The Heavenly Emperor's Castle was perched upon the Grand Path of Ancient Peaks. Inside the castle's council hall, Ye Chen and his companions gathered. Empress Nuwa sat in the main seat, her pretty face unable to conceal her delight. She glanced sideways at Ye Chen and Bai Yijun, smiling faintly. "This operation would have been impossible without the two of you. Without your help, the three of us would never have secured this fragment of the Ancient God's Cave Key! This merit goes first to you both. Once the Ancient God's Cave opens, or when we return to the clan, you will certainly receive the highest commendation!"

Ye Chen smiled faintly. "Ancestor, there is no need for thanks. It is only my duty to secure some resources for the clan."

Nuwa chuckled sweetly. "If you face any great difficulty in the future, do not hesitate to tell us. If we can help, we will never shirk our responsibility!"

"Mmm," Ye Chen nodded with a smile.

Just then, a young man rushed in from outside. It was Adam, the Heavenly Emperor's Castle’s intelligent system. His face was etched with anxiety. "Your Highness Nuwa, this is terrible news! Emperor Shaohao has sent an urgent distress signal—he must have run into trouble!"

"What!" Ye Chen's expression shifted, and he stood up quickly. "Where did the signal come from?"

"From Solitary Fiend Peak," Adam replied urgently.

Ye Chen glanced at Bai Yijun beside him; they exchanged a nod. Ye Chen said to Nuwa, "Ancestor, I will go provide assistance."

"We go together," Nuwa said, her expression grave, her delicate brow furrowed. She commanded, "Quickly, start the vessel! Head for Solitary Fiend Peak!"

Adam swiftly acknowledged the order and retreated. A few seconds later, the entire Heavenly Emperor's Castle rumbled to life, slowly ascending. The engines roared to maximum power. Ye Chen and the others, seated in the center of the castle, could feel the violent tremors of countless gears and engines shaking the structure with their acute senses.

"Why would he go to Solitary Fiend Peak?" Emperor Huang frowned deeply, clenching his fists, unable to mask the anxiety on his face.

Fuxi’s eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he murmured, "Solitary Fiend Peak is the necessary route past Dragon Head Peak. Could he have encountered other factions there, or perhaps ferocious beasts from the Force Realm Peaks?"

"For the arrogant Shaohao to send a distress signal, this matter must be far from simple," Nuwa said, her delicate brow slightly furrowed, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. She whispered, "My son, nothing must happen to you..."

The Heavenly Emperor's Castle swooshed past, slicing across the firmament, rapidly closing in on the marked location on the electronic map. Before long, they bypassed several electromagnetic storm zones, gravitational collapse areas, and regions of chaotic spatial distortion. After rounding several towering peaks, they arrived on a gloomy path shrouded in a faint white mist. Though seemingly thin, it obstructed the vision even of someone with Ye Chen's power.

As the Heavenly Emperor's Castle streaked forward, a world-shattering roar suddenly echoed from ahead, accompanied by violent crashing sounds and the collapse of countless stones. Through the communication system, Nuwa, Ye Chen, and the others started in alarm, quickly looking towards the front of the castle.

A heavy sensation settled over their hearts, as if something terrifying were approaching from that direction.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a fierce gale swept through, and a dazzling black light erupted. The thin clouds and mist around them parted, revealing to their sight a monstrous, sky-shrouding hand. This arm was caked with mud and moss, some parts slightly decayed, emitting a foul stench. Its fingernails were sharp and pitch-black, reaching out to seize the Heavenly Emperor's Castle.

Ye Chen and the others gasped in shock, staring at the arm suspended in the air. It appeared severed at the elbow, the dried blood behind it suggesting it had been entombed beneath the earth for untold ages, yet it still wielded such terrifying power.

The Heavenly Emperor's Castle swiftly retreated, shrinking its profile to resemble a speck of dust. It didn't reduce speed, managing to drift past the gaps between the fingers. The propulsion engines engaged at maximum power, pushing it forward at a frantic pace.

The severed arm whipped around, sweeping past with a terrifying whistle, then plunged down violently towards the Heavenly Emperor's Castle. Its razor-sharp nails tore through the void, ripping black streaks across the solid space, causing deep dread.

Nuwa, Ye Chen, and the others were stunned. They hadn't expected this severed hand to possess such heaven-defying might. They frantically maneuvered the Heavenly Emperor's Castle left and right to evade it. Ye Chen looked out the external viewscreen and suddenly spotted a figure, drenched in blood and panting heavily, sitting atop a jagged protrusion on a nearby mountain. The figure clutched a curved long spear—it was none other than Emperor Shaohao!

Ye Chen was ecstatic and immediately called out to Nuwa, "Ancestor, quickly bring Brother Shaohao aboard!"

Nuwa also spotted Shaohao, her heart filling with both shock and joy. She hastily opened a passage and projected a surge of gravitational force, enveloping Shaohao. Shaohao spared only a quick glance before spotting the Heavenly Emperor's Castle, and without a word, he scrambled desperately inside.

At that very moment, the severed hand reappeared behind the Heavenly Emperor's Castle and slammed down with tremendous force.

BOOM!

The entire castle shook violently. Cracks immediately spiderwebbed across its supposedly indestructible walls. The castle’s energy shield shattered like brittle glass. The gravity control system and the stabilization system instantly failed. The castle swayed precariously, its base thrusters firing at full capacity just to prevent it from crashing to the ground. Yet, the plasma flames spewed by the thrusters scorched the earth beneath, leaving deep indentations.

"How is this possible!" Nuwa's pretty face was covered in shock. "The power of a single strike—how can it be this terrifying? I fear even a peak God-Emperor would be severely wounded and spitting blood after enduring that blow!"

By this time, Adam, controlling the castle, had managed to restart the primary systems. He rapidly boosted them away, fleeing into the distance. Since they had strayed too far from the Grand Path of Ancient Peaks, the surrounding peaks meant that areas riddled with electromagnetic storms were everywhere—spatial warping was out of the question. A single misstep into an electromagnetic storm meant certain death, utter annihilation!

Throughout the countless ages of the Ancient World, no one had ever been known to enter an electromagnetic storm zone and return alive.

Just then, Shaohao walked in quickly from the exterior, covered head to toe in blood, his aura weak. He collapsed into a chair at the end of the conference table, gasping for air. "Father, we must leave quickly. This arm is too malevolent. As I was returning from Dragon Head Peak just now, I saw a surge of purple malevolent energy erupt from Solitary Fiend Peak. I knew instinctively something nefarious was emerging. I hadn't run far when I heard a rushing sound behind me—the severed hand was pursuing me."

"This severed hand possesses world-shaking power. I knew I couldn't resist just by looking at it. I immediately sent the signal to you. My personal flight vessel was destroyed by this hand. Fortunately, you arrived in time and drew its attention; otherwise, I would surely have perished here."

Shaohao managed to articulate the entire ordeal quickly. Ye Chen and the others listened, their expressions grave. They hadn't expected such a perilous entity to have emerged here. Judging by that single attack, it was easy to imagine the desperate battle and terror Shaohao must have endured earlier.

At that moment, a rapid whooshing sound announced its arrival. The severed hand caught up swiftly, its grotesque, terrifying grasp reaching out to crush the Heavenly Emperor's Castle.

Ye Chen frowned, glanced at Bai Yijun beside him, and they instantly reached an understanding. Ye Chen told Nuwa, "Ancestor, I will pilot the Heavenly Dao Battle Armor to hold it off. You retreat first."

Nuwa's heart tightened. "How can that be allowed? I cannot discern the origin of this arm. While the Heavenly Dao Battle Armor's might is boundless, it consumes enormous energy. I cannot let you take this risk!"

Ye Chen chuckled lightly. "Ancestor, if even I cannot hold it back, and we continue fleeing like this, all of us will perish. In that case, rather than having the Ancestors and Brother Shaohao perish together, it is better that only my Empress and I die alone."

Nuwa, Emperor Huang, and Fuxi were all deeply moved. Looking at Ye Chen's sincere and determined gaze, a surge of heat rushed up their throats. Just as they were about to speak, Ye Chen waved his hand. "Ancestors, you should leave now. When we are done, we will find you back on the Grand Path of Ancient Peaks." Without waiting for any objection, he took Bai Yijun's small hand and walked out.

Bai Yijun’s lips curved into a smile as gentle as flowing water. She looked utterly unconcerned, as if she were heading to a peach blossom garden for a stroll rather than going to battle alongside Ye Chen. She simply held Ye Chen's hand tightly, saying nothing.

Fuxi and the others watched the backs of the two figures, a wave of sorrow washing over them. Finally, they let out a long sigh, and with shared grief, they piloted the Heavenly Emperor's Castle away into the distance.

Swish!

The Heavenly Dao Battle Armor shot out of the Heavenly Emperor's Castle's ejection port, hovering in the void, blocking the path before the severed hand. The sinister shadow of the hand was reflected in the ice-cold red crystal eyes. Ye Chen looked at Bai Yijun in the co-pilot seat behind him and whispered, "Hold on tight."

Bai Yijun smiled sweetly and nodded slightly.

Whoosh!

The Heavenly Dao Battle Armor charged forward abruptly. Ye Chen gripped the control stick, his fingers tapping lightly on the virtual cursor a few times to swiftly switch gears. The entire mecha executed a strange arc in mid-air, drew the blood-red battle saber from its back, and instantly expanded a thousandfold in size, reaching a towering height of one hundred kilometers. Yet, before the severed hand, it was barely the size of a single finger.

"Sever!" Ye Chen gritted his teeth, and the battle saber in the Heavenly Dao Battle Armor's hand slashed down mightily, striking the severed hand's index finger. A flash of blade light swept outward.

The incomparably sharp, blood-red saber seemed to strike metal. It cut into the finger but was suddenly met with powerful resistance, unable to penetrate even a fraction further.

Ye Chen’s heart jolted, and he quickly commanded the Heavenly Dao Battle Armor to retreat rapidly. Just then, the severed hand suddenly moved, reaching out swiftly to seize and smash down upon the battle armor, as casually as swatting a fly.

BOOM!!

The entire body of the Heavenly Dao Battle Armor shuddered violently, plummeting downwards. It managed to halt its momentum just before crashing into the ground.

Ye Chen checked the diagnostic readings on the screens and was relieved to find that all major systems had returned to normal. He looked up at the pursuing severed hand, his mouth twitching, his heart filled with inexpressible shock. No one knew the destructive power of the Heavenly Dao Battle Armor’s saber better than he did—it could shatter even a peak Dao Artifact with a single strike!

And yet, it couldn't even sever one finger of this severed hand!

Two chapters done. Phew, off to eat.