Ye Chen observed carefully for a moment, then swiftly tucked the Netherflame Shield back into his palm. He picked up the virtual helmet beside him, donned it, and instantly transported himself to the arena zone.

"War God Tower, Level 21!" Ye Chen commanded his destination.

Swish!

His figure vanished, reappearing within the space of the 21st floor of the War God Tower.

"Please select your opponent's civilization," the system prompt stated.

"Stellar Civilization," Ye Chen ordered.

"Please select your weapon!"

"Blade!"

"Please select the battlefield!"

"The Sun!"

"Please select gender!"

"Male!"

Swish!

Ye Chen moved, and the scenery shifted violently. Gone was the black void of the War God Tower; he stood upon the scorching, brilliant surface of the Sun. He felt the thick, scorched earth beneath his feet, sensing the plumes of heat spewing from minute fissures, his eyes sharpening to an intense focus.

Ahead, the air rippled like water, and from the distortion emerged a figure: black hair, dark eyes, slender build, and a remarkably refined appearance, holding a crystal-clear sphere in his palm, suspended motionless in the void.

Ye Chen clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with world-shattering fighting intent.

"Countdown commencing…"

"Match Start!" The system's voice echoed across the expanse of the Sun.

The instant the announcement faded, Ye Chen unleashed the Blood God Mode, driving it to its maximum capacity. One million two hundred thousand years of lifespan burned away, leaving not a single day remaining. This vitality transformed into pure energy, surging from his heart, coursing through every muscle and bone. His heart vibrated at an astonishing frequency, every fiber of his being trembling—whether from excitement or some other catalyst, he couldn't tell.

Ye Chen felt as if his body were a machine operating at hyperspeed. His muscles and blood boiled, his pores sprang wide open, and his black hair began to transform from the roots, shifting to a blood-red hue. His eyes glowed with an eerie crimson light, marking him as an Asura emerging from the depths of hell.

Boom!

The ground beneath his feet spontaneously fractured. Pebbles and debris seemed to be caught in some mysterious field, trembling as they floated upward, orbiting his body.

"Flame God Hammer!"

"Netherflame Shield!"

Ye Chen roared. He spread both hands. A light flashed in his left, revealing a majestic, imposing warhammer, fiery crimson throughout, etched with strange beast motifs that radiated a primal aura.

In his right hand erupted a four-cornered diamond-shaped shield, with a grip behind it. Its edges burned with abyssal black flames, causing the very air around it to subtly warp.

As these two implements materialized, a fierce gale whipped across the sky above the Sun’s star. Suddenly, a ripple spread across the heavens, and a beam of crimson light shot forth like lightning, slamming down onto Ye Chen’s head and enveloping his entire form.

This crimson light adhered to him, coalescing into a raging inferno. Behind him, this flame gathered to form a spectral projection—a figure whose features were indistinct, yet clearly massive and imposing, clad in armor bristling with savage battle energy. One hand held a hammer, the other a shield, emanating an aura of profound antiquity.

Ye Chen stood beneath this phantom, a perfect miniature of the spirit. His crimson gaze locked onto the young man opposite him, and with a fierce shout, his body became a tempest, sweeping toward his foe.

Under the empowerment of this ancient Flame God Battle Soul merging with him, Ye Chen’s energy surged a hundredfold. Layered with the Meteorite Esoterica, his combat strength amplified to an amplitude of 240 million times!

"Blind Heaven!" Ye Chen instantly activated the Blind Heaven combat technique.

This was a close-quarters maneuver; perfected, it could boost combat power by a thousandfold. At this moment, Ye Chen had only barely grasped the threshold, yet even this marginal success added a tenfold multiplier to his strength!

Rumble!

The very void resonated with the impact. Ye Chen planted his feet on nothingness, raising the rage-fueled ancient warhammer, and brought it down in a devastating smash toward the young man.

The youth gasped, his pupils contracting sharply. His body recoiled at incredible speed. The small purple star point between his brows flashed faintly, and the entire surrounding space turned viscous, clinging tight to Ye Chen’s form.

Simultaneously, he brought his hands together as if cupping something. The crystal-clear sphere began to spin rapidly, generating a powerful suction. Streams of mysterious red energy lifted from the very Sun beneath their feet—energy that seemed to emanate from the solar core. This energy was purified and compressed by the crystal sphere before being channeled into the young man's hands.

A shade of crimson fire enveloped the young man’s body, hardening over his skin into scales. Two sharp red horns protruded from his forehead, his dark eyes shifted to an ominous gold, and a thick tail extended from his back.

"Die!" His gaze was icy, filled with savage, brutal light as he lunged toward Ye Chen.

A cruel curve played on Ye Chen’s lips. His body accelerated suddenly, instantly shattering the spatial bonds constraining him as if they had no effect. He took a single thunderous step, seemingly shattering the air itself, and roared as he swung the ancient warhammer in his grasp head-on toward the youth.

BOOM!!!

A blinding light erupted across the entire solar surface. Where the ancient warhammer passed, the void was torn open, and shockwaves compressed into arcs. Only as the weapon neared did the young man realize the terrifying might emanating from it. His expression twisted into panic, and he tried desperately to retreat, but it was too late.

Crack!

The Flame God Hammer struck the youth squarely on the chest. The sound of shattering bone echoed. The ancient phantom behind Ye Chen mirrored his action, delivering a crushing blow to the void.

Blood erupted from the youth’s mouth. His body flew backward uncontrollably, slammed thousands of kilometers away, ejected past the solar sphere and hurtling toward the expanse of the universe.

"Challenge Victory!" The system announcement chimed in his ear.

A flash of light, and Ye Chen found himself back in the main hall of the War God Tower. The immense power that had surged through him moments before had vanished without a trace, as if the entire ordeal had been a dream.

"I won!" Ye Chen’s eyes shone brilliantly.

Slaying a god!

Relying solely on secret manuals, achieving victory over a true deity with the strength of a demigod! What an honor this was!

Ye Chen could barely contain the surge in his chest. Exceeding one's rank in battle was already tremendously difficult, achievable only by geniuses; yet, transcending two full tiers was nothing short of miraculous!

"I actually did it!"

"The Flame God Hammer, as an amplification manual, its energy runes—paired with those of the Netherflame Shield—can resonate, forming an ancient magic array. This array can tear the heavens and summon the battle soul of an ancient powerhouse to augment the self!"

"This virtual world is truly another universe, absolutely real, not some program designed by Earth's gaming companies, but a complete, genuine cosmos!"

"As long as there is enough energy to pierce the barrier of this universe, the ancient battle soul can be summoned! If this were a game company's full-immersion 10D online title, even if the sensory feedback was close to the virtual world, and the body was truly active within it, summoning the battle soul of an ancient expert would be impossible!"

"Who possesses such immense audacity as to transform an entire universe into a virtual world?"

Ye Chen’s heart throbbed with excitement, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing thoughts too far-reaching for the moment.

"Now, relying on my own power, I've surpassed my previous self by a hundredfold! Just with the moderately achieved Blind Heaven technique, amplifying my moves tenfold, my overall capability reaches an amplitude of 2.4 billion times!"

"What does 2.4 billion times even mean?"

"Earth's martial arts grandmasters and various fist fighters, utilizing techniques like Wing Chun or Tai Chi, utilize manuals that only amplify their combat power three or four times at best."

"Even so, the creators of those manuals were exceptionally brilliant."

"An amplification of 2.4 billion times is utterly unbelievable; most people couldn't even dare to conceive of it, let alone accept it." Ye Chen’s spirit soared. With the 2.4 billion-times amplification from the manual, his raw internal energy was now comparable to that of a mid-tier deity!

"However…"

"If I fought in reality, I couldn't sustain the Blood God Mode's lifeforce burning to this extent. After that single second of peak status, my body would instantly turn to dust and scatter on the wind."

Ye Chen frowned, a sigh escaping him. This battle, regardless of victory or defeat, demanded an enormous sacrifice of longevity!

"Hua Zhan!" Ye Chen’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, cold light blazing in his eyes.

He moved, vanishing from the spot, exiting the virtual world instantly. After taking off the helmet, he rose and opened his door, finding Kaba and Little Black dozing just outside.

Hearing the movement, the two immediately snapped awake. Seeing that it was Ye Chen, they let out a sigh of relief. Little Black stood up and grinned, "Boss, you’re finally out."

Ye Chen nodded slightly. "Rest here. I'll be back soon." With a wave of his hand, he left the villa and headed toward the Mission Submission Hall.

Entering the hall, he approached the counter. The beautiful girl behind the desk paused slightly upon seeing him and asked cautiously, "Are you here to submit a mission?"

Ye Chen looked up at her, finding her somewhat familiar. A thought sparked in his mind; he realized it was the same girl he’d dealt with last time he submitted a mission. He nodded immediately. "Please call your supervisor."

The girl stuck out her tongue, hastily activated her communicator, and said swiftly, "Supervisor, could you come here for a moment?"

A moment later, a man in a tailcoat emerged from the nearby elevator. Dressed in a branded suit with perfectly slicked-back hair, he approached Ye Chen with a warm smile and extended his hand. "Hello, it’s a pleasure to see you again!"

Ye Chen shook his hand. "I am submitting a mission."

"Very well, please follow me." The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up slightly. He smiled and led the way toward the elevator. Ye Chen followed them upstairs to the second floor, arriving at the office from his previous visit.

Ye Chen got straight to the point. He retrieved eight Chief Tokens from Level Four Tribes from his Rune Space, followed by one hundred Chief Tokens from Level Five Tribes, and handed them to the man.

The middle-aged man stared, momentarily stunned, at the mountain range of blood-red jade piled on the desk. In all his years working here, he had never witnessed such an accumulation of high-grade blood-red jade!

"This, this…" He was completely bewildered.

Ye Chen spoke softly, "Please help me count them. I am pressed for time."