The void rippled like disturbed water, and an ancient, pitch-black warship emerged, its presence bowing the surrounding flora.

Inside the vessel, Ye Chen and the others stood together.

"Why are you running errands for others?" Ye Chen asked Kaba, his brow furrowed slightly.

Kaba slumped onto a sofa and managed a wry smile. "After parting ways with you, I used a spatial jump point to reach this Ancient Continent. I soon discovered it was vast beyond belief, terrifyingly enormous. Everything required immense spending, so I had no choice but to take the spiritual civilization—including Island Master Ziyun, White Dragon, Mo Feng, and the rest—to various sects or hotels to wash dishes or dig ore."

"Then, we exchanged what we earned for food, just barely surviving."

"The one hundred million people of the spiritual civilization have grown to 180 million over four years. It would have been more, but due to insufficient grain, Xu Tiangguo issued a birth prohibition, which severely restricted the population."

As he spoke, a chilling killing intent flared in his eyes, and he clenched his fist. "One day, while buying food on the street, I accidentally blocked the path of that brat Luo Guo and ended up getting roughed up. I wouldn't accept that, and that bastard actually imprisoned me! There was no law whatsoever!"

"It was only later that I learned they belonged to the Luo’er family. In Tianzhou City, they are a colossal family with ancient lineage, dominating the region. Especially Young Master Luo Guo, who is the city's tyrant!"

Kaba recalled the dim days of his capture, his heart nearly bursting with rage. He longed to turn Luo Guo around and tear at his flesh.

Ye Chen nodded slightly. Judging by the young man's fine attire, his background was undoubtedly significant. He was merely a peak Pseudo-God expert, yet he possessed a high-grade Divine Artifact. From the way he withstood the Rune Ship's Level Two God-Annihilation Cannon, Ye Chen could surmise he likely had a mid-grade Divine Set of armor as well!

"What about my sister?" Ye Chen asked Kaba.

Kaba froze for a moment, then scratched his head. "Your sister is missing."

"Missing?" Ye Chen's heart jolted. Two terrifyingly cold beams shot from his eyes as he fixed his gaze on Kaba. "How is she missing?"

Kaba scratched his head again. "After we arrived on the Ancient Continent, we went together to mine for a major sect, doing odd jobs, and some even served as servants."

"Once, an old man named Cang Yuan, riding a Nine-Headed Phoenix, flew over where we were mining. He suddenly spotted your sister, Ye Zhu. He simply beckoned with a large hand, snatched your sister's body, and told us he was taking her to the South Sea for cultivation."

"Cultivation in the South Sea?" Ye Chen paused, the cold light in his eyes receding as he frowned in thought. "The South Sea? On the Ancient Continent, there are countless mountains and rivers—how many South Seas are there?"

Seeing Ye Chen's expression, Kaba quickly tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, your sister isn't in danger. By my estimation, that old man is definitely a Divine Realm expert, perhaps even stronger. I estimate his Nine-Headed Phoenix is female, and it must be a Dao Beast, even superior to a Super Divine Beast! Someone of that strength could annihilate your sister with a mere glance; there’s no need for him to lie."

Little Black curiously interjected, "How do you know it’s female?"

"Kid, you wouldn't understand. Don't ask so many questions," Kaba waved him off.

Ye Chen nodded silently. Though that was the case, he still felt a knot of worry. He asked, "What about the others? Where are they all?"

Kaba sighed softly. "I was imprisoned for nearly a year. I don't know where the others ended up. Over these years, if this group of scoundrels hadn't been relatively obedient and fearful of my strength, they would have rebelled long ago and split off from Xu Tiangguo to become kings themselves. Thankfully, they know I have a bad temper and dare not cause trouble, or I'd squash them with one slap..."

Sensing Ye Chen’s darkening expression, he awkwardly chuckled and cleared his throat. "Well, what I mean is, these people are quite decent. It’s fortunate I suppressed them forcefully so no issues arose. Otherwise, I would certainly have saved them, urged them toward virtuous cultivation, and encouraged them to do more good deeds, not act recklessly..."

Little Black chimed in, "You would be that kind?"

Kaba puffed out his chest proudly. "I have the heart of a Bodhisattva; how could a mere insect like you comprehend that? We are not of the same race. The human world is something you beasts will never understand."

"Hmph!" Little Black scoffed.

Ye Chen gazed out the viewport, letting out a deep sigh. After all these years, he didn't need to be told—Kaba must have endured immense suffering while carrying the spiritual civilization. This Ancient Continent was no match for the White Lotus Divine Province. Here, experts were as numerous as hairs on an ox; even Pseudo-God experts could be captured and forced into servitude pulling carriages, let alone Half-God experts!

Moreover, without resources for so many years, feeding one hundred million people from the spiritual civilization, with ordinary people needing food daily—how many Divine Stones would be required to purchase that much grain?

Ye Chen frowned slightly, putting those thoughts aside for the moment. He looked at Kaba’s frame and pondered, "Where are your other puppets?"

Kaba started. "What are you going to do?"

"Help you temper them a bit," Ye Chen replied.

"You know Puppet Arts?" Kaba gave him a strange look. Although he didn't entirely believe it, he swiped his hand, opening a small spatial rift. Fifteen mid-grade Half-God puppets and two early-stage Pseudo-God puppets emerged.

"They're all here," Kaba indicated.

Ye Chen took out the Little Nine Cauldrons from his robes. After a moment of thought, he retrieved the one hundred peak Half-God mechanical men he had previously refined on the Pseudo-God mineral mountain of the Scarlet Extinction Sect, and then deposited the fifteen Half-God puppets inside.

"Melt them down!"

The Little Nine Cauldrons hummed briefly. A short while later, fifteen puppets floated out. They shone with brilliant golden light, intensely bright, with complex secret runes etched onto their surfaces.

Kaba's eyes widened as he saw them. "Peak Half-Gods!"

In that brief moment, those fifteen puppets had vaulted two entire tiers!

The shock he felt was indescribable. He knew these puppets were crafted with extreme precision; every component was essential. Even if he had ample materials, it would take him about a month to manufacture just one. Yet, Ye Chen had drastically upgraded them in the blink of an eye!

While he was still reeling from the shock, Ye Chen waved his hand, collecting the two or three dozen early-stage Pseudo-God sets he had seized, along with over a hundred early-stage Pseudo-God weapons, into the Little Nine Cauldrons, depositing them along with the fifteen peak Half-God puppets for refinement.

Buzz~~

The Little Nine Cauldrons trembled slightly. A few minutes later, they spat out the fifteen puppets again. These puppets had completely transformed. At first glance, their exteriors were indistinguishable from humans, clad in Pseudo-God sets, pulsating with potent Pseudo-God auras.

Kaba was dumbfounded.

"How is this possible!" Kaba exclaimed in shock. "All of them have early-stage Pseudo-God auras?"

Ye Chen checked the storage compartment of the Fire Civilization. It held a massive quantity of Half-God sets, but only six mid-grade Pseudo-God sets and several dozen individual pieces of armor and weaponry remained for the Pseudo-God realm.

Ye Chen sighed inwardly, looking at Kaba. "Soul, exit your body. I'll forge this puppet body of yours as well."

Kaba stared blankly at the Little Nine Cauldrons in Ye Chen’s hand. He instinctively asked, "What kind of treasure is that?"

"Leave the puppet quickly," Ye Chen didn't answer, aiming the Little Nine Cauldrons directly at Kaba. Frightened, Kaba snapped back to his senses, screaming as he hastily withdrew his soul from the core storage of the puppet body. It floated in mid-air, bearing a resemblance to the old green-talisman man.

Ye Chen placed his battered, ruined puppet body into the Little Nine Cauldrons, then tossed in the remaining mid-grade Pseudo-God sets and individual armor pieces.

"Melt them down!" Ye Chen commanded gravely.

The Little Nine Cauldrons hummed briefly, then promptly expelled a completely intact, brand-new body. It floated before Kaba. This new puppet looked just like a human: handsome and dashing, with a high nose bridge, mesmerizing eyes that radiated a subtle hint of sinister energy.

Kaba was speechless. "Mid-grade Pseudo-God!"

In just a fleeting moment, he had reached the realm he had yearned for!

He could ignore everything else. With a flash, he darted into the new puppet body.

"Return to position!"

"Scan soul!"

"Lock!"

"Acknowledge master!"

The entire puppet became unequivocally Kaba’s body. He raised an arm, looked down at himself, and couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. "It really is mid-grade Pseudo-God, it truly is!!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly, surveying the figures standing in the ship's main hall: fifteen early-stage Pseudo-God puppets, each brain chip loaded with combat secret techniques, plus four early-stage Pseudo-God corpses controlled by Black Snail Worms. Including Kaba, that totaled three mid-grade Pseudo-God combat forces!

The rest were the five high-grade Pseudo-Gods, including the robed old man, directly controlled by Little Black!

If this force were placed in the White Lotus Divine Province, it would be enough to flatten the entire Fengyue Family!

"Where was the spiritual civilization the last time you left?" Ye Chen asked Kaba.

Kaba paused, then frowned. "Now that you've offended the Luo’er family, with that brat Luo Guo's nature, he absolutely won't let you go easily. If you return to Tianzhou City now, it will be walking right into a trap!"

Ye Chen remained silent.

Kaba, terrified that he planned to return to the city, advised, "Not at this time; otherwise, it will implicate the spiritual civilization. If I were that brat Luo Guo, I would definitely place you on the family's kill list, and then any faction wishing to curry favor with the Luo’er family would seek you out for trouble! Therefore, wait until some time passes and things settle down before going back. It won't be too late then."

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded. "It's not too late to go after we visit the Heavenly Witch Mountain first."

"Heavenly Witch Mountain?" Kaba's eyes widened. "You're going to the Heavenly Witch Mountain?"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You... you... you..." Kaba suddenly grew agitated, finally taking a deep breath before forcing his voice to remain steady. "Let's just go back to the city!"

Ye Chen rolled his eyes dismissively. "Spit it out if you have something to say!"

Kaba managed a bitter smile. "Of all the places you could die, you pick the Heavenly Witch Mountain! Do you even know what kind of place that is? I heard that brat Luo Guo say that the Heavenly Witch Mountain itself is a peak Divine Spirit Treasure, filled with countless artifacts. If one is incredibly lucky, they might even run into a Divine Artifact!"

"But, it's filled with countless monsters, the lowest tier being Super Divine Beasts!!"

"If one is unlucky and stumbles into a cave, encountering a Dao Beast, they’ll be utterly annihilated!!!"

"Oh..."

Ye Chen understood immediately, nodding. "So, there are indeed many treasures."

Kaba nearly fainted.