I, with my frail and sickly body, simultaneously traverse hundreds of worlds.

Page 66

On the wound that had almost torn open most of the abdominal cavity, fine granulation tissue was stitching it up, rebuilding new flesh and internal organs.

I believe that the opponent will be able to recover after a while, unless Bai Zhi continues to attack, but there is no need for that. Doing so will only provoke Cerberus's near-death counterattack, wasting energy and even causing serious injury.

The regenerative power of an immortal body is greatly reduced in the underworld, and if possible, he would prefer to pass through here unharmed.

“Cerberus, I know you can understand. You are Typhon’s offspring, and you can be considered a son of the planet. It’s not that I can’t kill you, but that I’m unwilling. I have my own plans for coming to the Underworld, and you can’t stop me.”

Of course, breaking through your protection and directly entering the Underworld is also difficult, but not impossible. So, choose between life and death.

Cerberus's wailing ceased abruptly, leaving only three pairs of heavy breathing sounds.

Entrusted by the gods to guard the underworld, Cerberus has been diligent and conscientious for centuries, never letting any living person enter the underworld. It has been dutiful and responsible, but this is not of its own volition. After all, becoming the gatekeeper of the underworld was more or less forced by the gods. Many of its fellow gatekeepers were treated even worse than it.

But only living is hope, and so is living a life of mere survival. But that doesn’t mean Cerberus had no grievances against the gods.

It sniffed the air and sensed the strong aura of several deities surrounding Bai Zhi, which told it that Bai Zhi had come with ill intentions. Why not do something that could cause Hades trouble, especially since it was already fatally wounded?

Even its unfortunate brethren, with a quarter of their bodies shredded, were few and far between.

The three-headed dog let out a few barking sounds.

In the void, an invisible, enormous door was slowly pushed open.

The dense sounds of the Styx River echoed in his ears, and Bai Zhi knew that he had passed the test of the gatekeepers of hell.

The Chronicle of the Greek Gods and Their Sons: Chapter 138 The Ferryboat on the River Styx

The River Styx is the core river of the underworld in ancient Greek mythology. It is a system composed of four major rivers: the Acheron, the Styx, the Xytes, and the Chrysiplegton. The dead had to cross the river by the ferryman Charon, and those without money were thrown into the river to be corroded.

The surface of the water is often filled with terrifying wails, and countless pale arms extend from the bottom of the water, as if trying to grasp at a straw, or perhaps dragging passing souls into it to suffer together.

Standing on the edge of the River Styx, looking down at the dark and murky water, a sense of disgust wells up from the bottom of my heart as I gaze upon the river, which is formed drop by drop by negative emotions and the sins of humanity.

The rushing river splashed up a few waves, and Bai Zhi took a few steps back, not wanting to get even a speck of water on him.

Hua Hua Hua——

A tattered, jet-black robe covered his entire body, revealing two arms devoid of flesh. His skeletal hands, pale to an abnormal degree, gripped a dark wooden paddle, and wherever they passed, the pale arms that extended out retreated.

The sound of oars cutting through the water grew louder as Charon, the ferryman of the underworld, moved to the shore in a narrow canoe.

“Kid, a living person entering the underworld? If you’re looking to die, just find a river and drown. Why bother making a special trip to the underworld? Over the years, I’ve seen countless daring humans, but you’re one of the few who have crossed Cerberus… But I don’t care. You know the rules of the ferryman, right?”

Caron uttered a few words of reflection, his hoarse laughter, accompanied by the clatter of his bones, conveying an eerie and strange feeling.

"What payment do you want for me to take you across the River Styx? Let me warn you beforehand: the gold and silver treasures of this world are not even dust in the underworld."

"Of course, I'm not stupid enough to try and fool you with gold coins."

Bai Zhi said seriously, "Besides, he really doesn't have a single gold coin on hand. He left all his remaining wealth to Atalanta."

The food and water stored in Baizhi Space solved his daily needs.

Besides, he had been in contact with gods or powerful beasts and sea monsters lately, and hadn't been to a town in so long that he had almost forgotten the importance of money.

So, he didn't even have copper coins, let alone gold coins.

"A pure and flawless soul, a divine tool to ignite spirituality, a precious treasure, flesh and blood stained with divinity—anything is acceptable. I am not picky. It's all the same journey. There is no difference between the living and the dead."

Charon didn't ask for an exorbitant price. Having lived for hundreds or thousands of years, there's no fool who could survive peacefully in an age of gods.

No living person can safely enter the underworld without some kind of background.

"The compensation paid..."

Bai Zhi pondered the items he could currently trade.

The three sisters: Iroha, Yaya, and Komurasaki.

Hermes lent him the compass.

Medusa's right eye replacement, the Petrifying Demon Eye.

The seven-stringed lyre given by Apollo.

"Here you go, please keep it safe, I'll come back for it later."

Bai Zhi handed the seven-stringed zither to Caron.

He had no choice; the three sisters had independent consciousness, and the Petrifying Eyes were a crucial force in the subsequent battle against the Hundred-Eyed Giant. The Guide Compass did not belong to him.

He had only his seven-stringed lyre left to trade.

"..."

Kalon didn't just stare blankly at the zither; he looked up at Bai Zhi, then looked down at the zither again.

Even though the other person's face was covered by a long robe, Bai Zhi could still vaguely sense their astonishment.

"You are joking?"

"No? I'm very serious. I haven't been in the business for long, and the seven-stringed zither is one of my few treasures. It should be enough to exchange for a ticket."

“It’s enough, even more than I expected for the tickets.” Caron’s voice trembled slightly.

Caron had expected that Angelica dahurica had a powerful background, but he never imagined that its background would be this powerful.

What appears to be an ordinary seven-stringed lyre becomes exceptionally powerful within the divine realm of Kakuzu. It is as if a raging, scorching sun is raging and roaring, protecting the lyre's owner from harm while also serving as a guiding light.

“...It’s too expensive. You can choose other compensation, even if it’s less valuable. I really don’t care.” Caron tried to persuade Bai Zhi to change her compensation in a tactful way, but then shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, this is the limit I can afford.”

Even heroes are helpless without money, and this also brought misfortune to the unlucky boatman.

In the end, Charon, with a sour face, accepted the lyre, at the cost of his skeletal arm turning black.

There's nothing we can do; rules are rules. At worst, we'll just return the stuff once we get to shore.

"Get on the boat, watch your step. If you slip and fall into the water, even I can't save you unless Hades himself comes."

Caron gave a curt warning and gripped the oar, ready to set sail.

My feet landed on the narrow hull of the boat, but there was no swaying or weightlessness as I had expected. The feeling under my feet was more like stepping on solid rock.

After boarding, Bai Zhi found a safe spot to sit down, and Ka Long released the reins and started rowing.

The ferry swayed on the River Styx, and all that could be seen were the souls of the dead; all that could be heard were the wailing of ghosts.

Bai Zhi seemed to hear the wailing, lamenting, recounting, and mourning of many souls who died unjustly.

Innocent people were unfortunately caught in the crossfire of the playful antics and battles of the powerful and died tragically.

The grieving people had all their possessions and food confiscated while the heroes were carrying out their justice, and were forced to starve to death.

The wretched, coveted by the king and nobles, were stripped of all their value, reduced to slavery, and died in humiliation.

Among the souls that have sunk in the River Styx, there are many weak and powerless souls, and their deaths are a microcosm of humanity in this era.

Because of their weakness, they died without knowing anything.

Because of their weakness, everything was taken away by the stronger party.

Because of their weakness, they met a tragic end while being played with by the greedy.

Too many deaths occupied Bai Zhi's mind. In just a moment, he seemed to see pitiful souls staring at him, and he could hear their breathing and cries for help. They were waiting for a hero to take them away from their suffering.

"It is indeed a heroic act, but unfortunately, I am not a hero, and I hate moral blackmail."

With a cold face, Bai Zhi used dark magic to cleanse her body, which had been affected by the underworld, and silently recited the Sword Heart Mantra to regain control of her wavering heart.

Sure enough, he said he wouldn't mind lending a hand if it was a simple act of kindness that could be accomplished with a helping hand.

But faced with a group of strangers, and not exactly a saint, why would he risk his life to play the role of saving the world?

Seeing that Bai Zhi was unharmed, the ferryman Caron sighed silently. It seemed that he had lost everything this time, and the gradually slowing speed increased again.

The Book of the Greek Gods and Their Sons: Chapter 139 Threat

Death is the final destination of all living things.

Life is complex, and perhaps complex emotions also exist within it. The same intense love and hate, terrible disasters, the grand ambitions and romance of great people, and the struggles and perseverance of ordinary people are also repeatedly staged.

It can be when facing final death.

Countless magnificent miracles, dazzling names, and bloated titles served as footnotes to it all, before returning to dust.

Amidst the sound of the river parting, Bai Zhi closed her eyes, refusing to witness the ugliness of humanity and the sinful deaths. Kalon was quick; his scheme had failed, and he only wanted to get rid of this enormous trouble as soon as possible.

The turbulent river soon reached its end; the River Styx was the last barrier of the underworld, and the point that completely separated reality from the underworld.

As soon as the ferry docked smoothly on the riverbank, Bai Zhi stepped off and vanished from the spot without warning.

Caron, who was left behind with his lyre in hand, was stunned. He knew perfectly well who could take someone away from the underworld silently.

He glanced at the seven-stringed zither in his hand, whose energy was gradually escalating, and then at the deserted riverbank.

"I could tell he was no ordinary person just by looking at him. I should have known better than to try and take advantage of him this time," the ferryman sighed.

Unbeknownst to him, Charon had offended two chief gods at the same time.

......

......

The scene suddenly changed, and the dark, hard rocky terrain and the rushing river in the field of vision disappeared in an instant.

Instead, there was a solemn, deathly silent, empty palace. Half-open windows let in the chilling, lifeless air. The dome was lit not by lamplight, but by candlelight fueled by souls. The vast interior was eerily empty, except for one person sitting on the throne—

"!!!"

The moment Bai Zhi noticed something, time seemed to stand still.

In an instant, the entire palace seemed to freeze, even the wandering ghosts and spirits vanished without a trace. The atmosphere at the scene was beyond description; "terrifying" was an understatement.

"Who is causing this strange feeling?!"

Sensing something amiss, a chilling stillness crept up his spine and onto his forehead, instantly turning his expression indifferent.

"Hades, Hades, call me whatever you like. I'm not suited for formalities, so please be casual." A calm and refined voice came from the other party.

The god of death sits on his throne.

The bloated and obese presence suddenly intruded into Bai Zhi's thoughts.

It was clearly a two-meter-tall, thin figure, but it felt completely different from what people thought. It was a concept that living people could hardly understand, a concept that only someone who had personally experienced the one and only end of life could comprehend—death.

The living cannot escape death, and the dead cannot see the light of life; this is an ironclad law etched into the laws of the world.

"My wedding with the Queen of the Underworld is imminent. Would you like to join me in celebrating this grand ceremony in the Underworld? This is the only ceremony held by the Underworld during the third generation of the mythological lineage. If you miss it, little one, you will have to wait until the next generation, when the King of the Underworld, who will be under your rule in the fourth generation of the mythological lineage, meets his beloved. Only then will you have another chance."

"Lord Hades..."

Bai Zhi gently patted the dust-covered pure white robe, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and was about to speak.

"Oh right, you little guy, you're one of the few children who believe in me, the 'Lord of the Underworld.' Not bad, you're quite good..." Hades was very talkative, discussing all sorts of interesting things with great enthusiasm, and even inquiring about Bai Zhi's love life.

"No, Lord Hades, I have something to attend to..."

Bai Zhi gave a brief response, intending to steer the conversation back on track, but was still interrupted.

"And also, my dear brother Zeus, I can bear the threat from him for you, as long as you don't leave the Underworld. Within the Greek mythological cosmology, no god can harm you. I can even have Hera bring your parents here. The Underworld is the realm of the dead, but that doesn't mean it can't accommodate a few living people..."

Hades' kind words relieved Bai Zhi of her worries and allowed her to enjoy the love of her family. These blessings were truly invaluable.

But... Bai Zhi still has to say it.

“Lord Hades, you intend to continue deceiving yourself. I can wait, but Lady Demeter cannot. Having lost her daughter, the impact on the Greek land is gradually deepening. The area where Lady Demeter is located is already barren, with no survivors.”

Like a replica of the underworld, it's hard to believe that a goddess with a good temper who held the power of harvest caused a tragedy even worse than that of the god of war.

"...Your actions don't seem like those of a benevolent person who cares about the lives of other ordinary people."

This time, Hades' kind voice disappeared, replaced by a hoarse and deathly indifferent tone.

This is the true master of death, the embodiment of the underworld.

“Persephone is the Queen of the Underworld that I have chosen. She has eaten the food of the Underworld and can never leave it. Becoming the Queen of the Underworld is the best choice for her.”

The rules Hades established are unshakeable; even Zeus couldn't persuade him otherwise.

Bai Zhi is merely Hades' child (a believer), and it's far too presumptuous to think you can persuade him to abandon his Queen of the Underworld with just a few words.

“Lord Hades, I had no choice, but neither did you. The gods will not stand idly by while Lord Indemeter is filled with sorrow and anger. My arrival is both a casual move by Athena and a test by the gods for you.”

Hades, a solitary god residing in the underworld, broke the tacit understanding among the gods because of a woman. No one could help but feel apprehensive about Hades, who possessed the vast 'inherent barrier' of the underworld.