I let the genie out of the bottle

Even if we want to pursue diversity in mythology, we shouldn't neglect its quality, right? At this moment, Lu Ye is eliminating myths that are too weak to bear.

The method to eliminate those weak pantheons is to unleash a massive catastrophe that covers the entire planet, leaving no place, no matter how remote, unaffected.

Although the Great Flood was a calamity for humanity, the gods of this world have long been inextricably linked with humankind. If humanity were to truly perish, the gods of this world would inevitably decline, or even ultimately disappear.

In this way, any mythological system that can develop from this time into the future will have the ability to survive the calamities brought about by Lu Ye and will truly be able to withstand this great flood.

Or rather, Lu Ye set a hurdle for the development of all the myths in this world. That is, at this time, one must have the ability to overcome the calamity.

"I understand."

Vishnu nodded slightly upon hearing this, indicating that he understood.

If that's the case, then according to Lu Ye's words, Indian mythology must also survive this great calamity.

He said his power was no match for Lu Ye, nor for the God of the Bible. But if it were merely a massive flood, he was confident he could handle it.

However, Vishnu's ability to accept this so calmly does not mean that other gods in mythology must do the same.

Or rather, there are many deities who feel indignant about this.

However, Lu Ye didn't care about this at all. Because when he planned to extend the Great Flood, which was originally limited to the scope of the biblical God, to the entire Earth, he didn't ask for the Earth's opinion.

In that case, there's even less need to ask the opinions of the so-called gods on this planet.

When I burned down the house you were renting, I didn't even ask the landlord, so why should I ask you?

Lu Ye felt perfectly justified.

And so, Lu Ye unilaterally declared that he possessed the power to judge numerous myths, and could eliminate weak myths and those that did not conform to his wishes from this world.

What infuriated the many gods was that, due to Lu Ye's power, none of the gods present dared to voice their opposition, risking being reduced to ashes along with the entire pantheon—and any opposition would be utterly ineffective.

Its identity is not limited to a particular myth, but rather it can overlook many myths and filter and reject them.

"Alright, I've finished explaining my ideas. Now, let's ask for everyone's opinions. I'm very democratic."

Lu Ye said gently.

"Now, I ask my supporters to do something that won't endanger their lives, and my opponents to do something that will kill them instantly. Let me see how many people support me and how many oppose me."

Chapter Thirty-Four: Ragnarok?

Who is for and who is against?

Lu Ye's enormous manifested body appeared in the sky, looking down at those below with a gentle smile on his face.

With his gentle voice, all the gods were startled by his words.

In the eyes of these gods who have always been accustomed to being high above others, death is a seemingly distant matter, unless they are gods engaged in long-term warfare. Moreover, as Lu Ye said, the goal is not to kill gods, but to directly kill a mythological figure.

Yes, what Lu Ye needs to do at this moment is not to kill a certain god, but to directly eliminate the myths that do not conform to his wishes.

Since the birth of the world, the gods have gained consciousness from ignorance, and the decline of mythology and the fall of gods have both occurred. However, what Lu Ye is doing now is forcibly eradicating mythology.

Isn't creating or rejecting myths a fundamental human right?

Lu Ye thought to himself, "It's only natural."

"you--"

Even though Vishnu had acknowledged Lu Ye's words, and the other two Hindu gods, Shiva and Brahma, had also expressed their approval, not all the deities could accept them.

When did a arbiter appear above the mythology? How could he so easily erase the rest of the mythology?

Moreover, it comes from the biblical mythological arbiter.

Most of the gods remained silent, but a small number of them were furious.

The first to speak was a god with light blue hair.

This god of mischief in Norse mythology seemed to have an extremely high sense of divine honor. Naturally, he couldn't tolerate someone like Lu Ye who dared to talk about controlling the fate and judgment of various pantheons. He glared at Lu Ye with angry eyes.

However, just as Loki was about to speak, the male god wearing a wide-brimmed hat beside him immediately made his move.

He instantly reached out and placed one hand on Loki's shoulder, gripping Loki's shoulder blade tightly. At the same time, countless dense, mysterious blue characters instantly appeared from his fingertips.

Rune text.

With the knowledge Lu Ye had acquired in the world of Godslayer, he easily recognized this. Even though this was early runic script, which was very different from the runes that had been passed down to later generations, it was still connected and could be recognized by Lu Ye at a glance.

The runes, each the size of a fly's head, were densely packed and instantly surrounded Loki. The god of mischief instinctively tried to struggle, but the attacker possessed far greater power, and coupled with the element of surprise, Loki was caught off guard and immediately fell victim to the spell, completely sealed by the runes.

Instantly, Loki became completely unable to move or make a sound.

The male god wearing a wide-brimmed hat slowly withdrew his hand from Loki's shoulder, his face showing a complex expression of exhaustion and guilt. He then pulled down the brim of his hat, nodded slightly to Lu Ye, and remained silent.

That wide-brimmed hat was to conceal his single eye.

"Nine Nights hung from a tree swaying in the fierce wind, wounded by spears; I was offered as a sacrifice to Odin, a self-sacrifice, on a great tree unknown to anyone! There was no bread to fill my stomach, no water to quench my thirst. I looked down, picked up runes, and cried out as I did so, before falling from the tree."

Lu Ye glanced at the male deity and began to chant a series of poems.

By hanging upside down from a tree and sacrificing himself, he gained the wisdom of runes. Only Odin could subdue Loki with the power of runes.

"Yes, you are truly knowledgeable."

Odin, the king of the gods in Norse mythology, offered a subtle compliment while bowing slightly to Lu Ye with somewhat stiff movements.

He still lacks several years of cultivation to become like Brahma. Although he is beginning to feel tired from the frequent battles, he still hasn't put down his divine declaration.

However, at this moment, the god-king realized that if he really angered the unknown powerful being from biblical mythology above, then the so-called Ragnarok would probably arrive immediately.

That's why he stopped Loki from making any inappropriate remarks, and even temporarily and completely stripped Loki of his right to act.

“We, the Aesir, are willing to accept the trial, and we hope Your Majesty will forgive Loki’s previous rude remarks.” Odin bowed slightly, his tone filled with apology and frustration.

Regardless, he was now bowing his head before the powerful figures of other pantheons, and even directly attacking members of his own pantheon for this reason.

Furthermore, Loki is Odin's brother. Although they are not blood brothers, but rather sworn brothers, their relationship is closer than that of blood relatives.

"Don't worry, I won't take it to heart if it's just something like that."

As Lu Ye spoke, he gave Odin a meaningful look, as well as Loki, whose movements were completely blocked by him.

Many people know that Ragnarok was caused by Loki. Loki is also a notorious evil god known for his deception and pranks.

However, in reality, Loki has a very obvious good side in mythology.

It's important to understand that in the early stages of mythology, although Loki frequently played pranks on the gods, infuriating them, those he tricked often received compensation far exceeding the cost of the prank. He used his cleverness to bring many benefits to the gods, making peace with them after each trick.

Moreover, although he was born into the race of giants, enemies of the Aesir, he repeatedly helped the gods. To help the Aesir build walls to defend against the giants, he deceived a skilled, greedy, and exorbitantly priced giant architect. Although, afterwards, the gods angrily denounced him for his cunning and disgrace to the divine.

Moreover, the gods obtained Gungnir, the horse Sleipnis, the golden ring Dropnir, the ship Skidplatnine and the horse Gringostie of Frey, the golden hair of Sif, and the hammer of Thor, all of which shone brightly in Norse mythology, were all obtained by the gods because of Loki.

In this prank, Loki went to great lengths but ended up suffering physical pain and being mocked by the gods, yet he left looking rather smug.

In the early stages of the myth, Loki, despite his penchant for mischief, often brought benefits to the gods, largely due to his blood oath of brotherhood with Odin. However, later he became the culprit behind Ragnarok, and Odin, the king of the gods who knew Ragnarok and was filled with suspicion and wanted to avoid it, was probably also implicated.

Odin's direct attack on Loki this time may not necessarily create a rift between them, but it will inevitably cause some minor conflicts.

However, Lu Ye said that he would remain an observer and try to secure a good seat in the audience.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Vishnu with an Iron Head?

Among the gods present, Odin and Loki were certainly not the only ones conflicted over whether to choose to submit.

However, to represent the entire pantheon, the person in charge must not only possess great power, but also know how to avoid acting impulsively when faced with problems.

Therefore, although a series of disturbances occurred, the area below returned to calm once again after only a few breaths.

"Very good, it seems no one has any objections."

Seeing this, Lu Ye looked down at the crowd below, smiling and nodding slightly, seemingly extremely satisfied.

If he didn't consult the gods' opinions more thoroughly under their watchful eyes, he would appear undemocratic. He felt that his performance just now deserved an 80 out of 100.

"So, aren't you going to start preparing properly?"

As Lu Ye spoke, his tone gradually became sinister.

"If you don't make proper preparations, then your entire pantheon could really be wiped out."

As his voice faded, a thick mass began to surge rapidly in the sky, crackling with blue-white lightning. It looked like a storm was brewing.

It seemed that at any moment, a massive flood, capable of submerging the entire land, would suddenly descend from between these thick, heavy clouds, sweeping the whole world away with towering waves.

Although they were somewhat worried about the impending disaster, many gods secretly breathed a sigh of relief when Lu Ye finished speaking.

After all, compared to the imminent threat, dealing with this unreasonable and powerful figure was just as troublesome for the gods. Now that they could leave and stay away from this guy, many gods were overjoyed.

"Then I shall take my leave."

As Odin spoke, he transformed from his wide-brimmed hat into that of a warrior, clad in an eagle-helmet and golden armor, wielding the Gungnir spear. Then, he summoned his divine horse and swiftly departed with Loki, who was trapped by his runes, as if fleeing a plague god. No, even if it were a plague god, most of the gods here wouldn't care much.

Immediately afterwards, as if avoiding a deadly plague god, the remaining gods also began to leave quickly.

"My Lord, please allow us to take our leave for now..." Anubis, the God of Death, said to Lu Ye in a firm tone.

Even though he is the god of death in Egyptian mythology, who inspires fear, he still lacks the experience and knowledge to face such situations here.

"Yes, although the disaster has not yet struck, we can foresee from some signs that we must not be complacent at this time."

The chief deity of Japan, Amanomi, who represented the entire pantheon of Japanese gods, also bowed slightly to express his respect.

Then, Amanomichi, along with the two Neon Gods beside him, Taka-no-Mura-no-Soul and Shin-no-Mura-no-Soul, quickly left.

Compared to Indian mythology, the divine power generated in places like Japan is pitifully small. Faced with such a catastrophe, they dare not show the slightest disrespect. But regarding Lu Ye, they have absolutely no intention of offending him.

Seeing that they could leave now, they naturally hoped to quickly return to their trump cards and make more preparations to deal with the impending catastrophe.

As the foreign gods departed, the once noisy place gradually quieted down, becoming exceptionally tranquil yet oppressive. However, to Lu Ye's surprise, the Hindu gods who had been surrounding the area remained.

Moreover, a subtle atmosphere of hostility began to gradually spread.

"Oh? I wonder what your intention is?" Lu Ye said, his gaze idly shifting from the back of the last god who had left the place to Vishnu, who was looking at him with sharp eyes.

If there is any source of hostility towards him, it is none other than Vishnu, who stands before him—Vishnu had just expressed acceptance of his so-called judgment myth and submitted to him. But now, he is revealing such blatant hostility.

With his voice, Vishnu sighed softly and then bowed slightly to Lu Ye.

Yes, it was merely hostility, not murderous intent. In other words, Vishnu and his minions did not actually have any real desire to defeat him.

All Vishnu had was the desire for war.

“Vishnu, what is your purpose in showing hostility towards me?” Lu Ye ignored the hostility below, his smile remaining calm. “Compared to you attacking me, I initially thought that Shiva, with his fiery temper and greater strength, was more likely to become my enemy because he could not bear the humiliation.”

Upon hearing this, Shiva's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"I even think that even the creator god Brahma might attack me in a fit of rage. After all, his personality is quite dog-like, and it's not unimaginable when he might lose his temper."

The creator god Brahma wore a sheepish smile on his two golden faces, seemingly somewhat embarrassed.

“However, Vishnu, you who are responsible for maintaining the world, it is somewhat surprising that you have taken the initiative to show hostility towards me at this time.”

"It is precisely because I am responsible for maintaining the world that I cannot ignore it."

Vishnu at this moment appeared as a handsome and noble young man with black hair, exuding a strong aura of royalty.

He looked calmly at Lu Ye's face appearing in the sky above him, his tone calm yet firm.

"Therefore, I hope that after our Hindu pantheon has survived this calamity, I will be able to fight against the savior."

As Vishnu spoke, a resolute and determined golden light shone in his eyes.

He is the god responsible for maintaining the world, and therefore has a deeper affection for his own pantheon and everything on earth within it.

Now all of this is about to be harmed because of Lu Ye's actions, so Vishnu, who has the responsibility of "maintaining" it, absolutely cannot sit idly by.

Moreover, this was an extremely wise move—waiting until the numerous gods had dispersed before beginning to show hostility towards Lu Ye.

Clearly, they did not want their hostility towards Lu Ye to be acknowledged by the other gods of the mythology.

In other words, Vishnu's so-called challenge was not actually motivated by the desire to win.

He knew he couldn't stop Lu Ye. But out of his principles, he still had to draw his sword against Lu Ye. Therefore, there was one more thing he had to do: quickly prevent the situation from getting any worse.

Of course, how this battle will unfold ultimately depends on Lu Ye.

And so, in this seemingly harmonious yet tense atmosphere, the Great Flood, outside the biblical system, gradually began.

Endless rain poured down from the sky.