The abyssal deep, a realm of crushing darkness. The seawater churned violently for a moment, then swiftly smoothed itself out, all returning to a profound stillness.

The colossal beast slumbering deep within the dark chasm slowly settled toward the bottom of the trough, its brilliant, luminous white eye closing gradually as it sank into sleep. Everything appeared unchanged.

Yet, the immense body of the great beast suddenly convulsed. Its eyes snapped wide open, staring in stark terror.

Innumerable fissures instantly webbed across its body, crimson streaks like freshly spilled magma, before it suddenly detonated with a deafening roar. Countless fragments of flesh and gore were flung outward, the pitch-black corpse of the great beast shattering into myriad pieces that rocketed upward toward the sea surface.

Where it had lain sleeping, a ball of fiery red light now hovered silently. As the blinding glare emanating from the light slowly receded, two figures became visible.

They were Ye Chen and the other one. “This monster had quite the nerve…” Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, a flash of cyan light igniting in his eyes.

The entirety of the water within the chasm suddenly reversed its flow, forcefully displaced upward by an immense and powerful surge. A colossal barrier of wind erupted from the seabed rocks, squeezing every drop of seawater out of the chasm, transforming the interior into a vast, air-filled void.

Ye Chen and Bai Yijun landed on the stone floor, which, having been scorched by the recent flames, was now as dry as dry land. Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then clasped Bai Yijun’s hand, erecting a robust wind barrier around them both.

He channeled black flames beneath their feet, instantly melting the dry ground beneath them, incinerating it directly into fine ash. Ye Chen and Bai Yijun descended rapidly.

When they had plunged deep enough, the massive wind barrier Ye Chen had sustained in the chasm instantly dissolved. The water rushed back down like a monstrous waterfall, slamming into the chasm, agitating the surrounding rock until it groaned with fracture, even threatening to rouse the dormant volcano nearby into eruption.

Ye Chen and Bai Yijun sank quickly, and before long, they reached a layer of dark red crust. The temperature here was significantly higher than outside.

Soon after, they passed into a sea of magma. Ye Chen understood; he had now arrived within the Earth’s core.

Encasing this pool of intensely hot magma was the dark red crust layer, its searing temperature capable of melting steel. A flicker crossed Ye Chen’s gaze; his body did not pause, continuing to hurtle deeper into the molten flow.

The temperature here was comparable to the surface of the sun. As they neared the deepest point, the heat reached nearly seven thousand degrees.

Ye Chen noted that since the catastrophe ten thousand years ago, the temperature of the Earth’s center had surpassed its previous maximum of only six thousand degrees Celsius. Although the difference was just one thousand degrees, the impact on global climate had been drastic.

Had humanity remained at the level of ten millennia past, they would have been utterly incapable of resisting such climatic shifts and would have long since perished. Arriving here, Ye Chen suddenly sensed a faint energy fluctuation within the magma.

He keenly tracked this ripple of energy, moving rapidly toward its source. After a short time, he perceived a colossal spatial connection point submerged within the magma.

This nexus was exceptionally concealed, nestled within the narrow seams of alternate dimensions, making it nearly impossible to locate. A gleam entered Ye Chen’s eyes, and he took a single stride, pulling Bai Yijun with him into the spatial nexus.

Fires swirled around them briefly, then vanished entirely. What unfolded before Ye Chen and his companion was a vast, silent chamber, its walls crafted from exquisite, silver-white material, adorned with engravings of mythical beasts that radiated raw, inherent power.

Yet, upon entering this immense space, Ye Chen was enveloped in an ineffable warmth, akin to returning to a mother’s embrace. This intimate, comforting sensation originated from the far end of the great hall.

When Ye Chen looked up, he drew a sharp breath. There, resting upon a silver-white dais at the front of the vast space, lay a colossal heart of pure gold.

The surface of this heart was traced with countless secret runes, appearing as if painted on with dense ink. The golden heart pulsed faintly.

With every beat, a black light flashed across its surface runes, as if resisting some unseen force. “Wh-what is this…” Bai Yijun whispered, utterly awestruck.

Ye Chen’s brow furrowed. From the golden heart emanated a power so pure and sacred, vast and profound, steeped in deep nobility.

Threads of this energy were currently seeping out, flowing backward through the spatial nexus behind them, dissolving into the surrounding magma, and vanishing into the crust. Ye Chen had never imagined discovering such a massive, golden heart at the deepest point of the Earth.

He fell silent for a moment, then began to approach the golden heart, step by measured step. The closer they drew, the more palpable the surging life force emanating from the golden heart became—like a colossal chrysalis, perpetually poised for emergence and rebirth.

“Whose heart is this, to be laid here, and still beating? By the reckoning of Earth’s lifespan, this heart has rested here for at least 4.5 billion years.

Such an immense span of time—if it has been here continuously, its history rivals the age of the planet itself.” The sheer thought chilled Ye Chen. “It seems to be sealed by something,” Bai Yijun observed closely before speaking softly.

Ye Chen nodded slightly. “I wonder what caliber of expert was slain, only to have their heart sealed here.

And why did their enemy merely seal the heart, rather than destroy it? Could it be…” “Could it be what?” “Perhaps the one who killed him was not an enemy, but a friend.

Every beat releases such potent energy, yet the seal pushes it back. Looking at this, it’s plausible that this man’s companion brought his heart here after his death and sealed it to prevent the energy within from dissipating too quickly.” “I wonder how mighty this man was in life.

And why his friend would leave his heart here without even a guardian? Furthermore, the spatial nexus is open—if someone stumbled in, they would easily discover it.

His friend was terribly careless,” Bai Yijun frowned. Ye Chen mused, “The spatial nexus likely only collapsed due to the ceaseless scorching of the core magma.

Under such temperatures, even a slow simmer over 4.5 billion years would eventually degrade the strongest spatial connection. There must have been a guardian, too; perhaps they simply departed once the nexus ruptured.” “Such irresponsibility,” Bai Yijun sighed lightly.

Ye Chen smiled, then gazed at the golden heart, his eyes gleaming. “The energy within this heart is exceptionally dense.

It must belong to a powerhouse at least at the Heaven-Defying Realm, perhaps even stronger. If one could consume it, their power would surely surge immensely.” “You intend to consume this heart?” Bai Yijun glanced at him, hesitation coloring her tone.

“Isn't that… perhaps unwise?” Ye Chen gave a knowing smile. “In this world, survival favors the strong.

Though this course of action feels cruel, it is unavoidable; it is all a matter of fate… But it is premature to speak of it. Whoever guarded this heart would certainly have left behind formidable restraints.

We must proceed with caution.” Bai Yijun nodded seriously. Ye Chen flipped his palm and produced the Heaven Illusion Mirror, swiftly creating an exact mirror image of himself—identical in ability and aura.

This was no mere phantom, but a true, living replica. Under Ye Chen’s direction, the mirror clone advanced toward the golden heart.

Ye Chen, meanwhile, retreated with Bai Yijun to the entrance of the spatial nexus, ensuring they could instantly teleport out at the first sign of trouble. Under the pair’s tense observation, the mirror clone stood before the golden heart, enveloped in black flames, and reached out to touch it.

Bang! The clone’s body instantly exploded, dissolving into a cloud of black mist that drifted back into the Heaven Illusion Mirror.

Both Ye Chen and Bai Yijun were startled, especially Ye Chen. He knew the Mirror’s function—the duplicate shared his exact strength and constitution.

Yet, a mere brush with the golden heart had annihilated it completely. If he had touched it himself just now, he would likely be reduced to nothingness.

The realization sent a cold sweat down Ye Chen’s spine. He paused, then with another movement of his hand, summoned a new mirror clone, into whose hand he placed a spatial ring.

“Contain it within that.” The clone gripped the spatial ring and charged toward the golden heart. As it neared, the clone opened the ring, enveloped itself in black flames for protection, and channeled the divine power within its core, attempting to bring the golden heart into the ring.

However, the instant its divine power made contact with the golden heart, the clone’s body violently atomized into countless black motes of mist, and even the silver-white spatial ring detonated into fine ash. Ye Chen frowned deeply.

It seemed even divine power could not approach this golden heart. He glanced at Bai Yijun and sighed, “It seems we cannot acquire it.” Bai Yijun could only nod in agreement.

Ye Chen fixed the golden heart with one last gaze, then turned with Bai Yijun to leave. Before departing the nexus, he inscribed several unique sound-string assassination formations derived from the Ancient Qin civilization outside the connection point.

The two retraced their path out of the core world, rocketing upward through the ocean until they burst through the azure surface, emerging into the heavens tens of thousands of feet high. Blue sky.

White clouds. A gentle sea breeze brushed against their bodies, the air carrying a salty tang.

Ye Chen inhaled deeply, then looked at Bai Yijun beside him. “Let’s go.

Time to visit the Ancient World.” “Mm,” Bai Yijun confirmed. With a sweep of his hand, Ye Chen tore open the void.

With his current strength, breaching the spatial barrier of the Ancient World was no longer difficult.