Ye Chen was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Elder, please wait. Give me half a day, and I will immediately return to retrieve the set."

The burly man looked surprised. "You don't have it on you?" Ye Chen nodded. "It's in my dormitory at Star-Moon Bay."

"Nonsense!" Suddenly, a sharp reprimand cut through the air, originating from a towering middle-aged man. He glared at Ye Chen. "We already sent people to your dormitory to search; we found nothing!"

"You definitely have the World-Stabilizing Stone on you!"

"Otherwise, how did you kill Young Master Feng? Where is the Mid-Tier Demigod Set you acquired? If you aren't wearing it, you must have sold it off, converted it into Demigod Stones, and stored it in your bank card—hand over that card immediately!" All eyes fixed on Ye Chen.

Ye Chen's brow furrowed deeply. He looked at the many elders present and said in a heavy voice, "Is handing over the bank card all that is required?"

"Enough pointless chatter!" The towering middle-aged man's expression was icy. "You insignificant insect have no right to waste words here. It is the honor of your lifetime that the twelve of us elders are examining you! You have no standing to negotiate now!"

Another one chimed in, "I said long ago we should have just killed him and scanned his brainwaves; that way, we could know everything in his mind."

The burly man angrily snapped at him, "What if the brainwave scan damages the memory core?"

A woman of unparalleled grace, cold and aloof, looked down at Ye Chen. "When we agreed to examine you, we assumed that since you managed to slay Young Master Feng despite the rank disparity, you must possess some formidable backing. Later investigation revealed you are merely the leader of a newly ascended minor civilization!"

"You have no background. To achieve this level through your own efforts suggests extraordinary fortune and ownership of high-level secret arts. I never expected it to be just one peak-tier talisman. Whether that is true or false, only by probing your brainwaves can we ascertain if the killing of Young Master Feng was due to the talisman or something else entirely."

A cold light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He stared at her exquisitely beautiful face as if looking at a corpse, his voice chilling. "So, you could have resolved the matter with the Fengyue family without even involving me? Forcing a confession from me now is solely because you suspect I possess a powerful secret manual capable of killing opponents of a higher rank?"

"Exactly!"

"Since you know, then quickly confess!"

"The backer of my Crimson Annihilation Gate is the Water God Civilization of the Ancient Continent. What is that insignificant Fengyue family to us!" All of them let out cold laughter.

Murderous intent thickened in Ye Chen's eyes. "It is merely speculation, and yet you intend to kill me for it?"

The towering middle-aged man scoffed. "You are nothing but an ant-like speck. If this speculation proves true, its value is boundless; that secret manual could be divine-grade, worth more than you can imagine. If it’s false, then the death of one little Ghost God realm ant like you amounts to nothing!"

"Ha!"

"Still thinking you’re something special." The corners of the others' mouths curled into smiles.

Ye Chen's icy gaze swept over the assembly. He quietly clenched his fists, gave a desolate laugh, and said, "So this is how the Crimson Annihilation Gate treats its disciples! Then again, if you kill me here, no one will ever know. Moreover, given the trouble I’ve caused, you could simply handle the situation impartially."

"Fine!"

Ye Chen suddenly bowed his head, gritting his teeth. "I will comply. However, starting today, I withdraw from the Crimson Annihilation Gate!"

Everyone froze for a moment, then their faces lit up with surprise and delight.

The white-robed elder smiled faintly. "Agreed. Considering we share some affinity, when you depart, I will grant you wealth that will last you a lifetime."

Ye Chen silently glanced at him. "Even if you kill me, you won't get what you want. That thing is not on my person; it is stored in a location only I know."

The brows of everyone present immediately knitted together.

The towering middle-aged man sneered, "What trick are you pulling now? Do you think we'll believe you?"

Ye Chen turned his head to glance at him and scoffed, "Did you think I was foolish enough to carry something so precious on my body? The moment I killed that young master of the Fengyue family, I knew things had escalated. Those valuable items would certainly not be carried personally."

The group paused slightly, acknowledging the logic in his statement.

Ye Chen continued slowly, "Are all the esteemed elders present truly Pseudo-God Realm powerhouses, yet you fear a mere Ghost God realm person like me slipping away right under your noses?"

The crowd was momentarily stunned, then found the suggestion rather amusing.

"You don't need to provoke us; we'll let you go fetch it," the white-robed elder said with a smile. "We only hope you are sensible, otherwise, you will suffer greatly."

Ye Chen remained silent.

"Yue Ying, Zhu Feng, you two will accompany him," the white-robed elder instructed, turning to a man and a woman seated to his left.

"Yes," the two bowed and acknowledged.

"No time to waste, let's go!" The two stood up, approaching Ye Chen. Their profound, vast auras pressed down on him like a massive mountain, making it difficult to draw breath.

A flicker crossed Ye Chen's eyes, but his expression remained normal. Accompanied by the two, he slowly walked out of the great iron doors of the hall.

Blinding sunlight poured in from outside.

Ye Chen walked forward, as if enveloped entirely by the sunshine.

After leaving the hall, Ye Chen led Zhu Feng and Yue Ying, under the astonished gazes of the surrounding disciples, toward the foot of the mountain in the plaza. "You'd best not try any tricks," Zhu Feng said with a slight smile. He was large and imposing, with a face carved like a blade, quite handsome, and bore a halo above his head—a powerhouse from the Celestial Civilization.

Ye Chen was silent for a moment. "I placed those things deep inside a beast cave on a star fragment. We must take a spacecraft to get there."

Yue Ying, slender and possessing exceptional grace, frowned slightly. "How many kilometers is it from here?"

Ye Chen stated flatly, "Not far."

Zhu Feng glanced at Yue Ying, nodded slightly, then told Ye Chen, "Then let's hurry. Use my Pseudo-God level exclusive spacecraft." With that, he led Ye Chen toward the docking bay.

The Pseudo-God level spacecraft was incredibly luxurious, its interior dazzlingly ornate and immensely spacious. Its exterior metal was exceptionally hard, capable of killing even aerial beasts of the Pseudo-God realm without sustaining damage.

The three boarded the ship, and after a short journey, they arrived at Star Fragment c-0986.

"This is the place," Ye Chen said, stepping out of the craft and hovering in the air. He gazed upon the vast forest below, a faint glimmer flickering deep within his pupils. He secretly clenched his fist.

"Hurry up," Zhu Feng called from behind, stepping through the void. As two Pseudo-God realm beings, they had no interest in lingering with a mere Ghost God realm youngster; they wanted to conclude this quickly.

Ye Chen remained silent, leading Zhu Feng and Yue Ying across the star fragment, traveling straight for several hundred kilometers until they reached the center of this star fragment continent.

In the distance, they saw it: a slightly sloping mountainside jutting up straight amidst the dense jungle. At the peak of that slope was a gaping black maw of a cave entrance, seemingly capable of swallowing even the eerie light from the sky.

Ye Chen appeared to recall something. His eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment of silence, he rose and began walking slowly toward that beast cave.

Step by step... each step felt like an imprint, carrying a familiar sensation.

In Ye Chen's mind, the image of that white-robed figure surfaced—how, at some point, he had walked here in the same manner, his dashing elegance forever imprinted in his mind, indelible!

A gentle breeze caressed his face.

Deep within his heart, something surged powerfully?

The soft mountain wind swept past the entrance of the cave.

How many beautiful scenes were frozen in this very spot?

Ye Chen's heart suddenly calmed, as if he were oblivious to the danger surrounding him, walking through the years of the past as he approached that yawning black entrance.

Slowly, he stepped inside.

Darkness enveloped his silhouette.

Zhu Feng and Yue Ying, guarding against any ambushes, released their divine power to shroud the surroundings, keeping everything under surveillance. They followed Ye Chen in, one step deep, then slightly shallower.

Smack!

Suddenly, an abrupt sound echoed. Both Zhu Feng and Yue Ying were startled, but then they realized, with a mix of amusement and good humor, that Ye Chen had merely nudged a stark white beast skull.

Ye Chen continued walking slowly, his eyes shining particularly brightly in the darkness, as if anticipating something. Perhaps as he walked, the figure from his memory would appear again, speaking in a cold tone, "What are you doing here?"

A genuine smile surfaced on his face.

After walking for a short while, the trio reached the deep recesses of the mountain cave. Ye Chen's gaze flashed, and he slowly approached the location of the mechanism, saying to the two behind him, "It's here."

Zhu Feng and Yue Ying looked at a raised black rod on the ground, which resembled a lever or trigger. They immediately believed Ye Chen's words more strongly. Zhu Feng was about to step forward to activate the mechanism when Yue Ying suddenly interjected, "Wait!"

Zhu Feng stopped, turning back with a questioning look. "What is it?"

Yue Ying cast a sidelong glance at Ye Chen with eyes as charming as autumn water, saying coldly, "You go open it yourself. Who knows if there's an ambush set up there?"

Although a Pseudo-God realm expert who disdained a mere Ghost God realm being, after so many years of cultivation, she maintained proper caution—even when facing what she perceived as just an ant!

Zhu Feng understood. He frowned and snapped at Ye Chen, "Hurry up and open it." Ye Chen's expression showed hesitation for a moment, then he gritted his teeth and walked over, slowly pushing the lever.

Click!

A sound echoed, and immediately, an intense suction force emanated from the dark rock wall ahead, enveloping Ye Chen and, in the blink of an eye, dragging him through.

The cave plunged into utter darkness.

The air itself seemed to cease flowing.

Yue Ying and Zhu Feng were stunned, but they snapped back to awareness within 0.1 seconds. Zhu Feng roared furiously, "We’ve been tricked! Chase!"

Yue Ying managed a bitter smile internally. The two activated the mechanism, and the suction force from the wall dragged them through as well. They appeared on the outskirts of the Dark City and immediately saw ancient city walls riddled with ruins. However, looking around, Ye Chen was nowhere in sight.

"Bastard!"

"Damn it all!" "Cleverness led to folly; he actually slipped away! Chase!"

The two grew furious, unleashing their full speed, pursuing him into the depths of the Dark City.