Chapter 151 : Audience with Apollo, Apollo's plan!
The periphery of Olympus, the Divine Realm, was enveloped in eternal golden light.
The air was filled with a faint divine aura, yet it carried a sense of stillness.
Hypnos's figure appeared on a hidden path, his gold and white robes emanating black dust from the Underworld.
Hypnos did not linger, passing directly through the golden light area and walking towards the temple ahead, which was cast from liquid sunlight.
This was the abode of Apollo, the God of Light and Prophecy.
The entire temple glowed with a warm radiance, imbued with supreme majesty, and from a distance, it looked like a star suspended in the Divine Realm, dispelling the surrounding stillness.
Before he could even approach the temple, several Celestial Saintss blocked him with their long halberds at Hypnos's neck, holding him firmly.
"Who dares to trespass into the Temple of Olympus?"
Before Hypnos could speak, a man's lazy voice came from within the great hall.
"Let him in. He's a subordinate deity of my great uncle, always living in the dark Underworld. It's normal that you've never seen him…"
"Yes, Lord Apollo!"
The Celestial Saintss lowered their halberds and stood solemnly to the side, like two golden statues.
Hypnos was inwardly astonished; the Cosmo power emanating from the guards of Apollo's temple was no less than his own.
Stepping into the temple, Hypnos was instantly enveloped by a pure, blazing light.
There were no piles of gold or silver treasures here; the dome was like solidified dawn, flowing with a faint golden light.
Golden runes carved into the walls flickered slightly with the air's undulations.
A faint, ethereal hymn also lingered in the air, cleansing the souls of visitors.
Apollo, the God of Light, stood nearly two meters tall. He reclined on a divine throne woven from light and flame. His incomparably handsome face, in the soft light, appeared both divinely awe-inspiring and with a hint of lazy detachment.
His golden eyes were half-open, half-closed, as if listening to the world's pulse, or perhaps enjoying a moment of rest, with beautiful goddesses feeding him golden grapes nearby.
"Lord Apollo, God of Light!"
Hypnos bowed slightly, his posture extremely humble, his hands clasped in front of him, his voice carrying a hint of deliberately suppressed urgency.
"I am Hypnos, from under Hades, and I bear an urgent message concerning the survival of the Olympian Gods, by my master's command."
Apollo's eyelids slowly lifted, his golden pupils like two miniature suns, instantly locking onto Hypnos.
That gaze seemed calm, yet it carried a penetrating power that pierced the soul, making Hypnos instinctively tense his body, a primal pressure spreading from his spine throughout his entire being.
The natural opposition of light and darkness was vividly displayed at this moment.
"Oh? A message from Hades?"
Apollo's voice was as melodious as sunlight piercing through clouds, yet it carried a subtle hint of mockery.
"What a rare guest. What wind has blown Hypnos, from the Underworld to my realm of light? Is Hades tired of staying underground and wishes to share my sunlight?"
Hypnos took a deep breath, knowing that pleasantries would only waste time now; he had to get straight to the point.
"Your Excellency, it is not that my master covets sunlight, but rather that a blasphemer has appeared in Human Realm! A Gold Saint under Athena, named Li Yu, has stolen... sacred authority!"
"A blasphemer? Stolen authority?"
Apollo's lips curved into a playful arc, his body still lazily leaning on the divine throne, but the light within the temple subtly froze for a moment, and the hymn in the air became deeper.
"A mortal stealing authority? Hypnos, are you telling a clumsy joke?"
"Absolutely not a jest, Your Excellency!"
Hypnos's tone was resolute, and he raised his hand to condense a memory crystal composed of divine power.
The crystal floated in mid-air, projecting a scene above Hades's Castle: Li Yu holding the spear of longinus, his body wreathed in golden flames and purple lightning. The destructive pressure, even through the crystal, made the air within the temple tremble slightly.
"Please see! This mortal, he not only stole the power of lightning—that supreme authority which rightfully belongs to Father Zeus!—but also basely laid his hands on the glory of the sun!"
In the image, Li Yu was bathed in pure sunlight, a golden pillar of light reaching to the heavens and earth enveloping him, and he perfectly wielded the power of the sun contained within the flames.
Especially when he hurled the God-Slaying Spear, half the sky was clear, and sunlight poured into the spear like a waterfall, the dazzling light making Apollo's pupils suddenly contract.
Boom!
The gentle halo around Apollo's divine throne instantly became intensely blazing, blinding golden light filled the entire temple, and the temperature soared rapidly, as if instantly plunging into the core of a star.
The gentle hymn turned into a sharp hum, and the divine throne woven from light and flame even showed signs of melting.
The laziness on Apollo's face completely vanished, replaced by a volcanic eruption of fury!
He suddenly stood up, his golden hair wildly dancing without wind, and a strong light capable of scorching divine eyes erupted from his body.
"Stealing Chaos Lightning! Laying hands on the power of Light?!"
Apollo's voice was like billions of thunderclaps exploding simultaneously, and like the roar of a blazing sun, filled with incredulous rage and desecrated divine majesty.
"An ant-like mortal?! How dare he? How is he worthy?!"
The light in the temple twisted and boiled in his fury, the radiance whipping through space like tangible whips, and the runes on the walls flickered violently, as if they would shatter at any moment.
Hypnos felt his divine soul tremble under this pure light pressure, his Underworld divine power almost igniting and purifying.
He endured the pain of his soul burning and spoke with difficulty.
"Your Excellency, calm your wrath! This is absolutely true! He not only stole authority but also used it to gravely wound Thanatos, God of Death, almost killing him! He forced my master to temporarily retreat and seal the entrance to the Underworld! His existence is a trampling and subversion of the entire Olympian divine authority!"
"My master believes he is by no means an ordinary human; he is a destroyer of order, a common enemy of all gods!"
Apollo's intense rage did not immediately dissipate, but the all-consuming flames slowly receded, and the temple's temperature gradually dropped.
His face remained as cold as ten thousand years of ice, and the true fire of the sun burned in his golden eyes, staring intently at Li Yu's figure in the crystal, especially the scene where he wielded sunlight.
As a chief god who held the authority of prophecy, amidst his shock and anger, deeper thoughts were rapidly churning in his mind.
How could he not see through Hades's intentions?
After a long while, Apollo slowly sat back on his divine throne, his posture no longer lazy, but like a beast poised to strike, leaning slightly forward, his hands clasped in front of him.
"A destroyer of order? A common enemy of all gods? Hmph!"
He let out a cold sneer, and a glimmer of all-knowing insight flashed in his golden eyes.
"Hades has played a good game, wanting to use my hand, to use the hand of all Olympus, to eliminate this troublesome blasphemer for him, so he can continue to contend with Athena for the authority over the earth in peace, isn't that right?"
Hypnos's heart tightened; he hadn't expected Apollo to be so perceptive, instantly exposing Hades's intentions.
He dared not deny it, only lowering his head in silence.
Apollo's gaze pierced through the temple walls, falling in the direction of Human Realm, and the light of insight into destiny flickered in his golden eyes.
He chuckled coldly to himself.
"You three, initiating the Holy War to contend for the earth, ostensibly for faith and territory, but in essence, isn't it all for the primordial power of Gaia, sleeping deep within the earth, representing the origin and end of all things?!"
"I originally thought that over millions of years, you wouldn't be able to determine a victor, but now, it seems this situation is about to be broken. That will be the best time for me to act…"
As Apollo thought this, a cold and ambitious smile curved his lips.
"Tell Hades that I am aware of this matter, and Olympus will pay attention to it, but for now… it is not my time to act."
What!
Hypnos raised his eyes in disbelief, looking at Apollo.
After all that, you're saying you won't get involved?
Lord Apollo, your authority over light has been stolen by that mortal!
No matter what he thought, Apollo had already returned to his lazy demeanor and waved his hand.
"Go, I won't see you out!"