I Am Hades, Lord of the Underworld!

Pontus never cared much for his five children; in fact, they barely registered in his mind. 

To Pontus, he had his own grand ambitions, dreams so lofty they sought to overturn the entire Mythical World. As for his children? They were nothing more than strangers to him.

In contrast, Erebus and Nyx, a pair of Ancient Gods, were not only deeply in love but also exceptionally doting on their children. Their behavior was so unique that it could even be considered unusual among the gods.

Hestia moved at a moderate pace, taking a long time to traverse the vast sea realm before finally reaching its deepest part, following the trace of a divine aura.

It was as if she had passed through a barrier, and suddenly, she was in the Black Sea.

Once there, Hestia remained still for a moment before speaking, "Pontus."

The Black Sea churned, and a shadow formed from the sea itself emerged, revealing Pontus.

Of course! This wasn't Pontus' true form, or rather, this was his true form.

Among the eight Ancient Gods, Pontus was arguably the hardest to eliminate. Unlike Uranus, who could die since he only created the sky, Pontus was different—his body was the Black Sea.

In other words, unless the entire Black Sea were destroyed, Pontus would never die. But destroying the Black Sea would expose the entire Mythical World to the Sea of Chaos, which was impossible.

This is why Pontus, among the eight Ancient Gods, is almost truly immortal.

At no point in history has the destruction of the Black Sea been allowed, even in the future when the age of myth ends and humanity takes over, this rule will still hold.

However! Facing Pontus, Hestia remained calm. She stood motionless, with two strands of dark divine power clinging to her body.

"Hestia..." Pontus's voice was cold and indifferent. "You are here on behalf of Kronos to claim that favor."

"Yes."

Hestia nodded calmly, neither arrogant nor submissive.

It cannot be denied! 

Ancient Gods represent the most terrifying entities in the Mythical World. In theory, as a Death God, Hestia should be deferential, if not outright servile, when facing an Ancient God.

But! Hestia represented the Underworld, and she could not afford to be subservient. Moreover, she was here to collect a favor from Pontus on behalf of Kronos. With that in mind, there was no need for her to bow and scrape.

"What do you want?" Pontus asked indifferently.

He could immediately see the divine power of Erebus and Nyx wrapped around Hestia.

To be honest! In Pontus's eyes, Erebus and Nyx, this pair of Ancient Gods, were utter fools. They had staked everything on Hades and even acted like his caretakers without a care.

To Pontus, this was disgraceful, an embarrassment to the Ancient Gods.

However, despite his disdain, Pontus had no intention of provoking this couple. Why? Because he couldn't defeat them! Going up against two at once was beyond his capabilities.

Moreover, they were here to claim a favor.

There was no need for Pontus to make enemies of these two Ancient Gods. Otherwise, if he were sealed within the Black Sea again, even though he wouldn't die, who knows how long he would be trapped?

Relying on Poseidon to rescue him and break the seal?

Hehehe~~~

Others might not know, but Pontus certainly understood the situation between himself and Poseidon. Those who knew, knew.

It's worth noting that the reason Pontus stayed quietly in the Black Sea, rarely moving, was because of the beating he took from Kronos long ago. Kronos nearly cracked open his skull, forcing Pontus to retreat completely into the Black Sea.

Now that Kronos was finally gone, Pontus had no desire to be sealed away again by Erebus and Nyx, who had gone all-in on their bet.

Fighting two at once? Pontus wasn't great at running away, and with the Black Sea fixed in place, he couldn't escape anyway!

Hestia, unaware of Pontus's inner thoughts, spoke calmly, "I need a water beast that embodies the essence of water, nurtured within the Black Sea."

"A water beast embodying the essence of water..."

"Very well."

Pontus raised his hand, and instantly, the Black Sea surged. A terrifying dark blue whale, large enough to swallow a world, emerged. The whale looked ferocious, but the rich aura of the law of water and the Black Sea's essence it exuded was undeniable.

The aura of a God-King level beast!

Hestia thought to herself, "As expected, a God-King level water beast. With this, it can definitely rival the Earth Mother Serpent."

"Black Sea Whale."

Pontus made a gesture, and the massive whale began to shrink rapidly until it was the size of a crystal ball, encased in a layer of water. No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free.

The crystal ball floated towards Hestia.

Pontus spoke coldly, "The favor is now repaid."

"Understood."

Hestia accepted the crystal ball and left without looking back. As he watched her go, different emotions flickered in Pontus's eyes.

"Earth, water, fire, and wind."

"The Earth Mother Serpent represents earth."

"The Black Sea Whale represents water."

"Now then..."

Pontus began to consider whether Hades could gather the four top-tier divine beasts that embodied earth, water, fire, and wind, all at the God-King level.

If Hades truly managed to gather them, then! When the four beasts representing earth, water, fire, and wind were assembled, and the World Tree of the Underworld advanced further...

Hades could definitely break through his current limitations and ascend to the rank of an Ancient God.

"No trace of the beast representing wind."

"And..."

"The beast representing fire?"

Pontus started to form some ideas. He had no intention of letting Hades ascend to the level of an Ancient God. In Pontus's view, Kronos was already a headache; he didn't want Hades to become another one.

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