As the rune-ship departed, the old man in the crimson robe swayed slightly, letting out a muffled groan, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He looked up sharply toward the sky, but Ye Chen’s retreating figure was already beyond sight.
A hint of shock flashed in the old man’s eyes. “Only a Half-God realm cultivator, yet so powerful? Is he truly just a Half-God martial artist? Impossible. He used Half-God power, but how could it be so immense?”
Feeling the dull ache in his chest, his mind swam as if in a dream. Even with his vast experience, he had never witnessed such a thing. He had fully expected to crush a mere Half-God martial artist with minimal effort, even if the youth possessed some treasure, but instead, the target had escaped.
Just then, from behind the gates of Azure Water City, a throng of figures surged forward, many astride tamed demonic beasts, spirit beasts, and even divine beasts utilized by the Beast Tamer civilization, rushing toward the city entrance.
Among this crowd were members of the Scarlet Extinction Sect, identifiable by the crimson cloud patterns embroidered on their shoulders, disciples of the Wind and Moon Family, and people from other factions. There were even small adventurer groups arriving, the lowest among them being Half-God powerhouses, with many Pseudo-God experts present.
As this mass of figures converged, a handsome youth seated upon the back of a Black Single-Horned Dragon spurred his mount forward. He glanced at the appearance of the crimson-robed elder and frowned. “Elder Huo, where is that person?”
The old man spared him a brief look and shook his head. “He got away.”
The handsome youth couldn't help but pause, looking slightly confused. “Got away?”
The crimson-robed elder’s face darkened with chagrin. “This fellow’s strength is bizarre. Although his cultivation is Half-God, he possesses the combat power of an early-stage Pseudo-God. Furthermore, he wields a mysterious golden light attack. You know, even though a mid-stage Pseudo-God is stronger, it’s incredibly difficult to retain an early-stage Pseudo-God if they are set on escaping!”
The handsome youth was stunned. “How can a Half-God martial artist possess the strength of an early-stage Pseudo-God? Unless he has cultivated the legendary Nine Heavens Secret Codex, it is absolutely impossible!”
The crimson-robed elder paused, then suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, overlaid with a fanatical divine light. The hand hidden beneath his sleeve trembled slightly, and a wave of manic ecstasy swept through his heart. “It must be so, it absolutely must be so!”
“He must possess the Nine Heavens Secret Codex. That Codex was created by a madman long ago, its power unparalleled. Legend claims that reaching its peak can multiply one’s base combat power by a hundredfold—how terrifying is that! Judging by this rogue’s appearance, achieving early-stage Pseudo-God combat power through his own strength likely means a 100x increase to his base strength. That means he must possess two volumes of the Nine Heavens Secret Codex!”
“Two volumes!”
“If I had them, I could multiply my base strength by a hundredfold, and then layer on secret arts—I would be capable of sweeping through all Pseudo-God realm experts!”
At this thought, the old man’s heart burned with fervor, his excitement uncontrollable. With his logical deduction skills, he had easily pieced together these events; the chance of being wrong was infinitesimally small, and even if he was wrong, it only meant the target possessed some other profound secret!
No matter what, the prize was worth pursuing, regardless of the cost!
He was filled with regret. If he hadn’t hesitated earlier, fearing he would sustain too much damage and it wouldn't be worthwhile, why would he have failed to capture a Half-God martial artist after using all his means?
At this moment, seven or eight figures emerged from the Half-God army behind them. All radiated Pseudo-God auras, some male, some female. Upon hearing that Ye Chen had slipped away from the second-in-command of the Wind and Moon Family, Elder Huo, they couldn't help but express astonishment.
“He actually slipped away from Elder Huo, the second master of the Wind and Moon Family? How is that possible!”
“Given Elder Huo’s temper, he surely wouldn’t have held back. For this person to escape, he must have a defensive treasure!”
“If we find him, the value of this fellow is definitely worth more than 500,000 Half-God Stones!”
Everyone buzzed with discussion, lamenting their late arrival.
Meanwhile, in the night sky, a blood-red moon hung suspended.
A cool, crisp wind howled across the heavens, and an atmosphere of chilling solemnity permeated the air.
A light-gold spacecraft pierced the void from not far away, traversing this expanse of eternally cold night sky. Inside the vessel, Ye Chen sat cross-legged, swallowing a Blood Bone Pill. The chaotic energy within his meridians gradually settled.
“I didn’t expect a mid-stage Pseudo-God expert would arrive so quickly. If it had been an early-stage Pseudo-God, it would have been manageable,” Ye Chen muttered, his brow deeply furrowed. “Just as I suspected, the surveillance cameras at the gates of Azure Water City have issued a warrant for me. I left an iris imprint back in the Scarlet Extinction Sect, so getting into the city now will likely be impossible!”
“If Azure Water City is like this, the other cities probably won't be any different.”
“Without entering a city, I can’t use the spatial jump points within to leave. At the sub-light speed of this rune-ship, how many years will it take to slowly fly to the Ancient World?”
Ye Chen’s brow tightened. Just then, a thought struck him. He quickly moved to the central command room and addressed the old man of the Green Rune. “Where are the Black Mantis Worms?”
The old Green Rune man’s eyes darted around, as if he had thought of something. He chuckled, rubbing his hands together. “Ye-Ye-Chen… oh no, Boss, hehe, Boss Ye, I can tell just by looking at you that you are the kindest person—handsome, debonair, suave, and also kind-hearted… Didn’t you mention needing a double to scout inside the city? Hehe, among the corpses you slaughtered this time, I saw that Pseudo-God level body; it looked quite fortunate, with excellent sinews and bones. Why don’t you let me control that corpse to handle things for you?”
Ye Chen glanced at him. “No need.”
The smile on the Green Rune man froze for a moment, but he didn't give up, whining mournfully. “Boss Ye, how could you treat me like this? I know you’re worried about me working hard, but don’t worry, I don’t mind hard work at all. Serving the Boss is the greatest joy. You don't need to spare me…”
“Hmph!”
“Don’t be so rough with me…”
“It’s been a long time since I stretched my limbs.”
“Uh… the moon is so big tonight, tsk tsk, so red…”
Under Ye Chen’s coercion, the old Green Rune man reluctantly told him the location of the Black Mantis Worms. They were stored in the rune-ship’s hidden compartment, complete with food to sustain them.
Ye Chen opened the compartment and immediately saw a large mass of fuzzy little black worms crawling over a bloody skull, gnawing at the flesh on it.
“Xiao Hei,” Ye Chen called softly.
The little black worms on the skull immediately stopped moving. Then, a single, fuzzy little black worm covered in tentacles slowly crawled out of the skull and shot toward Ye Chen.
“Wow, Boss, Xiao Hei missed you so much!” Xiao Hei landed in Ye Chen’s palm, rubbing against him intimately.
Ye Chen stroked it, feeling like a soft, comfortable ball of flesh. He smiled. “Have you all been in here this whole time?”
Xiao Hei whined pitifully. “Yes, Boss. I thought you had forgotten us.”
Ye Chen rubbed his nose. “I didn't forget. I’ve been busy recently. I need you all for something today, so come out.” Saying that, he turned and walked away, bringing the swarm of Black Mantis Worms to the soft sofa in the center of the living quarters.
Ye Chen scanned the group with surprise. “Why are there a few more?” When he left Earth, he had left 15 Black Mantis Worms in the Xuanyuan World and only brought 50 with him. Yet, he now found there were 98 worms before him!
Xiao Hei chuckled sheepishly. “Boss, they’ve all reproduced one or two children during this time, so the numbers have increased. If we stay here longer, there will be even more.”
Ye Chen paused, then nodded slightly. “I have some elixirs here. Take them and see what happens.” He took out 10 Body Refining Pills. Each pill could increase a Half-God realm martial artist’s physique by 1000 levels; there were 100 pills in total.
Ye Chen crushed ten of the light-gold Body Refining Pills, turning them into a fragrant mist and liquid, sprinkling them over all the Black Mantis Worms, giving each worm about one or two drops evenly.
The light-gold liquid seeped into Xiao Hei’s body. It wiggled, emitting a distressed sound. “Boss, what is this stuff? My body feels so hot, ah…”
Ye Chen mused, “It will stop hurting after a while. Your physiques are too weak, only around 60,000 levels. They need strengthening!”
Originally, they were only at 3,000 levels. Later, during their time in the Ancient World, the Black Mantis Worms devoured Half-God corpses daily, causing their physiques to grow rapidly, which is why they had surged to sixty thousand!
As the words fell, the bodies of all the Black Mantis Worms began to change. Their jet-black color shifted to light gold, as if golden light flickered within their bodies.
Whoosh—
A hole the size of a chopstick suddenly opened above Xiao Hei’s head, from which flowed a stream of pure golden liquid that enveloped its entire body, remodeling its cellular structure and converting the demonic energy within into Half-God power.
Among this swarm of Black Mantis Worms, Xiao Hei possessed the highest physique, reaching 80,000 levels. When distributing the Body Refining Pill liquid, Ye Chen had deliberately given it four or five extra drops, which unexpectedly caused it to directly break through to the Half-God realm!
Soon, Xiao Hei’s transformation concluded. The tips of the tentacles on its jet-black, fuzzy body turned slightly reddish-gold, carrying an aura of nobility. “Such immense power…” Xiao Hei felt the change in its body and couldn't help but cheer, “Long live the Boss!” It moved swiftly, leaping off the ground and landing in Ye Chen’s palm, rubbing against his skin.
Ye Chen noticed that ever since his mental state cultivated to the fifth stage of the Sage, his entire body naturally emitted an aura that could influence surrounding living beings. Previously, Xiao Hei had always harbored ill intentions toward him, constantly ready to seize his body given the chance. Now, however, it showed deeper submission, as if it obeyed him completely, body and soul.
However, Ye Chen absolutely would not underestimate the intelligence of the Black Mantis Worms. He stroked Xiao Hei’s body and said, “I have a task for you…”
“I knew it—” Xiao Hei slowly shifted its body. “Boss, tell me. As long as I can accomplish it, I will go through fire and water without hesitation. My admiration for the Boss is like the Yellow River in the heavens, surging endlessly…”
Ye Chen couldn’t help but flick its head. “Did you learn all these compliments from Old Man Green?”
Xiao Hei slowly replied, “I taught them to him…”
Ye Chen rolled his eyes, nearly strangling it in exasperation, then shook his head helplessly. “I’ll give you a preserved Pseudo-God level corpse, mostly intact, but the brain has been pierced through. Do you think you can control it?”
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