Chapter 166: Blood‑Handed Human Slaughter

Spring departs, autumn arrives, time flows.

"Done!"

As Olympus reverberated with Hephestos's excited shout.

At the foot of the hill outside Mycenae.

A vigorous young woman stood before a five‑meter‑tall boulder.

She wore a simple linen short robe, a leather belt cinched at her waist, her golden‑brown hair tied high, revealing a well‑defined jawline.

Her blue eyes sparkled with confidence, and her brow bore a heroic spirit no less than any man's.

This was the now‑grown Li Ya.

She lightly pressed her hand against the boulder's surface—

Crack!

In the crisp cracking sound, the boulder split straight from top to bottom, then burst apart into two halves that crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Hah..." she exhaled long and turned to walk up the hill.

On the grass, Yu Lin lay lazily, basking in the warm sunlight.

"Brother," Li Ya crouched beside him and said with a smile:

"What are we eating today?"

Yu Lin half‑lidded his eyes and drawled, "Well..."

He pointed toward the distance: "Your Uncle Heracles will be bringing back a whole herd of cattle shortly."

"Later you go ask him for some beef, and we'll have beef today."

Li Ya's eyes lit up: "He's coming back?!"

"This is the tenth trial, right?!"

"Got it, I'm off now..."

Before she could finish, a hearty laugh suddenly came from nearby:

"Hahaha, Yu Lin!"

"I've finished crafting your glove!"

Hephestos strode over, still wearing his soot‑stained leather apron.

But now his face was full of an excited smile as he held a wooden box.

Hearing that, Yu Lin finally rose from the ground and replied:

"You said eight years, but it's been twelve."

"That's not my fault," Hephestos shrugged, handing him the box: "According to my original materials, it really only needed eight years."

"But after adding the two you gave me... this is your problem!"

"All right," Yu Lin said after hearing his explanation, and took the box from his hand.

Just as the box opened, a soft stream of light flowed out.

Inside lay a pair of immaculate white gloves, as fine as the finest silk yet gleaming with a metallic chill.

The glove surfaces were covered in faint gold patterns, not chaotic but perfectly symmetrical—if the two gloves were placed side by side, the patterns clearly formed an ancient "person" character.

Even more striking, the left glove bore an embroidered "Yu" at its corner, the right a "Lin," both outlined in gold thread that glowed with a subdued sheen in the sunlight.

Hephestos grinned, showing off his pride: "How's that?"

"I specially embroidered your name on them." He patted the wooden box:

"From now on, whoever sees these gloves will know they're your divine artifact."

"As for its name..."

"You pick it yourself—after all, I'm not its owner."

As expected of the god of craftsmanship, his taste is still on point.

Yu Lin gave it a five‑star rating.

He nodded and said with a smile, "Yeah, thanks."

Just as he reached for the glove—

"Hum!"

The glove seemed to sense its true master's aura and flew out of the box on its own!

A pure white stream of light traced an elegant arc in the air, and the next moment the glove snugly fit Yu Lin's hands.

It felt weightless, yet upon touching his skin it conveyed a sense of blood‑deep affinity.

With a flick of Yu Lin's thought, the glove's weight shifted instantly—light as a feather, heavy as a mountain.

Just as he was about to activate the glove, a voice sounded in his ear:

"Master."

As expected of a top‑tier divine artifact, gaining sentience makes it sensible!

But the activation process cannot be skipped.

"Eh, okay, I'll give you a boost," Yu Lin replied, then immediately attempted to activate it.

Accompanied by a faint glow, the activation... failed?!

Yu Lin raised an eyebrow and tried again.

The result was the same.

Just as he was puzzled, the glove spoke again: "Master, don't keep trying."

"I have the trait of being invulnerable to all techniques."

"Moreover, I can seal space, block authority, exorcise and suppress ghosts... and so on—master, however strong you are, I am just as strong!"

After hearing it list a string of abilities, and also where that yellow jade ring came from.

Yu Lin said: "666, you don't need to nerf it; the more overpowered, the better—playing is all about being overpowered!"

Of course.

Their conversation was between them; Li Ya and Hephestos couldn't hear it.

All that could be seen was Yu Lin looking at the glove, a satisfied expression appearing on his face, after which the glove automatically hid into his flesh and disappeared.

Hephestos curiously asked: "What name did you give it?"

"Well..." Yu Lin grinned:

"Since it was made from blood and the Human Race's fortune, let's call it........ Blood Hand Human Slaughter."

Hephestos: "........."

"Just kidding." Yu Lin waved his hand, saying:

"I let it think of its own name; it will choose its own name."

"Figuring the time, Heracles should be back soon."

"How about we eat together later?"

Hephestos nodded: "Alright, then thanks."

"Oh, right."

He pulled a small pendant from his pocket and handed it to Li Ya:

"It's your coming-of-age gift, although it's a bit late, hahaha."

Li Ya took it, put it on, and immediately thanked: "Thank you, uncle!"

"I really like it!"

"As long as you like it." Seeing her satisfied, Hephestos couldn't help but sigh:

"If only my wife were like you.......... sigh."

"I won't say more, I won't say more."

"Let's go."

He turned and walked down the hill.

His back looked somewhat forlorn.

Yu Lin shook his head, silently thinking: Who let your wife be the Love Goddess?

Love is this thing.......... Hephestos was blinded by beauty and unwilling to divorce the Love Goddess.

The Love Goddess Aphrodite also didn't like the ugly, lame Hephestos, but having no choice, she could only submit to the marriage promised by Zeus and Hera.

Between the two gods there was fundamentally no love, so this marriage naturally wouldn't be good.

. Even the gods can't get it right, let alone humans.

But later, Hephestos was abandoned by Aphrodite; seeing Athena come to him to forge divine weapons, he fell in love with her at first sight.

He then pursued Athena, but Athena being a chaste virgin naturally did not want to be with Hephestos and struggled to escape............

Yu Lin didn't want to think further; thinking more would just be reviewing the content, anyway Athena had run away.

Instead, he turned his head to Li Ya and said: "Li Ya, you must take good care of yourself from now on."

"If you like someone, see them clearly; don't let them deceive you, especially gods."

"Do you understand?"

Li Ya listened to his admonition, looked at his face, a blush rose on her cheeks, and she whispered:

"I know, brother."

"Knowing is good, let's go." Yu Lin patted her shoulder and also stepped toward the hill down.

The three of them left this place.

Just then, a trembling sound came from afar, followed by a vast expanse of black points like a tide spreading over.

It must be Heracles returning.