What was even more crucial was that in those ten minutes, not only did eleven experts at the 【Half-Step Epoch Realm】 perish tragically, along with others preparing to attack nearby, but numerous God Realm powerhouses unleashing long-range destructive weaponry from afar found their bodies abruptly swelling when the man in black clothes waved his hand, as if inflated like balloons, before ultimately exploding with agonizing screams.

Blood stained the nozzles of some laser annihilation cannons, rendering the scene even more eerie and terrifying under the strange, ghastly moonlight.

Cang Dao stood in the night wind, his entire body feeling as if scoured by a heavy blizzard—an indescribable chill clung to him. His fingers trembled slightly, his throat bobbed, and his lips moved, as if struggling to articulate something. After a pause, he managed, with difficulty, "Who... exactly are you?"

Di Zangchuan watched him with amusement, pinching a smear of still-wet blood from his clothes and drawing it across his lips. His soft, crimson tongue gently licked it away. His face, handsome as a celestial deity, appeared unspeakably captivating and wicked in the moonlight. He spoke softly, "I didn't expect the descendants of Cang Xue to be so disappointing. You don't even recognize me. Alas, how sorrowful. Time is truly merciless..." His black eyebrows, sharp as daggers, furrowed delicately, resembling a beautiful woman's, his expression conveying an indescribable sense of regret.

Cang Dao’s blood surged. He stared intently at the man, "How do you know my Ancestor's name? Who are you? What do you want here?"

Di Zangchuan smiled, possessing the elegance and nobility of a silver knight, yet his words held no courtesy. "With such meager strength, you are unqualified to know my name, unless... you wish to die?" His eyes held a faint sarcasm and defiance as he looked upon Cang Dao with intriguing interest, seemingly awaiting confirmation.

Cang Dao’s face paled further. He gazed at Di Zangchuan’s forehead, his pupils suddenly contracting sharply, as if confronting an unseen, monstrous fiend. His voice, piercing and desolate in the darkness, cried out, "You... you are a Nine Illusion Emissary of the Heart Realm!"

"Oh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Di Zangchuan's eyes. "Not bad, you know a thing or two. You actually recognized the Emissary inscription on my forehead."

The night wind lifted the black strands above his brow, revealing an exquisitely complex, dagger-like inscription. At its center were nine pinprick-sized points of light; one might easily miss them without close inspection.

Cang Dao trembled violently, as if witnessing something unbelievable. "Could it be... the 'MS' Project has been initiated? You... you are here to awaken that... that monstrous thing..."

"Mmm-hmm, correct answer," Di Zangchuan said with an air of guileless innocence, looking at Cang Dao. "Do you know where 【He】 is placed?"

Cang Dao felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen solid. Waves of oceanic fear crashed over him, threatening to drown him. It was as if a colossal, fearful hand had seized his heart, making even breath agonizingly difficult. He gasped deeply, then lifted his head to face Di Zangchuan. His pale face hardened as he clenched his teeth, seemingly suppressing the terror within. He raised his jaw, now tinged with cold resolve and strength, and stated coldly, "The eternal mission of our Earth Shrine has been to guard 【Him, ensuring no one awakens Him. If you want Him, you’ll have to step over my corpse!"

"Oh? Quite spirited," Di Zangchuan chuckled easily, though his eyes held an arctic chill. His narrow eyelids narrowed slightly. "Are you certain?"

Cang Dao's expression devolved into a frenzied desperation. His eyes flushed blood-red, like a berserk bull. Spreading his arms, he blocked the path before Mount Rock God and roared, "Even in death, I will drag you down with me—The Ultimate Self-Destruct Manual, The Sun on the Coastline!!!"

Di Zangchuan’s expression shifted. "You actually learned that technique? I didn't expect that one of Cang Xue's three peerless arts from back then would be mastered by you. It's a pity that this manual requires the energy produced by the self-destruction of a 【Lower Epoch Realm Expert】 like you to be barely executed."

While he murmured these words, Cang Dao across from him bristled with fury, dense and dazzling crimson-gold light exploding from his body. It radiated from every pore like ten thousand beams, making him appear impossibly radiant and beautiful, like a scorching, burning sun...

The Tianjun Divine Ark, deep within the earth's crust.

When Nuwa brought Ye Chen to the deepest layers of the Divine Continent, they passed through a narrow, slender passage. Suspended within the dark, faintly lit tunnel, the two floated forward. Before them lay an abyss of bottomless blackness, like the maw of a colossal python, from which wisps of cool wind blew, lifting strands of hair near their temples.

Soon after, they emerged into an expansive cavern world. The ceiling was studded with dense, sharp rock spikes, inverted and embedded, chilling anyone who looked up. Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged; he followed Nuwa silently until they reached a massive rock formation in the subterranean expanse.

This rock was the size of a small mountain. Leaning against it was a man with a long, slender physique, beautifully sculpted musculature, and a jawline chiseled as sharply as a dagger. His deep eyes seemed to reflect the scattered stars above. At this moment, his face was somewhat pale, suggesting he was injured. His sword-like, soaring eyebrows were lightly furrowed, carrying a subtle trace of worry.

Ye Chen stood before him, appearing minuscule, like an infant. He looked up at the giant-like man, his eyes warm with familiarity, like a tamed lion, and smiled gently. "Ye Chen pays respects to Great God Pangu."

Pangu lowered his gaze to the man in his sight. A hint of life seemed to return to his ashen face. His lips moved, "You have arrived. Has your journey been peaceful?"

A warmth spread through Ye Chen's heart, but recalling the path he took, he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. "I can only describe it as surviving nine deaths out of ten."

Nuwa and Pangu beside him were both startled. Evidently, they had not expected such a terrifying summary from a simple greeting. They understood Ye Chen's strength; with his power, traversing the entire Ancient Continent should have been effortless. Even Pangu admitted that in a direct one-on-one fight, he wouldn't necessarily defeat Ye Chen.

Such strength, yet he endured near-fatal peril?

"Could it be..." Pangu’s lips moved slightly, and his voice, steady and deep like the earth, resonated, "You encountered the Broken Hand?"

Nuwa’s heart tightened, and she quickly looked towards Ye Chen.

Ye Chen slowly shook his head. "Not the Broken Hand... but the opponent was a hundred, even a thousand times more terrifying than him, operating entirely outside the scope of humanity."

Nuwa’s delicate features turned ashen, her voice trembling slightly. "Could it be... the headless ancient corpses from the Peak of the Ancient Realm have all emerged?"

Ye Chen sighed softly and spoke quickly, "Not the headless corpses, but a monster far more fearsome. He can subdue the headless corpses to serve as his mounts. He looks human, and I don't know his identity, but this person could effortlessly immobilize the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark. I felt... if he wished, he could kill me with a single breath!"

The vast subterranean world instantly fell into a deathly silence. Only the mournful sound of the wind whistling through unseen pinholes in the rocks remained, like the weeping of ghosts, making scalps tingle and necks feel as though a demon had exhaled upon them, raising goosebumps.

Pangu and Nuwa’s faces became indistinct under the shadow of the gloom. However, judging by their exposed arms, both were gripped by profound terror. They exchanged a look, and Nuwa saw astonishment mixed with panic in Pangu's eyes. Her heart sank like a massive stone in the seabed. After a long silence, she finally spoke slowly, "Was there anything on that person's forehead?"

Ye Chen glanced at her briefly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "There seemed to be a very strange inscription, containing many tiny points of light that flickered faintly."

Both Nuwa and Pangu were inwardly shocked. Nuwa pressed eagerly, "Did you see clearly how many light points there were?"

Ye Chen tried to recall. He had been too stressed at the time, preoccupied with finding an escape route, and hadn't paid close attention, assuming it was just an ordinary inscribed mark. Reflecting now, the image was blurry. He shook his head. "I don't remember clearly, but there should have been about seven or eight."

Nuwa and Pangu exchanged a look, their expressions turning grim. Nuwa persisted stubbornly, "Are you sure it was only seven or eight? You really can't remember?"

Seeing her expression, Ye Chen's eyes flickered. "Ancestor, does this signify something critically important?"

"Yes!" Nuwa's expression was grave. "Based on your description, if I am not mistaken, it must be an Emissary of the Heart Realm. Only the Emissaries of the Heart Realm can subdue those bizarre headless ancient corpses as their mounts!" After speaking, she glanced sideways at Pangu, seemingly awaiting his confirmation.

Pangu’s expression was obscured by the darkness. In the ensuing dead silence, he slowly nodded, as if exerting the last of his strength.

"Heart Realm Emissary..." Ye Chen murmured the name under his breath. He looked up at Nuwa's exquisite face. "Ancestor, what kind of world is the Heart Realm? Are there even more powerful worlds beyond the Ancient World?"

Seeing his composed expression, Nuwa sighed softly. "Given the current situation, it seems the 'MS' Project has been initiated. It’s no use keeping it from you now. This was a secret known only to the Lord of Civilization within a civilization—the ultimate secret, the true classified information of the entire Ancient Continent!"

Ye Chen, sensing the gravity in her tone, immediately focused his attention to listen closely.

"In the distant reaches of existence, many nations once arose and occupied every domain of this heaven and earth. Here, 'heaven and earth' does not refer merely to the Ancient World, but encompasses the universe where Earth resides, the Great Dark World, the Ancient World, and other territories currently ruled by different powers!"