As the words fell, a vast torrent of information flooded Ye Chen’s mind, incredibly complex, detailing countless things. This data was directly branded onto his memory cells, indelible.

"This must be the second stage of the Heavenly Dao Scripture," Ye Chen’s eyes sparkled with insight. After carefully reviewing it, he found that the content presented was far more intricate and profound than the first stage, making it much harder to comprehend.

However, he had already met the prerequisite for cultivating this second stage: achieving the seventh tier of the Sage Realm!

Bang!

The crystal sphere shattered violently, dissolving into specks of crystal light that scattered in the wind.

Ye Chen pondered for a moment and decided not to immediately press on to the third dais. The second stage alone had consumed five months; the third would likely take a year. With the five-year agreement rapidly approaching, less than two years remained.

He turned and headed toward a nearby structure. A mysterious, arcane rune was etched onto its surface. After scanning Ye Chen, the entrance slowly opened, revealing a vast chamber within.

Ye Chen stepped inside. The room was exceptionally spacious, the ceiling towering perhaps ten zhang high. It was desolate, with piles of objects stacked upon the eastern dais, covered in a thin layer of dust accumulated over countless ages.

Ye Chen walked over, swept his hand across the pile, blowing the dust away to reveal the contents: several small boxes and one complete suit of armor.

The armor was inscribed with runes, exquisitely carved to form beautiful patterns, emanating waves of majestic divine power and carrying an ancient aura.

Ye Chen couldn't resist examining it closely and immediately recognized it as a peak Pseudo-God tier set! Inscribed on the corner edge of the armor plating were two characters: Mo Sen.

"The Mo Sen Set?" Ye Chen frowned slightly. He reached out, picked up the set, and stroked the material. An immense surge of energy flowed into him, causing him to nod slightly. "If my Radiance Set evolves to its third movement, its power might even resist attacks on the Divine level!"

He had a strong premonition that the Radiance Set was not limited to just three movements.

Ye Chen did not stand on ceremony. He donned the Mo Sen Set and activated its camouflage mode. The entire suit instantly transformed into ordinary civilian clothing, appearing unremarkable.

Next, Ye Chen opened the remaining boxes. They contained elixirs or food items resembling hamburgers, with their functions clearly labeled on the boxes.

"Body God Pill: Ingest one upon reaching the Demigod Realm to increase Constitution by 1000 points!"

"Blood Bone Pill: Can instantly repair severe physical damage."

"Super Divine Power Pellet: Each pellet contains 1000 units of Second Tier Demigod Power. Ten pellets in total!"

Looking at these elixirs, Ye Chen realized they were impossible to obtain outside. They were ancient heritage items. Because the internal time and space of the Heavenly Dao Mountain subtly differed from the outside world, they had not decayed despite the passage of long years.

Ye Chen swept them all up and stored them in his runic spaceship, clearing the entire dais. Suddenly, in an inconspicuous corner near the edge of the platform, he spotted a small tripod, about the size of a wine cup. He casually picked it up and immediately noticed intricate runes carved upon it, executed with such meticulous detail that they seemed divinely crafted.

Ye Chen gazed at it, marveling internally. He suspected the person who carved these patterns could write a hundred thousand characters on a single grain of rice.

After a few more glances, Ye Chen discovered a single ancient seal script character engraved on the base of the tripod: Jiu!

"Nine?" Ye Chen’s brow twitched. "The Nine Cauldrons?"

He had heard of this item in numerous historical anecdotes back on Earth. He never expected to find the Nine Cauldrons in this ancient world, though he wondered if there were truly nine of them, as legend described.

He tentatively channeled a wisp of mental energy to connect with the small black tripod. Instantly, it felt like connecting to a virtual world, and a vast, boundless white space materialized in his mind.

"Greetings!" A sweet, electronic voice chimed. "Welcome to the Nine Cauldrons World. As your power has not yet met the required threshold, you do not currently have permission to enter. You may currently only use the first mode: Refinement!"

Ye Chen froze momentarily and asked, "What Nine Cauldrons World?"

"The Nine Cauldrons World is a domain created by the Master. It contains countless treasures. Possessing the Nine Cauldrons is equivalent to inheriting the Master’s entire lineage. However, your strength is too weak and does not meet the conditions to enter. You can only use the most basic mode of the Nine Cauldrons: Refinement!" the sweet voice chuckled.

"A created world?" Ye Chen was deeply shaken. He knew that only those who reached the God Emperor level could carve out their own space and create their own world. At that level, one could carve out a territory from this chaotic spatial expanse using the power within their own body.

And the Nine Cauldrons...

They seemed to be the medium connecting to this world, akin to the earring that linked to the runic space within Ye Chen’s body. Moreover, the small black tripod itself appeared to be made of incredibly hard material, resistant to decay, far beyond any ordinary object.

"What is Refinement?" Ye Chen inquired.

The sweet voice replied with a smile, "Refinement allows you to fuse any elixir or weapon into one, thereby increasing its overall grade!"

Ye Chen was astonished. "Anything can be refined?"

"Yes," the electronic voice confirmed.

Ye Chen looked down at the small black tripod in his hand. He never expected such a small object to possess such formidable capabilities. It was certainly no ordinary item, and the Nine Cauldrons World it connected to must be even more miraculous.

But why would such an item be here? Did the Heavenly Dao deem it worthless and casually toss it aside?

Ye Chen thought for a moment and asked, "What are the requirements to activate the Nine Cauldrons World?"

"First, attain the Divine Spirit level! Second, your mental cultivation must surpass the Saint Realm!" the electronic voice stated.

Ye Chen stared blankly, then let out a wry smile. Neither of these requirements could be met overnight. Suddenly remembering something, he quickly opened his spatial folding bag and opened the hatch of his runic spaceship. Inside the storage compartment lay a battle saber, entirely blood-red and emanating an eerie, mesmerizing glow: the Tianjing Battle Saber!

This saber was so heavy that only someone at the Ghost God Realm could barely wield it. Furthermore, the Heart of Slaughter from the Xuanyuan World had been previously refined into it!

At this moment, the saber pulsed with a faint, sinister red light, like a grinning demon. Ye Chen reached out, grabbed the hilt, and was immediately assaulted by a surging tide of killing intent that flooded his mind—a deluge of murderous aura threatening to drown all his consciousness.

"Hmph!" Ye Chen’s expression turned cold. With a sharp pull, he dragged the saber out of the runic spaceship. He then touched the Nine Cauldrons and commanded, "Refine!"

A beam of light shot out from the mouth of the tripod, engulfing the Tianjing Battle Saber. It seemed as if a vast world existed within the small confines of the tripod.

Ye Chen flipped his palm and took out the division of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword. This divine sword evolved very slowly on its own, and with his current strength, he barely needed it; it required a full refinement. In fact, once he reached the Pseudo-God Realm, he could barely activate the main body of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword!

The saber and the sword were both drawn into the Nine Cauldrons. Following his command, they began to decompose and fuse within, merging their respective advantages. Not long after, the refinement concluded.

With a gesture from Ye Chen, a small black speck flew out of the Nine Cauldrons. It rapidly expanded in the air, taking the form of a long, curved blood-red saber, exuding an eerie, bloodthirsty light that sent chills down the spine.

As Ye Chen gripped the hilt, he felt waves of sanguinary thoughts attempting to disrupt his consciousness, like a seductive voice constantly urging him, Kill, kill... Ye Chen quickly exerted his mental power to suppress them. After a brief assessment, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the saber was now a peak Demigod-level weapon!

Moreover, through sensory perception, Ye Chen realized the saber's unique nature. Because the Heart of Slaughter had been refined into it—the Evil Source condensed over a thousand years by the dark creature sealed in the Xuanyuan World—it possessed a specific trait, even if it wasn't inherently powerful at first: the trait of Growth!

Evil power has nothing to restrain it. Therefore, this saber was intensely bloodthirsty. As long as it constantly slaughtered and absorbed enough fresh blood, it would continuously evolve and grow stronger! This was the horror of the Heart of Slaughter! The more enemies killed, the more powerful the weapon became, just like a living entity cultivating itself!

Initially, the Heart of Slaughter was merely sealed within the Tianjing Battle Saber. Now, after one refinement in the Nine Cauldrons, it had perfectly merged into the weapon.

"So utterly bloodthirsty," Ye Chen murmured, stroking the saber. "I shall name you the Slaughter Battle Saber!"

The entire saber hummed, as if cheering. The eerie blood-red light on its surface intensified, like an unyielding dye.

Ye Chen put away the saber and surveyed his surroundings. He sensed that everything within the chamber had been collected. The fourteen Body God Pills could boost his Constitution by 100,000 points, but Ye Chen decided not to consume them yet. After so much time, he could give them to his sister and others when he saw them next.

Thinking of them, a wave of longing washed over him. He wondered if Kaba had taken good care of the Spiritual Civilization, whether they were still in the White Lotus Divine State or had already moved to the Ancient Continent.

He hesitated no longer. His figure flickered, and he left the Heavenly Dao Gate, descending straight to the foot of the mountain. The metal sentinel stood motionless. Seeing Ye Chen approach, it scanned him once more and stated, "You have passed the trial of the second dais, effectively making you half a Master. This is the token of the Heavenly Dao Mountain. Should you wish to return in the future, merely activate this token. It contains a spatial tear pathway that allows you to return from any location."

As it spoke, a light flashed in its hand, revealing a crimson-gold talisman embroidered with the character "Tian."

With the technology, linguistic, and written systems of the Ancient World, language acquisition was no longer an issue. Instruments like the Atlantis Civilization’s Knowledge Tower could directly imprint vast amounts of data into the brain, eliminating the need to waste time learning. Moreover, Ye Chen’s personal communicator could automatically detect the brainwaves of others and translate their language into one he understood.

Ye Chen’s eyes brightened as he quickly reached out and accepted the talisman. He waved to the metal man and his figure flashed away from that mysterious location. As he departed, the colossal stone gate boomed shut, sealing that world once more.

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