Mastering the Underworld

Although this mental force was like a flickering firefly compared to the divine ability to manifest one's will, a single firefly was inconsequential, but what about thousands or tens of thousands? The so-called quantitative change leads to qualitative change. When the quantity of mental force reaches a certain level, who can say that an ant cannot shake a tree? These accumulated resentments clung to the sun god's essence, directly causing Helios to fall into a coma, his consciousness trapped in a thick darkness devoid of light. Now, as they merged with the severed essence of the sun, the divine essence born from this combination had one fundamental function: to weaken the sun's glory. The gold-green chains loosened slightly, and the black-gold divine essence flickered with dark light again. Hebe opened her eyes, and a vivid scene reflected in her beautiful purple irises. A radiant sun hung high in the sky, illuminating all things, and the earth was enveloped in peace. As winds and clouds stirred, a shadow emerged from the far edge of the sun, gradually growing larger until it completely swallowed the sun, plunging the world into darkness. 'Solar Eclipse." When the light was consumed, what combat power could the sun god, the master of light, possibly possess? The scene shifted again, and in the midst of the darkened world, a new sun appeared, but it emitted a faint purplish-red glow. Wherever its light reached, the balance shifted to darkness, with demons and undead creatures sighing in satisfaction, while the living beings cried out in agony, visibly withering as their life essence was continuously burned away and evaporated. This was the product born from the fall of the most rigid and sun-like entity, now manifesting as something extremely soft and yin. 'Nether Sun." It continued to selflessly spread its grace, but its beneficiaries had shifted to the undead of the underworld and the sinister beasts of darkness. With domains of vengeance, curses, and suffering, this divine essence truly brought Hebe endless delight. This daring act of sharing the essence of the sun was undoubtedly worth it! The gods all said that Princess Hebe had done so much only to end up making a wedding dress for Apollo, and many jealous deities secretly laughed at her, unaware of who the real winner was. Hebe silently chuckled to herself. She cherished this divine essence as she stroked it gently. With it, the Phaeos, who was being nurtured in the underworld, would not only be able to be born smoothly but, with some maneuvering, his ascension to the rank of a main god would definitely be within reach! Thinking of this, Hebe closed her eyes and connected her divine spirit with the laws of the universe, pressing the black-gold divine essence into her heart. She and Phaeos were one body, sharing a natural connection, allowing her to transfer the divine essence to him without needing to go to the underworld. Deep within the underworld, not far from Tartarus, a purple-gold divine egg suddenly shone brightly, and the black-gold divine essence directly appeared in the heart of the dark-haired deity. The divine essence flickered with dark light, and the powers of death and plague that belonged to Phaeos resonated perfectly with it. The pale, terrifying death essence and the plague essence were actively absorbed, strengthening itself as it acknowledged its master. Black-gold divine power continuously flowed from the divine essence, nourishing the god still in gestation. After an unknown amount of time, the purple-gold divine egg emitted a dazzling light. A long, pale arm broke through the shell, and strange red flowers bloomed in the blackened underworld. The dark-haired deity stood among these red flowers, his figure tall and perfectly proportioned, with a fair, handsome face, lips as red as blood, and dark golden eyes that exuded a deadly allure. His black wings shimmered with specks of golden light, making him appear like a fallen angel cast down to the mortal realm by God—absolutely beautiful and irresistibly tempting. Phaeos felt the surging divine power within him and nodded in satisfaction before conjuring a black robe to wear. He spread his long hands, and two artifacts shimmering with dark light materialized. Born as the god of the underworld, Phaeos was now infused with the newly integrated black-gold divine essence. The solar eclipse and the nether sun represented the first of their kind in this world, perfecting the laws of existence. Therefore, the world granted him two accompanying artifacts. The Oblivion Ring, corresponding to the solar eclipse, was entirely black-gold; once it locked onto an enemy, it would hover above them, and the obliteration power within would lower the divine rank of the ensnared god. The Netherfire, corresponding to the nether sun, burned with a purplish-red flame but emitted no warmth. Touching it would even feel slightly cold. Of course, aside from Phaeos, who possessed the nether sun's authority, anyone foolish enough to touch this flame would be met with the agony of their soul being scorched. Phaeos examined his two accompanying artifacts with great interest. 'Hello, noble son of the earth and abyss," a gentle, slightly lazy voice came from behind him. Phaeos turned around, his dark golden eyes sizing up the unexpected visitor. It was a winged deity like himself. Unlike his own black hair and wings, this deity had long platinum hair and pure white wings, looking dreamlike and out of place in the dark, gloomy underworld. On his handsome face, a pair of strange pink-purple eyes held hints of drowsiness, and he appeared languid, as if he could fall asleep at any moment. Phaeos found himself feeling a bit drowsy just by looking at him. Suddenly, he snapped back to attention, watching the deity who had unknowingly instilled a sense of lethargy in him, with the Netherfire in his hand roaring to life. If the other party made any move, he would be met with the painful burning of his soul! 'Apologies, it's the nature of the divine essence; I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Hypnos, son of the night goddess Nyx." 'Hypnos?" The memories inherited from his own body informed him about this deity. Hypnos, the god of sleep, held a transcendent position in the underworld. His lineage was quite noble, as his parents were Nyx, the night goddess among the four primordial gods, and Erebus, the god of darkness, making him two levels above the current lord of the underworld, Hades. Hypnos governed the sleep of all living beings. When night fell, his followers would descend to the earth, spreading the power of sleep to entice all beings into slumber. His power was so formidable that even Zeus, the king of the gods, could not resist it. 'Ah, so you are Prince Hypnos, I am Phaeos, the god of frost death and plague." The other party introduced himself and was very friendly. Out of courtesy, Phaeos also revealed his identity. Of course, he did not intend to mention his solar eclipse authority; that aspect was too sensitive and, if it got out, would surely provoke Apollo's hostility and targeting. 'Phaeos, born with first-rate divine power, son of Gaia and Tartarus—what an astonishing talent!" Hypnos sincerely praised. The greater the potential of a deity, the longer it took for them to be born, and naturally, the higher their divine power rank at birth. Phaeos, being born with first-rate divine power, was someone Hypnos had only seen a few times before. 'You flatter me. I have just come into existence and am still unfamiliar with many things," Phaeos replied with a smile, his blood-red lips curling slightly. Suddenly, he furrowed his brow and looked at Hypnos. 'Prince Hypnos, I feel as if something is urging me from beyond, prompting me to complete a certain task, to guide certain… souls? What is this about?" 'That is precisely why Lord Hades sent me to fetch you," Hypnos said, his violet eyes flashing with understanding. 'You possess the essence of death; although it belongs to the violent side of frost death, you are still a deity of death. Recently, the sin god Helios mismanaged the sun chariot, resulting in rampant fire from the sky and countless creatures perishing on the earth. The number of souls arriving in the underworld has suddenly surged, and my brother, the god of death Thanatos, is nearly overwhelmed." Hypnos recalled how his twin brother had been cursing and leading the souls with his followers, a sympathetic yet amused expression crossing his face. 'Thus, Lord Hades has ordered that all deities of death in the underworld, and even most underworld gods, have been mobilized to assist in guiding the souls. The urging you feel is indeed a decree issued by the current ruler of the underworld, His Majesty Hades." When Zeus and his brothers divided the dominion of the sky, the sea, and the underworld, Hades drew the short straw and received the underworld. Many deities secretly felt sorry for him, as the dark, sunless realm was far worse than Olympus or the ocean. Not to mention, three primordial gods resided there, along with a host of powerful and temperamental underworld deities. The gods believed that Hades would surely have a difficult time in the underworld. However, the reality was quite the opposite. Nyx and Erebus held Hades in high regard, not only sending their twin sons, Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Thanatos, the god of death, to serve as Hades' aides but also directly supporting him to ascend to the throne of the underworld, helping him gain control over the realm.