Facing Ian's casually spoken "Kneel," the eerie blue divine fire in the hollow eye sockets of the Goddess of Death, Hela, suddenly surged.
The dignity of a god could not be trampled upon.
She let out a soundless shriek, a roar on the level of the soul that sent ripples echoing through the entire space.
Massive amounts of divine death power poured from her crystalline bones, attempting to break free from Ian's seemingly casual yet mountain-heavy grasp.
Everything around them withered and decayed under this power, turning the earth into an ashen domain of death.
However, Ian's expression did not change in the slightest.
"Tsk, you're quite energetic. Let's see how you do when I pull your batteries."
He casually grabbed at the air with his other hand.
Countless blocks shining with brilliant EMC radiance gathered out of thin air, rapidly forming an exquisitely designed, transparent glass display case complete with a base.
"Since you refuse to behave, get in there and be an ornament."
Ian flicked his finger.
"Thud."
Hela's graceful figure, composed entirely of divine bones, along with the overwhelming divine power she was so proud of, instantly lost all room for resistance.
Her divine body shrank rapidly out of her control, pulled by an invisible force and sucked into the crystal-clear glass display case.
Inside the case, a few wobbly skeletons seemed to notice the arrival of a new companion. They curiously wandered over and circled the miniature Hela twice.
Lin Qiye stood to the side, his breathing nearly coming to a halt.
A genuine, bona fide god.
An ancient entity who wielded the authority of death, capable of making Ocean Realm experts tremble in fear.
Just like that... she was effortlessly turned into a "limited edition skeleton figurine" by Ian.
Ian casually placed Hela's display case next to the previously captured Qianmo figurine and examined them with satisfaction.
"Done. Let's call it a day."
Ian clapped his hands as if he had merely accomplished a trivial task.
He turned his head to look at Lin Qiye.
"Those rookie classmates of yours seem to be in a bit of trouble too. Let's take care of it while we're at it."
As soon as he spoke, the air in front of him rippled like water.
A real-time image clearly surfaced.
In the projection, Baili Pangpang was channeling his tortoise shell shield, struggling to fend off the siege of several Old God Church elites. He was in imminent peril.
Shen Qingzhu and the others were also surrounded by danger.
Ian snapped his fingers.
He and Lin Qiye instantly vanished from their spot.
In the next second, the two appeared right in front of Baili Pangpang and the rest.
"Who's there?!"
The Old God Church members, who were just about to launch a fatal strike, sensed something was wrong and shouted sternly.
Answering them was Ian's casual wave of his hand.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Those aggressive Old God Church elites were instantly frozen in place, their fierce expressions not even having the time to change.
Immediately after, their bodies began to pixelate, ultimately turning into particles and dissipating into the air.
All that remained were piles of softly glowing experience orbs, which Ian collected with a casual wave.
The surviving recruits, including Shen Qingzhu, stared dumbfounded at this unimaginable scene.
When they clearly saw Ian's face and simultaneously felt his immense power, a sealed memory violently broke through its shackles.
The ordinary teammate in the training camp who was always slacking off, acting unreliably, yet somehow never falling behind during crucial tests.
At this moment, he completely overlapped with the figure before them—the one who annihilated formidable enemies with a wave of his hand, radiating a divine might as oppressive as hell itself.
He was the legendary "Emperor One"!
"Brother Ian, you... you're Emperor One?!"
Baili Pangpang asked, stuttering, nearly dropping the tortoise shell shield in his hand.
The others wore expressions of sheer shock mixed with fanaticism.
They finally understood.
From the very beginning, they had actually been side by side with a god walking among men.
Ian paid no mind to everyone's shocked reactions.
He patted Lin Qiye's shoulder and pointed toward the distant temporary command center.
"Let's go. That Commander Yuan Gang of yours is still having a nightmare."
"If we don't go save him soon, his brain is going to be scrambled into mush."
The figures of the two vanished once more.
When they arrived at the command center, it was dead silent.
Everyone was slumped in their chairs, trapped in a deep slumber, their faces bearing expressions of painful struggle.
A bizarre, thin gray mist shrouded the entire space, emitting extremely unsettling mental fluctuations.
Ian reached out and gently swiped at the air.
"Riiiip—"
A rift appeared out of thin air.
On the other side of the rift was a bizarre, grotesque world where all the scenery was twisted and upside down.
"This is Whisper's dream world. Yuan Gang is inside."
Ian raised an eyebrow at Lin Qiye.
"Want to go in and take a look?"
Inside the Dream Divine Realm.
Yuan Gang's consciousness was blurry, bound to a cross by an invisible force.
All around him, scenes of the most tragic and agonizing battles of his life were looping endlessly, transforming into mental blades that repeatedly sliced at his willpower.
A figure completely shrouded in dense gray mist stood before him.
That was none other than the God of "Whisper" from the Old God Church.
He was torturing Yuan Gang with the most vicious illusions, attempting to pry open his iron-clad mental defenses to obtain the core secrets of the Great Xia Night Watchmen.
"Spit it out, Yuan Gang."
"As long as you reveal the details of the Night Watchman's plans and information about that mysterious Emperor One, I will grant you eternal rest."
Whisper's voice was filled with a bewitching magic.
Just then, he seemed to sense something, and a cold sneer curled on his lips beneath the gray mist.
"Two more moths flying to their deaths."
The gray mist surged as Whisper slowly turned around, preparing to drag the intruders into a never-ending nightmare.
However, the sight before him caused all his prepared methods to freeze in place.
Ian and Lin Qiye were strolling in leisurely.
Ian even had his hands behind his back, looking around as if he were touring some dream-themed haunted house.
"Tsk, the decor in this dream is completely tasteless. It's all light pollution. Zero stars!"
Whisper was stunned.
His dream authority, the Divine Realm domain he was so proud of, actually had absolutely no effect on that person.
He stared at Ian in shock, the gray mist within the Divine Realm churning violently due to his emotions.
"Just who are you? To be able to intrude upon my dream so easily!"
Ian stopped in his tracks and turned his head.
A smile so bright it was somewhat dangerous appeared on his face. Using an affectionate tone, as if calling out to a neighbor's child, he spoke slowly.
"Long time no see, Chen Erniu."
"What? Don't you recognize me?"
The name "Chen Erniu" exploded in Whisper's mind like a clap of thunder.
The dense gray mist around his body even dissipated slightly for a moment.
He hurriedly looked around, and upon realizing there was no one else, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, he glared viciously at Ian and the others. Now that they knew his secret, none of them would be leaving today!