Ye Chen frowned slightly, remaining silent.

The woman glanced at Ye Chen and smiled, "Rest for a while first. We’ll figure something out tomorrow. I’ll go get you something to eat shortly."

Ye Chen’s heart stirred, and he suddenly remembered the Rune Space. He looked up and saw the woman walking into the kitchen, leaving only her back visible. With a thought, he activated the Rune Space.

"Hm?" Ye Chen frowned. "The Rune Space won't open?" He quickly tried again, finding he couldn't connect to that spatial point. His eyes flashed; it must be because of this Black Gold Pyramid, which was actually isolating the outside space.

Just then, the rhythmic sound of a knife chopping on a cutting board echoed, accompanied by the crack of breaking bones. Faintly, through the window, Ye Chen could see the woman slicing meat.

For some reason, a bad premonition surfaced in Ye Chen's heart. He asked, "What are you doing?"

The woman's voice carried a gentle, melodious laughter, "I'm preparing food. I'll let you feast later."

Ye Chen frowned. "Where is the food from?"

The woman smiled sweetly, "Every now and then, a whirlwind sweeps through, bringing in the monsters from outside. I collect them, and that becomes the food."

Ye Chen didn't press further. He merely sensed the Holy Flame Armor within his body, feeling that he could still summon it, which brought him some relief. His Divine Sword and Heaven Crystal Blade were both stored in the Rune Space. Since the space couldn't be opened now, he naturally couldn't access his Divine Sword.

Meanwhile, in the outside world.

In the boundless Black Desolation, the Black Gold Pyramid stood imposing, like a mountain. From the dark abyss, the sound of iron chains echoed, accompanied by mournful beast roars. Soon after, a rustling sound began.

In the infinite darkness, a foot slowly stepped out. Immediately following it, two chains, as thick as ordinary human arms and stained with blood and grime, slid free. The one holding these chains was the Black Armored Man.

Hoo! Hoo!

The Black Armored Man gasped heavily, his hair disheveled, eyes bloodshot, staring venomously at the Pyramid. He snarled, "Damn it! Watch me take your life!"

He moved in a flash, charging out. As he rushed past, countless shadows stirred, as if many monsters were looking up, but upon spotting the Black Armored Man, they lowered their heads again, emitting low whines.

The Black Armored Man hovered in mid-air before the Pyramid. His face contorted, and with a mighty roar, he thrust out a punch, slamming it against the Pyramid. He was confident that the force of this single blow was enough to shatter a great mountain!

However...

Bang!

The Pyramid didn't budge an inch. The bone structure on the Black Armored Man’s fist actually dented slightly, emitting a crisp sound. The recoil force drove him backward for a hundred zhang before he gradually came to a halt.

"How is this possible!" The Black Armored Man stared at the Pyramid in disbelief, his face full of shock. "It can actually withstand my attack! This is absolutely not ordinary metal!" [Provided by Dawn Spirit, first published on Baidu]

He felt a searing pain in his fist, and the resentment in his heart towards Ye Chen deepened. He snarled, "Does he think that just because I can't break it, I can't get in?" With that, he stepped forward, moving right up to the Pyramid. Suddenly, he let out a low roar, his entire body flickering, becoming somewhat ethereal as he entered Ghost God Mode and floated toward the Pyramid.

He pressed his palm against the Pyramid and pushed inward.

"Hm?" The Black Armored Man's expression changed. "Even in Ghost God Mode, I can't penetrate it? How is this possible? Ghost Qi can pierce anything, yet it can't pierce this junk thing?"

He tried several more times, all to no avail. He couldn't help but roar, his eyes turning red, brimming with surging killing intent.

"Hide..."

"I'll let you hide!"

"I'd like to see if you can hide for a day, two days, or if you can hide for ten years, a hundred years? When you finally come out, see if I don't snap your neck and then eat your intestines and drink your blood..."

The chilling voice echoed across the Black Desolation, which then fell into profound silence.

Ye Chen sat cross-legged, meditating, and heard faint tapping sounds outside the iron door. Most likely, those mummies were still gathered there. Fortunately, the iron door was incredibly thick, so he wasn't worried about them smashing it open.

Not long after, the woman emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of dark-looking items. She had a plate for herself as well and smiled at Ye Chen, "Don't just sit there stunned. How can you have the strength to fight if you don't eat something?"

Ye Chen naturally understood this logic, but he remained motionless, saying coldly, "I have no appetite."

The woman’s delicate brows furrowed, and she rested her small chin in her hand. "Is that so? Then what should we do?"

Ye Chen ignored her, remaining silent.

The woman didn't seem to expect an answer. She suddenly clapped her hands and chuckled, "Then you should go lie down for a while."

Ye Chen closed his eyes, cultivating his spirit.

Not long after, he suddenly heard light footsteps approaching, followed by a soft rustling sound. Before Ye Chen could open his eyes, he suddenly felt a soft, delicate body settle into his embrace, warm like a piece of fine jade.

"Shall I keep you company?" A soft, sweet voice sounded from within his arms, tinged with a degree of tenderness.

Ye Chen frowned, raising his eyes to look. He saw that the woman, at some unknown point, had already stripped off her clothes and was leaning against him. Her emerald-green eyes held a seductive, alluring gleam. Her hands were roaming over her body, undoing the rest of her garments, while she let out soft, panting moans.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. "Get away!"

The woman lifted her head, her delicate eyebrows slightly knitted in a look of slight melancholy. "Hold me..."

Ye Chen's expression remained cold. He pushed her hand away, stood up, and said with a hint of chill, "Don't force me."

The woman bit her lip slightly and embraced him tightly from behind, her two soft hands caressing Ye Chen's chest with a hint of disappointment. She whispered, "Am I not good-looking?"

Ye Chen remained silent. He broke her grip, walked to the iron door, and said in a deep voice, "Considering you opened the door for me, I won't kill you. Don't push me further!"

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Is that so?" The woman's voice slowly returned, devoid of its former softness, now carrying a sharp, icy edge. "I intended to have some pleasure with you before letting you die comfortably. Since you insist on this, I suppose I'll have to let you 'sleep' first before I slowly enjoy myself..."

Ye Chen’s brow furrowed. He turned to look and saw that the gentle look in the woman's eyes had vanished, and her appearance had changed dramatically. From the corners of her mouth, a pair of ferocious fangs emerged, and her eyes were filled with bloodlust and avarice.

"Are you finally making your move?" Ye Chen asked calmly.

A vicious light flashed in the woman's eyes. "How did you know I was going to make a move?"

Ye Chen stared at her. "Actually, you are also a mummy, but you possess intelligence, whereas those mummy puppets lack it."

The woman fell silent for a moment, then said sinisterly, "How do you know? Did you see the human corpses I was preparing for you to eat? Or perhaps my attempts to keep you here made you suspicious?"

Ye Chen was silent for a long time. "From the moment I entered, I found your existence strange. Judging by the history of the Xifiel civilization's demise, the passage of time has been immense. Even if one year outside equals only one day here, that's still a very long period. Therefore, I guessed long ago that you are likely another mummy puppet, just one that retained its intelligence and energy."

The woman frowned slightly and coldly snorted, "It's all in the past, so why discuss it? Since you know, then listen to me: stay and keep me company, or die!"

Ye Chen glanced at her. "Make your move!"

Swish!

The woman moved like a streak of light, charging over with extreme speed. Even the Black Armored Man, who was in the Demigod Realm, would feel ashamed witnessing such velocity here.

Just as the woman’s sharp fingernails were about to pierce Ye Chen’s brain, the previously still Ye Chen flickered and vanished. He reappeared standing behind the woman.

"What?" The woman’s expression changed drastically. She turned in shock only to see Ye Chen standing calmly behind her. A single horn had somehow sprouted on his head, and his entire body was emanating a milky white light. Moments later, an exquisite white-gold armor coalesced over his entire frame.

"Die," Ye Chen showed no hesitation. In his Lightning Superman Mode, he flashed backward, creating some distance. Then, planting his foot on the ground, he rocketed forward.

His fist clenched!

Ching!

Even with the woman's retinal reflex speed, she only saw Ye Chen's silhouette flash, and her body felt as if it were being torn apart. An unprecedented agony spread from her chest...

The woman looked down and saw a large hole ripped open in her chest. No blood flowed out, only some pale white flesh slowly writhing within.

Seeing this flesh, a hint of bitterness seemed to surface deep within the woman's eyes. She raised her head to look at Ye Chen standing before her. The fangs at the corners of her mouth slowly retracted, and her expression returned to normal. She said hoarsely, "I didn't expect you still had this level of combat power unreleased. I underestimated you. Well, compared to endless years of loneliness, death is better. Hahaha..." Her laughter was wild yet sorrowful.

Her body slowly tilted backward, falling.

Ye Chen reached out, grasping her waist, and gently set her down on the ground.

A glimmer of vitality appeared in the woman's eyes. She whispered, "You... why..."

Ye Chen looked at the dying woman, remaining silent for a moment. "Were the things you said true or false?"

The light in the woman's eyes quickly vanished, dimming, just as her heart sank. She let out a low, bitter laugh, and after a long pause, sighed heavily, "It was all true."

Ye Chen fell silent.

The woman gazed at him slightly, and after a moment, whispered, "Can you grant me one request?"

Ye Chen nodded. "Yes, I can!"

The woman managed a slight, wry smile. "You didn't even hear what the request was, and you agreed?"

Ye Chen remained silent for a moment before replying, "As long as I can manage it, anything is fine!"

The woman sighed softly. "Well, even though I don't know if you can succeed, seeing your intention, I will tell you: actually, there is a way to enter the next level. However, that method is too remote; it's practically nonexistent..."

Ye Chen's eyes lit up. "What method?"

The woman whispered, "If the blood of a god stains the Holy Artifact, one can claim ownership of it and thus activate the artifact’s true power to suppress those three puppets. However, gods are extremely noble... forcing a god to bleed is even more impossible..."