"Boom—!"
A deafening explosion erupted from the Orbital Dragon-Slaying Cannon.
Then, two devastating beams of red light shot out from the muzzle, locking onto Han Shaoyun and Hela's proxy with pinpoint accuracy.
Carrying terrifying energy fluctuations, the red beams dragged two trails of light across the sky.
Han Shaoyun's pupils shrank, his body instinctively dodging to the side.
But the red light seemed alive, relentlessly tracking his every move.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
He roared as he unleashed his Forbidden Domain, his figure continuously changing direction in mid-air.
The power of the wind erupted beneath his feet, propelling his body into a series of unimaginable evasive maneuvers.
However, the red beam tracked him with unshakable persistence, constantly locked onto his position.
Cold sweat beaded on Han Shaoyun's forehead as an unprecedented sense of despair rose in his heart.
*Whoosh—*
The tracking arrow, carrying apocalyptic power, instantly pierced through his chest.
"Ah!!"
Before Han Shaoyun could even finish his agonizing scream, terrifying damage erupted within his body.
The resilient physique that an Ocean Realm expert prided himself on was as fragile as paper before this energy.
His flesh and blood began to disintegrate inch by inch, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the air.
In just a single breath, the once arrogant Han Shaoyun was completely reduced to ash.
He couldn't even leave behind a complete last word.
His remaining soul didn't go to waste either; it was collected by Lin Qiye into the Asylum for the Gods.
On the other side, Hela's proxy watched Han Shaoyun's fate unfold, his heart shattering with terror.
He desperately channeled the divine power of death within his body, attempting to block the red beam shooting toward him.
Thick black mist surged around him.
Just as the red light was about to hit, a bizarre energy fluctuation suddenly erupted from his body.
A blurry phantom flew out from within him, taking the fatal blow in his place.
The phantom was instantly annihilated in the red light.
Hela's proxy stumbled backward, his face as pale as a sheet.
He gasped heavily for air, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.
"Huff— Huff—"
His chest heaved violently.
"Did you think this was over?" Lin Qiye's voice echoed from the ruins.
Hela's proxy snapped his head up.
On the Orbital Dragon-Slaying Cannon, more muzzles were slowly rotating.
A dense cluster of red lights lit up once again, like stars in the night sky.
"You can substitute your death once, but can you do it a hundred times?"
As soon as Lin Qiye's words fell, a sky full of arrows poured down.
The red lights were as dense as rain, dyeing the entire sky blood-red.
Hela's proxy looked ashen, staring in despair at the rain of death above his head.
This time, he had absolutely no means left to defend himself.
Just as the myriad of arrows was about to pierce his heart, a faint tearing sound suddenly echoed from the void.
*Riiiip—*
A skeletal hand, as pale as mutton-fat jade, tore through the barrier of space.
Emitting an aura of death that could wither all things, the skeletal hand grabbed the proxy's body.
*Swish—*
In the next second, the figure of Hela's proxy was dragged into the void.
The sky full of arrows missed their target, leaving densely packed deep craters on the ground.
Lin Qiye frowned slightly.
*'That guy actually managed to get away?'*
Right at that moment, another disturbance came from the void.
That pale skeletal hand was not done yet.
A divine power of death, dense to the extreme, crossed the boundaries of space and transformed into a pillar of black light.
Carrying a terrifying aura that could annihilate everything, the pillar of light aimed straight for Lin Qiye's heart.
This power far exceeded the Ocean Realm; it had even reached the level of a god.
Lin Qiye's pupils shrank as he sensed a fatal crisis.
Within his body, the divine power belonging to Nyx, the Goddess of the Night, began to surge uncontrollably.
Black mist rose from his body.
The divine power of the Goddess of the Night was preparing to forcefully descend to protect Lin Qiye.
In the nick of time, a strong hand pressed down on Lin Qiye's shoulder.
A gentle yet powerful force instantly suppressed the restless divine power within him.
"It's just a small scene, don't get worked up."
Ian had appeared beside him at some unknown point, a faint smile on his face.
He casually waved his other hand forward.
The black pillar of light disintegrated beneath his palm, turning into specks of black light that dissipated into the air.
That terrifying divine power of death was effortlessly swatted away like smoke.
Lin Qiye froze for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.
"Brother Ian, you came at just the right time."
Ian grinned and looked up at the void.
"Stop sneaking around and get out here!"
He reached out his hand, and a giant palm formed from countless golden blocks instantly condensed in the sky.
The palm radiated brilliant light, carrying an unmatched aura of dominance.
The pale skeletal hand that was trying to retract into the void was firmly grabbed by this giant palm.
"Trying to run? No way!"
A hint of amusement flashed through Ian's eyes.
"Get the hell out here!"
The golden arm yanked with tremendous force.
*Crack—*
The void shattered like glass, emitting an ear-piercing crash.
A skeleton with a graceful figure was forcefully dragged out of the nothingness by him.
*Thud—*
The figure crashed awkwardly onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Ian took a closer look and couldn't help but gasp.
It was a skeleton, but by no means an ordinary one.
Every single one of her bones was crystal clear, as if carved from mutton-fat jade.
Moreover, her figure was graceful and curvaceous; even though only a skeleton remained, one could still feel her charm.
At this moment, the skeleton was exuding a terrifying divine might that could wither all things.
This was exactly the true body of Hela, the Goddess of Death!
Ian whistled, eyeing the skeleton on the ground as if looking at a novel toy.
"Tsk, this skeleton is a real stunner!"
Hela slowly stood up from the ground.
Spectral blue divine fire ignited in her hollow eye sockets, like two clusters of eternal, ghostly flames.
A terrifying pressure emanated from her, causing the surrounding air to freeze.
"Mortal!"
Her voice carried a bone-chilling coldness and supreme majesty.
"How dare you blaspheme a god!"
Standing to the side, Lin Qiye felt this divine might and secretly clicked his tongue in awe.
*'Is this the Goddess of Death? Just her aura alone is enough to send shivers down my spine!'*
Ian, however, didn't care in the slightest. Instead, he circled Hela with great interest.
"A god? Just you, this pile of bones?"
A playful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"But I have to say, you're the best-looking skeleton I've ever seen."
The divine fire in Hela's eye sockets instantly flared up.
Monstrous fury practically spewed from her eye sockets.
"Arrogant mortal, you will pay the price for your ignorance!"
She raised both hands, and endless divine power of death surged out like a tidal wave.
The entire world was shrouded in the aura of death.
Flowers, grass, and trees withered instantly, and the earth lost its color.
Even the air was permeated with the decaying stench of death.
Feeling this terrifying divine power, Lin Qiye couldn't help but take a few steps back.
This had already exceeded the scope of what he could currently handle.
Ian, however, remained as calm as ever, even letting out a yawn.
"Is that it?"
He extended a single finger and gently tapped toward the surging torrent of death.
Golden light bloomed from his fingertip.
The moment the divine power of death touched this wisp of light, it directly melted away.
Hela's attack was once again effortlessly neutralized.
She stood frozen in place, her hollow eye sockets filled with disbelief.
"This is impossible... Just who exactly are you?!"
Ian grinned, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
"Me?..."
His figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.
In the next second, he had already appeared in front of Hela, one hand gently stroking her smooth skull.
"I'm your daddy."
As soon as his words fell, a terrifying pressure erupted from Ian's body.
Golden light shone as blindingly as the blazing sun.
Hela's body began to tremble under this pressure.
She finally realized just how terrifying this seemingly ordinary man in front of her truly was.
It was a fear born from an absolute crushing disparity in their levels of existence.
"Now, kneel."