Chapter 663: The Origin of the Tentacle Monsters
The Gods Debate
Deep beneath the Plain of White Bones, in the secret lair of the tentacle monsters.
A magical projection shimmered on the wall, displaying the battle between Luke's group and the Death Gods. Humans versus Death Gods—the humans, despite being completely outnumbered, held the advantage.
"These people are so strong," one figure muttered softly. A companion beside him said gravely,
"Of the four, excluding the specter, the other three possess physical qualities no weaker than, and perhaps even superior to, a God. However, the one who concerns me most is the specter."
"What kind of power is that green flame?"
Some figures instinctively looked toward Hanyue. Luke was the successor of the Celestial Court, so his abilities were naturally linked to the Eastern Celestial Court.
Hanyue snorted coldly, tossing her head back with arrogance.
Seeing this, the others were annoyed but held their tongues. Among the Seven Great Divine Systems, the Celestial Court held a very peculiar position. Due to its unique culture and heritage, it was viewed as a threat and an anomaly, having almost no allies.
Similarly, the Celestial Court looked down on the uncivilized, barbaric Gods lacking human morality. The relationship between the two sides was terrible, and even after turning into tentacles, it hadn't improved.
A tentacle appeared in front of the projection. The woman at its tip was heroic and her eyes full of wildness. This was Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and one of the most powerful of the twelve Olympian chief Gods present.
"This is an opportunity," Artemis declared.
"Old Woman, we should use this chance to launch a surprise attack and destroy the Underworld Evil Gods!"
The old woman huddled in the corner, her head drooping, seemingly not hearing Artemis. As Artemis was about to press her, a voice from the side scoffed,
"The Underworld Evil Gods' target is us. The humans are merely bait. Attacking now would fall right into their trap. Haven't you noticed? Eighteen Evil Gods appeared, yet only eight are fighting. The rest are still hiding in the dark. I know you want to help the human woman—the Sword of Hephaestus, the Lasso of Truth, the Silver Bracelets of Submission... they are all Zeus's collection, yet they are on that woman. The connection is deeply suspicious."
The first part of the argument was sound, but the latter part caused the Olympians to glare fiercely. Artemis conjured a jade-green spear, staring intently at the head of the speaker, who returned the gaze without flinching.
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
The surrounding tentacles automatically spread out, leaving a wide space. A battle was imminent. Just then, a God of Witchcraft from the African pantheon stepped forward and said in a low voice,
"Old Woman, that human specter knows our hiding place. What if they lose the fight..."
He left the rest unsaid, but everyone understood the implication.
The core of the tentacles was in this underground space, where the hope of going home was being nurtured. If the Underworld Evil Gods found it, they would launch an attack regardless of the cost, and the situation would become extremely passive.
The two groups of feuding Gods stopped their confrontation, seriously considering this possibility.
One said, "We cannot pin our hopes on the humans. If they are pushed to the brink, they will surely choose their lives over our secret."
Hanyue said with displeasure,
"Luke is not an ordinary person. He won't betray us."
"How do you know he won't?"
"He's from the Celestial Court! People from the Celestial Court don't betray their companions!"
A strange laughter erupted around the hall, and the air filled with mirth.
Hanyue gritted her teeth, wishing she could stuff those mockers into an outhouse. Then, a white-haired, shriveled old man spoke,
"We cannot delay any longer. Either we find a way to kill the humans, or we cooperate with them to solve the Underworld Evil Gods. Dragging this out will only make things worse, even turning a potential ally into an enemy."
This statement hit the crucial point but raised a stickier issue: the humans were hard to kill, and the Underworld Evil Gods were the same. Any action would expose the location of the tentacles unless they could eliminate all the enemies in one fell swoop.
The Race Against Time
Artemis suddenly asked a question,
"How much longer until He is born?"
An unassuming little figure replied, "At the current growth rate, it will take at least eight hundred years."
"What if we devour the eighteen Evil Gods?"
Everyone's expression froze, and they looked at the little figure, who calculated for a moment before slowly replying,
"The power of eighteen Evil Gods far exceeds the energy needed for full growth. Devouring them would cause the growth rate to increase exponentially. He would grow into His complete form in three days at most."
Artemis threw up her hands. "Then what are we waiting for? This is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity! Do you truly wish to endure another eight hundred years?"
The air immediately became restless, as if on fire.
The Gods were eager for action. Even those with poor relations with the Olympians felt an intense yearning. They were all Gods, high and mighty, looking down on all life. They were willing to abandon their dignity and become monsters just to go home, but that didn't mean they were without pain.
Who would willingly choose to become a bizarre, ugly tentacle monster, neither fully human nor fully beast?
"Old Woman, there's no need to wait! Now is the perfect chance!"
"Let us go forth and fight!"
"If we strike, we can destroy the Underworld Evil Gods instantly!"
"Old Woman, we have no choice! What are you still considering?"
The Gods pleaded, one after another, over a hundred tentacles all pointing toward the old woman in the corner. She remained silent. Were it not for the slight movement of her fingers, one might think she was asleep.
The Old Woman was not a God, at least not formerly.
The War of the Gods ended in the defeat of the Human faction. All Human Gods who remained in the Underworld died, none spared. Their lingering souls wandered the battlefield, gradually evolving into strange entities. After more than a thousand years, the withered Old Woman suddenly stood up and, using an alien magic never before seen, created a monster.
This monster possessed incredible abilities: it could grow by devouring others' bodies and could also absorb the residual souls of Gods, combining with them to create a new body. This monster was the predecessor of the tentacle monster.
Over the next few centuries, the Old Woman controlled the monster to roam the God-Demon Battlefield, constantly collecting residual God souls and promising them resurrection and a way home. Facing this temptation, no one could resist. More and more Gods joined, becoming part of the monster.
The more Gods it absorbed, the larger its body grew, and the stronger its power became. The divine powers of different pantheons fused within it, evolving into a new life-form.
The Old Woman said it was the hope of going home, and the Gods did not doubt it. This little one, still in the womb, possessed unimaginable potential. Once it fully matured, it would be a King of Gods, even more terrifying than Zeus, the Lord of the Celestial Court, or the Sky Father.
He could easily destroy the seal in the cave and lead them all back to the homeland they longed for.
Because of this, they held the Old Woman in great respect and rarely defied her will. But now, things were different. A golden opportunity lay before them; how could they let it slip away?
If they consumed the eighteen Evil Gods, the child in the womb would mature, and they could break the seal and return to Earth in less than three days. They simply couldn't wait any longer.
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