Following this great battle, everyone sustained injuries, save for Ye Chen, who had experienced a massive surge in power. Accompanied by Bai Yijun, Ye Chen entered a rest cabin aboard the starship. The vast metallic hall had already deployed numerous rooms folded away within its walls.

Inside the alloy cabin. Ye Chen leaned back against the soft, yielding dragon-hide sofa, gazing at Bai Yijun before him, curiosity tingeing his voice, “These Black Demon attacks—they have no destructive power against you?”

Bai Yijun smiled sweetly. “Ever since merging with your body, I can no longer discern the exact level of my own state of being. Back when my soul was transplanted into your heart, my state was at the First Tier of the Origin Realm. For so many years, I assumed there wouldn't be much progress. Unexpectedly, later on, when I attempted to sense a Black Demon, I immediately discovered that the energy within me could effortlessly slay it!”

Ye Chen was somewhat astonished. “The energy within you? Is that not Divine Power within you?”

“No,” Bai Yijun shook her head. “The energy within me appears to be Divine Power, but in reality, it contains other energetic components. These special components allow my Divine Power to injure these Black Demons, and I suspect they can also directly affect the brainwaves of human powerhouses!”

Ye Chen paused, unable to hide his shock. “How could this be? Where does this energy originate?”

“It self-propagates internally,” Bai Yijun’s eyes held a trace of contemplation. This matter had always puzzled her. Logically, most energies were absorbed from the surrounding air, but the energy within her was constantly generating itself from some unknown place within her own flesh and blood.

“Self-propagating?” Ye Chen’s eyelids narrowed slightly. He knew what this implied: it represented a state transcending even the God-Emperor powerhouses, a transcendence of the structure of all living things!

He recalled a paper by a great scientist that mentioned a type of life form existing above numerous others, capable of generating energy internally, making them immortal and indestructible—a creature that would not perish even if cast into a barren universe devoid of any energy!

How terrifying was that! A cycle originating within one's own body! And the ultimate goal for all human powerhouses, the pinnacle of their cultivation, was to become this very type of being! To attain eternal life, invincibility, a state where they remained incorruptible even as the universe collapsed! This was a new level of existence, transcending the limits of flesh and blood, transcending machinery, plants, and the limitations of all energies!

“Could it be that Xiao Jun has already reached such a level? Or perhaps she inherently is such a creature? No, before she received my heart transplant, she had not attained this realm.” Ye Chen frowned in thought, a sudden realization striking him. “Could it be because of my heart? Did my heart being transplanted awaken this quality in her, perhaps because I myself am this legendary creature?”

A torrent of notions flooded Ye Chen’s mind, each one being negated in turn. “That’s not right. If I were such a creature, I would never have been destroyed, nor would I have entered the cycle of reincarnation only to undergo another rebirth. Moreover, my previous life was so weak. If I were truly such a being, my achievements would never have been so meager!”

“Everything I have now is because I was reborn!”

“Rebirth altered the gears of destiny. Minor changes in the early stages accumulated like a snowball, growing larger and larger, which is why I could lead the people of Earth to the Ancient World and receive the Heavenly Dao’s inheritance. This was all due to fortuitous encounters!”

“Therefore, I cannot be such a creature. Furthermore, the records of the Ancient Continent show that throughout the rise and fall of the Dragon Clan civilization, no one ever reached that level!”

“That level only exists in papers and theory!”

Ye Chen’s brow was deeply furrowed in contemplation. “If someone could reach that level, they could probably shatter the entire Ancient World with a single stomp. How could such a being fall? Even if they did fall, it wouldn't be me.”

“So, what is happening with Xiao Jun?” He couldn't quite figure it out.

Seeing his brow furrowed, Bai Yijun smiled gently. “Don't trouble your mind with this for now. Absorb these Black Demon Orbs first. I hear we're arriving at the next checkpoint soon; we should prepare.”

Ye Chen nodded, pushing aside the speculative thoughts churning in his mind. Without further words, he looked down at the cluster of Black Demon Orbs. A cyan light shone from his eyes, his consciousness compressing into a needle, piercing through the smallest of the orbs nearby. Pure energy flowed out, and Ye Chen swiftly enveloped it with his consciousness, losing not a single trace, swallowing all the energy within the Black Demon Orb into his body. This energy was incredibly ethereal; upon entering him, it rushed directly toward his brain, where it was shredded by his Devouring Talent and integrated into his own brainwaves.

Ye Chen’s mind hummed, and it took a long time before he snapped back to attention. When he opened his eyes, he immediately felt a heightened clarity in his surroundings, a stronger sense of control over his body, and a clearer consciousness. His eyes shone brilliantly, seemingly crackling with electric light, radiating an arresting charisma.

“Mid-stage Third Tier of the Origin Realm!” Ye Chen clenched his fist, savoring the ascent in his state of being, a surge of excitement washing over him unbidden. For an ordinary person to achieve such a degree of advancement would normally require hundreds of thousands of years of wandering and realization!

Ye Chen looked down at the remaining Black Demon Orbs.

“I wonder how much more I can improve,” Ye Chen murmured softly, and he swiftly began the process of absorption.

Within the Bagua starship, everyone was gathered in the lounge adjacent to the main control room. Those injured in the previous battle—those who had lost limbs or suffered severe lacerations—were undergoing repair in the ship’s gene chambers, their bodies healing rapidly and completely.

Fu Xi gazed out the viewport. Outside was pitch black, occasionally pierced by the howl of rushing winds, and sometimes one or two dark shapes could be seen—wandering Black Demons that were instantly crushed by a mere thought from Fu Xi before they could breach the ship.

“The Abyssal Palace is ahead.” Fu Xi harbored a faint sense of foreboding. “It seems something significant is about to happen. The appearance of the Dark Commander from the [Black Nether Pass] along the safe travel route cannot be accidental! I wonder if the Ferocious Beast residing in the Abyssal Palace will also make an appearance…”

A subtle worry creased his brow. The others around him were people of keen perception; none spoke, understanding from the recent events that the situation was turning ominous.

About an hour later, thanks to the Bagua’s superluminal speed and the immediate activation of its warp drive once its cooldown completed, the Bagua starship quickly arrived before a white vortex. This vortex spanned millions of kilometers in diameter, rendering the Bagua a mere speck of sand before it. Whoosh!

The Bagua plunged into the white vortex. The cabin’s gravity system flashed a red alert. After a short while, it returned to a safe green. During the red alert, everyone felt their skin tremble as if on the verge of splitting apart—an indescribable terror.

When they regained their composure, the view outside the viewport was a vast expanse of stars. In the distant reaches, there were no blazing suns, only faint, flickering lights—like the eyes of an unknown Ferocious Beast, intently watching this interstellar contingent.

“Accelerate!” Fu Xi commanded abruptly. Everyone started, and Xiao Na, seated in the main control room, looked solemn. Her slender fingers tapped the console, and the entire Bagua ship accelerated to maximum thrust. The engines roared frantically, power output pushed to its absolute limit. The ship became like an arrow, surging forward at ten times its previous speed, shooting out violently.

The others watched Fu Xi with confusion and apprehension, wondering why his demeanor had suddenly become so grave.

After about ten minutes of accelerating, the Bagua starship shuddered violently and came to an abrupt halt. At the bow of the ship, the hardened alloy was pressed inward in a distinct human-shaped indentation.

A gloom settled over the group; they knew they had run into serious trouble. To bring the rapidly moving Bagua to such a sudden stop required immense force. They knew that even the Hall Masters of the Ten Halls, unless they activated their own specialized ships or deployed Void Artifacts, would struggle to decelerate the Bagua so forcefully at such high speeds. The group looked out through the viewport's full external mapping system and stared dumbfounded: standing directly in front of the Bagua starship was a figure!

It was a woman with a stunning figure, clad in crimson robes, standing about 1.9 meters tall. A cascade of red hair fell to her waist, and her physique was exquisitely curved and defined. Her features were delicate and peerlessly beautiful, yet from the preceding commotion, it was obvious that the Bagua’s halt was due entirely to this woman!

Upon seeing this woman, Fu Xi’s face instantly shifted, and he roared, “Everyone, gather together quickly!”

The Nine Great Pan Generals had never witnessed the usually calm Fu Xi looking so profoundly serious, and their hearts clenched. They quickly moved toward the center, with Shao Hao and Emperor Yao positioned within the protective ring formed by the Nine Generals. They looked at the woman with the fiery red hair in stunned confusion. Shao Hao swallowed hard and managed to ask, “Uncle Fu Xi, this person… could she be the legendary Abyss Sovereign?”

Fu Xi’s expression was grave as he stared intently at the alluring woman. He spoke in a low voice, “She is Fickle, the Flame God, ranked sixth among the Nine Abyss Sovereigns!”

Every heart present skipped a beat, chilling them to the bone. None understood better than them the terrifying nature of the Abyss Sovereigns—beings whom even the Ten Hall Masters would detour to avoid confronting directly!

“How… how could she be on the safe travel route…” Shao Hao stammered.

Fu Xi’s dragon spirit felt heavy, sweat beading on his palms. Slowly, he drew out the Bagua Mirror, knowing this would be the most arduous battle they had ever faced. Their only chance was to seize the opportunity to strike the Flame God and then flee with the ship. Given the ship’s speed, pursuit would be extremely difficult for her!