Chapter 164 Sweeping Across the Pantheon

Yet, resolving this trouble was easier said than done.

An adult Celestial was formidable beyond measure, with even the weakest belonging to the single-universe tier.

Although the Star Child had not yet reached adulthood, he had inherited the power of a female Celestial, absorbed nearly two millennia of energy within the sun, and spent decades studying the finest human knowledge at the Brotherhood of the Shield. To put it mildly, his status as a Father-tier entity was beyond question.

Gu Chongyan even suspected that his Father-tier status was far from ordinary; he likely brushed against the edges of the single-universe tier, comparable to the likes of Ancient One and Odin.

Otherwise, it made no sense that such a disaster was hiding on Earth, so close to the London Sanctum, yet Ancient One chose to turn a blind eye.

At this thought, Gu Chongyan's brow suddenly furrowed deeply.

Wait a minute. Hadn't he promised Ancient One to serve as the Guardian of the London Sanctum until the next Sorcerer Supreme came of age?

Could that bald woman have foreseen this very day long ago and hoodwinked him into taking over the London Sanctum?

Once he bore the responsibility of the London Sanctum, with a Star Child popping up right next door, could he simply stand by and watch?

At this realization, Gu Chongyan's expression turned rather grim.

He had fancied himself clever for recognizing the protagonist aura of the sorcerer with the exhausted kidneys, patting himself on the back for making a shrewd bargain. Only now did he realize the other party had been waiting for him right here all along.

Despite inwardly lamenting his misfortune, Gu Chongyan knew that even without this twist of fate, he would hardly have been able to avoid crossing paths with the Star Child.

By now, his power had recovered to its peak, reaching the zenith of the planetary tier. Combined with his vast experience and versatile magic, he could meet a weak Father-tier adversary head-on, and guarantee a safe retreat against an average Father-tier being.

Yet, a planetary-tier entity was ultimately just that, with an invisible and intangible chasm permanently separating them from the Father tier.

Cross it, and one became mortal; leap across it, and one became a god.

However, crossing that threshold was far from simple. After absorbing the power of the San Venganza Contract, he had successively encountered the dark magic within the Darkhold, the magic of Morgan le Fay, and the techno-magic of the Dragon Star. He could be considered well-traveled and broad-minded, but what was the result?

Though his combat prowess had grown significantly, his realm of mastery had barely improved.

His urgent desire to forge a new divine artifact stemmed from the hope of further elevating his strength, allowing him to leave Earth, wander the cosmos, witness more formidable beings, experience diverse power systems, and better perceive the rules of the universe to enhance his magical mastery.

Not to mention that the Brotherhood of the Shield gathered the wisdom and magic preserved by the sharpest minds on Earth over thousands of years, the Celestials themselves represented certain fundamental rules governing the cosmos, which could provide him with profound inspiration.

He had a premonition that his encounter with the Star Child might well be the critical catalyst for him to transcend the planetary tier and formally metamorphose into a Father-tier entity.

For this reason alone, the Roman underworld was a place he had to visit.

However, having made up his mind to take a trip to Rome, Gu Chongyan was in no rush to dash over immediately.

After all, with his current strength, confronting a Father-tier entity—let alone a Celestial surpassing the Father tier—was essentially throwing his life away.

He wanted to increase his strength, not court death.

At the very least, he needed to forge his divine artifact first, prepare several trump cards, and secure a reasonable degree of certainty, rather than hoping for absolute fool-proof safety.

For now, he should first acquire the Darkhold, swiftly secure the vibranium, and forge the divine artifact.

As for the Star Child, there were still several decades left. There was no rush; there was truly no rush.

Having made his decision, Gu Chongyan immediately opened the Darkhold, flipped through its pages at random, and a gateway materialized before him.

Armed with Khonshu's memories and holding the Darkhold in his possession, entering the Pantheon was even easier than returning home.

Stepping through the portal, Gu Chongyan found himself inside an ancient pyramid. Built from massive blocks of stone, the vast interior housed a brilliantly lit, magnificent, and resplendent hall.

In the rectangular hall, directly opposite the entrance and along both sides were extended staircases, resembling a square amphitheater designed for those on the upper tiers to look down upon anyone entering the temple.

Atop the staircases on three sides sat three thrones each, their ornate stone backrests carved with the symbols of different deities.

As Gu Chongyan stepped into the temple, a few ordinary mortals were sitting upon some of those thrones.

Catching sight of Gu Chongyan, a middle-aged man in a tailored suit sitting in the central seat symbolizing the sun god furrowed his brow. Dazzling divine light radiated from his eyes as he barked:

"Ignorant mortal, this place is—"

"Quiet!"

Before the man could finish, Gu Chongyan gave a soft hum, pressing his hand downward. An invisible pressure, heavy as Mount Tai, crashed down mercilessly upon the middle-aged man.

With a muffled groan, the man lacked even the chance to react before his eyes rolled back, and he slumped unconscious in his seat.

"Audacious!"

The remaining men and women seated on the other thrones erupted in fury, springing to their feet and extending their hands as if to cast spells.

Without even glancing at them, Gu Chongyan flicked his wrist. A dark wave surged instantly from the Darkhold, sending the individuals flying with loud crashes. They slammed heavily against the thick walls, following the middle-aged man into unconsciousness.

These individuals were the mortal avatars and agents of the Egyptian deities.

Here, the Egyptian gods could possess them, exercising divine offices and wielding divine power.

Normally, not to mention avatars in a possessed state, Gu Chongyan wouldn't have found it so easy to deal with them even under ordinary circumstances.

Yet, as fate would have it, he happened to hold the Darkhold in his hands.

Through Khonshu's memories, Gu Chongyan already knew how to use the Darkhold to control the Pantheon; simply put, he now possessed supreme authority over everything within it.

Here, let alone a few possessed deities, even if all the primary Egyptian gods descended to the mortal realm, he could suppress them with a flick of his wrist. What threat could a few mere avatars pose?

Having subdued the avatars, Gu Chongyan did not immediately retrieve the Darkhold of the Pantheon. Instead, he walked all the way to the deepest recesses of the temple, stopping before a hollowed-out wall.

Set into the wall were over a dozen niches of varying sizes, each holding a palm-sized clay figurine, identical to the one in which Gu Chongyan had sealed Khonshu.

In truth, these clay figurines were nothing other than the Egyptian deities, sealed away just like Khonshu.

The only difference was that Khonshu had been sealed by Gu Chongyan, while they had been sealed by the very principal deities who had just occupied the thrones.

Having offended the majesty of the primary gods to varying degrees, they had been imprisoned here.

Originally intended merely to teach them a lesson and curb the drain of Heliopolis's divine power, these divine prisoners now fell entirely into Gu Chongyan's hands.

By simply taking these clay figurines away, the Egyptian pantheon would lose a massive portion of its strength in one stroke.