This decision, seemingly simple, was actually far more dangerous. One needed only look at the multitude of monstrous beasts outside the city walls; the path leading to the ancient city's core would surely be even more arduous and treacherous.

If he didn't go, his only options were to wait here for death, or wait until he broke through to the Demigod Realm before venturing out.

"Let's go!" Bai Yijun's expression was aloof. Without another glance at Ye Chen, she moved, leaping down from the rock. Her black, high-heeled beast-hide boots struck the metal street, emitting low, resonant sounds.

Ye Chen glanced at the two dead Demigod-level monstrous beasts, his eyes flickering. In the end, he refrained from stepping forward to refine them, instead following Bai Yijun at a distance of about two zhang.

Tap, tap, tap...

The sound of her heels echoed softly through the silent ruins of the ancient city.

Ye Chen followed diligently. After walking only a short distance, he noticed Bai Yijun's movements seemed purposeful, as if she knew exactly where they were headed. He couldn't help but muse quietly, then slowly said, "Where is this place?"

Bai Yijun's delicate silhouette moved ahead of him, her long black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her cool, placid voice sounded slowly. "Don't ask so many questions. Just keep up."

Ye Chen's gaze sharpened. He lowered his voice. "You came to this Star Fragment specifically for this ancient city... There must be something you need inside, perhaps a great treasure. It wouldn't hurt to tell me; with my strength, I can’t compete with you anyway. I just want to understand the area better, so if we run into trouble, I might be able to help."

Bai Yijun did not answer immediately. She walked for a while before speaking without turning back, her tone cold. "This place is called the City of Darkness—a ruin from before the Great Cataclysm era. The so-called City of Darkness was the capital of the Great Dark World before the Great Cataclysm!"

Her voice held a touch of ethereality. "The City of Darkness isn't just one royal city; it's a symbol. It has many branch cities, and this one before us is a Third-Grade branch city!"

"When the Gods last suppressed the Great Dark World, a census was taken: the entire Ancient World possessed 108 Third-Grade Cities of Darkness, 108 Second-Grade Cities of Darkness, and 108 First-Grade Cities of Darkness!"

"Within every City of Darkness lies a Dark Fragment. Collecting all 108 allows one to synthesize an item—be it a powerful weapon, a potent physique, or a precious spirit medicine. The 108 Dark Fragments in this particular Third-Grade City of Darkness can ultimately synthesize a God-level weapon and secret manuals!"

Hearing this, Ye Chen started inwardly. Records from the prehistoric civilizations he knew from his past life documented that the "City of Darkness" was a profoundly ancient metropolis. When intact, its major defense and attack systems were capable of withstanding relentless bombardment from Pseudo-God Realm powerhouses!

Only a true God Realm expert could breach a Third-Grade City of Darkness!

If it were a Second-Grade City of Darkness, its central control system was even more formidable, impermeable even to God Realm experts!

It was a pity that...

It was rumored that these cities were breached by numerous powerful Gods during the Great Cataclysm. Most were shattered, with only a few remaining, and those remnants were often occupied by various powerful figures.

The construction of this City of Darkness was extraordinarily mystical. Once its defense system was activated, even an ordinary civilian inside would be untouchable by Pseudo-God Realm powerhouses!

It was equivalent to having an extra layer of protection equal to that of a God Realm shield!

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, looking at Bai Yijun. "How many Dark Fragments do you currently possess?"

Bai Yijun replied icily, "That is none of your concern."

Ye Chen’s lips twitched. He glanced at the surrounding weeds and remarked casually, "This City of Darkness is already broken. I wonder if the defense system in the central sector is still intact. If that spatial gate is in the city center, do you know how to access it?"

Bai Yijun looked cool. "I have the map for this area; you don't need to worry. Just stick close to me. This City of Darkness was destroyed during the Great Cataclysm, but some monstrous beasts remain inside. However, given this city's grade, the strongest beast we might encounter is only Pseudo-God level, which I can handle."

Ye Chen said no more.

They followed the street, rounded a corner, and found a deep, narrow path leading into the distance on the left, the end of which seemed to pierce toward the inner city. To the right was a clear dead end.

Without even looking, Bai Yijun turned right.

Ye Chen paused briefly, frowning slightly, but asked no further questions. He followed her into the dead end, only to see Bai Yijun show no sign of stopping, walking straight toward the wall.

Ye Chen’s eyes flashed, and his expression shifted slightly as he stared intently. He watched Bai Yijun’s figure pass through the wall as if stepping into water, without activating any mechanism whatsoever.

"It's an illusion..." Ye Chen forced a wry smile. Such sights had occurred in the Atlantean civilization as well. He took a step forward, walking into the wall. Before he could fully take in his surroundings, he heard a fierce sound of battle erupting.

Ye Chen looked up. In a straight, long corridor, more than a dozen monstrous beasts of various shapes were coiled, all bearing hideous, savage, and violent appearances.

In the center of this pack, a white figure stood like a midnight lily, gripping a gleaming, exquisite pistol. Her expression was serene. She paid no heed to the beasts lunging from both sides, merely swinging her arm. With lightning speed, a single bullet struck the monster’s brow with pinpoint accuracy, resulting in an immediate headshot.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

A series of sharp impacts echoed in the spacious corridor, mingling with roars of beasts. Finally, as one last shot faded, the intense, snarling sounds also fell silent.

The air grew thicker with an added layer of gloom.

Ye Chen was slightly stunned until he heard the crisp sound of Bai Yijun's high-heeled boots, snapping him back to attention. He quickly followed, his gaze sweeping over the muzzle of her pistol, where a burst of searing hot air caused the surrounding atmosphere to visibly distort...

"A Demigod-level technological weapon?" Ye Chen was shocked. While the destructive power was the same, the cost disparity between technological weapons and cold steel was immense. The price of this Demigod-level pistol was likely thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of Demigod Stones!

A standard Demigod-level tech weapon might cost a thousand, but Ye Chen noticed that Bai Yijun’s gun achieved a one-shot kill on every monster. This was definitely not a low-tier Demigod weapon; perhaps it was a Peak-level Demigod technological weapon!

That price tag would be terrifying...

"What exactly is this woman's background?" Ye Chen frowned. Possessing such a powerful Demigod-level technological weapon was remarkable enough, but the energy consumption for Demigod tech weapons was also extremely frightening—most drew upon the user's internal divine power, compressing it into energy bullets!

The extraction ratio was usually one-thousandth, or one-hundredth.

As Ye Chen passed the corpses of more than a dozen Demigod beasts, he hesitated briefly, then decisively chose not to linger, following Bai Yijun directly.

They traversed the corridor for a long distance before reaching a turn. As they rounded the bend, Ye Chen immediately heard the cold sound of gunfire.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Monstrous beasts coiled in the passage were being felled, most of them Demigod level, with only a few at the peak of the Ghost God stage.

The pair navigated through corridor after corridor. After slaying over a hundred Demigod beasts, Bai Yijun paused slightly, drawing a deep breath. She flipped her hand and produced a stone from a spatial folding pouch—a stone uniformly pale gold.

A Demigod Stone!

Ye Chen glanced at it, his gaze carrying a strange nuance.

Bai Yijun clenched her hand, and a dense blue light flared from her fingertips, enveloping the entire Demigod Stone. After a moment, the stone lost its luster, crumbling to ash that flowed through her fingers...

"Move!" Bai Yijun’s eyes were icy.

Ye Chen followed in her wake, the two of them dashing swiftly through the passages, slaughtering countless monsters along the way, until they finally reached an iron gate.

This massive gate was entirely black, seemingly forged from a special metal. Its surface was rough, marked with faint specks of blood, lending it an air of desolation and ancient simplicity.

Bai Yijun stopped, appearing slightly surprised. She furrowed her delicate brows and halted before the massive door. Ye Chen approached her side, catching a faint, subtle fragrance. His eyes shifted slightly, and he inquired, "Why stop?"

Bai Yijun looked at him calmly. After a pause, she murmured softly, "The map is incomplete. It only details the route up to this point."

Ye Chen was left speechless.

Bai Yijun pondered. "This iron gate doesn't appear completely destroyed. I don't know if its defense system is active. If it's accidentally triggered, I can likely survive, but you might not."

Ye Chen nodded. "Then you test it first. I'll watch from behind."

Bai Yijun shot him an annoyed side-glance. "You need to think of a way, quickly."

Ye Chen shook his head. "There's no workaround except trying to force it. This City of Darkness has seen ages pass, and its materials haven't decayed, but the defense systems surely won't be at full strength. I’ll wait behind. If anything goes wrong, you retreat."

"You watch the show while I risk my life?" Bai Yijun cast him another look, scoffed, but couldn't be bothered to argue further. "Fine, let's do it this way. You move away first."

The instant she finished speaking, Ye Chen retreated several hundred zhang, shouting loudly towards her. "I'm clear!"

The slender fingers gripping her pistol tightened slightly. She took a deep breath, silently commanding herself to remain calm, to remain calm...

She fixed her gaze on the black gate, stepped back a few paces, and pulled the trigger aimed at the center of the door. With a loud bang, a beam of transparent light tore through the space and shot out.

Thwack!

It struck the black gate.

The entire corridor fell into instant, profound silence.

It seemed everyone had forgotten to breathe.

A moment later, whirrr...

The silent gate, which had stood immutable for countless years, suddenly erupted in a layer of black light. Immediately, black studs around the door illuminated, and a mechanical voice stated coldly, "Intruder detected. Activating highest defense protocols. Annihilation authorized!"

As the voice concluded, over a dozen beams of light shot out from the iron door, charging toward Bai Yijun.