Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 504 Odin also came to entrust his son to someone.

Having arranged the affairs within the legion, Xia Zuo marked each core member with a soul mark, allowing them free access to the "Pure Land Secret Realm".

The name was just decided by a vote of the legion members.

Perhaps its characteristics are so obvious that everyone associates this space with a pure land and naturally chooses this name.

The moment it was confirmed, Xia Zuo sensed something was wrong.

It seems that a faint thread of cause and effect has entangled me.

Xia Zuo was deeply shocked. This was the ability that Xia Zuo, the God of Wealth, had longed for but could never obtain.

Whether you call it a sudden impulse, peeking into the secrets of heaven, or gossiping and getting tired eyes, being able to glimpse the grand scheme of things is an essential ability for a true immortal to advance further.

Unless you have someone above you who is willing to lend you a hand, you can only embark on the path to becoming a Golden Immortal after you have the power to understand cause and effect.

But Xia Zuo was still completely baffled as to where this ability came from and why it appeared.

However, Xia Zuo did not show any abnormality at the time, and calmly arranged everything.

The moment Xia Zuo returned to New York from the Pure Land, he felt an even stronger causal connection; this was not a natural occurrence.

It wasn't something he was born with, but rather someone forcibly imposed a cause and effect upon him.

Xia Zuo laughed in anger. He looked towards the due east direction and gritted his teeth, saying, "The Supreme Mage is like this, and so are you, old man. Are you both so eager to starve to death?"

With that, he strode forward, step by step, toward the sea. Once inside the ocean, he transformed into a shooting star and flew toward Norway, a country in northern Europe.

Xia Zuo did not deliberately restrain his energy; in fact, he intentionally created a golden flame outside his body, leaving a high-speed trail.

The distance from New York to Norway is about 6000 kilometers. Xia Zuo flew to his destination in just 30 minutes. It was a meadow near the sea.

Not far from the cliff by the sea, there is a white rock protruding from the grass, and an old man with white hair is sitting on it.

This white-haired, white-bearded old man had only one eye, but his gaze was frighteningly sharp; he spotted Xia Zuo's flying golden flames from afar.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "How young! The present-day god of Earth!"

The next second, Xia Zuo appeared in front of him, surrounded by golden flames, and slowly sat down.

As Xia Zuo moved, thick branches sprouted from the ground, intertwining and twisting to form a living armchair, perfectly supporting Xia Zuo's body.

After settling in, Xia Zuo spoke, "Your Majesty Odin, the God-King of Asgard, what brings you to Earth without any prior notice?"

Odin chuckled and asked, "You're not angry that I invaded Earth without warning?"

Xia Zuo raised an eyebrow: "Earth is also one of the Nine Realms, and it is His Majesty Odin's territory. I have never thought of denying this identity."

"After all, Your Majesty, your lifespan seems to be coming to an end, and Thor still needs a long time to grow up. The very survival of Asgard will face a major test. My existence is of no benefit to you."

"But...isn't it a bit too early? And why are you adding to my burden?"

Odin smiled with exceptional kindness: "As expected of the person chosen by the Ancient One, you truly have a keen eye for things."

"You're right, Shazo. I could never have any ill intentions towards you, because I desperately need your power to protect Asgard through its most dangerous time and to wait for Thor to grow."

"As for why it was brought forward, it's because I was in a lot of pain."

"Xia Zuo, death is terrible, but the agony of being destined to die is even more terrible."

Xia Zuo nodded and said, "I know that the enhancement of Odin's power is irreversible, but I did not expect it to bring such great pain, which even you, the ruler of the Nine Realms, cannot bear."

Odin's smile remained unchanged: "I've heard that there's a disease in humans called cancer. When it progresses to the final stages of life, it causes pain throughout the body, to the point that any painkillers become ineffective."

"Odin's power is far more terrifying than any cancer."

"Although the power of Odin is named after me, it was passed down from my grandfather. Generations of the Odinson family have continuously tamed, perfected, and strengthened it."

"But it was not completely tamed by me. When I grew old and frail, it broke free of my control and continued to grow like a wild horse."

Odin gently patted his chest and said, "Putting myself into slumber is not only to slow down the growth of Odin's power, but more importantly, to buy myself time to rest and alleviate my mental anguish."

Xia Zuo looked at Odin and said in a deep voice, "But recently it's not working. I can see that Your Majesty Odin, every cell in your body is stretched to its limit, emitting a silent wail."

"Hehehe, yes, you're absolutely right." Odin laughed: "That's exactly the feeling, every cell is screaming, but Odin's power ignores it and continues to grow at a rapid pace."

"You're right, if I give it my all, I can hold on for another two years, but what then?"

"I cannot wait for Thor to mature, nor can I wait for Ragnarok to descend, so that I may die in the final battle with the culprit."

decisive battle."

"So, there's not much difference between going two years earlier? For me, it means being freed from the more painful wait to die sooner, so why not?"

Xia Zuo nodded: "Your Majesty Odin, what you say makes a lot of sense, but this matter is indeed only harmful to me, and there is no benefit whatsoever."

"Besides, what you forced on me doesn't seem to be anything good—"

Odin's eyes widened: "You wouldn't dare say such a thing! What I'm giving you is my greatest treasure, the most perfect creation of my life!"

Xia Zuo's eyes suddenly sharpened: "From what you're saying, you're implying that what you forced on me is Hela, the Asgardian goddess of death?"

He was asking a question, but his tone was very certain, causing Odin's expression to change for the first time: "How do you know about Hela?"

"When I was still sealed away, even the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme, had not yet been born."

Xia Zuo snorted coldly: "The Supreme Mage has the power over time, and can even glimpse the future, let alone the past which has already been determined as history."

Odin was stunned for a while before he spoke, "So that's how it is, I underestimated the Ancient One. No wonder she was able to discover you before me, no wonder I could never defeat her."

Xia Zuo: "Don't play dumb and change the subject, Your Majesty Odin!"

"You've dumped a huge problem on me, hoping I'll take the blame for you? Aren't you overthinking it?"

"You really think I wouldn't dare to lay a hand on Asgard?"

Odin sighed, "Mr. Shazo, Hela is truly a good girl. She was just born too early and grew up during the era when I was conquering all sides. Her strength increased too quickly, and she never encountered any setbacks, which is why she developed such a bad temper."

"Your strength is definitely enough to suppress Hela. I believe you will be able to conquer her and change her personality."

"By then, Hela will be your best assistant and most suitable wife—I know you have a human woman, but human lifespan is limited. When she passes away, Hela can be your second wife."

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "There's no need, and I don't need a second wife."

"However, if you are completely at ease, I can accept Hela as my subordinate and have her join my legion."

"Your Majesty Odin, I know that Hela's life is bound to Asgard, so at that time Asgard will have to be mine."

Odin let out a long sigh of relief: "I understand. Hela is a goddess; she could never accept her life being in someone else's hands. She will definitely try to take Asgard."

"I entrust Hela and Asgard to you. As long as the people live, Asgard will never perish."

Xia Zuo nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, the deal is done."

"I will help you teach your eldest daughter a lesson and protect your people as they migrate to—this place." Shazor looked at the surging waves of the Norwegian Sea and continued, "To rebuild a place called Asgard."

"In return, I will receive Asgard in a geographical sense, and your eldest daughter, well, as a subordinate, not as a wife or lover."

Odin laughed: "And the Space Stone, Mr. Shazo, I'm not some senile old fool who knows nothing."

Xia Zuo laughed heartily: "Haha, as expected of the unparalleled Odin, you've seen right through me!

"So, deal?"

Odin held out his hand: "Deal!"

Xia Zuo also reached out and grasped Odin's hand, feeling the surging power that shook his soul.

It was clear that it was a force on the verge of spiraling out of control.

If it weren't for Odin's strong restraint, Odin's power could erupt at any moment, turning Odin into cosmic dust and blasting Earth into a living hell.

This is a threat from Odin.

Only by helping him die peacefully and completing the transfer of Odin's power from Odin to Thor can Earth avoid the tragic fate of being blown to pieces.

Odin, as expected of a king who could unify the nine realms, was indeed meticulous in his thinking. When proposing the terms of the exchange, he left no room for Shazo to back out.

Xia Zuo shook his head, both amused and annoyed: "As expected of Odin, his schemes are quite effective."

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer while you're disciplining your son. I'll wait for Hela in Asgard."

Odin opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing.

Shazor wanted Asgard, not its people. So he needed Hela to use violence in Asgard to drive the people away, leaving only an empty, clean Asgard.

In this process, many deaths and injuries will inevitably occur, but the dying Odin cannot stop it. Even if he could, it would erupt again two years later, and nothing would change.

The only thing Odin could do was choose Shazor to entrust everything to, to give him the fate of Asgard, and to allow as many people as possible to migrate to Norway on Earth.

After Shazor left, Odin did not take immediate action. Instead, he sat on the rock, watching the surging sea for several days until his emotions had completely calmed down.

On the fourth day, after sunrise, Odin pointed forward and commanded, "Heimdall, bring my sons before me."

The God-King's command had supreme priority, and Heimdall, far away in Asgard, reacted instantly.

This command not only carried the strongest divine power as a confirmation beacon, but also indicated the locations of Thor and Loki.

Without a doubt, this is the authority that only a god-king possesses.

Heimdall did not hesitate and immediately activated the Rainbow Bridge to carry out the King of Gods' command.

Loki, disguised as Odin enjoying his power, and Thor, who is enjoying beer on Earth, appear before Odin with flowers and beer respectively.

Loki stared in disbelief: "Father, you...you're not asleep?"

Odin smiled and replied, "Loki, I am Odin, Odin Borsen, the ruler of the Nine Realms, the king of the gods, the one and only Father."

"You learned your magic from Frigga, and you've learned it quite well. But what you don't know is that Frigga's magic teacher is me, Odin Borson."

Loki turned ashen-faced and trembled violently.

"Don't worry, my child," Odin said with a smile, patting the rock he was sitting on. "Sit down, I have something to say to you brothers."

Thor downed his beer in one gulp with a simple, honest air, then happily sat down to his father's left.

Loki sensed his father's kindness and tolerance, stopped trembling, and sat down to Odin's right.

"Children, I am going to die."

Odin's words startled them both; if his strong arms hadn't been resting on his sons' shoulders, they would have jumped up, and jumped very, very high.

"Don't rush, don't be afraid, let me finish."

"I have lived for over 7000 years, and as the King of Asgard, my lifespan is nearing its end."

o

"We call ourselves gods, but we are not the true, immortal gods after all."

"Moreover, the power of Odin that I inherited from my father is also a huge burden, causing me endless pain and consuming much of my lifespan."

"Thor, the power of Odin is the heritage of our Aesir gods. After my death, this power will gradually resurface within you, becoming your strength, and also your burden."

"Once you have this power, you must protect Asgard and our people."

"Remember, as long as the people of Asgard exist, Asgard will always exist."

Then Odin turned to Loki and said, "Loki, my child, I did not choose you to inherit the throne not because I dislike you, nor because you are Laufey's child."

"The key is that you cannot inherit Odin's power, you have no chance to grow into a Godfather-level being in Asgard, and you cannot protect Asgard."

"Child, the problem lies in this universe's irrationality; it only operates on power."

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