Daoist Meng knew well that the Greek Myths came in multiple versions.
The most outrageous among them was the version involving the Super Primordial Gods.
Among these Super Primordial Gods were Chronos, representing time, space, and the First Cause; Ananke, representing absolute necessity; and Heimarmene, representing causality and fate...
Even the Chaos he had witnessed creating the world was one of these Super Primordial Gods—albeit a lesser one.
His true spirit was nurtured within the withered branch formed by the Heart of Celestial Tree, wandering about, evading the inevitable necessity, witnessing the evolution of this world from ignorance to flourishing, and the birth of three generations of Kings of the Gods.
Daoist Meng began to suspect that perhaps his very existence, which lay outside the bounds of necessity, was what provoked the intervention of the Super Primordial Gods.
It was even uncertain whether what struck him was a Divine Being or some cosmic "Heaven's Will."
Everything that followed aligned precisely with the most widely accepted version of the Greek Myths.
Finally, when Zeus, the third generation King of the Gods, rose to power, the Heart of Celestial Tree regained a sliver of strength. It informed him that, if he wished to blend into this world and continue cultivating, he must temporarily obey the dictates of necessity and avoid becoming an anomaly.
Otherwise, the calamity would repeat itself.
Thus, Daoist Meng began plotting to replace a Divine Being of this world and rekindle his path to cultivation.
Using the small strength regained from the Heart of Celestial Tree, he concealed himself from the threads of cause and fate, and for a time wandered the world under the guise of a foreign god. He "accidentally" encountered The Goddess of Wisdom Metis, the black-robed goddess Leto, and Hera, who was then still only Zeus's elder sister.
To each of the three, Daoist Meng gave a withered branch of the Heart of Celestial Tree.
Each was also given a unique incantation from the Heart of Celestial Tree, tailored to match their destined roles in the myth.
Leto received a sacrificial incantation to protect her children.
If she had completed her array first, Daoist Meng would likely have replaced Apollo, the god of light.
Hera received an incantation that would make her child flawless in appearance.
Had she completed the array first, Daoist Meng would have possessed her firstborn, the deformed god of fire Hephaestus, and become a handsome son Hera would finally approve of.
Metis, naturally, was given an incantation for reviving a stillborn child.
Now, Daoist Meng had come and taken the place of her son Bolos—a kind of resurrection, in its own right.
Thereafter, calling himself Bolos, he no longer existed outside of the necessary order. At most, he had merely disrupted Bolos's original destiny.
In the Greek Myths, Bolos was originally a Divine Being, even having his own Divine Office—God of Opportunity and Creation.
He was the youngest son of Zeus, the third generation King of the Gods, and his first wife, The Goddess of Wisdom Metis—Athena's younger brother.
But on the very day Zeus ascended the throne, he received a prophecy:
Metis would bear a powerful daughter in her first pregnancy and an even more powerful son in the second—who would one day overthrow Zeus.
Zeus believed the prophecy deeply, as if it were a family curse inherited by every King of the Gods.
But the experiences of Uranus and Cronus had already proven: knowing the prophecy is not enough—the key is how to prevent it from coming true.
Zeus's grandfather Uranus tried to push his children back into the womb of their mother Gaia, only to be overthrown by his other sons.
Zeus's father Cronus swallowed his children whole, yet was still overthrown.
Clearly, neither strategy worked.
So what to do?
After some thought, Zeus decided to go all in and eliminate the root of the problem.
He swallowed the mother along with the unborn child.
Zeus swallowed Metis, gradually wearing away her Divine Power with his own, intending to merge with her forever.
In this way, he could both avoid the prophecy's outcome and acquire Metis's wisdom—a perfect double win.
The place we now see was within Zeus's inner world.
After giving birth to Athena, Metis had been racking her brain for a way to revive her stillborn son Bolos.
Now, Bolos had indeed returned—but he was not the son Metis had imagined.
Bolos reflected on all that had happened and recalled what the myths recorded.
Looking at the Heart of Celestial Tree, he felt immense gratitude. Without its help, he would not have survived.
Yet, as he looked more closely, Bolos was stunned.
The Heart of Celestial Tree had transformed dramatically, becoming something neither tree nor artifact.
Its top and bottom had narrowed, and among its roots and branches were ten circles, twenty-two paths, and three faint pillars, forming an elaborate, otherworldly structure.
Bolos, now like a newborn Divine Being, possessed only a weak Divine Power—but it was enough to investigate the Heart of Celestial Tree.
He sent out his Divine Power to probe, and immediately a stream of information entered his mind, leaving him speechless.
The Heart of Celestial Tree, like himself, existed outside of destiny's necessity.
To remain in this world, it had to reshape itself in accordance with the local cosmic laws.
Even his previous cultivation method—which involved absorbing life force from others—no longer worked here.
Thankfully, the Heart of Celestial Tree had evolved a new technique suitable for cultivation in this world.
"Tree of Life, is it?"
This was the new name of the Heart of Celestial Tree after its transformation.
He also received a new god-making method—also called the "Tree of Life."
According to the Tree of Life path to divinity, this method allowed mortals to gradually ascend to Divine Beings—and even become Creators.
"Isn't this just the Kabbalistic Tree of Life?"
Upon fully understanding the model, Bolos immediately recognized its similarity to the spiritual systems he had once seen in a religious sect on Blue Star.
The only difference was that his "Tree of Life" was not a spiritual metaphor.
In this age where Divine Beings walked the earth, he had to ascend from the lowest "Kingdom" to the highest "Crown," step by step, completing his realms of material, formation, creation, and divinity.
Moreover, he would have to establish his own pantheon.
He needed enough compatible Divine Beings to become his subordinate gods—anchoring the ten sephirot, the three pillars, and twenty-two paths of the Tree of Life, with himself as the center.
In return, he would gain their Divine Power and laws, and continue to grow stronger.
"If I can really gather that many subordinate gods, I might fulfill Bolos's Destiny right away—kill Zeus and take his throne."
Bolos shook his head, though in his heart, he was already pondering which Divine Beings would be suitable as the ten sephirot under his rule.
"Kingdom, Foundation, Glory, Victory, Beauty, Severity, Mercy, Understanding, Wisdom, Crown-
Kingdom is lowest, Crown is highest. Both belong to me."
"Once I ascend beyond Kingdom, I can assign it to another, but Crown must remain mine. Beneath the Crown lies a hidden knowledge."
"In other words, there are ten foundational attributes, each requiring a Divine Being. Speaking of which, these two right here might be worth considering."
Bolos stroked his chin and looked toward the dying Metis—and the still-young, radiant Athena.
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