After those two headless ancient corpses passed, the valley inside appeared to be a basin, from which suddenly emerged three more headless ancient corpses. They rose with a rumbling sound, remained silent, and only turned to walk forward after the first two had moved on.

Ye Chen’s brow furrowed as he watched. His thoughts racing, he decided not to rush forward immediately but instead followed far behind, confident that the miniature divine observation telescope refined from the Nine Cauldrons would prevent him from losing sight of them.

As the five headless ancient corpses advanced, they encountered others at regular intervals, quickly forming a massive contingent of over a dozen, moving forward in an imposing procession.

Ye Chen’s eyes flickered. Following behind, he pondered matters while simultaneously diverting his attention to cultivate the twelve profound meanings of energy imparted to him by Meike. For him, multitasking—drawing a circle with his left hand while drawing a square with his right—was simpler than breathing, causing no discernible impact whatsoever.

In the blink of an eye, eight hours passed. The formation of headless ancient corpses swelled to include hundreds. Every forest, mountain range, and city they traversed was flattened; these monsters were clearly beasts born for absolute warfare.

Ye Chen noted on his locator that the capital of the Shenyan Empire, the very foundation of the Imperial City, lay about one light-year ahead. Given the nearly straight path these headless ancient corpses were taking, it would take less than an hour for them to reach the Imperial City.

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth, deploying the Barrier of Wind to cloak himself within the air—invisible and undetectable by aura. He swept forward rapidly, weaving through the formation of over a hundred headless ancient corpses, rocketing directly ahead.

The headless ancient corpses merely sensed a gust of wind pass by, noticing nothing unusual.

Ye Chen looked back at the receding line of corpses, feeling a surge of emotion. Not long ago, merely seeing these monsters would have forced him to retreat several leagues; now, he dared to move freely among over a hundred of them, his heart steady and breath even, completely composed.

Only power is the foundation upon which everything rests!

Ye Chen understood this profoundly. He accelerated, unleashing his fastest speed, directly utilizing Wind Boundary Crossing to create a long, wormhole-like spatial tunnel before him, slipping inside. When he reappeared, he was thirty thousand kilometers outside the Imperial City of the Shenyan Empire, a light-year away.

“If the Imperial City falls, then all the major cities and thousands of vassal states of the entire Shenyan Empire will surely fall too,” Ye Chen sighed internally. He looked up, and in a stretch of lush, dense forest, the corner of the magnificent city wall gradually came into focus. Soon, the entire panorama of the Imperial City was unveiled to his eyes.

There were structures as grand as sword peaks, towering palaces and pavilions, and floating traffic avenues, like an azure sky-city suspended above the sea, alongside a massive, semi-enveloping artificial atmosphere and an enormous moon.

However, at this moment, that sturdy artificial atmosphere was ruptured, displaying a large hole like shattered glass, with numerous cracks slowly spreading and healing at a snail's pace. Outside this atmosphere, in the heavens, countless dense black dots could be vaguely discerned, signifying innumerable enemies. On the other side, however, there were only three figures, yet the aura they projected was in no way inferior to that vast human sea—rather, it was far more powerfully imposing!

Ye Chen brought up the miniature divine observation telescope and immediately discerned the appearances of the three. Leading them was a tall, handsome youth whose eyes, beneath sweeping eyebrows, were filled with vitality, akin to a captivating starry sky, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips.

Behind him stood two small children, one on each side. Their skin was smooth and delicate like fine porcelain, their hair like black jade, and their clear, pure eyes shone like deep-sea pearls. Their limbs were short, like infants just learning to walk, and their chests were wrapped in tiny red and blue casings, making them indescribably adorable.

Ye Chen’s gaze sharpened, shifting from the two children to the handsome youth. His brow knitted. “It seems I’ve arrived late.”

Opposite the handsome youth stood a vast, densely packed shadow of figures, floating in the air. Leading them was an unparalleled woman clad in a golden dragon robe. Her demeanor was exceptionally graceful; her skin looked carved from ice and snow, her black hair framing her ears. Her delicate face was frigid as frost, and she stared coldly at the handsome man opposite her.

Flanking her were six personal guards clad in bright crimson armor, securely protecting her from every angle.

Ye Chen glanced over, then his gaze locked, causing his expression to falter. “Why is he here, and furthermore, why has he become a guard for this powerful woman?”

Among the six guards, one was unmistakably Zhuge Fan.

An ancient Roman-style helmet covered his head, and his imposing armor was covered in minute scales, making his physique appear upright and mature. Yet, the clear eyes and familiar face visible beneath the helmet were indelible.

Time and light collided, stirring memories buried deep in his mind, pulling him back to the chaotic battles during the apocalypse on Earth. This was the boy who had witnessed his mother transform into a zombie in the supermarket warehouse, who had followed Ye Chen faithfully after being rescued.

Time flowed on. Over a hundred years ago, Ye Chen had entrusted him to the arriving powers at the summit of Bai Ling Mountain. To meet him again a century later only to find him serving as a personal guard was unexpected.

From the aura Zhuge Fan radiated, Ye Chen sensed that this young boy, once under his protection, had truly matured into a formidable powerhouse!

But why was he here? Were Bai Long and the others here too?

Ye Chen’s gaze swept around, searching the massive army massed behind the figures.

Above the Shenyan Imperial City.

Zhuge Fan gripped his sword hilt, the exquisite carvings spiraling around it and inlaid with a vivid crimson gem. He stared coldly at the handsome man before him, positioning himself in a subtle stance that guarded the beautiful woman behind him, ensuring he could counter an attack from any angle immediately.

Even so, sweat beaded in his palm, but before it could fully escape, he urged his energy to vaporize it. To maintain the speed of his draw, he needed his palms constantly dry to prevent any errors.

The handsome man opposite, despite possessing an angelic, handsome face, wore a faint smile that felt like a sharp blade, casting an oppressive weight on everyone present, for only someone holding absolute advantage would smile like that.

“I advise you to surrender now; I truly do not wish to resort to violence.” The handsome man’s gaze lingered on the beautiful woman over Zhuge Fan’s shoulder, filled with undisguised provocation and desire.

The beautiful woman regarded him coldly. “I know you are the Tenth Emissary of the Heart Realm, but attempting to slaughter every peak powerhouse in my entire empire by yourself is nothing more than wishful thinking. If you do not leave now, I will destroy you at any cost!”

The handsome youth sighed softly, lowering his head to stroke his long, pale hands. “I truly do not wish to have my hands stained with filthy blood. Please do not force my hand; I fear I might do things even I cannot control.”

“You want the Divine Fire Token? Dream on!” The beautiful woman clenched the sword in her hand, her eyes fixed on him. “Do not assume that because the Ancient World lacks strong cultivators, you can do as you please. If I survive today, you will never obtain the Divine Fire Token!”

“Alas.” The handsome youth shook his head and sighed. “It seems I must resort to crushing delicate flowers. What a pity to waste such beauty. Rest assured, I will leave your body whole, and then I will savor you slowly.” As he spoke, he licked his lips, his eyes shining with seductive light.

Zhuge Fan stared intently, his hand gripping the sword hilt trembling slightly. Suddenly, he roared fiercely, his voice chillingly severe, “If you wish to touch a single hair on the Empress, you must walk over my corpse first!” He charged forth, his sword slicing out, its sharp, piercing light aimed diagonally, chilling murderous aura swirling around the humming blade.

The handsome youth didn't spare him a glance, maintaining his smile directed at the Empress of the Shenyan Empire. “If you do not wish for the thousands of vassal states and countless cities under your rule to be extinguished, I suggest you hand over the Divine Fire Token. I generally prefer not to use force; you had best cooperate.”

Zhuge Fan’s anger threatened to burst his chest. He ground his teeth, but without an order from the Empress behind him, he dared not attack rashly. His duty was to protect the Empress; therefore, even when driven mad by rage, he could not strike out arbitrarily.

Hearing the handsome youth’s words, the Empress’s icy expression shifted slightly, then she clenched her teeth and declared loudly, “Form ranks! Rock of Ten Thousand Nations!”

The dense black army behind her suddenly moved like fish in the deep sea, rapidly changing formation. Each person clasped palms with their neighbors, channeling the energy within their meridians to the acupoints in their palms, circulating it among themselves. The convergence point for all this power was a single, burly man standing behind the Empress.

This burly man stood motionless, his bronze skin reflecting a cold sheen like metal, devoid of any semblance of life, appearing almost mechanical. Yet, upon him rested an imposing aura that seemed capable of propping up the heavens and shielding the world—like a giant from ancient times!

Whoosh!

A piercing golden light suddenly flashed across the burly man’s pupils, and his body shot forward instantly. His fist struck out like a raging tiger, tearing a large fragment from the air, slamming fiercely toward the handsome youth’s chest.

The handsome youth’s toes scraped backward across the void, the fist perpetually chasing his chest; one moment’s pause and it would connect. His expression remained unchanged. After sliding back over a thousand zhang, his body suddenly twisted, breaking free from the coverage of the burly man’s punch, and he swiftly spun around, pointing a finger forward.

Swoosh!

A streak of dazzling golden light erupted, striking the burly man’s eye.

The burly man remained unshaken; his fist swept out, shattering the golden light. Immediately after, he flashed right in front of the handsome youth and brought his palm, as large as a cattail fan, down fiercely. It moved so fast that before the handsome youth could react, it struck his back.

Crack, crack~

The sound of shattering bone echoed. With that single slap, the entire back of the handsome youth was forcibly broken! (To be continued)