Chapter 237 Blood in the Stone

The godhead is like a star, and the stars fall like rain. On this day, countless mortals looked up at the sky, watching the stars falling to the earth in the summer night sky.

The sky was full of star rain, like a beautiful painting. In a remote wilderness, Pandora, who was looking up at the starry sky, suddenly found that the pottery jar in her arms seemed to vibrate.

But it was only for a moment, and she even thought it was an illusion. Soon the magic jar returned to normal.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, maybe I didn't rest well."

Shaking her head gently, Pandora sensed it again and again, but didn't notice anything unusual about the magic jar. She had to attribute it to an illusion, perhaps because she had too high expectations for this jar, so that she would still have such an illusion now.

"...Okay."

He glanced at Pandora, but Epimetheus did not notice any other changes, so he didn't ask any more questions.

If there was something wrong, he didn't think Pandora could keep hiding it from him. As early as when she was created, the other party was not given such excellent abilities. If there was any accident, he would know it sooner or later.

…

The vibration of the magic pot is of course real, but it has nothing to do with Pandora. This is an opportunity for the creatures on earth, but it has nothing to do with her.

She once prayed to the magic pot for god-like immortality and god-like power. The godhead can do the latter, but obviously cannot do the former. So they avoided Pandora and the original gods on earth. Some of them fell on a certain creature, whether on the land or on the sea, whether it was a nymph, a beast or some regional gods; more fell in some corners, waiting for the arrival of its owner in the future.

But no matter where they fell, these keys to power chose the "right" owner under some influence. They may not be strong or wise, but at least they can keep secrets and have some thoughts about going further.

In silence, the trajectory of fate deviated again. But now, the gods on the sacred mountain have no way of knowing.

Because the king of gods summoned the gods today, they gathered together. According to Zeus, he will announce a big event today.

Although they didn't know what it was, the Olympian gods still responded to the call.

…

Tap tap--

After crossing the river that the gods had passed when they created the first generation of humans, passing through the dense jungle, and after a long search, the gods carrying the silver bow finally came to this vast plain.

In the sky, the stars fell, which made Apollo look up. He held the silver bow with his backhand, but then let it go. After all, on earth, his arrows could not reach the stars in the sky.

"Just think of it as the stars singing for me."

Lowering his head, Apollo no longer paid attention to the things in the sky, but looked at this vast plain.

In his field of vision, the buildings of the old era were still scattered on the ground. And at the end of his sight, Apollo seemed to see a tall and sacred temple. Just one glance, he was sure that it was the place he was looking for.

The Great Temple of Delphi, the first in the world, was also the oracle with the most gods and the most powerful. Here, almost all the gods who have been active in the world have left their statues, and its main hall is the only place where the original gods are clearly worshipped.

According to Leto's instructions before leaving, Apollo knew that what he wanted was there. But before that, he had one more thing to do, which was to use the blood of the giant python to prove his bravery.

Even if the difference in power is ignored, the same divine power will have different results in the hands of different gods. Like Hera, the queen of heaven who has always been regarded as an enemy by Leto, although her power is not good at fighting, she is still the most extraordinary one among the goddesses.

"It's like a performance. Complete the task given to me by the person behind the scenes, and then receive the reward he gives me... Then perform it, at least this is what the mother goddess wants to see."

Thinking silently, Apollo turned around. The temple is not where he should go, and the giant python with divine blood is not here.

It is on the Parnassus Mountains. Even at a long distance, Apollo has sensed the existence of the other party.

As he grew up and began to master the power of the gods, the python that he felt he could not fight against was no longer so scary. The other party seemed to realize this, and it had retreated into the depths of the continent to hide its tracks long before Apollo came to kill him.

But now that the target has been found, the outcome is predictable. Even without using divine power, Apollo has enough confidence to defeat the other party.

"Bang——"

Taking off the silver bow, Apollo shot an arrow in the direction he sensed, then stomped his right foot on the ground and shot towards the mountains.

Accompanied by a huge roar and collision, a battle broke out on the edge of the peaceful plain.

······

Bang——

With a huge noise, the heavy door slowly closed, and the gods sat down in the hall.

One by one, the waiters walked between the tables and served the gods with fine wine and delicacies. Today, they were summoned by the God King and once again put aside their work to discuss matters. However, given the character of the gods, whether it was a serious matter or not, it would not affect their enjoyment of life.

However, hearing the sound of the door closing, many gods still looked in that direction. Although the damaged parts had been repaired and looked no different from the original, many gods subconsciously took a look when they passed by the door before.

Zeus, who had a full view of everything, did not say anything about this. The gods have been in awe of the original gods for a long time, just like the reason why no gods are willing to go to the underworld is that it is too desolate and it is surrounded by the bodies of many original gods.

Gods will also be in awe of stronger power, which is understandable. Of course, this is also the reason why he has been tirelessly pursuing power.

"Your Majesty, I wonder if you have summoned the gods today to announce something? I think... there should be no problem with the newly formulated religious regulations."

Sitting in his seat, the sun god Helios looked around the hall at the different arrangements.

The breakthrough of divine power is imminent, and for him, the most desired change now is no change. Moreover, as a Titan god born in the last era, even today, Helios is not very accustomed to the sense of time of the Olympian gods.

Compared to mortals, Zeus may have been considered to be "living the moon like the sun", but compared to the Titan gods of the Second Age, the new gods still seem to have a lot of things to do.

Of course, the sun god can understand Zeus. After all, when Kronos first ascended the throne, there were not so many old things left over from the last era... But understanding is understanding. Looking at the brand new temple, Helios continued to ask:

"And these twelve chairs... Your Majesty, who did you prepare them for?"

At this moment in the temple, the God King and the God Queen sat at the top as always, in a place far higher than the position of the gods. There is nothing to pay attention to, but in addition to this, there are twelve unique chairs placed on both sides of the hall. They float in the air and surround the entire palace in a circle.

For a while, the other gods also looked at Zeus. This new arrangement made them uncomfortable. After all, the twelve chairs seemed to be above them.

The God King is higher than them, which is understandable for the sake of the laws of the world, and the previous two generations of God Kings have proved their power with facts. But if other gods are also above them, it would be unacceptable.

"Of course not, Helios, how can I change my promise made by myself? Your worries are completely unnecessary."

Raising his wine glass, Zeus saw the little thoughts of the sun god at a glance.

The God King didn't care much about his breakthrough, but it was a bit of a pity. If there was no boiling water goddess Perseis, he really wanted to choose a daughter to marry Helios as his wife, so that the other party would become his "pillar". But now it seems that there should be no such opportunity.

As for the future... let's talk about it later. Zeus hasn't figured out how to treat this god of the old times.

"About these twelve seats... let's talk about this later. I invited you all here today, and there are other things to announce."

With a smile on his lips, Zeus mobilized his authority the next moment.

"Now, please witness with me. Soon, another impeccable true god will come to Olympus and become one of our sacred ones."

The divine power was revealed, and the virtual image emerged. Although there was no artifact as a medium this time, the Delphic Oracle was different.

The bronze humans once prayed to many gods when they were extinct, but when the gods took back the trace of divinity they attached to the temple, the prayers of mortals could no longer be accurately detected by them. However, in this most ancient temple, the power of almost all gods in the world is manifested.

When this connection was called by the authority of the God King, the scene on the Great Plain was reproduced in mid-air. Looking at this familiar scene, many of the gods jumped in their eyes. They didn't expect Zeus to dare to openly spy on the secluded place of the Earth Mother.

But no one raised any objections. After all, it had nothing to do with them. The gods just looked at the illusory images, looking for the gods Zeus mentioned, and soon, they were attracted by the god with a silver bow on his back.

The handsome and blond god was full of vigor. Although it was hard to tell how strong he was, the friendliness in his smile made many gods like him. At this moment, Apollo in the picture was drawing his bow and arrow, aiming at a ferocious giant snake on the Parnassus Mountains.

"Your Majesty, is he the god you are talking about?"

Aphrodite suddenly asked near the top of the temple.

"Of course, my friend, an excellent new god, isn't he?"

Nodding, Zeus didn't expect Apollo to attract the attention of the goddess of beauty so easily.

And it seemed that Aphrodite had a good impression of Apollo, which made the king of gods feel that his plan might not be difficult to accomplish.

"Humph!"

The thought was interrupted by a cold snort as soon as it arose. Zeus' eyes met Hera's faint eyes for a moment, and then he chose to keep silent.

And Hera's eyes stopped on Aphrodite after sweeping over Zeus.

As for the former, although Hera was still dissatisfied with the opportunity to give the other party a chance to "show off in public", she had reluctantly accepted this result for some time. As for the latter, it was simply due to her dislike for her character and authority.

One was loyal, the other was passionate. One perfected the order of marriage and made it truly powerful, while the other was born to symbolize primitive lust, and could arouse the desire of the opposite sex with just a frown or a smile.

Hera had been displeased with Aphrodite for a long time, but as a powerful true god, the goddess of beauty was not afraid of Hera in the temple. Therefore, in the face of the Queen's obvious dissatisfaction, she just glanced at her and ignored her.

Zeus turned a deaf ear to this, and the other gods did not intend to interfere in the conflict between the two. Therefore, the hall was a little quiet, and the gods focused their eyes on the image in the air.

"Is this... the bow and arrow you asked the Cyclops to make before?"

After looking at it for a while, as if recognizing something, Hestia asked hesitantly.

She seemed to have seen the silver bow in Apollo's hand. It was the weapon made by Cyclops. Although it was not a divine weapon, its power was also extraordinary in the mortal world.

"Yes, there was originally a golden bow, but it may not fall into the hands of its owner for the time being."

At this point, Zeus couldn't help but pause, and then naturally skipped this topic.

"Let's see the young man's performance - a beautiful arrow!"

Along with the praise of the God King, there was an arrow that went straight into the giant python's eye socket. It pierced the brain of the giant beast and completely ended its life.

Zeus cheered first, and other gods echoed him. For a time, the atmosphere in the hall became lively again.

"It seems that we should take him to Olympus. If you need, I can go there in person."

Gradually realizing something, Hestia glanced at her brother.

Zeus is not a god who cares so much about outsiders. There may be other reasons why he cares so much about this new god who is about to join Olympus.

And looking at Hera, who was obviously in a worse mood today, Hestia already understood that this might be the offspring of Zeus.

"Of course, my sister, but before that, the winner should also get his reward."

Nodding, Zeus did not hide his love for Apollo. He stretched out his hand, and the three-color scepter appeared in his palm. The God King pointed forward, and then some changes happened in the dark.

"I have asked Zephyrus to pick him up. It won't be long before he gets the prize he deserves and he will come here to sit with me."

Zeus took back the scepter and held Hera's hand beside him, smiling at her puzzled eyes.

Beside Hera, there stood another god with a childish look in his brows. That was Zeus and her offspring, Ares, who was in charge of part of the [War].

Looking at Apollo in the light and shadow at this moment, his expression was a little eager to try. If he was not young, I'm afraid he would have stepped forward to do something.

"Be quiet, Ares, in a few years, you will not be worse than him."

Thinking that Zeus was asking her to take care of her son, Hera snorted lightly and then instructed the god of war beside her.

The king of gods just smiled at this. What he really wanted to take care of was actually Hera herself.

·····

"Bang——"

Pulling the still twitching body of the giant python, Apollo walked step by step to the front of the Temple of Delphi.

He took the scales from the heart of the giant python and used them as a sacrifice to replace the beast, then strode into the ancient building.

Time did not affect it, but only added a bit of time to the temple. On its stone pillars, Apollo saw many mysterious symbols, which seemed to be some kind of text, and also seemed to be a mark of power.

Continuing forward, on the tallest twelve pillars, in addition to those runes, the young god also saw what his father had seen and what had not appeared when he came.

That was the process of how the gods created the creatures of the golden age, and also recorded the birth of the first generation of humans, the past of the king of men seeing gods in dreams, and the ancient poem that was only half heard.

The collapse of Mount Odysseus, the disappearance of the golden humans, the demise of the silver humans, one ascended to the "sky" and the other entered the "earth", and then the third generation of humans created by Prometheus was destroyed by the flood under the suggestion of the king of gods.

Without any cover, these pillars just show the history of the past. Apollo silently read them all over, and then continued to approach the center of the temple.

The content described here was different from what he had heard along the way, but compared to the mortal world's catching wind and shadows, it was obvious that the records of this sanctuary were more trustworthy. Ignoring the corridors leading to different side halls along the way, Apollo finally came to the core of the temple soon.

"Spirit Lord, Earth Mother, and God King?"

Looking at the position of the chief priest, Apollo read out the three existences that Leto had told him, but the scene in front of him made him a little confused. Because at this moment, on the high altar, the three suspended stone platforms were obviously empty, and there was nothing at the place symbolizing the Earth Mother, which looked particularly abrupt.

"It's really strange..."

Although it was a bit unexpected, Apollo didn't know this ancient primitive god. Maybe this is how it should be here, so he just put the offerings on the altar, expressed his respect to the three gods, and then stepped forward again.

Leto told Apollo that his father left him a treasure here, which could make him have the world's top power in one leap. Although the young god did not like the father god he had never met, and was not very willing to accept this gift, he still agreed when he saw Leto's expectant eyes.

He would rather do it all by himself, but since he had already agreed, Apollo did not intend to hesitate any longer. In a few steps, the young god stood in front of the stone platform at the bottom, looking at the holy stone that symbolized the God King.

"The holy stone that died for the king? This life force... is really powerful."

Muttering softly, I don't know when, the surface of the holy stone in front of Apollo has become as red as blood. Even wisps of golden and red mist lingered on it, exuding a terrible and tempting breath.

The heart blood of the God King, the golden apple given by the Earth Mother, after two eras, the years of the replacement of the God King, when they gathered together, this holy stone that had been baptized by the fire of the sun has become the world's top divine object. The attraction between [light] and [sun], the connection between blood, and the instinctive desire for the life force of the golden apple, at this moment, Apollo had to admit that this was indeed a rare opportunity in the world. (See 2-73/74)

So, under the distant gaze of the Olympian gods, he reached out his hand, grasped the sacred stone, and let the blood surging on the stone flow into his body like ripples.

The light shone brightly, shining in the temple, and an unprecedented sense of power emerged from Apollo's limbs. It was clearly night, but there was a soft light all over the night sky, illuminating the dim earth.

The god in charge of [light] replaced his brother and obtained one of Zeus's few divine objects. He proved with facts that even for the gods, being born early or late is equally important.