Ye Chen's heart gave a jolt. He hadn't expected this man, Shao Hao, to be such a distinguished figure. His gaze flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, he asked, "If the Fourth Emperor is not dead, might he still be secretly protecting our clan? If he has perished, surely after so many years, he would have been reincarnated, right?"

Shao Hao looked up at the stone sculpture with profound reverence and declared resolutely, "No! The Fourth Emperor will not fall. He could destroy even the Great Dark World. If he were to appear, the impending Great Saint War that threatens to obliterate the entire Ancient World would be a trivial matter; he alone could crush the entirety of the Great Dark World! Such a person cannot be harmed even by the very origin of the world itself—his physical body is immortal, he simply will not perish!"

Ye Chen was stunned. "Is there truly no one in heaven and earth who can kill him?"

"No!" Shao Hao's reply was firm. "Even the most perilous cosmic secret realms, the powerful figures from countless prehistoric civilizations, the ancient Emperor Yan Shen, Emperor Ice Snow, and others reappearing—none could harm the Fourth Emperor. He is an anomaly! The reason he hasn't shown himself for so long, I suspect, is that he has gone to the Ancient Realm."

"Gu Chen…" Ye Chen murmured internally, wondering what kind of place that truly was.

At that moment, the Ba Pu vessel slowly sailed toward the massive stone gate, giving a wide berth to the towering sculpture, as if a mysterious magnetic field surrounded it, preventing anyone from approaching.

Ye Chen observed the sculpture up close, studying its features and eyes. A sudden tremor shook his heart, as if the stone figure were a living entity, gazing back at him.

The hairs on his spine involuntarily prickled, and his heart hammered wildly. Shao Hao, noticing his strange reaction, asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Why are you sweating?"

"N-nothing," Ye Chen forced himself to calm down, trying hard to keep the tremor out of his voice.

He cast a barely perceptible glance at the sculpture before swiftly withdrawing his gaze, allowing the ship to pass by, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. A gentle breeze swept up the dust, carrying it before the statue, stirring the strange flora growing nearby. These plants emitted a faint, ethereal fragrance, each one remarkably fresh and natural, glowing with a soft light.

Any person with even a modicum of insight passing by would recognize these flowers as worldly treasures, impossible to find in the outside world, each containing potent medicinal properties. Countless individuals had desired these flowers and the stone sculpture that radiated that strange aura, yet none could manage to set foot within ten thousand miles of it.

No attack, no matter how ferocious or heavily bombarded, proved effective. Even an Emperor from a major Kingdom, wielding a Celestial Void Artifact, failed to breach the mysterious field surrounding the statue, remaining unable to cross the ten-thousand-mile perimeter.

From then on, everyone decisively gave up attacking. They understood that while this sacred place was visible, it was unattainable; looking at it further was merely a waste of time.

The Ba Pu vessel accelerated, quickly passing through the colossal stone gate and arriving at the Grand Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak. Stretching before them was a vast, flat expanse, utterly barren, covered only in yellow sand. This road was approximately one light-year wide, its length immeasurable. The edges on either side were as neatly cut as if by a blade. Many who had observed this via satellite cameras noted that the Grand Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak was perfectly rectangular, without the slightest curve.

It was almost as if…

…it had been imprinted there by something.

The Ba Pu vessel increased its speed, its engines pushed to maximum magnification, rapidly hurtling toward one end of the Grand Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak.

Not long after, in the distance, they could see a castle spanning tens of thousands of kilometers in diameter beside the Grand Avenue. It was embroidered with patterns of colorful stones. Shao Hao recognized it instantly: this was Empress Juan's aerial transport!

Whoosh!

The Ba Pu vessel sped closer, hovering outside the castle's anti-air defensive network. After a quick scan, they were granted passage directly to the main entrance of the castle.

Rumble—

The majestic city gate slowly opened—a doorway thousands of kilometers high and tens of kilometers wide—and the Ba Pu vessel flew straight in, arriving above the inner plaza of the castle.

Click!

The hatch opened, and Ye Chen and the others alighted one after another. Fuxi was the last to emerge, sweeping his hand out to draw the Ba Pu vessel into his own cosmic space.

"Fu Jiang!"

A sound of joyous surprise rang out from below. Ye Chen saw a flash of yellow light before him, followed by a dazzling, sharp streak of sword-light. A man of imposing stature stood before them, clad in golden armor, his chiseled, resolute face framed by eyes deep with the vicissitudes and sedimentation of ages. A faint smile played on his lips as he looked at the assembled group. "I hadn't expected you to bring so many people along."

Fuxi smiled faintly. "Where are the others?"

"Follow me." The Yellow Emperor suppressed his smile and turned, darting toward the main hall in the plaza below. Ye Chen and the others followed Fuxi's lead, flying downward, quickly landing before the main sanctuary.

Looking up.

The metallic walls of the main hall were adorned with stone-like patterns possessing a peculiar beauty. Inside, the hall featured a vast, expansive floor that resembled polished glass. Near the back, there was a circular conference table. Approaching this table now came a beautiful, ethereal figure.

She was a woman draped in flowing, multi-colored sheer silk. Her skin was as fair as snow, her eyes clear and bright, and her complexion exquisitely beautiful, like a water-nurtured narcissus. She exuded an air of wisdom, elegance, and nobility, yet somehow remained approachable.

Ye Chen glanced at her, his heart momentarily stunned, and two words flashed in his mind: Empress Juan!

This beautiful woman was, naturally, Empress Juan, one of the Three Sovereigns. Her autumn-water-like clear eyes gently swept over the group, like a soft caress of an autumn breeze, stirring warmth and delight in their hearts. When her gaze fell upon Ye Chen, her eyes flickered briefly before she impassively turned her attention back to Fuxi, a captivating smile curving her lips. "Fuxi, you certainly brought quite a contingent."

Fuxi laughed heartily. "For this Ancient God's Grotto this time, we are determined to succeed. If necessary, we will even call upon Great God Pangu to help us secure this dwelling!"

Empress Juan nodded slightly. "Please, have a seat first. You've arrived at a timely moment; we've run into some troublesome matters recently." Saying this, she turned and returned to the head seat at the conference table. From outside the hall, two burly men swiftly appeared—none other than Shun and Rui Xu, two of the Five Emperors!

Behind them followed six Pan Divine Generals.

Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor took seats on either side of the conference table. Ye Chen, aware that everyone present belonged to his clan, immediately took Bai Yijun's hand and led her to the second seat beside Fuxi. Bai Yijun took the third seat beside her, and Shao Hao took the fourth.

Emperor Yao sat in the second seat beside the Yellow Emperor, while Shun and Rui Xu took the third and fourth, respectively. The remaining Pan Divine Generals took the seats toward the rear.

Everyone present noticed the new face: Ye Chen. The gazes of the six Pan Divine Generals flickered. They regarded Ye Chen and Bai Yijun without much reverence or affection; were it not for the presence of Fuxi and the others, they might have demanded Ye Chen give up his seat on the spot!

Having arrived here long before with Empress Juan, they were unaware of the recent changes within the clan and knew nothing about Ye Chen. They could only speculate among themselves. However, those with keener insight recognized Bai Yijun, knowing the cool, beautiful woman, resembling a pure lotus, was the Third Miss of the Bai family—though they wondered why she was present.

Empress Juan articulated the unspoken questions in the minds of the six Pan Divine Generals. A pleasant smile graced her delicate features as she looked at Ye Chen, saying kindly, "If I am not mistaken, you are the clan’s newly ascended Sixth Emperor, correct?"

Ye Chen thought to himself that their intelligence network was indeed comprehensive, and he nodded respectfully. "Yes, Ancestor."

"And this is your girlfriend?" Empress Juan looked toward Bai Yijun beside him and smiled gently. "She is quite delicate-looking. Truly worthy of being the Third Miss of the Bai family."

Ye Chen held Bai Yijun's small hand, meeting Empress Juan's gaze without faltering, and smiled. "Xiao Jun is not an outsider. Empress Juan, when you discuss matters, there's no need to worry."

Empress Juan's eyes flashed as she glanced at him, then turned to Fuxi and the Yellow Emperor beside her. Seeing Fuxi’s affirming nod in response, she immediately stated, "Since everyone is assembled, I will first detail our clan's current predicament on the Ancient Realm Peak."

"Empress Juan." Shao Hao suddenly raised his hand quietly, his expression a mix of embarrassment and caution.

"Hmm?" Empress Juan turned to him, smiling sweetly. "Wu'er, is something the matter?"

Shao Hao looked somewhat nervous and quickly asked, "Why don't we see Emperor Yu? Could it be that he..."

Empress Juan seemed to know what he was about to say and sighed lightly. "He is not dead, but his essence is severely damaged, and his body was destroyed, leaving only a sliver of his soul, which is currently undergoing repairs in a gene capsule. We don't know if he can fully recover, but even if restored, his strength will be greatly diminished, at best comparable to that of a Pan Divine General."

Shao Hao's heart lurched. Emperor Yu was his closest friend, and to think he had ended up in such a state—a surge of hot blood rushed to his chest as he clenched his fist. "Who injured him?"

Empress Juan glanced at him, her soft, melodious voice seeming capable of soothing all violence, and said gently, "It was the Sixth Elder of the Demon Realm civilization."

"I will kill him!" Shao Hao hissed coldly, terrifying cold light flashing in his eyes.

"You cannot kill him," stated Emperor Gu beside him.

Shao Hao froze, then asked in astonishment, "Why?"

"Because he is already dead," Empress Juan stated lightly. "To dare injure someone from our clan—it is not easy to expect to survive that."

Shao Hao paused, then his face broke into immense joy. He knew Empress Juan was fiercely protective of her own, and that Sixth Elder who had gravely wounded Emperor Yu must surely have been executed!

Empress Juan gazed toward the distant sky outside the hall and sighed. "Although this Sixth Elder has paid his blood debt, it does little to restore Emperor Yu's life; everything now depends on fate. We will set this matter aside for now. Our next plan is to deploy all members and venture into the interior of the Ancient Realm Peak to search for the key to the Ancient God's Grotto!"

There were unexpected issues again today, leaving no time. This is just one chapter for today; I will make up for it with three chapters tomorrow. I apologize to all my brothers, truly depressing.