The man in white was Xu Tianguo, the acting leader of the Spiritual Civilization alliance. He stared at Ye Chen before him, seemingly unable to believe his eyes. Only when he heard that long-absent, familiar voice did he confirm he wasn't dreaming, and tears welled up in his eyes. He strode forward, and the two embraced tightly.

After a moment, they released each other. Xu Tianguo looked at Ye Chen excitedly. "That’s wonderful! You're not dead. Everyone thought you had perished. You really didn't die! I knew you wouldn't go down so easily!"

Ye Chen offered a wry smile. That ordeal had been utterly bizarre; even now, he had no idea how he had survived. It remained a complete mystery to him.

Xu Tianguo, after all, managed the Spiritual Civilization, overseeing hundreds of millions of people, and quickly regained his composure. He scanned the lavish and magnificent décor around them, shocked. "How are you here? Weren't you in the White Lotus Divine Continent? How did you jump to this place in the blink of an eye? Also, do you know the City Lord? How do you know him?"

Ye Chen waved his hand dismissively. "Are Bailong and the others well?"

Xu Tianguo nodded. "They are all fine. I'll have them come out to see you." Saying this, he gestured with his palm. A relic necklace, a spatial connection token, lit up, piercing the mysterious barrier. A swirling black hole, about ten feet wide, materialized in the room.

Swish, swish, swish...

Figures appeared out of thin air within the room: a stern-faced youth, a powerfully built man, a delicate-featured young man, and a strapping, burly fellow.

"Bailong, Yue Heng, Zhuge Fan, Huang Tianguo!"

Ye Chen looked at these men, a surge of emotion rising in his heart. He noticed they had all changed considerably over the past few years. Zhuge Fan, once a thin, frail boy, now possessed a mature and robust bearing. He recalled how this boy had once hidden alone in a dim warehouse, enduring hunger and terror. Had they not met him, he likely wouldn't have lived to see this day.

And now, the weakling who once feared being overwhelmed by a mere handful of zombies could slaughter a Flood Dragon with a casual wave of his hand!

"Ye Chen!" "Brother Ye!!" "Little Chen Chen!"

Bailong and the others stared at Ye Chen for a beat, then cried out in joyous astonishment, rushing forward to embrace him. The delicate young man was the first to dive into Ye Chen's arms, his eyes wet with tears as he choked out, "Brother Ye, I—I thought I would never see you again!"

Ye Chen gently stroked his dark hair. "That won't happen," he murmured warmly.

Bailong walked over and playfully punched Ye Chen’s shoulder, his face split in a grin, though his voice was somewhat husky. "You rascal! I knew you wouldn't die so easily. The only person in this world who can kill you is me!"

Yue Heng glanced at him, then immediately looked back, fixing his gaze seriously on Ye Chen. For a moment, he felt disoriented, as if memory were rewinding. He recalled leading his handful of down-on-their-luck brothers to steal food from a supermarket, chased by a horde of zombies. If this man hadn't appeared in time, he likely wouldn't exist now.

He quietly clenched his fists, his voice trembling slightly. "It's good that you’re back!"

Ye Chen looked at the assembled group, deeply moved. He nodded firmly, sweeping his gaze over them, but noticing his sister was absent. A bitter smile touched his lips before he suppressed the emotion, asking, "How have you fared these years? Did you bring everyone from the Spiritual Civilization?"

"We brought them," Xu Tianguo replied, holding up a large cluster of spatial connection tokens.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, taking in their appearance. Their clothes were quite ragged, patched in many places, suggesting their lives hadn't been easy these past years. Thinking of this, he unexpectedly felt a pang of sorrow.

He took a deep breath and asked coldly, "How has the Bluebird family treated you?"

"Of course not..." Zhuge Fan started to say instinctively, but Xu Tianguo quickly cut him off. He nodded instead. "Life has been manageable, though quite impoverished."

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes as he turned to the City Lord of Tianzhou, his voice low. "City Lord!"

The City Lord seemed to sense what was coming and nodded slightly. "If they are friends of the Divine Envoy, they are my friends. Rest assured, the Bluebird family will cease to exist in Tianzhou City tomorrow!"

Ye Chen glanced at him. "I will remember this favor. When I next see the King of Tianwu, I will mention it to him."

The City Lord's eyes lit up with surprise and joy. "That would be excellent! Thank you, Divine Envoy, for your kind words. This small matter is nothing to mention!"

Ye Chen paused in silence for a moment. "City Lord, for the next two days, please help me prepare food and water—enough for about two hundred million people, ideally provisions to last a year. I will pay the remuneration then."

The City Lord paused, then understood, chuckling. "Don't concern yourself with such a trifle. I will have people transport it over shortly; rest assured. I just wonder, for these two hundred million servings, are they intended for the Ghost God Realm or the Demigod Realm?"

The stronger the individual, the more they consumed; the weaker, the less required.

"Ghost God Realm," Ye Chen stated without hesitation.

In reality, among those two hundred million people, those who had reached the Ghost God Realm were few and far between. Despite the years apart, Ye Chen guessed that there couldn't be more than a hundred individuals at that level!

The City Lord nodded slightly. "Understood. We will dispatch people to deliver it shortly."

Ye Chen clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you."

"No need for ceremony, Divine Envoy," the City Lord said, waving his hand with a smile. He looked at Ye Chen again. "How long does the Divine Envoy intend to stay in this small city?"

Ye Chen shook his head. "I will leave once the food arrives."

The City Lord looked taken aback. "So soon? Where are you headed? I can arrange an escort."

"The Bright Empire," Ye Chen said quietly.

The City Lord momentarily choked, looking somewhat stunned. "The Bright Empire? Although it borders our Blazing God Empire, even with spatial jumping, it takes nearly a year to arrive. Why would the Divine Envoy travel to such a distant place?"

Ye Chen remained silent.

The City Lord realized he had overstepped and sighed softly. "The Ancient Continent is a complex web of powers, Divine Envoy. I hope you take care. Within the forty-nine cities of our Tianwu Vassal States, no one would dare touch you under your Divine Envoy status! However, the Blazing God Empire comprises over a thousand vassal states. In other states, certain factions might not show deference, and in the Bright Empire, even less so..."

Ye Chen sensed his concern and nodded. "I am aware."

The City Lord sighed again. "Furthermore, it's not just between empires. On the Ancient Continent, there are transcendent powers—the Ancient Families. They have established roots in nearly every nation and city, with countless peripheral family members. Once provoked, even one holding the title of Divine Envoy would need to tread carefully."

Ye Chen's interest was piqued. "Which powers are the strongest?"

The City Lord pondered for a moment. "Across the entire Ancient Continent, the Ten Great Divine Palaces must not be provoked. These ten palaces are objects of recruitment and veneration even for the Empires; their status is supreme! Beyond them are the Nine Great Ancient Families, which constitute nearly the absolute apex of power on the entire Ancient Continent!"

Ye Chen silently took note.

Afterward, he bid farewell to the City Lord. Bailong and the others stood nearby, and once the City Lord departed, they could no longer suppress their excitement, rushing up to Ye Chen to poke and prod him.

Bailong exclaimed with delight, "Little Chen Chen, when did you cozy up to the City Lord and earn this 'Divine Envoy' title? Tsk, tsk, which little girl did you deceive this time?"

A vein throbbed on Ye Chen's forehead. He wondered if the King of Tianwu heard this, would he be so enraged as to tear him to shreds?

Zhuge Fan blinked. "Brother Ye, how did you become a Divine Envoy? You look incredibly powerful. Also, why are you going to the Bright Empire? Is Ye Zhu there?"

Ye Chen shook his head. "There is someone very important there. The Divine Envoy title came about by chance; I'll tell you all about it later. Everyone, prepare yourselves; we depart shortly."

The others understood that after years apart, many things must have happened to Ye Chen that they didn't know about, so they didn't press further.

Not long after, the City Lord sent people to deliver ten enormous spatial containers filled with provisions: fine wine, roasted meats, fresh fruits, and nectar—all top-grade foodstuffs.

Ye Chen handed these over to Xu Tianguo and the others for distribution among the rest of the populace.

In the dozen or so ruined cities, everyone waited with bated breath for news. Soon, they saw Xu Tianguo, Bailong, and the others approaching, who were immediately surrounded by concerned faces.

Xu Tianguo and the others smiled, instructing the city's troops to maintain order before opening the massive spatial containers, taking out the food, and distributing it to everyone.

The moment everyone saw such an abundance of food, they momentarily thought they were in a dream, feeling dazed. Yet, the alluring aroma was right before them, so real yet so ethereal.

"This, this..." "So much food!!" "How can there be so much food!"

Everyone felt like they were going mad, their excitement boiling over. Looking at the mountains of food piled before them, their eyes turned red, and their breathing grew heavy.

Xu Tianguo and the others quickly raised their hands. "Quiet, everyone! Don't fight over it; everyone gets a share! Anyone who disrupts the order forfeits their portion forever!"

Instantly, everyone forcibly suppressed their surging impulses, staring fixedly at the pile of provisions.

How many years had it been since they had eaten a full meal? Not since they fell under the Bluebird family's control!

They thought such a sight would only ever appear in dreams, never imagining it manifesting so clearly before them now.

"This food..." Xu Tianguo hovered in the air, looking down at the crowd. "It was bestowed upon you by our Alliance Leader! Our Alliance Leader is not dead!!"

A shock went through everyone. They raised their heads in stunned disbelief, staring at Xu Tianguo.

"Alliance Leader Ye isn't dead?" "How is that possible? Wasn't he besieged by Pseudo-God experts?" "He's not dead! Alliance Leader Ye is not dead!!" "Long live! Long live Alliance Leader Ye!!!"

After the initial shock, everyone was seized by wild elation. In the time since arriving on the Ancient Continent, they had gradually understood that many civilizations here had stood for millions of years, possessing profound foundations, while the Spiritual Civilization was like an infant, and Ye Chen was its spiritual core leader!