After walking for a long distance, Zeus finally stopped, his voice grave as he spoke, "Metis, how much of the Song of the Gods do we have left?"
Metis smiled and replied, "We have three bottles of the Song of the Gods left. Zeus, what do you plan to do with these three bottles?"
"It's time," Zeus said calmly. "We need to find a way to rescue Poseidon and the others. At the same time, give one bottle of the Song of the Gods to Poseidon so that he can regain his original power."
"Using the four bottles in this manner," Metis smiled, "is the best approach, Zeus. The most crucial thing now is to defeat the Titan King. Everything else will only begin after that."
"I understand," Zeus nodded. "Let's go."
Metis smiled, "Alright."
The two gods departed, and Metis was actually very pleased. Using the Song of the Gods, the Book of Wisdom, and the treasury that Uranus left at the edge of the sky to aid in Zeus's growth was a significant accomplishment.
In Metis's view, Zeus's development was far from adequate. A God-King needed to be both wise and brave. If things continued as they were, Zeus would only become an expert in deceit and cunning, which Metis did not want to see.
Originally, Metis had been pondering how to change Zeus's character and help him truly grow. Unexpectedly, this time, the changes and challenges Zeus faced were so profound that they were likely to have a significant impact.
Normally, Zeus would have used all four bottles of the Song of the Gods for himself and would not have considered sharing them with Hades and Poseidon. But now, since Hades already had one bottle and had regained his original power, Zeus could not guarantee he could defeat Hades in the future.
Without that assurance, the best strategy was to elevate Poseidon to the same level. Only by achieving a stable triangle of power could the balance be maintained, which would bring the most stable benefits. This was Zeus's thinking—a straightforward use of mutual leverage, which made Metis very happy.
Metis did not want Zeus to remain arrogant and self-important forever. This setback was a chance for Zeus to change, and any sacrifice was worth it if it helped Zeus evolve.
Hades, unaware of Metis's intentions or Zeus's transformation, wouldn't have cared even if he knew. For gods, only the sufficiency of divine power mattered; everything else was insignificant. As long as he could continue to defeat Zeus in the future, nothing else was of importance.
Hades had no interest in Zeus's thoughts. Instead, he released a series of dark stars, using their divine power to search the far edge of the sky. Over time, almost every inch of that edge was thoroughly scoured, uncovering numerous sealed barriers. Breaking these seals was easy for the dark stars, and it didn't take long for them to be completely dismantled.
Countless precious divine objects were revealed, all of high quality, categorized as purple or gold. Hades eagerly absorbed them into the dark stars.
Although Hades's dark stars already contained many divine treasures, feeding them to the ever-hungry World Tree would accelerate its growth visibly and further enhance his divine power. Nevertheless, Hades decided not to use these resources immediately for the World Tree. Divine treasures were valuable and should be conserved for future needs. There was still much to plan, and it wasn't necessary to rush the growth of the World Tree.
"Divine stones," Hades noted, observing the vast array of divine stones. These were invaluable and could be used to forge divine armor for his subordinates.
Hades planned to forge new armor for his subordinates, even if they already had their own. He needed to craft Underworld-themed armor, similar to how Zeus would need to forge new armor for the Olympian gods after overthrowing the twelve Titans. This standard practice among god-kings not only brought uniformity but also enabled his subordinates to unleash their full potential.
Zeus's approach, though, was somewhat unique. He didn't try to control his subordinates directly. In the original tales, he preferred a method akin to nurturing competition among them to maintain control.
Hades continued to collect the divine stones and other treasures. As time passed, he uncovered and decoded all of Uranus's treasury at the sky's edge, integrating everything into the dark stars.
After securing all these treasures, Hades knew it was time for the next step. Guided by the crystal, he soon arrived at a unique spot at the edge of the sky. Using a special divine method, he began to awaken the sealed barrier.
As the barrier began to reveal itself, Hades used the instructions from the crystal to start dismantling it. The process was quick, and soon, a pristine white chain emerged, floating at the edge of the sky as if waiting for its rightful master.
Hades released his divine power, but the Sky-World Chain resisted. It was meant to serve the Sky Emperor, not the Underworld King. Repelled by its force, Hades was not frustrated. Instead, he created a barrier to seal the surrounding area, ensuring the chain could not escape. He planned to take his time to subdue it.
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