The Island Master of Tiangong spent half a day chiseling, digging nearly a hundred zhang into the ice, only to find the surface remained stark white, the top nowhere in sight, causing him to gasp in astonishment.
Ye Chen pondered briefly, then took a step forward, channeling the immense Fire elemental power within his body to form the handle of the Yanshen Hammer, driving it straight into the depths. In an instant, the entire sky turned blood-red as flames like clouds surged inward, the scorching temperature causing the faces of those with weaker constitutions below to sting with pain.
Swish! Swish!
A large sheet of ice melted, cascading down as trickling seawater, thoroughly soaking many people's clothing.
Ye Chen swung the Yanshen Hammer and charged upward. With his current peak Tenth Stage Strength User power, the might of the Yanshen Hammer was exponentially amplified. Furthermore, synchronized with his advancement in state of mind—after immersing himself in cultivation within the base city recently—he had now gained comprehension of the second tier of the Yanshen Hammer and the first tier of the Youyan Shield.
The higher one's state of mind, the faster the pace of comprehending cultivation techniques.
Many individuals possessing a Chizi Zhixin (Childlike Heart) could master an esoteric technique with only the slightest guidance.
The force in Ye Chen’s arms surged dramatically. The originally hundred-zhang-tall Yanshen Hammer slowly increased in scale, countless mystic patterns drifting forth to coalesce into a single hammer shaft, faintly displaying an aura of grim finality.
As the second tier of the Yanshen Hammer manifested, the ambient temperature skyrocketed again, melting the ice in that area. With each resounding blow, massive chunks of ice were smashed apart, tumbling down.
“I’ll help!”
“Watch me!”
The Island Master of Ziyun, the white-robed elder, the purple-robed elder, and others shouted in unison, joining the fray. They unleashed their elemental power, forming hundreds of swirling blades and swords that flayed the ice into fine shards. Before long, they had bored a thousand-zhang ice cave. Along the way, they encountered a frozen Flood Dragon Beast; once the ice melted away, the beast sprang back to life, but before it could celebrate, it was struck down by the combined efforts of the group.
“How is it this thick?” The Island Master of Tiangong looked up, still confronted by an unbroken expanse of snow and ice.
Ye Chen’s expression grew thoughtful for a moment. “We probably need to dig another two thousand zhang or so. Everyone, keep up the effort.” The hardness of the ice was extraordinary; even a robust man armed with a steel blade could only score a few shallow lines upon its surface.
After half a day of relentless digging, everyone was drenched in sweat, their elemental energy severely depleted. However, thanks to the Qiyuan Replenishing Pills Ye Chen distributed, they quickly recovered their strength and resumed work.
As for Ye Chen himself, the Yuanling Grass served as his elemental reservoir. Over the past five months, he had continuously channeled the elemental energy absorbed daily into it, making the grass extremely full. He was in no danger of exhausting his power; it was sufficient to replenish him more than ten times over.
After ten more minutes of excavation, the group finally punched through the ice layer together. As the last sheet of ice overhead shattered, a gust of icy wind swept through, blowing away the residual warmth surrounding them, leaving behind a sensation of intense, comfortable coolness—ordinary people would have been frozen solid instantly.
Ye Chen moved, leaping upward. His soles settled onto the slick ice, gripping as firmly as nails driven into the ground. He raised his eyes to survey his surroundings: nothing but a vast panorama of white snow, the entire world a pristine landscape of ice and snow.
Ye Chen looked up at the sky and noted that the atmosphere was remarkably close. Through the gaps in the clouds of the atmospheric layer, he could glimpse the vast expanse of the starry heavens, even discerning the craters on the surface of the moon.
The Island Master of Ziyun and the others flew up to join him. After scanning the surroundings, they exclaimed in awe, “This great flood truly reached a staggering height—it must be thousands of zhang deep!”
Ye Chen nodded slightly. According to the records from his previous life, even Mount Everest had been submerged; that alone spoke volumes!
Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then summoned Xu Tianguo, giving him specific instructions to lead a contingent of military elites up to procure water and food supplies.
In the Ice Age, only true powerhouses could survive.
The weak would either freeze to death or starve. Although the ice contained frozen monsters, without sufficient physical constitution, how could one even begin to excavate?
The hardness of the ice was only slightly less than that of steel. To bore out a monster frozen dozens of meters deep in the frigid, icy wasteland armed only with a steel blade, one would likely freeze solid before making significant progress!
In his past life, Ye Chen was merely an insignificant figure during this period, deeply understanding that helplessness. With no one to help, in that cold world, one could only rely on oneself, using a metal blade to search for sustenance—and occasionally encountering members of other factions for skirmishes, where failure meant becoming the food source!
Ye Chen sighed inwardly and strode forward. Clad in a white silk robe, the bitter cold wind had stiffened the fabric, stripping it of its softness; a slight touch would cause it to tear.
Ye Chen had no choice but to summon the Sheng Yan (Sacred Flame) Armor Set. He was instantly encased in magnificent, exquisite platinum armor that rendered all icy winds completely impotent. Given his current physical condition, he barely registered the temperature, so he paid it no mind.
After walking a short distance, Ye Chen noticed dark shapes embedded within the ice beneath his feet—they were unmistakably frozen monsters. At a glance, the ground appeared littered with congealed creatures!
Ye Chen’s eyes brightened slightly. Having arduously survived the Great Flood period, the time for harvest had finally arrived. As long as manpower was sufficient, they could excavate on a grand scale, hunting the monsters within, freely gathering resources!
In the Ice Age, the strong survived!
In the Volcanic Age, all things perished!
Ye Chen instructed the high-ranking officials of the base city behind him to relay a message to Xu Tianguo: lead the elite members of the base city up and utilize cannons and other weaponry to excavate the frozen monsters within.
At the entrance of the ruin where Ye Chen and the others had broken through, numerous iron ladders were quickly secured, anchored into the ice. Many warriors from the base city climbed upward along the ladders, following instructions from above to search the surrounding areas and begin carving out the ice.
During the period they were sealed within the ruins, everyone had been starved nearly to death, eating only meager amounts daily, their survival uncertain. Now, upon seeing the frozen monsters beneath the ice, their eyes shone with longing, practically itching to climb down and lick them.
Ye Chen directed the Island Master of Ziyun and others to assist the base city operations while he slipped away alone, heading toward the Shanghai region. If his memory served, approximately 300 kilometers along the coastal area of Shanghai lay the location of the gate to the Ancient World!
“In this era, that gate should have manifested by now.”
Ye Chen pondered this, accelerating his speed. The cold wind howled past his ears; below, the ice stretched endlessly, sometimes undulating in wave-like patterns, containing all manner of vividly frozen monsters.
“At this time, some areas in Antarctica should not yet be completely frozen over. Many kings of the seas are leading their monster subordinates to migrate there; that place will become the future main base for the sea monsters. Unfortunately, during the Volcanic Age, global tectonic plates realigned, humans migrated into the ruins or the Ancient World, and the monsters, having gained rudimentary intelligence, also migrated into ruins or were ushered into the Dark Dimension.”
Ye Chen mused as he gradually flew toward the Shanghai area. Gazing into the distance, at the edge of the icy expanse, a tiny black speck stood starkly against the world, remarkably conspicuous in this snow-covered realm!
Ye Chen flew closer. Even having seen it once in his previous life, he felt a surge of awe upon witnessing it now.
It was a massive gate, entirely black, towering a thousand zhang high, standing sentinel in the center of the ice. The gate was adorned with carved images of dozens of monstrous species, possessing an air of overwhelming majesty.
Ye Chen landed beneath the Gate of the Ancient World and looked up. A wave of ancient, profound aura washed over him, as if the gate possessed emotions, conveying a feeling of profound loneliness.
Ye Chen stared intently, then spotted a gigantic handprint etched into the center of the black gate. This palm print was roughly a hundred zhang in size, carrying a sharp, killing intent that had visibly dented the entire structure.
Ye Chen moved, flying to the handprint. After a moment of contemplation, he reached out and pressed his hand into the center of the immense mark. Immediately, a strange sensation coursed through his body, which then receded like a tide, followed by a powerful shockwave that forced Ye Chen back.
“As expected,” Ye Chen gave a faint, wry smile. “Without reaching the Ghost God Realm, this gate cannot be opened.”
After scrutinizing the structure for a while longer, Ye Chen departed from the Gate of the Ancient World. No one knew its origin. Based on his experience in the past life, Ye Chen only knew that after the Ice Age, the Gate of the Ancient World would spontaneously appear, awaiting a Ghost God Realm powerhouse to unlock it!
If no one opened it, the gate would remain there forever.
When Ye Chen returned to the Guangming Base City, Xu Tianguo had already mobilized a large contingent, carving away the surrounding ice and transporting the frozen monsters back to the city.
Some monsters, upon being freed from the ice, struggled loose and attempted to flee but were swiftly captured and killed by the Island Master of Ziyun and the others!
“The Huaxia Base City and Toswassin have also received the news and are currently excavating,” Xu Tianguo reported.
Ye Chen nodded slightly. “Mobilize the personnel from the base city. We need to gather as much as possible during this window of opportunity.” “Yes!” Xu Tianguo replied with a broad smile.
At this time, not only in the China region but globally, many individuals who had taken refuge in ruins detected the unusual activity outside and emerged to frantically excavate through the snow and ice.
Of the more than 300,000 ordinary citizens in the Guangming Base City, seventy to eighty thousand had starved to death during the previous period, unable to hold on until this moment. The remaining few, close to starvation, looked upon the current scene with tears streaming down their faces, secretly thankful they had managed to survive a few more days. In the North Sea region, amidst a stark, icy landscape, a piercing, howling wind swept past.
Suddenly, a black hole with a diameter of three zhang materialized out of thin air. From the swirling wind, a green hand reached out from the void, slowly followed by a man two zhang tall. He possessed a massive frame, entirely clad in black armor. His hands resembled those of a frog, with webbing between the digits. His face bore several unsightly black protrusions, and two dark horns crowned his head!
The black-armored man stood upon the ice, radiating an imposing, heaven-supporting aura. He looked around with contemptuous eyes, radiating waves of intense killing intent. “Qing’er, Uncle has arrived. I will absolutely make the murderer who killed you pay tenfold!!!” His voice betrayed barely concealed, surging rage.
He surveyed his surroundings for a moment, then shot westward, his body moving like a cannonball, swift as lightning, traversing an immense distance in the blink of an eye.