Myth: The Spiritual Dominator

"Morality in your heart?"

“That’s really my own way of saying it.”

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

From ancient times to the present, the so-called moral constraints have always been to guard against gentlemen rather than villains.

Hercules was certainly not a gentleman. After all, in later myths, he also deceived the enemies he encountered in the trial.

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

Therefore, in Chaos, where nothing like the "swearing by the Luo River" had ever happened, Ryan did not despise or take Hercules' promise seriously.

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 teach you the secrets of all things in this palace where the gods once dwelt."

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

"They will all remain here, in your heart and mine."

The voice echoed in the ruined temple, and Ryan raised his hand and made a stroke in front of Hercules.

The next moment, the picture on the dome began to become blurred.

The new relief replaces the old one, from shallow to deep, from nothing to something.

Sky, earth and sea; the astral world, the underworld and the abyss.

All things in the world emerge one after another, and time is condensed between dimensions.

A scroll of Ukiyo-e painting presents everything to young people.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Hercules couldn't help but feel that the person in front of him might have some truth in his previous boasting.

Regardless of whether he knows everything in this world or not, 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 smiled back.

"Of course, this is the world you live in, and the Wanfang that exists alongside your world."

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

"Is it that the traces have disappeared and it no longer exists in this world; or is it that the body has decayed and it has already been reincarnated?"

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

"Different people naturally have different solutions."

"There is nothing in this world that can be applied to everything, and the same goes for the method of resurrection."

"It's the last one. I need to retrieve the souls of the dead."

Hercules spoke in a deep voice, hesitated for a moment, and then continued: "In fact, someone once promised me."

"He said that the destination of most souls in the world comes from the 'spiritual world', and even the gods find it difficult to interfere with the operation of it."

"But he promised me that one day I could pass through the portal between the human world and the underworld and follow the course of the River of Forgotten."

"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 nations."

"His account was very detailed, but even though I wanted to believe him, I had never heard of these things and didn't know if they would actually work."

"So, wise and knowledgeable man, please answer my question: Is this method of resurrection really feasible?"

"…Take back the soul?"

The corners of his mouth moved slightly as he listened to Hercules' story. Although the other party did not 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, to recapture souls in the fourth level of the spiritual world... this is definitely not his purpose.

In fact, even if Ryan didn't verify it, he didn't think that the so-called soul was really in the spiritual world.

This was most likely just an excuse to encourage Hercules to explore the forbidden area that even the gods dared not enter.

This mortal with a unique destiny will not die so easily, and this may be his real purpose.

If Ryan had not read the "script" before, perhaps he would have let Hercules do something out of carelessness.

"Regarding the method you mentioned...it may be feasible in theory, but it is impossible to do in practice."

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

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

"The soul's final resting place is indeed in the spirit world, but young warrior, with your strength and experience, you should be well aware of how fragile mortal things are."

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

"No matter if the person who made the promise to you has the ability to seize souls in the spirit world, and no matter if you have the ability to find the one you want among the millions of souls, you may not be able to protect its safety in a fierce battle."

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

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

Hercules spoke each word with pause, looking at the not-so-strong figure in front of him.

"So 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."

Gently raising his hand, the picture scroll of the dome flipped at Ryan's fingertips.

The starry sky and the mountains became particularly huge, with images flickering in them, as if gods were passing through them.

"As you can see, only in the world that belongs to God are the gods invincible, but this is not the case in the human world."

"Just like the goddess of agriculture who was waiting for you to save her... You can try to find their weaknesses, imprison the gods who come to the human world on earth, and forbid them to return to the sacred mountain where the gods live."

"What's the use?"

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

With a calm expression, as if he didn't care at all about the blasphemy he had said, Ryan said calmly: "As everyone knows, the God King is the ruler of the world."

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it does have some truth to it.”

"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 Kings are always special, and the things they can use for exchange will never be lacking."

"I--"

I opened my mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say.

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

Such blasphemous remarks, actually treating the gods as commodities and making deals with the supreme king of gods... The education he received in the past was undoubtedly contrary to this, but for some reason, Hercules felt a little desire in his heart.

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

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

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

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

No matter whether it is the gods in the sky or on the ground, if they try to stop him, they will be defeated one by one!

“…Huh…”

"Hoo—what about the second one?"

Inside the temple, Ryan seemed to hear heavy breathing.

But in the end, Hercules did not respond directly.

Although he was much younger than the one who had a family and a career in the original myth, and was also much braver and fearless, at least at this moment he did not have the courage and strength to challenge the gods.

Jade needs to be polished, and so does Hercules.

He may be born strong, but this kind of strength has its limits.

Compared to the future when he would be able to use his demigod body to break the boundary between gods and humans and temporarily hold up the sky, he is much weaker now.

"The second method... this does not require absolute courage and strength. It only requires your wisdom."

Not taking it as an offense, Ryan raised his hand again.

The sky and mountains that were highlighted in the painting on the temple dome then disappeared, and in the remaining part, the endless underworld became the new midpoint.

In front of Hercules, endless darkness and eternal night ebb and flow, and each tide is a day and night on earth.

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 ever heard of the original gods, the gods at the beginning of creation?"

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

"It is rumored that they are the ancestors of all gods and possess power second only to that of the God King."

"They are both the oldest gods and the embodiment 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, by this time, records of the old days had long since changed, with different city-states and regions having different interpretations.

Except for Athens, which still had some official history records, what people in other city-states knew had long been distorted.

"So the primordial gods really exist, and Heavenly Father and Earth Mother aren't all of them... The beings you showed me are other primordial gods, and they can fulfill my wishes?"

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

With a stroke of the index finger, the scroll is 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 created, and the veil that covers the earth."

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

"Each of them can fulfill your wishes, because there are few things in this world that they cannot 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 cannot understand the mind of such an ancient god."

The courage that had been 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 no more than that, and what restrains me from respecting them is only the education I received in the past... But when I 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 also 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 one and the same.

"What about the third solution?"

Hercules couldn't help but feel anxious after failing to do two things in a row, and Ryan didn't keep him in suspense.

He raised his hand for the third time and 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 containing all the malice in the world.

Although he had never seen Him before, at that moment, Hercules knew His name.

Tartarus, the abyss beneath 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 sound echoed in the empty temple, causing waves of echoes.

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