Right before Ye Chen's eyes, only three inches away, a blood-soaked, disheveled specter's face, wearing a sinister grin, stared at him, its eyes gleaming with avarice and ferocity.

Ye Chen had not anticipated waking up to such a horrific sight. He was greatly startled, yet quickly regained his composure, sizing up the figure without betraying a hint of his thoughts. In a low voice, he asked, "Who are you?"

"Jie jie..." A jarring, unpleasant laugh echoed from the spectral face, grating on the ears. It hissed, "Little brother, I never expected you to actually pass those puppets and arrive here. Jie jie, look what you hold—the Seal of the Stars! Boy, hand that thing over, and I might spare your life!"

Ye Chen's gaze sharpened, his expression suddenly settling into calm indifference as he sneered, "Do you really want it?"

The long-haired man chuckled, "Smart kid. Hand it over quickly." Ye Chen moved his arm slightly, feeling a faint tingling sensation. Thankfully, the Seal of the Stars in his hand remained intact, unsmashed, still emitting a soft, verdant radiance, extraordinarily beautiful. However, as this jade light washed over the face of the long-haired man—all blood and gore—it appeared eerily sinister and terrifying.

Ye Chen took the opportunity to glance around, realizing the surroundings were pitch black, vast, and utterly unknowable. Aside from the light emanating from the Seal of the Stars in his hand, everything else seemed like a bottomless abyss, a place where one could not see their own hand before their face. He sat up and extended the Seal of the Stars toward the long-haired man, saying meaningfully, "Take it!"

The long-haired man recoiled, glancing at the Seal of the Stars with sudden alarm, then frowned slightly at Ye Chen in annoyance. "Toss it away! This broken rock is just getting in the way. I can't be bothered to touch it!"

Ye Chen gave a cold laugh and remained silent.

The Seal of the Stars held a specific suppressive power over ghostly and spectral beings. If this person had intended to kill him after he’d been unconscious for so long, he would have done so already; there would have been no need to wait until he woke up. Most likely, the man feared the Seal. A quick test would confirm it. He drew his hand back, his demeanor composed, and looked coldly at the long-haired man. "What is your name?"

"That's none of your business!" the man snapped. "I told you to throw it away, didn't you hear me?"

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Answer what I ask, or once I activate this Seal of the Stars and trap you inside, you'll never have another chance to speak..."

The man was greatly shocked. "You... you can activate it? What nonsense are you spouting! Do you think I'm easily fooled? Your flesh and blood possess a minuscule magnetic field, maybe thirty thousand battle power at most. With such paltry strength, you think you can activate the Seal of the Stars? Ridiculous."

Ye Chen replied calmly, "Whether I can or not, one test will tell!" He gripped his hand, channeling the Qi energy from within him. Instantly, the entire Seal of the Stars blazed with intense light, and an illusory phantom figure floated out, lunging toward the man.

"What!" The man's face drained of color in horror. He hadn't expected Ye Chen truly possessed the ability to activate the Seal of the Stars. That object, after all, was supposed to require the blood of a deity to initiate!

Despite the shock churning in his heart, the evidence was right before him. He swiftly retreated, his figure dissolving like a shadow into the surrounding boundless darkness.

Ye Chen raised a hand, beckoning. The phantom image, resembling an ancient bell, floated back and retracted into the Seal of the Stars. Ye Chen's face paled slightly. That brief moment of activation had drained ninety percent of the Qi energy in his body. It was terrifyingly potent, but thankfully, a single demonstration was enough to frighten the man away, hopefully preventing future harassment. Besides, he still had reserves of vital energy stored from the Source Spirit Grass, allowing him to maintain peak condition at all times.

A thought stirred in Ye Chen’s mind. He quickly looked down, and upon seeing that Cai Die’s figure was still beside him, he felt a measure of relief. He sat cross-legged on the ground, cradling the Seal of the Stars in both hands, beginning his cultivation to fully restore his depleted Qi.

However, what greatly astonished Ye Chen was the rate of Qi recovery within this pyramid: one hundred times faster than outside! Considering his Devouring Power already allowed him to absorb energy at ten times the normal rate, his current energy intake speed was equivalent to one thousand times that of the outside world!

In just half an hour, the Qi Ye Chen had expended was fully replenished. He stood up immediately, channeling his internal power and igniting a burst of flames that illuminated the entire dark expanse.

Under the surging flames, the surrounding darkness receded, revealing a primitive, cavernously spacious room. It contained tables and chairs carved in the style of the Xiphiel civilization, unique in design. There were no apparent doors or windows along the walls.

Ye Chen scanned the area and noticed a three-legged stool trembling slightly, beneath which a mass of black vapor roiled slowly, radiating a palpable, heart-stopping aura.

Ye Chen’s eyes flashed. He walked over and commanded sternly, "Come out!"

Whoosh!

The black vapor flickered and shot out from under the stool, darting sideways before coalescing into the form of the long-haired man. His face was now etched entirely with terror, his body trembling faintly. He actually knelt before Ye Chen, stammering, "Your... your subordinate did not recognize the magnificence of your divine presence, I beg Your Grace to spare me! Your subordinate is willing to serve forever..."

Ye Chen casually sat on a nearby chair, glanced at the man, and his eyes flickered. "What is your name?"

"My name is Kaba," the man replied hastily, bowing his head so his knees scraped the ground as he knelt before Ye Chen.

Ye Chen nodded slightly. "Why are you here? And how do I reach the next level?"

Kaba hastily nodded, fawning, "This humble... cough, Your Grace, you must be from the next civilization. To tell the truth, I was a Puppet Master of the Xiphiel civilization, holding a distinguished status. My puppet arts struck fear into all; even the Nine Elders of Tianshan Peak dared not harm me. I once defeated the Lone Wine Young Master by the Taihe River in a single move. My strength was unparalleled..." Pride flared across his face as he spoke.

Puppet Master?

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed, and he appraised the garrulous and self-satisfied Kaba up and down. If this was true, then the one who murdered Cai Die's master was this man? And those mummy puppets on the upper level were also crafted by him?

Kaba failed to notice Ye Chen's shift in demeanor and continued recounting his glorious past. Suddenly, his expression darkened, and he sighed deeply. "I never thought that after a lifetime of brilliance, I would suffer defeat here, struck down by that beast, heedless of friend or foe, and sealed in this place!"

Ye Chen fell silent for a moment. "How do I get to the next floor?"

Kaba glanced at Ye Chen, then lowered his head. "To reach the next floor, one must possess the power of the Pseudo-God Realm to shatter the entrance. Where are you going? The next floor holds that prehistoric monstrous beast. If you go, you will be killed."

Ye Chen frowned. The power of the Pseudo-God Realm?

If he recalled correctly, the ten-thousand-level mark constituted the Ten God Realm, and the million-level mark constituted the Pseudo-God Realm!

Above that... was the True God!

Ye Chen looked at Kaba, his gaze sharp. "Aren't you a Puppet Master? Why can't you open it?"

Kaba paused, then his old face flushed as he coughed lightly. "Originally, this level of seal would not have been able to trap me. However, I am currently in a soul state, without a physical body. At most, I can only exert the peak power of the tenth layer of the Ghost God Realm. I can't even deal with a Half-God expert, let alone shatter the seal."

"Soul?" Ye Chen was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected such a thing to truly exist!

Kaba gave Ye Chen a strange look. "You don't know? When flesh and blood develops thought, a special magnetic field is generated. This field attracts a type of cosmic energy called 'Ling.' This 'Ling' energy is extremely light and can only be detected by a few extremely precise technologies. It can carry brainwaves and thought. When a person dies, the brainwaves and thoughts are borne by the 'Ling,' thus becoming a soul."

Ye Chen listened to these bizarre theories, momentarily lost in thought, but quickly recovered. "The puppets on the floor above should all have been crafted by you, and three of them are at the Pseudo-God Realm level. You should be able to use those three puppets to break the seal."

Kaba shrugged. "Of course. If those three puppets served as my bodies, I could certainly open the seal. However, the entrance is encircled by a layer of Seal of the Stars powder, which prevents them from approaching, and also keeps me from ascending. So, there’s nothing I can do, unless you are willing to clear away that powder."

Ye Chen's eyes flashed. "I can help you clear it away."

Kaba started, then broke into a broad grin. "Really?"

Ye Chen looked at him calmly and nodded slightly. With a sudden movement, he leaped up, using his Qi to propel his body. Soon, he reached the cavern entrance where a group of mummies stood guard, refusing to approach. At the edge of the opening, a patch of shimmering, jade-green light sparkled.

A sharp gleam flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He reached out and brushed across the lights, quickly gathering the emerald crystals into his palm. This powder was like a natural enemy to ghostly creatures, yet it caused no harm to Ye Chen. He looked at the hesitant mummy puppets slowly advancing and a cold sneer curved his lips. Suddenly, his internal Qi surged forth, and he channeled the greatest strength of his life, flicking his fingers in rapid succession.

Swish swish swish...

Streaks of concentrated force pierced the void, spreading out like a torrential downpour, beautiful like a shower of pear blossoms, striking toward the mummy puppets.

The leading trio—two males and one female—were greatly shocked, having not expected Ye Chen to launch such a sneak attack. They quickly dodged sideways, but the barrage of force was overwhelming. Despite the three struggling to avoid them, each was struck two or three times.

However, the trio was slightly bewildered because the strikes weren't powerful; they felt like raindrops, causing no pain whatsoever. For a moment, they were confused, unsure of what was happening.

"Hahahaha..." Suddenly, a long, hearty laugh boomed up from below. Ye Chen felt a fierce gust of wind rush up behind him, and his eyes narrowed instantly. He hurriedly activated the Seal of the Stars, holding it protectively before him.

Whoosh!

A dark shadow flashed past, Kaba brushing by Ye Chen and landing on the first level. Long-haired and wild, he laughed triumphantly, filled with boundless joy.

The two men and one woman saw Kaba, paused momentarily, and then immediately rushed forward, bowing respectfully. "Greetings, Master."

Kaba waved his hand grandly, adopting the air of a commanding general. He looked down upon Ye Chen, a wicked, mocking smile playing on his lips. "Little brother, jie jie... Thank you for your assistance!"