Chapter 673: A Pile of Artifacts
The Mother Entity
Hundreds of eyes stared at the three heroes simultaneously, the malice in them so palpable it felt like they wanted to devour the trio alive.
Yet, even sensing the entity's malevolent intent, Clark, Diana, and J'onn remained motionless. They were as if under a spell, their faces showing distress but their eyes abnormally blank.
In that crucial moment, Artemis stepped forward, shielding them.
The hundreds of eyes simultaneously narrowed in confusion, seemingly questioning why Artemis would violate the agreement and bring outsiders here. In the end, they chose to trust her.
The eyes closed, and the cavern returned to its original dark state.
The three heroes gasped for air, their bodies switching from extreme tension to utter relaxation, nearly causing them to collapse from exhaustion.
"What was that, Artemis? Tell me, what was that thing?" Diana asked urgently.
"You can understand it as our Mother Entity," Artemis said, her expression strained, as if unwilling to elaborate. She paused, then continued in a deep voice,
"Rest here for a while. Remember, don't wander and don't go near the Mother Entity. It has a bad temper, and if it gets angry, no one can stop it."
Diana asked desperately, "Can you help me find Luke?"
"Luke? That human phantom?"
"Yes, him. He's missing, and I'm worried something happened to him."
Artemis gave Diana a thoughtful look and nodded slightly.
"I will look for him."
With that, she writhed her body and vanished into the darkness.
The Heroes Contemplate
Fearing the Mother Entity's power, the three dared not move, staying obediently where they were. Time slowly passed, and the atmosphere became silent.
Recalling their recent experiences, J'onn couldn't help but sigh.
"Things are getting more and more ridiculous."
Diana also sighed. "It'll probably get even crazier later. I honestly don't know what we should do next."
Clark muttered to himself,
"If I remember correctly, our original plan was to turn the Rock of Eternity into a secret base. How did we end up walking all the way here?"
"The Rock of Eternity was once the operational center of the Gods. Perhaps this is the God of Destiny's test for us!"
"I don't believe in Gods!" J'onn shook his head, then added with hesitation, "I didn't use to, anyway."
Diana suddenly smiled. "If we manage to get back safely, this trip to the Underworld will actually be a decent adventure."
"You're right! We've mysteriously acquired a pile of artifacts!"
J'onn took out the Poison Dagger, the Armor of Akon's Bowl, and the unidentified armor captured from a Death God. Diana, too, brought out the Soul-Devouring Bow and a salvaged magic ring.
"Adding the Heart of the Dragon, we've got at least six artifacts. I never would have dreamed of having this many before."
"Clark, do you want one?"
Clark, the one whose name was called, complained, "What time is it? You're still worried about that!"
"I don't want to, but what choice do we have? Luke is missing, the three of us don't speak the language of the Underworld, and we're trapped here. That so-called Mother Entity is clearly no good. If I thought we could take it out, I would have already done so, but sadly..."
He didn't finish the rest of his sentence, knowing they all understood.
"Actually, those so-called Human Gods all have a problem," J'onn interjected.
Clark and Diana paused, looking at J'onn in confusion. He lowered his voice.
"Their psychic fluctuations are different from a normal person's—they're intermittent, like a film reel. They look normal on the surface, but if you look closely, you can see the stitched-together traces."
"Are you saying..."
"They are already dead. Their so-called consciousness is merely a stitched-together monstrosity of memories."
"Vengeful spirits?"
"Without will, there is no soul. They don't even qualify as mere undead."
Diana frowned deeply. "But Luke said the Gods willingly became this way to return to Earth and gain new life. If what you say is true, then they've been deceived."
"These are all my deductions. The actual situation can only be confirmed by asking the person hiding behind the scenes."
The Pursuit
Clark suddenly sensed something and stood up, looking into the deep darkness.
"We can't stay here. We have to leave immediately."
Diana and J'onn exchanged glances. They didn't say another word, quickly gathering their artifacts. Having spent so much time together, the heroes understood each other's abilities well. Besides his incredible physical abilities and defense, Clark possessed an extremely powerful sense of crisis, always able to detect danger ahead of time—a skill that even Luke was impressed by.
If he said they couldn't stay, it meant something truly terrifying was brewing.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was watching, the three flashed into the tunnel they used to enter, then sped forward at full throttle.
Not long after, four human-headed, snake-bodied monsters appeared at the corner of the wall.
"They escaped? Who tipped them off?"
"Artemis is the most likely suspect."
Mentioning the name caused a moment of silence among the four. The Goddess of the Hunt had high prestige and could not be harmed.
"Grandmother's order was to capture those three humans, dead or alive. She didn't mention Artemis. We simply follow her instructions."
"Agreed!"
The snake-person carrying a giant sword was the first to rush into the tunnel, with the others following closely behind.
They seemed to possess special tracking methods. No matter how much Clark's group circled, the pursuers always found the correct direction. After chasing for about twenty minutes, the snake-person wearing prayer beads clapped his hands and slowly uttered a single syllable.
An invisible energy wall appeared in the air. The trio crashed into it without sensing it.
Bang!
The repulsive force sent all three staggering.
"What was that?"
J'onn turned to look back. "Someone caught up. Four of them in total."
"Are they coming for us?"
"They should be."
"I knew it. Those tentacles couldn't be trusted." Diana scoffed, her eyes glinting coldly.
Clark quickly scanned the surroundings. "This is a poor place for a fight. Let's go to the surface."
"What about Dom?" J'onn asked hesitantly. "I think we should let Dom and the Tentacle Mother Entity meet. If Luke were here, he'd definitely try to do that."
Diana said awkwardly,
"I was actually thinking the same thing. I just didn't want to say it out loud."
"We're all thinking it." Clark shook his head self-deprecatingly. "Let's go. Time to be the bad guys for once."
With that, he changed direction and burst out of the ground onto the Plain of White Bones. The snake-people followed immediately, their cold eyes betraying undisguised killing intent.
Diana drew her long sword and raised her shield. J'onn gripped the dagger capable of poisoning a Death God. Clark tensed his body, staring intently at their pursuers.
These four were entirely different from the previous tentacles. They wore clothes and wielded weapons. Their upper bodies were human, their lower bodies snake. Their eyes were unnervingly cold, showing no trace of humanity.
The most striking among them was one woman. Her eyes were amber-colored, and she possessed two pupils—a highly unusual and unsettling sight.
A Double-Pupilled person! In ancient legends, those with double pupils were always rare, once-in-a-thousand-years geniuses.
Diana took a deep breath and addressed them in Ancient Greek,
"Can you tell me whose subordinates you are?"
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