"Go!" Nan Tian called out from the front of the group, following Bai Yijun's lead as they charged into an uninhabited forest.
Ye Chen glanced ahead and immediately noticed the snow-white figure leading the vanguard. He paused slightly, his gaze flickering as he murmured softly, "Bai Yijun?"
He recalled hearing that name at the [Medicine] shop last time, though he had forgotten it afterward. He hadn't expected this woman to be the captain this time.
"The legendary genius?" "Capable of confronting Pseudo-God Realm experts?"
Ye Chen's expression grew rather peculiar. He couldn't understand why a woman with such power would be assigned by the Scarlet Meteor Sect to lead a group of novices through an entry examination—it seemed like a complete waste of her time.
The others in the group, seeing the three Half-God powerhouses leading them, all felt a fierce light ignite in their eyes. While their own civilizations were not lacking Half-God experts, those individuals held exceptionally high status. It was rare to even catch sight of them, and when they did, it was only customary to bow; they certainly never received such treatment as this.
"To be led and trained by Half-God experts..."
If not for the terrifying reputation of this C-0986 Star Fragment, the people present would surely have burst into cheers already.
Not long after, under the guidance of Bai Yijun and the other two, the group entered the forest, passing through layers of white mist until they settled on a massive tree trunk.
The trees and plants on this star fragment seemed to have absorbed some extraordinary nourishment; they grew immensely large. A hundred people could stand on a single tree trunk without feeling crowded in the slightest.
"Everyone," Nan Tian turned to face the assembled group and announced in a clear voice, "we have installed miniature detectors on us that allow us to monitor your movements. As long as you remain within a 100-kilometer radius of us, you are free to act!" The crowd fell silent, listening intently.
Nan Tian was a native of the Superpower Civilization. His height was comparable to those from the Spiritual Civilization, and he was quite handsome. A vertical line marked his forehead—the location of his third superpower eye. He stated gravely, "The three of us are only responsible for protecting you against Monster Lords. If you encounter ordinary Ghost God Realm monsters, even if you are killed, we will not intervene to help!"
"Therefore!"
"You best have some sense of self-preservation! We will rest here. This 100-kilometer radius centered here is the safety zone. Should you encounter an attack from a Monster Lord outside this perimeter—if there is no Monster Lord present—you can use your light-brain armguards to send out a distress signal!"
Saying this, Nan Tian cast a cool, indifferent gaze over the entire crowd, as if seeing his own past self reflected there. He stated plainly, "If you don't want to die, strive to evolve into a skeleton!" Silence descended. Those who had reached the Ghost God Realm were not naive; they understood the harsh reality.
"Dismissed!" Nan Tian waved his hand coldly.
The people present exchanged glances. Some who knew each other immediately signaled one another, beginning private chats via their light-brain armguards before dispersing in small clusters.
"I am a sixth-tier Ghost God from the Heaven Civilization, capable of fighting ordinary seventh-tier Ghost God experts. Who wishes to team up with me?"
"I am from the Fire Civilization, ninth-tier Ghost God. Those above eighth-tier Ghost God are welcome to join."
"I am from the Bru Civilization, eighth layer Ghost God..."
"I am from the Fire Civilization..."
In the group chat of the light-brain armguards, calls erupted one after another. No one had companions, only temporary alliances. Although mutual trust was zero, it provided some reliance when fighting monsters.
Throughout the Ancient World, countless prehistoric civilizations existed. Experts from the Superpower Civilization possessed superpowers; some specialized in unique domains, while others carried alternate dimension spaces with them.
Those from the Fire Civilization possessed an innate mastery over flames. Even in the most desperate situations, they could transmute rocks, flora, and everything else into edible sustenance, ensuring they would never starve.
The Bru Civilization possessed healing abilities, able to repair most physical traumas.
People from the Heaven Civilization had extremely powerful sixth senses, allowing them to foresee approaching dangers. This terrifying perception often helped them navigate peril and seek fortune.
Ye Chen closed the group messages and glanced over. He saw Bai Yijun, Nan Tian, and You Yue sitting cross-legged on the wide tree trunk, ignoring the numerous other Ghost God Realm experts remaining there, focusing entirely on their own cultivation.
Ye Chen's gaze lingered on Bai Yijun for a moment before he withdrew it. With a movement, he shot toward the distant jungle and vanished.
The C-0986 Star Fragment was vast, covering an area with a diameter of roughly one hundred million kilometers—incredibly immense. Considering Earth's diameter is only a little over 12,000 kilometers, this single star fragment was tens of thousands of times larger than Earth's diameter!
In the desolate jungle.
Swish!
A black shadow streaked through the undergrowth. Here, the grass towered like a dense forest; even a single blade of grass stood over ten meters tall. Ye Chen had only run a short distance before he quickly stopped, crouching low and pressing his ear to the ground...
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
Rumbling sounds of movement echoed, growing faster and closer. Ye Chen’s expression shifted slightly. With a flicker of thought, the Sacred Flame Armor materialized over his body. He gripped his hand, drawing the Xuanyuan Divine Sword from his back. It shone like cold autumn water, faintly gilded without being harsh, resembling a pool of clear autumn liquid.
Whoosh!
The grasses before him were suddenly thrust aside, and a three-zhang figure burst forth. Its body was covered in pitch-black fur, possessing six claws beneath its abdomen, a single horn on its forehead, and a very long tail. Its head was triangular, and its eyes were dark and gleaming. At first glance, it resembled a gigantic rat!
"Could it be the ancestor of the rat?" A bizarre thought crossed Ye Chen's mind. Before he could dwell on it, the monster before him shrieked and lunged forward.
Whoosh!
As it opened its mouth, the air within a three-zhang radius was saturated with a stench of blood. The creature’s mouth, full of bloodstained fangs, looked chilling and terrifying as it lunged to bite Ye Chen.
So fast! Ye Chen inwardly cursed. His figure shifted, and he hastily retreated backward, executing a clumsy roll to narrowly avoid the monster's pounce. He then shot back several zhang, swinging his divine sword. Ghost Qi surged from within him, condensing on the blade to form a black arc of light that shot toward the creature.
Swish!
This crescent light arc tore through the ground as it passed, whipping up dust and stones, arriving at the monster with lightning speed. It struck precisely on its forehead.
"Screeech!" The monster's eyes blazed with malice. It hissed sharply, a piercing sound, and a powerful wave of Ghost Qi erupted from within its body, concentrating on the single horn to slice against the crescent light arc.
Roar!
The crescent light arc dissipated. The monster was completely unharmed, baring its teeth and lunging at Ye Chen again.
Ye Chen was startled. He hadn't expected an ordinary monster on a C-grade Star Fragment to be this formidable. Although this creature was only at the Ghost God Realm, perhaps due to the local environment, its Ghost Qi was astonishingly potent; it certainly possessed the cultivation of a peak Ghost God!
Moreover, its physical running speed was at least Grade 30,000!
If not for Ye Chen's physical body still being at the Grade 10,000 tier, he might have already broken through to the Half-God Realm! However, his body acted as a shackle, making advancement difficult. He could only rely on rigorous training, coupled with consuming rare treasures grown in the world to temper his physique.
Apart from that, the only other way was slaughtering vast numbers of dark creatures.
Within some dark creatures was born a "Base Core," which possessed effects similar to "Base Meat"—it was the condensation of the essence and energy of the entire physical body, extremely effective for body tempering.
But... "This Base Core is extremely rare. One might have to slaughter a thousand, or even ten thousand, dark creatures to barely acquire a single Base Core!"
The Dark Creatures Ye Chen slaughtered back at the Huaxia Base City yielded Energy Cores. Generally, dark creatures reaching the Ghost God Realm possessed Ghost Qi Cores within their bodies. Devouring these could replenish Ghost Qi but could not temper the physical body.
Come!
The monster roared and lunged forward. Because of its insectoid body structure, although its physical toughness was only three times that of Ye Chen's, its speed was four to five times greater!
A claw struck out!
Boom!
Ye Chen couldn't evade in time. Fortunately, the Sacred Flame Armor included a helmet, fully protecting him down to the teeth; otherwise, he would have needed to activate Superman Mode, or his entire head would have been pulverized into meat paste!
Struck by the claw, Ye Chen was sent flying like a cannonball. He crashed through over a dozen grassy plants before slamming heavily into a rock. This rock, whose density Ye Chen couldn't ascertain, didn't shatter; instead, it sent a vibrating numbness through all the bones in Ye Chen's body.
Ye Chen spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as if his chest had caved in. A burning, stinging sensation spread throughout his body. He managed to raise his eyes and saw the monster pursuing him.
At this moment of life and death, the general principle of the first chapter of the Nine Absolute Lances suddenly flashed through Ye Chen's mind: Absoluteness—cut off one's own retreat, decide the opponent's fate!
Cut off one's own retreat...
Ye Chen’s eyes snapped open, two arcs of electric light flashing out. He clenched his five fingers around the divine sword and roared, charging toward the monster.
"First Level!!"
Ye Chen gritted his teeth, channeling all his Ghost Qi and arm strength, rushing straight at the monster.
He charged forward, heedless of the consequences!
The Ghost Qi within his body suddenly surged like a breached great river, pouring into the divine sword. The more than 50,000 Ghost Qi points he possessed instantly consumed nearly 600 points!
Hum...
The divine sword let out a soft, joyous chime. A sharp, dazzling black aura materialized around the blade, giving anyone who looked at it a feeling of keen sharpness.
Puff!
A dark black sword light shot out, ignoring the monster’s entire defense, piercing straight through and infiltrating its internal consciousness and soul, shredding all awareness within.
The Ghost Qi inside the monster fought back fiercely against that invading aura, locked in a stalemate. Just then, Ye Chen delivered his second sword strike, still using the first level of the Nine Absolute Lances!
The first level alone consumed nearly 600 points of Ghost Qi, equivalent to a full-power strike!
If he used the second level, the damage would double!
Slice!
After two consecutive sword strikes, the monster immediately collapsed under the pressure. Its body listed sideways, its brain instantly fractured, its eyes losing focus. It tumbled to the ground, copious amounts of blood oozing from its ears.
Ye Chen let out a breath of relief, realizing his entire body was slick with cold sweat. This brief combat had consumed immense exertion.
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