The Realm of Life

'Life's Ode! Youth's Anthem!" The Staff of Life in Hebe's hand emitted a brilliant light as she recited incantations. A life-giving spell helped Apollo dispel the abyssal magic and heal his wounds. The blessing spell of Youth's Anthem restored Apollo's energy, allowing him to maintain his peak condition in battle. Apollo nodded to Hebe in gratitude, his sky-blue eyes fixed on the massive serpent before him, filled with a resolute killing intent. 'Light Divine Art, Gaze of Captivation." As the Son of Light, Apollo wielded control over all radiance comparable to Helios. Although Theia, the goddess of sight, was not a direct blood relative, Apollo had grasped this divine technique from the laws of light. It could shroud the light around a living being's gaze, plunging them into darkness—similar in effect to Theia's ability to deprive sight. The golden-haired god waved his hand, casting this divine art upon Python, stripping it of its vision. Struck by Apollo's divine art, Python felt its vision fade to black, and soon it was engulfed in endless darkness. Frustrated by the loss of sight, it shook its head violently, flicking its massive tongue in and out, trying to determine the enemy's position through temperature and scent. Hebe quickly summoned the power of ice and snow to envelop herself and Apollo, blocking Python's senses. A great opportunity! Apollo focused and drew his bow, unleashing a rain of golden arrows aimed at Python's vulnerable underbelly, the soft spot for all serpents. The scales there were not as tough as those on its back, and the arrows imbued with light should be able to pierce through. 'Hiss!" However, Python seemed to sense the incoming attack beforehand. It crouched down, pressing its belly against the ground, and all of Apollo's light arrows were deflected by the scales on its back, causing little damage. 'Attack its underbelly; that's its weak point!" Though Python had withstood Apollo's assault, it had also exposed its vulnerability to its enemies. 'Hebe, is there a way to temporarily control its movements?" As long as they could make Python expose its underbelly, Apollo was confident he could deliver a fatal blow. 'Okay…" Hebe nodded, no longer holding back. The Staff of Life floated before her, the gem at its tip shining brightly as an ocean of life energy surged forth, instantly sweeping across the area. An ethereal hymn resonated, and a divine, gentle aura spread out, manifesting green photons that drove away the death and abyssal energies clinging to the Temple of Delphi. Countless green shoots burst forth from the ground, with flowers, herbs, and giant vines growing wildly. 'Life Domain!" A domain is the manifestation of a deity's grasp over rules; the deeper the understanding of the laws, the stronger the domain they can manifest. A look of surprise crossed Apollo's eyes. How long had it been since this goddess received her divine power? She had already reached a level where she could wield a domain. Countless vines, birthed from the life energy, surged like a tide toward the prostrate Python, wrapping around it, constricting, and forcibly lifting the massive serpent. The entire process flowed seamlessly, executed in one breath. The pure aura of Hebe's Life Domain temporarily subdued Python, rendering it unable to resist for the time being. Vines formed shackles, binding, entangling, and lifting the massive serpent, leaving it immobile. 'Apollo! Quickly! Now's your chance!" Sweat beads trickled down Hebe's smooth forehead; maintaining the Life Domain was still too heavy a burden for her, and she could only barely sustain it for a few minutes. But a few minutes were already enough. 'Light, blinding, flame, brilliant, sharp, searing, purifying, destructive…" As Apollo drew his bow to its full moon, his golden-haired figure grew larger, transforming into a giant nearly ten meters tall. His thin lips uttered divine words, and countless laws of light surged forth. Divine scripts intertwined and coalesced, forming a massive arrow. The overwhelming destructive power instilled fear in Python, which struggled even more fiercely, trying to escape. 'Whoosh!" The light arrow, trailing a magnificent tail, pierced through Python's heart. Blood gushed forth, and Python gradually ceased its struggles. The vines dissipated, and the massive serpent's body collapsed onto the ground. This abyssal giant serpent, with the power of a major god, had fallen. The enormous body crashed down, stirring up a cloud of dust. Hebe retracted her divine domain, and the Staff of Life emitted a soft white glow, silently restoring her master's expended divine power. With a wave of her delicate hand, the purifying divine power transformed into a blade, slicing through Python's abdomen with a sharp breath. From Python's belly, numerous corpses slid out—those were the nymphs and priests it had consumed after seizing the temple, along with a broken-bodied white giant serpent, the guardian beast of the temple, Delfona. These poor souls, devoured by Python, had long been corroded beyond recognition in the serpent's stomach. Not a single corpse remained intact, and the scene before them was nothing short of horrific. Hebe felt a pang of sorrow in her heart and sighed. The Staff of Life radiated a brilliant silver light. 'Pure and innocent lives, sacrificed to protect the glory of the Mother of Gods, you deserve the blessings of the divine. In the name of the Goddess of Life, I grant you eternal glory." As Hebe's words fell, the silver brilliance cascaded down, purifying the bodies that had been tainted by abyssal power. Their forms transformed into twinkling starlight, soaring upward, accompanied by a faint melody of hymns. Delfona's body was sent into the sky, becoming a new constellation shining with light—the Serpent Constellation. The priests and nymphs from the Temple of Delphi transformed into stars, orbiting around it. 'Thank you for your mercy, great goddess." It seemed as if countless whispers surrounded Hebe, voices of gratitude from Delfona and the priests and nymphs. The Serpent Constellation, suspended in the sky, emitted a bright light, and a dazzling meteor streaked down from the constellation, trailing a bright blue tail, landing in Hebe's hand. As the radiance faded, an ancient, unadorned stone tablet appeared in Hebe's hand. On it were the familiar divine inscriptions: 'Know Thyself," 'Nothing in Excess," and 'Promises Bring Pain," each proclaiming its identity—the Oracle of Delphi! Mastering the Oracle of Delphi meant becoming the rightful owner of the Temple of Delphi! This was Delfona and the others' way of repaying the goddess who granted them immortality. Apollo's expression darkened. His primary purpose in confronting Python was to seize control of the Temple of Delphi and spread the faith of light. Now that the Oracle of Delphi was in Hebe's possession, after all the effort he had put in—including appearing in women's clothing as a sacrifice—he had ended up as someone else's errand boy! This outcome was simply unacceptable to Apollo. '…" Apollo took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the anger rising within him. He must obtain the Oracle of Delphi! However, to forcibly seize it after the tremendous energy he had expended to shoot down Python was daunting. Unlike Hebe, who possessed the life divinity and the Staff of Life that could restore her, it was uncertain whether he could overcome her. 'Lady Hebe, I believe Hermes has already informed you of my purpose. The Oracle of Delphi is extremely important to me. I wonder, could you part with it?" Apollo forced a smile, knowing that he had a history with this goddess and was prepared to make a significant sacrifice. 'Oh? What does Your Highness intend to offer in exchange for such a divine artifact as the Oracle of Delphi?" Hebe raised an eyebrow, not proposing any conditions. She was well aware of the Oracle's importance to Apollo and trusted that he would present her with satisfactory terms. '…I am willing to share half of the power of light faith I will gain over the next hundred years with you." When Apollo uttered this sentence, he felt a deep pang in his heart. As the destined Sun God, with the prophetic powers he possessed, he had foreseen that he would soon ascend to the throne of the Sun God. The sun was undeniably essential to the survival of all living beings, making it one of the easiest divine roles to gain followers. Half of that faith power was an astonishing amount. '…" The importance of faith power to the gods was self-evident, and Hebe was surprised by Apollo's decisiveness. However, for Hebe, who did not intend to rely on faith power to ascend, this offer held little allure. Moreover, as the creator of humanity, countless people visited her temple daily to worship and offer faith. She was not lacking in faith power. 'Your Highness's offer is undoubtedly tempting." Hebe feigned a look of being greatly moved, but after a moment, she shook her head regretfully. 'But what I seek is not this." 'Then what does Your Highness desire?" Apollo raised an eyebrow, a flicker of anger crossing his eyes. In his view, relinquishing half of his faith was already the highest price he could offer. He never expected her to be so unsatisfied. Contrary to her pure and beautiful appearance, this goddess was undoubtedly very greedy!