The laser and iron fragment collided, exploding with a deafening roar, the ferocious shockwave tearing through the night sky, radiating outward, causing the trees and mountains below to shatter inch by inch, turning into ash.
The towering man and his companions dared not charge into the blast wave, fearing the battleship’s magnetic field would be disrupted by the Da. They could only halt nearby, watching in quiet contemplation. They observed the explosive shockwave slowly dissipate, vanishing with the wind. From within it, a streak of black light suddenly pierced the mist, flashing away into the distance.
The towering man and the others possessed astonishing vision. A single, piercing glance confirmed that the black streak was, in fact, that dark iron fragment. Astonishment spread across their faces. They could not believe that such an intense bombardment failed to annihilate it. Even the towering man privately admitted that if he had been struck by such a powerful shockwave, he would likely have been severely injured, perhaps even killed!
Yet, this small, utterly unremarkable iron fragment endured, much like a stubborn, lowly life form. It withstood the onslaught, seemingly undamaged, and drifted serenely into the distance.
“What now?” the handsome man finally asked, unable to keep silent.
The towering man gritted his teeth. “Pursue!” The three pseudo-god level interstellar battleships hummed faintly, their thrusters erupting with intense light, and with a swoosh, they chased after the dark iron fragment.
Boom, boom, boom…
Beams of destructive laser fire erupted from the interstellar battleships, slamming into the dark iron fragment. There was no reaction whatsoever—like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, without the slightest ripple.
The dark iron fragment easily absorbed the continuous barrage of cannon fire, pressing onward as if flying toward an unknown destination. Before long, they arrived at a massive chasm. Looking far ahead, they saw a desolate stretch of canyons, an endless desert devoid of trees and sand, just a bleak expanse of gray.
“Bad!” In the interstellar battleship’s control room, the towering man’s face shifted abruptly upon seeing the terrain ahead. “This is the God-Slaying Domain!”
The handsome man and the others changed expression, looking toward the area ahead, recognizing it with palpable unease.
“The God-Slaying Domain, within the White Lotus Divine Province, is one of the three greatest forbidden zones. Ordinary pseudo-god realm experts entering face certain death; even the God Realm experts dare not enter lightly!”
“This region appears unremarkable, but the atmospheric pressure density inside is entirely different from the outside.”
“A pseudo-god realm expert entering will lose the ability to fly, forced to rely on walking. If a demigod expert enters, their bones will be crushed into dust by the internal pressure!”
“And terrifying demonic ghosts lurk within…” Everyone recalled the legends surrounding the God-Slaying Domain, their hearts filling with dread, halting any further advance. In truth, after the pursuit, they all felt somewhat exhausted.
That black fragment was simply too abnormal.
No matter how they blasted it, it wouldn't break. Even pursuing it was pointless; its defensive power was terrifying. They suspected only a God Realm expert might be capable of breaching it!
“What do we do?” the handsome man asked again.
The towering man stared intently at the dark iron fragment slowly drifting toward the God-Slaying Domain. He frowned, thinking deeply for a moment, then declared, “We pull back first. Issue an order to strictly guard the teleportation gates. As long as he remains in the White Lotus Divine Province for one day, he cannot escape!”
“As long as the teleportation gates of the Nine Great Cities are secured, we need not fear his escape!”
“Additionally, dispatch people to the Oversight Department within the city and grease some palms. Have them watch for this individual’s retinal imprint left at the Scarlet Demise Gate. He will be scanned the moment he attempts to enter any city!”
“No teleportation out, and no entry into the city!”
“Given enough time, if he remains constantly in the wilderness, he will inevitably be infected by the noxious gases permeating the wilds, turning him into a soul-lost husk!”
A chilling light flashed in the towering man’s eyes. “If I ever encounter that damned brat again, I will crush his body into slag!!”
The memory of his invaluable pseudo-god level interstellar battleship being seized so directly by Ye Chen made his heart ache.
At that moment, the dark iron fragment plunged into the God-Slaying Domain. The instant it entered, it dipped slightly downward, then the entire black fragment flared with brilliant black light, re-stabilizing itself and continuing its serene flight forward.
Witnessing this, the towering man and the others could only manage bitter smiles.
“Let’s go!”
“Don’t waste any more time.”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The three interstellar battleships turned and swept away into the distant sky, vanishing from sight.
After the interstellar battleships disappeared, the dark iron fragment continued its slow, steady flight forward. Suddenly, the surrounding air tightened violently, and a nearly transparent demonic beast materialized beside it, baring its fangs and claws to viciously tear at the dark fragment.
Thwack!
The beast's sharp teeth clamped down brutally onto the dark iron fragment. Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds as its teeth snapped apart, piece by piece.
The dark iron fragment did not slow down; it drifted lazily past the nearly transparent demonic beast, which held its broken teeth and looked utterly bereft.
Not long after, the dark iron fragment slowly flew out of the dreaded God-Slaying Domain and arrived at a nearby fragment of a star. It descended slowly onto the peak of a solitary mountain. With a flash of light, seemingly weary, the dark, black mist that had enveloped Ye Chen dissipated, and the fragment fell into his arms, as if it too had lost its power.
A cool breeze stroked Ye Chen’s body, and the blood adhering to his Divine Flame Suit had already dried, forming patches of blood scabs.
In the night sky, stars dotted the expanse, and a blood-red moon hung high. From the deep jungle nearby, faint, low growls of beasts and the sounds of bones being chewed and torn could occasionally be heard.
The night took on a more savage hue.
Ye Chen lay unconscious atop Fox Peak, the cool, persistent wind ruffling his clothes, feeling strangely cold.
Time flowed onward, and in a blink, ten days passed!
On this day, a demonic beast slowly ambled up from the base of the mountain. It resembled a leopard, with sharp claws and dark black markings covering its body. It kept its head low, sniffing the ground, before beginning its ascent toward the peak. In short order, it reached the summit and twitched its nose, spotting a bloody figure lying not far away.
Its dark black eyes seemed to brighten momentarily.
The night grew deeper.
The leopard-shaped beast cautiously approached. As it drew nearer, waves of intoxicatingly rich blood scent grew stronger, making it intoxicated. Greed glittered in its metallic eyes. It moved carefully until it stood before Ye Chen.
It slowly raised a claw and tapped Ye Chen’s thigh.
Time itself seemed to hold its breath.
Ye Chen remained motionless, unaware. The beast’s eyes instantly shone with bright light. It licked its lips, suddenly widening its massive jaws to bite down on Ye Chen.
The cold wind vanished beneath the cavernous maw as a searing golden light slowly, gradually ignited, like the raging flames of the heavens, enveloping and swallowing the entire beast.
“Wuuu…” A faint scream sounded. Immediately after, the golden light retracted, flowing back into the Divine Flame Suit upon Ye Chen’s body. The beast’s carcass, however, had turned to ash.
The breeze was cold.
The world was silent, as if nothing had happened.
In the deep, endless darkness, a youth sat cross-legged. Suddenly, he seemed to sense some movement, then slowly, he stood up.
He gazed forward.
There, a faint white light slowly emerged, appearing like a gateway opening into this dark world.
So, he walked towards it.
The voice that haunted his dreams slowly drifted from the area of the hazy white light—low and faint, indistinctly heard.
So, he quickened his pace.
“Five years…”
“The five-year covenant…”
The faint voice grew clearer, louder, until he reached the white light, his entire body enveloped in a dazzling radiance.
Ye Chen opened his eyes.
Stars, the blood moon.
They greeted his vision.
Ye Chen’s sight slowly cleared, and he became fully conscious. Feeling the persistent cold wind sweeping over him, he could not help but look bewildered. “I didn’t die?” As he tried to move slightly, a wave of tearing pain instantly washed over his entire body—a pain like being flayed by a thousand knives, making even his internal nerves spasm. Even with his willpower, he broke out in a cold sweat, gritting his teeth and enduring it silently.
After a while, the agonizing pain slowly subsided. Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief, afraid to move, simply staring at the sky. The stars, flickering on and off, and the eerily scarlet blood moon, were always the background scenery of this ancient world, never changing.
A sudden thought struck Ye Chen, and he cautiously probed the divine power within his body, only to find it utterly empty, not a single fluctuation of demigod power remaining. He couldn't help but offer a wry smile.
“I wonder how long it will take before I can even move my body?” Ye Chen sighed inwardly. “With my body’s self-healing rate, such severe injuries will likely take months, perhaps even a year!”
“This means I have to endure several months of cold wind here!”
“I don’t know how long I was unconscious for, yet those people didn’t kill me? Strange. I don't know how long I was out. After our last separation, I spent two months at the Scarlet Demise Gate. Not counting the time I was unconscious now, if I spend four or five months here, that leaves only four years remaining!”
“My physical constitution is only at Level 100,000!”
“Within four years, I must reach Level 1,000,000 and become a pseudo-god realm expert? That is clearly impossible. With my current strength, facing a mid-tier pseudo-god realm expert, I would only be suppressed; even using divine blood would be useless.” Thinking of this, an inexplicable frustration welled up in Ye Chen’s heart. He had never felt the importance of time so acutely. Ordinary people, even given 400 years, wouldn't dare claim they could advance from the demigod realm to the pseudo-god realm!
Most people spend tens of thousands of years, exhausting their lifespan, only to stop short at the demigod realm!
Although Ye Chen knew little about Bai Yijun’s background and status, based on everything since they met, he could vaguely guess that the girl came from an excellent family, with countless suitors—certainly including many pseudo-god realm experts!
“Within four years, I must reach the pseudo-god realm to go find her!” Ye Chen gritted his teeth, his resolve firmer than ever before. He slowly clenched his fingers, waves of tearing pain spreading through his body. Biting his lower lip, he remained silent, like a stone unmoved by wind and rain, slowly managing to shift his arm an inch.