Hearing this, the white-haired elder sighed with a touch of melancholy, as if he had witnessed the fall of a peerless genius.

Ye Chen pondered for a moment and asked, "You mean, he intends to use this Heart of Slaughter to suppress that prehistoric ferocious beast?"

The white-haired elder shook his head. "The Heart of Slaughter possesses no offensive capability, but it has one peculiarity: it can absorb any negative brainwaves—that is, negative emotions—and integrate them. Once a certain threshold is reached, it can be fused into a weapon, forging an evil artifact!"

"A weapon?" Ye Chen was startled.

The white-haired elder slowly explained, "The Xuanyuan Divine Sword, left by the Yellow Emperor Progenitor, is a sword of benevolence and righteousness; only one with great benevolence and righteousness can wield it. Especially the sword's main body—even Lord Dragon Emperor cannot use it; one must reach the Saint Realm to master it! However, the second Lord of the Divine Hall, a singular genius, devised a method of countering evil with evil. While the Divine Sword's power can only suppress, countering evil with evil might actually slay that prehistoric ferocious beast!"

Ye Chen understood and looked at Huang Lu and the others beside him. "So, you brought them here because these youths are naturally arrogant, or perhaps harboring deep resentment due to some incident. You brought them here so the Heart of Slaughter could draw out their resentment. This not only purifies their souls but also strengthens the Heart of Slaughter!"

The white-haired elder nodded and smiled. "Precisely!"

Ye Chen inquired, "Where is the Heart of Slaughter?"

The white-haired elder turned and pointed. "Over there." Ye Chen followed his gaze and saw, amidst the sea of magma, a Black Flame Lotus Platform, upon which a mass of black energy hovered, churning ceaselessly, utterly eerie.

Ye Chen focused his sight for two glances, immediately recalling the ancient tale of Gan Jiang casting his sword, where Mo Ye used her entire essence blood to cleanse the blade, ultimately forging the divine sword! Yet, the Heart of Slaughter before him used killing intent and negative emotions as its forging material!

The white-haired elder observed the signs of fighting around them and asked curiously, "Lord of the Divine Hall, have you perhaps only just obtained the Divine Sword?"

Ye Chen nodded. "Yes."

The white-haired elder relaxed, chuckling to himself. "That makes sense. If a new Lord of the Divine Hall were appointed, all 72 Islands would be celebrating, and I would certainly have received the news. By the way, who was the person you were pursuing? To require your personal attention?"

Ye Chen glanced at him. "You don't recognize him?"

The white-haired elder shook his head. "I stepped into this place a century ago and have never left. I know very little about the outside world; only matters of great importance are ever relayed to me."

Ye Chen understood; most likely, the two white-robed elders didn't want him embroiled in the conflict, so they hadn't informed him.

Just then—

Gurgle, gurgle!

The sea of magma surged violently, churning like an overturned river, raising waves of fire that began to form a slow vortex centered on the Black Flame Lotus Platform.

The white-haired elder's expression shifted. "Not good! We've alerted that demon! Leave quickly!" As he spoke, his body shot forward, surging toward the sea of fire, intending to retrieve the Heart of Slaughter.

Ye Chen frowned, about to issue a warning, but it was too late. He saw the white-haired elder's entire body shake as he was violently blasted backward by an invisible force, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Ye Chen moved instantly, rushing forward to catch his body, but felt a jolt through his hand, his fingers tingling slightly. Immediately after, he was knocked back several steps by the momentum of the white-haired elder's recoil before finally standing firm.

The white-haired elder clutched his chest, placing himself in front of Ye Chen, and said gravely, "Lord of the Divine Hall, you retreat first. I will hold the line. This Heart of Slaughter cannot be lost."

Ye Chen thought the Heart of Slaughter was likely agitated by the tremors from his earlier battle. Hearing the elder's words, he couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that the prehistoric ferocious beast can emerge?"

The white-haired elder said grimly, "To hasten the condensation of the Heart of Slaughter, the second Patriarch placed it in this location nearest the seal. The primary purpose was to use the Heart of Slaughter to absorb the evil energy emanating from that demon, weakening the other while strengthening itself! Though the beast's true body cannot break free, its residual power is immense—still beyond our ability to withstand. You must retreat quickly!"

Ye Chen understood. He glanced at the Heart of Slaughter, pondered for a moment, then tightly gripped the Divine Sword in his hand, moved swiftly, and burst forward toward the Heart of Slaughter.

The white-haired elder cried out in alarm, attempting to stop him, but it was too late.

At this moment, Ye Chen stamped his foot, stepping on the sea of fire as if on level ground. He pierced through layers of magma waves and reached the edge of the Black Flame Lotus Platform. Suddenly, a powerful force struck him from the front. Ye Chen immediately executed the Meteorite Profundity and the De (Virtue) Sword Art from the Thirteen Forms of Xuanyuan, meeting the oncoming force with a cleaving strike!

Whoosh!

The blade light tore through the magma, shattering the immense torrent of energy! Ye Chen’s initial assessment was correct—this energy was akin to ghostly Qi, and the Divine Sword was its natural bane! He immediately reached out, seized the Heart of Slaughter, and swiftly turned to retreat!

"Damn you!" Suddenly, a roar erupted from the very bottom of the magma sea, shaking the fiery expanse until it seemed on the verge of collapse. Ye Chen felt the sound explode right beside his ears, the hairs on his spine standing on end, as if the sea of fire beneath him were a monstrous mouth, ready to swallow him whole at any moment!

He retreated a hundred zhang, landing on the shore, and quickly shouted, "Hurry and leave!"

The white-haired elder offered no argument. Seeing that Ye Chen had secured the Heart of Slaughter, he reached out, snatched Huang Lu and the others from the ground, clamped them under his arms, and bolted away at full speed.

Ye Chen followed close behind, running hard. At this moment, the black energy in his hand suddenly flickered and slipped away, darting to the side like a small black sprite.

Ye Chen froze momentarily, surprised by this sudden turn of events, and quickly gave chase. The white-haired elder, in his haste, spared a glance backward. He instantly saw the floating Heart of Slaughter, and the shock was immense. He stood stunned on the spot, murmuring, "It—it actually developed sentience! How so fast, how so fast..."

Ye Chen, agile, utilized the Soaring Heaven Movement Technique and quickly caught up to the Heart of Slaughter. The moment he gained control, he heard the white-haired elder shout loudly, "It has gained sentience! Before it forms its own core consciousness, quickly find a suitable container and seal it within! Otherwise, you will never control it again!"

Ye Chen paused, slightly bewildered by the reasoning, but there was no time to elaborate. In the distance, there was a loud boom, and two angry dragons formed from the magma charged toward them.

Ye Chen swiftly evaded, dodging everywhere.

The white-haired elder was extremely anxious. Suddenly, a thought struck him. He slapped Huang Lu awake and, before the youth could fully comprehend, spoke sternly, "Hurry and flee with them! Follow the path you came from!" As he spoke, he struck his palm, injecting a surge of profound energy into Huang Lu's body.

Huang Lu felt a warmth spread throughout him. Amidst a blur of confusion, he only heard the white-haired elder’s instructions. He immediately grabbed his companions lying on the ground and sprinted away, vanishing in moments. He knew he could never have run so fast carrying others with his own strength, but supported by the elder's profound energy, he felt as light as a swallow, requiring no effort.

At this moment, the white-haired elder turned around, let out a great shout, and charged toward Ye Chen, his palms striking out repeatedly to dissipate the two fire dragons. He casually threw out a weapon, saying urgently, "If you lack a high-grade weapon, borrow this! Quickly seal the Heart of Slaughter inside! You can gradually upgrade the weapon later; you must never let it develop its own mind, or a thousand years of effort will be wasted in a day!" In his haste, his speech was extremely rapid, completely lacking formal deference, hoping Ye Chen would handle it quickly and allow him to apologize later. However, Ye Chen was not one to focus on worldly etiquette and paid it no mind.

He reached out and caught the longsword passed by the white-haired elder. Looking closely, he recognized it as an extremely powerful divine weapon capable of slaying Rank Nine God-grade monsters in the Xuanyuan World (equivalent to Level 90,000 in the outside world). However, a thought sparked in his mind, bringing to mind the lost Sky Crystal Battle Blade. His eyes lit up—in terms of quality, the Sky Crystal Battle Blade was superior; its sheer weight alone required a Level 10,000 expert to move!

As for wielding it freely, that would require a Level 100,000 expert!

This showed just how powerful the battle blade was; if it hadn't lacked the functionality for the Ghost God Slaying Mode, it would have been no less potent than the main body of the Divine Sword in his hand!

With this realization, he swiftly handed the longsword back to the white-haired elder. "Come this way!"

The white-haired elder was confused but had no time to question it, quickly following. At that moment, the magma churned violently with roars, and jets of magma, compressed hundreds of times, transformed into sharp spikes, shooting toward the two of them.

Ye Chen felt a jolt of alarm inwardly. This prehistoric monster, even sealed, still possessed such might. If fully unleashed, a mere breath might kill him. However, considering this was the great evil beast that forced the Great God Yellow Emperor to sever connections and seal it away, he felt a sense of acceptance.

Whoosh, whoosh...

The fiery red spikes surged toward them.

The white-haired elder roared, his aura surging, charging upward to meet the fiery spikes, causing violent explosions!

Ye Chen watched the explosion site intently. When the firelight slightly dispersed, he saw a hole blasted open and was overjoyed. He immediately leaped forward, rushed through the hole, and found himself in a stretch of hard soil. He quickly swung his weapon, cleaving through the soil, and before long, he spotted a blood-red point—the tip of the Sky Crystal Blade!

Ye Chen rejoiced inwardly, rushed forward, and slammed the Heart of Slaughter in his hand onto the tip of the Sky Crystal Blade, forcibly driving it in with his immense strength.

"Aaaah—" A piercing shriek echoed from the black-energy cloud of the Heart of Slaughter, like the cry of a newborn infant, sharp and grating.

As the Heart of Slaughter merged, the Sky Crystal Battle Blade flashed with black energy across its entire body, then immediately returned to normal, remaining blood-red throughout.

At this moment, an explosion sounded from below. Ye Chen startled and rushed back, seeing several magma dragons locked in a fierce battle with the white-haired elder, who was gradually being pushed back as his weapon could not be fully utilized.

Ye Chen quickly shouted, "Come here!"

The white-haired elder, hearing the call, did not hesitate. He moved, leaving the fire dragons behind, and arrived before Ye Chen. Seeing that the Heart of Slaughter was missing from Ye Chen's grasp, he immediately asked, "Where is the Heart of Slaughter?"

Ye Chen turned and pointed. "It has merged into that battle blade. Take that battle blade and fight!"

The white-haired elder was stunned, then offered a wry smile. "Since we've emerged, we should escape quickly. Fighting this beast is pointless."

Ye Chen agreed, cursing his own foolishness inwardly. The two then turned to leave, but a surge of magma erupted toward them, mixed with a furious voice: "You two humans dare to ruin my plans! My thousand-year scheme, destroyed in a single day! Damn you! Damn you!!"

... : Third update complete