Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

The power within this short wooden rod was exceptionally pure, and after being transformed by the Spirit Realm, only the part that belonged to the Oath remained; the rest had been rejected and fallen to the two sections before and after this piece.

But this power, besides being pure, was also extremely weak, because any oath required a force to oversee its execution, and now, it obviously lacked that power.

Originally, Gungnir could respond to the wishes of each person who swore to it, because the existence of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, provided the necessary support. The Divine Tree, which upheld the Nine Realms, possessed unimaginable might; it was like Chaos’s Tartarus, which, although lacking a clear consciousness—allowing successive Divine Kings to use it as a prison—no one could question its strength.

As a divine artifact forged from the branches of the World Tree, Gungnir maintained a connection with its mother, and this connection was the fundamental guarantee that the oath would be fulfilled.

But now, there was no World Tree in this world, and the little life force it had left was insufficient to recreate a World Tree capable of sustaining the world. Relying only on its insignificant power, Gungnir could probably only bind ordinary things, and might not even be effective against more powerful entities.

“Not bad,”

“Many things just need to be suitable.”

With a satisfied smile, Laine picked up the three broken sections of the spear shaft. He lightly tossed the other two sections, with their differing colors, out of the palace, and they fell onto Mount Sinai.

Passing through the triple time-space barriers, these two sections of the spear ultimately descended into a giant stone well located at the center of a realm.

Without splashing or floating on the water’s surface, they silently sank to the bottom, not even a ripple stirred.

“That’s about right.”

Keeping the slightly greenish section of the rod in hand, Laine turned his gaze to the huge dragon egg that was now showing some cracks, and to the reflection of that star from the mortal world.

She was going to be born today, on this very day when the world’s spiritual power was at its peak, and coincidentally, it was also the day that Pandora’s magic jar was opened.

Perhaps humans in the future would attach some dreadful monikers to this day, after all, it marked the beginning of the end for a generation. But this all had little to do with Laine, so he waited for Bai’s birth while watching the drama unfold.

The Wind Gods’ bewilderment, the Afterthinker’s resolve, and his claim that he had grasped the key to breaking fate, yet without even touching the jar itself.

It was the same trick he had played on Zephyrus, the God of the West Wind. The God of Hindsight couldn’t be certain that the creator of the ‘gift’ had sensed it, and indeed it was an unknown. Although Mother Earth could not sense what unfolded around the Golden Apple, and Deity might not be able to monitor every action of the life they blessed, Epimetheus maintained the proper caution for a gift from an unfamiliar ancient.

So, just as he had deliberately spoken Prometheus’s warnings to him to expose the Wind God’s weakness, what he said in front of the clay jar was also a kind of test.

If the person behind this was watching him, perhaps they would act against him for his offensive words. This might seem like asking for trouble, but it was better to be approached by someone now than to be unknowingly watched and targeted at a crucial moment.

Regrettably, Laine was not the Wind God, and he didn’t care who ultimately received this gift or what Epimetheus said. Since the other party had followed the rules he had set, leaving the gift in ‘human’ hands, they might as well keep it.

In fact, if the God of Hindsight could indeed accomplish something with this gift that surprised Laine himself, he would only be pleased.

However, the likelihood of that was probably not very high.

“Zeus and his brothers made different choices, and you three brothers have done the same, an astonishing resemblance.”

“The one who chose humanity was betrayed by humans, but the future remains unknown; the one who chose the king has never been forgotten by his king, it’s just not the right time yet.”

Recalling his occasional interactions with the former Divine King, Laine reflected again; the other’s moral standards were indeed quite high among the male deities who ‘possessed power’ and ‘held authority’.

They ultimately did nothing to their betraying wife, and even in the Abyss, they did not forget their loyal followers.

“However, compared to your brothers, the one who chose himself truly has to rely on himself alone.”

There is no distinction of better or worse; if Epimetheus has sufficient capability, then choosing oneself might not be a wrong choice. Laine refrained from any judgment until the final outcome was revealed.

Crack—

“Hmm?”

The sudden sound of cracking drew Laine’s attention instantly; he looked towards the massive dragon egg in front of him, from which the sound originated.

A crack appeared at the very top of the eggshell, and then the noise stopped. However, Laine was not in the least bit anxious; he knew that the little one inside was probably gathering strength.

Boom—

Crack—

A thumping sound accompanied by another cracking noise—the fissure grew wider. But this time, the young dragon didn’t stop; it kept battering the eggshell continuously.

Crack—

Crack-crack—

Crack-crack—

…

Little by little, fine lines began to spread over the surface of the dragon egg. Until at one moment, under Laine’s expectant gaze, with a final crisp sound, the top of the eggshell finally broke open a small hole.

The hole was small, not even as big as a baby’s palm, but its very appearance signified that there was no longer a barrier between the dragon egg and the outside world.

Then in the next instant, an ethereal shadow emerged from it—it seemed much larger than the hole, yet it appeared as if the size made no difference at all.

This was a white dragon. Slim in form, with resplendent wings and delicate, smooth, lustrous scales. She didn’t resemble a newborn dragon but rather a miniature version of a young dragon.

As a dragon brought to life by Spirituality, she was naturally touched by this power. Her appearance was influenced by her self-awareness, which in turn was influenced by the forces of the Spirit Realm.

Thus, although her image was innate, it carried all the impressions of ‘beauty’ in a dragon that the Lord of the Spirit Realm had in his past memories, which made her look nothing like the ugliness often associated with the just-born.

In the center of The Temple, the young dragon opened her silver eyes and took in her surroundings. The tall The Temple, the shattered eggshell, and the black-clothed figure she felt close to, that was all there was to her birthplace.

She opened her mouth and inhaled; the broken eggshell transitioned from substance to void, consumed in a form of energy. The young dragon then fluttered her wings lightly, landing on Laine’s arm.

“It seems you’re in good shape,” Laine said with a slight smile, extending his hand to tenderly stroke the young dragon’s head. The scales were not rough to the touch but rather had a soft and warm feel.

He knew that, as the origin of the Spirit Dragon Race, Bai could indeed glimpse fate and control the elements, but the psychic realm was where she truly excelled.

Her body could thus shift between the tangible and intangible at will—soft and pliable under his touch but an indestructible Guard in the face of an enemy.

“Are you my creator?” she asked.

Without speaking, a gentle voice entwined with unfamiliarity toward the world entered Laine’s mind.

Faced with the young dragon’s question, Laine simply shook his head.

“Creator is a bit of a stretch. I only provided the most suitable environment for your birth, but now you have no connection with your original creator.”

“So from now on, the Spirit Realm will be your home.”

Bai shook her little head, as if to indicate she understood. But then, the newly born creature’s attention was caught by something else.

Those were the other dozen or so dragon eggs lying on the ground, still separated from the external environment by Laine’s power, which is why they hadn’t undergone any unique changes.

“They are your kin, but they will not be like you,” Laine said, observing the confusion in Bai’s eyes.

“How about this, what kind of dragon they will become can be decided by you, what do you think?” Laine proposed with a smile.

Not quite understanding Laine’s meaning, Bai nonetheless nodded her head. The instincts from her bloodline naturally made her see those weaker than herself as subordinates. Making decisions for one’s subordinates was the most natural thing to do.