Golden-Eyed Moves the Mountain, Mythological Upheaval

"I can feel it!"

"It's all back!"

Garuda raised his head and gently closed his eyes, wearing an expression of bliss. He spread his arms wide as though embracing the entire world, welcoming the Lord's return to his body.

Priest Sage looked deeply gratified.

Such a classic tale of recognizing one's mistakes, correcting them, and returning to the righteous path truly deserved to be recorded.

At that moment, Priest Sage made up his mind. He decided to write a Book of Past Deeds for future Brahmins to recite.

With a flip of his palm, a stack of paper and brushes appeared. He immediately began writing.

"Under the guidance of Indra, king of the gods, Garuda repented for his arrogance and learned the importance of respecting his brothers and his leader..."

Priest Sage's brush flew across the page.

Rumble!

Just as everything was peaceful and harmonious, an unknown tremor silently arrived. A violent quake suddenly shook the Three Realms.

The entire Heavenly Realm trembled without end, as though heaven and earth were about to be overturned, top and bottom reversed.

What?!

Indra's expression hardened at once. "What's going on?"

"I'll take a look!"

Varuna immediately spread his hands and activated his divine power, forming a water mirror before the gods.

Within the water mirror—

A colossal giant holding up heaven and pressing down earth appeared in the Human Realm.

The giant wore Golden Armor from head to toe. His pair of golden eyes shone like blazing suns, radiating endless brilliance. His arms were like Naga kings, densely knotted with muscle, as if they possessed the power to hold up the world.

"Stirring it myself is too slow. I'll use this instead!"

The golden-eyed giant's voice boomed like thunder. He was clutching Mandara Mountain at the center of the Human Realm with both hands, uprooting it as though intending to carry it away.

Boom!

The earth shook and the mountains swayed. Countless cracks split open and spread for hundreds of millions of miles.

Countless plants, beasts, and Yakshas on Mandara Mountain scattered in terror. Endless soil and rocks fell from the mountain, turning into burning meteors that crashed into the earth.

"Not good!"

"That's Mandara Mountain! Mandara Mountain is the center of the Human Realm, connecting directly to the Heavenly Realm and the Netherworld. Why does he want to move it?!"

Priest Sage cried out in alarm.

"I thought Garuda was already unrivaled beneath heaven!"

"Where did this Asura come from? How could he be so ferocious?"

Indra drew a deep breath and said in shock.

Garuda's wings could shake the Heavenly Realm, but compared to this fellow, he was simply insignificant.

Don't even compare them!

"Have you forgotten, king of the gods? He is Golden-Eyed! The king of the Daitiya clan, and also the Asura King of the Netherworld!"

"I heard long ago that the two brothers were engaged in ascetic cultivation. Golden-Eyed must have completed his cultivation and obtained the power of a blessing, which is why he has become so powerful."

Priest Sage stared wide-eyed at Golden-Eyed and muttered.

Hearing this, Indra recalled the matter and immediately understood.

Golden-Eyed Asura!

The legendary Asura King who had dragged the earth into the Ocean of Milk in an attempt to destroy the world. In the end, Vishnu had manifested as a boar and gored him to death upon the earth.

He was the son of Kashyapa and Diti.

These sons were known as Daitiyas, meaning Sons of Diti. Kashyapa's sons with Danu, meanwhile, were called Danavas, meaning Sons of Danu.

The Daitiyas and Danavas were the two major branches among the Asuras!

As for the gods, they were the sons of Kashyapa and Aditi. They were Adityas, meaning Sons of Aditi.

"Could it have been Brahma?"

Indra immediately thought of the Trimurti member who loved granting blessings the most.

Could Golden-Eyed have received from him a blessing granting the power to lift the earth?

Probably. Maybe. There was a ninety-nine percent chance!

"Didn't he go to the Ocean of Milk to see the Lord?"

"Wait!"

Garuda was equally astonished. He had previously seen Sukra bring this Asura to the Ocean of Milk.

Thinking of this, he immediately realized it and muttered, "Could he be planning to use Mandara Mountain to churn the Ocean of Milk?"

The moment Garuda spoke those words, even he was startled by them.

One man carrying the entirety of Mandara Mountain!

Who in the Heavenly Realm could stop him? Who in the Three Realms could stop him!

Indra frowned in thought.

If this fellow truly went to churn the Ocean of Milk—

The Nectar of Immortality, which possessed the power of eternal life and deathlessness, was also within the Ocean of Milk. If this fellow consumed it, things would become truly troublesome. The gods would probably have to go to the Netherworld and work as security guards at the gates.

Moreover, the gods had yet to drink the Amrita and had no Immortal Power. If they died, they would truly die.

"Only after drinking the Amrita can I lie back and take it easy. Otherwise, everything is over!"

"If we truly can't beat him, Vishnu will step in. And if that still isn't enough, we can use Goddess Saraswati's blessing from earlier to go to the Brahma Realm. Golden-Eyed should give Brahma, his old ancestor, some face, right?!"

Indra thought.

Before considering victory, he considered defeat.

Only after Indra had planned where to go after losing did he slowly step forward to Garuda's side.

"Go. Transform into a Roc and take us to the Ocean of Milk!"

Indra gave the order.

For the sake of being able to lie back and enjoy life in the future, he decided to try churning the Ocean of Milk.

Garuda froze for a moment.

Other than the Lord, no one had ever stood upon his back. But this was an urgent matter, and he could not worry about such things now!

He would do it for Goddess Lakshmi!

Garuda consoled himself this way.

Screech!!!

Garuda threw back his head and let out a piercing cry. His sharp call echoed through the heavens and lingered for a long time.

His body flashed with golden light as it grew larger. His back wings spread boundlessly wide, and then he bent slightly, kneeling on one knee.

Indra immediately flew onto him, followed closely by the gods and Priest Sage.

The moment they found their footing, Garuda shot into the air, sensing the Lord's location as he flew toward the Ocean of Milk.

Whoosh!

His enormous wings blotted out the sky as he passed through the Heavenly Realm and Human Realm.

As Indra and the others drew closer, they could no longer see Golden-Eyed Asura's entire form.

Golden-Eyed Asura's massive body continued moving. Every strand of hair upon him was like a giant mountain stretching hundreds of millions of miles, immensely vast and swaying without end. Countless pores across his body emitted white lotus-like radiance, flashing brilliantly.

"So huge!"

Surya cried out in shock.

"With such power, it is no wonder he could uproot Mandara Mountain, the center of the world!" Agni exclaimed.

At that moment, the gods were filled with worry.

Golden-Eyed Asura had appeared in the world, and his strength had far surpassed that of the gods. Even at their peak, they might not have been able to stop him.

"It is the effect of his blessing's power. But he should also be gradually weakening under the curse. The curse simply has not lasted long enough to strip away much of his power."

Indra analyzed.

With Sage Durvasa's curse and Goddess Lakshmi's disappearance, weakening was almost inevitable. Golden-Eyed was no exception.

It was simply that his blessing was too powerful, making his foundation immensely strong, leaving him enough strength to display such power.

"That makes sense!"

Priest Sage nodded, took out his little notebook, and continued writing the Book of Past Deeds. "During the journey to the Ocean of Milk, Indra, king of the gods, saw through Golden-Eyed's weakness..."

Garuda plunged into the Ocean of Milk in one breath.

"Lord, I'm here!"

In that instant, Garuda crossed the endless Ocean of Milk and saw the Lord he had longed for day and night.

Whoosh!

The gods transformed into streaks of golden light and descended upon the Ocean of Milk.

Vishnu the Protector God frowned slightly, his expression troubled and complicated.

"Indra..."