Chapter 99: Relics of the Saints

Themyscira was covered by a massive dome-shaped barrier. Part of it enclosed the island, and part covered the surrounding sea. The island itself was densely forested and vast in size. The Amazon stronghold, built along the mountains, only occupied about one-fifth of the island's total area.

Queen Hippolyta led Liu A'dou deep into the forest.

"Your Majesty, where are we going?"

But Hippolyta changed the subject. "Athena and Zeus both value you highly. Do you know why?"

"They don't get along, so they've both latched onto me. Compared to them, your relationship with Diana is what a real family should be like," Liu A'dou replied.

Hearing this, the queen smiled. "That's only part of it. If it were just a family squabble, it wouldn't warrant this much respect. What really matters is your ability to train Saints. Do you know what's happening in the world outside?"

"What do you mean?" Liu A'dou had no clue what she was getting at.

"I mean with the gods." Though Queen Hippolyta had withdrawn from the world since the mythological era, she still kept an eye on divine affairs. "As time passes—especially in the last century—the gods' divine might has faded. Mortals have begun to awaken. And like humans, gods also need space to survive. But humanity's rapid expansion is putting pressure on the divine realms. Unless the gods can transcend this universe and escape into a new one like the ancient Supreme Beings once did, mortals will eventually encroach upon their domain."

"That sounds a bit alarmist, doesn't it?" Liu A'dou thought humanity still had a long way to go before it could threaten the divine realms.

"How long do you think it will take?" Hippolyta suddenly stopped walking and turned, her expression serious.

"At least a few hundred years. Maybe a thousand," Liu A'dou estimated.

The seasoned warrior queen smiled. "For humans, that would mean dozens of generations. But for gods, it's only a blink of an eye. And given how humanity is obsessed with mythology, they might shorten that timeline to within two hundred years. By then, the divine realms will be found."

Liu A'dou hadn't considered that time was relative—harsh for mortals, generous for gods. So Hippolyta wasn't wrong. From the gods' perspective, things really were urgent.

"So they're all interested in Cosmo and want to recruit mortals who can train it?"

"Exactly. Because of ancient civil wars among the gods, only about half of the Twelve Olympians remain. They'll use the selection of Saints as a way to reassert their presence in the human world. That way, when the day comes that humans reach the divine realm, the gods will still have the power to protect their domain."

Liu A'dou nodded. If the gods didn't act now, once humanity came knocking, they'd have no power left to resist.

But then he recalled something Hippolyta said earlier. "Why don't the gods just leave this universe like those Supreme Beings?"

She chuckled. "Do you think every god can become a Supreme Being?" Hippolyta smiled. "Even I only learned about their might from fragments of ancient records left behind on Themyscira. Those beings could shape the laws of the cosmos, divide galaxies, and refine stars."

Wait, seriously? Liu A'dou was stunned. "You're saying someone that powerful once lived on this island?"

She shook her head. "More than just powerful. Beings beyond the cosmic scale. Themyscira wasn't originally called Themyscira—it was known as Penglai Island. It served as a kind of school where Supreme Beings trained their students. They lived in this universe for over thirty billion years. But when humans emerged, they sensed the end of the divine age and left this universe with their disciples."

Wait a minute—Penglai Island? Supreme Beings? Was she talking about the Grandmaster of Heaven from The Investiture of the Gods who founded the Jie Sect? If these figures really existed, then the ancestors were seriously badass.

Modern science says the universe is about thirteen billion years old. These saints lived through three Great Kalpas, and a single Kalpa is said to span tens of billions of years. No wonder they were immortal.

Hippolyta had brought Liu A'dou to these ruins. Before an ancient tree, she removed a square white jade pendant from her neck and fit it precisely into a notch carved into the tree's trunk.

Night turned into day. All the surrounding trees vanished, replaced by the ruins of an ancient palace. Though time had taken its toll, the remnants of red walls and broken tiles still hinted at the former grandeur of what must once have been a place of immense beauty—golden halls and intricately carved beams.

And it wasn't just the palace. Dozens of Amazon women bustled about the grounds. But they weren't training for war—they were… building airplanes?

Liu A'dou was stunned. These women were actually constructing magical aircraft—ones that could turn invisible. What in the world?

"What's going on?" he asked, pointing at the planes that looked completely out of place amid the ancient ruins.

"This is our future aerial force," Queen Hippolyta replied calmly.

The wide square in front of the palace had been completely transformed into a manufacturing site. Eternal daylight made it the perfect open-air workshop.

"Come with me. What I want to show you is inside the palace ruins."

Liu A'dou nodded, pulling his gaze away and following her up the steps. As they climbed the hundred white jade stairs, a strange feeling struck him. It was as if he were walking into the very heart of the Jie Sect—the teachings of the Grandmaster of Heaven still echoing in the air, the devotion of disciples who once flocked here, and the worship of countless saints. The whole scene felt grand and sacred.

He could imagine these steps once filled with devoted cultivators, seated cross-legged, silently listening to sermons as golden words bloomed from the master's lips like lotus blossoms and his voice turned to sandalwood incense. Some disciples might have furrowed their brows in contemplation, others lost in confusion, a few suddenly enlightened, eyes gleaming with newfound understanding. It had all happened here—but now only these ancient seats remained, whispering echoes of a glorious past.

They circled around the rows of stone benches and took a side corridor leading into the inner sanctum. There wasn't much left inside—just a single, massive bronze mirror hanging on the back wall.

"This is the Mirror of True Sight," Hippolyta said. "That's the name I gave it. It lets you see anywhere you want—anyplace you can locate on a map, the mirror can show it."

"Wow. What a tool for peeping," Liu A'dou couldn't help but quip.

"I'm not as dirty-minded as you," she replied, unfazed. "I've used it to watch the two world wars unfold. I've seen the transformations of the world over the past few decades. That's why I'm always so worried about the future of the Amazons."

In short: a deep sense of crisis.

Liu A'dou understood. The queen had brought him here and laid her cards on the table—showing him Themyscira's greatest secret. She clearly wanted to align with him, to stake the future of her people on his potential.

After all, Liu A'dou had proven himself powerful. Zeus and Athena had both acknowledged him. He was now Pope of the Saints. And more importantly, he had untapped potential that could change the world. The Amazon queen was betting everything on him. And while he was a man, he wasn't the type who treated women like property or pawns.

If Liu A'dou had never come here, Hippolyta might have entrusted her daughter to an American pilot, forging an alliance with the United States. But now, with Liu A'dou's presence, she had a better option. She didn't need to pick a side—she just needed to help Liu A'dou grow stronger. And one day, he could turn around and protect the Amazons in return.

The power of the Saints was more formidable than that of any nation on Earth.

Both of them were smart enough to know that some things didn't need to be said aloud. By this point, their intentions were already clear.

"I'll treat Themyscira as my second home," Liu A'dou said at last, his way of accepting the queen's offer.

Hippolyta smiled with satisfaction. "Themyscira is your home."

And with that, it was time to move on to the real reason they were here.