With a muffled roar, a torrent of raging magma erupted from the cavern, carrying with it a mysterious power that hurled Ye Chen and the white-haired elder several feet away. The magma then swiftly retracted, coalescing into a fist of black flame that instantly enveloped them both.

The white-haired elder’s face flushed crimson, and he swung his arms, unleashing waves of immense energy to wrestle with the Black Flame Fist. Ye Chen felt as if his body was splitting open; had he not possessed the Burning Origin Point, which rendered him immune to all flames, the sheer temperature of this black blaze would have incinerated his body, which had yet to reach the Divine Grade.

“You two!” the violent voice hissed, icy cold. “A thousand years ago, I painstakingly tricked the Second Generation Patriarch into forging the Heart of Slaughter as my second incarnation. Today, its birth anniversary, you dare to take it! Unforgivable! Unforgivable!!!”

As the roar concluded, the Black Flame Fist violently contracted, then exploded outward. Ye Chen gasped in shock and hurriedly mobilized all his strength to resist. A thin layer of sacred light suddenly manifested over him, resembling ethereal armor, faintly visible. Ye Chen stared intently, stunned—this sacred light faintly resembled the Light Set!

Back in the civilization of Atlantis, Ye Chen had acquired the method to forge this armor. Every monster he slaughtered had its body refined and used as material. After this long period, across the Light Base City, the Russian Base City, and the Huaxia Base City, he had slain hundreds upon hundreds of monsters.

Through so many creatures, the first part of the Light Armor had finally taken shape, though it remained incomplete. Ye Chen couldn't usually activate it, as the refinement schematics indicated it still required the body of a Ghost God Realm expert!

Unexpectedly, at this moment of crisis, his potential was spurred, summoning the not-yet-fully-formed Light Armor.

At this instant, this thin layer of sacred light enveloped Ye Chen, yet it was constantly battered by the shockwave of the Black Flame self-detonation. It shook violently before finally exploding with a sharp “bang,” shattering into tiny fragments that vanished.

Ye Chen’s body and spirit jolted; he felt the Light Armor within him significantly weakened. It would likely require slaughtering another hundred thousand lives to recover!

There was no time to mourn the loss. The remaining shockwave surged forward, slamming into the Black Feather Armor. Ye Chen fully deployed the Stellar Esoterica, constantly diverting the attack's force. Even so, the Black Feather Armor couldn't withstand it and ripped apart!

After being resisted by two layers of armor, only a tenth of the residual shockwave remained, striking Ye Chen. It shattered seven of his ribs, burst his entire skeletal structure, pierced his skin, leaving him drenched in blood.

The white-haired elder beside him, being a Ninth-Tier Divine Grade expert, possessed both extremely powerful outer and inner armors. He sustained minimal damage; after all, the Black Flame Fist had condensed less than one-thousandth of the prehistoric demon’s power, which was insufficient to slay a ninety-thousand-level expert!

The two were blasted away. The white-haired elder, still shaken, grabbed Ye Chen’s arm while securing the Sky Crystal War Blade with his other hand. They charged into the sea, and soon emerged from the volcano, hovering over the ocean expanse.

The white-haired elder glanced at Ye Chen. They couldn't speak underwater, but both possessed powerful minds; a single look conveyed their thoughts. The elder projected his query mentally: "Are you alright?"

Ye Chen's face was ghastly pale and contorted in pain. Every bone in his body felt pulverized, assaulted by throbbing agony. Had his will not been unwavering, he would have fainted long ago from the pain. Fortunately, the two layers of armor had buffered the impact; otherwise, he would surely be dead!

Ye Chen projected back, “Let’s leave this place.” His hand moved, opening the Rune Space, signaling the white-haired elder to toss the Sky Crystal War Blade inside.

The white-haired elder gave the black hole a curious look but asked no questions. After dropping the heavy Sky Crystal War Blade in, he took Ye Chen and surged upward, treading on the water surface toward the top.

Ye Chen watched the receding volcano below, recalling the perilous battle just concluded. He frowned slightly, thinking no more of it; he had survived too many deadly encounters for this one to be considered significant. He allowed the elder to pull him, closing his eyes and focusing all his energy on mending his internal injuries. This inspection startled him: 80% of his meridians were severed, and of his eight ribs, only one remained intact; the other seven were shattered into pieces, piercing his internal organs and lodging between his stomach and esophagus—a gruesome sight.

“So close!” Ye Chen sighed with relief that his heart was untouched. A sharpened, broken bone fragment was lodged in the intestinal wall, just half a centimeter from his heart. Had it deviated slightly, his life would have ended.

With his meridians shattered and bones broken, the slightest movement sent a searing pain through all his injured meridians, almost unbearable.

Just then—Roar!

The surrounding seawater suddenly surged violently, sweeping over them. The water pressure nearly crushed Ye Chen’s body. The intense pain caused cold sweat to bead on his forehead, his tightly clenched teeth trembling. Shattered by the Hand of the God of Dawn, he forced his eyes open and saw a massive dark shape swimming rapidly toward them from a distance. It spanned a hundred feet, and its silhouette resembled a Tiger-Toothed Shark!

“Not good!” the white-haired elder’s expression changed. “This sea beast must have smelled your blood. It’s a Seventh-Tier Divine Grade monster, and being in the ocean, it will be difficult for me to fight it at full strength…”

Ye Chen’s mouth felt bitter. Although the white-haired elder was Ninth-Tier Divine Grade, his power was completely suppressed in the sea—just like this sea beast; if it were on land, even a Fourth or Third-Tier Divine expert could kill it! As the elder’s face darkened, the current intensified nearby, and several strangely shaped vicious beasts rushed in—some resembling land tigers covered in tentacles, others serpentine with razor-sharp teeth.

These beasts were drawn by the blood scent emanating from Ye Chen. Before them, Ye Chen and the elder were like two sesame seeds. The beasts noticed each other first, glaring angrily. The foremost Tiger-Toothed Shark roared, sending waves of sound expanding through the water, buffeting Ye Chen’s body and causing him excruciating pain, nearly killing him several times.

This sound wave was primarily aimed at the other beasts. These sea creatures were inherently brutal and not easily intimidated; they immediately began fighting amongst themselves, churning the sea into chaos, causing violent currents to crash into Ye Chen, bringing a sense of suffocation. While the beasts fought over Ye Chen and the elder, a colossal entity descended from directly above them. Spanning a thousand feet, it was the Thousand-Foot Crocodile. Its metallic, gleaming eyes spotted Ye Chen, and its body trembled slightly, instinctively preparing to retreat and flee. However, upon seeing the other monsters nearby, a flash of ferocity crossed its eyes, and it charged toward them.

These other monsters were no match for the Thousand-Foot Crocodile. Seeing it arrive, they shrieked and fled. The Tiger-Toothed Shark was slower to escape; its hundred-foot body was enveloped in the jaws of the thousand-foot brute, crushed into a bloody mist, instantly perishing!

The white-haired elder paused for a moment, then felt a surge of joy. He quickly pulled Ye Chen and seized the opportunity to flee. Unexpectedly, the Thousand-Foot Crocodile suddenly charged over, swam beneath the two, and began carrying them upward.

The white-haired elder was taken aback, then his expression grew strange. He projected to Ye Chen: “This Thousand-Foot Crocodile seems terrified of you. Is it helping us?”

Ye Chen frowned slightly and pondered for a moment, projecting back: “Be ready to flee with me. This vile beast is most likely testing me. It will soon realize my weakened state, and it will surely devour us then.”

The white-haired elder shivered slightly, a chill running down his spine. He thought Ye Chen was right; a beast is ultimately a beast, its nature unchanged. He immediately gripped Ye Chen’s body, ready to bolt the moment the Thousand-Foot Crocodile showed any aggressive movement.

After ascending about a hundred miles, the Thousand-Foot Crocodile indeed did as Ye Chen predicted. It suddenly gaped its mouth and unexpectedly lunged to swallow them both. Fortunately, the white-haired elder was prepared, sweeping Ye Chen away as they dodged, diving into the rocky outcroppings below.

The Thousand-Foot Crocodile was instantly enraged, emitting a piercing screech. Not long after, numerous smaller crocodiles, ranging from ten to a hundred feet in size, swarmed in—dozens of thousands, spreading out beneath the massive crocodile.

Seeing this scene, Ye Chen and the elder’s hearts turned cold.

Ye Chen quickly opened the Rune Space, bringing the white-haired elder inside to take refuge. He then sat cross-legged, resuming the repair of his injuries. A day later, his wounds had recovered significantly; the lacerations had scabbed over and stopped bleeding.

Ye Chen instructed the white-haired elder to remain in the Rune Space while he left alone, activating the Lightning Superman mode, traversing the sea like a watery arrow, swift as lightning.

After a short distance, he encountered the Thousand-Foot Crocodile again. The beast was overjoyed and charged at him excitedly.

Ye Chen’s eyes were icy. He charged forward without hesitation, and the two collided violently.

Ye Chen’s body shuddered, recoiling several feet. In the water, his speed could only utilize one-tenth of its potential; he couldn't exert his full strength. The Thousand-Foot Crocodile was shaken by the impact, feeling a sense of horror and confusion—why was the person they had been pursuing suddenly displaying such overwhelming combat power?

Ye Chen offered no explanation. He swiftly leaped onto the head of the Thousand-Foot Crocodile, nimble despite his condition. Once steady, he deactivated the Lightning Superman mode and entered the Ant Superman state, his strength surging. He brought his fist down in a devastating blow!

Bang! The power, meant for the ten-thousand level, was halved by the water resistance. Even so, it stunned the Thousand-Foot Crocodile, causing its skull to cave inward.

Ye Chen snatched a scale and tore at it. The intense pain shocked the Thousand-Foot Crocodile back to its senses. Recalling Ye Chen’s previous ferocious power, it was seized by fear, like a nightmare descending. It howled and thrashed about the seabed, fleeing in all directions.

Ye Chen recalled the technique of riding a horse, so he pulled the scale upward. The Thousand-Foot Crocodile understood immediately and charged toward the surface. Soon, it broke through the water—Shattering the sea surface by the Hand of the God of Dawn—and emerged onto the sea above Dragon Emperor Island.

Ye Chen’s Superman modes had expired midway through, unnoticed by the Thousand-Foot Crocodile. Once they reached the surface, Ye Chen moved his body, forcefully channeling energy to support himself, and lunged toward the island. The moment his feet touched the ground, his body swayed, his vision went black, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

With his severely wounded body, activating the Superman modes twice had caused his injuries to relapse. He simply couldn't endure any more.