"It's you!" As the Dark Prince clearly saw the youth who suddenly appeared, a hint of surprise flickered through his rage-filled expression. He hadn't expected to stumble upon Ye Chen here, of all places, after searching so diligently. Ever since arriving, he had been treasure hunting while simultaneously tracking Ye Chen, yet had lost his trail. However, he hadn't worried too much then; as long as Ye Chen remained in this plane of existence, he would eventually be caught! Now, it seemed the target had run right into his trap! He let out a sinister chuckle. "I knew you'd be hiding around here. Coming out on your own—I suppose you’re sensible enough not to make this Prince exert himself searching any further!" The White-Robed Elder, startled by Ye Chen's sudden arrival, recognized him as one of the young talents from the Genius Tournament. He frowned and sharply commanded, "Get out of here! This fight is not for you to interfere in!" As he spoke, he adjusted the flow of energy within his meridians, halting the process of self-detonation. The Dark Prince looked at Ye Chen with arrogant disdain. "Since you’ve shown yourself, I might spare your life. Get out of the way first. After I finish dealing with these people, you will follow me and serve as my slave for eternity!" Ye Chen ignored the White-Robed Elder, his eyes locked coldly on the Dark Prince, spitting out a single word: "Scram!"

With that word, he suddenly thrust out his palm. In Lightning Superman Mode, this strike was instantaneous, a blur of light and shadow. Even with the Dark Prince's vision, he couldn't clearly perceive it, only reacting instinctively to a sense of imminent danger. He snapped awake, realizing Ye Chen’s speed in this 'Unicorn Mode' (as he didn't recognize the Lightning form, he labeled it based on appearance) was terrifyingly fast. He immediately shifted his consciousness and entered Ghost God Mode! All of this happened in a fraction of a second, yet several calculations had already raced through his mind. Even activating Ghost God Mode in time was half a beat too slow. Ye Chen’s palm struck heavily against his chest, fracturing several ribs. Only in the latter half-second did the Dark Prince manage to partially Ghostify, causing the blow to miss its full impact. Had he not, his entire chest would have been punched into a bloody hole by that single strike! Having entered Ghost God Mode, the Dark Prince rapidly retreated a hundred zhang, clutching his chest. Rage burned within him as he stared up at Ye Chen, his expression ferocious, forcing the words out: "Bastard! I will tear you apart!" The nearby White-Robed Elder, who had been preparing to step in front of Ye Chen, froze upon witnessing this scene, his face slack with astonishment. Forcing back a Ghost God expert with a single palm? He was completely bewildered. Such power, he thought, seemed to belong only to Lord Dragon Emperor!

Ye Chen looked coldly at the Dark Prince, gripping the Xuanyuan Divine Sword. Before the Prince could say another word, Ye Chen moved, surging forward in a burst that whipped up a fierce wind, making the White-Robed Elder’s hair, beard, and clothes fly wildly. So fast! This thought flashed through the White-Robed Elder's mind. Moments later, he saw Ye Chen already standing before the Dark Prince, the hundred-zhang distance seeming like mere inches. "Hmph," the Dark Prince sneered as Ye Chen charged. "No matter how great your strength, you cannot harm me. What does it matter? The others who were stronger than me were eventually defeated, and one fool even self-destructed—and still failed to hurt me."

"Benevolence!" Ye Chen held the long sword, the killing aura around him suddenly receding. A halo of wisdom manifested behind his head, bathing him in a divine aura. He thrust his sword out straight. The stance was utterly ordinary, yet the sword seemed to slice across the sky like a meteor, possessing the fleeting, breathtaking perfection of a night-blooming cereus, leaving no opening for rebuttal. Pfft! The sword pierced through, sinking into the Dark Prince’s heart! The Dark Prince shuddered. The cold sneer on his face instantly froze, replaced by wide eyes filled with shock and terror. He stared in disbelief at the sword in Ye Chen's hand. "How is this possible? I’m in Ghost God Mode—how could he hurt me?" In Ye Chen's eyes, he saw only calmness, clarity, and even pity, mercy—so much so that it gave him the absurd illusion... that the person killing him was doing it for his own good? This ridiculous notion immediately jolted him awake, and he frantically retreated several hundred zhang, staring at Ye Chen with furious disbelief. His mind churned, unable to fathom how this youth, who hadn't even reached the Ghost God Realm, could wound him! By this time, the White-Robed Elder had also snapped back to reality, his face etched with astonishment. His gaze fell upon the Xuanyuan Divine Sword in Ye Chen's hand. He hadn't paid much attention initially, but now, focusing his sight, he was stunned. As the Great Elder of the Divine Hall, second only to the Dragon Emperor, he had seen the sword's fragments in the Dragon Emperor’s hands many times—were they the same as the one Ye Chen held? "Ah!" The White-Robed Elder’s eyes widened suddenly. "I remember now! Little Tie mentioned someone in the Genius Tournament who inherited the Divine Sword through the Heart Bridge. How—how could he have mastered the Divine Sword in less than a month?" He deeply understood the immense difficulty in cultivating the first three stances of the Divine Sword. If he hadn't seen the sword in Ye Chen's hand, he would never have believed anyone could grasp those initial three sword techniques so quickly! "Die!" Seeing that the Dark Prince hadn't died despite having his heart pierced, Ye Chen paused briefly. Snapping back to focus, he moved immediately, darting forward with extreme speed. The hundred-zhang distance felt like a single stride! "Perish!" Ye Chen gripped the Divine Sword and slashed forward, executing the second stance: Virtue! As this sword strike unfurled, the very void was sliced open, revealing a gap of blackness. During practice, he hadn't used full power and could still cause spatial fissures; now, in Lightning Superman Mode, the resulting black gap was as thick as an arm, terrifying the Dark Prince to his core. "The sword! It's the sword!" Intense fear flared in the Dark Prince's eyes. "This sword is too sharp; it can wound my body. It must be a Ghost Artifact! How could he obtain such a thing?! He must have found it in this ruin, damn it!!" Ghost Artifacts were as rare as half-god level powerhouses, which was why, initially, he never considered that possibility. Watching the descending slash expand in his vision, he found himself powerless to resist. He roared in frustration, but before his mouth could even fully open, the Divine Sword cleaved him cleanly in two, from head to toe! Splat! The Dark Prince’s body split apart. A blood-red line stretched from his forehead like an earthworm before his entire body exploded, automatically canceling his Ghost God Mode as he tumbled from the sky! One-sword instant kill! Many powerful figures who had been observing fell silent, witnessing the formidable Dark Prince being split apart and killed by Ye Chen in a single move. At that moment, the crowds below finally finished slaughtering the last of the three thousand magma monsters and looked up at Ye Chen in the sky, momentarily stunned. After a long silence, earth-shattering cheers erupted. "The demon is dead!" "We won't die now!!" Everyone wept with joy, hugging one another regardless of knowing each other, crying out loud.

The White-Robed Elder and the Purple-Robed Elder flew over and stopped beside Ye Chen. They couldn't help but glance at the sword in his hand, a look of awe crossing their faces. Just then, the duration of Ye Chen's Lightning Superman Mode expired. The horn on his head retracted back into his body, restoring him to his base strength. In reality, killing the Dark Prince had taken only a few seconds! In a one-on-one confrontation, the two minutes and thirty seconds afforded by Superman Mode was more than enough! "You have inherited the Divine Sword?" Seeing Ye Chen remain silent, the White-Robed Elder asked tentatively. Ye Chen nodded slightly. Hearing this, the two elders exchanged a look, then suddenly knelt mid-air, bowing respectfully. "We salute the Master of the Divine Hall!" Ye Chen was taken aback. "What Master of the Divine Hall?" The White-Robed Elder replied, "Whoever is recognized by the Divine Sword becomes the new Master of the Divine Hall! Lord Dragon Emperor passing the sword to you signifies his permission for you to replace him and take command of the Hall!" Understanding dawned in Ye Chen’s mind. He nodded. "Rise." The two elders quickly stood up, exceedingly respectful. Although they couldn't fathom how Ye Chen was so powerful at such a young age, they dared not inquire further.

Ye Chen’s gaze swept downward, searching for the Dark Prince’s corpse. As a Ghost God Realm expert who had cultivated sentience, this dark creature's body must contain abundant energy. If he could devour and refine it, his strength would increase significantly! After scanning the area, he frowned. "The body is gone. What happened? Even his aura has vanished." On the ground, aside from the cheering islanders, there was no trace of the Dark Prince’s remains. Ye Chen’s eyes moved eastward. He spotted a faint, flickering shadow slipping away stealthily. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes. "A golden cicada shedding its shell! You seek death!" Clutching the Divine Sword, he moved, surging forward in a rush that kicked up a gale. The two elders noticed something was amiss, quickly turning to look. Following Ye Chen's trajectory, they saw a faint, dark silhouette flitting through the grass, heading toward the island's perimeter... It was the Dark Prince! "What’s going on? His life essence clearly vanished just now." "He almost fooled us! That wretch! I’ll go help!" The Purple-Robed Elder declared, starting to move, but the White-Robed Elder grabbed him, frowning. "If you go, you’ll only be a hindrance. Don't act rashly!" The Purple-Robed Elder was reluctant but knew the elder was correct, so he stopped with a frustrated sigh.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had already closed in on the Dark Prince, musing internally: I was too careless. I didn't expect that this Ghost God Realm demon could survive even the Divine Sword’s attack. He was cleaved in two, yet he still lives!

The Dark Prince, having stealthily reached the island's edge, was inwardly rejoicing. He glanced back toward the sky, only to find Ye Chen’s figure gone. Instead, a chilling aura was rapidly closing in from behind him. "Not good!" Seeing his ruse exposed, the Dark Prince’s expression shifted. Without hesitation, he turned and bolted toward the thousand-zhang crocodile lurking in the sea, shouting: "Sink quickly!" The giant crocodile seemed to understand the command. It stiffened its body and plunged headfirst into the ocean, sending up a spray of waves. Ye Chen arrived at the shore, witnessing this, and flew into a rage. He dashed forward and plunged into the sea right after. With his current strength, his base form was at least King Grade Fifth Tier, allowing him to protect himself in the ocean. If necessary, he could activate Ant Superman Mode to escape. If he let the Dark Prince escape this time, the future repercussions would be endless and he might never kill him again! Splash! Ye Chen dove into the water and was immediately confronted by a massive black shadow rushing toward him. He gasped in alarm.