The severed hand swooped down with malicious intent, falling from the sky with immense power. The resulting spatial particle flow interfered slightly with the Heavenly Dao Mech's major systems, though they quickly recovered.

Ye Chen’s brow furrowed deeply. He swiftly maneuvered the Heavenly Dao Mech to evade the blow, intentionally leading the severed hand in the opposite direction from where Fu Xi and the others had departed.

Gazing at the energy system data, the mech's power level had already dropped to 92%. Barely a moment of combat had depleted Wei’s energy!

Keep in mind, even slaughtering a hundred peak Divine Emperors while piloting the Heavenly Dao Mech wouldn't consume 1% of its energy. Yet, in this brief instant, so much had been expended. This energy was an incredibly precious substance, extractable only in infinitesimal wisps from trillions of Dao Stones. One could easily imagine how invaluable the Gills' energy reserves were!

A pang of heartache struck Ye Chen. He rapidly engaged the mech’s thrusters and fled into the distance. Pressing the fight, even if he defeated this severed hand, he might not gain any advantage. Such an unprofitable endeavor was clearly not to be pursued.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Through the misty mountains, the Heavenly Dao Mech flew ahead of the severed hand. Ye Chen followed the path he had taken, darting toward the Great Path of Ancient Realm Peak, desperately hoping the four Emperor Stone Sculptures guarding that path could repel this mysterious severed hand. As the Heavenly Dao Mech sped along, suddenly two cannon shells erupted from ahead, firing laser blasts that carried a tearing force, slamming into the mech’s frontal arc. They merely caused faint ripples on the energy shield before vanishing.

Ye Chen felt a surge of anger and alarm, his brows knitting together. He looked at the detection screen: two small red dots were visible ten thousand kilometers ahead. According to the combat power index displayed, they were merely at the level of rudimentary Dao Artifacts.

Hoo!

A rapid tearing sound came from behind as the hand struck down with its claws. The Heavenly Dao Mech quickly dodged, but not fast enough. The severed hand’s nail scraped across the energy shield, tearing a breach in the transparent barrier. The defense level immediately dropped to the red alert line!

Rage boiled in Ye Chen’s chest. If he hadn't been hampered by the two laser missiles, which slowed the mech’s momentum, the severed hand wouldn't have caught up to attack him. Veins bulged on his arm as he roared, slamming the throttle forward. The mech hurtled away, speed maxed out, the engine emitting a muffled, furious growl, and the exhaust ports spewing brilliant blue flames.

Whoosh!

Ye Chen quickly shook off the pursuing severed hand and caught up to the two rapidly retreating red dots on the screen. Ahead, through the thin cloud cover, two small vessels were darting into the distance, one leading the other. Judging by the warning lights flashing on the hulls, they were undoubtedly AI-controlled vessels from the Mechanical Civilization.

"Mechanical Civilization!!" Ye Chen clenched his fists, murderous intent surging within him. Yet, he refrained from launching missiles; doing so would certainly impede his thrust and speed. He sneered, driving the mech past the two small vessels at full tilt. As the small craft pilots registered confusion, they instantly sensed the rushing wind sound behind them.

This sound carried a chilling, sinister coldness. Before the two small vessels could react, a vast, sky-shrouding hand slammed down, engulfing both small craft...

Through the mech’s rear speakers, Ye Chen heard a grating, ear-splitting shriek erupt behind him. Without looking, he knew the two small vessels, classified as rudimentary Dao Artifacts, had been crushed into heaps of scrap metal.

"There must be a powerhouse from the Mechanical Civilization ahead. They released those two small probes to scout the map, and once they detected me, they attacked immediately! Hmph!" Ye Chen’s eyes turned frigid. He maximized the mech’s exploration system, instantly spotting a faint red light dot thirty thousand kilometers ahead—extremely well-hidden. If the Heavenly Dao Mech's exploration system hadn't been terrifyingly powerful, this anomaly might have gone undetected.

Whoosh!

Ye Chen drove the mech into a full-out sprint. The severed hand pursued closely behind. Both maintained nearly equal speeds, one leading the other. Ye Chen activated the mech’s camouflage and signal jamming systems, entering a semi-submerged state while maintaining ultra-high speed. With the Heavenly Dao Mech’s interference system running, the enemy could not possibly detect his approach.

On the screen, the red light dot remained stationary, appearing hesitant, unsure whether to advance or retreat. After a moment of stalemate, it slowly retreated into the distance.

"Trying to flee?" Ye Chen smirked coldly and surged toward its last known position. Just then, a heaven-shattering roar erupted from a nearby mountain peak, immediately followed by a terrifying sound of rock grinding as something massive hurtled toward him with ferocious momentum.

Before it even drew close, Ye Chen felt the hairs on his body stand on end, his heart frozen with shock. He quickly turned his head, spotting a beast of monstrous proportions—a terrifying creature with the head of a scorpion, the body of a lion, and the tail of a dragon, covered entirely in sharp, bristling feelers. It charged with speed akin to lightning, flashing to the mech’s side in an instant, opening its cavernous maw to swallow the Heavenly Dao Mech whole!

Ye Chen’s heart sank. The sheer size of this hideous beast was preposterous; with that gaping mouth, it looked capable of devouring an entire planet. Staring at the tongue, scarlet as a carpet inside the mouth, the long, sharp white fangs, the black, gaping throat, and the flying droplets of noxious yellow saliva, he gripped the control stick tightly. He swiftly yanked the thrust levers up two notches and tapped the virtual keyboard six times with fingers as quick as flowing water. Several of the Heavenly Dao Mech’s thrusters erupted with dazzling purple light, and it shot away, narrowly evading the beast’s pounce.

The beast folded its trajectory in mid-air, its small, blood-red eyes fixed intently on Ye Chen, gleaming with avarice and ferocity. It roared and charged again, its momentum utterly undiminished. Its myriad sharp feelers writhed rapidly, flowing like water in a current, and it quickly closed the distance with the Heavenly Dao Mech. Astonishingly, even at maximum speed, the Heavenly Dao Mech could not outrun this bizarre beast!

Ye Chen was simultaneously stunned and furious. Looking past the beast to the pursuing severed hand, he realized how treacherous Ancient Realm Peak truly was. No wonder even the Ten Hall Masters had to tread carefully here. If any of them had encountered such a ferocious beast in the rear, escape would have been impossible!

Whoosh!

The monstrous beast lunged, and from a small aperture beneath its tongue, it spewed out a web of silk that covered the mech, as tough as hardened steel. It snagged the Heavenly Dao Mech’s shoulders and waist, pulling with tremendous force. Several strands of silk stretched taut, nearly snapping.

The Heavenly Dao Mech’s thrusters roared defiance. Abruptly, it gripped the blood-red battle saber mounted on its back and swung it hard. The razor-sharp edge sliced through the silk strands, severing them all. Ye Chen knew that if he didn't deal with this terrifying beast now, its incredible speed would make escape in these perilous peaks impossible. He resolved himself, swinging the saber directly toward the beast’s massive mouth!

Thwack!

A flash of crimson light—the battle saber cleaved open the beast’s chin, slicing a bloody gash that immediately jetted out green pus and ichor. The entire beast reared back, howling in agony, its blood-red eyes blazing with savage light, before it roared and lunged forward again, attempting to swallow the Heavenly Dao Mech whole!

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes. His fingers danced rapidly across the adjacent auxiliary virtual keyboard. The Heavenly Dao Mech’s size rapidly shrank, collapsing from a hundred miles tall to barely ten yards high, and it hurtled directly into the beast’s mouth, burrowing down its throat.

The inner wall of the beast’s throat was lined with sharp bone spurs. As the throat contracted, these spurs ground together like cogs, attempting to shred the Heavenly Dao Mech. Ye Chen’s expression remained icy. Controlling the mech, he gripped the blood-red battle saber and hacked his way forward. The saber was incomparably keen, cutting the sharp bone spurs as easily as slicing tofu. In an instant, he carved a path through, driving straight down toward the beast’s stomach and intestines.

Suddenly, the entire monstrous beast convulsed violently. Immediately afterward, several fingers shot out from deep within the passage ahead, punching large holes through the walls and clawing inward. Their sharp nails sliced through the beast’s scales effortlessly, as if locking onto the Heavenly Dao Mech. They rapidly charged toward it.

A jolt struck Ye Chen’s core. He hadn’t expected this ferocious beast to be utterly defenseless against the severed hand. He quickly engaged the mech’s retreat protocols, blasting out of the beast’s convulsing, roaring mouth. Changing its size back to a hundred miles, all six thrusters fired at maximum capacity, rocketing him away into the distance.

Suddenly, the light overhead dimmed. Ye Chen’s heart jumped. Without looking, he knew either the beast or the severed hand had caught up. At this critical, life-or-death juncture, after a moment’s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and decisively slammed the spatial warp button beside him, quickly shifting the setting to the lowest D-class jump.

The spatial warp engine began rapid preheating. Bai Yijun, seated in the co-pilot’s seat behind him, couldn't help but startle. Seeing Ye Chen’s grim expression, she understood that given the situation, warping was the only way to evade the severed hand’s pursuit. Otherwise, it would only be a matter of time before they were overtaken, leading to a bitter struggle.

The energy cost would be astronomical. The Heavenly Dao Mech was Ye Chen’s greatest shield; without power, it was merely a shell, capable only of sheltering its occupants, not engaging in offense—completely useless.

However, warping in this chaotic region of Ancient Realm Peak was exceedingly perilous. A single miscalculation could deposit them directly into a beast nest, facing an even greater crisis.

"It's up to fate now..." Bai Yijun thought silently. She glanced briefly at Ye Chen’s severe profile, then slowly relaxed her body, a faint, gentle smile touching her lips as she waited quietly.

The Heavenly Dao Mech swiftly tore open a short-distance wormhole four kilometers ahead, solidifying it with antimatter. The mech then shot through it like a cannonball.

The moment it entered the wormhole, everything seemed to settle. Time appeared to halt its flow. The entire world became utterly quiet. Even the blood coursing through Ye Chen’s veins seemed to slow its frantic boiling.

Everything before him seemed to be playing in slow motion.

BOOM!

A sudden roar erupted—it was the severed hand, which had desperately lunged forward, grasping the edge of the wormhole. It shattered the antimatter surrounding the entrance, tearing at the wormhole itself.

Fortunately, it was just a fraction of a second too late. It only caused the wormhole passage to vibrate violently but failed to eject the Heavenly Dao Mech.

Swish.

The view before Ye Chen shifted. White light expanded from the screen, engulfing his eyes and encompassing his entire body, making him feel as if he were submerged in a warm ocean.

After a long, long moment, the white light slowly faded. Ye Chen opened his eyes and immediately looked ahead. Upon seeing the scene, his pupils constricted. His expression was one of utter astonishment and stupefaction. Not far in front of him was an electromagnetic storm zone, laced with faint, shimmering purple lightning bolts. He instinctively looked down at the screen and instantly realized that his entire surroundings were enveloped by an electromagnetic storm zone.

He had somehow blundered into an electromagnetic storm zone? (To be continued)