Deadly Temptation

Hebe calmly explained the reason for Helios' divine corruption: incompetence. Her cold voice undoubtedly sounded an alarm among the gods; there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. The gods, favored by heaven and earth, inherently possess immense power, but if you are incompetent, sorry, the world's retribution is something you cannot bear. 'Hebe, my dear daughter, do you have any way to awaken him?" Since Hebe could discern the reason for Helios' divine corruption, Zeus naturally believed she would have a solution. 'Yes, great Father of the Gods." Fortunately, Hebe indeed had a way, and Zeus's inquiry was exactly what she hoped for. After all, it was the sun, one of the highest authorities. Hebe could not compete with the naturally born sun god Apollo for sovereignty over the sun, but she could certainly take a share. 'Prince Apollo, please step aside." Hebe walked up to Helios. '…" Apollo reluctantly moved aside. The events surrounding the Oracle of Delphi were still fresh in his mind, and he regarded this goddess with great caution, feeling that every move she made was aimed at extracting some benefit from him. And indeed, that was the case. Hebe raised her hand to summon the Staff of Life, a noble and magnificent staff that shimmered with golden-green light. The golden-haired goddess leaned down, her jade-like face radiating warmth and compassion, making one feel as if they were sinking into a dream, reluctant to disrupt such a beautiful scene. But in the next moment, the goddess's pure white hand suddenly plunged into Helios' chest, aggressively and directly extracting Helios' solar divinity. The intense pain caused the unconscious Helios to convulse involuntarily, divine blood pouring out. What the hell… What was happening? Hebe forcibly stripped Helios' divinity from his body in front of everyone. Such a ruthless act shocked the gods, and some deities couldn't help but cover their chests with their hands, fearing that their own divinity might be violently torn out in the same way. 'You! You vile woman, how dare you steal my brother's divinity!" Seeing Helios in pain, the goddess of dawn, Eos, was furious, her eyes widening in anger as she screamed and rushed to pull Hebe away. 'Enough!" Zeus and Hera, the divine couple, spoke in unison, their authoritative gazes coldly directed at Eos. The overwhelming pressure of the chief god mercilessly bore down on Eos. The foolishness of Eos annoyed the two highest authorities of Olympus. Did she not know that aside from the king of the gods, any unauthorized seizure of divinity would be subjected to the judgment of the laws? If Hebe's intention were truly to steal divinity, the laws would come after her before Eos even had a chance to act. The fact that Hebe was standing there unharmed indicated that her actions were not aimed at stealing divinity. This goddess had repeatedly made a scene, offending Zeus's authority and insulting Hera's most beloved son, thus provoking Hera's wrath. The pressure of the chief god was not something a first-tier deity like Eos could withstand. She immediately suffered severe physical and mental damage, spewing divine blood from her rose-colored mouth, her eyes rolling back as she fainted in the great hall. For a moment, the gods in the great hall fell silent, even the Moon Goddess Selene, who had just wanted to protest alongside her sister, dared not make any further moves. She could only bite her lip, tending to her unconscious sister while keeping a close watch on Hebe to see what she would do next. Hebe carefully examined the divine essence in her hand. It undoubtedly held a deadly allure for her; the growth and continuation of life could not be separated from the sun. The brilliance, vitality, and life it represented made Hebe constantly feel the urge to consume it. However, if she were to do so, not only would the laws intervene, but Zeus, as the king of the gods, would personally bring her to judgment. How beautiful it is… This is the source of all light in the world, its splendor beyond human imagination. Hebe sighed, suppressing the tumultuous thoughts in her heart, and continued to observe the divine essence closely. Under the gaze of the divine names, large patches of thick, ink-like black spots began to appear on the extraordinarily beautiful solar divinity. An ominous, dark, and suffocating aura emanated from it, making one feel as if they could hardly breathe after just a glance. This was the power of corruption. Hebe waved her hand, and the Staff of Life sensed its master's intention, emitting a dazzling golden light that eventually transformed into a small golden cup, flying into Hebe's hands. The small golden cup was filled with a liquid that sparkled like shattered gold, and the sound of harmonious hymns seemed to resonate from within it. Within the liquid, serene and devout faces of new human beings flashed continuously, and if one listened closely, they could hear their prayers. A wondrous and dreamlike power spread throughout the temple, and the gods felt entranced, all gazing at the golden cup with longing. The power of faith! Or rather, the power of faith that had become so concentrated it had liquefied! Long before the gods went to the mortal realm to spread their faith, they knew that Hebe had many followers among humans, but they had not expected so many, and so devout that it had liquefied! Greed flashed in their eyes; if they could consume this, their divine power would surely soar like a rocket! At this moment, the gods looked at Helios with increasingly unfriendly expressions. How could a sinful god deserve such rich faith? They had completely forgotten that even if Helios did not use it, this faith belonged to Hebe, not to them. The golden-haired goddess with purple eyes slightly tilted the golden cup in her hand, and the power of faith flowed like a river of golden liquid, pouring over the solar divinity. The curse and corrupting power from all things had to be driven away and dissolved by an equivalent value of faith's hymn. As the liquid, sparkling like gold, continuously poured over it, the somewhat dim light of the solar divinity regained its brilliance and shone brightly. The divine essence trembled, suddenly seeming to be unable to wait any longer, transforming into a streak of flowing light that shot directly into the golden cup held by Hebe. Divine essence is the embodiment of a deity's power, and over time, it has developed a certain degree of self-awareness under the influence of its owner's emotions. The solar divinity, originally entangled by corrupting power and in great pain, found relief as Hebe poured the power of faith over it, driving away the corrupting force. However, the solar divinity felt that this gradual pouring was too slow; it was eager to rid itself of the harm caused by the corrupting power. So, it simply jumped directly into Hebe's golden cup for a thorough cleansing. Hebe looked on in surprise; she had not anticipated this turn of events. A hint of a smile flashed in her beautifully radiant purple eyes. This worked perfectly for me… After an unknown amount of time, amid the anxious waiting of the gods, the golden cup trembled, and a brilliant golden light burst forth, sweeping through the great hall with boundless solar divine power. The blinding and scorching force caused the gods to involuntarily close their eyes. It was the solar divinity, having washed away the corrupting power, re-emerging in all its glory. After the solar divinity had released its energy, it did not linger and transformed into a streak of light, slipping back into Helios' chest. The wound from which Hebe had extracted it had already healed, and Helios' expression shifted as he slowly opened his eyes… 'Uh…" As Helios opened his eyes, a hint of fear lingered in his expression. During the backlash from the solar divinity, Helios' consciousness had been sealed in a place devoid of light and sound, where not a single sound could be heard, and all he could see was darkness. This boundless, silent prison was an endless torment even for a deity. After spending just a few days in that darkness, Helios' spirit was on the verge of collapse. He felt like a drowning traveler who had finally surfaced, gasping for the precious air. Looking at the beautiful scenery that could only be found on the divine mountain bathed in divine light, and hearing the sounds of the world around him—even the noise seemed extraordinarily clear and pleasant in his ears—the regained light and sound almost brought him to tears. 'Helios, you lent your solar chariot to Phaethon, causing fire to ravage the earth. Do you understand your crime?" Before Helios could fully rejoice or express his feelings, a voice like thunder echoed from above him—Zeus' authoritative voice. The overwhelming pressure of the king of the gods had unknowingly descended upon Helios. Zeus' divine power was as authoritative, powerful, and volatile as his divine office. In the past, Helios, with his strong solar divinity and the authority of a chief god, would not have feared Zeus' pressure. But today, for some reason—perhaps due to the aftereffects of just escaping that boundless silence—when Helios instinctively tried to activate his divine essence to resist the pressure, he felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness and weakness wash over him. Under Zeus' oppressive force, the seemingly handsome and robust sun god found himself somewhat burdened. Under Zeus' suppression, Helios involuntarily knelt on one knee.