"Calamity!" A dispassionate voice echoed across the entire expanse of heaven and earth, "Where do you think you're running!"

As the words fell, the surrounding mist, permeated with special magnetic field radiation, rippled violently. An ancient warship emerged, its exterior appearing knife-cut, the markings of its carving starkly evident. It radiated surging golden light, and waves of profound True God Power permeated around the hull, grinding black streaks into the void as it moved.

The instant this vessel materialized, the surrounding heaven and earth were shaken by an oppressive aura. The mist was violently dispersed, revealing the surrounding mountain peaks and the endless expanse of forest below.

Kaba's face shifted drastically. "A Mid-Rank God Battleship!"

"There's a Legion Commander inside!" Little Black urged breathlessly.

The old man with the green talisman cried out in alarm, "What do we do? Our highest speed is only Mach 10; his ship can clearly reach Mach 20, maybe even 50!"

Ye Chen's expression grew grave. He flipped his hand, and the replica Cosmic Disc appeared. Activating it immediately, he opened the Spacetime Domain. Within this domain, the speed of the Talisman Ship soared, and the surrounding space seemed to grow lighter, lending impetus to their flight from behind.

Even so, in the blink of an eye, the sound of pursuit roared closer. The warship, clearly superior in model to the Talisman Ship, doggedly followed, its cannon barrels extending outward, targeting the vessel ahead.

"Fire!"

"Lock on!"

Whoosh!

A beam of dazzling golden light shot out from the cannon barrel, aimed directly at the stern of the Talisman Ship. Just as it was about to impact, the Talisman Ship executed a swift aerial drift and turn, evading the critical area. The projectile struck the lower-left corner of the stern, blasting a huge hole and wrecking several pieces of precision equipment.

Those inside the Talisman Ship felt the world spin, as if caught in an earthquake; the entire vessel shuddered uncontrollably. If the refrigerators and chairs inside hadn't been bolted to the floor, they would have been tossed clear.

"Damn it, the wing system is malfunctioning! The left auxiliary launch tube is unbalanced!" the old green talisman man exclaimed in fury.

Ye Chen's face turned icy. "Down!"

He activated the replica Cosmic Disc, shrouding the entire ship in the Spacetime Domain, pulling the vessel downward. All space within the domain writhed, accelerating the ship's descent. If they were outside, Ye Chen's replica Cosmic Disc, with its 100-kilometer coverage, would make it difficult for other ships to close the distance. But here, deep within the Tianwu Mountain, the efficacy of domain artifacts was severely diminished.

The Talisman Ship plummeted from the high altitude, skimming just above the ground. Electric sparks and fire snaked behind the stern, emitting hissing sounds, trailing faint wisps of blue smoke and flame.

Bang, bang...

They sheared off several large trees and shattered rocks along their path.

At this moment, the pursuing God Battleship also lowered its altitude to continue the chase. Simultaneously, several whistling sounds came from directly ahead of the Talisman Ship. Emerging from behind the mountains were several more vessels, all pulsing with True God Power—they were clearly Lesser God-rank ships!

"Not good!" the old green talisman man gasped.

Ye Chen frowned, flipped his hand, and pulled out the unlabelled Talisman of the Grotto-Heaven from his chest. A strange light flickered in his eyes, but ultimately, he clenched his fist, preparing to activate it.

Just then—Rumble!

The ground around them began to shake violently. Immediately afterward, black rock walls bulged upward from the earth surrounding the Talisman Ship, enveloping it and forming a vast, sealed enclosure.

The several God Ships pursuing them all paused abruptly, staring at the scene in astonishment.

"What's going on?"

"What are these rocks?"

"Is there a trap here?"

The ships communicated via their communicators. Inside the Mid-Rank God Battleship stood a burly man with thick, muscular arms and a third eye etched into his brow—a powerhouse from a superhuman civilization, his bronze skin exuding a cold aura.

"Blast through it!" the stout man commanded coldly.

The other ships received the order and quickly powered up the largest cannon barrels on their respective vessels. These ships belonged to the Luoshen Legion, their expenditures covered by the Luoer Family. However, the intelligent systems aboard automatically reported the usage of energy reserves, so no one dared to misuse resources privately.

"Yes!"

The other ships responded obediently, aligning their cannon barrels toward the patch of black rock.

"Charge energy!"

"Lock on!"

"Fire!"

The largest energy cannons of the several ships slowly accumulated power. As the countdown ended, they suddenly erupted outward.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~

Six streams of dense, dazzling golden light shot forth, one among them significantly thicker, nearly ten meters long, crashing down onto the black rock wall. A loud barrage of explosions erupted, causing the very ground to tremble slightly as powerful shockwaves radiated outward.

A moment later, as the smoke cleared, everyone peered intently. Beneath the thin haze, the black rock walls remained perfectly black, smooth as jade, showing not a single sign of damage.

Not even a scratch remained!

Everyone exchanged glances, some stunned, the shock evident in their eyes.

Heavens!

This was a combined assault from six God Ships, yet it left no mark! And one of those ships was Mid-Rank God quality.

While everyone stood in astonishment, the black rock walls slowly contracted, sinking back into the earth. Simultaneously, the Talisman Ship, enclosed by the rock, vanished without a trace.

The burly man snapped back to attention and immediately activated his detectors, sending out probes that penetrated deep into the lower strata for examination, yet they found no trace of the Talisman Ship.

Gone?

Evaporated into thin air?

Everyone looked at each other, slightly bewildered.

After a brief pause, the burly man roared back to his senses, "What are you standing around for? Go search! Search everywhere! He couldn't have gotten far. If you don't find him, watch out for the Young Master's wrath!"

The crew members in the other five Lesser God Ships felt a chill run down their spines. The Young Master's fury? Given that little devil's temperament, if he truly got angry, who knew how many people would suffer... The ships quickly dispersed, searching every direction.

Amidst a stream of ash-grey airflow, the Talisman Ship carved its path, guided by a mysterious force toward a distant exit where the light was blinding.

The ship burst through this bright exit as if entering an entirely new world.

Sunlight, warm.

The solar corona blazed overhead, and vital, warm sunlight bathed the entire land. This world was untouched by the knowledge of others; birds sang and flowers scented the air everywhere. A gentle stream trickled, fish swam among the pebbles, towering trees provided deep shade, and the plains stretched out like an emerald sea, dense with flowering flora.

The entire world exuded tranquility and peace.

The Talisman Ship seemed jarringly out of place, like a smudge on a perfect canvas. Ye Chen, fully aware of his status as the anomaly, flickered his figure and recalled the ship. He now wore the Peak Pseudo-God set, hovering in mid-air, his cloak billowing in the breeze behind him, holding the Butian Halberd.

Flowers bloomed vibrantly across the mountainsides.

Sunlight rested here, the fragrance of the blossoms intoxicating.

Ye Chen walked through a sea of flowers, gazing at the surrounding green foliage. For some inexplicable reason, the murderous intent that had previously surged within him receded like a tide, leaving his spirit calm as water. He felt an urge to relinquish the Butian Halberd in his hand, but his grip remained iron-tight on the haft; he did not let go.

It seemed to be his destiny!

Ye Chen strode across the fragrant, flowery grasslands, searching for a way out. This world was beautiful and pure, entirely untainted. If there was any impurity, it was himself.

Just then, a streak of rosy light pierced the clouds in the sky, parting the mist and erupting with myriad golden rays. A long bridge extended from the clouds, landing directly before Ye Chen.

Ye Chen frowned, gazed intently for a moment, then after a brief hesitation, he stepped onto it. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. He gripped the Butian Halberd tightly and walked cautiously across the exquisitely crafted long bridge, inlaid with colored stones and carved with dragons and phoenixes.

Not long after he began walking, he noticed the bridge retracting automatically, like a divine dragon, carrying him upward into the clouds until he reached the summit of the sky. Here, the sea of clouds resembled mist, floating with numerous palaces and islands, resembling immortal mountains. However, centered among these resplendent immortal peaks was a pitch-black island, radiating a chilling, ghostly aura, towering like a pillar reaching to the heavens—it seemed like the Yama's hell emerged from the netherworld.

The long bridge carried Ye Chen to this ghastly island, docking him upon a vast plaza. The golden bridge slowly faded away. Ye Chen stood on the boundless square, observing several massive cauldrons carved with the savage faces of demons and monsters. Inside them, it seemed something was being boiled, emitting bloody bubbles, sending waves of (fetid stench) wafting toward him, a scent mixed with a potent medicinal fragrance that was almost intoxicating.

"Enter!" A dispassionate voice issued from the majestic hall ahead of the plaza, penetrating directly into the depths of Ye Chen's heart.

Ye Chen was startled, experiencing an immediate urge to respectfully rush forward, but he forcibly suppressed it. He took a deep breath, sheathed his Butian Halberd, and walked into the hall with resolute steps, though his spiritual sense remained anchored to the Talisman in his chest—ready to return to the Nameless Grotto-Heaven instantly if danger arose.

Entering the great hall, all the doorways stood open, yet the interior was cast in a dim, terrifying gloom. However, several crystal orbs hovered overhead, illuminating the space with a bright, clear light.

In the center of the hall was a throne, upon which a figure leaned back, propping his chin with a hand, gazing fixedly at a red bead before him, utterly motionless, as if he had been staring for ten thousand years.

The space-time around this figure seemed to hold its breath.

Ye Chen too felt a sense of suffocation, unable to speak.

After a long silence, the figure slowly lifted his eyelids, glanced at Ye Chen, and stated flatly, "Do you wish to become my disciple?"

Ye Chen paused momentarily, frowning as he looked at the figure.

"Little fellow..." The man closed his hand, retrieving the red bead, and looked squarely at Ye Chen, a hint of reckless abandon curving his lips. "I am the King of Tianwu. This place—it is the world I created!"

"Will you become my disciple?"

The surrounding space seemed to press down upon Ye Chen, a powerful, inherent majesty descending that made it difficult for him to breathe. In reality, this wasn't a deliberate exertion of pressure, but rather a natural emanation of his aura; otherwise, with Ye Chen's brainwaves, his mind would have instantly collapsed, causing him to bleed out and die.