"Scanning genes, bones, cells, bloodline, iris…*"

A sweet and melodious voice sounded within the halo. After a moment, a virtual humanoid figure emerged from the light, bearing an exact likeness to Ye Chen.

A figure materialized from the halo, captivatingly charming and adorable, clad in purple robes. She possessed large, watery, dark eyes and two small cat ears poking out from her long, smooth, purple hair, lending her a seductive allure.

"Master," the purple-haired girl chirped sweetly, batting her eyes at Ye Chen before giving a slight bow.

Ye Chen paused, instinctively asking, "And you are?"

"I am Zixiang, the System Goddess of the Demon God Palace, in control of all major intelligent systems. You are now my new Master. You may direct any command straight to me from now on," the purple-haired girl explained sweetly.

Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of shock, the blood within him slowly reviving and boiling.

The System Goddess of the Demon God Palace?

He knew that the Demon God Palace was a Dao Artifact!

Ye Chen couldn't help but ask, "This… this Demon God Palace, it will all belong to me now?"

"Indeed," Zixiang smiled sweetly, a hint of playfulness in her expression. "From this day forward, you may ask me anything directly. I will send you the general data of the Demon God Palace shortly to aid your understanding."

"Good!" Ye Chen nodded immediately. "Send me the resource reports for everything inside as well!"

"No problem," Zixiang giggled. "Please wait a moment." As she spoke, she lifted a hand, and a streak of purple light swept through the halo. Immediately, a small hole cracked open in the metal wall beside them, from which drifted out an energy chip the size of a fingernail.

Under the direction of Zixiang’s fair little hand, the chip floated towards Ye Chen, spinning briefly near the tip of his nose before slowly adhering itself to his brow chakra.

A vast tide of information flooded into him, making Ye Chen feel as though his entire brain had gone momentarily blank as countless unfamiliar terms poured in, filling his mind.

"Demon God Palace…*"

Ye Chen's eyes glazed over, his thoughts sluggish and almost frozen.

"Demon God Palace (Flawed Peak Dao Artifact): Countless epochs ago, the myriad heroes rode the Demon God Palace, dominating the tempestuous currents and soaring through the ancient world. Through countless battles, the palace became damaged, sustaining particularly severe harm during the Great Saint War."

"The core universe of the Demon God Palace is partially missing, becoming a ruined world. Consequently, the palace's power has sharply declined from the level of a Peak Dao Artifact to that of a Mid-tier Dao Artifact."

"The entire Demon God Palace is divided into the Domain System, the Spacetime Transit System, the Spatial Leap System, the Cosmic Relocation System, the Long-Range Attack System, the Defense System, the Close Combat System…*" A massive stream of information swirled through Ye Chen's mind, confusing him to the point where he could barely distinguish reality from illusion, much like Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly.

"The Demon God Palace was originally a Peak Dao Artifact?" A wave of astonishment washed over Ye Chen. He had never imagined the palace was so powerful; to have once been a Peak Dao Artifact! Although its materials were superb, the erosion of ages had gradually reduced much of its hardness, severely diminishing its quality.

And at the core of this Demon God Palace was housed a universe. However, this universe had been ravaged and broken during the war.

"Where is this ruined universe?" Ye Chen asked Zixiang.

"It is the place where you received your inheritance," Zixiang replied, tilting her head with an innocent, childlike expression. "When the original Master forged the Demon God Palace, he placed the universe he cultivated within the core system, allowing this Dao Artifact to fully materialize. Under the energy of this universe, the entire Demon God Palace was invincible, saving his life numerous times."

"However, when encountering a formidable foe, the entire core universe of the Demon God Palace was pierced through. Then, under the corrosion of time, the laws within the universe were damaged and could no longer self-replenish, gradually becoming dilapidated."

Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, feeling a sense of bewilderment.

A universe?

The entirety of a universe was used as an energy core placed within the heart of the Demon God Palace?

He felt a vast sense of disorientation, like a small fish suddenly catching sight of the dragon's domain—incredulous, yet somewhat lost.

"Oh dear!" Suddenly, Zixiang exclaimed. "We have enemies tracking us from outside! They are getting closer and closer. If this continues, we will be caught!"

Ye Chen paused, asking, "What enemies? Aren't we over the Dark Demon Sea? Where are we now?"

"I don't know. I was in deep slumber. I only awoke after you completed the recognition process. We are currently in the cosmic interlayer. The enemy is about twenty light-years behind us, slowly closing the distance. No, we must activate the Cosmic Instant Shift System, or we will be overtaken—this person's strength is terrifying!" Zixiang's small face turned serious.

Ye Chen knitted his brows, pondered for a moment, and then commanded, "Go to the outer star domain of the Dark Great World. There is a teleportation array there leading to the Ancient World."

"The Outer Star Domain?" Zixiang tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "I wonder if the Dark Great World has changed over these countless years. Originally, the Dark Great World was divided into three regions: the Outer Star Domain, the Central Region, and the Inner Star Domain. The Inner Star Domain holds 3,000 Emperor Stars, teeming with powerful beings—all pure-blooded Dark Race members."

"While in the Outer Star Domain are the commoner-grade Dark Creatures. These creatures slowly cultivated by devouring the essence of the Dark Great World's sun and moon, and are not true Dark Creatures born from the Dark Demon Sea."

Ye Chen hadn't expected the Dark Great World to be so complex, but he couldn't afford to dwell on politics. He ordered, "Go to the Outer Star Domain first."

"And from there to the Ancient World?" Zixiang asked, puzzled.

"If you have another way to escape this powerful enemy, use your method. If not, we go to the Ancient World," Ye Chen stated calmly.

"Understood," Zixiang giggled. "Everything is as the Master commands." As she spoke, a purple light flashed in her eyes, and countless thin electrical currents swept across the surrounding metal walls, resembling a circuit board.

"Location detected, and direction adjusted. Activating the Cosmic Instant Shift System now to widen the distance," Zixiang said softly, her small face set with concentration. "Countdown initiated…"

"Three, two, *……" Whoomph~

The entire Demon God Palace shuddered slightly. Ye Chen, standing on the metal floor, felt a vibrating sensation throughout his body, as if his muscles and blood were boiling. After a moment, this feeling vanished completely.

"We have opened up some distance from that pursuer. With our current speed, we should be able to reach the spatial wormhole in the Outer Star Domain before that person catches up," Zixiang’s delicate frame radiated an air of nobility, projecting an aura of complete control.

Ye Chen's eyes flashed as he mused, "Calculating that enemy's speed, approximately how long will it take them to close the distance?"

"If that person doesn't change speed, it should take about three days to pull back the distance," Zixiang frowned slightly. "It's a pity activating the Cosmic Instant Shift System consumes an enormous amount of energy; otherwise, we could have shaken this person off easily in a few jumps."

"Three *……" Ye Chen pondered for a moment. "Take me to the armory and the warehouses first."

Zixiang nodded obediently. "As you wish. Oh, why are there so many other people appearing in the city? Ah, I know! They must be people who entered the Demon God Palace to participate in the trials. Master, what should we do with them?"

Ye Chen's heart stirred. After a moment of thought, he looked up and asked, "Have you spotted a red-haired girl among them? She is human."

Zixiang tilted her head as if thinking, though in reality, she was utilizing all major monitoring systems for a close investigation. After a while, her eyes lit up. "There really is a red-haired girl, and she is human! This girl is in the eastern part of the Demon God Palace, on Huainan Street in Jipu City, currently fighting several Dark Race members. Should we capture her? This human is only a Demigod, yet she managed to kill a Deity—what astonishing talent!"

Ye Chen was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't expected this fierce red-haired girl to be merely a Demigod! Based on her previous fight against Locke of the Dark Temple, even a Peak Deity seemed unable to handle her. To think her personal strength was only at the Demigod level!

Although in battle, she relied heavily on the Crimson Silk artifact at her waist, without a certain level of personal power, it would be like a child trying to move a mountain—only resulting in hitting oneself.

"Confine all the Dark Creatures within the Demon God Palace. Hold them somewhere for now. As for that human, she possesses a Peak Artifact, so she might be difficult to handle. Confine her as well," Ye Chen deliberated.

"No problem," Zixiang giggled, a purple light flashing in her eyes. "I have already transmitted the order. The City Defense Mechanical Warriors will quickly move to confine them all and lock them in the Demon God Palace's dungeons. If they prove disobedient, we will directly throw them into the Trial Ground and use the palace's Cosmic Might to seal them for ten thousand years."

Ye Chen nodded slightly. With the Demon God Palace's various systems, even though much of their function had weakened over the eons, dealing with those below the Divine Emperor realm was still effortless.

"Let's go, take me to see the warehouses." Ye Chen said.

Zixiang giggled and lightly hopped down from beside the halo. Her gauze-like skirt billowed in the air, making her look like a princess stepped out of a fairy tale. Her crystal-clear feet, bare of shoes, with perfectly polished nails, stepped lightly, bouncing as she drifted to Ye Chen's side. "Master, follow me."

She trod upon the void, leading the way out.

Watching her somewhat ethereal, illusory form, Ye Chen suddenly recalled the old man with the green talisman. It seemed this intelligent system was also a Spirit Vessel entity, strikingly similar to the Zixiang before him.

As he pondered this, Zixiang activated some unseen mechanism. A black hole suddenly split open in one of the grand hall's pillars, inside which streamed radiant light, as if countless meteors were streaking by.