Nuwa’s expression was serene. “What instructions might that be?”

Emperor Longquan’s voice was cold. “I know you possess two fragments of the Ancient God’s Cave key. I give you two choices. First, ally with me and become part of my Dragonfang Alliance, enjoying our protection. Second, hand over the key fragments yourselves, and I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Ye Chen’s gaze was indifferent. “The six who fled earlier must have already informed you that neither of these demands will be accepted. If you insist on forcing the issue, you’d best write your last will and testament first!”

A surge of fury erupted within Emperor Longquan; his eyes nearly burst with rage. His fingers trembled slightly as he gritted his teeth. “You, you, I’ll tell you this! The Heavenly Thunder Hall Master and Emperor Ice Snow won’t be here to protect you today. With a single thought from me, the communication devices of the leaders of the other three major alliances will immediately receive an email. By then, everyone in the world will know that the Spiritual Civilization holds two fragments of the Ancient God’s Cave key. You have the Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel, so I know I’m no match for you, but the entire Spiritual Civilization will not escape misfortune!” Nuwa’s face darkened. “There is no need to discuss this further. I will absolutely not hand over the Ancient God’s Cave key fragments.”

Emperor Longquan sneered, “You brought this upon yourself. Do not blame me for being ruthless!” With a grand sweep of his hand, he returned to his warship. A dozen or so warships slowly turned and retreated.

Fu Xi watched Emperor Longquan lead his people away in silence. After a long while, he spoke. “The reason we avoided a major battle this time is primarily because Ye Chen is present. Emperor Longquan has witnessed your strength and dares not act rashly. However, this also means the other three alliances now know that the Spiritual Civilization possesses two key fragments. We must hurry back to the Ancient World. It’s not too late to return after we settle our clan members.”

Everyone nodded slightly. The situation was grave; a temporary retreat was necessary.

Just as the group prepared to depart, a sudden, resonant roar echoed from the distance, immediately followed by countless whooshing sounds surging forward, interspersed with one or two explosions.

Ye Chen and the others felt a jolt in their hearts, thinking the other alliances had attacked. They quickly turned to look, and upon seeing the sight, their eyes widened. Far off at the edge of the sky, where the clouds were sparse, countless dense black dots appeared. Behind these black dots loomed a gigantic, towering figure!

This giant had skin the color of ancient bronze, radiating metallic strength, and was covered in dense hair, resembling a savage from the mountains. It wore a set of tattered armor, with several ravine-like black marks across its chest and abdomen.

Most shocking of all—there was no head above the giant’s neck!

“A Headless Ancient Corpse!!” Ye Chen’s heart shuddered. This towering giant before him was precisely the Headless Ancient Corpse that had pursued him before!

However, the severed arm of the Headless Ancient Corpse was somehow whole now, and the entire body was clad in armor, making it even more massive. Yet, the dense, ashen-gray aura emanating from it was exactly the same.

“Run!” Ye Chen shouted urgently. He took out the Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel, opened the hatch, and yelled, “Everyone inside!” He pulled Bai Yijun’s small hand and rushed in first.

Fu Xi and the others were startled and quickly darted inside. Nuwa moved her consciousness, shrinking the Heavenly Emperor’s Castle to the size of a palm, and her figure flashed like light into the Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel.

“Go!” Ye Chen commanded.

Xiao Zhongsheng quickly closed the hatch and piloted the Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel to speed wildly along the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak. As they fled, the countless black dots behind them were gradually left further and further behind.

Ye Chen, Fu Xi, and the others sat in the rest cabin of the vessel, activating the detector to capture and magnify the images. They discovered that all those black dots filling the sky were warships and spacecraft, constructed to resemble those of the various major civilizations. Currently, these people were fleeing desperately under the pursuit of the Headless Ancient Corpse.

“What is happening!” Nuwa exclaimed, shocked by the scene on the screen which resembled a slaughter. “Is this the Headless Ancient Corpse you mentioned? How can it be so powerful? It shattered a peak Dao Artifact vessel with a single slap!”

Ye Chen’s expression was somber. He had mentally prepared for this to some extent and was not overly surprised, but seeing the Headless Ancient Corpse breach the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak weighed heavily on his heart.

“Quick!” Fu Xi, being the most meticulous, urged, “Quickly send electronic signals to notify the nearby forces of the other civilizations and tell them to evacuate immediately!”

“Notify them?” Emperor Yao was astonished. “Why? None of those people are good sorts. Once they return to the Ancient World, they will all contend with us for the Ancient God’s Cave key fragments.”

Fu Xi glared at him. “What have I taught you? Others may choose to be unjust, but we cannot be unrighteous! If we do that, how are we any different from them?”

Emperor Yao was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head in shame. Nuwa’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. Before Fu Xi could speak, she had already sent electronic signals to the major civilized forces she knew, transmitting the captured images along with them.

Rumble—

A booming sound resonated. As the Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel sped onward, near the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak, amidst a dense forest and mountain range, a sound of rock collapse suddenly occurred, followed by a low, violent voice slowly echoing across heaven and earth: “Head—Where—Is—It!!”

Ye Chen’s pupils contracted, and he stared in horror. In that forest, a thick, powerful hand slowly emerged, gripping the mountain peak. Immediately after, a headless upper torso sat up, clad in remnants of armor, with a transparent hole where its heart should be. One could only imagine what brutal battle it had endured in its life for its heart to be pierced like that!

“This, this…”

Nuwa, Fu Xi, and the others paled in shock. They had thought the appearance of one giant pursuing them from behind was already astonishing, and they had speculated about the immense power its former self must have possessed. They never expected another terrifying, gigantic monster to emerge right there!

“Accelerate!” Ye Chen roared.

Xiao Zhongsheng also flinched, cold sweat tracing paths on her impassive cheeks. Her slender fingers manipulated the virtual keyboard rapidly, having the AI take the helm, engaging all thrusters to maximum power. The speed surged, shooting out like an electric flash.

The endless stream of warships fleeing behind, upon seeing another equally terrifying giant monster slowly rising on the side of the road ahead, felt a suffocating terror. They all exerted their utmost abilities, boosting their ships’ speeds, hurtling towards the distance, even resorting to spatial jumps without hesitation.

Swish, swish, swish—

The armies of countless civilizations retreated toward the entrance of the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak. The Heavenly Dao Mecha led the way. When the ship's speed was pushed beyond nine times the speed of light, they faintly saw the smaller civilization forces stationed near the roadside frantically fleeing.

“What exactly are these Headless Ancient Corpses!” Fu Xi’s expression was grave. Looking at the Headless Ancient Corpse that had fully stood up beside the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak, he knew by visual estimation alone that this being must be tens of millions of kilometers tall—what an immense creature!

“In all the countless years of the Ancient Realm Peak, no creature this terrifying has ever been discovered. This thing is definitely not recorded in the Historical Records!” Nuwa glanced at Ye Chen beside her and murmured, “You are the successor of the Heavenly Dao. Among the resources you obtained from the Heavenly Dao, is there any record of this thing?”

“No,” Ye Chen replied truthfully, shaking his head.

Emperor Huang’s eyes flickered slightly. “Have you noticed? The physical body of this creature is extremely tough. When attacking, it doesn't use energy projection; it relies entirely on its own physical body to fight.”

“Indeed,” Nuwa agreed after a couple of glances, nodding slightly, a look of contemplation in her eyes.

Shao Hao gave a bitter laugh. “In that case, we are forced to retreat to the Ancient World. I wonder if this monster will also head there. If we let them in, I fear the entire Ancient World will be devastated. Before the invasion of the Dark Great World in a million years can even happen, we will be destroyed early. No one can resist these monsters!”

Everyone fell silent as they watched the giant effortlessly swat aside peak Dao Artifact vessels as if crushing flies on the screen.

“This will be a disaster…” Fu Xi’s voice carried an inescapable weight. “Once this thing can enter the Ancient World, it can certainly enter the Dark Great World as well. Under its rampage, no living being will be able to stop its advance. They have far, far surpassed the limits of humanity; they simply do not belong to this world!”

“What do we do when we get back?” Emperor Yao couldn't help but ask.

Fu Xi was silent for a moment before answering in a low voice, “First, lead the clan in migration. Temporarily hide on the star fragments outside the Ancient Continent, and return when the storm passes.”

Star fragments? Everyone frowned, but they could only remain silent. In their eyes, the star fragments were equivalent to a remote, resource-barren wasteland. In contrast, the Asura Sea boasted countless grains, beasts, and birds. To relocate from such a prime territory to a desolate place like that made them uneasy, and they worried about the future of their race.

While they were discussing, the Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel slowly caught up with the fleeing army. Some forces stationed not far from the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak had received the electronic signals sent by those at the front lines, which were corroborated by the signals sent by Nuwa. They all felt something extraordinary was afoot, especially when Wheel-Turning Sage King also issued an electronic signal.

Knowing that he was privy to everything, no one doubted the message. They immediately piloted their respective vessels, rapidly withdrawing toward the outside of the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak.

Rumble boom.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel merged with the fleeing fleet of warships. Through the electronic map, they discovered they were only about ten light-years from the entrance to the Great Avenue of the Ancient Realm Peak. At that moment, a howling sound suddenly charged over from the distance, carrying immense momentum. Even those inside the Heavenly Dao Divine Vessel felt a suffocating pressure descend upon them.

Immediately after, a dark shadow swept over the sky above them. Looking up, for the group inside, the moment felt like ten thousand years! (To be continued)