Chapter 834: 316: Bewitching and Dividing Stars

Chapter 834: Chapter 316: Bewitching and Dividing Stars

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The dim, lightless edge of the starry sky was devoid of any signs of life, with only fragments of celestial bodies gliding along their inertia, like an ever-spinning star instrument.

The closer one got to the edge of the starry sky, the denser the darkness and shattered stars became, and the “thickness” of space grew increasingly thin.

Zephyrus had no idea how far he had managed to escape until the sense of danger behind him gradually dissipated, allowing him to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The starry sky was vast, especially outside the core.

When confronted with danger here, even the God of the West Wind couldn’t guarantee that the Divine King could detect it in time.

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“I never expected the Mother of Light to have such a formidable enemy.”

“Luckily, I departed in time. Otherwise, the entity capable of opposing Theia might be beyond what I can handle.”

Unwittingly feeling a touch of fear, Zephyrus realized he still had a long way to go in the True God’s domain.

Compared to these peak divine power beings, even if he summoned the other three Wind Gods for assistance, the God of the West Wind didn’t believe he stood much chance.

After all, if not for the balance of the current world’s law, each of these beings might have the potential to advance further.

“Phew—at least I got a sense of the disparity in strength.”

“Compared to the Mother of Light, Apollo is still too immature.”

Shaking his head slightly, Zephyrus exhaled a long breath.

Theia likely had no chance of visiting the Mortal Realm, but his task needed to continue… Yet just as he prepared to set off, a hint of doubt arose in the heart of the God of the West Wind.

A divine power level of 20, the limit under this current law, he had already experienced it today.

Moreover, according to his own perception, even the Heavenly Empress Hera, in truth, had a disparity when compared to Theia.

Zephyrus didn’t know the reason, perhaps because the empress’s divine authority wasn’t inherently aggressive, or perhaps because a millennium of faith was indeed insufficient to support Hera’s elevation.

In any case, even after the war of gods that erupted over the sea after the Golden Apple gathering, the God of the West Wind had never felt such tremendous pressure as he did today.

This clearly illustrated that compared to this ancient Titan God, the empress indeed fell short.

But…

“But what about Athena?”

“She fought against three and still held the upper hand, yet I never felt similar oppressive strength from Her Highness Athena. Why is this?”

As doubts flashed through his mind, Zephyrus ultimately chose not to dwell on them.

Much like seeing the sword in Achilles’s hand—even if it was related to the Ancient Sun God, the Mount of the Gods still had the Divine King in power.

Regardless of whether Athena was hiding something, the Divine King’s strength was a guarantee against all.

As long as Zeus showed no signs of decline, as a loyal subject of the Divine King, Zephyrus had nothing to fear.

“Yes… Loyal as I am, the world knows.”

Nodding to himself, the God of the West Wind discerned the direction.

Next, he had two more places to visit.

Failing once was possible, but he would not betray the trust of His Majesty the Divine King a second time.

Through coercion or temptation, those who should come must be present.

······

Compared to returning empty-handed at the Mother of Light, the rest of Zephyrus’s journey was much more successful.

First, in the extreme south of the starry sky, the God of the West Wind met the nominal siblings of the gods of the Underworld, two deities who similarly hadn’t emerged in ages.

Aether, the God of Heavenly Father, and Hemera, the Goddess of Daylight.

As gods born under the surging power of Primordial Deities, they readily accepted Zephyrus’s invitation, though they needed to make some preparations.

For a while, even the God of the West Wind had difficulty discerning whether they had truly made up their minds.

But until he was sent out of their palace by the Goddess of Daylight, Zephyrus raised no objections.

After all, he had already stated it was an invitation from the Divine King; if they refused openly it would be fine, but if they agreed on the surface only to later decline, that would be unacceptable.

Having completed part of his task, Zephyrus didn’t stop.

He continued along the cosmic track until he arrived in a star domain full of dead stars and dust.

The last target, Coeus, the God of the Lightless Celestial Body, resided in seclusion here.

Unlike Theia’s dwelling, if the Goddess of Luminous hadn’t often visited the Mortal Realm, Zephyrus might not have thought to find this Titan God here.

“As I said earlier, Phoebe.”

“I dare not alter the decree of the Divine King—in any case, please have Coeus give me a response.”

Holding the token infused with Zeus’s aura in his hand, the God of the West Wind watched Phoebe depart, quietly waiting for the response from the Goddess of Luminous.

As he expected, compared to his wife, Coeus had no intention of involving himself in external affairs.

He didn’t even intend to come out to greet; instead, he remained alone in his palace.

Fortunately, there was still one… As a like-minded individual, the God of the West Wind believed the Goddess of Luminous would find a way to persuade her husband.

Even if she couldn’t in the end… As long as she was willing to come, it would suffice for reporting.

…

Tap, tap——

The pitch-black columns, colorless reliefs.

Pearl and gemstone adorned the ancient temple interior, yet seemed completely out of place.

Listening to the sounds from behind, Coeus stood silently.

His tall figure bore little clothing, with only a thick cloth wrapped around his waist, thick muscles clearly visible.

Like two extremes, the God of the Lightless Celestial Body never exhibited superfluous adornments.

He didn’t like them and felt they were unnecessary.

“Phoebe, you’re here to persuade me again?”

His voice was thick and deep, like the heavy rumble of celestials in motion.

However, Phoebe didn’t reply. She merely lifted her skirt and walked slowly to her husband’s side.

“How does it feel?”

“In recent years, the world’s source power should have risen quite a bit, right?”

“In your perception, how far are you from that step?”

“Like heaven from earth.”

“Or the abyss to the starry sky.”

His voice was calm, and Coeus seemed indifferent to it.

However, standing beside him, Phoebe silently clenched her sleeves.

Yes, like heaven and earth; how could she not know?

As one who had fought against the Heavenly Father, Phoebe understood the pressure.

Even when consumed by his godhood, even when wielding control connecting sky and earth, her father still had power enough to crush them.

While her husband Coeus, even after all these years, remained far from that realm.

“Phoebe… You must understand, to cross this step, it has never been about strength itself.”

“The stars and darkness, only these two godhood domains can sustain me forward.”

“Yet the latter is beyond my imagination, and the former… you should understand.”

Coeus shook his head slightly without further explanation.

However, standing beside him, Phoebe refused to understand.

“That is not a reason, Coeus. Because you can’t do it now, do you wait here, hoping destiny will favor you?”

“Have you never thought of doing something, doing what you can instead of remaining here idle?”

Her voice rose, Phoebe tried to maintain gentleness in her tone.

Yet looking at the unmoved Coeus, the goddess felt only a sense of powerlessness.

Do you not have the slightest desire to advance? If existence in a cold place meant eternal presence, what difference was there from death?

“Coeus, listen to me, you’re not without opportunities.”

Taking a deep breath, Phoebe suddenly embraced her husband from behind.

She had not done this for a long time, not since the first quarrel she couldn’t remember, when Phoebe had grown tired of Coeus’s dullness.

Unadventurous, unable to enjoy life.

No ambition, even unwilling to use what he already possessed.

She didn’t know if it was because the great divine power gap was too challenging, leading Coeus to relinquish all thought.

Or if he had always been this way, only she took a millennium to see it clearly.

But Phoebe didn’t want to wait any longer, especially now, with this rare chance.

If missed today, every time she remembered it, she would probably feel only regret and frustration.

“Coeus, listen to me.”

“You told me before that with changes in the Mortal Realm and the spread of the Divine King’s lineage, you’ve gradually seen some secrets of Zeus.”

“The mortal king’s authority might be related to him achieving great divine power; the greater his authority, the stronger he might become.”

“You said this; I believe you wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

“…”

Silent, Coeus did not refute.

Three generations of Divine Kings ultimately crossed this insurmountable heavenly pass.

No one wasn’t curious about this secret, even him.

Coeus wouldn’t act on it, instead observing the world quietly, and speculation came from that.

These guesses were his speculation and his hope for Phoebe to give up her persistence.

The path of the Divine King may be irreplicable, a uniqueness of their own.

Whatever the opposition attempted, it was likely an impossible success.

“Well, since you admit, keep listening to me.”

Hugging a little tighter, a fire seemed to dance in Phoebe’s eyes.

“You know I often visit the Mortal Realm and mingle with the gods.”

“Lately, something major happened in the mortal world.”

“The Olympian pantheon split into two factions, warring against each other while the Divine King turned a blind eye.”

“Zephyrus’s arrival today brought a message… He told me that a mortal from Silvermoon City caused havoc in the pantheon, and we are the ones he seeks as reinforcements.”

Her voice grew increasingly high-pitched, Phoebe’s tone becoming sharp.

“Reinforcements—how laughable.”

“The king of gods dealing with a mortal needs our help; it’s a joke.”

“But Coeus, do you think Zeus is a joke?”

No one thought Zeus a joke, even his adversaries wouldn’t.

Yet the God of the Lightless Celestial Body still didn’t speak; he was curious how Phoebe came up with this and what she truly meant.

“If your speculation is correct, Coeus, then let me guess why the Divine King is doing this.”

“For a great divine power to act, it would be to increase strength or to defeat another great divine power.”

“Is there a possibility that these two things, for the Divine King, could equate to one?”

Her voice fell; even in their place, Phoebe instinctively softened her speech.

If Coeus’s guesses were true, perhaps the act of defeating Primordial Gods itself increased Zeus’s power.

“So, Phoebe, what do you want to say?”

“What does Zeus’s intention have to do with me?”

His tone remained calm, like a towering iron pillar.

Despite Phoebe’s astonishing speculation, Coeus’s demeanor stayed unruffled.

“I mean… if this is true, then the Divine King’s first enemy might be the spirit world’s foothold in the Mortal Realm.”

“His second might be the eternal night and darkness.”

“A king who doesn’t seek to rule all is surely not a qualified sovereign. Coeus, do you believe Zeus can succeed?”

Not waiting for a response, Phoebe offered her answer.

“I don’t know, but I believe he can, especially as our daughter bore him heirs.”

“If he truly succeeds, then as a qualified ruler, seeing only subduing Primordial Gods without truly overcoming them, what might the Divine King do?”

“Coeus, you can’t unify the starry sky, for the Divine King desires it too.”

“Yet no one ever said that the symbol that supports the power of the Lord of Darkness… can’t allow two greats to jointly dominate the world’s ebb and flow.”

“You personally told me, the world’s source power continues to rise, and so does true darkness.”

“…”

Silent, Coeus admitted Phoebe’s words indeed enthralled him for a moment.

Yes, theoretically, it wasn’t impossible.

A complete symbol supports one great, but if a symbol’s power was exceptionally vast, further division couldn’t be ruled out.

As the great [material] body was Gaia’s magnificence, now reduced to the earth, she still remained great but no longer as before.

Now the [Darkness], capable of creating a Lord of Darkness not weak among great divine powers, if there was a way to divide him, wouldn’t that be possible too?

Coeus didn’t know because he knew too little about great divine power.

Maybe it was possible, or maybe just fanciful, but it was an idea.

This notion lasted only an instant; the next moment, Coeus felt a chill deep within.

The starry sky was cold, especially the lightless celestial bodies.

As the God of the Lightless Celestial Body, even now, he felt the chill.

Yes, it was indeed a good plan, enough to make him tempted. But were the words just spoken truly Phoebe’s thoughts?

Coeus didn’t know, but he knew, even after secluding for an epoch, the world likely hadn’t forgotten his presence.

Zeus hadn’t forgotten, Erebos hadn’t forgotten, and perhaps others hadn’t forgotten either.

A being at the peak beneath the great, no matter how low-key, wouldn’t be forgotten.

“Phoebe,… you may be right.”

Seemingly persuaded, Coeus extended his right hand.

With a ripple in the void, an oddly shaped object fell into his hand.

“Since you wish to go, go.”

“But your power isn’t sufficient, so I’ll lend you half of the celestial bodies I control. With it, you can achieve what you wish.”

“What about you, won’t you come with me?”

The goddess felt joy but couldn’t help her dissatisfaction.

Yet seeing Coeus’s back, for the first time in millennia, Phoebe felt he seemed pleasing.

“As for me… I’ll wait a little longer.”

“Wait for… a more fitting time.”

Without turning, Coeus’s heavy voice echoed in the temple.

Since someone remembered him, hiding was impossible; however, as long as he hadn’t personally acted, everything remained negotiable.

As for when he’d step forth…

Coeus wasn’t certain when it would be appropriate, but it certainly wasn’t now.

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