Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Laine looked at the old man beside him. On his stone carvings, the proud attitude of the son of the Sea God and the bronze column hanging in the West Heaven were clearly visible. Even gradually, the stone slab itself seemed to have undergone some miraculous changes.

"The flood is still nine days away, and your life has only ten days left. In these last days, is there anything you would like to do?"

The elder was already due to die a natural death, and even without the great flood, he actually wouldn't have lived much longer.

"If possible, I'd like to fully document this flood."

With a calm demeanor, Humar looked down sentimentally. As far as the eye could see, there were endless seas, but he knew that hidden underneath the water was his once home.

"A reasonable request," Laine nodded and blessed him, "May you see all there is in the Mortal Realm, and may your records live forever."

He said this, and the Law responded to Laine's blessing. During the last ten days of the old man's life, space would not hinder his sight, everything in the Mortal Realm would be within his view; and after the old man's death, his stone carvings, which documented everything, would also be engulfed in frozen time. They would forever stay in that moment, only touchable by time itself.

The sea parted, revealing a path leading under the water. And at the end of the path was the largest temple in Aurora City, once built by Zeus.

This special place, different from other temples, was where the Divine King condemned the sins of humanity, and forced the faithless madmen to kneel indefinitely, so the temple still retained traces of the Divine King's authority, and therefore, was not worn away by these ordinary waters.

"Accompanying you for half a day has been my honor."

Before departing, Humar bowed slightly.

"It's your own choice."

Waving his hand, Laine finally said:

"Go on, this place will soon become a battlefield again. What to leave for future humans, is for you to decide."

After Humar left, only Laine remained. He looked down and noticed the black fog that was trying its hardest to conceal its presence.

Mephisto knew he couldn't hide from the Lord of the Spirit Realm's perception, but it didn't stop him from pretending it was so. Laine also knew that Mephisto knew he couldn't hide, yet he just smiled and acted as if the Demon had ceased to exist.

In terms of enhancing Divine Power, souls were very important to him; for increasing the 'volume' of the Spirit Realm, the circulation of souls was also important. But to elevate Spirituality as a 'symbol' in the world, spreading souls as widely as possible and having their existence recognized by powerful beings was the most effective approach.

Thus, regarding the theft of souls, Laine's attitude was 'too clear water harbors no fish'. If your skills were crafty enough to find loopholes from the Deities of the Spirit Realm, or if it was just a god intercepting one or two souls, he would generally turn a blind eye.

This was also a way to give the Deities of the Spirit Realm something to do, so they wouldn't just stay in their own places all day long without ever stepping out.

"However, speaking of which, he has been quite quiet this time."

"Is it because he was too active before?"

Before leaving, Laine was somewhat surprised. His mind had, in fact, been covertly monitoring the Underworld to prevent Erebus from jumping out and causing him trouble again, but nothing had happened.

Perhaps the other party was busy with other matters, or perhaps unable to come out at all. Anyway, it was good that he didn't come, as Laine wasn't particularly eager to see him.

Shaking his head, Laine stepped out and vanished into the airspace above this sea area. From now on, the affairs of the Mortal Realm would at most concern his avatar, and have little to do with himself.

And underwater, Mephisto sensed Laine's departure and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Phew, he's finally gone," he said.

The ritual could have progressed to the second phase much earlier, but he was not the brainless sort like Triton. He worked hard to conceal his tracks; whether the concealment was effective or not, if others pretended not to see you, they would ignore you. But to brazenly do one's own thing under the watchful eyes of others was simply to court discomfort.

After adjusting his clothes, Mephisto sent a message into the distance. Quickly, a figure appeared before him.

The demons had not trusted the local deities with the earlier affairs, they always managed to turn good situations bad. However, now the time was almost right, and it was time for the other party to contribute.

Looking at the swaying figure of Keto, Mephisto said with a smile:

"Get ready, we can start the final step. Next, please let me introduce the ruler of realms beyond, the king of the Nine Hells, the creator of demons—His Excellency Asmodeus. A deity born like you is the most welcome in the Nine Hells; His Excellency will surely be pleased to learn of your joining."

"Hmph, I hope so, just in time to witness his power," Keto responded indifferently with a snort.

Though Mephisto had often claimed that there were beings even stronger than the Divine King in the Nine Hells, Keto was still skeptical.

"You will see, I assure you," Mephisto said with a smile.

He did not mind Keto's attitude and knew that beings do not understand things beyond their comprehension. Until today, all mortals and gods in the present world held fixed impressions of the Abyss, believing it to be empty, filled only with deathly silence and void.

But all this was about to end.

Stepping forward to the core of the ritual, where a small groove lay on the ground, Mephisto cut his wrist. Although underwater, the dark red blood still fell straight downwards, dripping onto the intricate designs etched there. Tracing the fine patterns, the demon's blood seemed to contain a special energy, quickly lighting up the areas it touched.

It started with a few specks and then extended rapidly. From underneath Mephisto's feet and out towards the entirety of Aurora City's ruins. The deep ocean water lacked any light, making the dark luster even more dazzling.

At that moment, a certain connection was activated. Like a massive coordinate, the ritual drew the attention of a vast presence from afar. The laws of the current world recognized this power, a force belonging to another aspect of the world—it instinctively rejected it, but not completely.

"Guard this place well," Mephisto commanded.

Retracting his hand, the small wound healed instantly. In the void surrounding Aurora City, one after another, powerful presences were approaching. Mephisto was not afraid, just slightly surprised.

The gods of the Spirit Realm came so quickly, which he could understand, but what about that other one?

"No matter," Mephisto said.

With a smile, he glanced at the thick cluster of souls around him.

With so many 'achievements' and more than one 'benevolent' god actively contributing to his cause, he wondered how many ranks he should ascend.

Ahead of this, the demon looked forward with some anticipation.