Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 779: Chapter 282: Three Solutions (Added on the 11th)

“The morality within one’s heart?”

“Such a self-centered statement.”

A soft chuckle escaped as Heracles pondered the term before him, Laine silently reading the word.

From ancient times to the present, the constraints of so-called morality have always been meant to safeguard against gentlemen, not scoundrels.

And Heracles could hardly be called a gentleman, having deceived enemies encountered during his trials in later myths.

Of course, he was not a scoundrel either, at least not compared to his father.

Therefore, in the absence of events like swearing by the ‘Styx’, Laine neither underestimated nor overestimated the promises of Heracles.

He merely nodded indifferently, as if accepting the cost.

“Then as you wish, O brave warrior from Thebes.”

“You offer up your promise, and in return, I shall tell you the secrets of all things within this palace once inhabited by a deity.”

“You will learn how to extend life, avoid death, and acquire the secret to an existence that endures through the ages.”

“All will remain here, within your heart and mine.”

The voice echoed within the dilapidated Temple, and before Heracles’s eyes, Laine raised a hand and made a gesture.

The next moment, the dome’s mural began to blur.

New reliefs replaced the old ones, emerging from shallow to deep, from nothing to something.

The Sky, Earth, and Ocean; the Star Realm, the Netherworld, and the Abyss.

The myriad things of the world appeared in sequence, time condensed within dimensions.

A panoramic painting of the fleeting world was unveiled before the young man.

Witnessing the scene, Heracles couldn’t help but feel there might be some truth to the man’s earlier boasts.

Whether he knew everything in this world or not, he must surely be one of the rare learned individuals in the Mortal Realm.

“What is this, is this the appearance of the world? But what does this have to do with what I want to know?”

Heracles inquired, to which Laine responded with a smile.

“Indeed, this represents the world you inhabit, as well as the myriad realms that stand alongside it.”

“But first, before all began, Heracles, you seek the method of Resurrection, but what kind of existence do you wish to resurrect?”

“Is it a trace that has dissipated, long vanished from the world; or is it a body that has decayed, already moved onto Samsara?”

“Or perhaps it died unjustly, and you are unable to retrieve its soul, unable to grant it new life?”

“Different people, naturally, have different solutions.”

“Nothing in this world can traverse all, and neither can the Resurrection Technique.”

“It is the latter, I need to retrieve the soul of the deceased.”

Speaking gravely, Heracles hesitated before continuing, “In fact, someone once promised me.”

“He claimed that the souls in this world largely hail from the ‘Spirit Realm’, and even the gods struggle to interfere with its workings.”

“But he promised me that if someday I could make my way to the Netherworld, following the course of the River of Oblivion…”

“If I reached the place that causes all things to undergo Samsara, then perhaps he could use the opportunity to find the soul I wish to resurrect.”

‘Before this, however, I must first prove my strength and let my name spread throughout All Countries.’

“His explanation was very detailed, and although I am willing to believe him, I have never heard of such things before and do not know if they can truly succeed.”

“So, wise sage, please resolve my doubts: is this method of Resurrection truly feasible?”

“…Retrieve the soul?”@@novelbin@@

Laine’s lips twitched slightly; listening to Heracles’s story, even though the latter hadn’t mentioned ‘that person’ as ‘a certain god’, Laine instantly understood his implications.

Similar events had occurred more than once throughout history, and if as claimed, retrieving the soul from the fourth layer of the Spirit Realm… that surely wasn’t his real goal.

In fact, even without verification, Laine didn’t believe for an instant that the so-called soul was actually in the Spirit Realm.

It was most likely an excuse, a means to encourage Heracles to voluntarily explore a forbidden zone not even the gods dared enter lightly.

This mortal burdened with a unique destiny was not so easily fated to perish; this might be the true intention.

Had he not already seen the ‘script’, Laine might have inadvertently allowed Heracles to achieve something unforeseen.

“As for the method you speak of… it might be theoretically feasible, but in reality, it is impossible.”

Speaking calmly, despite his inferences, Laine did not divulge them outright.

After all, these were merely speculations, even if they were highly probable.

“The destination of souls is indeed the Spirit Realm, but young warrior, with your power and experience, you should be well aware of how fragile mortal things are.”

“If not on the Mortal World, the clash of two deities could turn a thousand miles to ruins. A mere ripple of divine power could obliterate tens of thousands of souls.”

“Whether the person who promised you has the ability to take a soul from the Spirit Realm, and whether you can find that specific soul among the myriad, I fear you may not be able to ensure its safety amid fierce battles.”

“However,” he continued with a faint smile, “if you are not concerned with the likelihood of success but merely seek hope, then such an approach might be permissible.”

“No, I certainly hope to succeed, and I must succeed.”

Heracles emphasized each word as he gazed at the not-so-robust figure before him.

“Then regarding what I seek, do you have a solution?

“Indeed I do, I have three methods that can fulfill your heart’s desire.”

“The first is the simplest and most brute force; you should know, gods have their world, and humans have theirs.”

“Under the laws of the world, the two are distinctly separate.”

Gently lifting a hand, the mural on the dome flipped at Laine’s fingertips.

The stars and mountains grew more prominent, with images flickering therein as if gods were traversing among them.

“As you see, only in the gods’ world are deities invincible; it is not the same in the Mortal Realm.”

“Just like that Goddess of Agriculture you were meant to save… you could try to find their vulnerabilities, and upon Earth, imprison the gods who come to the Mortal Realm, forbidding their return to the Mount of the Gods where they reside.”

“How is that useful?”

“Their use is as bargaining chips for your trade.”

Calm in expression, as if completely indifferent to the blasphemous words he spoke, Laine said lightly, “It is widely known that the Divine King is the ruler of the present world.”

“This may be somewhat exaggerated, but it does have some truth to it.”

“If you can imprison All Gods and force the King of All Gods to bow his proud head and listen to the opinions of mortals, then what you want can certainly be achieved.”

“After all, the Divine King is always special, and the things they can use for exchange will never be in short supply.”

“I—”

He opened his mouth to speak but didn’t know what to say.

At this moment, Heracles felt he understood why the gods shunned spellcasters.

Such profane speech, treating deities as goods and trading with the supreme Divine King… the teachings he had received were undeniably at odds with this, and yet for some reason, Heracles felt a bit of yearning in his heart.

Yes, this was what a truly fearless hero should do.

Why should he prove himself to others through trials, and why should he face these hardships?

Are deities really that powerful? Then why do they repeatedly retreat because of mortals.

If there is anything in this world that stands in my way, then a true hero should make all things comply with his will.

Whether it is the gods above or below, if they try to hinder him, they should be crushed one by one!

“…Heh…”

“Huh—And the second one?”

Within The Temple, Laine seemed to hear a heavy breath.

However, in the end, Heracles still did not respond directly.

Although he was much younger than the one in the original myth who had a family and career, and also much more valiant and fearless, at least at this moment he did not possess the courage and strength to challenge All Gods.

A gemstone needs to be polished, and so does Heracles.

He may be a natural-born strongman, but even this strength has its limits.

Compared to the future where he temporarily held up the sky with the strength of a demigod, breaking the bounds of Divine Persons, he was still much weaker now.

“The second method… that no longer requires absolute courage and strength, but only your wisdom will suffice.”

Without taking offense, Laine raised his hand again.

The sky and mountains protruding from the dome’s mural in The Temple were immediately erased, and in the remaining part, the endless Netherworld became the new focal point.

In front of Heracles, endless Darkness and Eternal Night rose and fell, each tide representing a day and night in the Mortal World.

Indistinctly, he seemed to see two figures hidden in the shadows and moonlight.

And every move they made was affecting the changes in the world.

“Heracles, have you ever heard about the Primordial Gods, about those deities from the dawn of creation?”

“I’ve only heard some, such as the rumors about Heavenly Father and Mother Earth.

“Rumors say they are the ancestors of all gods, possessing strength second only to the Divine King.”

“They are the most ancient of deities and are also incarnations of the world. And perhaps they never truly had their own will, for very few humans have seen their manifestations.”

Heracles, speaking softly of what he knew, gazed at the mural before him.

Clearly, at this time, the records of the old days had already varied, with different city-states and regions each having their own interpretation.

Besides Athens, which still recorded some official history, what people from other city-states knew had already been distorted.

“So the Primordial Deities do exist, and Heavenly Father and Mother Earth are not all… The existence you’ve shown me, are they other Primordial Deities, and can they fulfill my wishes?”

“Yes, but you can’t use force to deal with them.”

With a flick of his index finger, the mural divided.

The Darkness and Eternal Night were artificially separated, while Laine explained with a smile.

“Mother Night, she is the sky before the birth of the sky, the canopy that envelops the earth.”

“The world manifests nature, causality, and fate through her, while the other lightless divine entity is the reverse side of the earth, a barrier that isolates Order and Chaos.”

“Each of them can fulfill your wish, for there is little they cannot do in this world.”

“But facing the ancient gods coexistent with the world, what will you offer to move them?”

“…You’re right, this is a problem that can only be solved with true wisdom. And although I am not foolish, I am also unable to fathom the minds of such ancient gods.”

The toiling valor that had surged before was temporarily quelled, and Heracles’s heart steadied a bit.

Perhaps he hadn’t even realized it himself, but when he took on the task to save the Goddess of Agriculture, powerful in divine strength, there was indeed some pride within him.

The gods are just that; what bounds me to respect them is only the education I’ve received… But upon learning that the Primordial Gods truly exist, the young hero looked up to the earth and the heavens.

He did not lose faith, but he also had to admit there were still many beings in this world that could threaten him.

Bravery and caution are not contradictory; perhaps they are inherently one and the same.

“What about the third method?”

Unable to achieve the first two, Heracles grew somewhat impatient, but Laine did not leave him hanging.

Raising his hand for the third time, the previous images vanished.

Now, at the dome of The Temple, only the last third of the mural remained.

It was an invisible vortex, as if containing all the malice in the world.

Although he had never seen it before, at that moment, Heracles knew Its name.

Tartarus, the Abyss beneath the Underworld.

“The third method is the simplest.”

“It requires neither your strength nor your wisdom – you just need to be hard-hearted enough.”

“That shouldn’t be difficult for you, should it?”

The voice echoed in the empty temple, stirring ripples of echoes.

But to Heracles, it sounded like a devil’s temptation.