With the authority Ye Chen now possessed, he could access basic information regarding the Dark Great World. This world was another planar space, rumored to possess a territory comparable to the Ancient Continent, teeming with numerous powerful factions.
The Dark Tribes were the communal grounds inhabited by the Dark Beings.
The Dark Tribes were divided into nine tiers, descending from Tier One to Tier Nine, with the lowest being the Ninth-Tier Tribe! A standard Ninth-Tier Dark Tribe housed a minimum of three peak Pseudo-God level powerhouses!
Each of these peak Pseudo-Gods, being Dark Beings, had a Dark Crystal Core within their brains. As their physical forms ascended and their power surged, these cores gradually evolved into Dark Souls!
Most formidable Dark Beings possessed a Dark Soul. When facing imminent danger or nearing death, they could detonate this Dark Soul, unleashing an explosive wave surpassing their innate peak strength tenfold!
Thus, hunting Dark Beings was exceptionally arduous!
Conversely, if a Dark Being’s Dark Soul was refined through specialized methods, it could become a potent medicine to enhance one's physical constitution or be smelted into a draught to prolong life.
In opposition, if Dark Beings consumed the flesh and blood of humans, they too could augment their own strength!
Reading this, Ye Chen had a rough grasp. For an ordinary member of the Genius Hall, even one at peak Demigod level with a combat secret technique amplification reaching a minimum of two million times, completing such a mission would still be quite challenging!
A single peak Pseudo-God was equivalent to a million times the power of a peak Demigod! If one self-detonated, it equated to a thousand times that power. Therefore, to annihilate a Ninth-Tier Dark Tribe using inherent strength alone, one would require an amplification factor of one thousand!
For the Second-Grade Genius Hall, a thousand-fold amplification was entirely out of reach.
However, for Ye Chen, equipped with the Rune Spaceship, there wasn't much pressure; all Pseudo-Gods were mere soap bubbles before the Divine Vessel.
Ye Chen immediately began consulting the star charts. The current spatial jump point had them en route to Snow Moon City, and within Snow Moon City, a small passage led directly to the Dark Great World!
“We still have a year and a half until the five-year pact. At the current speed, it will take a year to reach the Bright Empire! During this venture into the Dark Great World, I absolutely cannot spend more than half a year!” Ye Chen calculated internally.
He exited the virtual world and returned to the cabin, proceeding to the central control room. There, he saw the Green-Rune old man lounging in an armchair, his feet propped up on the table, utterly relaxed, with a plate of exquisite fruit beside him.
Seeing Ye Chen approach, the Green-Rune old man made no move to stand, casually chuckling, “Little Chen Chen, finished your seclusion? This fruit is quite delicious, care for a taste?”
Ye Chen glanced at him, “If I refined you, I wonder if it would boost my physique?”
The Green-Rune old man’s eyelids twitched, and he hastily stood up, flattering with a smile, “My old body is useless, Elder. If you refined it, it would only yield dross—no, a lump of tiny excrement, utterly useless…”
Ye Chen rolled his eyes dismissively, “How much longer until we reach Snow Moon City?”
The Green-Rune old man replied without hesitation, “Two more days’ journey.”
Ye Chen nodded, “Stop there; we need to go somewhere.”
“Go where?”
“A lump of dross isn’t qualified to ask questions.”
“…*……”
Elsewhere, within a towering crystal palace, light blazed, mercury-like currents shimmering across the walls, outlining intricate patterns. In this hall sat the red-haired girl, resting her chin in her hand amidst a sea of dolls, staring into space, lost in thought.
After a moment, a massive man entered from outside the hall. He stood two zhang tall, his skin verdant green, with two small horns protruding from his forehead, his eyes cold. In his grip, he carried a man of average height, about 1.8 meters, as if holding an infant, and walked into the chamber.
Bang!
The imposing man tossed the average-height man onto the floor, then bowed, hands clasped, addressing the red-haired girl on the dais respectfully, “Your Highness, I have brought this individual from the Spirit Civilization as well.”
The red-haired girl lifted her gaze, glancing at the man struggling on the floor. A flicker of light danced in her eyes as she spoke with cool indifference, “I ask you, do you know of a fellow from your Spirit Civilization named Ye Chen?”
This man was, naturally, President Yuè Nán.
He felt as if his entire body were on fire, the pain unbearable. Hearing the crisp, melodious voice—provided by Dà Ài Tíng Tíng from the Baidu Dark Civilization Bar—felt like a cool stream flowing through his heart, soothing all pain and filling him with a sense of pleasure. He struggled to lift his head to look and was instantly captivated.
The expansive hall was brightly lit, luxurious curtains drawn back, revealing a vivid red carpet leading to a grand bed at the far end, piled high with countless toy dolls. Seated in the center of this mountain of dolls was a beautiful maiden with fiery red hair cascading smoothly over her shoulders, contrasting with her fair skin. Resting her chin in her hand, she looked charmingly captivating, her large, watery eyes dark and sparkling, reflecting the world around her. Her skin was untouched by dust, and her toenails shone like flawless crystal, much like a porcelain doll.
President Yuè Nán had seen countless beauties but never such a vibrant girl, as if she were sculpted from the convergence of all the spiritual roots of the world—so devastatingly beautiful it stole one's breath.
“Hmm?” The cute girl frowned slightly upon seeing President Yuè Nán’s dazed expression. “What are you looking at?”
“I’m looking at your chest…” President Yuè Nán muttered involuntarily.
Before he could finish, the towering man started, alarmed, and quickly brought his fist down on the man’s head, leaving a large lump. President Yuè Nán snapped awake, immediately blushing and lowering his head.
“I asked you a question!” The red-haired girl raised an eyebrow. “Answer me, or I’ll have you castrated!”
President Yuè Nán shivered internally, reflexively clamping his legs shut. He quickly stammered, “I, I know him. I know that person; he is the leader of our Spirit Civilization!”
The red-haired girl’s brow arched, “Civilization Leader? Hmph! A mere Demigod brat dares to claim leadership? Is your Spirit Civilization truly that weak, or are you merely a remnant descendant tribe of the Spirit Civilization?”
President Yuè Nán looked utterly bewildered. “I don’t know.”
The red-haired girl waved her hand dismissively. “Enough of that. Tell me, where is that Ye Chen now?”
President Yuè Nán shook his head. “I don’t know. I heard he was being hunted by the Scarlet Perish Gate; I don’t know if he died in the end.”
The red-haired girl spoke indifferently, “He is not dead.”
President Yuè Nán’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s wonderful!”
“I’ll [censored expletive] you…” The red-haired girl nearly spat a mouthful of salty water onto him.
President Yuè Nán stood there stupefied, unable to speak.
The red-haired girl puffed out her cheeks in anger. “I ask you, where is he now? If you can’t tell me, your head will roll!”
President Yuè Nán felt like crying but had no tears, wretchedly protesting, “How would I know? We separated a long time ago.”
The red-haired girl snorted. “If that’s the case, you have no further value. I’ll start by chopping off your limbs and keeping you here as a plaything!”
President Yuè Nán’s body went cold. He secretly lamented his fate, wondering what kind of little demon Ye Chen had managed to offend to warrant such cruelty. He pleaded bitterly, “Don’t kill me! I’ll do anything you want!”
The towering man glanced at him with a trace of pity, then bowed to the red-haired girl. “Princess, your subordinate has a method to ascertain that person’s whereabouts!”
“Oh?” The red-haired girl raised her eyes coolly. “Speak.”
The imposing man quickly said, “This person is from the Spirit Civilization. If we ask the Elder for assistance, we can use the fresh blood within him to perform Bloodline Sensing, tracing through the lineage to feel the presence of other Spirit Civilization members nearby.”
The red-haired girl paused, then her eyes brightened. “Oh, right! How could I forget that.”
She looked down at President Yuè Nán, a subtle curve on her lips.
President Yuè Nán instantly felt as if the heavens and earth had collapsed, the sun and moon darkened, and the sky turned bleak.
Time passed. The next day, a figure cloaked entirely in hazy fire-red robes moved swiftly across the domains of the several vassal states under the Flame God Empire. With a single step, he traversed hundreds of light-years, searching through a thousand vassal domains in just two days.
Finally, within the Heavenly Witch Vassal Domain, he felt the fire-red bead in his hand grow intensely hot. Following the direction of the sensation, he rushed toward Snow Moon City.
“So, it’s here…*…” he murmured softly, then moved, vanishing instantly.
Simultaneously, in the Flame God Imperial Capital, located far away, a ball of fire materialized within the crystal palace, and a commanding voice emanated from within: “The child is in Snow Moon City, within the Heavenly Witch Vassal Domain!”
The red-haired girl in the vast hall’s eyes lit up. “Quickly, take me there!”
“Your Highness, you cannot leave the palace without authorization,” the commanding voice replied with a hint of indulgence.
“With you protecting me, what is there to fear? Please, Grandpa Lán Bó, I’m begging you, won’t you?” The red-haired girl immediately pleaded, looking pitifully sweet.
The voice fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. “Very well. But you are not allowed to wander, and you may only be gone for one day! Your Imperial Father said that if we take you out, we must bring you back within the day, or the punishment will be severe…*……”
“Hooray, hooray!” The red-haired girl, delighted he had agreed, grinned widely and waved her hand. “Stop nagging! Take me now!”
The commanding voice sounded somewhat helpless. “Alright.”
The fireball suddenly intensified, enveloping the entire body of the red-haired girl. With a flash of light, she vanished from the hall into thin air.
Snow Moon City: the artificial sun here was not scorching; its light was gentle, like a winter sun, emitting a faint chill. Snow often fell in this city, as if the artificial sun itself were on the verge of regression.
The Spatial Jump Point.
Whoosh!
A massive, pitch-black spaceship shot out from the spatial jump point. With a flash of light, it vanished into the distance.
The Rune Spaceship docked at the inspection channel near the edge of the spatial jump point plaza. In the deep, dark tunnel, purple lights shone down like pillars. Many other spacecraft were present here. On the ground, a large contingent of mechanical drones stood holding scanners, checking every vessel and collecting the spatial jump point fee.
When a drone approached the Rune Spaceship, Xiao Hei presented Ye Chen’s Heavenly Witch Token. The drone scanned it instantly and respectfully announced, “Greetings to the Divine Envoy, sir!”
Xiao Hei commanded, “My master says you are to send your City Lord over, and prepare ample provisions of grain.”