In the serene space, Ye Chen sat cross-legged on the alloy bed, selecting the peak God-Emperor gene cells from various civilizations before him and drawing them into his body for refinement.
“Epic Civilization!”
Ye Chen’s eyes slowly opened, as deep as lacquer, within the inky black pupils flashed countless profound scriptures, resembling an epic silver river that left onlookers dizzy and mesmerized.
Ye Chen sprang up and moved into the testing chamber, feeling the third swirling aura within his mind. It was an indescribable aura, resembling a simple character, yet impossible to define; within this simple character seemed to be contained the profound mysteries of the entire universe and the ultimate principles governing the movement of heaven and earth!
With a flicker of Ye Chen’s thought, this mysterious and simple character slowly began to cycle, sending streams of pure, vast energy flooding through his body. A mystical character slowly materialized on his forehead, emitting a brilliant radiance.
Ye Chen could feel the muscle fibers beneath his skin subtly writhing, assembling into a marvelous structure. Following the information recorded within the gene cells, his expression was impassive, his deep eyes suggesting a distant galaxy overhead, and his low voice resonated throughout the room: “Strength!”
“Wisdom!”
“Courage!”
The resonant words slowly sounded, and black secret pattern lines gradually appeared on Ye Chen's skin, covering his entire body. Ye Chen felt his brainwave activity increase by 200%, his physical flesh-and-blood strength surged by 500%, and his stamina grew more robust.
“Epic Civilization…” Ye Chen murmured to himself. He fully sensed that this civilization had brought the application of writing to its zenith. In this civilization, writing was no longer merely a tool for recording things but was widely utilized in science, medicine, and warfare. Furthermore, the strokes of the characters were no longer merely created by people but were simulated and inscribed based on the laws of heaven and earth and the Great Dao of the universe, containing infinite might!
After testing, Ye Chen felt his strength increase by a significant margin; the fact that this civilization could amplify willpower was truly incredible!
Returning to the alloy bed, Ye Chen extracted the gene cells of the Yin God Civilization and integrated them into his body, continuing his cultivation and testing.
Time flowed slowly…
In the blink of an eye, two days passed in the cultivation chamber of the Rune Ship. Ye Chen, his white hair cascading over his shoulders, his eyes icy as lacquer, watched the last gene palm before him and swept it into his body for refinement.
“Heaven Civilization…”
Ye Chen clenched his fists, a trace of murderous intent flickering in his eyes. After the previous ordeals, Ye Chen felt his willpower had clearly increased. Melting the gene cells was not as agonizing as the first time. Although the subsequent times were also extremely difficult, each time he could utilize the inherent talent of the Epic Civilization to bolster his courage!
This significantly reduced his resistance to pain and greatly sped up the refinement process.
Whoosh~
Ye Chen’s figure suddenly lunged out, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, flashing into the testing chamber. His eyes slowly opened, his white hair moving without wind, and according to the talent of the Heaven Civilization, he slowly recited: “And I said, let there be light, and thus humanity came into being…”
“And I said, let there be strength, and thus strength was gained…”
“And I said, all life shall perish, and thus heaven and earth reverted…”
Following Ye Chen’s light yet soul-shaking chanting, light slowly materialized in the void before him, multiplying autonomously. Simultaneously, the power within his body suddenly increased nearly tenfold!
As he uttered the final line, the air before him instantly became silent; the entire room was instantaneously stripped of all oxygen and elements; all energy ceased to exist, and all life perished.
“This is Heaven…” Ye Chen mumbled in his heart.
Gazing at the dead silence before him, Ye Chen waved his hand and murmured, “And I said, let everything return to how it was, and thus time reversed, and heaven and earth reopened…”
The light and the dead space before him returned to their original appearance. Ye Chen turned and left the cultivation chamber, taking the two empty vials with him. Returning to the ship's deck, he saw the peak God-Emperor slaves guarding the periphery, nodded slightly, and walked into the main control room. He saw the old man of the Green Rune Race sitting leisurely on the sofa by the table, crossing his legs, eating purple blood grapes and sipping fine Dragon Incense wine, and said indifferently, “Go to the storage room and extract the genes from the corpses I killed earlier.”
The old man of the Green Rune Race was startled. “What are you planning to do?”
“What do you think?” Ye Chen glanced at him.
The old man of the Green Rune Race shuddered, shaking his head like a rattle drum. “I’ll go, I’ll go. Why bother being so harsh on them…” He muttered, rising and walking to the adjacent storage room to start tinkering.
All the corpses Ye Chen had hunted previously were stored there, including the severed arm of Emperor Jin Shan!
Watching the back of the old Green Rune man, a thought suddenly struck Ye Chen. “If I can devour human genes, why can’t I devour monster genes? Wait, if it’s monster genes, I would become a super-powered expert. This Myriad Heavens God Melting Technique is only restricted to humans from various civilizations.”
At this thought, he couldn’t help but feel a touch of regret.
He turned and left the Rune Ship. While the old Green Rune man was extracting genes, he left the Rune Space and appeared surrounded by the electromagnetic storm zone. He checked the note he had left behind and found it untouched, realizing only two days had passed, meaning Bai Yijun likely hadn't returned yet. A wave of worry washed over him.
He stared at the direction the woman had left, lost in thought for a moment, before sighing softly. He retracted his gaze and scanned the surroundings, inspecting the two small hillsides again, but found nothing of interest or any exit, feeling a slight disappointment.
Just as Ye Chen was about to return to the Rune Space, he suddenly heard a whistling sound approaching from the electromagnetic storm zone. His eyes lit up, and he quickly looked over. Through the hazy storm, a dark shadow was rapidly approaching, but this shadow’s size was clearly not as petite as Bai Yijun’s delicate body; it was a massive silhouette the size of a small hill!
Ye Chen’s heart sank, and he slowly clenched his fists. The dark shadow grew larger and larger, and in an instant, it was right in front of him. It was a creature six zhang tall, about the height of a three-story building, with four limbs thick as water barrels, its entire body covered in purple hair standing up like hedgehog spines. Its tail was adorned with flowing purple fur that swayed in the wind, and its eyes were inky black and cold, radiating a ferocious light.
An Electromagnetic Beast!
Ye Chen frowned slightly, gripping his fists tightly. His hand reached out, and he pulled the Sky Crystal Battle Saber from his embrace. This saber, after subsequent refinement, had reached the level of a peak Divine Artifact. Unlike ordinary peak Divine Artifacts, the Sky Crystal Battle Saber had no inherent damaging effects; its only virtue was its intrinsic sturdiness, and its internal structure was not mechanical. In terms of destructive power, it was only equivalent to a rudimentary mechanical artifact.
However, in this electromagnetic storm zone, the purpose of the Sky Crystal Battle Saber became evident. Ye Chen gripped the saber, its blood-red blade flashing with an icy glint. The blood in his body circulated faster, and he felt the tingling, needle-prick sensation on his skin. With a grave expression, he successively activated the Yan Mysterious Canon and the Nine Palaces Secret Manual, layering their effects onto himself.
“Civilization Talent!”
Ye Chen clenched his fist and unleashed the Hentian Talent of the Hentian Civilization. A black axe mark appeared on his forehead, and his muscles instantly hardened and tightened. The faint stinging sensation dramatically lessened, becoming almost imperceptible.
“Epic Civilization!”
“Yin God Civilization!”
“Yang God Civilization!”
The ground beneath Ye Chen’s feet trembled slightly, his aura surging. He murmured, “Strength, Wisdom, Courage!” The flesh and blood of his body contracted intensely, and the painful sensation was reduced to the barest minimum, like being caressed by willow catkins—not the slightest pain.
Simultaneously, his eyes took on a peculiar look. His left pupil was inky black, and his right was golden. Centered on these two pupils, streams of secret patterns extended from the corners of his eyes across his entire cheek, making him look like an eerie demon, coldly staring at the Electromagnetic Beast before him!
“Yin God Possession!”
“Yang God Possession!”
The power within Ye Chen surged to another level. Two towering illusory figures stood behind him in the void. Behind these figures stood the imposing shadow of the ancient Yan God Progenitor, holding the Yan God Hammer and the Nether Flame Shield, standing proudly between heaven and earth!
“Honor Guard Civilization!”
“Ancient Rites Civilization!”
The Sky Crystal Battle Saber in Ye Chen’s hand instantly radiated a fierce, oppressive aura. Amplified by the Honor Guard Civilization talent, his battle aura and strength both increased tenfold!
Battle aura (Zhan Qi) is a subtle thing; simply put, it is momentum. If a short, thin man and a stout, strong man stand together, the strong man, with his rough face, induces a third part of fear just by looking at others.
The purpose of battle aura is to diminish the opponent’s fighting spirit and momentum, preventing them from reaching a state of complete immersion during battle. As long as fear exists in the heart, one cannot fight with full abandon or exert one's entire strength!
The cultivation of battle aura relies on the coordination of intention, strength, mentality, gaze, body, and all surrounding elements; it is an auxiliary power that is extremely difficult to master!
After activating the Ancient Rites Civilization, Ye Chen exuded a pure aura; every word and action seemed to be a symbol of the laws of heaven and earth—action is the Dao, speech is the law. This civilization’s talent did not boost the self but could increase the might of the domain world by tenfold!
This was the first time Ye Chen had unleashed so many civilization talents simultaneously. He felt the nine auras in his mind surging. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth: “Wrath Qi! Sorrow Qi!”
The talent of the Mental Civilization manifested, giving him a fiery red mark on his forehead, standing alongside the Hentian Battle Axe mark and the other civilization imprints. The sorrowful energy formed a gray halo and struck the Electromagnetic Beast, enveloping its head with perfect accuracy. This beast, which had been baring its teeth with a ferocious look, instantly lowered its head, its expression tinged with melancholy and sorrow, seeming hesitant whether to advance or retreat.
Seeing the opportunity, a sharp glint flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes. He raised the Sky Crystal Battle Saber and charged forward aggressively. He did not activate Blood God Mode; being trapped here, vitality was paramount. Once Bai Yijun cleared the path and he broke out of this electromagnetic storm zone, every moment would consume immense life force, which he could not afford to waste here.
Swish!
The Sky Crystal Battle Saber cleaved down towards the Electromagnetic Beast’s head.
Almost simultaneously, two imprints appeared on Ye Chen’s forehead: the crown mark of the Heaven Civilization and the page mark of the Heavenly Scripture Civilization.
“And I said, let all life vanish, and thus all shall return to dust…”
“And I said, I fear no harm, and thus nothing in the world can hurt me…”
“And I said, I require strength, and thus supreme power came into being…”