Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

The old man had deliberately preserved them earlier, not letting these things be sacrificed together.

As for their use, the middle-aged man had long known.

Although he had never seen it, he had heard of such an existence from his teacher.

He was the most powerful warrior in the Mortal Realm, a pioneer daring enough to carry the corpses of deities in his mortal body.

But he had another identity—the Golden Humanity, the most noble, the most perfect, and also the most false generation of the Human Clan.

Mythology records when the ancient beings created them, the gods dripped their divine blood, gathering into a river, and then under the fusion of [Life], they were restored to their original form, achieving the initial Golden Generation.

As a result, they were born long-lived yet not restricted by being demigods; born with physical bodies comparable to high-level professionals, yet only see it as an instinct.

In some versions, even the Goddess of the Magic Net was once a member of the Golden Humanity… The middle-aged man didn't know if this was true, as it somewhat violated the iron law that 'the Golden Age only had males.'

Only when Erwin thought of how she ultimately became a deity did this rule seem not so absolute.

"Whether it's true or false, it no longer matters."

"With real divine blood, we can't erase the will of the deities within it and restore it to its original state; creating souls, we can't do, nor have we ever tried, as that is a taboo the church cannot cross."

"The legendary [Life Vase], we don't have it, otherwise, why bother targeting the deities… But though we don't have any of these things, we aren't aiming to create a race or a civilization."

"All we need is a body…"

[Life Residue], the core material of the 'Star Blood' potion, is extracted from the essence of living beings.

The essence of demigods, though it can't compare to real divine blood, lacks the indelible divine influence and will of the deities.

The [Cup of Youth], its power can return the blood of demigods to its original state, eliminating postnatal changes.

Even the Goddess of Youth herself, her 'existence' can bring an unseen influence to the entire ritual…

In addition to this, the old man's preparations were many.

Such as the ritual Achilles once performed, soul splitting, flesh regeneration, Styx River erosion… The reason he supported Chiron was not out of respect for his predecessor, but to access higher domains through the channels of the Goddess of the Magic Net's apprentice, to gain forbidden knowledge.

Erwin knew all of this, and he himself was the executor. And now, he was going to put these preparations into action personally.

"Hu—"

Flying into the city, the middle-aged man raised his hand to activate the previously laid ritual track.

Of the three rituals arranged under Nafplion City, the first had already been used; now, it was the second one he activated—[Life Refining·Pseudo].

The reason it was 'Pseudo,' was that the old man believed he couldn't create a body comparable to that of the Golden Humanity, so he made a distinction.

But to Erwin, the latter was the domain of the Primordial Gods, and mortals had no need to compare themselves to them.

"The first body, let's make it for the teacher."

"After all, to break through the limits of self-generated divinity and longevity, the teacher obtained divinity from the God of the Stars and tried various methods to erase the will within it."

"However, divinity is still divinity… The teacher succeeded, his power broke through, but he also failed because his soul and body didn't undergo the imagined sublimation… Though they did become stronger, and unlike the divinity bestowed by deities which locks the advancement of spellcasters' souls, from then on, the teacher bore the burden of the external divinity."

"This kind of influence can't be eradicated by simply turning back time, it requires a Divine Artifact to cleanse. As for me… I'll wait a bit longer."

Flying in the air, Erwin sighed softly.

According to what the teacher said before, he had only seen three genuinely self-generated divinities in his lifetime; the rest had more or less the assistance of divine blood.

One was one of the Golden Humanity who established Silver Moon City, one was Heracles, whom he saw later, and the third was Hermes, who, decades after leaving Silver Moon City, went to Athens.

Apart from these, even Theseus, whom he briefly met, had partly received the influence of divine blood… The old man didn't know if the young Monarch had later eliminated this influence, but at least at that time, he hadn't.

Only these three people, they might have had divine blood, or simply were mortals, but their divinity was completely unrelated to the deities… But the success of the latter two was obscure, so the old man ultimately set his sights on the first person.

After all, the origin of witchcraft is mimicking the laws of all things, so his path to free himself from the influence of the old divinity and achieve longevity was to explore the paths of these three successful individuals.

"Come on, Life Refining…"

In his heart, the middle-aged man silently invoked the ritual.

In the next moment, intricate and ancient array patterns once again enveloped the entire city.

Behind him, the old man watched quietly, unsure of what he was thinking.

...

Southeast Continent, Silver Moon City.

In the abandoned area of the city, silver-gray hair draped over shoulders.

The young-appearing Archbishop seemed relaxed still on the surface, but the centaur could see a trace of solemnity in his eyes.

According to the original plan, the two of them shouldn't have been here at this moment. After all, it was almost evening, and so many years had passed, there was no need to rush to eliminate hidden dangers at this very moment.

However, as soon as Chiron left the Temple, the young man chased after him.

He told the centaur that because of their earlier discoveries, the place that couldn't be spied on had long been under heightened surveillance.

And just now, there was an abnormal and powerful surge there.

The aura of divine power was concealed, but the True God's law disruption in the material world caused by utilizing divine power was not something the [Artificial Magic Net] could block.

So, without a doubt, something must have changed there.

"It seems rather ominous… Lord Chiron, please lift the blockade here."

"Okay."

With a deep voice, the centaur decisively nodded.

Stepping forward, he directly began to communicate with the nearby strings of the Magic Net.

Very quickly, along the invisible paths, Chiron's mind flowed freely, eventually connecting with the Mystery Lock covering all of Silver Moon City.

As an apprentice of Hecate, he admitted that his talent in magic was far less than in personal martial prowess, but he smoothly activated the core of the Mystery Lock, then followed the flow, attempting to control the part enveloping this area.

Just as he started, the centaur felt some resistance, indicating that someone had taken measures here to prevent others with authorization from opening the secrets… However, this obstacle might hinder any Tower Master of the Clock Tower but could never stop the student of the Goddess of the Magic Net.

With a bit more effort, Chiron tore through the barrier, severing the Mystery Lock's concealment over this area.

At the same moment, the entrance to the underground palace was revealed in their perception.

His expression unchanged, only the smile carried a hint of coldness.

The young man patted the centaur's leg, which was as tall as a person, smilingly appreciating the wisdom of the wizards.

"Very clever, don't you think, Lord Chiron."

"They built the entrance under the abandoned temple's ground, as no one would strictly search here… Without your help, I wouldn't have suspected this place."

'I wouldn't have believed they were so brazen… That's what you're trying to tell me…'

The thought flashed through his mind, and the centaur slightly bent to argue a bit on behalf of the other wizards.

"Your Excellency, in my perception, this was done by one of the twelve Clock Tower masters."

"His name is Erwin. He is the least talented among the twelve tower masters, perhaps that's why he used his and borrowed others' permissions to link the Mystery Lock with his creations, and ultimately conducted forbidden research here…"

"Yes, I understand."

"Lord Chiron, I believe that's your honest belief, and I am willing to believe not every wizard is inherently evil."

Raising his hand with a smile, the young-looking Archbishop stopped the centaur's defense.

"But let's first go inside and take a look."

"As for how to deal with it… Let's talk about it later."