The sword shadow and spear winds collided, emitting a piercing screech as both figures recoiled three steps.

Ye Chen felt a slight numbness in the arm gripping his sword, his eyes clouding with gravity. Although his Superman Mode enhancement surpassed Samsit’s, the 5,000-level difference in their physical constitutions meant Samsit still held a slight edge in brute strength!

However, Ye Chen's objective wasn't outright victory; it was merely to keep Samsit pinned down.

Samsit felt the sheer force within the opponent’s swordplay and inwardly marveled. “To be evenly matched with me while in Superman Mode—not only fast but strong too. Has he activated a dual-layered Superman Mode?”

A thought struck him, and he immediately understood.

“He wants to use Superman Mode to tie me down here, knowing that pure speed mode won't trap me and might even lead to him getting injured, so he’s gone straight for the dual activation!”

“Hmph!”

“Let’s see how long you can hold out. When your Superman Mode ends, that will be your death warrant!”

Samsit sneered inwardly. He eased his offensive, not exerting his full power. He knew that a full-force confrontation would leave both heavily wounded, making it an unprofitable exchange.

Ye Chen was also aware of this. With the Volcanic Age imminent, a severe injury would take a month or two just for recovery, let alone cultivating energy to break through to the Ghost God Realm. Thus, his sword movements also subtly slowed.

They fought fiercely for a stretch, locked in an inextricable battle.

As the 150 seconds neared their end, Samsit noticed Ye Chen's composed expression, and a sudden dread gripped him. He thought, Not good. He’s keeping me occupied here. Once his Superman Mode expires, he’ll dive into that ship, and I’ll be at a disadvantage again! Furthermore, if his Superman Mode wears off just seconds before mine, I’ll be instantly killed by him!

Realizing this, a chill ran down his spine. With a furious roar, the momentum of his spear suddenly turned ferocious, assaulting Ye Chen in an overwhelming deluge.

Ye Chen frowned, wielding his divine sword to resist, deflecting every thrust of the spear.

Whoosh!

Samsit didn't say another word. His figure flickered, plummeting rapidly downward. Just as he neared the glacier’s surface, his form shifted, penetrating the ice and vanishing without a trace.

Ye Chen stopped, gazing down at the glacier, an icy gleam in his eyes.

Swish!

A streak of light shot rapidly from behind, trailing a long tail of clouds, and halted behind Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s Superman Mode deactivated, and a wave of intense exhaustion washed over him. Without pausing, he flickered, darting into the Runic Spaceship. He retrieved provisions and medicine from the Fire Civilization Space and hastily consumed them, rapidly recovering much of the vital energy and physical stamina depleted by the Superman Mode.

Each activation of Superman Mode was drastically draining.

“Where did that bastard go?” The old man with the green rune looked around, turning to Ye Chen with curiosity.

Ye Chen replied coldly, “Ask the detector.” He then closed his eyes, opening the Fire Civilization Space, and settled into his meditation, refusing to waste a moment.

The green-rune old man grumbled softly, then turned to the monitoring device. He spotted a single red dot located beneath the ship, within the glacier, and pursed his lips. “Useless brat, only knows how to hide.”

Samsit burrowed several thousand feet down into the bottom of the glacier. He carved a small hollow in the rock, stuffing the excess soil into the spatial storage beside him, creating a small void. He sat cross-legged inside, his chest heaving with ragged breaths.

“He thinks this can hold me?”

Samsit looked up toward the sky, his eyes, sharp as lightning, seeming to pierce through the layers of space to the spaceship above. A sinister curve curved his lips. “Driving forward daily using Superman Mode, in a few more days, I’ll reach headquarters. Then, your time will surely be up!”

With that, he calmed his mind and quietly focused on recovering his strength.

The next day, as soon as Samsit’s Superman Mode concluded, he prepared to rise and resume travel. Suddenly, he felt a shift in thought. “That scoundrel knows the duration of my Superman Mode. He might be waiting right outside now. Hmph, I’ll wait him out and foil his plan!”

Based on his previous encounters, he was extremely wary of Ye Chen’s cunning.

Outside, aboard the ship, Ye Chen opened his eyes and walked to the detector. Seeing that the red dot inside remained motionless, he frowned slightly. He seemed to grasp something, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, replaced by a look of resignation. He shook his head and told the green-rune old man, “Wake me the moment he emerges.”

The green-rune old man nodded in assent.

Ye Chen knew that simply waiting here like a hunter waiting for a rabbit wouldn't work. He couldn't stay stationary guarding the spot. He would have to wait for Samsit to appear before activating Superman Mode to chase him down. Although this meant Samsit would gain a hundred kilometers’ lead, there was no other way.

He sat cross-legged, cultivating quietly, his mind utterly devoid of distraction.

Before long—Whoosh!—a dark silhouette flashed within the glacier below, whistling away toward the distance. The green-rune old man immediately shouted a warning. Ye Chen’s eyes snapped open, a cold light flashing across them. Without a word, he vanished in an instant.

The two chased and paused repeatedly; in the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

Ye Chen calculated inwardly. There were only G days left until the Volcanic Age!

“Beep-beep…”

The communicator rang.

Ye Chen awoke from his cultivation, activated the communicator, and immediately heard Xu Tianguo’s slightly joyful voice speaking rapidly: “President, the city defenses have been secured! The enemy’s top commander, under the assault of that white-bandaged young expert and a dozen other powerhouses, along with Island Master Ziyun and others, have all been captured or killed.”

Ye Chen’s eyes brightened.

Although he knew holding the base city wouldn't be difficult, hearing the confirmed good news still brought a measure of relief. He nodded. “Were there any injuries?”

Xu Tianguo, seemingly anticipating Ye Chen’s thoughts, smiled faintly. “White Dragon and Ye Zhu are safe, no injuries. The enemy army has retreated; some surrendered, others fled.”

Ye Chen nodded slightly, musing for a moment. “Important events will unfold in a few days. Instruct the Research Department to monitor the crustal situation closely. Also, send the weaker residents of the base city to the Xuanyuan Divine Tomb. Keep the stronger individuals here.”

Xu Tianguo paused, asking, “Why?”

Ye Chen’s eyes flashed. “You will know when the time comes. Handle this matter quickly. Also, hand over Chinese culture, useful scientific research data, and precious items to Island Master Ziyun and the others” for them to take into the Xuanyuan Divine Tomb.”

Xuanyuan perceptibly sensed something, his expression shifting slightly. Looking at Ye Chen’s face through the communicator’s video feed, he surmised that asking further questions would be futile. He sighed inwardly. “Understood.”

Afterward, Ye Chen gave some further instructions on matters requiring attention and closed the communicator.

“When the Volcanic Age arrives, it will be time to charge toward the Ancient World!”

Ye Chen remained silent for a moment, then sighed faintly, his brow furrowing with a hint of worry. He was no stranger to the Ancient World; it was a vast realm coalesced from countless prehistoric civilizations!

Precisely because of its scale, surviving there would be all the more difficult!

“If I don't go to the Ancient World and instead fortify myself in the Xuanyuan Divine Tomb, emerging three years after the Volcanic Age, my strength won't have increased much. I only hope nothing goes wrong there this time…”

Ye Chen looked down, his gaze falling upon the skeletal remains of the prehistoric beast. His eyes hardened, and he reached out, seizing the bones, ravenously devouring the vital energy within.

He had originally estimated reaching the Ghost God Realm in two or three days, but the harassment from Samsit over these past few days had prevented him from cultivating in peace, significantly slowing his progress.

In another turn of time, two more days passed.

In the azure sky, two figures streaked rapidly, dispersing the surrounding clouds like beams of light. The resulting gale was strong enough to topple skyscrapers.

“Keep chasing, keep chasing…” Samsit laughed wildly at Ye Chen relentlessly pursuing him. “My base city headquarters isn't far ahead. Once I get back, I’ll gather the strong experts from the Superman Camp and attack you together—then you’re finished!”

Ye Chen’s expression was cold, completely unmoved.

Samsit sneered, his figure plunging down into the glacier below to hide.

Ye Chen stopped. His Superman Mode slowly wore off. Soon after, the runic spaceship caught up. Ye Chen flicked his body, jumping inside. He quickly opened the Fire Civilization Space, swallowed a large pile of medicine, recovered his energy, and immediately resumed cultivation.

“Just a little more!”

“One more push, and I can break through to the fifth layer of the Origin Source Realm!”

Ye Chen gritted his teeth and consumed desperately. He mobilized all his vital energy, forming hundreds of black skull heads that danced before the prehistoric beast skeleton. Innumerable streams of vital energy surged towards him like a gushing spring.

The green-rune old man beside him glanced over, his face changing slightly. “Bad. He is being overly aggressive, easily leading to energy turbulence, meridian branching, damage to the central nervous system, causing him to lose his mind and descend into frenzy.”

He wanted to interject and stop him, but after looking at Ye Chen, he ultimately forced himself to remain silent.

“With this lunatic’s personality, he definitely won't do anything recklessly. My words would be useless,” the green-rune old man decided, turning instead toward the monitoring room, unwilling to watch further.

Inside the cabin, a chilling wind blew.

The emerald-green vital energy enveloped Ye Chen entirely, forming a sphere that poured into him through his pores. A sensation of tearing and swelling permeated his body, akin to being flayed by a thousand knives, causing every muscle to quiver slightly.

Ye Chen clenched his jaw, focusing his mind, refining the energy with ferocious intensity.

The next day, Samsit waited a while at the bottom of the glacier before bursting out. The moment he left the ice, he activated Superman Mode and sped away into the distance.

The green-rune old man quickly called out to Ye Chen, but the latter seemed not to hear, motionless as stone.

The old man grew anxious but lacked time to shout again, hurriedly maneuvering the runic spaceship in pursuit. Before long, he noticed that on the outermost edge of the detector screen, about ten kilometers out, Samsit’s rapidly expanding body had suddenly stopped. Moreover, in that area, there was a dense cluster of tiny red dots.

The green-rune old man was startled. “Did he reach Samsit’s lair? Not good. If we charge in like this, we’ll definitely be ganged up on. What should I do? Damn it, this maniac is letting me down at a critical moment. I guess I have to rely on myself. I won’t worry about it; I’ll wait for that man’s Superman Mode to end before rushing over.”

With this thought, he quickly steered the ship aside and activated the ship’s stealth device. A light shield rose around the vessel, enveloping it. At first glance, it looked as if the ship had vanished into thin air; in reality, it had merely disguised itself, much like a chameleon.

“Huh?” The green-rune old man suddenly felt a jolt of fear and alarm emanating from behind him. He turned and saw that the vital energy swirling around Ye Chen’s body was suddenly being absorbed like a vast ocean, rushing through his pores into Ye Chen’s body with incredible speed.