Ye Chen emerged from the black hole, standing encircled by an army of mummies, and stated calmly, "Since that is the case, you should honor your promise and open the passage to the third level."

Kaba let out a sinister chuckle, observing Ye Chen with a hint of mockery. "Little brother, you are still too green. Do you truly believe that relying on the Seal of the Stars in your hand allows you to dictate terms to me? Heh heh... I forgot to mention, while I cannot directly harm the Seal of the Stars, nor can my puppets, should I personally pilot them, our resistance to the Seal of the Stars will increase substantially!"

Ye Chen looked up, fixing him with a long gaze, his voice utterly level. "So, you intend to break your word?"

Kaba yawned languidly. "Break my word? That phrase doesn't exist in my vocabulary! Little brother, as a token of my gratitude for your earlier assistance, I shall let you witness my strongest fighting force!" With that, he clenched his fist, let out a savage roar skyward, and his body dissolved into a black mist that rushed into the form of the handsome, jade-like young man standing nearby.

Crack—

The black mist retracted.

"Hahaha..." A slight curve touched the young man's lips, his expression arrogant as he looked down at Ye Chen. "These three Pseudo-God Realm puppets of mine are crafted from a special cosmic metal. Not only can they stretch and contract at will, but they also possess automatic physical repair and can change form freely. This place is too small for me to fully exert myself, but this human form of the puppet is more than enough to deal with you!" A murderous glint flickered in his eyes.

As an old fox with immense longevity, Kaba had witnessed Ye Chen's Seal of the Stars and knew that forceful seizure would be counterproductive. Smart men often learn their lesson after just one stumble; Kaba was precisely that type.

He had switched tactics...

Pleading, feigning weakness, flattery, sucking up...

He hadn't expected Ye Chen to be fooled by a few casual words. Recalling his recent performance of begging, his eyes cooled slightly.

"Are you certain you wish to proceed?" Ye Chen’s expression was placid, utterly ignoring the menacing mummies surrounding him.

Kaba frowned and spoke coldly. "Enough nonsense. I will personally pilot a Pseudo-God Realm puppet against you. You mere ant with 300,000 combat power should know your place!"

Ye Chen suddenly interjected, "If you agree now to open the passage to the third level for me, I will consider not killing you."

Kaba froze, staring blankly at Ye Chen for a long moment, then burst into a loud, almost convulsive laugh. "Not kill me? You say you won't kill me? You say you can kill me?? Hahahaha..."

It was more absurd than any joke he had ever heard.

Ye Chen did not laugh, waiting quietly for Kaba's answer.

"Heh heh heh..." Kaba let his laughter subside, looking at Ye Chen with mockery. "Do you perhaps naively believe that the Seal of the Stars can actually deal with me in this state? Too ridiculous!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly. "Since that is the case, then..." He raised a hand and pointed at one of the mummies nearby, whispering, "Explode!"

Boom!

That mummy instantly ruptured, turning into a cloud of debris and dust.

The entire hall fell into absolute silence!

Kaba’s laughter abruptly cut off, his expression freezing solid. He stared blankly at the annihilated mummy, then turned to Ye Chen, terror in his voice. "You—how did you do that?"

Ye Chen said coldly, "On my way up, I wrapped the powder of the Seal of the Stars in strands of Qi and injected it into these puppets. Attacking these puppets from the outside with the Seal of the Stars only causes damage, but destroying them from within yields far greater destructive power."

Kaba’s expression stiffened slightly. "Do you think such a petty trick can frighten me?" He turned to the burly man and the seductive woman beside him, communicating through mental waves. "Did he really tamper with them earlier?"

The seductive woman pondered for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly. "When he first arrived, he launched many attacks. He likely injected them then. All the puppets are probably riddled with hundreds of doses, and even the three of us have taken several hits."

Kaba’s face darkened. He clenched his fists tightly, gnashing his teeth internally. He looked up at Ye Chen, though his demeanor remained extremely composed, and sneered, "Do you imagine such minuscule tactics can handle me? I forgot to tell you, the resistance of a Pseudo-God Realm puppet to the Seal of the Stars is far beyond your imagination."

"Oh..." Ye Chen responded, raising his fingers and tapping repeatedly: "Explode, explode..."

Boom! Boom!

Two more mummies instantly burst apart, shattering into pieces.

Ye Chen pointed at a mummy close to Kaba. "Explode!"

Boom!

That puppet also exploded without warning.

Four puppets were annihilated in an instant—one previously, three now!

Each echoing boom struck Kaba’s mind like a funeral bell. Watching four puppets vanish so swiftly, his eyes turned red.

These four puppets—each capable of unleashing the power of a mid-stage Demigod Realm once energized—were incredibly complex and arduous to forge. Yet, with a mere flick of Ye Chen's finger, they detonated consecutively.

His heart was bleeding.

He cast a pained glance at the spots where the puppets had died, on the verge of tears. Seeing Ye Chen’s finger move toward another mummy, he frantically shouted, "Stop!"

Ye Chen paused his hand and turned his head slightly to look at him. "Hmm?"

Kaba gritted his teeth. "Damn brat, you’re ruthless, using such underhanded moves on me. I concede this matter today, but if you want me to open the passage to the third level, you must remove the Seal of the Stars powder from all the puppets, or else..."

"Oh..." Ye Chen nodded slightly, then tapped his finger down again. "Explode!"

Boom!

That puppet exploded into dust.

Kaba was momentarily stunned. Seeing Ye Chen point toward the next one, he rushed, "No, no, I beg you, you wretched—oh no, Brother, my Big Brother, please stop killing them! I’ll do whatever you ask, just stop!" He was nearly in tears.

Ye Chen retracted his finger and said flatly, "Go down and open the passage to the third level." Then he turned and walked away, giving Kaba no opportunity to speak.

Kaba stared at Ye Chen’s retreating back, his expression turning grim. Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, a flash of vicious intent crossed his eyes. Just as he was about to move, he saw Ye Chen stop briefly. Without turning around, Ye Chen spoke as if to himself, "I forgot to mention: the moment I die, the Qi enveloping the Seal of the Stars powder will vanish, and the powder will become permanently embedded within the puppets..." With that, he continued toward the second level on his own.

Kaba felt as if cold water had been poured over him, chilling him to the core.

"Insolent!" Kaba glared at Ye Chen's back, his face shifting between dark moods. "Threatening me? Hmph, there will be a time when I make you obediently remove that powder... Ah, yes, the slave chip. Once implanted in the brain, it can enslave anyone, heh heh heh..."

Ye Chen arrived at the edge of the third-level passage. It was shrouded in swirling black energy, obscuring the view within, causing him to frown slightly. Even separated by a barrier, he could vaguely sense a soul-stirring aura directly below.

Breaking the seal meant a high probability of encountering the fierce beast.

Not breaking it meant being trapped here until death.

Ye Chen had no choice.

"I'll risk it," Ye Chen said, slightly clenching his fist. He looked back at the approaching Kaba and said coldly, "Break the seal."

Kaba scoffed inwardly, but outwardly nodded obsequiously with a smile. "Yes!" He stepped forward, focused his concentration, raised his fist, and his originally slender, fair palm transformed like machinery into a sharp drill, carrying immense force as it plunged toward the seal.

Pffft!

Kaba’s body shuddered slightly. The drill did not break the seal, merely poking a small hole in it.

Ye Chen glanced at him but remained silent.

Kaba, acutely sensitive, perceived the strange look in Ye Chen's eyes. His old face flushed, anger boiling over his shame. He transformed both hands into drills and hammered furiously!

Bang bang bang...

A series of impacts sounded, creating more and more dense small holes on the seal...

Ye Chen waited patiently beside him.

...

In the vast darkness outside.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

A piercing roar erupted from the abyss, followed by a figure bursting forth—clad in black armor, with wildly disheveled black hair, and a pair of sharp, cone-like black horns. He was covered in bloodstains.

"Bastard! Why hasn't he come out yet, why hasn't he come out!!!" The black-armored man’s face was contorted in rage. He had assumed Ye Chen would emerge after a short wait, but an entire year had passed!

He was unaware that only a single day had elapsed inside the pyramid.

"One year! Damn you, I will definitely kill you!!" The black-armored man roared internally, his hatred and fury toward Ye Chen surging like a tide. Gritting his teeth, he stood beside the pyramid. During this year, he had tried every method imaginable but couldn't breach the tower; his fury was immense.

Just then—

Rumble~~~

The top of the pyramid suddenly opened. Above the abyss, a gale howled, followed by countless fragments of monster corpses, bloodied husks, and shattered chitin drifting down, being drawn into the golden structure.

The black-armored man’s eyes lit up. This scene was identical to when he had first fallen down here. He immediately stepped forward, charging toward the open apex of the pyramid.

Fortune favors the bold.

"You are finished, heh heh heh..." The black-armored man smirked cruelly, plunging into the pyramid. The triangular roof slowly closed, leaving not a single crack.

Inside the tower.

"Hm?" Ye Chen's body convulsed, and he suddenly collapsed, flattening himself against the ground as a violent gravitational pull dragged him down from below, threatening to crush him.

Ye Chen was inwardly alarmed. He struggled to turn his head and saw that Kaba and the numerous mummy puppets showed no abnormality, seemingly unaffected by the gravity.

After a short while.

The gravitational force gradually dissipated. Ye Chen slowly rose from the ground, gently testing his limbs. Caution flickered in his eyes. Had that gravity persisted any longer, he would have been forced to activate his Superhuman Mode, otherwise, his internal organs would have ruptured through his chest, crushed into sludge.