Ye Chen’s heart sank... "Can the cultivation of Fuxi's progenitor's state of mind withstand this Dark Demon Commander?"

Shao Hao took a deep breath, raising his eyes to the spinning Bagua mirror; the moment any Dark Demon outside touched the light emanating from it, it was automatically ground to dust. A mix of urgency and worry flickered in his eyes. "I don't know, but based on this situation, it looks difficult!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but glance back at Bai Yijun. Their gazes met briefly, and both lowered their heads.

Emperor Yao frowned, murmuring, "What is going on? How did these Dark Demon leaders appear on this safe passage? This is too strange. Usually, they are hard to encounter even on ordinary wilderness routes. Is something about to happen?"

Shao Hao’s brow was deeply furrowed. After a long pause, he withdrew his gaze and lowered his head. His eyes inadvertently swept over the black bead in Ye Chen’s hand. He froze for a moment, then quickly looked again before exclaiming with pleasant surprise, "Where did you get this?"

Ye Chen was taken aback. "It dropped from that Dark Demon body."

"As expected!" Shao Hao couldn't help but chuckle. "Brother, your luck is beyond description. To obtain this! I've been to Black Nether Pass several times, killed hundreds of Dark Demons, and only managed to get one bead. To think you got one right when you arrived—you are truly fortunate."

Ye Chen couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"

"This is a Dark Demon Bead!" Emperor Yao interjected with a gentle smile. "These beads can drop from specially mutated Dark Demon bodies. Such Dark Demons are extremely rare; an ordinary person might hunt hundreds without encountering even one mutated one! The use of the Dark Demon Bead is significant... it can elevate the cultivation of one's state of mind and enhance brainwaves!"

Ye Chen was startled, his eyes suddenly brightening. He looked down at the Dark Demon Bead in his hand... feeling the mysterious energy field within, he couldn't help but look up and ask, "How is this used?"

Shao Hao smiled faintly. "Compress your intent into a needle, pierce a small hole through the hard shell surrounding the bead, and then absorb the unconscious brainwaves inside."

Ye Chen understood... He immediately compressed his state of mind power into a fine spike, piercing the Dark Demon Bead. Instantly, he felt an intense, electric-like energy within—vast and pure. With a thought, he connected his own intent to this vast wave of energy, rapidly drawing it in.

Swish! The entire Dark Demon Bead seemed to be drained, its pitch-black color shifting to transparency, like a crystal bead. Ye Chen didn't look at it, or perhaps couldn't see it anymore; in his entire consciousness at that moment, there was only a mass of black energy being rapidly melted down, digested, and decomposed by his Devouring Talent—as if being ground to pieces by countless minute gears, broken down into its most primitive state, swallowed thread by thread.

The state of mind grew at a terrifying speed!

After a long while, Ye Chen opened his eyes... two streaks of sharp light flashed out, piercing the air like keen swords. His entire presence projected a palpable sense of pressure.

Ye Chen noticed the world before him was clearer. The ten Great Pangu Generals surrounding him remained like roaring flames orbiting his body. He could almost see the pale blue flames burning on the surface of each of the ten generals.

"Origin Stage Two!" Ye Chen registered the breakthrough in his state of mind, feeling an inexpressible joy... It was known that the later the stage, the slower the advancement of the state of mind... Everyone present, whether the ten Great Pangu Generals... or Shao Hao and the others, had lifespans spanning hundreds of millennia, even tens of millions of years; anything they casually discarded was vaster than everything Ye Chen had ever witnessed.

Under such circumstances, achieving clarity of mind was exceptionally difficult.

"The state of mind that I estimated would take seventy to eighty thousand years to improve has unexpectedly broken through in an instant." Ye Chen’s eyes glowed. Following the improvement in his state of mind, he realized his speed of thought had also become more agile. Where an ordinary person might ponder one problem in a minute, he could now contemplate four problems in one second.

Just then, the entire Bagua vessel suddenly vibrated violently. Those in the metal hall reacted quickly, planting their feet firmly on the floor, their bodies remaining steady.

"What is happening?" Shao Hao’s expression changed. He looked out the viewport and saw hordes of Dark Demons surging in. Most were Two-winged, but there were also some Four-winged ones, all howling excitedly as they lunged forward, their ferocious fangs gleaming with cold light.

A cloud of dread settled over everyone.

One by one, the Dark Demons slammed against the shield. Upon contact with the pale blue light reflected by the Bagua mirror, they immediately screamed and dissipated. The Four-winged Dark Demons fared slightly better; they only managed to penetrate about two feet into the blue light before reluctantly vanishing.

The Dark Demons attacked without regard for life, surging forward ceaselessly, filling the metal hall so densely that everyone’s scalp tingled. Even Shao Hao, with his composure, looked extremely grim. He had been to Black Nether Pass several times and had never witnessed such a spectacle; his heart tightened with tension.

Under the impact of the massive number of Dark Demons, the blue light of the Bagua mirror seemed unable to cope. The radiance was no longer as robust as before, gradually receding, dimming at a visible rate.

The Two-winged Dark Demons, which had instantly dissipated upon touching the mirror before, could now penetrate three to four feet; the Four-winged Demons could even reach the ten Great Pangu Generals to engage in close combat.

The Pangu Generals were no match for the Four-winged Demons. They were injured in the very first exchange. However, the Four-winged Demons couldn't last long either, soon screaming as they dissolved.

Yet, the unending stream of Dark Demons kept pouring in. Every General was quickly wounded. Shao Hao and Emperor Yao had no choice but to step forward, protecting the wounded Generals in the center. They each unleashed their formidable combat power, wielding their greatswords of azure light, slashing and cleaving the Dark Demons!

Ye Chen protected the injured Generals and the beautiful figure behind him, but watching the tide of Dark Demons surge in, a suffocating anger rose in his chest. At this moment, even deploying his Heavenly Dao Mecha would be useless against these energy beings.

Suddenly, Ye Chen felt his sleeve being tugged. He turned to see Bai Yijun standing behind him. Her clear eyes looked at him, and she said softly, "You step back. I have a way to deal with these Dark Demons."

Ye Chen was stunned. "You?"

Bai Yijun blinked, her smile a little playful. "I tried, and I found that I can harm these Dark Demons, but their attacks don't seem to affect me much."

"Aargh!" A piercing roar suddenly sounded from the left. A Four-winged Dark Demon charged past Shao Hao and Emperor Yao’s defensive perimeter, lunging ferociously toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen gasped, his body not yet moving, when suddenly a streak of white light flashed past, exquisitely beautiful, tracing an elegant curve, striking the Dark Demon with perfect accuracy!

Fwoosh!

The Dark Demon's body instantly halted, then exploded from the center, dissolving into a cloud of black mist.

Bai Yijun retracted her finger, slightly tilting her swan-like, fair neck, appearing somewhat pleased. "See?"

Ye Chen was somewhat dumbfounded.

That was a Four-winged Dark Demon!

It was instantly annihilated!

Such an ability, perhaps even Shao Hao and Emperor Yao couldn't manage it?

Bai Yijun gave a charming smile. "Then I'm going." With that, her figure flickered, like a streak of flowing light, appearing beside Shao Hao and Emperor Yao. They were currently fighting off six Four-winged Dark Demons, both covered in blood, with wounds appearing on their arms and chests just as the previous ones healed.

Fighting using intent as a weapon had left them both extremely fatigued. Facing the ferocious assault of six Four-winged Demons, they could only hold on desperately, hoping the demons would be melted away by the Bagua mirror's power. However, the mirror's light had grown incredibly dim; even ordinary Two-winged Demons could now pass through it freely, let alone the Four-winged ones.

Just as the two were about to break, a white streak of light swept past, accompanied by a faint, lingering fragrance, intercepting them. Immediately after, Shao Hao and Emperor Yao felt several white flashes pass. The six Four-winged Dark Demons before them suddenly paused, and then burst apart!

A black bead dropped from one of the demons. Bai Yijun narrowed her eyes, and her fair palm swiftly shot out, seizing the dark bead and tucking it directly into her spatial pouch. Then, her figure flashed, blossoming like a white lotus, and dozens of figures appeared throughout the metal hall, identical to her true form.

Thud, thud, thud, thud...

One by one, the Dark Demons were sliced by invisible white light and exploded.

Everyone—Ye Chen, the two Emperors, and the wounded Great Pangu Generals—stared at the scene in shock. Dark Demons of Two-wings, Four-wings, and even two Six-winged Demons were effortlessly slain before Bai Yijun. No one could see how the girl made her move, but as long as she appeared before a Dark Demon, that demon's body would inevitably be cleaved in two!

Shao Hao’s throat bobbed, and he felt a difficulty in breathing. He turned back to Ye Chen, unable to tell if the emotion in his heart was bitterness or sorrow. He never imagined his sworn sworn brother would surpass him in just a hundred years, and his sister-in-law surpassed him by an even greater margin!

By this moment, all the Dark Demons in the metal hall had been completely annihilated. A continuous stream of them was still pouring in from outside, but the instant they stepped onto the vessel, they were shredded!

The metal hall instantaneously became a thunder sanctuary; no one could cross that boundary by half a step!

Under Bai Yijun’s iron fist, whether Four-winged or Six-winged, no Dark Demon managed to enter the metal hall again. Bai Yijun’s expression was serene. Her figure flickered, and she returned before Ye Chen. She flipped her palm, offering him two dark beads, and whispered softly, "Here are two more Dark Demon Beads. You use them first. I need to go out and check on Fuxi's situation."

Ye Chen subconsciously accepted the beads, but his expression changed immediately upon hearing her words. He quickly said, "No! It's too dangerous outside!"

Bai Yijun smiled sweetly. "It's alright; these Dark Demons can't hurt me. Don't worry."