Chapter 637

Chapter 637: The Void is in My Hands!

"Was this the feeling of mastering the void?"

"Wonderful!"

"Exactly, refreshing, the feeling of domination over everything, perfect!"

"But Barbatos could not do it."

"Look at his silly expression; even if the Giant God granted him great power, he still looked so ridiculous."

"Couldn’t means couldn’t."

…

Although Lady Xidi’s Divine Bodies had reformed the "Total Soul" within the "Soul Network," each "Fragmented Soul" still kept its own mind and even chatted with other "Divine Bodies."

This seemed to come from the "instincts" built into these Divine Bodies.

Even Lady Xidi could not tell if this was her own "chattiness" that had been held back before, but came out after her Soul was broken; or if these "instincts" were from the Giant God’s "idea" of this Divine Body.

"Not bad, I guess…"

Lady Xidi smiled at her noisy "selves" in the Soul Network.

"At least they were much livelier."

"So…"

Earlier, Lady Xidi had been so caught up in feeling the power of the authority of the void that she forgot all about her Divine Body.

Now, it was time to take a close look!

Lady Xidi stared at her shiny black "divine feathers," and in the reflection from the "Ether Lake," she saw her bright red crowns; such bold colors stood out badly against the Fantasy Tree of Subspace and were clearly showy.

"What did this mean?"

"Did the Giant God want me to stop hiding?"

"To let me be a true god openly?"

"To face Barbatos head-on?"

"Hmm…"

"Then the power…"

Truthfully, Lady Xidi did not want to stand out.

She hoped to hide that she held the "authority of the void," so those Outer Gods from the Void who obeyed her would keep serving Barbatos; this way, the spies Barbatos paid dearly for would become Lady Xidi’s own watchers.

But if this got out…

"Heh…"

"Only the Giant God would think of this!"

"I was wrong before."

"Now, though I have many Divine Bodies, together they make a strong force."

"But Barbatos… no, almost all gods would never guess that such a tiny Divine Body actually held the power of the authority of the void!"

“To think they are the rulers of the void!”

“This seemed very contrary to common sense, even to me.”

Lady Xidi, accustomed to her Divine Body on the ground, still thought that “bigger is better” and “size equals primary combat power.”

But the more specialized Trilobite disagreed; at least in aerial battles, larger size didn’t guarantee an advantage.

In the documentary *Walking with Dinosaurs*, a ten-meter-wingspan *Ornithocheirus* was driven off by forest-dwelling birds, even suffering wing membrane injuries.

This story…

Actually had two real-life parallels.

One was the national bird of the United States—specifically, the white-headed sea eagle.

The pterosaur’s behavior in the documentary likely mimicked the white-headed sea eagle.

This majestic-looking raptor faced significant opposition when chosen as the national bird. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin fiercely objected.

Yes, the same naturalist who flew kites to capture lightning and helped found the nation.

The reason…

Though imposing, these raptors produce surprisingly shrill, squeaky calls—true “white-headed chirpers.” This led films to dub their cries with the red-tailed hawk’s piercing shrieks.

But that was secondary.

The real reason: Franklin repeatedly witnessed white-headed sea eagles—two-meter wingspans, hooked beaks, fearsome talons—being routed in midair by much smaller crows.

Often, just two or three crows sufficed to drive off an eagle.

Franklin may have even seen kingbirds assaulting white-headed sea eagles, leaving them humiliated.

Consider the kingbird’s size…

Sparrow-sized.

The naturalist concluded that lawmakers choosing the eagle as national bird must’ve been ignorant or foolish.

“A turkey could outperform this weakling!”

The story’s second parallel was the aforementioned kingbird.

Kingbirds and their *Tyrannus* relatives belong to the passerine order. Unique to the Americas and barely larger than sparrows, they seemed ordinary except for their retractable head crests.

Utterly unremarkable birds that drew no attention.

Yet they possessed one trait: astonishing ferocity and combat prowess.

Not only did they thrash the oft-bullied white-headed sea eagle, but they also attacked the eagle’s tormentors—including toothed birds and its “voice actor,” the red-tailed hawk.

Sometimes, these agile birds would even land on raptors’ heads and viciously peck!

Essentially, they feared nothing airborne except human-made aircraft.

*Walking with Dinosaurs* modeled its primitive birds’ pterosaur attacks on kingbird behavior.

To Trilobite, the “customers” had no reason to feel inadequate over their small stature.

The battles in the air differed greatly from those on the ground; often, agility and courage decided victory, while physical size took a backseat!

Lady Xidi worried about the smallness of her Divine Body yet felt no dissatisfaction.

After all, the Giant God’s arrangement must have its purpose.

She continued observing this Divine Body.

"How peculiar…"

"This Divine Body…"

"Actually possesses two pairs—four wings!"

"Even stranger…"

"The two additional wings don’t grow from the back but serve as wings for the legs…"

"This differs from humanity’s traditional depictions of winged deities."

"But it truly can…"

*Whoosh—!*

Lady Xidi’s Divine Body soared upward, forelimbs fluttering while hind legs extended mid-air. Energy currents supported her form, allowing steady flight through the void!

"It flies remarkably steadily!"

—-

"Small dinosaur."

"Specifically, it should be Gu’s Small Dinosaur."

"Or at least a similar little creature."

Gu’s Small Dinosaur was described and named by paleontologists including Xu Xing in a 2003 *Nature* article. "Thief dragon" refers to this creature’s crevice-dwelling habits, while "Gu" honors Academician Gu Zhiwei for his contributions to the Jehol Biota.

This peculiar dinosaur was unearthed from Liaoxi’s early Cretaceous period Jiufotang Formation. Its most striking feature? Four wings!

Asymmetric flight feathers covered not only its arms but also its legs.

This structure enhanced lift for primitive flying creatures, making flight in the air less strenuous.

The "four-winged phase" proved essential for nearly all creatures aspiring toward the skies.

*Rustle… rustle… rustle…*

*Chirp… chirp…*

Trilobite looked up, watching the "thief dragons" hop and take flight nimbly. He nodded approvingly.

"Many documentaries mislabel Gu’s Small Dinosaur as mere gliders incapable of true flight."

"That’s incorrect."

"They perform flapping flight—just with limited agility."

As Trilobite noted, documentaries often show Gu’s Small Dinosaur gliding through forests like flying squirrels, never flapping their wings.

Actually…

That portrayal isn’t quite right.

Small dinosaurs had developed the capability to flap their wings very early, such as the Half-Bird Dinosaur living in South America. This ability wasn’t actually closely related to flight, often serving to aid climbing and rapid running, yet it laid the foundation for flying.

Some argued that four wings seemed obviously inferior—suited only for gliding.

Regarding this view…

Early pterosaurs like Beak Dragons could indeed be called "four-winged," possessing wing membranes between their hind limbs. These membranes simply connected with those on the forelimbs to provide stability and lift.

Consider modern bats.

Strictly speaking, bats also have a "four-winged structure."

Could they only glide?

Clearly not.

The four-winged structure persisted throughout dinosaur-to-bird evolution. Even "Hui birds," confirmed as early birds, bore two smaller "leg wings."

Only when birds’ flying capability strengthened enough that specialized forelimb wings alone became sufficient did the four-winged structure gradually fade.

This granted birds remarkable athletic ability even on land—a process notably similar to Beak Dragons evolving into the Pterodactyloidea suborder.

"Ah, incidentally, the color scheme I chose for Gu’s Small Dinosaur wasn’t some messy nod to General Lin’s ‘red-black’ palette to force a ‘flying revolution’ narrative."

"It genuinely looked like this."

Gu’s Small Dinosaur’s uniqueness lies in fossilized pigment particles found within its feather imprints. Microscopic analysis of these particles’ shapes revealed its true coloration:

Red and black.

Such hues…

Stand out conspicuously in forest settings. Unlike mammals, dinosaur order members (including modern birds) possess excellent color vision. Red-black feathers couldn’t function as camouflage.

One might say: those who conquer the skies truly have nothing to fear!

"Good. My task is complete."

"Soar freely…"

"Hm?"

"Wait—"

Just as he watched the earliest dragon-bird spread its wings and ascend…

*Boom… Boom… Boom…*

Footsteps grew loud again.

"My guests certainly never cease!"