"I know!" Ye Chen took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and declared, "Give me five years! Five years, and I will definitely come to take you away!"

Bai Yijun paused for a moment, then gazed at him steadily, slowly lowering her head. "Is it worth it? I have at most ten years to live..."

Ye Chen suddenly stated with absolute certainty, "It's worth it! As long as you can wait for me for five years, I will definitely find you!" As he spoke these words, he didn't know where the courage came from.

Bai Yijun glanced at him, a faint crystalline light flickering deep within her eyes. A graceful curve slowly spread across her lips, and in the gentle breeze, she articulated, word by word, "I promise you!"

The wind suddenly stilled. The clouds forgot how to drift. Those four words, like small stones accompanied by the cool, thin breeze, drifted into Ye Chen's heart, stirring intense ripples of emotion. The flame originating from the deepest part of his core erupted instantly. He suddenly reached out and clasped her small hand, gazing intently at her.

What is it that makes your blood boil? What is it that makes you fervently obsessed?

The soft mountain breeze blew between the two of them; the nearby grasses swayed slightly. The entire world was enveloped in tranquility, a profound peace never before experienced, making one reluctant to utter a sound that might disturb the serenity.

However, that jarring sound still howled from the distant horizon, like raging waves stunning a dragon, tearing the mist apart. A spaceship, its entire body radiating streams of light, trailing a long cloud-tail, sliced through the sky above the continent fragment of Star Cluster -0986, hovering directly above them.

Clack!

The spaceship's hatch swung open instantly, and a tall, slender figure floated out. Standing about ten feet high, the figure possessed skin as delicate and fair as jade, a refined and handsome visage, clad in magnificent brocade robes and topped with a white jade coronet. His eyes were deep and starlit, and a humble smile touched his lips.

When Bai Yijun heard the whistling sound, she turned her head to look. She subtly withdrew her hands from Ye Chen's grasp, stood up, and under the eerie moonlight, her white robes were like fresh snow. Leaning into the wind, she appeared detached from the mundane world. The White Snow Divine Sword behind her emitted a faint, soft glow, illuminating Ye Chen's face and reflecting the brightness in his eyes.

"Eldest Miss!" Upon seeing Bai Yijun, the young man in brocade robes’ eyes lit up, and he rapidly dove down.

Ye Chen’s heart slowly sank.

He silently averted his gaze and looked toward the young man in brocade. He immediately sensed a massive surge of divine power emanating from the man, causing the surrounding air to recoil. The pressure he carried forced the tender young grasses on the peak to bend low.

Pseudo-God Realm!

Ye Chen’s eyes dimmed further.

Bai Yijun’s expression was indifferent as she looked at the young man in brocade and nodded slightly. "Nan Feng, are you the only one who came?"

The brocade youth landed beside her, not sparing Ye Chen a glance, his expression tense and anxious. "Eldest Miss, what happened? You actually used the Emergency Communication Talisman!"

Bai Yijun said in a low voice, "I've been infected with a virus."

The brocade youth froze, then his eyes widened in great alarm. "What? You're infected with a virus?!"

Bai Yijun seemed to have anticipated his reaction, nodding slightly. "Yes. With my constitution, I can only hold on for another fifteen days at most. It took you fifteen days to travel here from the Ancient Continent; this is just enough time for me to barely endure returning to the clan."

The brocade youth grew frantic. "What should we do then? Even if your father reports to the clan and they deploy the 'Source of the Water God,' it can only extend your life by ten years at most!"

Bai Yijun nodded. "I know."

"But that way..." The brocade youth looked anxious and was about to say something more when Bai Yijun abruptly cut him off with a cold voice, "It’s good that you know. Hurry up and move!"

The brocade youth was instantly enlightened. "Right, right! Eldest Miss, please board the ship. Upon receiving your urgent message this time, I specially applied to the clan for a 'Purple Smoke Dragon King' vessel. This is one of the clan's top ten Divine-Grade warships. Activating Level One drive mode, it can achieve the speed of light!"

"Originally, traveling from here to the Ancient Continent, a regular Pseudo-God level ship from the clan could only reach sub-light speeds, making spatial jumps impossible. A round trip would take several years."

Bai Yijun nodded, glancing at the ship. It was one hundred kilometers long, entirely purple-gold, adorned with faint cloud patterns. The hull shone brightly, emitting special fluctuations from its metal surface. At the rear, two massive exhaust ports glowed with purple ripples, radiating intense heat that caused the air to slightly distort.

"Eldest Miss, let's go!" The brocade youth bowed anxiously.

Bai Yijun slowly withdrew her gaze from the ship. The mountain wind blew, and she fell into a brief silence. Finally, she did not turn back but instead strode toward the ship's hatch.

Ye Chen watched her retreating figure silently. In his peripheral vision, he noticed the brocade youth glance at him as he turned away; deep within those eyes, there seemed to be a flicker of murderous intent.

His expression was indifferent; he paid it no mind, quietly watching that slender white silhouette grow farther away, until she leaped into the sky, appearing like a lily blooming faintly in the bright moonlight overhead, her white robes like snow.

Bai Yijun looked at the vast hatch before her, only a short distance away. Inside the hatch was utter blackness, like a deep tunnel leading to a very mysterious place.

The eerie moonlight cast a desolate chill. This short distance felt as though it separated two worlds!

She slightly lowered her head; no one could discern her expression at that moment. After a long while, she slowly took a step and walked into the dim hatch. Her figure was enveloped by darkness, and even the soft light from the White Snow Divine Sword eventually faded away...

Clack!

The hatch closed. The heavy sound echoed in Ye Chen's heart like the sound of a world breaking apart. He stood expressionless, silently watching the magnificent purple-gold warship. Gathering his strength, he shot toward the distance like a streak of aurora, tearing through the sky until he vanished from sight.

The breeze swept past. After a long, long time.

Ye Chen slowly pulled his gaze back from the horizon. His eyes shone with a strange light, filled with unprecedented determination. He clenched his fist. "Five years! No matter what, I must reach the Ancient World within five years!"

"And!"

"Become stronger!!"

"No matter the cost, as long as I can become stronger, I will stop at nothing!"

Regarding the subtle, warning look from the brocade youth at the last moment, Ye Chen understood clearly: if Bai Yijun had turned back to give him one last look, the youth would very likely have attacked him. As for the reason, he didn't need to guess—given Bai Yijun's beauty and talent, her suitors within her clan must be as numerous as the fish crossing a river, countless.

"With the resources of the Scarlet Meteor Gate, three years should be enough for me to become a Half-God powerhouse!"

"Within five years, I must reach the peak of the Half-God Realm, or even the Pseudo-God Realm!" Ye Chen thought silently. For ordinary people, advancing from an initial Half-God to the peak of the Half-God Realm usually took nearly a century; even those with extraordinary talent required twenty or thirty years!

As for crossing the threshold from the peak of the Half-God Realm to the Pseudo-God Realm, opportunity, talent, and foundational strength were all indispensable!

He turned around and walked to the rock where they had sat together. After gazing there for a moment, he suddenly raised his hand, tapped lightly, and swung the Xuanyuan Divine Sword, channeling immense Ghost Qi into it, sweeping it outwards in an arc of light.

Boom!

Dust flew up, and a deep ravine was gouged into the ground.

Ye Chen reached out, lifted the entire rock, and placed it into the ravine, burying it. Afterward, he gently covered it with soil, his movements as delicate as stroking a piece of fine jade.

After burying it, he gazed for a moment, then stood up.

Turning, he leaped.

His figure shot toward the distant sky like a rainbow, parting the clouds to create a white line, rushing straight ahead.

...

Time passed quickly. Ten days later.

Northeast of the Star Cluster Fragment Continent, inside a Demonic Beast Cave.

In the deep, gloomy cavern, even the external light seemed to be devoured. Now, deep within the chasm, low beast roars could faintly be heard, chilling the bone in the utter darkness.

Outside the cave, in the thicket.

Swish swish swish~~~

Several figures sped over, resembling flowing light. As they neared the mouth of the cave, they suddenly slowed down, crawling into the undergrowth. When their radiance dissipated, three figures were revealed: two males and one female. One of the males was stout, with dark skin, his entire body covered in scales. His upper body was bare, exposing his muscular arms that bulged with power.

He stood about 4 meters tall, with a sharp single horn on his forehead, and a black tail extending from his hips, coiled around his waist like a belt—truly terrifying. This was a Primitive Beastman Civilization member. (Note: The Primitive Beastman Civilization is one of many prehistoric civilizations, specializing in close combat. They are born with incredibly strong bones and muscles, capable of tempering their bodies using ancient inherited secret techniques without relying on Soul Crystals.)

The other male was handsome, with a vertical eye on his forehead—clearly a member of the Superpower Civilization. As for the female, she was graceful and shapely, her eyes pure black like gemstones. She had a delicate, oval face and long, pointed ears, and she carried a bright green metallic longbow on her back.

"Hmm?" The beautiful woman gazed at the Demonic Beast Cave, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Why is there no killing intent inside? It doesn't seem like any demonic beasts reside here?"

The Superpower Civilization male took out a telescope made of titanium alloy mixed with special metals from his backpack and aimed it at the cave entrance. Using the thermal sensing device on the telescope, any creature within range could be monitored, even those hiding behind rocks.

However, using the telescope now, the Superpower Civilization male discovered that near the mouth of the Demonic Beast Cave, there wasn't even the faintest trace of biological activity—it was deathly still.

"How is that possible?" The Superpower Civilization male exclaimed in surprise. "There are no demonic beasts inside!"

"What?" The stout male paused. "You're saying that the Demonic Beast Cave, which collects the strongest monsters from the entire Star Cluster Fragment Continent, is empty?"

The Superpower Civilization male nodded with a wry smile.

"When things are abnormal, there must be a reason!" The beautiful woman mused. "Why don't we scout ahead first? Perhaps these beasts have acquired some device that can screen out the Super-Titanium Alloy Telescope, or maybe something happened."

"Agreed!" The stout man nodded in agreement.

Just then—

"Wait!" The Superpower Civilization male, still holding the telescope, suddenly spoke up. Through the lens, he saw a faint, crimson point of light slowly emerge at the entrance of the Demonic Beast Cave, and it was slowly walking out of the pitch-black opening.