, standing on the moon and looking at Earth.
Zhou Hong could sense that if he failed to become the master of the Metaverse, his end might be imminent.
Without further hesitation, Zhou Hong leaped, instantly charging towards Earth. Fortunately, he didn't exert too much force, otherwise, he feared he might just blast the moon apart, which could cause minor disasters on Earth.
To Zhou Hong now, Earth was far too weak. Frankly speaking, he could probably split the moon in half with a single kick.
Of course, for the current Zhou Hong, the sun, which terrified Earthlings the most, was merely like a campfire. And Jupiter, which protected Earth, with its super-storms that were so terrifying to the tiny Earthlings, could be bathed in by Zhou Hong at any time if he wished.