Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

The Seven Phases of Meditation, this was special knowledge Hecate had learned from the slab.

According to the slab, meditation was a way to subtly enhance the spirituality of all things through the influence of higher beings.

This ‘higher being’ could be a life form, an object, or even a concept, which could be sought both ‘externally’ and ‘internally’.

Of course, meditation was not aimless daydreaming; only the correct method could ensure personal safety while growing and purifying the meditator’s spirituality.

Like The Seven Phases of Meditation, it was a method to draw in the lunar light of the seven moons of the Spirit Realm to absorb spiritual energy and strengthen oneself.

A plain name, a true and solid effect. Now that Hecate had consolidated the presence of four moon phases, she had reached the pinnacle of all beings. The next step was the transcendent domain.

Transcendence was not the same as godhood, but only through transcendence could one come into contact with the Law. No matter how powerful, the strength of all beings was meaningless before divine power. Only by touching the Law could one inflict real and effective harm.

“…Spirituality originates from the moon phases, the Moon is His eye…”

“…The pillar that props the sky penetrates seven strings, flowing through the boundaries of ten nations…”

“…With tangible items bearing intangible vessels, return to the initial one…”

Whispering the incantations lightly, the spiritual forces around her surged like tides, continuously pouring into Hecate’s spirit. The fifth lunar phase slowly coalesced, and she didn’t feel the ‘barrier’ that should theoretically exist.

This was normal, for although without godhood, Hecate’s essence was still that of a deity, an immortal being. Instead of relying on meditation to break through, it was more like she was filling an empty vessel with power.

Infusing such power, different from divine power yet endlessly variable.

In a distant place, some life form from the Spirit Realm seemed to have detected the fluctuations here. It wanted to approach, an instinct telling it that if it could devour the spiritual body of this unknown being, it could undergo an unimaginable transformation.

Yet there was also a premonition, a sense that if it dared to do so, it would be utterly erased from existence.

After hesitating for a while, it lingered for a long time, but ultimately overcame its instincts and reluctantly left the place.

“Some talent there.”

In the midst of the air, beneath the pale gray robe, the young deity watching everything commented.

Not all life could overcome instinct, especially those without wisdom. Moreover, the ‘inspiration’ of the other was quite high, being able to vaguely detect the presence of danger.

“Meditation… interesting.”

“A strong spirit gives birth to stronger dreams. It’s a pity, though, that this kind of enhancement of the spirit seems to allow one to control one’s thoughts, even in sleep, not as random and disorderly as other beings.”

“I really wish there were more life on the land. I wonder how long it will take for my divine power to reach its limit at this pace.”

Shaking his head, the figure disappeared in a flash of wings, and Hecate, completely unaware, continued her meditation.

With her potential, such breakthroughs were effortless. The chasms that mortals of later generations found insurmountable, she could step over just by lifting her leg.

And so, uneventfully, her spiritual body grew even stronger, the essence of her magic power ascended, and Hecate succeeded in taking this step, becoming the first Legendary Witch of Chaos.

The next morning, as the sun rose and shone on her red dress, Hecate gradually awoke from her meditation.

Opening her eyes, she flicked her fingertips lightly, and the trinket on the table floated up. This time, she used no magic power, just the action of pure spiritual force.

Spirit was not the same as the soul; it was an external force of the soul. A powerful soul only indicated a strong potential in the spiritual domain, akin to godhood and divine power.

But unlike godhood, there were many ways to gradually strengthen the soul.

When the spirit directly influenced matter without needing magic as a medium, that was one of the most basic characteristics of a Legendary Witch.

This signified that the spiritual force had undergone a fundamental transformation, and it was also the origin of the name ‘transcendent’.

To transcend the mundane was naturally to be called transcendent.

“Transcendence, or rather, Legendary, is this what it feels like?”

She murmured softly, and Hecate sensed many things she ‘couldn’t see clearly’ before between all things.

That was the manifestation of Laws. In the past, due to her divine nature, she could always see them. But only today did she clearly perceive that she could not only ‘see’ but also ‘touch’ them.

[You have succeeded.]

On the surface of the slab, words slowly emerged, drawing Hecate’s attention immediately.

“Of course, I didn’t feel the ‘barrier’ at all.”

She hummed with a hint of pride but then fell silent, as if suddenly reminded of something.

After a moment of hesitation, she asked softly:

“Now that I’ve broken through ‘transcendence’ and become a Legendary Witch, can I defeat a god now?”

[If it’s a territorial god, you could try.]

[But a True God, even the weakest, is far beyond your reach.]

Without concealment, the words on the slab were always so direct.

“Is that so…”

Brushing the nonexistent dust from her red dress, Hecate sat on the bed.

Since picking up this mysterious slab not long ago, and realizing it was at least harmless to her for now, she had inquired about the confusions she had always had.

Who am I, where do I come from, and why am I here?

Then the slab pulled her into Memory, where she personally experienced that scene from decades ago.

Being a new god, Hecate was not born with this knowledge, but that didn’t mean she had no memory of her birth. Just like mortals of future generations, those memories, without special methods, would only ever reside permanently deep within her mind.

But in the face of the very essence of Memory itself, none of these were a problem.

‘Throw her into the Abyss’ ‘a disgrace to the Deity Race’ ‘as the father of the God of Punishment, I am deeply sorry’… and the first glimpse at birth of the two goddesses, initially full of anticipation, which quickly turned to disappointment and disgust.

All these had manifested before Hecate just as if she had relived them again.

“So what do you want to do to them?”

“Imprison them, torture them, make them regret abandoning you?”

As the words reappeared, Hecate shook her head.

“I don’t know, actually. Aside from that goddess who wanted to throw me into the Abyss and that so-called father, I don’t really hate the others much.”

“If I had to say, I want to first possess the same kind of powerful strength they have, and then think about what comes next.”

As she said, considering that her existence brought them calamity and hence they wanted to stay away from her was not something difficult to accept.

At most, because of their abandonment, she would henceforth have nothing to do with them.

But after learning about the existence of Tartarus from that stone tablet, Hecate started to dislike that Goddess of Luminous, Phoebe, her nominal grandmother, a bit.

And even more so Perse, the God of Destruction, this so-called father, she disliked him a lot.

“However, I have thought of something, I want to make that Divine King regret his decision,” she said, “not that he expelled me from the Titan Deity Clan, but that the Titan Deity Clan doesn’t have the eligibility to contain my existence.”

“…That’s quite difficult, after all, he is a Divine King.”

“So do you have a way?”

Hecate asked, looking at the stone tablet.

“Yes, but it’s not easy; even now, you only have the qualifications to start the first step.”

“Only a deity can oppose a deity, or rather, at least in the current world, there isn’t an intelligent existence beyond gods that can threaten them.”

“So, if you want to master the power to confront a deity, then you must find a way to become one of their ranks first.”

“Become one of them… Huh, I was supposed to be one of them in the first place.”

Curving her lips into something like a smile, Hecate stroked her hair and continued to ask:

“So what should I do? It should be very difficult to become a True God with meditation alone.”

“Indeed, gods are gods because they control dominions and govern a part of the world.”

“Pure meditation is meaningless. The only way you want to gain Godhood is to create one yourself.”

“Create one?”

“Yes, create one, belong to you, something that you create bit by bit.”

“When it blankets the sky, covers the earth, penetrates the seas, when it becomes an indispensable part of All Spirits, as its creator, you will possess the power to confront any Titan Principal God.”

“However, staying here, you won’t be able to do these things. You need to travel to every corner of the world, and with your spirit, experience the flow of Elements and the changes of Laws.”

“I understand,” Hecate smiled, “So, is this also your purpose?”

She recalled a story that the stone tablet once told her, a story about a little girl and a diary.

The content of the story was not important; what mattered was that it cautioned others to never trust an intelligent being unless you could see where its thoughts were.

“Of course, this is exactly why I sought you. You have the potential, far beyond what you could imagine,”

But as usual, the stone tablet responded without any concealment.

“However, if you refuse, I can also think of other methods.”

“Alright then, I’ll listen to you.”

Without hesitation, Hecate nodded. She tied up her red hair and snapped her fingers.

Everything in the wooden house, as if brought to life, bounced and hopped into her pocket.

The palm-sized pocket seemed to be bottomless, fitting everything except the furniture, yet showing no sign of being filled.

After packing up her belongings, Hecate brought her hands together.

An invisible surge enveloped the hut and the nearby clearing, hiding its traces.

Finally, she picked up the stone tablet and said with a smile:

“Stone tablet, oh stone tablet, you’re too eye-catching like this; how about a change?”

“Turn into a book, can you do it?”

Without responding, the stone tablet visibly changed shape. Seconds later, it transformed into a book of unknown material.

This time, the ‘book’ really did seem like a book, feeling like real paper rather than resembling a Bronze ornament, like its ‘siblings’.

“Very good,” Hecate said with a satisfied smile, hugging the book to her chest, “Now, you’re the treasure of I, Grand Sorceress Hecate!”

“From now on, you shall be called Tome of All Spells!”

Without any hesitation, as her spirit moved, the surrounding wind elements answered Hecate’s call, lifting her body into mid-air.

Hecate had no sentimentality towards this place where she had lived for so long.

She only took one last look, then flew off into the distance.

The stone tablet advised her to leave, without specifying where to go. She heard that at the edge of the continent was the sea; she wanted to see it with her own eyes.

The world was so vast, she wanted to verify for herself whether those things in the stories were real or not.

Hecate had left, and the Golden Humanity did not notice her departure. But in a place unknown to her, high up on the Mount of the Gods, the Divine King’s gaze followed her retreating figure.

He reached out his hand again, but sensing an approaching presence, he ultimately lowered it.

The affairs of the stars without the help of the God of the Sky, Coeus, were indeed difficult to handle.

But if there were another helper, then things might become a bit easier than he anticipated.