Xiao Xiao's face was filled with shock!
Before her lay an endless ice plain, and upon this plain stood a colossal figure hundreds of meters tall.
The gigantic figure bore a resemblance to a human, or rather, a dismembered giant. Its arms, legs, feet, mouth, and eyes had all been dug out and affixed to the void, or perhaps a barrier of spatial energy. It was a horrifying sight.
The giant's skeletal remains, hundreds of meters tall, knelt on the ground in a posture of prostration.
In front of the giant's skeleton stood a tree over a hundred meters high, emanating a reddish-grey light from its entire being.
The tree quivered rhythmically, causing the entire ground to tremble slightly. It appeared as if the tree was drawing some kind of power from the earth.
At this moment, the Sun God Apollo lay lazily on the ice plain, basking in the sun. In his hand, he held a clown mask – the very same clown mask that Ye Feng and the others had unearthed from a treasure chest at a special item map location on the Heavenly Ranking.
Not far away, the Hunting Goddess Cynthia was holding a mirror, gazing at her reflection, occasionally pinching her influencer-style face with apparent contentment.
Meanwhile, the Underworld God Hades and Jormungandr were playing Go. However, their Go pieces were quite ghastly: they were human skulls, half of which were bare bone, the other half still attached to dried flesh, representing the opposing forces on the board.
Beside the large tree stood a nine-story tower, exuding an ancient aura and inscribed with mystical runes. The God of War Ares paced restlessly around the tower, seemingly sulking over something unknown.
"Big Brother, I've found Sister Shuang's figure!"
At this moment, Xiao Xiao gently tugged at Ye Feng's arm, her lips moving, and pointed in a certain direction.
Considering the immense power of the main gods, Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and the others had learned to communicate via lip-reading. Thus, even though Xiao Xiao made no sound, Ye Feng and the others could "hear" what she was saying through her lip movements.
"By that stone to the side of that incredibly large tree, next to that fellow named Hera!"
Xiao Xiao continued to speak to Ye Feng through lip-reading.
Ye Feng moved stealthily a few steps and then looked in the direction Xiao Xiao indicated. He immediately spotted a strikingly beautiful young woman with an alluring posture. The hairpin at the end of her hair bore a golden apple, and it was Hera, one of the Twelve Olympians.
Unlike when Ye Feng had seen her in the City of No Sin, Hera's golden apple was no longer shriveled. It was exceptionally full, its golden hue tinged with a strange red-grey.
And before Hera stood Shuang, looking haggard but seemingly unharmed.
"Ye Feng, that tree radiating reddish-grey light... it's pulsing with divine power. It's likely the Yggdrasil of the gods!"
"The Yggdrasil seems to be drawing something akin to life force from Earth!"
Yue Yan placed a hand on Ye Feng's shoulder and also spoke through lip-reading.
"Ye Feng, the gods' power seems to have grown stronger again... The pressure emanating from Hera, Hades, and Jormungandr is far greater than when we were in the City of No Sin!"
Ling Xi's brow furrowed slightly as she spoke through lip-reading.
"Indeed!"
Ye Feng nodded, his expression considerably grave.
"Ye Feng, the gods' increased power... aside from obtaining the power of their other halves, the Seven Deadly Sins, it's likely related to the Yggdrasil!"
"The Yggdrasil emits a power called 'Spore,' and it is through this power that the gods have destroyed and devoured countless planets and civilizations..."
Bai Xi continued through lip-reading.
"Ye Feng, what should we do? Should we directly attack and rescue Shuang?"
At this moment, Yue Feixue voiced a question that concerned Ye Feng and his companions through lip-reading.
"These guys seem to be completely unguarded!"
Ye Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of surprise in his expression. "Bai Xi, you will immediately rescue Shuang from Hera. Do not engage in prolonged combat. Yue Yan, Feixue, you two will keep Hades and Jormungandr occupied. Xiao Xiao, Ling Xi, Leng Yue, Qiao Ying, the four of you will hold off Apollo, Ares, and Cynthia!"
"The hooded figure hidden in the void above the Yggdrasil will be mine to deal with!"
Upon hearing Ye Feng's last statement, Bai Xi breathed a slight sigh of relief, as she had been concerned that Ye Feng might not have noticed that person.
"Ye Feng, that person is likely Zeus, the King of the Gods. Be careful!"
Bai Xi warned Ye Feng with a serious expression.
"Mmm!"
Ye Feng nodded solemnly. "Right, you all need to be extra careful. Including Zeus, only seven of the Twelve Olympians are present; the remaining five are absent. Excluding Aphrodite, and Luo Ying... there are Poseidon, Athena, Demeter, and Dionysus!"
"Hey, Zeus, is it really necessary for this little bitch to be alive and well?"
Suddenly, Hera's displeased voice rang out. "It doesn't matter if this little bitch lives or not. I want to slash her pretty face dozens of times, gouge out her eyes, and cut out her tongue. Then we'll see how pretty she is..."
By the end of her words, Hera was almost gritting her teeth.
"That's right, this little bitch dares to be so beautiful!"
Upon hearing this, Cynthia, who had been admiring her reflection, put down her mirror and chimed in.
"What do you know... what is tragedy, if not the destruction of beauty for all to see?"
Zeus did not reply. Jormungandr, who was playing Go with Hades, spoke up. "When that brat Ye Feng sees this Shuang, at the moment he thinks he can save her, he'll be torn to shreds... that's when the psychological impact will be greatest."
"If you disfigure her beforehand, it will diminish the mental impact!"
As he spoke, Jormungandr placed another human child's skull on the massive Go board.
"Buzz!"
Just as Ye Feng and the others were about to make their move, a ripple suddenly emanated from the distant sky, and two figures instantly appeared. They were a tall, muscular man wearing a chef's hat, his upper body bare, with a tuft of black hair on his chest. The muscular man, holding a man bleeding from multiple wounds under his arm, flashed and rapidly approached the Yggdrasil.
"Damn... Bao Yuting has been captured by Poseidon!"
Upon clearly seeing the man with chest hair being held under the arm of the muscular man, Ye Feng was rendered speechless. It was Bao Yuting, whom he had met not long ago!
...