Bai Yijun felt a surge of anxiety, wanting to chase after him, but then she heard Xiao Zhongsheng urgently say, "Don't go out, you'll only be a burden."

"I'll go distract that black tentacle." She bit her lip slightly, paused for a moment, then shot out with even greater speed. The moment she reached the outside, she saw the black tentacle lash out like a whip towards Ye Chen, who was desperately rushing toward the ship's engine like a bolt of lightning.

A sharp killing intent flashed in her eyes. She raised her slender, pale hand, held her index and middle fingers parallel, and sliced forward—"Sever!"

A blade of invisible energy swept out, like a shark in a raging tide, shooting straight toward the black tentacle and striking it fiercely.

The black tentacle shuddered slightly and recoiled. Just when Bai Yijun thought her move had succeeded, it suddenly shot back towards her with even more violent speed.

Black light, like a sharp sword.

Erasing the colors of the entire world.

Bai Yijun leaned backward, as if her limbs were being grasped by the transparent hand of death, completely immobilized. Her pupils constricted to pinpricks; she had never imagined this black tentacle's speed would be so terrifying!

She had always been confident in her strength, easily able to slay ordinary Epoch Realm experts, even comparable to powerful Epoch Realm powerhouses. Yet, before this black tentacle, she was utterly defenseless!

The shadow of death enveloped her heart.

It happened in a flash, but in that critical, split second, a powerful force suddenly slammed into Bai Yijun, followed by a tearing sound where flesh and bone seemed to merge into one.

Warm blood spattered across Bai Yijun's cheek. Her mind exploded, leaving her utterly blank, as if the most terrifying thing in her heart had just occurred. She turned her head in terror.

Time, soundlessly, began to flow slowly.

Ye Chen’s figure appeared where she had been standing, his left chest pierced by the black tentacle. Blood sprayed out like fine pearls, and the background of the entire world seemed to dissolve into white.

Round, trembling droplets of blood lifted from the wound, drifting slowly in the air.

Even the wind held its breath.

—Thump, thump.

Countless lights, like sharp needles, pierced into his body through his pores, rushing like maddened beasts toward the end of the blood-colored channel woven from countless dense vessels. His vision suddenly opened wide: at the end of the crimson channel was a vibrant red heart, throbbing like a colossal cocoon, as if something was about to burst forth.

Ye Chen’s mind was flooded with the blood rushing in through the vessels, the swelling sensation causing him to squeeze his eyes shut in pain.

All the sounds in the world suddenly went silent.

Only the beating of the heart remained, strong and forceful.

The severe pain in his head instantly intensified, like a volcano. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Ye Chen threw his head back and let out a roar like a tsunami. The intense sound waves blasted a massive hole through the dark clouds above.

Crimson eyes, flying black hair, bronze, magnificent muscles—seeing the suddenly berserk Ye Chen, Bai Yijun's blank mind snapped back to focus, oscillating between surprise and delight.

"Urrrrgh..."

Ye Chen emitted surging roars, continuing his frantic cries. The speed of his heart's beating grew faster and faster, quicker and quicker. This heart was one that had regenerated from his flesh and blood later; it was not his original heart.

At this moment, driven by an increasingly violent and rapid pulse, the heart suddenly exploded like a blood bubble.

The entire world instantly fell silent.

The excruciating pain in his brain seemed to be instantly drained away. Ye Chen froze for a moment, the world before him vanishing. He appeared in a space of utter darkness, and then he saw a scroll, like an ancient piece of parchment tied with a red cord in the center.

The red cord loosened easily, like soft silk. Countless needle-sized rays of light emanated from the scroll as it slowly unfurled like an epic.

Majestic city towers, the roars of beasts fighting, tore through the sky. Dark clouds hung low, the fierce wind swept across the land, which was occupied by countless monsters of every shape. Among them were colossal giants, towering over the earth, causing it to crack open as blood-red lava spewed forth. Countless birds and beasts howled in the heavens.

War permeated the entire world, visible only as murky smoke. Figures as handsome as celestial gods tumbled down, while demons breaking free from shackles roared up from the soil.

Shaking, time, a turbulent world.

Time shifted; vast continents rose and fell. Two landmasses collided, forcing the peaks upward, like the menacing, interlocked fangs of a giant beast.

Unpredictable time, countless chaotic streams of light, all poured into Ye Chen's pupils. His body trembled slightly. At the very end of this vision, he saw one final scene.

His pupils widened, filled with shock. Memories sealed deep in his heart surged out like a tide, flooding his mind. Countless faces with sharp contours flashed past—too fast to discern their exact features—but the eyes of every face were deeply imprinted on his mind: some gentle, some cold, some smiling, some untamed, some filled with mirth, some full of care, some expectant...

Then all the faces overlapped, as if covered in a layer of white mist, softly murmuring, "We are waiting for you..."

Ye Chen woke up with a violent jolt, as if from a nightmare. The moment he opened his eyes, a sharp blade-shadow flickered through his clear pupils, dark as an aurora.

Whoosh—

A flash of the blade, and the thick, sturdy black tentacle was abruptly severed. Greenish-blue blood, thick as sludge, splashed out. The hazy, transparent blade-shadow swept forward, cutting directly across the remainder of the black tentacle.

The entire black tentacle was split vertically. The blade-shadow plunged into the dark cavern, where an earth-shattering roar and a cry of terror erupted: "No, no..."

Then, silence suddenly returned.

Ye Chen’s face was pale, a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. He gasped deeply, quickly urging the blood in his body to accelerate the healing of his wound, then turned to Bai Yijun and said, "Quickly, pry open the second bracket."

Bai Yijun stared at him, stunned. That sudden blade-light had given her a feeling of familiarity and intimacy, like a fragmented memory born of their bloodline. Before she could ponder it further, she was shocked by the power of the strike.

His full-strength blow couldn't even leave a small scratch on the black tentacle, yet this invisible blade-light had severed it directly and wounded the tentacle's main body. What terrifying power must it possess?

Hearing Ye Chen’s voice, she quickly collected herself. Without asking anything more, she immediately flew to the fractured ship engine. She saw the massive engine inside pinned by a silver-white alloy brace. She waved her palm and unleashed a light-slash, blasting away the brace. The engine's rotors resumed turning.

Ye Chen shouted, then quickly returned to the ship. After Bai Yijun followed him in, he sealed the hatch and immediately ordered, "Retreat now."

Xiao Zhongsheng pressed the button without needing a word.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Boat streaked across the sky as a straight line of light, instantly leaving that terrifying canyon behind.

Back in the ship, Ye Chen looked at True Man Shigé, who was leaning against the sofa resting. He immediately noticed that his wound showed no sign of healing; it was still bleeding continuously. He quickly strode over and knelt down, "Ancestor, can your injury not heal?"

"My gene chain was damaged; it cannot recover. It can only be frozen," True Man Shigé opened his eyes, his face ashen white, like stark paper. "What about the pursuing black tentacle? Was it repelled?"

Ye Chen couldn't help but look at him again, a worried expression on his face. The commotion outside the ship had been so great, yet he hadn't noticed anything, indicating his injury was severe.

"It was repelled," Ye Chen told him. "Ancestor, what is this monster? How can it be so strong that even you are no match for it?"

True Man Shigé waved his hand with a bitter smile. "Don't mention it. It's all my miscalculation. I should have realized it earlier. Pangu mentioned someone before, asking you not to disturb the resting place of their master. The only one who could be called the master by the Six Path Ghost Slaves is the legendary [Ghost King]."

"Ghost King?" Bai Yijun started.

Ye Chen, however, frowned, light flickering in his eyes, his fists clenching sharply, his palms slick with cold sweat.

"Yes," True Man Shigé frowned, sounding slightly impatient. But realizing he had only narrowly escaped because Ye Chen and Bai Yijun were there, he patiently continued, "Outside your ancient world, there are nine other worlds. One of them is the Ghost Realm, and the Ghost Realm has three Supremes, known as Ghost Kings!"

Bai Yijun gasped. "There are nine worlds outside the ancient world? This Ghost Realm is truly powerful. One Ghost King is this formidable; if three Ghost Kings arrived together, dominating the entire Ancient Continent would be no problem."

True Man Shigé gave a cold laugh. "You are mistaken."

"What?" Bai Yijun looked confused.

"What we encountered just now was not a true Ghost King, only one of the Ghost King's avatars. I suspect it was most likely the Seven Souls Ghost King among the three Ghost Kings of the Ghost Realm; he possesses seven avatars," True Man Shigé stated calmly. "Furthermore, among the nine worlds, the Ghost Realm is the weakest. The true secret of your ancient world is far more than what you see. The truly strongest force is the ancient world itself!"

Bai Yijun was stunned into silence.

"So it is..." Ye Chen murmured inwardly, his eyes shining with a strange light. Only he knew what had happened in that instant. Now, confirmed by True Man Shigé's words, he knew he had awakened.

Or rather, a part of his sealed memory had awakened.

He thought to himself, It should count as a primitive memory awakening, right?

Ye Chen startled awake as if from a terrible nightmare. The moment he opened his eyes, a sharp knife-shadow flashed through his clear pupils, dark as an aurora.

Swoosh—

The blade flashed, and the thick, resilient black tentacle was instantly severed. Greenish-blue blood, like thick slurry, splattered. The indistinct, transparent blade-shadow swept forward, cutting straight across the remainder of the black tentacle.

The entire black tentacle was cleaved in two. The blade-shadow plunged into the dark cavern, followed by an earth-shattering roar and a terrified cry: "No, no..."

Then, the sound suddenly vanished into silence.

Ye Chen’s face was pale, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead. He panted heavily, rapidly cycling the blood within him to accelerate the healing of his wound, then turned to Bai Yijun and said, "Quickly, pry open the second support strut."

Bai Yijun stared at him, shocked. That sudden blade-light had given her a feeling of familiarity and intimacy, like a fragment of memory born from their shared bloodline. Before she could ponder it further, she was stunned by the power of the strike.

His full-strength attack hadn't even managed to inflict a minor scratch on the black tentacle, yet this invisible blade-light had managed to sever it and injure the tentacle's main body. How terrifying must its power be?

Hearing Ye Chen's voice, she quickly refocused. Without asking any further questions, she immediately flew to the fractured ship engine. She saw the massive engine inside pinned by a silver-white alloy support strut. She immediately waved her hand and sent out a light-slash, knocking the silver-white brace away. The engine's rotating lock was restored.

Ye Chen shouted, then was the first to return to the ship. After Bai Yijun followed him in, he sealed the hatch and immediately commanded, "Get out fast."

Xiao Zhongsheng, without needing to be told, pressed the button.

The Heavenly Dao Divine Boat, a straight streak of light across the sky, instantly left that horrifying canyon.

Back on the ship, Ye Chen looked at True Man Shigé, who was resting against the sofa. He immediately noticed that his wounds showed no sign of healing; blood continued to flow uninterruptedly. He quickly hurried over and knelt down. "Ancestor, can your injuries not heal?"

"My gene chain was struck; it cannot recover. It can only be kept dormant," True Man Shigé opened his eyes, his face utterly bloodless, like pale paper. "What about the pursuing black tentacle? Was it repelled?"

Ye Chen couldn't help but look at him again, a worried look in his eyes. The commotion outside the ship had been so massive; yet he hadn't noticed anything, which suggested his injury was very serious.

"It was repelled," Ye Chen said, looking at him. "Ancestor, what is this monster? How can it be so strong that even you are no match for it?"

True Man Shigé waved his hand with a bitter smile. "Stop talking. It's all my fault for miscalculating. I should have thought of it sooner. Pangu mentioned someone earlier, warning you not to disturb their master's rest. The only being whom the Six Path Ghost Slaves would call master is the legendary [Ghost King]."

"Ghost King?" Bai Yijun paused.

Ye Chen, however, frowned, light flashing in his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, his palms covered in cold sweat.

"Yes," True Man Shigé frowned, sounding somewhat impatient. But remembering that he had been saved only because Ye Chen and Bai Yijun were present, he patiently continued, "Outside your ancient world, there are nine other worlds. One of them is the Ghost Realm, and the Ghost Realm has three supreme beings, known as Ghost Kings!"

Bai Yijun sucked in a sharp breath. "There are nine worlds outside the ancient world? This Ghost Realm is so strong; one Ghost King is this powerful. If all three Ghost Kings arrived together, dominating the entire Ancient Continent would be effortless."

True Man Shigé gave a cold laugh. "You are mistaken."

"What?" Bai Yijun looked bewildered.

"What we encountered just now was not a true Ghost King, merely an avatar of a Ghost King. I speculate it was most likely the Seven Souls Ghost King among the three Ghost Kings of the Ghost Realm; he has seven avatars," True Man Shigé said indifferently. "Moreover, among the nine worlds, the Ghost Realm is the weakest. The true secret of your ancient world is far beyond what you currently see. The truly supreme power belongs to the ancient world itself!"

Bai Yijun was speechless with shock.

"It is indeed so..." Ye Chen murmured silently, a strange light flickering in his eyes. Only he knew exactly what had happened in that moment. Now, cross-referenced with True Man Shigé's words, he understood: he had awakened.

Or perhaps, a part of his long-sealed memory had awakened.

He thought to himself, It must be considered a primitive memory awakening, right?