Chapter 849: Chapter 331: Three Steps
Sure, here’s the translation:
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Ascension to godhood had never been a concrete concept.
Or rather, the “god” in “Ascension to godhood” did not have a singular interpretation.
From a narrow perspective, so-called ascension to godhood was merely the process of mortals becoming deities.
No matter what method or approach one used, it could be called ascension to godhood.
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However, from a broader perspective, the true meaning of ascension to godhood was not so; it truly referred to the transformation itself.
Transforming from a mortal to a deity was “ascension to godhood,” and so was becoming a complete Great Divine Power from a True God or an incomplete Primordial God.
Even taking other paths, such as becoming the favored of an Outer God, or a demon like Typhon, was similar.
And following this road to the end, becoming the creator, the Supreme being equal to the world, could also be referred to as “ascension to godhood.”
Therefore, whether it was Erebus who aimed to create a world or Laine who attempted to separate human nature from divinity, what they pursued was naturally not the narrow version.
After all, they were already gods; why bother climbing the path again?
Of course, however it was understood, to the gods themselves, since they could find no examples to learn from above, nor could they see any precedents below, the process of mortals becoming gods had value.
In the past, the Lord of Darkness was limited by the present world, even though personification’s degree was far less than Gaia, he still could not stand equal to the Darkness itself.
Therefore, in this regard, he focused more on how to break free from the shackles rather than on the ethereal future.
So on certain matters, Erebus never paid much attention.
But unlike him, Laine, who controlled the Spirit Realm, was genuinely the one who needed to consider this issue.
“Harmonization but not Transformation,” the sages of later generations also pondered this question…
“Heh, actually if it were merely for the Great Divine Power, I wouldn’t need to consider this issue at all.”
Exiting the underground chamber, Laine casually closed the door.
Separating from divinity and splitting both apart.
There was naturally only one reason that truly prompted Laine to do so. That was how he could truly integrate with the Source Power, making reason no longer eroded by this Origin force.
But in reality, as he said.
If it were simply about coexisting reason and power, Laine, who possessed the Spirit Realm, would not need to consider these issues at all.
What did it matter if reason could not withstand the Source Power? It did not affect his ability to exert his Strength.
But as the journey to Hemenu concluded, Laine once again confirmed a result.
That was the true great strength that could never be controlled by a “human.”
Chaos did not manifest in a human form; even amidst his two aspects of the present and the outside world, he still could not achieve it.
The Nine Realms split into nine, the Titans upon the Golden Gallon chasm were unaware.
The power of Hemenu was the weakest, and he was also the strictest in his own division.
But even though he divided himself into eight portions, he only manifested briefly in the world in the oldest Creation era as a beast-headed human body.
As for Amon… although Laine had not seen him, even if he did, the result would not be different.
If not for Ra’s actions, if Hemenu had not already met his end,
even after another hundred thousand years, Amon could never escape the confines of The Eight Primordial Spirits and walk the Mortal Realm as an independent life form.
Thus, it was evident that no matter where they were, the stronger the power, the more difficult it was to maintain reason.
The world was this way, and so were gods.
Even in different worlds, gods with intelligence made similar numerous attempts.
The deities of Chaos benefited from the divine duties granted by the world, while the primordial gods used the personalization of gods to circumvent this issue.
The price, however, was that they needed to endure the restrictions of the world and could never fully exploit their Power.
The gods of the Nine Realms opted for a different route; they separated spirit from flesh.
The deity could die, and the soul could descend into the Netherworld.
From then on, the deceased god no longer possessed the Strength from life, thereby separating power and self.
Furthermore, the gods of Hemenu were similar.
They used the existence of “Ka” and “Ba” to avoid the issue, using the spiritual part to replace themselves to withstand the pressure.
Ultimately, even though the way of opening interfaces was superior to the aforementioned three, the pinnacle of the Great Divine Power remained an insurmountable abyss.
So, the act of separating human nature was imperative, even though the exploration of the path remained challenging, Laine never chose to give up.
Yet many things were not resolved merely by spending time… until Hemenu concluded, incorporating the systems of the three worlds, everything began to take shape.
If he could see a true mortal ascendant appear, only then would Laine dare to say his path finally cast away the darkness, seeing a ray of light.
“Descend from the heavens to earth, then ascend from earth to heaven.”
“Strictly speaking, I have actually already completed it, only in an incomplete manner.”
“And this process started from the moment I came into this world… it was already underway.”
Looking back, the constructs in his mind became increasingly clear.
To transform from a mortal to a god was the first time; to abandon the mortal ultimate, fall from “heaven” to “earth,” and then ascend from the mortal to a deity, ascending to heaven from “earth.”
And even the moment of opening an interface was the second time; abandoning everything as a deity, turning them all into creation’s nourishment.
When the Spirit Realm was opened, wasn’t that yet another Samsara?
But unlike the second time, when he obtained that drop of Creation Liquid, looking back at the past, Laine realized why he had always had such an instinctive focus on the path of mortal ascension to godhood.
Because his Spirituality had long told him that his first Samsara was incomplete.
He never reached the ultimate as a mortal, nor ascended to godhood through Sublimation, but instead completed everything through a reincarnation he could not even remember.
If the Great Divinity were the pinnacle, it would not have made a difference.
But if he wished to continue, then this was an absolute hurdle that he could not avoid.
Creak—
Opening the door, Laine stepped out slowly.
The sky brightened, another day arrived.
“So far, all is heading for the better.”
“But as for Erebus… if by the time Hemenu’s remnant completely integrates with Chaos, he remains the same.”
“Then Gaia or Tartarus’s today might just be his tomorrow.”
Soldiers in the city began changing shifts, yet most were filled with hope for the future.
However, Laine knew that the vast majority of them were perhaps destined to die in this war, becoming negligible cannon fodder.
He watched for a while, then turned away; he still had tasks to complete today.
As for the army outside the city… let us wait.
He would see how Iapetus responded to the situation.
…
Swoosh—
Just as dawn broke, the God of Rhetoric flew out from the stronghold of the Aigario Mountains.
Having already grasped the true intention behind this war, Iapetus settled his mind entirely.
The struggle among the Primordial Gods might yield victory or defeat, but there would likely be no truly significant result.
After all, except for Uranus, even Gaia had only lost some face.
“Two options, either start with those mortals or seek out some old friends.”
“Hmm…”
After pondering for a moment, the God of Rhetoric made a decisive choice.
Compared with the latter, the former was somewhat easier.
Having interacted with mortals for long, Iapetus had acquired quite a bit of unique experience.
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As for how he ought to solve it…
His figure flickered, changing into a different attire.
At this moment, he no longer looked like a noble; instead, he appeared as a learned sage.
“Dealing with these mortals, brute force is the worst method.”
“Now, it’s my turn to perform.”
Silently waiting on the sheer cliff outside the stronghold, Iapetus witnessed yet another probing offensive on the city.
With the support of earth’s Strength, Athens’ defenses were quite solid.
But the God of Rhetoric could tell, it was merely because the heroes on the coalition’s side had yet to participate.
This obviously could not last, for whether it was for the gods or for their own fame, those heroes of mortal kingdoms would inevitably take action, even attacking with divine assistance.
So, he patiently waited until near dusk, then wandered in the coalition’s camp for a while before ultimately choosing one side to follow.
“…”
“…Your Highness.”
In the evening, within the coalition’s camp.
Although nominally united, the mainland countries did not lack conflicts.
Even under the will of gods, some issues could be temporarily set aside, yet in certain places, the differences among countries remained stark.
Sitting within the camp, Priam locked brows.
He carefully reviewed the casualties before him, even failing to notice his guard’s voice for a moment.
“…Your Highness…”
“…Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
Slightly raising his head, awakened from contemplation, Priam looked at his guard.
It was yet another day of futility, yielding no progress at the cost of hundreds of lives.
Yet despite this, the king had rejected his son Hector’s petition to fight during the day.
For no other reason, if there had to be one, it was that they could not be the first to act.
After all, Athens was not an ordinary small state, and even mighty heroes could potentially fail in their presence.
Without the assistance of the gods and lacking absolute superiority, Priam could not tolerate any surprises.
“… What is it?”
In low tones, the king knew that if it weren’t something uncertain, his guards would not seek him at such an hour.
As expected, after hearing the guard’s report, the king was momentarily speechless.
“You’re saying a scholar from Athens wishes to meet me?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Kneeling on one knee, the guard nodded in response.
“Ha, this is quite interesting.”
Though unclear of the visitor’s intent, the king’s interest was piqued.
In such times, an Athenian dared to come here.
Without a fitting reason, Priam would not mind using him to boost military morale.
“First, summon Hector, then bring that Athenian to me.”
After a moment’s thought, the king made his decision.
The meeting would happen, but safety had to be ensured as well.
Only with Hector present could he feel at ease.
So, shortly after, when Iapetus entered the camp,
he saw almost immediately the tall and formidable hero encased in copper armor.
“Truly a warrior!”
He praised aloud, yet the one praised remained unmoved.
Instead, from the center of the camp came the clear voice of King Priam.
“Hector is indeed a warrior, as my eldest son, he is destined to crush Athens and establish unprecedented feats.”
“So, Athenian, are you here on behalf of your king to surrender to me? If so, I accept your surrender.”
Without any politeness, Priam’s momentum grew even stronger.
Within the dim tent, Hector’s weapon flashed with cold light.
However, in the face of the king’s icy tone, the God of Rhetoric merely laughed thrice and responded loudly,
“Hahaha… I had thought the King of Troy a wise man, yet I did not expect such words.”
“As it seems, I’ve come to the wrong place.”
“Hmm? What do you mean!”
Rising from the table, Priam’s gaze turned unfriendly.
Noticing his father’s rage, Hector took a step forward.
“What do I mean? It’s simple.”
Without fear, Iapetus replied with a smile, “King Priam, I am here to save you.”
“However, seeing your ignorance of your impending doom leaves me a bit disappointed.”