A boundless expanse of mountains rolled and stacked upon one another, their colossal peaks tearing into the heavens. The deep valleys within were choked with withered, golden grasses that crumbled into golden foam in the faint breeze, scattering into the air to form an orange-yellow mist that shrouded the entire range.

Light filtered down through the swirling clouds, shafts of white piercing the gloom. In the distant horizon, a dozen whistling sounds tore through the air, resembling a flock of massive black birds. They hovered above the periphery of the Dragon Scale Mountain Range, the lead vessel bearing intricate carvings of black and white dual fish along its railing.

Kachak! The hatch hissed open, and seven or eight figures emerged.

Pangu tilted his head back slightly, gazing down upon the Dragon Scale Mountain Range. His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. He glanced towards True Man Shigé, whose face was still somewhat pale, then lowered his head and spoke with reverence and humility, "True Man, leave this Dragon Scale Mountain Range to me."

Under Pangu’s expectant and bright gaze, True Man Shigé gave a calm and elegant nod. The light caught his pale cheeks, sculpting his refined features into something exquisitely handsome and wildly beautiful.

"Let's go," Pangu turned and stepped into the depths of the mountain range. Nuwa, Fuxi, and the Yellow Emperor followed, while Shao Wu and the others held back, knowing that for battles of this magnitude, more numbers would be futile.

Ye Chen pondered for a moment before looking at Bai Yijun beside him. Their eyes met, and both offered a smile before gripping each other's hands tightly. Stepping onto the invisible floor of the void, they walked towards the mountains cloaked in the golden mist.

Light filtered through the gaps in the white clouds, striking the backs of their robes and reflecting a faint luminescence.

Once inside the range, Ye Chen immediately felt the air grow heavy and damp, carrying a subtle metallic tang. When his palm brushed against the golden mist, it felt like rubbing against fine grit. He frowned slightly, then looked up at Pangu leading the way.

Pangu’s chiseled face was grim. He gripped the Heaven-Splitting Divine Axe, leading the vanguard. As the golden mist swept over the axe blade, it was automatically sliced apart, forming wisps of ragged filaments.

Nuwa held aloft a seven-colored stone, its faint prismatic glow illuminating her exquisitely clear face, making her look like a goddess shimmering within the fog. She followed closely behind Pangu, never leaving his side. Beside her, the subtle black and white light of the Bagua Mirror spun like a revolving pupil, sweeping across the surrounding golden miasma, revealing the rocks and vines outside the mist in its monochrome illumination.

Fuxi stood beneath the Bagua Mirror, which hovered and spun above his head like an enormous eyeball, constantly scanning for any surrounding danger.

The Yellow Emperor held the Xuanyuan Divine Sword, his hand resting lightly on the hilt, tracing the spiral grooves of the grip. His stern and resolute features were taut with seriousness; his sharply defined brows furrowed as if being compressed by an unseen, intangible threat.

They did not walk quickly, yet every stride they took covered a distance of thousands of kilometers, propelling them rapidly into the heart of the Dragon Scale Mountain Range.

"Something is coming," Bai Yijun murmured softly beside Ye Chen.

Whoosh!

A figure of pitch-black shadow suddenly lunged out of the mist ahead. Covered in thick, dark fur that exuded a foul, rancid stench, its monstrous teeth flickered in and out of view. Its sharp claws ripped through the mist, tearing down viciously toward Pangu at the very front.

Then, with a chuff, thick, viscous blood bloomed like a vivid, obscene flower.

The wolf-like beast was flung backward at an even greater speed, slamming violently into a nearby small mound, embedding itself deeply into the rock. Its teeth and jaw were smashed inward, its dentition scattered haphazardly on the ground, only tenuously attached to the remaining structure. Blood sprayed from its nostrils, dyeing its entire head crimson.

Pangu flicked the residue from his hand and continued walking without breaking stride. Nuwa and Fuxi, and the others, showed no surprise; their expressions were natural, as if witnessing a commonplace event as they kept close behind Pangu. As Ye Chen passed the slain beast, he paused for a brief glance, realizing this ferocious creature possessed the aura of an Early-Stage Divine Emperor!

A flicker of light passed through his pupils. He beckoned with his hand, drawing the wolf beast’s corpse into his Rune Space, commanding Hentian of the Hentian Civilization to use the evolved Little Nine Cauldrons to refine it into weaponry. The bones and teeth of a beast at the Early-Stage Divine Emperor level were perfectly suited for forging sharp weapons or armor, while its hide could be made into resilient robes or flowing cloaks of powerful defense.

The light shifted at various angles across the misty, golden mountains. Ye Chen and his group moved through the range like several black ants. Along the way, they slew dozens of Divine Emperor-level demonic beasts, all felled by a single punch from Pangu.

Lesser Spirit-level beasts, sensing the aura emanating from the group, fled far into the distance. Everyone had compressed their aura down to the level of Peak Spirit, which only served to draw the undaunted Divine Emperor beasts into attacking them recklessly.

Amidst the slaughter, Ye Chen refined the corpses of these Divine Emperor beasts, forging hundreds of sets of Early-Stage Divine Emperor armor and weapons. Some larger monsters yielded enough material for two or three full sets of battle attire, while smaller ones might only provide a dagger and a cloak.

As they unconsciously ventured deeper, Ye Chen couldn't help but marvel; the Dragon Scale Mountain Range truly was one of the four great ranges of the Ancient Continent. Near the peaks in the depths, precious medicinal herbs were abundant—many were the ingredients required for crafting Divine Spirit-level resuscitation elixirs, capable of rapidly restoring a wounded Spirit expert's body and vigor.

"Nine-Leaf Dragon Ganoderma Grass."

"Night-Luminescent Snow Lotus."

"Wind-Scorched White Purity Flower."

As Ye Chen passed each rare herb, he recognized materials capable of creating elixirs that could bring mortals back from the dead. He nodded inwardly; with such resources and the dense divine power saturating the air, if the Spiritual Civilization were to establish a presence here, their strength would rapidly advance, yielding countless Spirit powerhouses, perhaps even Divine Emperors!

The figures moved along the grassy slopes amidst the gentle breeze...

The Dragon Scale Mountain Range, Underground.

In a sealed, golden hall, the dome was a sea of liquid gold, radiating a thick, potent aura of divine power.

"Ghost Slave." A voice, as if echoing from the ancient world, called out softly, carrying the magnetic charm unique to a male, resonating into every corner of the vast hall.

Swish!

A streak of black light suddenly appeared, rippling through the hall to manifest a black-robed man. His face and body were obscured, his wide robe tightly enveloping him. He knelt before a rhombic ice crystal suspended above the hall, his voice low and cold. "Master."

"A few little ants are coming to disturb me. Go now, and let the world settle down for a while," the majestic and distant voice spoke slowly.

"Yes." With a swish, the black-robed man vanished.

The golden hall returned to a deathly silence. After a long pause, a voice murmured, as if to itself, "Could it be... the contest among the great worlds has already begun...?"

The Ice Snow Empire, Snow God Mountain.

In the frigid ice hall, twelve bodies lay sprawled haphazardly. Clad in black robes like phantoms in the gloom, each corpse was pierced through the chest by a sharp, yellow spike. Thick blood clung to the tips of the spikes protruding from their torsos, piercing and garish, like frozen tears.

These twelve, aside from their identical attire, shared identical eyes filled with deep disbelief and terror. Even the Ice Snow Goddess, seated upon a throne carved from a single massive block of white crystal, had her eyes wide open, staring at the monstrously elegant and slender black-robed woman standing quietly among the corpses. Her body seemed frozen, unable to move; the fingers resting on the armrests trembled slightly, plucked by an unseen fear.

The twelve on the floor were the Ice Snow Empire's twelve most elite powerhouses, the twelve great elders of the [Ice Concealment Hall]. Each was a retired commander from the previous administration, possessing unfathomable strength—all were [Half-Step Epoch Realm] experts. Such power was formidable enough to traverse the Ancient World without fear. Yet, just moments ago, in the hands of this devilish black-robed woman, they had been as fragile as dry straw, dispatched in a flash with barely time to react—slain simply by one of her captivating smiles.

The Goddess hadn't seen when or how the woman attacked; she only saw the blossoms of blood erupt before her. The inescapable terror of death clawed at her heart, strangling her blood vessels, making her breath ragged and heavy.

The black-robed woman's robe billowed around her like soft clouds. Her delicate boots clicked sharply on the icy floor as she stepped across the corpses one by one, approaching the Ice Snow Goddess on the ice throne as if taking a leisurely stroll. Her smile was languid, almost intoxicating. "Oh dear, my apologies. I only intended a slight probe; I didn't expect them to be so fragile, dying instantly. How dreadfully boring..."

She stopped before the ice throne and looked up at the Ice Snow Goddess.

"Will you play with me for a while?"

She raised her hand, and the strands of raven hair draped softly over her collarbones fluttered as if caught in a sudden breeze, each one dancing in the air.

"Forbidden Kill, Silence!"

The cold hall instantly shook violently. Sharp earth spikes jutted up from the ice floor, covering the entire hall like the quills of a massive hedgehog.

"Oops, I accidentally broke the formation you buried here," the black-robed woman chuckled lightly, her eyes slowly turning cold and sharp as she waved her hand toward the Ice Snow Goddess.

Whoosh! A needle-like yellow beam shot toward the Ice Snow Goddess. It was blocked by several sudden ice walls that protruded upward, but the defense proved ineffective; the beam instantly pierced through them, striking the Ice Snow Goddess seated on the ice throne. (To be continued)