Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. In the next instant, three more statues awakened. "Hephaestus, it is nothing more than an avatar. Why make such a fuss and disrupt our awakening?" "If this delays the plan, your sin will be unforgivable." The other statues spoke with clear displeasure, openly blaming the crimson statue. "What I lost was the avatar guarding the Undying Phoenix," the fire-red statue representing Hephaestus replied coldly. "And if my senses are not mistaken, that world has already collapsed." "Collapsed?" "Hephaestus, you had better give us a reasonable explanation." "The Undying Phoenix is a critical part of the plan. We spent primordial divinity to seal it beneath the altar, and now you claim that world is gone?" "Then what of the Undying Phoenix? Did it escape, or did it die there?"The statues erupted in fury. Their voices echoed through the vast hall, breaking centuries of silence. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. As the accusations continued, more and more statues began to awaken. After hundreds of years, the long-dormant hall grew lively once again. "An explanation?" Hephaestus sneered. "Do you think I wanted to lose that avatar? It was the strongest avatar I had walking the mortal world. Its sudden destruction hurts me the most, not you." "Hah. In the end, this only proves your incompetence," another god mocked. "When the Undying Phoenix was suppressed, we calculated that its chance of escape was extremely low. You left behind an avatar and still let the plan go wrong. If that is not incompetence, what is?" "Indeed. We need something to fill this vacancy. Why not let you, Hephaestus, make up for it?" "Foolish Hephaestus. You deserve death." Hephaestus' explanation failed to convince the others. Instead, it only drew harsher condemnation. "Enough. Stop arguing." At last, the massive statue at the center spoke. "Hephaestus is at fault, yes, but the Undying Phoenix's power is beyond doubt. If any of you had been in his place, are you certain you could have restrained it? Besides, after so many years of extraction, the true power should be sufficient. "What matters now is finding the source of this anomaly. Whether it is the Undying Phoenix or something else, we must eliminate these hidden threats. Otherwise, if the plan is disrupted, it will not be just one pocket world that collapses." The central statue clearly held great authority. With its words, the quarrel in the hall came to an abrupt end. Soon after, all the statues, including Hephaestus, responded in unison. "We understand. Find the source of the problem." … Whoosh! In a scorching realm, violent elemental powers raged through the air. Merrick hovered in midair, locked in battle with dozens of beasts. "What rotten luck," he muttered. "I did not even make it into the temple, and now I am swarmed by all these beasts. When does this end?" He unleashed spell after spell, yet still let out a heavy sigh. Even as a divine-level sorcerer, facing so many level 100 beasts left him exhausted and overwhelmed. The sudden appearance of the Temple of Hephaestus was irresistible to creatures that lived in regions saturated with the fire element. Beasts poured in without end. The scale was slightly smaller than the previous anomalous invasion, but still terrifying. To clear them all out would take who knew how long. Boom! Just as Merrick's headache worsened, a scorching presence appeared in the sky. "This is…" Years of combat instinct kicked in. Merrick's hair stood on end as he snapped his head up.Rumble! A crimson shadow emerged high above. In an instant, Merrick could clearly feel it. The beasts that had been charging him without fear moments ago suddenly panicked and fled for their lives, scattering in all directions. He was not surprised in the least. The pressure radiating from that red figure was even greater than what he had felt when he first encountered the Radiant Dragon. They were not on the same level at all. "What in the world is that?" Sweat streamed down Merrick's forehead. Against a creature of this caliber, there was no chance of victory, and his odds of survival were terrifyingly low. "D*mn it! Why is it coming straight at me?" What drove Merrick into true despair was that when he tried to flee, the colossal being locked onto him and charged directly his way. Seriously… what did I ever do to deserve this?In utter hopelessness, Merrick still activated a portal scroll. As expected, he was already locked in place and could not escape. "So this is it." Acting on pure instinct, he stacked every defensive buff he had and closed his eyes, completely giving up any further struggle.