With a sinister chuckle, a group of burly men, clad in animal hides and wielding steel axes, emerged from behind a snow-capped, icy peak. There were four of them in total, all massively built, with tangled beards, muscles coiled like steel cables. Some bore facial scars, others were one-eyed, exuding an air of fierce banditry.

The brother and sister gasped at the sight, their faces turning ashen, breaking out in a cold sweat. The hands clutching the iron shovels trembled slightly. The boy clenched his jaw, stepped forward, and placed himself squarely in front of his sister, urgently whispering, "Go, quickly!"

"Brother!" Tears streamed down the girl's face.

"Go!" The boy shoved her with a sweep of his hand. Since the ground was slick ice, the push sent the girl skidding dozens of zhang away.

"Hmph." The leader of the hulking men, the one-eyed figure, let out a cold snort and violently hurled his axe. It shot out like lightning, whistling as it streaked toward the boy's face.

The boy cried out in alarm and spun to evade, but the axe moved with the force of a gale. He managed to dodge his head, but the blade sank deep into his left shoulder, embedding itself to the bone. A searing, fire-like pain exploded through him. Clutching his shoulder, he let out a wretched scream and collapsed onto the frozen ground.

Warm blood flowed from his shoulder, a shocking sight against the cold ice and earth.

"You two, go capture that girl!" The one-eyed man, clearly the leader, commanded coldly.

"Yes, sir!"

Two of the brutes obeyed, smirking wickedly as they charged toward the girl.

The boy was drenched in a cold sweat from the pain, his senses blurring. He vaguely felt a shadow loom over him, causing his heart to seize. He looked up to see a calloused, thick hand expanding in his vision, seizing his throat and hoisting him up.

"Boss, we've got the girl," the two brutes quickly returned, the girl struggling frantically in their grasp, all to no avail.

The boy turned his head and saw the tears welling in his sister's eyes. Grief and indignation flooded his heart. He kicked violently at the one-eyed man, but his blows struck the brute as if hitting a bronze wall, causing no damage whatsoever.

The one-eyed man held the boy aloft with one hand, a cruel arc curving his lips as he sneered, "Little punk, soon I'll let you have a good look at a Chun Gong Tu, and then send you to the heavens."

"Jie jie..." The other thugs cackled evilly, their gazes fixed upon the girl filled with vile lust.

The girl's mind went blank, a sudden white void. For a moment, all hope evaporated. Then, abruptly, she said, "I'll give you anything you want. I beg you, let my brother go!"

"Oh, my..." A scarred brute chuckled wickedly. "Such touching sibling devotion! Haha! Let your brother go? Then what will we eat?"

The girl’s face instantly drained of color, devoid of any blush. She twisted her wrists, struggling with all her might, but to no effect. She stared at her brother’s figure, bit down hard, puffed out her cheeks, and bit down on her tongue.

"Trying to die?" The scarred brute shot out a hand and clamped down on her cheek, immobilizing her jaw. He then tore a strip of cloth from his garments—a cloth that reeked of sour stench—and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Stop struggling," the scarred man sneered. "In a little while, I'll make you ****."

"Heh heh..." The other two brutes laughed as well. One of them said, "Second Brother, you already played with that girl last night; you must be tired. Let me have this one."

The scarred man cursed him jokingly. "Tired your mother! My invincible Overlord Spear sweeps through meadows of flowers; it's not something you can understand. Be careful, or I'll shoot you off to Afghanistan!"

The one-eyed man chimed in mockingly, "You're only good at playing with women. What else can you do?"

The scarred man dismissed it with a wave of his hand and grinned, "Being a man is enough if you know how to play with women. I can even shoot down nine suns like Hou Yi. Dealing with this little girl is child's play..."

"Hahaha..."

The men burst into laughter. The lewd words echoing in the girl's ears made her body tremble slightly, her beautiful face turning deathly pale, unsure if it was from rage or terror.

"You bastards!" the boy cried out in heartbroken fury. "Bright Leader will not let you go! He will surely kill you beasts!"

"Bright Leader?" The one-eyed man’s brow arched, a flicker of dread passing through his eyes. He looked at the boy's stubborn expression, frowned, and scoffed, "You mean Ye Chen? Hmph. A nobody like you probably doesn't know that Ye Chen went out about a year and a half ago and never returned. Rumor has it that Xu Tianguo, the acting president of Bright Base City, couldn't even reach him via communicator."

"Jie jie..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" The one-eyed man looked down arrogantly at the boy. "He’s likely perished in the wilderness. You must know, although he was considered a top expert among humans, compared to the vast monsters inhabiting the Earth, he amounts to nothing more than a puff of smoke."

"Hahahaha..."

The others roared with laughter, their mockery of a mythical figure bringing them immense pleasure.

"Is that so?" Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the air, making the icy, snowy atmosphere even more frigid.

The one-eyed man’s expression shifted. He turned to look, but saw only swirling white snow in every direction, no figure in sight. A wave of fear struck him. "Who are you? Stop playing ghosts and get out here!"

The scarred brute and the other two gripped their steel weapons tightly, watching their surroundings vigilantly. Anyone capable of approaching them so silently must possess extraordinary skills. Whoosh!

As the men tensely scanned the area, a cold gust swept down from directly overhead. They looked up and saw, suspended amidst the white clouds, an exquisitely crafted, magnificent, and imposing silver spaceship. Its black, gaping muzzles and dashing silhouette were unlike anything they had ever seen.

The one-eyed man's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze dropped to the dark silhouette descending from the vessel. It was a man dressed in black, with a well-proportioned build and black hair whipping in the wind. Despite the intensely cold weather, he wore only a thin outer garment.

The man in black landed before them and slowly raised his head. His eyes, cold as lightning, swept across the one-eyed brute.

Silence!

The cold wind blew, and the men felt a momentary loss of sensation.

"Kill... Kill God?" As the one-eyed man clearly saw the young man's features, his eyes abruptly shrank to the size of pinpricks. His expression was one of utter shock, almost disbelief. This man, in both demeanor and appearance, was identical to the legendary Killing God!

The brother and sister were also stunned, momentarily forgetting their perilous situation. They watched the suddenly appearing Ye Chen in awe. In their eyes, Ye Chen was like a distant, unattainable deity. They had only ever seen his towering statue near the gates of the Base City, carved on a magnificent stone stele. This was their first close encounter with him in person—it felt like a dream!

Clang!

The scarred man’s steel blade slipped from his grasp, hitting the ground with a harsh sound.

Ye Chen took a step forward, arriving before the one-eyed man. Although the brute was 2.1 meters tall, towering over Ye Chen by a full head, the brute felt as if Ye Chen were looking down upon him. An immense pressure, like a mountain, washed over him, making it impossible to draw breath.

Ye Chen stared down at the one-eyed brute and asked coldly, "What did you just say I was?"

The one-eyed man’s heart pounded. He immediately dropped to his knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing, tears streaming down his face. "I offended you unintentionally, Great One! I absolutely was not referring to you. I was talking about myself! I said I was just a fart—a stinking, big fart!"

The scarred brute and the others beside him frantically fell to their knees, prostrating themselves on the ice, their bodies trembling slightly as they wailed for mercy.

Ye Chen glanced at the one-eyed man, a chilling light in his eyes. He raised a hand and snatched forward. A surging wave of Devouring Power erupted, covering the four of them. "You're not even a fart!"

A black curtain descended like a shroud.

"Ah, ah..."

"No, no..."

Screams echoed within the blackness, fading away completely within seconds. The black light contracted and flowed back, entering Ye Chen's body through his fingers, slightly increasing his strength by one-millionth.

Ye Chen spared a glance for the siblings, raised his hand, and commanded, "Let's go."

The brother and sister had no room to resist. They were pulled by an invisible force, drawn along with Ye Chen into the spaceship. With a flash of light, the vessel tore through the clouds and vanished from the sky above this land.

Inside the vessel.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Lord Bright One," the boy said, holding his sister’s hand as they knelt before Ye Chen, their gratitude sincere.

Ye Chen waved his hand dismissively. "It was just an easy matter. Children shouldn't wander around outside; it's too dangerous."

"Yes!" The boy's face flushed red as he nodded awkwardly.

His sister lifted her face. With clear, bright eyes and perfect teeth, she secretly glanced at Ye Chen. She realized this mythic, elevated figure was only in his early twenties, not much older than herself, yet his tone sounded like that of an elder. She felt a quiet curiosity but dared not ask.

Not long after, the ship arrived above Bright Base City.

Ye Chen peered down through the polarized glass. He saw that many blocks of ice had been excavated, forming a large pit. The surrounding ice was pitted and scarred with signs of mining activity.

At the entrance to the ruins, a large patch of small black dots moved about on the ice like ants, busy at work. Occasionally, teams of people, bound by ropes, were seen dragging the bodies of monsters into the ruins.

Ye Chen felt slightly relieved and piloted the ship directly toward the entrance of the ruins.

Due to long-term cargo transport, the entrance to the ruins was extremely wide, easily accommodating a ship over 300 meters tall. However, the arrival of the vessel drew the attention of the guards at the entrance. Before it drew near, a loudspeaker blared, "Warning, warning! This is the headquarters of Bright Base City. Please present your credentials!"

The laborers stopped their digging, looking up in surprise at the unidentified spaceship, murmuring and speculating among themselves.

Ye Chen remained composed. The cabin hatch opened slowly, and he emerged, hovering in mid-air, looking down at the assembled guards.

The guard captain focused his gaze and instantly let out a sharp gasp, followed by an expression of wild ecstasy. He excitedly dropped to one knee and boomed, "Your subordinate greets the Bright Emperor!"

The other guards, startled by the address, looked again, their faces changing rapidly. They immediately dropped to one knee, the sound of their armor clicking together a sharp, resonant chorus. "Greetings, Bright Emperor!"

Their voices, like surging waves, spread outward, astonishing everyone involved in the excavation. Only after they clearly saw the dark figure did they all drop to their knees in homage.