The old man with the green rune, humming a little tune leisurely on the rune spaceship in the distance, couldn't help but startle when he heard Zi Xiang’s mournful cry. He turned his head to look, and upon seeing Ye Chen’s aged figure slowly collapse onto the ground, his expression froze. Even the cup of fine wine he held dropped, shattering with a pat.

He suddenly roared, rushing over as if driven mad, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Ye Chen on the ground, bellowing, "What happened!!!"

Zi Xiang threw herself onto Ye Chen, weeping, “Master is dead, wuwu…”

The old man with the green rune shuddered, feeling dizzy and faint. His body staggered, almost falling to the ground. He steadied himself precariously and turned his head dazedly toward the aged figure. He saw that the latter’s expression was serene, a faint smile still lingering at the corner of his mouth. Seeing this, an irrepressible surge of intense sorrow and fury flooded his heart. He spread his arms, crying out to the heavens in anguish, “Aaaaaahhhh!!!” His voice was impassioned and high-pitched, laden with infinite grief.

Zi Xiang beside him was completely immersed in sorrow. Hearing this howl filled with despair and sadness only deepened her affliction. Tears flooded her cheeks, her heart aching as if she might die.

The old man’s eyes were blood-red. If Bai Long and Ye Chen had seen him, they would never have imagined that this seemingly vulgar old man could ever possess such wrath.

After the long cry, it seemed his strength had abandoned him too. He lowered his head powerlessly, staring blankly at Ye Chen lying on the ground. In a trance, he recalled being utterly alone in that cold, silent space, dormant for countless ages, until one day, a group of adventurers opened this realm, and light streamed in from outside.

Like a dark shadow hiding in a corner, he gazed longingly at the rare white light, his heart consumed by avarice, plotting to seize the bodies of these adventurers and then pilot the spaceship out into the wider world.

Never be alone again.

Never again wish to crouch in a dark corner, enduring every second.

Never again…

That kind of endless loneliness, isolation, the terror of hearing no sound—he never wanted to experience it again. Then, he met this group of adventurers. Everyone among them was so endearing. He vaguely remembered how this group of adventurers had seen through his schemes, and later, how they had enslaved him, taking him along on their adventures.

Even though he was enslaved, every day he could hear these adventurers chatting, laughing, and fooling around inside the spaceship. His heart was moved and filled with longing, yet he couldn't bear to disrupt such harmonious relationships, so he simply watched silently.

Then, following the captain of this adventuring team, he experienced countless life-and-death situations, charging forward through it all, facing the most perilous predicaments, and overcoming every danger that should have meant certain death.

And he himself had grown from commanding a mere Demigod-level spaceship to reaching the pinnacle of the God Realm.

The memories of their six or seven years together, every little bit, flowed through his heart. It was impossible to say there were no feelings there. Although he usually covered his true feelings with jesting and laughter, only a smile could conceal the loneliness and solitude within.

He gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly, and slowly squatted down. His voice was husky, “Bane, you old bastard turtle, wake up! If you don't wake up now, your Grandpa Green is going to take over your body!”

Ye Chen lay still, motionless, as if he hadn't heard.

Tears streamed down his cheeks. He fiercely gripped Ye Chen’s lapel, his voice savage, “Wake up, you damned wretch, or I’ll take over your body and go find your sister! I’ll kill your sister, and not just kill your sister, I’ll kill Bai Long and the others too, you scoundrel, wake up!! If you don’t wake up, I’ll go kill the one you love most!!”

Zi Xiang snapped, “What are you doing!” As she spoke, she pushed him with her small hand, but the force was unexpectedly immense, sending the old man with the green rune flying away.

The old man roared, “You little vixen, get lost!”

“I’ll kill you first!” Zi Xiang gritted her teeth, a flash of fierce intent in her eyes, and pounced.

“Who’s afraid of whom!” The old man with the green rune threw caution to the wind, charging forward to grapple with Zi Xiang. The two tumbled into a heap. This scene was undeniably bizarre: an old man with white hair, well over eighty, wrestling with a little girl who looked barely eleven or twelve.

As the two wrestled on the ground, Ye Chen, who had been motionless beside them, suddenly twitched a finger. Immediately, a whirlwind, like a cyclonic vortex, erupted centered on his body. The phenomenon was immense, connecting with the heavens and earth above, shattering the void and extending into a pitch-black realm.

This sudden turn of events made the old man with the green rune and Zi Xiang both pause in stunned alarm, turning to stare blankly.

In the wildly swirling storm, Ye Chen’s clothes snapped wildly. The little white rabbit, which had been sleeping near his legs, suddenly sensed something. It opened its sleepy eyes, and upon looking at Ye Chen, it reacted as if its backside were on fire. With a sharp squeal, all its white fur stood on end. It leaped rapidly several times, distancing itself from Ye Chen, jumping clear of the mysterious storm, and halting before Zi Xiang and the others, standing upright on its hind legs. Its dark eyes blinked rapidly, gazing at the mysterious atmospheric storm with confusion.

At the center of the storm, the clothes on Ye Chen’s chest suddenly tore open, and a beam of dark black light shot out, tearing through the void and hovering above his chest.

It was a small, palm-sized piece of dark black iron, radiating a sinister, intense glow, spinning incessantly on its own. After a moment, it suddenly shot downward. The resulting air current lifted the edge of Ye Chen’s torn shirt, and the piece of iron penetrated his skin, vanishing in a flash.

The raging storm also subsided instantly, gradually dissipating without leaving a trace.

When everything vanished, the two people and one rabbit nearby recovered their senses, staring blankly at the motionless Ye Chen. If not for the torn fabric on Ye Chen’s chest, they might have suspected they had hallucinated the entire event.

“What just happened?” The old man with the green rune asked, still shaken.

Zi Xiang, being more experienced, quickly calmed down. She frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, then let go of the old man’s beard, stood up, and cautiously approached Ye Chen in a crouch. Not long after, she reached him and looked down, only to see Ye Chen’s chest skin was fair and smooth, completely without a scratch, not even a scar. She couldn't help but pause. “Where did that iron piece go?”

“Ah!” Zi Xiang suddenly realized, her mouth wide open, staring at Ye Chen in utter astonishment. Ye Chen’s skin was now full of vitality and elasticity, fair and plump, without a single wrinkle, having returned to his youthful appearance. The only thing unchanged was his head of white hair.

The old man with the green rune rushed over too. Seeing Ye Chen’s condition, his jaw dropped in shock. Then, realizing something, his face erupted in excited ecstasy. “Wonderful! The vitality is restored! Hahahaha….”

The little white rabbit hopped over from the side, its chubby body scrambling up Ye Chen’s arm to perch on him. It tilted its small head, its dark eyes blinking with a hint of bewilderment.

The pitch-black abyss…

Ghosts and resentful spirits moaned…

Who has sunk into this world…?………

Who abandoned the light…?

Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry. He felt a cute little face, close then far, close then far. After a while, he could finally make out that it was Zi Xiang, looking at him with a worried expression. A warmth spread through his heart. He managed to move his arm slightly, only to find it completely immobile, his entire body stiff as an iron plate. He paused, then struggled again with all his might, but still couldn't move an inch.

What’s happening? Ye Chen’s thoughts raced. He tried to speak, but his mouth felt fixed, clamped shut, unable to utter a single word.

“What’s wrong with my body?” Ye Chen felt a chill of panic and hastily looked inward to investigate. Sensing his condition, he immediately discovered that his meridians and blood vessels were all normal. In his left chest, the crimson-gold heart still hovered, but this heart was not connected to any blood vessels; it was like an independent object that could move around freely.

After investigating for a while, Ye Chen suddenly woke up with a profound shock. “I’m not dead?! Shouldn't I have died of old age? Why am I still alive?” Recalling the scene just before, he felt like he had vaguely experienced a very long dream, where the world was utterly dark, filled only with whistling cold winds, and nothing could be seen.

He didn't know how many years passed before a faint ray of light slowly appeared.

Then, he awoke from the dream.

“How could I not be dead? Could it be because of this heart?” Ye Chen’s thoughts shifted. He sensed the crimson-gold heart within his body, but found that the heart wasn't emitting any energy to sustain his body; it likely wasn't the reason, otherwise, it would have acted from the very beginning.

He frowned, thinking deeply to himself.

Time slowly passed. Outside, Zi Xiang and the old man with the green rune only saw Ye Chen open his eyes but heard him say nothing, which made them feel puzzled. They offered words of concern.

Ye Chen could hear them speaking, but he was distressed because he couldn't open his mouth. Just as anxiety tightened in his heart, his eyes suddenly brightened. He communicated mentally with the clone lying on the ground. This clone was merely a body conjured casually, and it had nearly dissipated when he fell unconscious. At this moment, his thoughts connected, and he immediately took control of this body.

The clone slowly stood up from the ground, dusting off his clothes, and said to Zi Xiang and the old man with the green rune, “Don’t worry, my main body can’t move for a while.”

Seeing the clone, Zi Xiang was the first to fly over, her eyes blurred with tears, “Master, you, you almost…”

The clone Ye Chen’s expression softened. He stroked her smooth purple hair and said, “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“Wu-oah!” The old man with the green rune also rushed over. “I missed you so much, Little Chen Chen.”

(To be continued.)