Whisper forcefully suppressed his shock and anger, forcing himself to calmly analyze the situation.
His gaze lingered on Ian for a moment before shifting to Lin Qiye, who was currently dealing with the Flame Vein Earth Dragon in the distance.
"The name Chen Erniu..."
A trace of complex emotion flashed through Whisper's eyes, immediately replaced by cold composure. He attributed Ian's knowledge of this name to the special abilities of the mysterious god backing him.
It was absolutely impossible for him to be a descendant of an old acquaintance from the past; that history had long been buried by his own hands.
The red glow of the churning magma reflected on Whisper's face, adding a touch of ferocity to his features. He sneered inwardly. *'It's all because that useless woman Qianmo failed her task that these two uninvited guests even have the chance to stand before me.'*
"Truly ridiculous."
Whisper regained the poise and arrogance befitting a founder of the Old God Church. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Ian as if viewing an ignorant ant.
The surging magma and the roaring giant dragon added to his supreme majesty.
"Seeing as you've stirred up a trace of nostalgia in me, I will give you one last chance."
"Kneel and swear your allegiance. Both you and your block-playing cousin can secure a place within my church."
His words were filled with a condescending tone, as if this were a "reward" bestowed upon Ian.
As if recalling something, Whisper chuckled softly and muttered to himself, "Speaking of which, I should be glad that woman Qianmo isn't here. Otherwise, if she heard that name, I'd never hear the end of it."
He shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
"I really don't know where she ran off to play this time. She never gives me peace of mind."
"Did you say Qianmo?"
Hearing this name, Ian's eyes instantly lit up as if he had found an interesting topic. Completely ignoring Whisper's recruitment offer, a look of excitement appeared on his face.
"I've already met Qianmo. In fact, I have her right here."
Ian began patting his pockets, searching his person.
"Hold on, let me look... Where did I put it?"
Whisper frowned, not understanding what kind of trick Ian was playing.
Yuan Gang stood to the side, looking equally bewildered. Having just broken free from the dream, he hadn't fully grasped the situation yet and could only observe the battlefield vigilantly.
Wearing an innocent smile, Ian reached into his coat and pulled out a crystal-clear glass bottle that appeared out of thin air in his palm.
"Not this one."
Ian shook his head and pushed the glass bottle aside. Inside the bottle, a goddess with a noble aura was glaring angrily, golden divine power flowing around her body.
"Not this one, this is Hera."
Whisper's pupils shrank slightly. That was indeed the Queen of Olympus, Hera!
Ian then pulled a second glass bottle out of the void.
"Not this one either."
Inside the bottle, an exquisitely beautiful goddess was talking incessantly, but her voice was completely isolated from the outside.
"Oh, this is Aphrodite. She's usually too noisy."
A third glass bottle appeared.
"Oh, this one is Lakshmi."
Looking at the goddess inside the bottle who radiated the brilliance of wealth, Ian said with a hint of disgust, "She's always dropping gold coins everywhere. It's a pain to clean up."
Inside every single glass bottle was an imprisoned, shrunken, lifelike god!
Whether angry or terrified, they were completely unable to break free from their tiny confines.
Whisper's pupils contracted sharply. As an existence who frequently dealt with gods, he could clearly sense that the energy leaking from those bottles was genuine, boundless divine power!
These weren't replicas, illusions, or avatars.
They were the true bodies of the gods themselves!
Whisper's breathing grew ragged. He began to recall the list of recently missing gods—Hera, Aphrodite, Lakshmi... They all matched!
Ian pulled out another bottle with a particularly unique design.
This display bottle was pitch-black, with spectral blue soul fire burning inside. Within the bottle was a stunningly beautiful skeleton with the same blue soul fire burning in her eye sockets, her bones as pristine as mutton-fat jade.
"This one is Hela."
Ian looked at the skeleton in the bottle appreciatively, a hint of admiration in his tone.
"Her skeletal frame is quite unique. I really like it."
Whisper's breath hitched, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
He had been in close contact with this aura before. He could say with absolute certainty that this was the Goddess of Death, Hela herself!
This powerful Queen of the Underworld was currently stuffed into a tiny display bottle, reduced to what Ian called a "skeletal frame"!
"Ah, found her!"
Ian finally took out a slightly smaller glass bottle and waved it in front of Whisper.
Inside the bottle, a breathtakingly beautiful woman in luxurious clothes was stomping her feet in exasperation, her delicate hands constantly slapping against the transparent walls. Her lips were moving, seemingly cursing angrily, but all sound was completely blocked.
That face was one Whisper couldn't be more familiar with.
It was none other than the other founder of the Old God Church—Qianmo!
"Look, the limited-edition Qianmo figurine you're looking for is right here!" Ian proudly showed off his "trophy" to Whisper.
Whisper's mind went completely blank.
The missing gods...
The mysterious, legendary Emperor One...
This Dual God-Vassal standing before him, calling him "Chen Erniu"...
These clues violently collided in his mind, ultimately converging into a conclusion he dared not believe.
This man was The Emperor!
"No... Impossible..."
Whisper stumbled back a step, his voice trembling. His gaze swept over the imprisoned gods; the aura of every single one was incomparably powerful.
And now, they had all become Ian's "figurine collection."
"What, don't recognize your old friend?"
Ian brought Qianmo's display bottle closer to Whisper, a teasing tone in his voice.
"Look how much she misses you. She's cursing so hard her mouth is about to fall off."
Seeing Whisper, a glimmer of hope flashed in Qianmo's eyes, but it quickly turned to despair. She slapped the walls of the bottle even more violently, screaming for Whisper to run, but it was to no avail.
Whisper finally snapped back to reality, a flash of absolute resolve in his eyes.
"Flame Vein Earth Dragon!"
He shouted sternly, infusing his voice with mental power.
"Attack with everything you have! At all costs!"
Hearing this, the giant dragon fighting Lin Qiye in the distance let out an earth-shattering roar. Ignoring Lin Qiye, its massive body abruptly turned and charged toward Ian.
Monstrous waves of magma surged hundreds of meters high in its wake, and the temperature of the entire space suddenly spiked by hundreds of degrees.
"Oh?"
Ian raised an eyebrow. Watching the charging dragon, a look of interest appeared on his face.
"So this is the pet dragon you've been raising?"
He casually stored the display bottles containing the gods back into the void, then extended his right hand and made a grabbing motion toward the incoming Flame Vein Earth Dragon.
"Come, let me see what you're made of."
Just as the Flame Vein Earth Dragon reached Ian, it suddenly felt an irresistible force envelop it. Its massive body actually stalled in mid-air, completely immobilized.
"Roar—!"
The giant dragon let out an unwilling roar, the magma scales all over its body erupting with blinding light. Boiling lava spewed from its mouth, heading straight for Ian's face.
Ian didn't dodge or evade, simply allowing the magma to engulf him.
"Brother Ian!"
Seeing this, Lin Qiye's expression changed drastically, and he was about to rush over to help.
However, in the next second, he froze in place.
Within the magma, Ian's figure remained clearly visible. The molten lava, capable of melting steel, actually melted away like snow in spring the moment it touched his body.
"Not bad power."
Ian's voice rang out from within the magma, carrying a hint of satisfaction.
"But the temperature is a bit lacking."
His right hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
"Crack—"
A crisp sound echoed through the air, as if something had been crushed.
The Flame Vein Earth Dragon's body suddenly stiffened, then froze in mid-air as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Its massive body began to shrink, rapidly withering at a visible rate.
In the blink of an eye, the terrifying giant dragon capable of destroying a city turned into a palm-sized miniature version.
With a casual wave of his hand, Ian grabbed the shrunken Flame Vein Earth Dragon and nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. It makes for quite an exquisite figurine."
He turned to the dumbfounded Whisper and grinned.
"Chen Erniu, you don't mind, do you?"
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