The Tianwu Mountain range towered majestically, stretching for a thousand li, its peaks undulating like a dreamscape shrouded in swirling mist. Within its depths, beasts of feather and fur thundered through seas of emerald foliage, yet there were also treacherous swamps reeking of miasma, places even fearsome creatures dared not tread.

Before this colossal Tianwu Mountain stood eight separate entrances, each veiled by a mist as white as spectral breath, obscuring the passage and forbidding entry. Numerous figures were stationed before these gates—some in small clusters, others lurking in the shadows.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Rumble—

The white mist enveloping the entrances slowly receded, revealing a hollow, winding mountain path that led deep into Tianwu Mountain. From that abyss, a faint, sinister presence seemed to stare out, sending chills down the spine.

“Charge!”

“The barrier is open! We can enter!”

“Hurry! Don’t let them get ahead!”

Everyone surged forward with excitement into the valley passage. Spaceships streaked past, while others moved with hands clasped behind their backs, soaring through the air like a swarm of bees, instantly transforming the once-silent Tianwu Mountain into a scene of utter pandemonium.

Whoosh—

A runic starship flew in from the distant sky. As it plunged into the throng heading toward Tianwu Mountain, its detectors quickly scanned the path ahead. Just not far in, sixteen branching paths appeared, with groups of figures already splitting off down different trails. Some among them seemed familiar with the interior, navigating with apparent ease.

“Having a map really is a blessing!” Kaba exclaimed.

“Hmm?” Ye Chen looked over at him.

Kaba chuckled slyly. “I overheard that Luo Guo kid mentioning he possessed a map describing this Tianwu Mountain—one his clansmen surveyed when they entered a million years ago.” Little Hei interjected, aghast, “Then doesn’t that mean all the treasures inside have already been taken by these people?” Kaba shot him a sidelong glance. “What do you know? That Tianwu King is incredibly cunning. Every time the mountain opens, he makes alterations to small pockets within Tianwu Mountain. A map alone is useless; the terrain shifts every time, though the overall structure remains largely the same.” Little Hei snorted. “So, does that mean everything inside Tianwu Mountain ends up in the hands of those powerful families? They could just send a few Divine Realm experts to sweep everything clean.” “You brute, you don’t understand anything, do you?” Kaba boasted proudly. “Divine Realm experts are strictly forbidden inside Tianwu Mountain. Though some people you see have Divine Realm ships, the occupants aren't Divine Realm experts. If a Divine Realm expert dares to manifest within Tianwu Mountain, they’ll be instantly devoured by the mountain’s core itself. Remember, this entire mountain is a peak-grade Divine Artifact!” “I see now,” Little Hei realized, yet he still looked unconvinced. “Just because you spent a few days being whipped like an ox, you think you know everything? What’s so great about that!” “You!” Kaba’s eyes bulged.

Ye Chen ignored the bickering pair and said to the old man with the green talisman, “Head for the tenth entrance!” “Why the tenth?” the old man with the green talisman asked, surprised.

Ye Chen replied dismissively, “Don’t concern yourself with it.” The old man grumbled under his breath but followed Ye Chen’s order, steering toward the tenth fork.

Little Hei chuckled. “No wonder, Boss must be missing Miss Bai. Think about it—the pinyin for the ‘Bai’ in Bai Yijun is b-a-i. Bai means one hundred, which is an integer made up of ten tens.” Ye Chen shot him a sharp glare.

The old man with the green talisman suddenly understood and laughed. “As expected of the Black Snail Insect, truly the (roundworm) in this devil’s gut! The Insect Clan sure has sharp minds.” “That’s for sure!” Little Hei agreed without humility.

Soon, the runic starship plunged into the tenth side path, which was choked with thick fog, rendering the way forward completely invisible. The old man with the green talisman cried out, “Trouble! This mist is strange; it’s interfering with the ship’s signals.” “The detector is useless.” “What do we do?” The old man immediately turned to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s brow furrowed slightly. “Slow down first.” The old man snapped to attention and quickly decelerated, bringing the runic starship’s speed down to a crawl—about ten meters per second—so they could evade danger quickly if needed.

“I almost forgot; this isn’t an ordinary peak. The whole thing is a peak Divine Artifact. If we hit anything, my treasured ship frankly can’t match it in terms of hardness,” the old man muttered sheepishly, beginning to pilot the runic starship forward slowly.

“I heard Tianwu Mountain is like a maze,” Kaba murmured gravely. “We absolutely cannot take a wrong turn, or we’ll be trapped inside until the mountain seals itself a month later, at which point we’ll be blasted out.” Ye Chen pondered for a moment. “Lower the flight altitude.” “Lower it?” the old man asked dumbfounded. “Shouldn’t we fly higher? There might be less fog up high! Besides, if we fly low, we can’t see outside, and we could run into some Super-God Beast, which would be disastrous.” Ye Chen stated firmly, “Lower it gradually. Tianwu Mountain is too enigmatic; staying high up might not be the answer…” Thump!

Before he could finish speaking, a whistling sound tore past the ship’s exterior, causing it to suddenly plunge downwards. After a brief moment, a loud, shattering explosion echoed.

The old man with the green talisman turned ashen. “That… that was a high-ranking Pseudo-God vessel! It crashed! It must have been attacked up there!” A piercing, harsh bird cry, grating to the ear, resonated throughout Tianwu Mountain, audible even to those inside the soundproofed runic starship.

“I knew it,” Little Hei said with a grim expression. “There must be monsters lurking above. I should have known that sly Tianwu King wouldn’t leave such an obvious loophole for nothing.” “Keep descending!” Kaba urged.

The old man with the green talisman hurriedly lowered the runic starship’s altitude, sinking downward. Before long, the fog thinned. The mist only seemed to cling to the mountainsides around the peaks; the lower reaches were clear. The view outside the shock-absorbing glass was no longer a white expanse; mountains and rivers were visible.

“There’s the ship from before!” The old man with the green talisman steered downward.

Below them lay a stretch of lush green grassland, beautiful scenery cut by clear streams. On a small knoll, a pile of mangled scrap metal smoked faintly; the fate of the crew inside was unknown.

“Collect it,” Ye Chen commanded.

Click—

The runic starship’s hatch opened. Little Hei and Kaba darted out, sprinting toward the wrecked vessel. As they approached, both moved with extreme caution, daring not to be careless. They slowly nudged aside the debris, found no movement within, and then heaved the wreckage aside completely.

The inside of the vessel was empty save for a single charred corpse, looking as if it had been struck by divine lightning; its skin and hair were blackened, emitting wisps of smoke.

Little Hei examined it closely, then shook his head. “Unlucky kid, getting struck down while piloting a ship. And dead so thoroughly, even I can’t manipulate his body now.” The cells on the body’s surface were completely destroyed; absolute death.

Kaba urged him on. “Stop dawdling and hurry up collecting the scrap. I have a bad feeling about this area.” Little Hei seemed to sense it too, refraining from arguing. He bent down, seized the ruined ship, and together, they lifted it and sprinted back toward the runic starship.

Suddenly, the entire sky seemed to freeze.

Little Hei and Kaba, who had been moving rapidly, became utterly motionless; even their eyes couldn't shift. Only the frantic thump-thump of their hearts echoed in the terrifying silence. They struggled desperately, but their efforts were futile, as if their bodies were bound by invisible chains, completely paralyzed.

“What… what is this…” Little Hei thought, aghast.

“A Divine Realm expert!” Kaba’s pupils constricted. “It has to be a Super-God Beast, it must be! Only a Super-God Beast can control time and space!” “How can this be? To run into a Super-God Beast right at the start—that’s unbelievably bad luck,” Kaba felt bitter. He hadn't mentioned to Ye Chen earlier that besides Super-God Beasts, there were also Divine Beasts at the Pseudo-God level within Tianwu Mountain. Super-God Beasts were relatively rare here, and running into one immediately felt like a curse coming true.

As he berated himself, the runic starship not far away suddenly activated. Dense flames erupted across its hull, engulfing it in a fierce blaze that manipulated the surrounding cosmos, making it seem as if the very fabric of spacetime was melting and burning. Even the vacuum, devoid of fuel, twisted and loosened.

Swish!

The hatch flew open. Kaba and Little Hei, freed from the spatial restraint, immediately shot toward the runic starship, towing the ruined vessel behind them, and dove inside.

Click~

The hatch sealed, and the runic starship immediately turned and sped away into the distance. Behind them, in a patch of green grass, there was a sudden rustling sound, followed by the emergence of a magnificent monster: powerfully built limbs like a gigantic lion, its entire body covered in eyes, and two curved black horns crowning its head.

This Super-God Beast spotted the runic starship, roared, and the largest pair of eyes on its head glowed with cold, bloodthirsty light. It gathered power briefly, then shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.

“Heh!” The old man with the green talisman controlled the runic starship, sneering. “Trying to play games of speed with Grandpa? You’re still too green!” Seated in the central cockpit, he instantly boosted the ship’s speed to one hundred and forty meters per second—about four times the speed of sound. Even so, in the narrow confines of Tianwu Mountain, the chase was perilous and thrilling.

“Turn, turn!”

“Hurry up and turn!”

“This way, this way!”

“Damn your ancestors!” Little Hei and Kaba’s hearts leaped into their throats. They waved their arms frantically beside the old man, sweating profusely, terrified that the old fellow would accidentally smash into a peak, destroying the entire ship.

Ye Chen, however, remained unconcerned. Based on his understanding of the old man, he valued his ship far more than anyone’s life; he wouldn't self-destruct even if they were caught.

He walked to the damaged vessel, took out the Little Nine Cauldrons, and absorbed the large, wrecked ship into the artifact. Then he turned to Kaba. “Hand over the body.”

Kaba paused. “What?” Ye Chen pointed the Little Nine Cauldrons at him.

Kaba jumped in alarm, hastily allowing his soul to depart. The puppet body was retracted into the Small Nine Cauldrons. Moments later, it was spat out. Its exterior was largely unchanged, but the sheen of its skin was more subdued, appearing smoother, and its aura felt significantly more profound.

“Wow!” Kaba rushed over, astonished. His soul merged back into the puppet body, and as he moved, he looked amazed. “My strength has increased by seven or eight times! Tsk tsk, it’s nearly reaching the peak of the Pseudo-God level. This wrecked ship is truly useful!” Just then, a burst of golden light flashed ahead, and a massive aura rolled out, suffusing the surroundings with the strong scent of True God Power.