Just as I returned, I planned a four-chapter burst to make up for lost time, but alas, I was overreaching, sigh. …… This Energy Divine Tree hung suspended in mid-air, its roots plunged deep into the void, drawing diverse energies from other spatial planes.

It functioned like a colossal pulverizer, sucking in those chaotic energies, refining them into the purest form of power. From a distance, the ravine glowed with effulgent light, bathed in reflected rosy clouds.

Ribbons of energy in every hue drifted like silk towards the trunk, while countless glittering motes floated toward the canopy, intensifying the tree's jade-like brilliance. Its leaves, carved as if from emeralds, emitted a faint, imposing radiance.

Most conspicuous were the fruits dangling from the crown—translucent, entirely green orbs, each about the size of a football, their surfaces smooth as pearls. "Energy Fruit." Ye Chen’s eyes burned with heat.

These fruits contained abundant pure energy, enough to replenish mechanical warriors, factories, computers, communication arrays, lighting systems, and all manner of equipment. Before him, the Energy Divine Tree towered a thousand zhang high.

Beneath its lush canopy, the Energy Fruits hung in dense, uncountable profusion—enough to sustain a Base City’s normal operations indefinitely. Ye Chen approached, and a cool essence washed over him.

All his fatigue vanished instantly; he felt refreshed, vibrant, and utterly clear-headed. He stood beneath the massive tree, tilting his head back to gaze up.

It soared towards the heavens; even its roots, thick as coiling dragons, were immensely sturdy, wrapped in bark etched with patterns resembling arcane mystical markings. "With the Energy Divine Tree here, replenishing the power for repairing my Rune Ship is no longer a worry," Ye Chen declared, his eyes bright.

The runes on the ship were heavily damaged, requiring vast energy and a Rune Repairer. Now, the energy problem was solved; only the repair device remained elusive.

"Hm?" Ye Chen’s gaze swept sideways, and he suddenly spotted a plume of dark light clinging to one of the roots that pierced the void, located near the main trunk of the Energy Divine Tree. His brow furrowed.

With a swift movement, he took a step, enveloping his body in surging internal power, pulling himself toward that root. As he drew nearer, Ye Chen saw it more clearly: a black luminescence adhered to the root, embedded within it, faintly glowing.

A significant portion of the energy absorbed by the root from surrounding spaces was funneling directly into this dark light. Furthermore, the root fibers immediately surrounding the light appeared desiccated, slightly shriveled.

Ye Chen stared intently for a moment, then his gaze sharpened. He backed away several zhang, raised a hand, and pointed.

A wisp of black light sprang from his fingertip, compressing itself into a fine black sword that spun violently as it shot out, tearing through the void straight toward the black glow. Boom!

The black sword pierced the darkness, only to feel as if it had struck an iron wall and was instantly shattered into fragments. Ye Chen’s fingers twitched slightly, feeling numb.

His internal power was intimately connected to his physical body; injury to one meant severe harm to the other. He frowned, his will shifting.

The shattered remnants of his power slowly coalesced into a miniature knife, which punched through the black light and rocketed back toward him. "Who dares disturb my slumber?" a deep voice resonated from within the black light.

The returning black energy knife was enveloped by an unseen force, and with a thud, it disintegrated again, transforming back into a stream of black energy forcibly dragged back into the glow. Ye Chen immediately felt his connection to that surge of energy severed.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He flicked his fingers, summoning the Bolt Gun, and poured his power into it.

The Bolt Gun seemed bottomless. Ye Chen’s energy surged like a river breaking its banks; it took nearly a third of his total reserve just to fill the weapon, allowing him to fire ten energy projectiles.

Bang! Ye Chen fired without hesitation.

A black projectile shot out, carving a faint, distorted black trail through the air as it slammed into the black light, eliciting a metallic clang. "Insolent worm!" a roar erupted from the darkness.

The black light suddenly contracted, sinking into a metallic black sphere. As the light subsided, the sphere slowly writhed, extending two long legs to stand upright.

Then, arms, a neck, and a head extruded from the metal shell, instantly reforming into a Mechanical Warrior. This warrior stood nearly three meters tall, clad in pitch-black armor, with an alloy broadsword strapped to its back.

Externally, it resembled a human closely, save for skin that was too smooth, reflecting light with an undeniable metallic sheen. It turned its head, its eyes fixed chillingly upon the suspended Ye Chen.

"You seek death?" Ye Chen hadn't expected another mechanized being here. He frowned.

"Who are you?" "You are not worthy to know!" The black-armored warrior stomped on the tree root and surged forward with terrifying speed, clutching its broadsword, aiming a chopping blow directly at Ye Chen’s head. Ye Chen’s pupils constricted.

The black-armored machine was incredibly fast; his sight couldn't keep pace. A sudden, sharp pain struck his chest, throwing him backward involuntarily.

He crashed heavily against a metal wall, feeling as if every bone in his body had been shaken loose. Where he had just stood, the black-armored warrior materialized as if by teleportation, hovering in the air, holding its sword, looking down at Ye Chen with cold disdain.

It sneered, "A mere speck with a combat rating of only 240,000. It’s your luck to have even entered this core space.

Given that we are both descendants of the Fire Civilization, this King will not kill you myself. End your own life." Ye Chen slowly pushed himself up from the ground, his chest burning with agonizing pain.

Four ribs were broken; one sharp fragment had pierced his lung, causing internal bleeding. Yet, thanks to his formidable physique, the wounds sealed quickly and began to mend at a rapid pace.

He wiped the blood from his lips and looked up at the black-armored machine hanging in the air. If the Black Feather Armor hadn't absorbed the brunt of the blow, his body would likely have been cleaved in two by that sword.

Killing intent flared in his eyes. He raised a hand, transforming his internal power into roaring flames that blossomed from his palm.

"Blaze, God, Hammer!" The temperature in the entire ravine instantly spiked. A colossal, crimson-red cylindrical tower coalesced in Ye Chen’s palm, its stripes sharp, radiating a terrifying aura of destruction.

"Die!" Ye Chen shot upward in a blur, swinging the shaft of the Blaze God Hammer down with a resounding crash toward the black-armored warrior. The scorching flames warped the very air around them.

"Hmph, only the first layer, daring to be presumptuous!" The black-armored warrior showed no surprise at the sight of the Blaze God Hammer; instead, it sneered. "Fighting here limits my full potential.

If I accidentally damage the Energy Divine Tree, even death ten thousand times over won't compensate!" With that, the warrior made a sweeping gesture with its hand, and a field of blackness appeared. It moved, instantly vanishing into the void.

Ye Chen’s eyes turned ice-cold, but he did not rush blindly. He focused intently on the black expanse, scrutinizing it for ambushes or danger before surging into the space.

This black realm resembled the Rune Space, yet its area was tens of thousands of times vaster—an immense continent. The sky was a sterile gray-white, devoid of clouds.

The ground was desolate wilderness, without rivers or any visible life, just bare, unbroken expanse. "Perish in My World, and you may rest satisfied," the black-armored warrior declared, hovering in the air, its expression cold, its broadsword held ready, its entire frame radiating immensely powerful energy.

Without a word, Ye Chen swung the shaft of the Blaze God Hammer down in a powerful strike. CRASH!

The black-armored warrior blinked backward, narrowly avoiding the mighty blow. The Hammer shaft slammed into a mountain peak below, unleashing its explosive energy.

The entire mountaintop split into four sections, and the mountain body shook violently before collapsing. Ye Chen’s eyes were frigid.

He shot upward, sweeping the Blaze God Hammer across the sky, unleashing a torrent of fire that surged toward the black-armored warrior. "Hmph," the machine scoffed, raising a hand.

Five peculiar runes spun in his fingers, slowly coalescing into a shield. It emitted a dim, intense heat, and its center bore a cryptic mark—identical to the Fire Seal.

"Umbral Flame Shield!" Ye Chen’s pupils contracted, but he immediately gritted his teeth, channeling all his strength, driving the Blaze God Hammer down. RUMBLE!

The very sky seemed to shudder. The mountain-sized Hammer shaft descended but was intercepted by the Umbral Flame Shield.

The violent energy exploded outwards, shaking the mountains and rivers below, cracking the earth with fissures of black energy. Ye Chen’s arm went numb, completely insensible, and he was hurled back several hundred meters before coming to a halt.

"Ant-like thing," the black-armored warrior’s form flickered slightly as it stabilized in the air, looking down at Ye Chen with cold indifference. Its pure black eyes housed intricate scanners, analyzing Ye Chen’s energy fluctuations, bone density, and blood, projecting a combat statistic analysis beside it: 240,000.

When wielding the Blaze God Hammer, his combat power reached 293,480—nearly 300,000. However, this level of power was utter trash to the black-armored warrior.

"Relying on Heavenly Treasures, I detected the Energy Divine Tree root plunging into the void. I burrowed in, evaded the dimensional barriers, and settled here for fifty thousand years.

In a few more millennia, I would have earned the Tree’s allegiance. And now, an ant-like creature dares to ruin my plans!" Killing intent saturated the black-armored warrior's gaze.

"If my true body were not currently occupied in the center of the Blaze Domain and unable to disengage, I would descend personally and crush you with a single finger!" From the previous exchange, he realized that this current clone found it difficult to instantly vaporize Ye Chen. He seethed inwardly—he, a true King, forced to fight an insect; it was a profound insult, akin to an Emperor discovering he had to share a room with a beggar.

"Die!" The black-armored warrior gripped its broadsword tighter, glaring at the Black Feather Armor on Ye Chen's body, feeling a surge of anger. If not for that tough outer shell, his last strike would have killed the opponent instantly.

Whoosh! Holding the broadsword, he charged at Ye Chen like an Asura demon god.

Mid-air, Ye Chen’s eyes were glacial as he watched the charging warrior. He suddenly shifted his hand, retracting the Blaze God Hammer shaft back into his body.

Immediately, he began stripping off his gloves, bracers, the Black Feather Armor, and the Explosive Flame Battle Boots one by one. The black-armored warrior frowned at Ye Chen's bizarre actions, then let out a sinister laugh, accelerating his charge.

"Impatient for death, are you? Seeking it out yourself!" Ye Chen discarded his equipment, made a gesture with his hand, opened the Rune Space, and tossed the gear inside to prevent damage during the ensuing battle.

His upper body was bare, his symmetrical muscles exposed to the air; he wore only a black loincloth. "Ant-Man Super, activate!" Ye Chen clenched his fists, took one step forward, and the sky itself trembled.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.