Ye Chen brought Bai Yijun to the vicinity of the central main control room. Beside this area were four secondary control rooms, each managing the intelligent systems of hundreds of regional control rooms.
Xiao Zhongsheng, clicking in her high heels, approached the central main control room and swiftly tapped a few times on the virtual keyboard. The entire Heavenly Dao Divine Ark gave a subtle tremor. Immediately, streams of golden, flowing light manifested across the platinum-gold surface of the Ark, and countless profound, mystical patterns spread over its entirety.
Deep within the energy system of the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark, there was an aperture resembling a white vortex. Beside this opening floated four leaf-shaped runes, radiating terrifying waves of energy.
Those watching the spectacle felt their hearts leap as the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark turned burnished gold. Their eyes narrowed, as if time had reversed millions of years to that era when an arrogant, **unrestrained figure piloted this terrifying machine across the ancient world, carving a bloody path through the pursuit of tens of thousands of Divine Emperor powerhouses…
That scene was an indelible memory for everyone!
Seeing the golden Heavenly Dao Divine Ark now, it felt as if the nightmare was resurfacing. Everyone’s heart constricted inexplicably, pounding rapidly with a terror that defied expression.
Boom—
Great Emperor Jinshan clenched his fists, a chilling light flickering in his eyes. He raised his hand, and slowly, a golden bead materialized in his palm. This bead emitted ten thousand rays of divine light, smooth, perfectly round, and flawlessly beautiful, radiating a dense, pure energy that saturated the entire sky, dyeing the high clouds a deep crimson-gold.
Beside him, Saint King Lunzhuan and the others saw the golden bead, and their expressions shifted subtly. Their gazes fixed tightly on it, filled with an unusual gleam.
The remaining onlookers further out cried out in shock.
“The Origin of Metal!”
“The Void Heaven Artifact of the Jinshan Empire!”
“Great Emperor Jinshan actually brought it!”
The crowd erupted. One had to understand how precious a Void Heaven Artifact was. From the ancient era until now, there had only ever been nine Origin Void Heaven Artifacts in total!
These artifacts were fundamentally impossible for mortals to forge.
From a distance, Bai Tian watched the golden bead, his eyes slowly narrowing. A flicker of light crossed them as he quietly clenched his fist, his body trembling slightly.
“Kingdom of Metal!” Great Emperor Jinshan’s voice was cold as ice, echoing across the sky. The golden bead in his palm instantly burst forth with soft, pervasive golden light, enveloping the entire world. Those within looked up to see nothing but crimson-gold everywhere.
Many people outside the perimeter felt a natural pressure weighing upon them, as if they were entwined with a hundred venomous snakes, rendering them immobile, cold sweat streaming down.
The Heavenly Dao Divine Ark remained untouched by the golden radiance. As the ‘Kingdom of Metal’ surged to envelop it, the Ark instantly erupted with searing light, clashing against the Kingdom of Metal. Between the two points of contact, purple lightning crackled, and countless ribbons of light streamed outward.
“Shatter it!” Ye Chen commanded coldly.
No one understood the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark better than he did, not even Xiao Zhongsheng, who was a Goddess of Intelligence.
When he first acquired the Ark, the documentation Xiao Zhongsheng had given him was classified at the highest level, inaccessible even to her; failure to comply would trigger self-destruction of the intelligent chip implanted in her brain.
The most striking entry in those files was this: The Heavenly Dao Divine Ark was a Void Heaven Artifact!
A genuine Void Heaven Artifact!
The documentation recounted the Ark’s genesis. It utilized 1008 Emperor-level planets from the core of the Dark Great World as its internal transport system. Furthermore, it was forged from the bodies of countless Dark Divine Emperors and Dark Creatures surpassing the Divine Emperor level, infused with an exceedingly rare Origin Power!
This sliver of Origin Power was bestowed upon him by that legendary Master from the Dark Great World back then. He had divided this Origin Power in two: one portion allowed him to cultivate to an unprecedented level, and the other was injected into the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark, instantly elevating the entire structure to the status of a Void Heaven Artifact!
In the understanding of Saint King Lunzhuan and the others, Void Heaven Artifacts were things that could not be forged. Yet, the Heavenly Dao, leveraging that person’s power, had actually forged the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark!
The Ark possessed a final combat state, a secret unknown even to Xiao Zhongsheng, as certain classified data within her brain chip was sealed, only to be revealed if Ye Chen personally unlocked it, uncovering the Ark’s ultimate power.
“In its current combat configuration, it is capable of reaching the level of a Void Heaven Artifact. The Heavenly Dao Divine Ark is a spaceship-type Void Heaven Artifact, while Great Emperor Jinshan’s Origin Divine Bead is a domain-type Void Heaven Artifact. In terms of raw power, domain-types surpass spaceship-types. However, the peak power of the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark exceeds that of an ordinary Void Heaven Artifact, capable of rivaling the combined might of two domain Void Heaven Artifacts!”
Ye Chen’s eyes were sharp. After the Heavenly Dao perished, he had poured that internal portion of Origin Power into the Ark, pushing it to a terrifying degree known to no one!
Great Emperor Jinshan unleashed the Kingdom of Metal, compressing it against the entire Heavenly Dao Divine Ark like a giant hand attempting to crush it.
Within this Kingdom of Metal, everyone else felt their chests tighten. Although the Kingdom was primarily aimed at the Ark, they struggled under the immense natural pressure.
“Why aren't you moving yet!” Great Emperor Jinshan frowned, his expression gloomy, seeing that subduing the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark quickly was proving difficult.
Saint King Lunzhuan and the others nearby had their eyes flashing. The burly Earth Hall Master laughed loudly, reached out, and pulled a pitch-black, ancient warhammer from the void. He charged toward the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark, smashing it brutally against the stern.
Boom!!!
A deafening roar vibrated in their ears. A nearly transparent energy shield appeared on the surface of the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark. This hammer strike merely caused ripples to spread across the shield.
“Ha-ha…” The Earth Hall Master threw his head back, laughing wildly, his expression **wanton. He hammered down furiously. Though each strike only caused a slight ripple, after tens of thousands of blows, the shield’s energy would surely deplete. Once the shield turned red, things would become much simpler.
If the shield broke, with the strength of everyone present, a mass assault would completely negate the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark's advantage.
Ye Chen’s killing intent sharpened. Looking at the Earth Hall Master furiously striking the hull, he shouted, “Lock on and execute annihilation strike!”
Xiao Zhongsheng nodded, tapped the virtual keyboard, and the cannon barrels on the Ark’s deck rapidly adjusted their trajectory, locking onto the Earth Hall Master. A dazzling beam of black light suddenly shot out—it vanished almost instantly.
The Earth Hall Master sensed a terrifying aura closing in, the hairs on his spine standing erect. He evaded rapidly, flickering millions of times in the blink of an eye. Each time his body reappeared, a wisp of dark light threatened to emerge from the void.
The Earth Hall Master flickered and teleported through various planes. After several minutes, he reappeared in the sky, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Damn it, I was lucky to encounter a black hole in that plane, otherwise, I wouldn’t have shaken it off.” He then looked back at the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark and raised his warhammer to strike again.
“Stop right there!” The purple-clad girl flashed into existence before the Earth Hall Master, her pretty face frosty. She stared at him coldly and said icily, “Dare to strike one more time, and I will skin you alive!”
The Earth Hall Master paused, grinning at her. “Hall Master Tianlei, what? Are you still reminiscing about old times? The Heavenly Dao abandoned you all back then, yet you now protect his successor? Do you truly believe he is the Heavenly Dao’s reincarnation?”
The purple-clad girl’s tone turned frigid. “Regardless of the past, I was rashly emotional then, leading to the Heavenly Dao’s unjust death. This time, I will never let you harm him again!”
“Me neither!” Hei Xue flashed forward, standing before the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark, her expression cold. “Whether he is the Heavenly Dao’s reincarnation or not, you are forbidden from attacking this Heavenly Dao Divine Ark!”
The Earth Hall Master’s expression slowly darkened. “Patriarch Hei, with your paltry strength, you dare interfere with this sovereign? You must be tired of living!”
“And what about me?”
A graceful voice sounded the instant a white light flashed, and a figure materialized in the air before the Earth Hall Master. It was the Hall Master of Light, holding a divine staff. Her peerlessly beautiful face held a serene elegance. Beneath her misty, smoky eyebrows, her clear, bright eyes slowly lifted as she gazed coldly at the Earth Hall Master.
Upon seeing this stunning figure, the Earth Hall Master’s face shifted, his expression becoming somewhat grim. Just then, a sword whistle rang out. Great Emperor Longquan appeared before the Earth Hall Master, smiling at the Hall Master of Light and the others. “Millions of years ago, you were willing to kill the Heavenly Dao; why are you now afraid to kill his successor? With the strength of just a few of us, killing him is as easy as turning over a hand. Once we obtain the Heavenly Dao Sutra, we can step into that realm. Are you truly willing to give that up?”
The Hall Master of Light glanced at him indifferently. “Great Emperor Longquan, you don't need to **persuade me. I naturally know this, but compared to reaching that level, I would rather avoid continuing down the wrong path. Otherwise, what was the point of my lifelong cultivation?”
“Exactly!” The purple-clad girl immediately agreed.
Great Emperor Longquan’s smile vanished. He adopted an arrogant tone. “Do you think the few of you can withstand the siege of the entire ancient world? The remaining six nations and four halls are either at the Ancient Realm Peak or within the Cosmic Secret Realms. If they were here, with your current strength, I suspect you would be perishing alongside the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark today, never to be reborn!”
“I am willing!” A cold, enchanting voice sounded slowly. Immediately, a flash of red light revealed the Hall Master of the Red Lotus, who had remained silent until now. She stepped beside the Hall Master of Light, staring coldly at Great Emperor Longquan. “My life was saved by him back then. I made a mistake and killed someone once because of that person’s scheming. I will not err again!”
Great Emperor Longquan sneered. “It seems no matter how high a woman’s cultivation, she is still a woman. Once afflicted by infatuation, she becomes indescribably foolish!”