Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 411 The Sword of Destiny
The Eternal City, the Temple of Olympus.

Athena stands at the highest point of the hall, at the head of the White Eagle King statue, a full five hundred meters above the ground, overlooking the entire Eternal City.

It took twenty years and countless resources to build this colossal city in the divine realm.

The number of living beings sacrificed alone approached ten million, which is why the mountain was carved into a giant white eagle king statue, and hundreds of rooms were carved out inside to form a huge temple.

In front of the temple lies a vast urban complex, filled with modern buildings, which houses nearly four million believers.

The southern part of the city is a tourist area, receiving tens of millions of visitors every year.

The northern area is the temple area, where hundreds or thousands of devout believers come to worship every day and leave a large amount of offerings to the gods.

Athena named this city the Eternal City, hoping that it would become the center of the federation, the center of the world, and the earthly kingdom of gods!
Due to various restrictions, she can only stay in the Eternal City now, so she naturally has to do everything she can to build it into a divine kingdom on earth.

While the fact that other saints in the Federation worship different deities is a strategy to mitigate risks, it has also created a substantial division within the Federation's leadership.

Even Athena, as the strongest being, could not monopolize all resources. This greatly impacted the construction of the Eternal City and disrupted her plans.

The plan for Dongwei Island was something she pushed forward with all her might some time ago.

Venus and Poseidon were one group, and along with Ares and Apollo, they were already subtly forming their own faction.

These guys were very confident and eager to gain benefits from the blood sacrifice on Dongwei Island, so they hurriedly went.

As a result, the four guys never returned.

Athena was not anxious about this; in fact, she was somewhat pleased. With her becoming the pope of the White Eagle Cult, significant disagreements had arisen between her and several other level-eight saints.

The deaths of Venus and the others were not a bad thing for her.

Once the otherworld merges with the planet, the entire planet will be transformed into a vast secret realm by the source energy over the next few decades. After a hundred years, it should be able to fully integrate with the otherworld.

Such a massive environmental change poses a severe test for all life on the planet.

As the dominant species on the planet, humanity has the opportunity to absorb source energy and improve its life level.

Of course, as intelligent beings, all people must believe in gods. All unbelievers will be offered as sacrifices to the gods.

Athena eagerly awaited that moment, when the Eternal City would become a true earthly divine kingdom.

A deity cannot rule a planet personally; she, as the pope, will be the supreme ruler, shepherding the deity's followers.

Popes cannot directly obtain the power of will, but they can obtain it indirectly through deities, thereby achieving immortality.

As a living being, immortality is her ultimate goal. Everyone else can die except for her.

With Poseidon and his three companions gone, no one in the Federation can stand against her anymore.

As for the alliance, Athena wasn't particularly concerned. As long as she didn't leave the Eternal City, even if Qin Liuhe came, he wouldn't be able to leave alive.

The Eternal City is bathed in divine light and protected by the gods. Not even a level-ten true god, let alone a level-nine mortal, can act recklessly here.

However, the fact that Diana and Hades never returned made her somewhat uneasy.

The incident on Dongwei Island can be attributed to the alliance's preparedness and their use of a counter-strategy.

Orchid Kingdom, however, was federal territory, where a massive blood sacrifice was held. Despite their precautions, the two were still forcibly detained by the other side.

She could sense Hades' staff, but unfortunately the connection was severed before it could be stable.

Such powerful supernatural abilities have already exceeded the normal scope of martial arts.

Athena believed that Qin Liuhe had truly returned; otherwise, the three Martial Saints of the Alliance wouldn't have been able to accomplish such a feat.

An eighth-level saint doesn't need any special abilities; simply sitting there is enough to suppress several provinces and make everyone obedient.

Hades and Diana were both her close friends, and their deaths were a heavy blow to her.

Athena had been feeling irritable for the past two days, with a persistent sense of foreboding, but she didn't quite believe that the other party would dare to come to the Eternal City.

"You seem a little uneasy?" Hercules noticed Athena's expression and asked casually.

From his angle, he could look down at Athena, this blonde, blue-eyed powerhouse, whose appearance was exceptionally beautiful, yet different from Venus's charming and alluring beauty; Athena's beauty possessed a lofty and majestic air.

Even though he was considerably taller than Athena and could look down on her, in his heart he was still inferior. It can only be said that this strongest person in the Federation was truly powerful.

The divine aura emanating from him put him under immense pressure.

Athena glanced at the Hercules beside her, who was a full 2.3 meters tall, while she was not even as tall as his shoulder.

Hercules' exposed shoulders were broad and strong, and his bronze skin made him look even more masculine.

Compared to the mythical Hercules, Hercules' body truly embodies the beauty of absolute power.

As a loyal follower of the Blood Lion King, Hercules has a thick beard and long hair, and crimson eyes. He is an exceptionally bloodthirsty and ruthless madman.

Athena didn't like Hercules. He was even less like Poseidon and his companions, who at least possessed rationality and composure.

Hercules, however, did not use reason to weigh the pros and cons; he acted entirely according to the will of God.

Athena would not have met with Hercules unless the situation had been extremely critical. His seemingly concerned inquiry lacked any genuine emotion and instead appeared to be a test.

Athena said coldly, "I called you here because the Alliance is about to make a move. We'd better stay together and prepare to fight."

"Qin Jiuyue is good at strategy but lacks courage, Hai Wuji is weak-willed and will not achieve great things, and Wei Qiankun is very calm but lacks sharpness."

Hercules had met all three Martial Saints of the Alliance, and he looked down on them somewhat, even though their martial arts skills were indeed impressive.

Humans have weaknesses, that's normal. But for an eighth-level Martial Saint to have such obvious weaknesses only demonstrates the weakness of humanity.

Hercules said calmly, "This is the Eternal City; they will not come."

Before he finished speaking, the invisible spatial barrier above rippled, and a figure fell down like an arrow piercing the water.

The black figure paused, stopping at an altitude of over 600 meters. This position was more than 100 meters higher than Athena and her group. The actual spatial distance between them was approximately 300 meters.

Hercules also got a clear look at the other person: a tall, upright young man with neat short hair, handsome features, and exceptionally bright eyes. He was wearing a crisp black military uniform with gold stars shining on his epaulets.

The other person held a black-sheathed longsword with gold patterns in his hand, standing in the void, his brows and eyes exuding confidence and composure, as well as an overflowing heroic aura.

“Gao Wu.” Hercules immediately recognized the other party as the most popular genius in the league recently.

It is said that Gao Wu has advanced to level eight, becoming the youngest Martial Saint in history.

Hercules had always thought it was fake news. If they really had another young, silent player, it would be like having another strategic trump card. The league would definitely try to keep their trump card hidden, so to announce it everywhere was really against common sense.

Having witnessed Gao Wu firsthand today, Hercules immediately concluded that Gao Wu was the Martial Saint. Only the Martial Saint could remain so composed before him and Athena.

Such powerful spiritual strength cannot be faked.

Hercules was puzzled again. Gao Wu was indeed an eighth-level martial saint, but what was he planning to do in the Eternal City all by himself?
Surely the other side isn't really that arrogant, thinking they can sweep through the Federation by themselves?
Athena had no time to mock Hercules; she was also carefully observing Gao Wu.

Through the divine incantation bestowed upon her by the gods, she can see through all external appearances and point directly to the essence.

Whether it's the source of energy or the spiritual and physical level, she can see the most essential core.

Gao Wu, who possessed the Eye of Truth, shone with a bright light, his entire being seemingly as clear and transparent as glass, yet nothing could be seen clearly about him.

Athena's face darkened. Even the Eye of Truth couldn't see through Gao Wu. No wonder he dared to directly break into the Eternal City, so arrogant and presumptuous.

So it seems that Venus and the others were all killed by Gao Wu?
Hercules used his spiritual power to say to Athena, "They've forced their way in; let's join forces and stop them!"

He could see Gao Wu's strength, but he felt no fear; instead, he was somewhat excited.

As a loyal follower of the Blood Lion King, he revered violence, bloodshed, and killing.

The formidable enemy Gao Wu completely ignited his fighting spirit. If he could kill Gao Wu, he would surely please the gods and receive their blessings.

Even though the gods weren't paying attention to him, the pure battle with the strong still made his blood boil.

The greater one's power, the harder it is to find a suitable opponent. Only fierce life-or-death battles can excite Hercules and give him that genuine joy.

He suggested working together to keep Gao Wu in because he knew that if the other party dared to break in like this, there must be someone to help him.

Hercules' meaning was simple: Athena sealed off the divine realm to block others and prevent Gao Wu from escaping, so he captured Gao Wu.

Athena's gaze swept past Gao Wu, sweeping across the area surrounding the Divine Realm. The Eye of Truth's search range extended far beyond a thousand miles, far surpassing that of satellite radar.

She could see a phantom outside the divine realm, but she couldn't make out who it was or what level of source power it possessed. This made her increasingly uneasy.

Qin Jiuyue and Wei Qiankun of the alliance did not possess such abilities. Although Hai Wuji was skilled in spatial manipulation, he could not evade the Eye of Truth, which was empowered by a divine domain.

Casting the Eye of Truth within the Divine Realm and casting it within the Divine Realm are two completely different things.

Over the years, Athena has continuously received divine blessings, and even received divine grace personally bestowed upon her by the manifestation of the White Eagle King, granting her extremely powerful divine arts.

With this divine magic, Athena felt confident that she could suppress all powerful enemies in the Eternal City.

However, divine magic is only effective within the Eternal City.

She will not be defeated, but the Eternal City could be destroyed. If communication with the outside world is severed, occupying an empty city will be useless.

Athena had served the White Eagle King for many years and had gained some understanding of this deity. Without his millions of followers, the White Eagle King would certainly abandon her without hesitation.

She wouldn't be as arrogant as Hercules, Gao Wu, a sharp and ambitious young man who grew up too fast, unbelievably fast.

Judging from Gao Wu's growth trajectory, this person is practically the god's favorite son, or even the god's incarnation.

Only in this way can his outrageous growth rate be explained.

However, even if Gao Wu is an incarnation of a god, he is still subject to the rules of the divine realm. After all, this is the divine realm of the White Eagle King.

Even if one's divine power surpasses that of the White Eagle King, one will still be constrained by the divine realm here.

The divine realm, formed by the collective power of millions of believers, is a fortress built by the gods. It is not something that can be easily breached by any external deity.

Athena said to Heracles, "I can seal off space, but I cannot guarantee anything. My priority is to protect my followers. To protect the Eternal City."

The inhabitants of the Eternal City are the most loyal believers and the core of the White Eagle Cult.

These believers take turns entering the Eternal City every three months to worship the gods and pray for divine favor.

Even if believers are like consumables or resources, they cannot be consumed at will. This is especially true for these core believers.

She then reminded Hercules, "There is another powerful being outside the realm of the gods; you must be careful of a sneak attack."

Hercules said impatiently, "Isn't it you who's here?"

He then reminded Athena, "If I die, the Federation will have no more saints. Even with the Eternal City, it won't be able to hold on."

"Speak of me!" Hercules roared, causing the void to tremble. The sword of fate descended from the sky and landed in his hand.

The Sword of Destiny is six feet long, an extravagantly large double-edged greatsword. This sword was also obtained from the realm of the Olympians and is said to possess the power to sever destiny.

Hercules was very fond of this greatsword because it weighed a hundred thousand tons.

If it weren't for the divine power bestowed by the Blood Lion King, he wouldn't even be able to lift the sword.

The Sword of Destiny was too heavy for Hercules to carry normally; it was stored on the altar of divine power and transmitted to him via a divine connection when needed.

Hercules, gripping the Sword of Destiny, felt an immense, terrifying pressure. His veins bulged, and the crimson divine runes on his face and body were revealed by the stimulation of his blood and qi.

To gain immense divine power, Hercules imbued his body with nine divine power runes, three of which were associated with rage and three with bloodlust. He also had an immortality rune on the back of his head.

Complex crimson runes covered Hercules' entire body, making his exposed skin glow with a crimson light, and giving him an unusually fierce aura, like a demon crawling out of hell.

Gao Wu was also a little surprised. Everyone here was a powerful expert. Instead of exchanging a few words, they immediately unleashed divine techniques to attack.
That big guy is fucking savage!

Gao Wu didn't recognize those divine runes, and there was no point in identifying them. The key to the runes' effectiveness lay in the divine power they contained; the external patterns were unimportant.

He was more focused on the greatsword in the other person's hand. The silver greatsword had an exaggerated design and, more importantly, looked exceptionally heavy.

It's no exaggeration to say that the root quality has reached forty points; Gao Wu could tell at a glance that the double-edged heavy sword had extraordinary quality.

He silently calculated that the sword must weigh several hundred thousand tons. However, since it was in Hercules' hands and resonated with his source energy, he couldn't make a very accurate assessment.

Hercules roared, "You alien brat, prepare to die!"

As he spoke, he raised the sword of destiny high and slowly brought it down on Gao Wu.

The two were hundreds of meters apart, but the divine domain of power transformed from the Sword of Destiny had already landed on Gao Wu.

Gao Wu felt a sudden heaviness all over his body, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on his head, almost crushing him flat.

He was not alarmed but delighted; Hercules was far stronger than the other six saints. Even Ares, the most skilled in combat, was insignificant before Hercules' unparalleled divine power…

(End of this chapter)