Chapter Sixty-Three: Charging Towards Level 5000! Third Update Chapter Sixty-Three: Charging Towards Level 5000! Third Update The Divine Dragon's eyes were filled with icy killing intent. "That person is from beyond the realms?"

The old man in white robes quickly nodded. "Yes, that person claimed to be 'Your Highness.' Although his strength isn't formidable—only around Divine Grade Seventh Tier—he can achieve Ethereal Manifestation, making him untouchable by us."

The Divine Dragon turned its head, fixing its gaze on Ye Chen. "What is your relationship with that person?"

"He is a Dark Creature," Ye Chen admitted truthfully, realizing denial was futile. "Beyond the realms, we face an existential crisis. The Dark Creatures are invading en masse. I was being hunted by this individual and fled here unintentionally, never imagining he would pursue me through."

The Divine Dragon's eyes sharpened instantly. "You led him here, didn't you?"

Ye Chen looked up to meet its gaze, replying calmly, "I had no idea what your domain held. Why would I lead an enemy here? What if it were a dead end? Wouldn't I have walked into a trap?"

The Divine Dragon said coldly, "You want us to help you deal with your enemy? Do you believe I won't hand you over right now?"

"Suit yourself," Ye Chen retorted proudly. "If I had known there were powerhouses of your caliber here, I would have sought refuge long ago. Why would I wait until I was being relentlessly hunted by him to escape here?"

The Divine Dragon sneered, "You are also an outsider. Who knows if you've conspired with this Dark Creature, hoping to seize treasures from my Xuanyuan Clan!"

Ye Chen scoffed, "If I intended to steal your Xuanyuan Clan's treasures, I would have obtained them long ago. Isn't the Xuanyuan Divine Sword one of your most prized possessions? I am standing right here; why would I need his help?"

The Divine Dragon paused slightly, then angrily demanded, "Then what exactly is your relationship?"

"Enemies!" Ye Chen stated coldly, adding a sharp qualifier: "To the death!"

Hearing the killing intent in Ye Chen’s tone, the Divine Dragon felt a sliver of belief. Its killing intent receded slightly, and it scrutinized Ye Chen with a peculiar, almost helpless expression. It had expected that under its coercion, and given its commanding presence, most people would be intimidated into revealing everything. Instead, Ye Chen hadn't just resisted; he had been provoked into anger, daring to meet its gaze without flinching!

This feeling...

It hadn't experienced it in a long time.

"This junior descendant of the human race dares to speak to me in such a manner, disregarding the gap in our power, knowing a mere finger of mine could crush him, yet he still dares to confront me!" the Divine Dragon mused internally. "When met with coldness, he returns it in kind. Such an impetuous temperament suggests he is incapable of plotting schemes—not for lack of will, but for lack of ability."

With that thought, it began to trust Ye Chen slightly more. Although Ye Chen had just retorted defiantly, this volatile temper, rather than repulsing it, actually pleased the Dragon. If Ye Chen had explained himself meekly under duress, it would have suggested deep cunning, making him untrustworthy.

Ye Chen was adept at reading expressions and tone—a core "survival" skill honed over a decade in the apocalypse. Seeing the killing intent fade from the Dragon’s eyes, he thought secretly, "Just as I suspected. At this juncture, acting rashly and a bit foolish is the best way to earn its trust. Some people prefer dealing with hotheads over those who smile constantly, unchanging whether praised or chastised, because such people are too deeply calculating! Besides, even if a fight breaks out, I can still escape using my Superman Mode. I already know the Divine Sword's location; I can ambush and wait for the right moment to snatch it!"

In that brief interval, Ye Chen had placed a massive bet.

His chosen role as a hothead meant success would earn the Dragon's trust, but failure would lead to an immediate battle. The alternative—explaining calmly—might temporarily quell suspicion but would never lead to true confidence; failure there also meant a fight.

Weighing the odds, Ye Chen naturally chose the former.

Life is a series of gambles; success and failure often hinge on a single thought! This saying, attributed to some famous figure, was undeniably accurate.

By then, the Divine Dragon had turned its attention to the iron chain bridge, facing the expanse beyond. Its resonant voice echoed outward, causing the sea of magma beneath the bridge to ripple faintly.

"Activate the Divine Hall's protective energy shield. Hold the line for a time. If we truly cannot sustain it, deploy the Divine Hall's Annihilation Cannon to bombard them. While it won't harm him, it will buy us time," the Divine Dragon stated gravely, understanding that the fact the old man in white robes reported personally meant the situation was dire—a moment of life or death.

The old man in white robes paused, then glanced at the Divine Dragon, sighing inwardly. "This subordinate understands." With that, he turned and departed, realizing that since the Divine Dragon hadn't ordered him to fight personally, it must be unable to leave its post, leaving them to fend for themselves.

After the old man left, the Divine Dragon slowly withdrew its gaze and looked at Ye Chen. "My Xuanyuan Clan now faces extinction. You must uphold your promise and swear to defend us with your life!"

Ye Chen grumbled back, "I can't even defeat that old man in white robes. Am I supposed to go out there and die?"

The Divine Dragon looked up at the Divine Peak for a long moment, then slowly spoke. "Do not worry. The Divine Sword of the Yellow Emperor Ancestor possesses the might to slay Ghosts and Gods. Even if he enters 'Ghost God Mode,' one strike from that sword will end him! However, this sword can only be wielded by one with unwavering mental fortitude, or they will suffer a backlash from the sword and become its thrall!"

Ye Chen looked astonished. "This Divine Sword can kill Ghost God level powerhouses?"

The Divine Dragon nodded. "Naturally. Ghost God level experts, however mighty, are mere dust before the Divine Sword!"

Ye Chen frowned. "But I cannot yet master it. I haven't perfected the third stance, and to even view the cultivation method for the third stance requires King Grade Fifth Tier physique. I only possess one such crystal core. After completely refining it, I don't know how much power it will grant, but it's unlikely to raise me to King Grade Fifth Tier anytime soon!"

The Divine Dragon glanced at him. "The energy in this crystal core, while significant, is far from enough. Absorbing a hundred of them wouldn't get you to King Grade Fifth Tier!" Without hesitation, it opened its mouth and spat out a sheet of firelight.

Within the firelight, a white lotus, burning with a faint, soft fire, hovered into existence, descending before Ye Chen. The temperature in the area instantly spiked, as if the very sky was about to ignite.

"This is a Thousand-Year Fire Lotus, incredibly rich in energy. I collected it over several centuries and couldn't bear to consume it. Take it quickly and refine it with all your focus!" A hint of reluctance crossed the Divine Dragon's eyes, but it still guided the Fire Lotus toward Ye Chen, where it settled before him.

Ye Chen gazed at the naturally exquisite Fire Lotus. He had anticipated that the Dragon, as the leader of the Xuanyuan Clan, would possess many precious medicinal ingredients, but he never expected a Thousand-Year Fire Lotus born from the magma sea. His eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. Such flames were exceedingly difficult to generate, requiring areas saturated with Fire Essence to spontaneously form.

Showing no restraint, he opened his mouth and inhaled deeply. A vortex of dense Devouring Qi formed in his throat, threadlike and misty, engulfing the Fire Lotus and ravenously consuming its vital essence. Pure energy streamed from the Fire Lotus into his meridians, causing his entire network to swell robustly. Before long, he reached the late stage of Qi Master Third Tier!

"Swallow!"

"Swallow!"

Ye Chen closed his eyes to cultivate. The entire magma world fell silent. The Divine Dragon watched the Fire Lotus shrink under the onslaught of absorption, its lips twitching slightly, feeling the pang of loss.

In the blink of an eye, two hours passed.

The Thousand-Year Fire Lotus was now only the size of a fist, and the Qi within his body reached a bottleneck, causing intense compression and contraction. When it expanded to its limit, it violently erupted!

Boom! Ye Chen's mind went blank. His entire internal Qi surged and then retracted, pushing his meridians to the brink of pain. After this cycle repeated more than ten times, his meridians were gradually tempered, becoming wider, and his Qi became compressed and purer, breaking through to Qi Master Fourth Tier!

Along with the Qi breakthrough, Ye Chen’s physical level also increased significantly, reaching Level 3700!

Ye Chen didn't have time to fully savor the internal changes. He focused on the remaining portion of the Fire Lotus, accelerating his absorption. About thirty minutes later, the Fire Lotus had shrunk to the size of a finger, which Ye Chen swallowed whole, forcefully refining it.

For powerhouses of other elemental affinities, refining such a Fire Lotus would typically take ten to fifteen days.

The Divine Dragon sensed Ye Chen's significant increase in aura and was surprised by his rapid refinement speed. It immediately spat out another white Fire Lotus, suspending it before Ye Chen. "This Fire Lotus is 3000 years old; absorb it quickly!"

Without hesitation, Ye Chen opened his mouth and inhaled. His surging Qi enveloped the Fire Lotus, accelerating its absorption.

Time flowed onward.

A full day passed in a hurry.

Within that day, Ye Chen consumed three Fire Lotuses consecutively: one 1000-year, one 3000-year, and one 5000-year. After these three lotuses entered his system, his cultivation skyrocketed, charging straight through to Qi Master Fifth Tier, reaching the middle stage! His foundational physique level concurrently reached Level 4000!

"Still short by 1000 levels. In this context, that's the gap of one stage within the King Grade realm!" Ye Chen sighed inwardly. "I devoured three precious Fire Lotuses in a row, boosting my Qi by nearly 2000 levels, yet my body hasn't transformed as much! Now, if I consumed the 28 Level 5000 Crystal Cores from my Rune Space, my Qi might break through to Qi Master Sixth Tier, but my physique would only increase by 200 to 300 levels—still not reaching 5000! Moreover, I initially claimed to have only one such core; pulling out more now would be utterly awkward."

The Divine Dragon saw that after consuming the three Fire Lotuses, his aura had improved considerably, yet he still hadn't met the final requirement. It frowned. This condition was set by their ancestors: mastery of the first three sword stances was mandatory to control the Divine Sword; the Dragon could not violate this.

It had originally planned for Ye Chen to cultivate here slowly—if it took a year, or even two, it meant nothing to the Dragon. But now, with the great enemy assaulting them, everything was rushed.

Now, even its millennia-old treasured Fire Lotuses were consumed by Ye Chen, yet the barrier remained.

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