Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then retrieved a miniature spatial folding bag from the Fire Civilization’s storage compartment. The medium connecting this bag was a verdant ring, which he tossed to Xiao Hei. “Keep this ring in your hand for a moment. I’ll enter inside, and you shrink the opening of the spatial bag to the size of a needlepoint, then attach a video receiver to yourself and transmit it to me.”

Xiao Hei’s eyes lit up. “How did I not think of that? As expected of the boss, truly possessing transcendent wisdom, dashing and debonair, handsome beyond compare! My admiration for you is like…”

“Hurry up and go,” Ye Chen interrupted with a frown.

Xiao Hei stuck out his tongue and hastily put on the verdant ring. Then, from a nearby storage compartment, he found a video receiver—it looked like a button, inconspicuous when worn, capable of receiving imagery across a full 360-degree range.

Ye Chen, wearing the receiving end of the video link, entered the spatial folding bag. The opening of the bag then contracted to the size of a needlepoint, just large enough for the signal to penetrate. Standing inside, Ye Chen could see the outside world through the receiver, giving the illusion that his soul had somehow possessed Xiao Hei’s body.

They watched as Xiao Hei, accompanied by Kaba and two other Pseudo-God puppets, proceeded toward security. During the screening, the entire spatial folding bag remained sealed. A beam of rainbow light swept over their bodies, found nothing amiss, and permitted them entry.

Walking into the security channel, what presented itself to Xiao Hei and the others was a vast sea of dark heads. These occupants were all Dark Creatures, with diverse appearances: some were entirely scaled, bearing fierce tusks and utterly black eyes; others stood twenty feet tall, possessing six limbs like spiders; still others bore an uncanny resemblance to humans, almost indistinguishable.

Once reaching the Ghost God Realm, one could alter their appearance at will, depending entirely on personal preference; outward form was utterly disregarded here.

“Did you hear?”

“I heard the recent Sea Eye of the Dark Demon Sea has been sealed. Elders investigated and found that some wondrous object is about to emerge!”

“You all don’t know—in fact, an Imperial City is about to appear this time!”

“Imperial City?”

“It’s rumored to be the treasure vault left behind by some Divine Emperor!”

The surrounding crowd murmured incessantly, their words laced with curiosity and envy, mixed with a degree of surprise and excitement. Although Xiao Hei and the others couldn't understand the language of the Dark Creatures, the brainwave reception function of the communication device instantly translated their intent into the language they understood.

Ye Chen, standing within the spatial folding bag, frowned slightly. “Imperial City? Treasures left by a Divine Emperor powerhouse?”

As Ye Chen pondered, Xiao Hei and the others squeezed past the surrounding crowd, pressing forward. These Dark Creatures, seeing a mere Half-God level youngster daring to push past them, held a hint of coldness in their eyes.

The lowest entities present were at the Pseudo-God realm; Divine Spirit powerhouses were not uncommon. For a Half-God to shove ahead of them was, in their view, an act of provocation and a display of 'bad manners'!

However, just as these creatures prepared to express their anger, Kaba and the others formed a protective perimeter around Xiao Hei. This formation caused some observant Dark Creatures to pause, taking a deep look at Kaba, their eyes filled with apprehension and gravity.

Emanating from Kaba was a faint, almost imperceptible aura of danger, accompanied by a subtle, restrained pressure, making him appear like a cold-blooded assassin.

Given Kaba’s True Void God cultivation level, while not overwhelmingly powerful here, he was certainly mid-tier. Under his escort, Xiao Hei and the others advanced, bypassing one individual after another, moving toward a location ever closer to the Dark Demon Sea.

As they progressed, the strength of the Dark Creatures they encountered grew stronger, and the content of their hushed discussions provided more information.

“I heard only the chieftains of the major tribes are allowed entry.”

“Each chieftain has a limited quota of escorts. As the chieftain of a Rank Nine tribe, I can only bring three people.”

“If only I had invited some great figure from the outside to assist us beforehand.”

“That wouldn't work either. If we obtained some envy-inducing treasure, what if that person reneges on their promise and claims it all for themselves?”

“True. This is an Imperial City; any entity that learns of this news wants entry, right?”

Hearing these hushed conversations, Xiao Hei and the others did not stop, continuing their forward momentum. Inside the spatial folding bag, Ye Chen’s brow furrowed. He hadn't expected an Imperial City to manifest within the Dark Demon Sea, a place where any treasure imaginable might appear.

After all, this was the vault of a Divine Emperor!

“I didn’t expect to witness the emergence of such a grand treasure here. It’s a pity only the chieftains can enter. Outside this Imperial City, there must surely be stern Divine Spirit armies standing guard. Despite my strength, even with the Celestial Beast Superman Mode allowing me to phase through and teleport, if several Divine Spirit powerhouses combine their Domain Space to fix every inch of space, I, at only the second stage of Superman, might still be captured.”

“Entering the Imperial City seems unlikely. There are too many people here, chieftains from all factions have gathered. The lowest, chieftains of Rank Nine tribes, are peak Pseudo-God powerhouses! The chieftains of Rank Eight, Rank Seven tribes, could easily be Divine Spirits!”

“If a fight breaks out, we’re absolutely done for.”

Ye Chen’s brow was tightly knit as he analyzed the situation. Under the current circumstances, hunting down a tribal chieftain would be exceedingly difficult!

Just then, under Kaba’s guard, Xiao Hei reached the edge of the Dark Demon Sea. Gazing into the distance, they saw a multitude of figures whose auras were dense and profound, carrying a vast, imposing pressure, like the core of a world seamlessly integrated with the cosmos, inspiring awe in the heart.

Before these figures lay a boundless ocean of black water, churning violently. Waves crashed in successive layers from afar, as if something deep within the shadowy depths was stirring up chaos.

Ahead, the surrounding chatter had nearly ceased. Most people watched the distance in silence, and the occasional conversations were shielded within barriers.

Time flowed by…

About two days later, just as Ye Chen was contemplating how to hunt the tribal chieftains, the entire surface of the Dark Demon Sea suddenly shuddered violently downwards. Waves leaped thousands of feet high, causing the entire 90 million kilometer diameter sea to churn and boil. Gale-force winds howled across the surface; if an ordinary being was touched by even a fraction of this wind, saturated with intense Dark Magic Qi, they would instantly be corrupted into a zombie.

However, the body Xiao Hei controlled was already that of a Dark Creature, and Kaba and the others were puppet bodies. Though this contagion was potent enough to infect metal, they could resist it for a time.

As the sea roared, the gathered tribal chieftains and other Dark Creatures on the shore became agitated. Many could no longer restrain themselves, soaring into the air to scout the sea surface, dispersing in all directions.

“Should we go too?” Xiao Hei transmitted via thought.

“No need,” Ye Chen communicated back. “We’ll stay put here and wait. When we spot a solitary chieftain, we’ll strike.”

“Understood,” Xiao Hei nodded.

Just then—

Rumble!

The entire sky and earth seemed to shake and tremble, as if something was about to erupt from the depths. Roars like those of demons and devils echoed from within the sea, causing even the space in the sky to tremble.

Everyone’s expressions were shocked, feeling as if their bodies were being torn apart by countless spatial fragments—a deeply uncomfortable sensation that spread across the 90 million kilometers of the Dark Demon Sea. Black demonic energy boiled and roiled in the sky. Under everyone’s gaze, a wave rising a hundred kilometers high slowly formed in the distant sea and crashed towards them.

What was the concept of a hundred-kilometer-high wave?

It was the equivalent height of more than a dozen Mount Everests stacked together!

This awe-inspiring wave crashed down. Ye Chen quickly commanded, “Ascend!”

Xiao Hei and the others did not hesitate, surging into the sky. Otherwise, even their puppet forms, like Kaba’s, would be infected and corroded by the slightest contact with the virus-laden seawater.

Many figures also shot into the high altitude. Although these Dark Creatures were unafraid of the viruses in the water, being struck by a wave of such magnitude was undoubtedly unpleasant.

Looking forward, they saw the churning water boiling beneath their feet, rapidly scouring and impacting the surrounding land. Further out, a second colossal wall of black waves rolled in, as if something at their center was slowly rising.

“Let’s go take a look,” Ye Chen murmured.

Xiao Hei and the others immediately darted towards the center of the sea. The surrounding Dark Creatures seemed to grasp the significance of the event as well, rushing towards that point with barely contained eagerness.

Looking around, the entire sky was filled with dense black shapes, swarming like locusts.

Xiao Hei and the others pressed on, the Dark Demon Sea beneath them surging and turbulent, the water as dark and deep as ink that could never dissolve. After three days of flight, they finally reached the central region of the Dark Demon Sea.

When Ye Chen and his group arrived, they witnessed a truly shocking sight. From a great distance, they could see a colossal palace-city, so magnificent it defied description, standing atop the black waters, seemingly suspended in the air. The dark seawater constantly washed against the city’s outer walls, kicking up layers of spray.

Outside this boundless city, spanning perhaps several million kilometers, hovered countless spacecraft—even these large vessels, some over ten kilometers long, appeared no larger than flies or mosquitoes compared to the towering Imperial City.

Awe-inspiring, dominant!

Ye Chen could not fathom the sheer audacity required to forge such a massive city entirely out of metal!

“Imperial City!!!”

“It’s so huge!”

“This is the Imperial City!!!”

“The lost Imperial City!!”

The other Dark Creatures surrounding them immediately had their eyes turn red upon seeing the immense city; their very blood seemed to boil.

Outside the Imperial City, countless space lights illuminated the area, and patrol ships hovered around it. These vessels bore a unique insignia—the markings of the guards specifically tasked with monitoring this region of the Dark Demon Sea.

“Charge!”

“Charge!”

All the Dark Creatures roared and rushed towards the towering Imperial City.

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