Chapter 588: The Attention of All
It passed through layers of cloud peaks, descending from the edge of the starry Sky.
The silver Alchemy long shuttle lived up to expectations, carrying a group of people across the waves of the West Sea.
Unlike the East Sea, perhaps because of Triton, who was like a symbol of shame, or perhaps out of fear of the Sky-supporting Titan, neither Oceanus nor Nereus, the Ancient sea god's son who was about to become a Main God, had any intention of expanding their sphere of influence here.
There was even less to say about Poseidon; in the Ten-Year War at the turn of the last epoch, he had also fought on the land with this Titan who wielded Authority over Strength.
Even though Atlas had not yet shouldered the heavy responsibility of supporting the Sky at that time, his strength still left a deep impression on the Sea Emperor's Memory.
If possible, he did not want to provoke this stubborn Ancient God at all. So, along the way, Heracles did not see any powerful marine Life.
Even the sea monsters born of the Father of a Hundred Monsters tacitly stayed away from this ocean.
Opening a window from the Star Shuttle, the Great Hero could faintly see the blooming flowers on the Holy Island.
The golden apple tree was planted there, guarded by the hundred-headed dragon Ladon.
Remotely sensing the powerful aura, several magical items on Heracles, originating from Typhon's Sons, trembled slightly.
A tremendous dragon roar came from afar, shattering clouds for thousands of miles.
The powerful demon seemed to sense something; it wanted to come and investigate personally.
However, the seal left by the God King was unshakeable, just like the First God King who once imprisoned the giants, and the Second God King who imprisoned the sun. Ladon's resistance was meaningless.
The order chain shook slightly, and then firmly suppressed it.
Although its ability could exempt it from part of the suppression of laws, part was not all.
Facing the order suppression personally invoked by Zeus with his royal authority, even if it could exempt most of it, the remaining part could still firmly restrict Ladon's range.
"It's impossible to force our way in. Even if I can borrow your strength, I can't resist the suppression of divine power in the current world."
"Ender, it seems we still have to seek the help of the Ancient Titan God."
Hearing is one thing, seeing is another.
Now that he had personally confirmed the result, the Great Hero no longer held on to pointless expectations.
Maneuvering the Star Shuttle to turn, Heracles headed towards the two very obvious Sky-supporting pillars in the west.
Although he didn't know that in his original trajectory, he had obtained the golden apple with the help of Atlas, the Great Hero still had many expectations for this.
His intuition told him that meeting this ancient Titan on this trip might bring many unexpected gains.
...
Swish...
Above the sea, a silver light flashed.
The sea god's son knew nothing of this; deeply immersed in pain and despair, he had no time to pay attention to external movements.
Circling the bronze pillar a few times, looking at the intertwined power of Sky and sea, the Great Hero felt a secret shock in his heart.
It wasn't awe at the vastness of the Sky and the ocean, but because of Triton's perfectly intact Life.
Logically speaking, caught between two powers that could reach the Great Divine Powerdomain, even a partial outpouring of power was comparable to Great Divine Power, and the bronze pillar only managed to avoid collapse by relying on a trace of the Sky-supporting symbol.
But Triton's survival to this day was simply due to the great power of the Primordial God.
From Dionysus's mouth, Prometheus also learned some of the truth about what happened in the human world after he was captured.
For example, Triton came with a divine artifact and caused a great flood in the human world; and how he was defeated by an Ancient God's single word and hung upside down in the West Skyfor seven thousand years.
Clearly, the power contained in a single word from an Original God was far more than that; while it punished the offender, it also sustained his Life for thousands of years.
Silently, the few did not disturb the suffering God King's Son, but instead flew towards the giant god nearby.
From the giant god's knee, they flew to the Titan's eyes.
Nine layers of clouds were left behind; only at this position could one look level with the peak of Olympus.
Stepping out of the Star Shuttle, Heracles looked at the colossal god before him, who was like a manifestation of heaven and earth, and loudly stated his purpose.
"Respected Titan, Son of Iapetus, Atlas, I am Heracles from the human world."
"My friends and I wish to take the golden apple from the Queen's garden, but the hundred-headed dragon blocks the way there."
"Powerful and brave, unyielding and resilient Titan God, I hope to receive your help."
"If you are willing to lend a hand, I will do my best to fulfill your wish."
His voice shook the heavens, and the Great Hero's expression was very serious.
He hoped to persuade this Ancient God to help him, and he was already prepared to do something for the other party first.
However, at this moment, in places he didn't know, more than one gaze was cast upon the end of this West Sky.
Behind Dionysus, the God King sat high on the Divine Mountain, silently observing this place.
They had once fought bloody battles; Atlas would surely recognize his bloodline.
If he sincerely helped, without expecting anything in return, then Zeus would magnanimously forgive his sins, and even be willing to marry one of his daughters to him, allowing him to replace Nereus, who had not yet returned to his position, and become a new Main God of Olympus.
If he flatly refused, then he would have to find a way to deal with him... The Sky-supporting pillar of the present world could not be beyond the God King's control.
If he chose neither, but instead engaged in a battle of Wisdom with his son, then Zeus would tolerate him for a while longer.
After all, compared to his past indifference, wasn't this also a kind of progress?
...
Deep within the Earth, beneath the boundless Earth Veins.
Behind Pandora and Epimetheus, a blood-red long dress enveloped Gaia's voluptuous body, and the ancient Earth God's eyes were filled with self-satisfaction.
Beside her, a crystal-clear branch trembled slightly, as if speaking a Language that ordinary people could not understand.
Listening intently, although she couldn't fully understand, Gaia still felt she had gained a lot.
Like Heracles, although Earth Mother didn't know who this person was before, when the disaster in the starry Sky occurred, a vivid painting was formed by red crystal-like leaves and then gracefully fell before her.
With just one glance, the God who wielded Authority over the Earth directly pinpointed the location of the figure in the painting and incidentally perceived his aura, which came from Zeus's bloodline.
At the time, she didn't understand its meaning, but Gaia ultimately made a choice.
Even at this moment, although she hadn't fully understood, with so many special existences gathered together, there must be some secret within.
"Indeed... having regained my strength, I have also regained my Wisdom."
"Outer God... I will remember your contribution."
Nodding with satisfaction, looking at this terrifying Outer God, whose single power was enough to create an Ancient Evil, Gaia merely smiled, not fearing the other party's ability to erode all things in the slightest.
Just kidding, she was the Earth Mother.
Unless the entire human world was destroyed and shattered, even if the other party worked for a hundred million years, it would be impossible to corrupt the center of the entire current world.
...
On the shore of the East Sea, in Athens.
At the base of the towering Mage Tower, Star God Amon was reading a book in his hand as usual.
Although Hermes's collection was almost finished, he still hadn't shown any desire for the outside world.
In fact, in his opinion, although the entire Chaos World was colorful, there were few things more interesting than this human alchemist.
Especially the ideas that the other party implicitly put forward, even though he had never communicated face-to-face with him, Amon had gained some understanding from the minor details.
Concretization... concretization, gathering the masses to form oneself, cultivating truth through falsehoods, what an interesting path.
He would not interfere with the other party; in fact, quite the opposite, he would do his best to help Hermes succeed.
After all, as long as his scheme on the other side succeeded, then as an official member of Chaos, he would naturally need a powerful divine artifact, a divine artifact that could influence the situation and change the balance of power even in the hands of a Great Divine Power.
On this point, Hermes's future true 'masterpiece' was very good... Slightly tilting his head, Star God Amon looked to the west side of the Earth.
"It shouldn't be too long now."
"The God King of this world is too impatient, and too naive... But that's normal, young people are just eager, which is why I like young people."
"But calculating the time, isn't He about to return...? Tsk."
"Then I'll just simply place a bet. This time I'm betting on Him winning—hmm, of course, it's just that He wins first, and then I win."
"If I really can't win, it doesn't matter."
"Anyway, no matter what, I won't lose."
Withdrawing his gaze, Star God Amon shrugged slightly.
He couldn't think about it anymore; just thinking about it made him a little impatient.
These days, through some means unique to him, Amon had also learned some secrets from the last epoch change in Chaos.
No one knew what he had guessed from it... or what he had learned in the end.
...
Above the West Sea, Atlas quietly met the gaze cast from the Divine Mountain.
A moment later, the God King withdrew his gaze, and he too slightly lowered his head, looking at the beings before him.
The first to enter his sight was not Heracles, but the slender Prometheus, and Epimetheus, who was hidden beneath the sea.
A complex expression flashed in his eyes, and finally, he shifted his gaze back.
Is it you, hero of the human world?
Heracles, that name conveyed by the devil, he didn't expect him to be the one valued by his two brothers.
In him, he would find a way to be liberated... but that wasn't today.
When this epoch ended, everything would be settled. He would personally raise the battle standard and charge at the forefront of the myriad armies.
"Heracles... I know you."
"You are the God King's Son... and a pitiful wretch who has been deceived from beginning to end."
His voice was like thunder, as if a thousand warriors were beating drums in the Sky.
Feeling the sudden pressure descending from the Divine Mountain, the Titan sneered.
Was he angry? He didn't expect him to know the story of a demigod, to know the cause of his mother's death?
Not fearing the other party's threat, but considering some matters, Atlas ultimately did not reveal the truth he knew.
"...But it doesn't matter. No matter who you are, I know your purpose. I can also kill Ladon and remove everything from Hera's golden apple orchard."
"But I won't do that, because this is your task, your destiny—hero of the human world, I can give you the ability to defeat powerful enemies, but you must also agree to my conditions."
"Mortal, do you accept?"
"I accept."
He wanted to ask what 'a pitiful wretch who was deceived' meant, but the Great Hero ultimately stopped his question.
After years of tempering, he had gradually come to understand a truth.
Some things, knowing them in advance, are just the root of disaster.
When he ascended to the spiritual realm, all past events would eventually be revealed to him.
"Tell me, what are your conditions?"
"As long as I can do it, I will definitely fulfill it for you."
He nodded slightly, like a collapsing mountain.
Atlas, supporting the Sky, spoke his 'conditions'.
"Since you have made your choice... then listen carefully."
"Since the Divine Mountain collapsed, and the Sky tilted to the northwest, I have been supporting the Sky here."
"Countless years have passed, so long that I have forgotten Time."
"No one is born to support heaven and earth; there will be a day when I grow tired of it. So I hope there can be a successor, someone to support the Sky for me until the end of this epoch."
"So I am the one you chose?"
The Great Hero asked loudly, frowning slightly.
"I am willing to agree to you, to support the Sky for the remaining time of this epoch for you; however, I still have my own matters to attend to now, and I also don't know if I have this ability."
"No matter, I don't need you to replace me now... As for ability?"
Tilting his gaze slightly, the Titan spoke indifferently.
"That is the problem you need to consider."
"I can lend you the power to support the Sky, allowing you to gain this supreme Authority and responsibility, but the premise of all this is that you truly have this 'qualification'."
"Not everyone can support the Sky... even among Gods, few are qualified to bear this heavy burden."
"Even if the symbol of Sky-supporting is given to them, they can only be crushed by the Sky."
"So, mortal, before seeking my help, ask yourself—do you have this ability?"
Saying no more, Atlas closed his eyes and remained silent.
Looking in the direction he had previously gazed, Heracles knew that this was the test the other party had left for him.
There, the colossal bronze pillar, connecting heaven and earth, stood motionless under the bombardment of seawater and hurricanes. Its very existence 'fixed' the ocean with the Sky and 'stabilized' the Sky with the ocean.
Above it, there was a trace of the Sky-supporting symbol, which had been shared from Atlas's shoulder; this was the result of the other party being buffeted by two forces for hundreds of years.
The Titan's meaning was clear: if he wanted to prove he had the ability to take on the heavy burden of supporting the Sky, he should first lift this pillar that suppressed the God King's Son.