A dense miasma of killing intent surged up through the sword hilt and slammed into Ye Chen’s mind. Instantly, he felt countless monsters roaring in his ears, rattling his skull until it buzzed, while a heavy, bloody stench washed over him, as if he were surrounded by ferocious, savage beasts.

Ye Chen’s grip tightened on the sword, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes. With a halo of wisdom encircling his head, like a Buddha or Bodhisattva, his entire being radiated a sacred, ethereal aura that repelled all demons and monsters!

This all happened in the blink of an eye. The Divine Dragon, seeing Ye Chen clear his senses almost instantly, couldn't help but be inwardly shocked: "This divine sword is an ancestral weapon of the Yellow Emperor. Having followed him through countless campaigns against monsters over the years, it has drunk blood and accumulated thick killing intent. Furthermore, having been sealed here for millennia, it has become saturated with profound malevolence. An ordinary person lacking sufficient mental fortitude would be controlled by the sword upon the slightest touch and become a sword slave!"

It had expected Ye Chen’s state of mind to be able to resist this baleful energy, but it never imagined he would overcome it so effortlessly.

"A fine sword!" Ye Chen gripped the blade, brilliant light erupting from his eyes. Gazing at the sword’s curves, he could feel the dense killing intent within its metal. This was merely a fragment of the divine sword; if the true body were present, how terrifying would it be?

The Divine Dragon cast aside its distracting thoughts, took a deep breath, and looked at Ye Chen with solemnity. It inclined its head slightly and bowed low, saying, "The people of the Xuanyuan Clan are now entrusted to you!"

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze from the divine sword, glanced at the Dragon, and nodded slightly. Reversing his grip on the longsword, he stated, "Rest assured! Your blood, drop by drop, will not have been spilled in vain!" With that, he paused no longer, turning to walk toward the long iron-locked bridge.

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when the Divine Dragon’s voice sounded behind him, imbued with sincere earnestness: "Thank you!"

Ye Chen paused his steps, neither turning nor looking back, and replied coldly, "No need to thank me. He is my enemy. Killing him is my right and duty; it is not for your sake..." Saying this, he walked away without a backward glance, heading straight out of the magma world.

The Divine Dragon stared at his departing silhouette, lost in contemplation...

...

Dragon Sovereign Island.

Eight days had passed, and the entire island was shrouded in an atmosphere of tension and despair. The electromagnetic energy shield high in the sky had visibly faded, becoming almost transparent, flickering faintly, seeming as if it might vanish at any moment.

In the sea below, a single-eyed crocodile, a thousand zhang long, floated upon the surface, carrying numerous magma monsters on its back. Above the creature's head, the Dark Prince stood facing the wind, his demeanor arrogant. He watched the rapidly fading electromagnetic shield, a cold smile playing on his lips as he waited patiently.

"Wasting time with this inherent protection, hmph, you can’t outlast me!" the Dark Prince sneered inwardly. He had all the time in the world; eight days was but a blink.

The single-eyed crocodile beneath his feet stood motionless, daring not to stir. It was immensely powerful, possessing the battle strength of a Ninth-Rank Divine Grade, a true behemoth in the Inner Sea, yet it had been forced into submission as a mount after the Dark Prince blinded one of its eyes.

Time flowed by...

On the peak of Xuanyuan Mountain, the white-robed elder looked out with deep worry at the thousand-zhang crocodile in the sea, which resembled a small continent. His heart felt bitter. "All the energy crystals within the island have been depleted. The protective shield likely won't last much longer. This fiend has correctly timed his vigil, waiting precisely for this moment. A moment longer, and when the electromagnetic shield vanishes, the bloody battle begins."

Thinking this, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, slowly drawing his weapon from behind him and gently stroking the blade. "Old companion, you have followed me for so long. Soon, we shall fight one last time!"

Nearby, the purple-robed elder swept over, catching the expression on the white-robed elder’s face. He sighed inwardly but spoke aloud, "Old Feng, the women and children have all been sent aboard the Divine Dragon vessel."

The white-robed elder nodded slightly, looking down over the entire island, a vast sense of heroic courage swelling in his chest. He laughed heartily. "Later, dispatch Island Master Que Guang and Island Master Tian Gong to guard the Divine Dragon vessel and pass on the cultivation methods to the younger generation. The rest of us will fight together!"

The purple-robed elder trembled slightly, knowing that his companion had already prepared for the worst, and his expression grew painfully sad.

The white-robed elder looked at him and sighed faintly. "If you are unwilling to join the battle, you can hide aboard the vessel. After all, one more person only means one more casualty."

The purple-robed elder remained silent for a moment, then slowly drew the long spear from behind him. After gazing at it intently, he raised his head and sighed softly. "Old Feng, you know I won't shrink back from the fight. Remember when we trained together, competed in the Outer Sea Genius Tournament, stood out, and finally entered the Divine Hall as the youngest Divine Hall Emissaries? We hunted sea beasts countless times and earned our merits, rising step by step! Eventually, you became the Grand Elder, and I became the Second Elder. After all these years, do you not understand the nature of my character?"

Hearing this, the white-robed elder was also filled with emotion, the memories of the past years vividly resurfacing as if it were only yesterday. He couldn't help but laugh loudly towards the sky, bursting with heroic spirit. "Since that is the case, let us two old fellows go wild one last time!"

A smile touched the lips of the purple-robed elder. Both men looked up at the sky, where, not long after, the electromagnetic shield completely vanished. The entire island instantly plunged into panic, accompanied by numerous cries of alarm.

"Hahahaha..." The Dark Prince roared with laughter, leaping down from the thousand-zhang crocodile into the island. He looked down upon the crowd, his eyes blazing with cruel light. "Ants, willingly become food for this Prince!"

The figures of the two elders moved instantly, shooting out and hovering in the air, standing before all the islanders—fearless. The white-robed elder shouted loudly, "Everyone, silence!"

His voice thundered across the island, and everyone, knowing him to be the Grand Elder of the Divine Hall, quieted down, daring not to utter another sound.

The white-robed elder gripped the battle saber in his hand, his muscles and bones surging, and roared to the heavens: "I, Huang Tianfeng, swear today to defend my homeland with my life, whether in life or death, I shall never abandon it! Men of my generation, where is your spirit? Is there anyone who will follow me to slay the enemy?"

This voice swept across the entire assembly, leaving everyone stunned. From that impassioned tone, they sensed a despair and fierce indignation. Those who had been chaotic moments before now found their eyes blurred with tears, wailing loudly.

"Fight to the end!" A crippled hunter, hair bristling with rage, roared, "I volunteer to join the fight!"

"I volunteer to join the fight!"

"I volunteer to join the fight!!"

All the men, women, and even children under the age of ten on the island responded loudly!

A tidal wave of momentum surged toward the Dark Prince, echoing across the entire heaven and earth!

Everyone understood that since the white-robed elder had chosen to fight, their situation must be utterly desperate. Seeing that he had not chosen to flee alone but instead stood ready to fight without fear of death, they were deeply moved.

The Dark Prince frowned upon witnessing the fury of the populace below. He coldly stated, "Food should have the self-awareness of food!" His figure moved, entering Ghost God Mode, and he charged toward the white-robed elder.

The white-robed elder gritted his teeth and swung his battle saber, but the blade passed straight through the Dark Prince as if striking air. He pulled his feet back quickly, retreating backward.

"Die!" The Dark Prince’s expression turned violent, and he accelerated his charge. The white-robed elder retreated rapidly. With his Tenth-Rank Divine Grade strength, his speed was considerably superior to the Dark Prince's for the moment, making it difficult for the latter to catch him immediately.

At this moment, the magma monsters on the back of the thousand-zhang crocodile roared, leaping down onto the island, causing the ground to tremble. As soon as they landed, they charged toward the crowd.

A strong man spotted the monsters and roared in grief and indignation, "Swear to defend our home!" Grasping a hoe in his hand, he charged forward recklessly, only to be instantly struck by a magma monster’s fist and reduced to ash.

The woman beside him, gripping an iron shovel, shouted back with grief-stricken fury, "Swear to defend our home!"

More and more people cried out in anguish, clutching any hard object nearby, rushing forward without regard for the disparity in strength between the two sides!

"Swear to defend our home!!"

"Defend to the death!!"

The earth-shattering roars echoed across the entire island, deafeningly loud.

All the islanders within the Xuanyuan Divine Tomb were simple folk, surviving mainly by hunting. Now facing such a great calamity, their blood boiled with passion, casting aside all thought of life or death as they charged forward.

In the sky, the Dark Prince, pursuing the white-robed elder, inadvertently glimpsed the battlefield below and was inwardly startled. He saw that the three thousand magma monsters he had brought were being steadily beaten back by the assault of the islanders, forcing them to self-destruct wildly. Although these explosions killed some islanders, the population gathered on Dragon Sovereign Island consisted of people from seventy-two islands—an enormous number!

Moreover, among these people were many powerful Divine Hall Guards, Deacons, High Deacons, and masters from the Six Divine Islands of the Inner Sea. Under their combined attack, they instantly slaughtered over two thousand magma monsters, though they themselves lost fifty to sixty thousand lives to the self-detonations upon the monsters' deaths!

"Damn it!" The Dark Prince roared in anger and shock, halting his pursuit of the white-robed elder. He plunged down toward the crowd below, stirring up a tempest of blood and gore. Everywhere he passed, countless people were pierced through, their limbs sent flying.

The white-robed elder saw this scene, flew into a rage, and turned back toward the Dark Prince, attempting to draw his attention back to himself. But realizing the enemy was not taking the bait, he grit his teeth, finally making a decisive choice, and rushed toward the Dark Prince, unleashing an attack as fierce as a torrential storm!

None of these attacks managed to harm the Dark Prince, but they forced him to constantly enter Ghost God Mode to evade.

The Dark Prince roared, lunging toward the elder to attack. He launched a punch, but the white-robed elder made no attempt to dodge or parry. Instead, a strange light appeared in his eyes, mingled with a hint of relief.

The purple-robed elder, who was rushing over from the side, seemed to realize what was happening and cried out in shock, "Don't—"

"Farewell, homeland," the white-robed elder murmured as he looked at Dragon Sovereign Island, waving his hand wordlessly. All the strength in his body was slowly mobilized, undergoing a discordant circulation as he prepared for self-detonation!

The Dark Prince sensed that something was gravely wrong and was instantly alarmed. He hastily shifted into Ghost God Mode, preparing to shout furiously, but a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept past him, choking the words in his throat.

A black figure stepped forward from the side, his black hair flying wildly backward, a single horn atop his head, standing directly before the Dark Prince. A savage killing aura surged from his body, and slowly, he raised his head—revealing a pair of icy, emotionless eyes!

The entire world seemed to isolate itself around him!