When Ye Chen’s palm rested upon the golden chest, he felt as though all the blood in his body was surging backward, an unparalleled sense of familiarity washing over him from his fingertips, as if the golden chest were an object intrinsically linked to his very flesh and blood.

The moment Ye Chen’s palm made contact with the box, the metallic container trembled faintly. Because its base was anchored to the solid ground, this slight vibration caused the entire surrounding coral reef to gently shake, and the currents nearby grew agitated.

Fuxi and the others were greatly astonished, unable to comprehend why such a phenomenon was occurring.

As everyone stood in stunned uncertainty, a sound like a snapped spring echoed from within the metal chest. Immediately afterward, a black shadow—a streak of light—tore through the metal base of the golden chest and rapidly flew out, taking the shape of a palm-sized black iron shard. Upon emerging, it shot toward Ye Chen’s chest at an irresistible velocity.

Bai Yijun, standing beside him, gasped in shock. She hastily waved her hand to intercept it, but it was far too late. By the time her retinas registered the event, the black iron shard had already pierced into Ye Chen’s chest.

Before the others could react, Ye Chen, who had been crouched before the golden chest, suddenly erupted with an overwhelming, world-shaking aura. A flicker of a black fragment seemed to spin within his eyes, and an irregular, iron-shard-like mark slowly manifested on his forehead. This mark was transient, yet it radiated an earth-shattering presence!

This aura swept outward, forcibly pushing the surrounding water back dozens of zhang, creating a pocket of near-vacuum where Ye Chen stood.

Bai Yijun, beside him, was rendered speechless with amazement. From the man beside her, she felt an indescribable, profound energy. This aura seemed to resonate with the deepest core of her soul, causing her heartstrings to tremble faintly. Clarity shone in her beautiful eyes as she gazed fixedly at Ye Chen.

At that moment, Ye Chen felt a burning, boiling sensation in his brain, as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his head. His bones and internal organs vibrated with elation, the muscles beneath his skin twitching with excitement. He felt an overwhelming urge to smash through the heavens with a single punch, and he could not suppress a long, upward howl!

Boom! Boom! Boom…

The surrounding water exploded outwards. The entire pool of the Seven-Colored Fountain erupted like an atomic blast, sending countless sprays of water soaring upward. This massive disturbance drew the attention of various major powers nearby, many of whom rushed over with eagerness.

Ye Chen felt an unparalleled energy coursing through his body—a stream of inky black qi. He attempted to condense this flow and discovered that it resolved into a piece of black iron. This shard appeared utterly ordinary, speckled with specks of rust, yet each particle of rust carried a terrifying aura that made one’s heart skip a beat.

Ye Chen couldn't help but recall the black iron shard he had obtained on Earth. The shape and sensation were identical to this one, except his original shard was only the size of a thumbnail, whereas this black piece was as large as a palm!

Now, the black qi transformed from the shard flowed through his body for a time before finally coiling within his mind. Wherever this black stream passed, every bone and piece of flesh underwent a transformation so thorough it was like rebirth; their hardness far surpassed what it was before. His existing genetic amplification, which had reached over 900 times, now seemed to have broken through again, achieving 3000 times!

Ye Chen clenched his fist, slightly stunned, unable to fathom that his genetics had achieved such a terrifying level of augmentation. He knew that the descendants of Xuanyuan, created by the Yellow Emperor, only possessed a tenfold genetic increase!

Just then, seven or eight powerful auras shot in from outside, sweeping away and obliterating the water in the entire Seven-Colored Fountain pool as they blasted straight in.

Fuxi and the others felt these auras, their expressions shifting subtly. They quickly moved to stand beside Ye Chen and Bai Yijun, glaring hostilely at the approaching forces.

“Oh!” A teasing voice rang out, laced with mockery. “I wondered who it was—isn't this the Spiritual Civilization? What, are the few of you trying to seize treasures? Where is the ancient ancestor of your tribe, Pangu? Why didn’t you call him over?”

Fuxi and his companions’ eyes chilled as they looked toward the speaker. They saw a man clad in luxurious brocade robes, with fair skin, handsome and severe features, wearing several rings on his hands, resembling a pampered young noble. His black hair hung loosely, exuding an air of effortless grace. He floated down above their heads, looking down with condescension, his gaze sweeping over Nuwa before finally settling on Bai Yijun.

“Hmm?” The youth in fine robes showed a touch of surprise, which quickly turned into a sly smile. “Isn't this the Third Miss of the Bai family? I didn't expect her to be at Ancient Realm Peak. Is your father nearby?”

The others beside him visibly tensed at his words. Knowing that Bai Tian, the patriarch of the first of the Nine Great Ancient Families, possessed formidable power, they immediately knitted their brows, their expressions guarded.

“The treasure chest!”

Suddenly, a cry of alarm rose from a short, dark-skinned man with a single horn on his forehead—a member of the Tianchou Civilization.

At his exclamation, the others also noticed the golden treasure chest behind Ye Chen. Their eyes lit up with greed before they turned toward Ye Chen and his group, cold light flashing in their gazes.

“Hand it over!” A hunchbacked old man, entirely white-haired with fingernails nearly 10cm long, sharp and keen, scraped them together, producing sparks and metallic clashes. He glared unpleasantly at Fuxi and the others and stated indifferently.

Fuxi stepped forward, standing tall. “Believe it or not, the treasure is not on us. When we arrived, someone had already claimed it first!”

“Trying to fool children,” the youth in fine robes sneered.

Fuxi spared him a glance, coolly replying, “With your level of strength, this old man wouldn't bother with deceit!”

“You!” The fine-robed man’s face darkened, his expression turning cold. “You are courting death! Though I, the Arctic Demon Lord, walk alone without sect or faction, the bare-footed do not fear the one with shoes. If you provoke me, I will camp outside your tribal gates and ensure your people live in nightmares forever!”

“You won’t get that chance,” Ye Chen stated placidly.

“Huh?”

Everyone present froze, turning their attention to the stern, white-haired man. Given their experience, they recognized many established powerhouses from the Ancient Continent but had never seen Ye Chen before. Initially, they assumed he was just a young disciple of the Spiritual Civilization brought along for exploration, never imagining he would dare utter such arrogant words!

“Hilarious!” The Arctic Demon Lord couldn't help but laugh. “You, a mere Deity, dare speak to me like that? Are you a young talent from the Bai family, or some unknown junior from the Spiritual Civilization? When your big brother was roaming the Ancient Continent, you were likely still in swaddling clothes. You have no right to speak here. Get lost!”

A vast, insidious power surged forth, slamming toward Ye Chen.

Fuxi’s eyes turned cold. With a clap of his hand, he dispersed that surging energy. He stared icily at the Arctic Demon Lord and said in a chilling voice, “He is one of my clan. Anyone who dares touch him will face eternal retribution!”

Everyone was stunned. When a powerhouse like Fuxi declared eternal retribution, it meant he would never stop until the goal was achieved. They were surprised that Fuxi would say such a thing for the sake of a junior.

The Arctic Demon Lord scoffed mockingly. “Such protection. Could he be your illegitimate son? It’s long been known that Fuxi is cold and devoid of desire, never remarrying after his first wife died. It seems he finally couldn't resist yielding to worldly passion!”

“You can shut up now,” Ye Chen said quietly, subtly patting Bai Yijun’s small hand to signal her before releasing it. He walked forward to stand before Fuxi and the others, surveying the seven or eight newcomers. There were men and women among them, but his eyes regarded them as if they were already corpses, cold and emotionless. “Leave the treasures you possess, and vanish from my sight within three seconds!”

The crowd paused momentarily, then burst into laughter as if they had heard the greatest joke, their eyes filled with derision.

“Truly an arrogant brat, only at the Deity realm and already so presumptuous. What will he become in the future!” the Arctic Demon Lord chuckled softly. “I like this temper. Kid, come follow me in the future, and I guarantee I’ll cultivate you into a high-level God Emperor powerhouse!”

Ye Chen’s cold gaze swept toward him. “Are you still not leaving?”

The Arctic Demon Lord’s smile froze instantly, and his expression hardened. “Arrogance is fine, but ignorant arrogance is fatal!” With that, he suddenly reached out and tore a fissure in the void before him, pulling out a crimson greatsword from within and bringing it down in a fierce chop.

Whoosh!

The blood-colored light slash arrived like a projectile, carrying the self-destructive killing power of an entire universe!

Ye Chen’s expression remained cold. He slowly raised his hand to grasp. His various secret arts within his body activated rapidly. Relying on the Nine Heavens Dao Scripture alone put his strength comparable to 100,000 times the power of a peak God Emperor without any amplification from secret arts. Facing that ultimate strike, he roared and activated the Blazing Mystery Canon!

Immediately after, the Nine Palaces Secret Arts were successively engaged!

In the span of a single breath, the surging energy within him reached nine hundred million times that of a peak God Emperor. This turbulent energy seeped out from his pores, filling the air and causing everyone present to tremble in shock. Everyone could feel the surging power within Ye Chen, like an inflating balloon!

Ye Chen looked up, his eyes turning frigid and merciless.

He reached out to seize!

Bang!!!

A mysterious force field enveloped the blood-colored light slash, seemingly crushing the entire attack as if an invisible hand were grasping it!

Ye Chen’s long white hair whipped around him; he stood like a god of slaughter before the crowd, slowly lifting his head to look at the shocked face of the Arctic Demon Lord in the sky. His body suddenly shot forward.

In a flash, he was in front of the Arctic Demon Lord. His fist, imbued with infinite power, slammed down fiercely!

The Arctic Demon Lord’s expression changed. With his rich experience, he reacted swiftly, hastily raising his hand to block, seizing the opportunity to activate his force-dissipating secret art while simultaneously engaging the secret arts within his own body. Berserk energy erupted from him.

Crack!

This punch slammed down, the friction causing dark streaks in the surrounding void, and collided violently with the palm of the Arctic Demon Lord!