In the inky black night sky, the obsidian spaceship lurked like a predator, one with the darkness, advancing at near light-speed, the surrounding scenery rushing backward in a blur of mountains and rivers.

Ye Chen sat squarely on the sofa, pondering inwardly, "This sudden appearance—looking at that insignia, it's the Divine Guard of the Yan God Empire. Why would they suddenly strike at me?"

Logically, as a member of the Second Rank Genius Hall of the Yan God Empire, due to be automatically promoted to the First Rank Genius Hall next month, such an astonishing talent should be fiercely protected by the Empire, yet here he was, being hunted instead?

"First, the members of the Second Rank Genius Hall ganged up on me, and now they dispatch the Divine Guard directly. Could it be that I’ve truly offended some major figure above?"

Ye Chen knitted his brow, seated within the runic spaceship, gazing at the simulated exterior view, slowly sinking into thought. During his hasty escape, he had caught a glimpse of a hazy red figure in the sky. From that silhouette, he felt an immense, crushing pressure—a might so intense and terrifying that, deep in his heart, he felt it surpassed even that of his teacher, King Tianwu!

He searched his mind, unable to find any satisfactory explanation. Little did he know that the entire catastrophe stemmed from a casual remark made by Bai Ya, which, if he knew, would likely make him cough up blood in frustration.

After flying for not long...

Suddenly, the old man from the Green Talisman spoke via the loudspeaker from the main central control room: "Little Chen Chen, a small village has been spotted ahead. Shall we investigate?"

"A village?" Ye Chen's eyebrow twitched. After a moment of thought, he commanded, "Go!"

The runic spaceship flashed and darted toward the village, deploying its protective film, enveloping the entire craft in a cloak of invisibility, merging perfectly with the surrounding dark night, rendering it nearly imperceptible. Even if the pursuers possessed detection gear, the ship's runic systems would automatically scramble any incoming signals.

The large runic spaceship hovered directly above the village. Looking down from that altitude, Ye Chen observed that the dwellings were exceedingly spacious, constructed from massive stones and colossal trees, appearing quite primitive. In the wide central clearing, numerous figures milled about—Fire Demons, Stone Demons, Ice Crystal Beasts, and others.

The Fire Demons were rolling masses of magma, towering thousands of feet high. With every movement, the ground beneath them scorched and cracked, like colossal flames slimes, their eyes twin orbs of blinding light that struck terror into the heart.

The Ice Crystal Beasts resembled leopards, entirely composed of pure white crystal, standing ten stories tall. Compared to the Fire Demons, they appeared delicate and crystalline, covered in numerous ice spikes that radiated a chilling, deathly cold.

Amidst these monstrous forms stood a totem pole, entirely black, approximately ten feet in diameter, intricately carved with strange patterns. Atop the pole rested a stone statue, twenty feet high.

The statue depicted a woman whose eyes were as clear as water, utterly translucent, like twin sapphire jewels, seemingly gazing upon the distant night sky, commanding reverence and stillness. Her cheeks were exquisitely delicate, a beauty capable of toppling nations, captivating and alluring. She had a long, slender frame, a gracefully curved body, draped in gossamer-thin veils. Beneath the sheer fabric, a red pouch was embroidered with bizarre flowers. From her back sprouted a pair of delicate black wings, each feather exquisitely formed, appearing as if crafted by divine hands.

The moment this figure came into view, Ye Chen’s mind buzzed violently, as if his very soul had been ensnared by her presence, compelling him to prostrate himself in devotion, willing to surrender his life and everything for her.

As that thought surfaced, Ye Chen crushed it, shaking himself awake as if from a dream. He hastily averted his gaze and looked over, realizing the Green Talisman old man was staring blankly at the stone sculpture, his eyes fixed. Ye Chen prepared to interrupt, but then heard the old man sigh with genuine admiration, "Truly beautiful!"

Ye Chen rolled his eyes and frowned slightly, turning his gaze back. He instantly noticed that Ka Ba, Xiao Hei, and the others were all observing the statue with expressions of appreciation, seemingly unaffected by the strange, compelling aura emanating from it.

He furrowed his brow. "Are you all fine?"

Xiao Hei turned his head in surprise. "What's wrong?"

Ye Chen studied him for a moment, then slowly shook his head. Just then, Xu Tianguo, Bai Long, Mo Feng, and the others, who had just entered the virtual world nearby, removed their helmets and walked over. Peering through the viewport, they saw the scene below.

"Whoa..." Bai Long's eyes shone brightly. "So beautiful!"

"Truly a great beauty!" Yue Heng also exclaimed in admiration.

Zhuge Fan sneered irritably, "You two lecherous swine!"

"See if I don't look if you're so tough," Bai Long shot back.

"I'm merely appreciating the artistry," Zhuge Fan retorted with shameless audacity.

Ye Chen’s frown deepened. He swept his gaze over Bai Long and the others, his eyes flashing, before turning back to the statue. Immediately, he felt the stone figure seemed to amplify, growing larger in his vision, accompanied by a faint, undeniable urge to kneel and worship.

His heart skipped a beat. He quickly wrenched his gaze away, unwilling to look again. He pondered for a moment, then instructed the Green Talisman old man, "Stop looking. Activate the ship's scanners and check how many dark creatures are in this village."

The old man grumbled, "Don't I even have basic human rights? It's just looking at a beauty..." He muttered, powering up the runic spaceship's detection system, sending an invisible wave of energy sweeping across the entire village.

"It’s just a small village; there are 2,842 dark creatures in total. The strongest is only at the peak of the Ghost God Realm," the Green Talisman old man yawned.

Ye Chen nodded, clenched his hand, drew his Slaughter Battle Blade, opened the hatch, and shot downward, plunging directly into the village.

The village covered an immense area; though called a village, its actual size was comparable to a terrestrial city.

Ye Chen's sudden appearance startled the hundreds of dark creatures kneeling around the totem pole. They roared in unison and lunged toward him.

Ye Chen’s expression was impassive. His Slaughter Battle Blade rotated slightly, unleashing a ten-thousand-zhang blade radiance—a river of black light sweeping across the sky, cleaving the entire ground in two, revealing a deep chasm.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The blade energy struck directly, slicing the charging dark creatures in half before they could even attempt self-detonation, instantly killing them. As these dark creatures perished, a wisp of dark energy drifted out from their bodies, absorbed into the blade of the Slaughter Battle Blade, making the already black weapon even more subtly profound.

Slaying dark creatures requires shattering the Crystal Core within their brains. However, if the core shatters, it cannot be absorbed—a fundamental contradiction. Therefore, most cultivators employ special methods to extract the Crystal Core from the brain while it is still detached from the creature’s control, thus securing a whole core. If the attributes match, the core can be absorbed internally to strengthen the physique.

Ye Chen felt no inclination to keep the Crystal Cores of these creatures, which were mostly around the Ghost God Realm. He gripped his hand, slicing horizontally. The blade energy curved like a crescent moon, sweeping sideways, cleaving hundreds of surrounding dark creatures at the waist!

The frigid blade energy passed through, and although it missed the cores, the Demigod power within the energy utterly annihilated their physical tissues.

"Wait up, I'm coming too!"

"That beast, moving so fast!"

From the spaceship, Bai Long and the others saw Ye Chen commence the slaughter below. They hurriedly leaped down, drew their respective weapons, and charged into the village shrouded in darkness.

Ten minutes later—

A desolate breeze swept over the village under a hazy, cold moon hanging in the sky. The ground was piled high with corpses, forming peaks like icebergs, seas of magma, or mounds of stone.

Upon death, these dark creatures reverted to their original forms. Most ordinary dark creatures were born over long periods, slowly evolving from ordinary stone or magma through special mutations, eventually developing a Crystal Core, which grew stronger over time, developing into a brain capable of clear thought and awareness. Once they reached the Ghost God Realm, they could freely transform their bodies into flesh-and-blood forms similar to humans, possessing comparable intellect.

Ye Chen surveyed the scene of icy mountains and fiery seas with a cold expression. He took a step, arriving at the magnificent Totem Pillar in the center. He noted the pillar was exquisite, especially the stone carving atop it; the stone material was flawless, the surface crystalline, and notably, two tiny star-like points marked the forehead area!

Ye Chen glanced at them, and his soul trembled slightly. He hastily averted his gaze, instead bringing his hand down and wrenching the entire stone statue free from the totem pole. He zipped upward, returning to the runic spaceship floating in the sky, and shoved the statue inside.

"Check what valuables are left in the village," Ye Chen instructed the Green Talisman old man.

The old man eyed the stone statue in Ye Chen's hand and mumbled, "Stealing the rocks too? You truly are a beast."

Ye Chen shot him a sharp look. "Hurry up!"

The Green Talisman old man slowly returned to the main central control room and activated the detection system to scan the village below. Meanwhile, Ye Chen carried the statue to the ship’s main hall. Under the bright lights of the spacious hall, Ye Chen opened only half an eye, cautiously studying the sculpture.

This time, the statue emitted no discernible extraordinary aura; it appeared entirely like an ordinary piece of stone, nothing more.

Ye Chen paused, then frowned and contemplated for a moment. He walked to the entrance of the runic spaceship, looked down at the massive totem pole, his eyes flashing. He turned back, lifted the statue, leaped out of the ship, and landed back on the base of the totem pole. Gazing upon it again, he instantly realized the statue seemed alive—the soul-capturing, wondrous aura had returned.

Ye Chen frowned deeply, promptly closed his eyes, and slapped his hand down, snatching up the statue. He leaped back onto the runic spaceship.

By this time, Bai Long and the others had finished clearing out every single item in the village below. Under their scavenging, the entire area was utterly stripped bare; they dug ten zhang deep and couldn't find a single blade of grass left.