Chapter 132: The Well of Tartarus

The Well of Tartarus.

Legend has it that since the Age of Myth, this place has been the forbidden ground of the Sanctuary, strictly off-limits to all Saints. Yet, at this very moment, Feng Zhe and Odysseus stood before it. Though the Golden Barrier had previously forced the spirit of the White Snake to manifest, Odysseus had not vanished; instead, he had led Feng Zhe here. Feng Zhe understood that the power of Asclepius still dwelled within Odysseus, allowing him to retain his physical form.

The soul of Asclepius, sealed away since the Age of Myth, had been able to disturb the entire Sanctuary only by borrowing the power of Athena. The answer was obvious: he was leveraging the Athena from a parallel timeline, specifically the Shai who had descended in a spiritual state. As Feng Zhe approached the mouth of the well, he felt the immense Cosmo of Athena, so powerful that even the rim of the well had turned gold.

"So, it really is here!"

Feng Zhe touched the rim of the well. A cold, malevolent Cosmo surged from the depths, chilling him to the marrow. "Such a powerful Cosmo!" He realized instantly that the entity at the bottom of the well must be a god who had attained the Ninth Sense.

Odysseus stood by, recounting the origins of the evil god below. It was said that in the Age of Myth, there lived a powerful and compassionate healer whose noble deeds and medical arts cured all who suffered. He saved people from agony and even achieved the miracle of resurrection, eventually being revered as a god by the masses. He was the thirteenth Gold Saint of the Sanctuary, second only to Athena: the Ophiuchus.

As time passed, the Ophiuchus truly came to believe he stood as an equal to the gods. But when he attempted to transcend from man to god, this challenge to divine authority infuriated the heavens. The gods unleashed their divine punishment, destroying his body, obliterating the Ophiuchus Palace, and even demoting the Ophiuchus Cloth to a Silver Cloth. It was as if every trace of his existence was to be erased. From then on, the Ophiuchus became a taboo in the Sanctuary.

Hearing this, Feng Zhe drew a sharp breath. It was well known that Gold Saints, the pinnacle of the Sanctuary’s combat power, were those who had mastered the Seventh Sense. It was an unspoken rule that only two Gold Saints typically survived the brutal Holy Wars, and those survivors were invariably those who had attained the Eighth Sense. Any god, however, was a being who had mastered the Ninth Sense—the realm of the gods. While the divine state was not synonymous with the Ninth Sense, the latter was undoubtedly the threshold to the divine. The entity at the bottom of the well was clearly a Saint who had reached that threshold, which was why, even after his body was destroyed, his soul was condemned to be sealed in this Well of Tartarus, enduring eternal torment.

Behind the cold, evil Cosmo, Feng Zhe sensed a flicker of sorrow and resentment—perhaps it was merely his imagination.

"Do you truly intend to enter? Once you go down, there is no turning back." Entering the Well of Tartarus would brand him a traitor; even the Pope did not permit such an act.

"Shai is down there. I must go!" Feng Zhe did not care about the label of a traitor; he had no intention of remaining in this world anyway.

"This is a brand upon the soul. Once you descend, you will be marked for life. It can never be washed away." Odysseus attempted to dissuade him further. "This is the curse of the gods!"

As Odysseus spoke, a golden radiance rose from the Well of Tartarus, winding around Feng Zhe’s fingertips. It seemed reluctant to let go, yet it suddenly gave him a violent push, as if trying to block his advance.

"Shai..." Feng Zhe knew this was Shai trying to stop him, but it only solidified his resolve. "For the sake of Shai, I am willing to bear the name of a traitor!" He knew clearly that once he descended, there would be no return. But he had no choice.

Feng Zhe jumped directly into the Well of Tartarus. Odysseus let out a soft chuckle and followed him in.

...

Elsewhere, Pope Mustafa, having sent away the future Athena, Saori, felt the will of Athena Sasha. At this moment, Sasha was not fully awake, yet her will was omnipresent.

"Athena, do you truly permit the Altar Saint to betray you?" Pope Mustafa felt a pang of agony, but to restore the world to normalcy, someone had to descend into the well to deal with the soul of the Athena from the parallel timeline. Otherwise, the world would continue to collapse.

"He has already touched the threshold of the Ninth Sense, has he not?" Sasha replied with a question, causing cold sweat to break out on the Pope. In truth, there was a hidden regulation among the successive Popes of the Sanctuary: Saints were forbidden from entering the realm of the gods. The very existence of Holy Wars was, in effect, a way to deplete the ranks of the Saints. Of course, the Pope only understood this mystery vaguely; the thoughts of gods were never shared with humans, not even with their chosen representatives.

...

The moment Feng Zhe entered, it was as if he had stepped into another dimension. There was no concept of time; he felt as though he were falling infinitely through a void of absolute darkness. There was no end, no destination, and it belonged to no known realm.

"Did they create an entire dimension just to imprison Asclepius?"

A voice echoed, "No, this is not a separate dimension, but a corner of the Underworld, merely isolated from the rest." Odysseus appeared beside him; clearly, he was far more familiar with this place than Feng Zhe. "This is what is known as the Prison of Tartarus!"

As he finished speaking, Feng Zhe landed on the ground. Looking up, he saw the gates of the prison, carved with bone dragons from the Age of Myth, a sight that made one tremble. When Odysseus had come here last, he had been led by the misty great serpent, but now, the gates were sealed tight, as if they did not welcome them.

*CLANG!*

Feng Zhe unleashed a punch, striking the gate with immense force. The ground shook, but aside from a shower of dust, the gate showed no sign of opening.

"This place is sealed by the gods. No human is permitted to enter in the flesh; to enter, one must take the form of a spirit..."

Just as Feng Zhe prepared to use the *Praesepe Underworld Wave*, Athena’s light shone through from within.

"Brother, do not enter. If you do, you will be imprisoned here forever!"

Shai’s voice finally drifted out. It was as gentle and fragile as ever, a voice that stirred an instinctive desire to protect.

"Shai, even if I have to sacrifice my life, I will save you!" Feng Zhe knew that he could no longer hold back his true power. He formed a strange gesture, and the Altar constellation flared to life.

Instantly, the Zodiac temples erupted with brilliant light. The twelve Gold Cloths shone in unison, channeling their power directly to Feng Zhe’s side.

At the Pope’s Palace, Pope Mustafa exclaimed in shock, "They are all aiding the Altar Saint?!"

The answer was undoubtedly yes. The arrival of the twelve Gold Cloths surged through Feng Zhe’s Cosmo, erupting with a power that would have left even the gods in awe.