As Ye Shi pondered, a sudden rush of wind roared from a nearby passage. A sharp whistle surged, growing from an almost inaudible whisper to a deafening, booming sound as it rushed toward them.

Ye Chen frowned, withdrawing his thoughts and looking up. A streak of yellow light suddenly shot out from the passage, swift as lightning, instantly illuminating the entire expansive area. The light trailed a long luminous tail, hovering above the field, projecting a heavy sense of pressure downwards.

The yellow light gradually faded, revealing an ancient spacecraft. Its hull was inscribed with bizarre, arcane patterns, flanked by carved dragon and tiger designs on either side. A banner bearing the characters "Great Earth" fluttered from its rigging—it was clearly a vessel belonging to the Great Earth Divine Hall faction!

Fuxi, the Yellow Emperor, and Nüwa all started, their gazes toward the ship tinged with solemnity. Ye Chen glanced at it, a flicker of murderous intent surfacing in his eyes. Back at the summit of the Genius Peak, the Hall Master of the Great Earth Divine Hall had been one of those fiercely vying for the Heavenly Dao Scripture. Coupled with their arrogant earlier display of knocking over the Heavenly Emperor's castle at the entrance, Ye Chen had long found such conduct intolerable!

Crack!

The hatch of the Great Earth vessel slowly opened, and two white-bearded elders emerged. One wore a green robe, the other white. The white-robed elder was broad and stout, his face ruddy, resembling a wealthy merchant from the mortal world. His palms were thick and fleshy, utterly devoid of calluses, showing no resemblance to a martial cultivator. The green-robed elder had a long, thin, dark face with prominent cheekbones. His eyes were sharp, sinister, and hawk-like, and his hands resembled iron claws, as if cast from molten metal, sending a chill down one's spine—it was easy to imagine the immense power those hands possessed!

"You lot," the green-robed elder surveyed the assembly with an expressionless face. "Hand over your treasures and scram. Don't make this old man dirty his hands with blood!"

Fuxi and the others frowned slightly, subtly gripping their weapons, ready for battle.

Ye Chen stood up, dispensing with lengthy words. With a grand sweep of his hand, the rune space instantly opened, and the peak Divine Emperor powerhouses resting within the Heavenly Dao Mecha appeared out of thin air. Each was imposing, radiating sharp light from their eyes, their expressions haughty and cold. Upon appearing, they immediately turned and knelt in homage, respectfully proclaiming, "Greetings, Master!"

"Capture these two," Ye Chen stated calmly.

"Yes!" The group of strong warriors accepted the command, rose, and looked toward the two elders in the sky. Fierce light flashed in their eyes, like the most brutal beasts in the world. With a sudden flicker of movement, they lunged toward the sky.

The detached expressions of the two elders from the Great Earth Divine Hall shattered when they saw the full assembly of peak Divine Emperors appear. Their eyes widened in disbelief, but they quickly regained composure and hurriedly mobilized their powers to defend. However, having lost the initiative and facing so many peak Divine Emperors, they were immediately driven back in successive retreats.

Divine light flashed across the heavens, and spatial rifts materialized, only to quickly seal themselves. The entire treasury hall shook violently, the ground trembling and walls swaying, as if the mountains were collapsing—a shocking sight.

Across the vast expanse of ten thousand li, the field was filled with rampant divine power, a chaotic maelstrom. Amidst the encirclement of the warriors, flashes of green and white divine light could vaguely be seen, but as time passed, they gradually weakened and subsided, enveloped and completely submerged by vast swaths of multicolored divine radiance.

Fuxi, the Yellow Emperor, and Nüwa watching from the side felt their blood surge. The thought that such an army of Divine Emperors would one day be under their control filled them with excitement.

Not long after, the encirclement of warriors slowly receded. From within, two figures escorted the two elders, now battered and crippled—arms broken, faces bruised and swollen—and threw them before Ye Chen. They were forced to kneel on the ground, clasping their fists toward Ye Chen: "Master, the bandits are brought!"

Ye Chen looked down at the two elders, his expression indifferent. He reached into his robes, fumbled out two talismans, and tossed them to Hen Litian beside him, instructing, "Imprint these into their minds."

"Yes." Hen Litian nodded respectfully, taking the talismans and walking toward the two elders. He roared, "Do you submit yourselves, or must I do it?"

Seeing such authority, the two elders immediately understood why so many peak Divine Emperors, dominating the field, would obey the command of a nameless junior in the Divine Spirit Realm and recognize him as their master. Realizing this, a wave of sorrow washed over them. They stared at the faintly glowing talismans, clenching their teeth. The green-robed elder's eyes were bloodshot; his insides boiled with rage, his breath ragged. He glared at Ye Chen, only to see the youth standing with his back to him, not sparing him a second glance.

With only a single step separating him, he could launch a sneak attack and exert all his strength to slay this youth. But surrounded by peak Divine Emperors, how could he possibly succeed? And these loyal Divine Emperors guarding this youth were, in fact, the elder's old enemies!

Thinking this, his despair deepened. With a sigh, he reached out, took the talisman, and imprinted it into his mind. A faint green light flickered in his eyes before he collapsed onto the ground, his voice devout and respectful, his face utterly fawning: "Greetings, Master!"

"Old Jian!!" The white-robed elder beside him roared in anger, only to see the green-robed elder stand up and frown at him: "Bai Ma, our Master is so wise and mighty! Hurry and surrender! This is casting aside darkness for light, a thousand, ten thousand times better than following that weak and incompetent Great Earth Hall Master as we did before!"

"Nonsense!!" The white-robed elder spat, staring fixedly at Ye Chen, gritting his teeth. He ground out every word: "This old man would rather die than become a slave!!!" With a sudden, mighty shout, his brain self-destructed, turning into a cloud of bloody mist. His body went limp and collapsed, blood slowly trickling down from the severed neck,

Staining the ground crimson.

"Hmph, one who doesn't know what's good for him," the green-robed elder snorted, displeased. Yet, this white-robed man was his closest comrade from the past, a bond sealed by life and death. He spat on the corpse, then turned back to Ye Chen, his face a mask of fawning subservience: "Master, this man is ignorant. He chose to commit suicide rather than join you. Please do not hold it against him."

Ye Chen casually waved his hand, effortlessly tucking the corpse into the rune space. Just then, Bai Yijun suddenly approached and whispered, "There seems to be someone at the entrance."

Ye Chen paused slightly and turned back. The entrance of the treasury was brightly lit, yet there was no figure in sight. He pondered for a moment, knowing Bai Yijun would not speak without reason. He immediately turned to Fuxi beside him and cupped his hands: "Ancestor, could you perhaps investigate? It seems someone is hiding invisibly near the entrance. This person must possess great treasure; we cannot let him escape."

Fuxi startled, quickly flipping his palm. The Eight Trigrams Mirror rose up, shining a dazzling, pure, clear light. Where the light shone, even the tiniest motes of dust in the air were visible, leaving nothing hidden. Near the entrance, a transparent figure was suddenly glimpsed speeding past. Fuxi immediately shouted, "Don't run!" and with a leap, he instantly teleported to pursue.

Seeing his cover blown, the person immediately dropped their invisibility and unleashed their greatest speed, sprinting towards the treasury exit. Suddenly, a wave of fragrance washed over them, followed by a flash of white light and a faint, pleasant sword hum accompanying the delicate scent.

The person felt a slight sting on their neck, like a mosquito bite, but had no time to pay it heed. Looking up, they found an exquisitely beautiful figure standing before them. Her skin was as white as snow, possessing peerless beauty. Her slender, swan-like neck curved gracefully, and her clear, bright eyes held an air of detachment. She was simply standing still, gazing at him, showing no sign of attack.

Sensing Fuxi closing in from behind, he panicked. Without time to curse, he tried to dart around Bai Yijun. As he ran forward forcefully, he suddenly noticed a headless corpse chasing him from behind, running ahead of him. He found this odd, and looking closer, he was instantly terrified to discover that the clothing on the headless body was, unmistakably, his own!

In his fright, he hastily looked down, only to find that his own neck had, at some unknown moment, been cleanly severed. Genuine horror flooded his entire face. He let out a sharp scream, spat out a mouthful of blood, his head dropped to the ground, and the body ceased its run, collapsing with a thud. Blood poured forth from the severed neck,

Dyeing the ground red.

Bai Yijun moved like a white lotus, her figure vanishing with the slightest shift, reappearing beside Ye Chen tens of thousands of li away. Her face was flushed nor her breath uneven, as if she had been standing there since the beginning. Such skill left the Yellow Emperor and Nüwa beside her utterly dumbfounded, their hearts filled with immense shock.

The man's body and head were seized by Hen Litian and the others and thrown before Ye Chen. Ye Chen stated indifferently, "Search him for any treasures."

"Yes."

Several strong warriors accepted the order and immediately began the search. Moments later, they recovered a golden shard from the body, which radiated a pure, warm radiance, along with some other shrunken weapons and warships.

Fuxi approached and stared intently at the man's head, focusing his gaze. "A World Immortal Rat!"

Ye Chen nodded slightly. Since achieving the rank of Emperor, he had access to much information regarding the continent's high-level entities. He knew this man was a world-renowned expert, skilled in disguise and stealth, earning him the moniker "World Immortal" because there was no place he could not reach, no secret he could not uncover!

He never expected that today, this man would meet his end at the hands of Bai Yijun.

"Hmm?" Fuxi’s gaze suddenly fixed, his eyes locked onto the golden shard. He stared unblinkingly, his breathing growing heavy. He spoke each word deliberately: "A fragment of the Ancient God's Cave Mansion Key!"

The Yellow Emperor and Nüwa beside him experienced a simultaneous shock and joy, hurriedly rushing over. Upon seeing the golden shard, they were almost jumping with delight, their faces unable to conceal their ecstatic frenzy and scorching desire: "We didn't expect that the Ancient God's Cave Mansion Key fragment would actually be here, and that this 'Rat' had obtained it! We almost let him slip away!"

Hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but look at the golden shard twice more. He realized this tiny piece of metal was the treasure that caused powerful figures across the world to move, even risking life and death.

Ye Chen turned to look at Bai Yijun. Their gazes met, and they both understood the other’s thoughts. Bai Yijun spoke softly, "You don't need to thank me. This was merely a small effort. I am very happy to be able to help you."

Ye Chen was moved and squeezed her small hand tightly. He then looked toward Fuxi and the others and said solemnly, "Three Ancestors, this is no place to linger. Staying longer will only lead to the deaths of the innocent. We should leave immediately."

Fuxi and the others, returning to their senses, immediately nodded: "You speak wisely. Let us depart quickly, lest some ignorant fool barges in and needlessly loses his life."

With that, Ye Chen recalled Hen Litian and the others, took Bai Yijun's hand, and quickly departed with Fuxi and the others, returning directly to the main avenue of the Ancient Boundary Peak. (To be continued)