Begging for monthly passes, during the double period, one counts as two!!!! …… For ten days, many large and small monsters had rushed toward this peak, but all were slain by Ye Chen, and his physical constitution had not ceased to improve.

Whoosh! Suddenly, a beam of light streaked over from the distance.

At first glance, it seemed to be on the horizon, but upon the second look, it was already above the peak, gliding down like a meteor piercing the void. Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, then a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he quickly lay prone.

He watched the beam slow its descent until it landed, revealing the appearance of a Lightning Beast. Compared to ten days ago, this Lightning Beast seemed slightly plumper, and its aura was significantly denser.

Ye Chen’s gaze sharpened, then he paused slightly, realizing with surprise that this Lightning Beast was the very one from ten days prior. He remembered noting a small scar on its back, confirming it was not a second one.

The Lightning Beast landed and slowly walked to the edge of the small nest, looking at the clump of dull-colored feces inside with confusion. It cautiously approached, sniffed, and confirmed that the droppings originated from its "own kind." It lifted its head; its intelligence, equivalent to that of a three-year-old child, was filled with suspicion.

It glanced around, finding no other traces left by its companion, which only deepened its confusion. Suddenly, its eyes caught sight of a tender piece of meat beside the nest.

It extended a claw, picked it up, and brought it close to its nose to sniff. Ye Chen remained hidden in the distance, watching this scene, sweat beading on his palms.

He stared unblinkingly at the Lightning Beast, terrified it might sense something. Heaven, it seemed, was not aiding him this time.

After a brief sniff, the beast dropped the meat, then opened its mouth in a quick inhalation, swallowing the vital energy clinging to the piece. The meat rapidly decomposed.

Seeing this, Ye Chen’s heart sank. At that moment, the Lightning Beast turned, its wings fluttering once, and it prepared to take flight.

Ye Chen waited no longer; he quickly gripped the rope before him and pulled hard! Whoosh!

On the sandy ground, dust and debris instantly flew up as three strands of netting shot up, layered in a "Sea Style Threefold" technique, enveloping the ascending Lightning Beast. This was Ye Chen’s contingency plan!

He hadn't relied solely on the highly poisonous meat bait. During these ten days, he had also enlisted Ai Erwei’s help to craft three sets of wire nets, constructed from the sinews, bones, and plated metal wires of two level 400 monsters.

They possessed great elasticity and toughness. Considering the sharp edges of the Lightning Beast’s wings, these three sets had been specially made!

If this Lightning Beast had arrived sooner, Ye Chen wouldn't have had time to prepare. “Screeech—” The Lightning Beast, ensnared by the wire net, shrieked, and its wings beat violently, slicing out like twin silver blades toward the netting.

Crash! Using the momentum from its brief upward thrust from the ground, its wings managed to slash through the first set of netting in one go, its sharpness astonishing Ye Chen once again.

However, he had anticipated this; the breach of the first net had slowed the beast down, and the second net descended almost instantaneously. Swish!

This second net suffered a gash but wasn't immediately torn apart, trapping the Lightning Beast inside, preventing an escape. Immediately following, the third set of netting descended, completely enveloping it!

Whoosh! The instant Ye Chen pulled the nets, he activated his Superman Mode, surging forward from his distant position.

The recoil from his feet cracked the ground as he sprinted. By the time the third net had completely wrapped around the Lightning Beast, he was already upon it.

The restrained Lightning Beast, seeing Ye Chen suddenly charge out, jumped in alarm, then let out a piercing, needle-like scream. It struggled fiercely, but its wings were bound, and the more it fought, the tighter the entanglement became, driving it into a frenzy.

Ye Chen’s expression remained unchanged. He stomped down on the net's anchor point, pinning the Lightning Beast in place.

A scarlet light flashed in his hand as his Blood-Red Battle Saber materialized. He brought it down in a fierce slash!

“Thwack!” The saber light cleaved the air like the moon being split in the vast sky. Upon contact, it sliced through the netting and carved a bloody gash across the struggling beast's neck!

The Lightning Beast roared, blood gushing from its throat like a fountain, splashing Ye Chen’s leg, boiling hot. He made no move to dodge; instead, he reached out with one hand, seized the beast’s head, applied slight pressure, and channeled his inner energy (Qi Jin) into its brain.

He deliberately avoided destroying the neural tissues, instead drawing out the stored internal power (Qi Li). This Lightning Beast had only recently awakened its power.

Its Qi Li had just compressed into Qi Jin, reaching only the early stage of the first tier. The moment it contacted Ye Chen’s Qi Jin, it was completely devoured, unable to resist, like an ox sinking into a mire.

Deprived of its life force, the Lightning Beast’s struggles gradually weakened, the light in its eyes dimmed, and it collapsed to the ground, motionless. Ye Chen did not lower the net.

Instead, he hauled the entire assembly upward, wrapping the ensnared Lightning Beast within the mesh and twisting it into several tight bundles. As he was binding it, the seemingly ‘dead’ Lightning Beast suddenly snapped its eyes open and violently thrashed, spitting out a jet of Qi Jin directly at Ye Chen’s face.

Ye Chen was prepared. His expression remained calm; he made no move to block it, simply opening his mouth and inhaling, drawing the stream of Qi Jin inside.

This light-elemental Qi Jin, if absorbed by someone lacking the light talent, was impossible for users of other elements to absorb—except for those possessing the Devouring Talent. After expelling this last burst of energy, the Lightning Beast’s struggling force faded, and it finally ceased to move.

Still maintaining caution, Ye Chen wrapped it up completely, tossed it into his Rune Space, and handed it over to Little Black for safekeeping. Once everything was resolved, he glanced around the area, lingered no longer, and immediately activated Superman Mode, sprinting toward the Light Base City.

…… Outside the Light Base City, there were four main gates, each heavily guarded by numerous members. Ye Chen, wearing a mask, sped in from the distance.

His Superman Mode had expired after the long journey. “Halt!” At the gate, a young man blocked Ye Chen’s path, his expression stern.

“Please submit to a body search! Outsiders are strictly forbidden from entering the Base City freely.” Ye Chen’s expression beneath the mask was slightly odd; this was an order he himself had issued, yet now it was being used against him.

Given the large population concentrated in the Huaxia Base City, the Light Base City currently housed only guild members, construction personnel, and a very small number of surviving refugees. Some of these survivors were scouts sent by other guilds to investigate the interior, necessitating a thorough search to prevent the smuggling of items like cameras.

“Huh?” At that moment, a surprised voice sounded from nearby, followed by a young man quickly approaching. Handsome and radiating youthful energy, he bypassed Ye Chen’s back and moved to face him, his eyes immediately lighting up with pleasant surprise.

“Guild Leader! It really is you, you’re finally back!” Guild Leader?

The young man who had stopped Ye Chen looked bewildered. Ye Chen glanced at the newcomer, frowning slightly, unable to recall where he had seen him before.

For now, pretending not to know anyone was the safest approach. He nodded slightly.

“I just returned from the wilderness.” The young man chuckled. “Guild Leader, that last wilderness raid with you was exhilarating!

Next time you go, you absolutely must take me; I’ll do anything you ask.” Ye Chen remembered; this youth was one of those who had joined him on an earlier expedition. The young man then turned to the guard, asking curiously, “What were you doing just now?” The guard didn't answer, still staring blankly at Ye Chen.

If Ye Chen recalled correctly, Xu Tianguo had previously announced that the Light Guild possessed a hidden Guild Leader, the true founder of the Light faction! Could it be the person standing before him?

The first young man nudged the guard, “What are you spacing out for?” The guard snapped back to attention, muttering submissively, “N-nothing, sir. Greetings, Guild Leader.

Greetings, Hall Master Li!” Ye Chen nodded faintly and said no more, walking straight inside. The guard watched Ye Chen’s receding back, sighed with emotion, and then walked away shaking his head.

After entering the city, Ye Chen proceeded to Mo Feng’s residence. All these key individuals, including his sister, had now relocated into the Base City.

Within the city, they had purchased several virtual reality helmets and nutrient pods, allowing them to connect directly to the central system of Atlantis City via wireless signal. “Knock, knock!” Ye Chen tapped the door.

“Come in!” A brief word responded from inside. Ye Chen pushed the door open.

It was a small metal room, forged from a fusion of metal and beast bone—extremely convenient to construct, unlike the complicated process of making equipment, with every joint and cut precisely calculated. Inside the metal room were several laboratory setups.

Ye Chen immediately spotted Mo Feng, wearing glasses, observing cells through a microscope. “What?” Mo Feng asked without looking up.

“Bringing you something,” Ye Chen replied, opening his Rune Space and retrieving the Dragon Tail. He handed it over.

“Please extract the genes from this. If it proves sufficiently potent, you can distribute it to the people below and see who gets lucky enough to awaken a new ability.” Having acquired the Lightning Beast’s genes, he naturally no longer needed the Dragon genes.

Mo Feng’s pupils contracted when he saw the Dragon Tail, but he quickly regained his composure and frowned. “Where did you get this?” Ye Chen stated calmly, “By chance.” “Oh!” Mo Feng asked no further questions.

Ye Chen then produced the carcass of the Lightning Beast. “Extract this one’s genes first; I need to use it.” Mo Feng paused.

“Don’t you already have the Ant genes?” Ye Chen replied evenly, “I obtained a treasure that allows for multiple gene fusions.” “What treasure?” Mo Feng’s eyes immediately shone brightly. “What are you planning?” Ye Chen glanced at him.

“Research!” Mo Feng replied without hesitation. Ye Chen casually made a gesture, pulling out the two peculiar patches and tossing them to Mo Feng.

“You take this and research it.” Mo Feng caught them reflexively, took a quick look, and then eyed Ye Chen suspiciously. “Is this thing that treasure?” Ye Chen nodded very seriously.

Mo Feng pushed up his glasses, examined the patches closely, and then moved them under the microscope for detailed inspection. Ye Chen interjected casually, “This can wait.

Help me extract the Lightning Beast’s genes first.” …… Requesting chapter recommendation votes, monthly passes, and clicks. Friends reading pirated versions, maintain your integrity, please vote for recommendation tickets and push this to the top.

Tomorrow will still be three updates.