Alas, Old Gu gets lethargic after midnight. I pushed through several hours of writing just one chapter, multiple times wanting to collapse into bed, but remembering my promise, I gritted my teeth and persevered. It was a tragic endurance. For those brothers who stayed up all night with Old Gu, share in this solemn moment.

A figure clad in a flowing white robe, black hair streaming behind him, his expression stern, exuded a breathtaking, cool handsomeness. He descended before Ye Chen with a hearty laugh. "I never imagined that after we parted ways back then, I would see you again. I truly thought that once you left, you would never return."

Ye Chen recalled the scene from a century ago, his heart filled with a thousand emotions. Seas turn into mulberry fields, and the world constantly shifts—what in this realm can truly be understood or defined? He smiled faintly. "Brother Shao Hao, it has only been a hundred years, yet your cultivation has advanced so much. Have you broken through?"

Shao Hao's eyes lit up. He sized Ye Chen up from head to toe, clicking his tongue. "As expected of the Heavenly Dao’s successor, your insight is remarkably sharp. To sense the shift in my aura despite being only at the Pseudo-God Realm—truly not simple!"

Ye Chen rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You already know?"

Shao Hao looked at him teasingly. "Your reappearance is such staggering news; how could I not know? All the high-ranking officials in our civilization were shaken. They are currently deliberating on how to rescue you. Once we guide you to the core of the Pangu Kingdom within our civilization, we should be able to sustain you for a while."

A warmth briefly touched Ye Chen’s heart. He glanced at Shao Hao. "My master, the Heavenly Dao, was an enemy to the entire world back then. I wonder if any members of our own civilization were among those enemies."

Shao Hao’s expression sobered. He gazed intently at Ye Chen and slowly shook his head. "Regarding that statement from the Samsara Saint King, the God-Emperor level powerhouses across the entire Ancient World learned of it through various means. It is true that the Heavenly Dao had enemies among our civilization. This was primarily because the Heavenly Dao once injured our Pangu Great God!"

Noticing the subtle change in Ye Chen’s expression, he smiled reassuringly. "However, from the words of the Saint King of Rotation, it can be inferred that all of this was orchestrated by that infamous figure in the Great Dark World. Most likely, he disguised himself as the Heavenly Dao to launch the attack, ultimately causing our civilization to direct its wrath toward the Heavenly Dao."

Ye Chen nodded silently. None of this was the fault of the Spiritual Civilization. After all, the injury of their supreme ruler, Pangu, naturally provoked the entire race's anger. The blame could only be laid upon the one pulling the strings from the shadows.

"It is all in the past now." Shao Hao looked at him, afraid he might harbor resentment, and comforted him. "My father and Uncle Fu Xi are waiting for you inside the Pangu Divine Hall. They are all overjoyed by your arrival. Once you successfully awaken, given your potential, breaking through to the Divine Realm means you will absolutely be eligible to be crowned Emperor!"

Ye Chen nodded. "Let’s go."

Shao Hao smiled and nodded, sparing a glance for Bai Yijun standing beside Ye Chen. He smiled warmly. "You must be the Third Miss of the Bai family. I've long heard of your dazzling genius—the reincarnation of an ancient grand figure. Seeing you today, the rumors are indeed true!"

Bai Yijun stood gracefully beside Ye Chen, replying with a gentle smile. "It is Emperor Shao Hao who is peerlessly brave; you flatter me."

Shao Hao’s eyes flickered, and he teased with a laugh. "It seems persistence pays off. You two can finally be together properly. A century ago, this fellow suffered greatly for you—I heard he even dug out his own heart for you. Now, it seems even if the Bai family tries to obstruct things, it will be impossible. Haha…"

Ye Chen and Bai Yijun exchanged a look, both smiling inwardly. Ye Chen immediately spoke up. "Brother Hao Tian, let's go, or Senior Fu Xi and the others will wait too long."

"Impulsive brat," Shao Hao chuckled, giving him a playful curse, and waved his hand. "Follow me."

Saying that, his figure shot forward, speeding toward the distance.

Swish, swish, swish!

Ye Chen and the lady followed closely behind. Three figures streaked across the sky. As they passed numerous dense defense lines, upon detecting the insignia on Hao Tian’s person, the guards automatically withdrew, granting passage.

The trio proceeded unimpeded. Ordinary nobles in the Pangu Nation could not teleport, but someone of Emperor Shao Hao's rank possessed the authority to teleport at will.

Flicker, flicker…

The group blinked through hundreds of teleports in the span of a few breaths, arriving at the center of Pangu City. Shao Hao paused first. He looked up; before them towered a majestic mountain range. The peaks undulated grandly, their summits like a forest, resembling a coiled behemoth.

"This is the Pangu Mountain Range," Emperor Shao Hao pointed out to Ye Chen and the other.

Ye Chen looked up.

This mountain range was vast and broad. Every peak was enveloped in wisps of ethereal mist, reminiscent of a mythical fairyland, breathtakingly beautiful and inspiring a sense of solemn awe.

"Pangu Mountain…" Ye Chen murmured inwardly. Since arriving in this Spiritual Civilization, he felt an indescribable sense of kinship, like a lost child returning to its mother, a feeling of being intrinsically connected by blood.

"Follow me." Emperor Shao Hao’s figure moved, gliding toward the Pangu Mountain Range. Within a 300-kilometer radius surrounding the range, it was a security zone. Apart from patrolling mechanical warriors and mechanized infantry, there were absolutely no tourists.

Ye Chen and Bai Yijun followed closely behind him, moving smoothly without anyone attempting to stop them.

"This Pangu Mountain Range is our race's training ground for geniuses. The energy here is the densest, and it contains the Pangu Spiritual Veins. Residing here long-term can cleanse the body, significantly boosting one's physique!" Emperor Shao Hao’s voice carried a hint of pride. "Simply put, if you tossed an ordinary pig here for a hundred years, even that pig would attain the physique of a Ghost God Realm entity!"

Ye Chen’s heart skipped a beat; his face registered shock. "How is that possible!"

Even individuals with decent aptitude would struggle to reach the Ghost God Realm after a century of arduous cultivation, let alone a pig that merely ate and drank without doing anything else—to reach Ghost God status in a hundred years? What kind of world was this?!

Emperor Shao Hao laughed heartily. "This is where our race demonstrates its might. The Pangu Mountain Range is actually a remnant of a portion of our Pangu Great God's physical body, naturally imbued with immense energy."

"Physical body?" Ye Chen exclaimed. "Does that mean the Pangu Great God is dead?"

Emperor Shao Hao glanced at him and smiled faintly. "You will know once you are crowned Emperor. What I can tell you now is that our race is not as simple as it appears on the surface. If a true conflict were to erupt, the Nine Great Ancient Families would amount to mere dust!"

Ye Chen’s pupils contracted. This news was explosive!

After all, each of the Nine Great Ancient Families controlled hundreds of civilizations! What did controlling hundreds of civilizations signify? Among the three thousand civilizations in the Ancient World, the strength differences between them were generally not vast. Did this imply that their own civilization could rival the power of hundreds of others combined?

He glanced at Bai Yijun beside him, a flicker in his eyes, then looked deeply at Shao Hao, lowering his head thoughtfully.

Bai Yijun seemed to understand something as well; she glanced at Shao Hao without saying much more.

Shao Hao led Ye Chen and the lady into the Pangu Mountain Range. The guards at the entrance were slightly startled when they saw Shao Hao and Ye Chen, then quickly bowed respectfully to pay homage.

Shao Hao didn't linger, sweeping past them elegantly, leading Ye Chen deep into the Pangu Mountain Range. Looking toward a towering divine peak ahead, he smiled. "This is one of the Nine Divine Peaks where our civilization's B-level disciples cultivate. Let’s go take a look." Saying that, like a tour guide, he led Ye Chen toward the divine peak.

Ye Chen noticed that the highly renowned Emperor Shao Hao possessed a somewhat childlike temperament; he couldn't help but smile faintly and followed swiftly behind him.

The three arrived above the divine peak and looked down.

The battle platform on this peak was expansive and vast. The mountain seemed to have been cleaved open by a massive battle saber, the cut remarkably neat. Many disciples stood on the square, practicing in a cross-legged meditation. At the forefront, a burly man resembling an instructor walked back and forth, announcing something loudly. Every shout was met with a huge, earth-shattering chorus of affirmation!

"The management style of our civilization leans toward militarization," Shao Hao observed the wide plaza, his expression somewhat nostalgic. "I also emerged from here back in the day. Perhaps one of the youngsters below could become the me I am now."

Ye Chen smiled and nodded, not denying it. This world always belonged to the young—though two more words needed to be added: diligent!

Just then, the instructor below seemed to keenly sense Ye Chen and the others hovering in the sky. Emperor Shao Wu had not intentionally concealed his aura, making it easy for them to be detected. The instructor looked up, saw Emperor Shao Hao, was startled, and immediately stood up respectfully. "Greetings, Emperor Shao Hao!"

The rest of the cultivating disciples also stopped, following the imposing instructor's gaze to look up, and immediately saw the figure of Emperor Shao Hao. A few girls and boys gasped audibly in amazement.

"It’s the Emperor!!"

"It’s Emperor Shao Hao! My idol, ohhh…"

"Quickly look, look! I see Emperor Shao Hao!!"

Everyone erupted into excitement.

For these young disciples, catching a glimpse of the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of their race was an extremely glorious event. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were normally incredibly busy and never appeared lightly; the most common sightings were their statues, footage on screens, or news interviews from millions of years ago.

To see them in person was like winning the grand prize!

"Huh?"

"Who are those two people standing next to Emperor Shao Hao?"

"Haven't seen them before. Judging by their demeanor, could they be esteemed guests?"

Some observant individuals quickly calmed down and noticed Ye Chen and Bai Yijun. They felt a mix of astonishment and envy—what an honor it was to stand alongside Emperor Shao Hao!

"You have quite a good reputation," Ye Chen chuckled lightly.

Emperor Shao Hao laughed, amused. "You dare to tease me? Why don't you go down there and show them a thing or two to open their eyes? These kids are all at the Half-God Realm, and among the A-level disciples inside, they rank at the Pseudo-God level. They are usually quite arrogant. With your abilities, you could certainly make them thoroughly impressed."

"I have no interest in being an instructor."

Ye Chen shrugged.

"Alright then!" Shao Wu said helplessly. "Let's head to the Pangu Divine Hall; it’s getting late."

"Go!"

Swish, swish, swish!

Three figures swept through the void, instantly teleporting out of sight, leaving behind a ground full of regret and longing. The Pangu Divine Hall was the core of the Spiritual Civilization, situated at the very deepest part of the Pangu Mountain Range, atop a solitary peak! From afar, the entire Divine Hall resembled a monstrous, pitch-black beast of the wilderness, exuding a terrifying, surging malevolence that chilled the heart. A dense, almost tangible aura of killing intent coiled around the entire structure.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Ye Chen and the others materialized out of thin air, landing directly in front of the Pangu Divine Hall.