Murong Xue noticed the Purple Cloud Island Master and the white-robed elder behind Ye Chen. She observed that while they appeared human externally, their scale was immense; each stood at least ten feet tall, with the Purple Cloud Island Master being particularly imposing and majestic, nearly four meters high, like a veritable giant.

A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes. "Who are these?" Ye Chen replied, "Friends from the ancient era."

Hearing this, the others grew even more astonished, their gazes subtly sweeping over the Purple Cloud Island Master. Finally, Murong Xue, maintaining the composure of a high-born lady, addressed the group, "Let us proceed to the main hall first." Thus, Ye Chen led the Purple Cloud Island Master, the white-robed elder, and the other High God-rank powerhouses forward, while the rest followed in their flying craft, descending onto the plaza before a grand temple in the city's center.

Many Xuan-Yuan Clan members emerged from the aircraft, gazing around in wonder at the futuristic architectural styles and the majestic, ancient Greek-like palaces—sights utterly foreign to them.

Among them, Huang Feng, Zi Wan, Huang Jian, and others watched everything with palpable amazement.

"Is this Ye Chen's hometown?" "The buildings are so strange; so many people." "Look, there are metal men too!"

The group surveyed their surroundings, faces filled with curiosity.

By this time, Ye Chen and the main group had entered the temple. Murong Xue looked at the Purple Cloud Island Master and the others, a deep apprehension welling up. From these figures, she sensed an oppressive aura, as immense and unfathomable as Mount Tai. Her respect for Ye Chen soared; she could not fathom where he had managed to find such a formidable assembly of individuals!

"How have things been on Earth recently?" Ye Chen asked casually, finding an empty chair and sitting down without ceremony.

A shade of melancholy crossed Murong Xue's eyes. "Since you left, everyone retreated into the Ruins. Not long after, a massive horde of monsters gathered outside, completely surrounding the Ruin Zone, trapping us inside. After several fierce battles, both sides suffered heavy losses. However, the monsters vastly outnumbered us; for every portion we eliminated, countless more appeared—they were inexhaustible!" A trace of lingering terror surfaced in her expression, as if she were reliving those dreadful moments. "At that point, everyone had to give up hope and seal the Ruin entrance, remaining inside. But as time dragged on, the stored food and water dwindled drastically. In a few more months, we would run out of provisions and be forced to charge out and fight for survival." Ye Chen listened silently, his brow slowly knitting together. Murong Xue glanced at him. "Why were you able to enter from the outside?"

Ye Chen responded, "Those outside monsters have been subdued. However, the leader behind this should arrive soon; we will deal with him then." Hearing this, everyone in the hall gasped in shock. Bing Yun asked disbelievingly, "You even subdued that Eight-Winged Black Scale Flood Dragon?" Ye Chen nodded.

Bing Yun stood frozen for a long moment, then slapped her thigh enthusiastically. "Truly worthy of the man I have chosen! As expected, you are formidable!" Ye Chen paused, then shot her a look that was half exasperation, half resignation, acknowledging the assertive nature of this powerful woman. He quickly changed the subject, turning to Murong Xue. "What is the status of the Brightness Base City?"

Murong Xue looked surprised. "You haven't gone to Brightness Base City yet?" Ye Chen explained, "I heard there was a crisis here, so I rushed over first." Murong Xue understood instantly, then studied him with renewed intensity, whispering softly, "Brightness Base City has taken refuge in one of the Ruins and is temporarily safe. Because they hid early, the monster leader is unaware of their presence, so it hasn't stationed a large contingent of monsters there, allowing them to sneak out occasionally to hunt and scavenge for supplies." Ye Chen nodded, relieved.

"In these recent days, one of the three monsters that chased you has returned. It has recruited many others and has virtually unified the land monsters in the China region! These creatures are dispersed across the cities, carving out territories and establishing monster empires. With disciplined guidance, their overall strength has multiplied several times over!"

Murong Xue looked deeply worried. "According to Mr. Xu Tianguo, the acting president of Brightness Base City, the Russian region is also heavily occupied by monsters. Fortunately, they were prepared and didn't suffer major troop losses, having retreated into their Ruin Spaces. However, hiding is not a long-term solution; without food supply, they will eventually starve to death." Ye Chen nodded slightly. "Are you concerned that if this continues, humanity will lose its foothold on Earth? Given the monsters' rate of reproduction and expansion, they will inevitably dominate the planet. Humanity will become monster food, or slaves."

Murong Xue met his gaze and affirmed, "Precisely."

Ye Chen waved a dismissive hand. "There's no need to worry about that. Once this current crisis is resolved, you should start acquiring more grain. The recent climate shifts on Earth have been somewhat abnormal; natural disasters might erupt soon. Prepare in advance, or you'll find yourselves in dire straits again the next time something like this happens." Murong Xue offered a wry smile and nodded. "Natural disasters would be manageable; I fear another emergence of prehistoric monsters." Ye Chen said no more, having made his point.

Natural disasters were manageable?

Wait until the Ice Age arrived; then they would truly understand terror...

He chose not to elaborate. After all, he wasn't a scientist, and the credibility of his predictions was questionable. Furthermore, he had no plausible explanation if pressed on how he knew these things—he couldn't exactly reveal his secrets. Downstairs, Ye Chen settled into the Atlantis Ruin to wait quietly.

He instructed Murong Xue to arrange lodging for the Purple Cloud Island Master and his company, while he found a solitary building, closed the door, activated his Rune Space, and retrieved the flesh-ball refined from the alluring woman, enveloping it with his Devouring Power for meticulous refinement.

Having activated Superman Mode twice today, the attack from the winged man would commence in a few hours. He needed to boost his core strength before then to stand a chance against him!

Although his current level was only 5300, with the Meteorite Esoterica and Stellar Esoterica, his attack and defense power doubled, allowing him to barely contend with a Ghost God Realm expert!

As for the power of a Stellar Explosion, he hadn't mastered it yet and couldn't deploy it.

A crimson flesh-ball floated out of the craft, about the size of a soccer ball, landing in Ye Chen's hand. Its exterior was smooth as jade, and waves of pure energy flowed from his grasp into his body, causing his entire aura to surge, akin to drinking sweet celestial dew—a profoundly marvelous sensation.

While refining the alluring woman's body, Ye Chen noticed the Sky Crystal Battle Blade within the Rune Point Space. Its blood-red blade was surrounded by a layer of black miasma. Ye Chen focused his gaze for a moment, only to feel an intensely malevolent force rush toward him from the blade, churning his stomach and causing dizziness.

Ye Chen quickly averted his eyes, his expression turning grave. If this blade could shake his mental state, an ordinary person seeing it would undoubtedly be mesmerized and turn into a Blade Slave!

"I wonder how the battle blade has changed after integrating the Heart of Slaughter. Pity I haven't reached the required power level to use it," Ye Chen frowned, sighing internally.

He gathered his focus and began to fully absorb the alluring woman's physical form.

Time crept by slowly.

Ye Chen's internal aura grew continuously stronger, climbing from the early stage to the late stage of Qi Master Seventh Tier, and still rising, while he had only refined one-quarter of the alluring woman's flesh in his hand.

Outside the Ruin.

In the deserted original site of the Huaxia Base City, endless hordes of monsters milled around, yet none dared approach. After a short while, several ferocious roars echoed from the rear of the monster army.

Hearing these bellows, the surrounding monsters shuddered and parted, creating a narrow path.

A winged man flew over, followed by several flood dragons and a white-striped Vulture Tiger standing a hundred feet tall. He arrived at the former site of the Huaxia Base City.

The winged man glanced at the black hole suspended mid-air with a cold, arrogant glint in his eyes. "Gather all the armies! Charge in!"

One of the flood dragons behind him howled, and the previously silent monster army rioted, forming organized combat units. Among the Beast races, the Insectoids possessed the most advanced knowledge of warfare, especially regarding formations and tactical shifts, which they could easily execute; most Insectoids were practically innate combat experts!

These Insectoid legions were commanded by two Insectoid Warriors, while the Insectoid Nests were usually kept deep within their lairs, consuming monster corpses to produce new Insectoid monsters and strengthen the race.

Just as the entire monster army prepared to attack, several sonic booms echoed from the black hole at the Ruin entrance. Immediately after, thousands of figures floated out, manifesting as a vast, impressive formation suspended in the sky.

These thousand figures were all Xuan-Yuan Clan members.

The King-grade powerhouses, whose power was limited to Level 100 in the Divine Tomb, could barely manage aerial flight; however, on Earth, they were all Thousand-level experts!

A total of 1,500 King-grade warriors!

Nine God-rank powerhouses!

They arrayed themselves across the entire battlefield, looking down upon the masses. Their imposing aura instantly suppressed many of the surrounding monsters, causing the winged man to pause in his advance.

Swish! Whoosh!

Bing Yun, Murong Xue, Hua Bu Luo, and others, leading about two hundred Level 100 experts, flew out. They stared in stunned silence at the sheer number of the Xuan-Yuan Clan. They had expected the white-robed elder and the others to be extremely strong, but they never imagined that their numerous subordinates could also maintain sustained flight!

Fifteen hundred Level 100 experts?

Everyone exchanged glances. It seemed no base city across the globe had achieved such a military strength. Any base city without a Superman-level expert would be utterly slaughtered by this force!

As everyone reeled from the shock of the Xuan-Yuan Clan's might, the white-robed elder stepped forward, his divine majesty radiating. He glared at the winged man and commanded, "My Clan Leader gives you two choices: First, suicide; second, surrender. Choose quickly!" The winged man’s brow furrowed, and he sneered, "Talking nonsense! I will show you that in the face of true power, mere numbers are trash!" Saying this, his body floated up, entering Ghost God Mode, and he charged toward the white-robed elder and his group!

The white-robed elder's expression turned icy. Recalling Ye Chen's instructions, he ordered those beside him, including the Purple Cloud Island Master, "You lead the clansmen to eliminate those monsters. Any who resist shall be killed without mercy! Remember, our primary task is to buy time; the Clan Leader will arrive shortly."

The Purple Cloud Island Master nodded in assent. With a swift motion, he led the King-grade powerhouses toward the several flood dragons. His figure blurred, leaving an afterimage that tore through the void, shattering the gale, and directly smashed the head of the foremost flood dragon into pieces!