Mythology: Spiritual Ruler

"Morality in the heart?"

"What an ego statement."

With a low laugh, morality, in front of Hercules, Ryan silently read this word.

From ancient times to the present, the so-called moral restraint has always been to guard against gentlemen and not against villains.

Naturally, Hercules could not be called a gentleman. After all, in the myths of later generations, he also deceived the enemies he encountered in trials.

Of course, he can't be said to be a villain, at least compared to his father.

Therefore, in Chaos, where nothing like the "Oath on the Luo River" had ever happened, Ryan did not despise or pay attention to Hercules' promise.

He just nodded casually, as if accepting his price.

"Then as you wish, warrior from Thebes."

"You offer your promise, and in return I will tell you the secrets of all things in this palace where the gods once lived."

"You will learn how to prolong life, ward off death, and gain the secrets of eternal life."

"They will all stay here, in your hearts and mine."

The sound echoed in the ruined temple. In front of Hercules, Ryan raised his hand and drew it.

The next moment, the picture of the dome began to become blurry.

New reliefs replace old ones, from shallow to deep, from nothing to something.

Sky, earth and sea; stars, netherworld and abyss.

Everything in the world emerges one after another, and time is condensed between dimensions.

A scroll of floating world paintings shows everything in front of young people.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Hercules couldn't help but feel that the arrogance of the man in front of him might actually have some truth.

Regardless of whether he knows everything in this world, he must be a rare and knowledgeable person in the world.

"What is this? Is this what the world looks like? But what does this have to do with what I want to know?"

Hercules asked, and Ryan asked with a smile.

"Of course, this is the world you are in and the world that exists alongside you."

"But first, before everything begins, Hercules, you are trying to find a way to resurrect the dead. So what kind of existence do you want to resurrect?"

"Is it because the traces have disappeared and it has long ceased to exist in the world; or is it because the body has decayed and has long since been reincarnated?"

"Or maybe it died in vain, and you just couldn't retrieve its soul, so you couldn't bring it back to life?"

"Different people naturally have different solutions."

"Nothing in this world can pass everything, and the same is true for the method of resurrection."

"It's the last one. I need to retrieve the soul of the deceased."

After speaking in a deep voice, Hercules hesitated for a moment, and then continued: "In fact, someone once made a promise to me."

"He said that most of the destinations of souls in the world come from the 'spiritual world', and even the gods can hardly interfere with its operations."

"But he promised me that if one day I can pass through the portal between the human world and the underworld, and move forward along the river of forgetfulness."

"Then when I set foot on the place where all things reincarnate, he may be able to take this opportunity to find the soul of the person I want to resurrect."

"But before that, I need to prove my ability and let my name spread among the countries."

"He was very detailed, but as much as I wanted to believe him, I had never heard of any of this stuff and didn't know if it could really work."

"So, learned wise man, please answer my doubts: Is this method of resurrection really feasible?"

"...take back your soul?"

The corner of his mouth moved slightly as he listened to Hercules' story. Although the other party didn't say that 'that person' was a 'certain god', Ryan instantly understood what he meant.

Similar things have happened more than once in history, and as the other party said, regaining the soul in the fourth spiritual world... this is definitely not his purpose.

In fact, even if Ryan didn't seek confirmation, he didn't feel that the so-called soul was really in the spiritual world.

This is most likely just an excuse to allow Heracles to take the initiative to explore the restricted area that even the gods dare not enter lightly.

This mortal with a unique destiny is not so easy to die. This may be his real purpose.

If he hadn't read the 'script' earlier, maybe Ryan would have actually made Hercules do something by negligence.

"As for the method you mentioned... it may be possible in theory, but it is impossible to do in practice."

He spoke calmly. Although he guessed the cause and effect, Ryan did not speak directly.

After all, he was just guessing, even if it was a guess with a high probability of success.

"The destination of the soul is indeed in the spiritual world, but young warrior, with your strength and experience, you should know very well how fragile mortal things are."

"If it weren't for the human world, the fight between the two gods would be enough to turn thousands of miles into ruins. Just a small wave of divine power can wipe out thousands of souls."

"No matter whether the person who promised you has the ability to seize the soul in the spiritual world, or whether you have the ability to find the one you want among thousands of souls, you may not be able to protect it in a fierce battle. Safety."

"Of course," Ryan continued with a slight smile: "If you don't actually care about the possibility of success, but just want a hope, then this approach is not a bad idea."

"No, of course I hope to succeed and must succeed."

Word by word, Hercules looked at the weak back in front of him.

"Do you have any solution for what I want?"

"Of course, I have three ways to achieve your wish."

"The first one is the simplest and most brutal. You should know that gods have their own world and humans have their own world."

"Under the laws of the world, the two are clearly distinguished."

Raising his hand gently, the dome scroll flipped at Ryan's fingertips.

The starry sky and mountains became particularly huge, with images flashing in them, just like gods walking through them.

"As you can see, only in the world of God are the gods invincible, but not in the human world."

"Just like the goddess of agriculture who was waiting for your rescue...you can try to find their weaknesses, imprison the gods who come to the human world on earth, and prohibit them from returning to the sacred mountain where the gods live."

"What's the use of this?"

"Their use is to serve as your bargaining chips."

With a calm expression, as if he didn't care at all about the blasphemy he said, Ryan said lightly: "It is well known that the God King is the ruler of the world."

"Although this is a bit exaggerated, it does make some sense."

"If you can imprison the gods and force the King of the Gods to lower his proud head and listen to the opinions of mortals, then what you want will definitely be accomplished."

"After all, the God King is always special, and the things they can use to exchange will never be lacking."

"I--"

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

At this moment, Hercules felt that he understood why the gods rejected the caster.

Such blasphemous remarks, treating the gods as goods, and trading with the supreme king of gods... The education received in the past is undoubtedly contrary to this, but for some reason, Hercules has a little desire in his heart.

Yes, such behavior is what a truly fearless hero should do.

Why should I use trials to prove myself to others, and why should I face these hardships?

Are the gods really powerful? Why do they retreat repeatedly because of mortals?

If there is anything in the world that stands in front of me, then a true hero should make everything obey his will.

Whether it is the gods in the sky or the gods in the ground, if they try to stop them, they should be defeated one by one!

"... Ho..."

"Huh - what about the second one?"

In the temple, Ryan seemed to hear heavy breathing.

But in the end, Hercules still did not respond positively.

Although he is much younger than the one who started a family and career in the original myth, and is also more brave and fearless, at least at this moment he does not have the courage and strength to provoke the gods.

Jade needs to be polished, and so does Hercules.

He may be a natural strong man, but this kind of strength has its limits.

Compared to the future that is enough to break the boundary between gods and humans with a demigod body and temporarily hold up the sky, he is now more than one level weaker.

"The second way... this does not require absolute courage and strength, it only requires your wisdom."

Ryan raised his hand again without taking it as an offense.

The sky and mountains highlighted in the painting of the dome of the temple disappeared immediately, and in the remaining part, the endless netherworld became the new midpoint.

In front of Hercules, endless darkness and eternal night rose and fell in it, and each tide was a day and night in the world.

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

And their every move is affecting the changes in the world.

"Hercules, have you heard about the original gods, the gods at the beginning of creation?"

"I have only heard some, such as the rumors about the Father and Mother of Heaven.

"It is said that they are the ancestors of the gods and have power second only to the God King."

"They are both the oldest gods and the incarnation of the world. Or maybe they have never had their own will, after all, few humans have seen their manifestations."

Whispering what he knew, Hercules looked at the scroll in front of him.

Obviously, the records of the old days have changed a lot at this time, and different city-states and regions have different explanations.

Except for Athens, which has more or less recorded official history, what people in other city-states know has long been distorted.

"So the original gods really exist, and the Father and Mother of Heaven are not all... The existence you showed me is another original god, and they can realize my wishes?"

"Yes, but you can no longer use force to solve them. "

With a stroke of the index finger, the scroll was split in the middle.

Darkness and eternal night were artificially separated by others, and Ryan explained with a smile.

"Mother of Night, she is the sky before the sky was born, and the curtain covering the earth."

"The world manifests nature, cause and effect, and destiny in the world through her hands, while the other lightless sacred is the back of the earth, separating order and chaos."

"Each of them can fulfill your wish, because there are few things in this world that they can't do."

"But facing the ancient gods who coexist with the world, what can you do to impress them?"

"...You are right, this is a problem that can only be solved by true wisdom. Although I am not stupid, I can't see through the hearts of such ancient gods."

The blood courage that was aroused before was temporarily suppressed, and Hercules' heart calmed down a little.

Perhaps he himself did not realize that when he received the mission to save the powerful goddess of agriculture, he was actually a little proud in his heart.

Gods are just like this. What constrains me from respecting them is just the education I received in the past... But when he learned that the original gods really existed, the young hero looked up at the earth and the sky.

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

Bravery and caution are not contradictory, or perhaps the two are originally one.

"What about the third way?"

Unable to do two in a row, Hercules could not help but feel anxious, and Ryan did not keep him in suspense.

Raising his hand for the third time, the original image disappeared.

At this time, only the last third of the scroll remained on the dome of the temple.

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

Although he had never seen it before, at this moment, Hercules knew His name.

Tartarus, the abyss under the underworld.

"The third method is the simplest."

"He doesn't need your strength or wisdom, you just need to be ruthless enough."

"This shouldn't be difficult for you."

The voice echoed in the empty temple, causing waves of echoes.

But to Hercules, it sounded like the devil's temptation.