Ye Chen’s gaze flickered, his body moving like a weightless feather amidst the countless sharp, black vines, as if he were merely reacting to the fierce gusts generated by these tendrils.

Sometimes, the lightest things are the hardest to grasp.

His figure was enveloped in a fierce blaze of black flame, a demonic armor of shadow fire cloaking his tall, imposing frame. Any slender branch extending from the black vines that brushed against this fiery carapace was instantly incinerated to ash.

Ye Chen gradually closed his eyes, allowing his body to go slack, using every pore, every inch of skin, to perceive the slightest fluctuation in the airflow, to track the direction of the boundless killing intent. His movements followed the wind, stepping lightly through the air with a grace as fluid as flowing clouds.

Thousands of vines thrashed like enraged willow catkins, whipping about with increased ferocity, completely encircling every direction in the sky, sealing off all avenues of escape, cornering Ye Chen in a narrow void. From this confinement, seven or eight black vines shot out like projectiles, plummeting down towards him in a frenzy.

In that instant of sky-changing darkness, a brilliant light seemed to pierce through the clouds, illuminating Ye Chen as celestial Buddhas chanted in unison across the heavens.

Ye Chen trod lightly on the void, leaving countless afterimages in his wake. As those seven or eight black vines hurtled toward him, he surged upward to meet them.

His body shimmered like a flash of light, weaving through the gaps between the seven or eight vines—a fleeting instant, gone before one could fully recognize his form.

Having effortlessly evaded the barrage, Ye Chen hovered high above, turning to face the dozen or so black vines that now lashed up from below. He slowly opened his eyes; within pupils deep as stars, an icy, indifferent light began to gleam. Slowly, he raised his hand, a dense concentration of black flame coalescing in his palm, slowly molding itself into a massive hand that launched toward the attacking vines.

Rumble~~~

The black flame palm scraped against the air, seemingly warping the entire sky into a blur of hazy, psychedelic color. The dozen vines slammed into the inferno palm, eliciting earth-shattering roars.

The black flame palm did not retreat; instead, it effortlessly held the dozen vines at bay. Then, with a gentle clench, it seized the tips of the tendrils. The thick, viscous black fire flowed along the vines, burning away their viscous, foul-smelling, emerald-green ichor.

On another flank, even more black vines surged towards Ye Chen, attacking simultaneously from the left and right—a combined assault of perhaps a hundred tendrils.

Ye Chen seemed oblivious, fixing his gaze only on the distant barrier of black mist, his brow furrowed, his look deep and frigid.

Behind him, the black flames rapidly converged, like clustered sparks merging into two gigantic black wings. These wings burned with raging demonic fire, cradling his body like two massive hands on either side.

Boom!

The hundred black vines crashed in, and the very heavens seemed to tremble violently, like a massive stone dropping into a lake, sending out a massive ripple of energy centered on Ye Chen’s body, whipping outwards like a gale.

Within the embrace of the black flame wings, Ye Chen’s body remained perfectly steady. The attacking vines, however, seemed to have encountered a ghostly terror, emitting wretched, sizzling sounds as the black fire, imbued with a will of its own, rapidly spread from the points of impact, consuming their very essence with ravenous speed.

The black flame wings slowly parted, revealing Ye Chen—a figure akin to a giant, demonic angel, his long black hair wildly streaming over his shoulders. His blade-like gaze swept over the remaining vines below, filled with cold disdain. "If you truly wish to fight, it would be better to wait until you are fully awakened and use this body to contend."

The black flames within him, tempered over ten thousand years, naturally held no fear of these mere vines. Although the monitoring from the Sky Illusion Mirror indicated this monster was nearly at the half-step World Supreme realm, it had yet to truly command the power of the world. In a real battle, while victory would be difficult, escape would certainly not be impossible.

The surrounding black vines seemed to realize this as well, rapidly retracting and burrowing back into the dark, rich soil.

Ye Chen did not flee, merely waiting patiently for the Sky Illusion Mirror’s replication process, which had now reached 78% following the recent skirmish.

"I hadn't expected the contagion erupting from this ancient world to be so potent, capable of creating a mutated being even at the World Supreme realm," Ye Chen murmured, his brow deeply furrowed. He understood the terrifying implication: a virus like this wouldn't just consume the ancient world; it would be feared even by the inhabitants of the Eight Great Worlds. If such a contagion were unleashed there, no living being could resist it.

Even powerhouses like the Bronze Supreme would be infected and turned into mutated abominations!

And such a terrifying virus… how was it created by the Heart Realm?

As he pondered this, the ground below suddenly began to convulse violently, shaking the earth as if a colossal gate were slowly grinding open with a deep rumble. A massive, pitch-black stone emerged, and as the fissure widened, the colossal block was slowly revealed—it was unmistakably an oval, black sphere, sprouting countless black tentacles and vines. At the distant black mist barrier, the mist began to recede and dissipate. The soil, detached from the ground, floated suspended, and from the vast crater below, a glistening, blood-red tongue slowly extended.

"Is it almost fully awake?" Ye Chen frowned, ready to advance, but then sensed something. He paused, turning to look back just as a massive black spacecraft tore through the air, emerging from distorted space, the surrounding area rippling like water around it.

Ye Chen’s eyes flickered as he slowly drew the black flames back into his body, remaining suspended in the air. The hatch of the black vessel materialized in the sky, its thrusters powering down, followed by a hiss of escaping air. Then, the door slowly swung open.

Light streamed in from the outside, illuminating a tall, slender man standing at the threshold. He was clad in opulent golden robes, with waves of golden, curly hair cascading over his shoulders. His face, sculpted with the perfection of ice and snow, was as handsome as a celestial being, and his mesmerizing pupils shone like polished amber—flawless in appearance.

Ye Chen’s expression remained unchanged, though his gaze sharpened.

The golden-haired man vanished in a blink, reappearing instantly in the void before Ye Chen, looking down upon him. A gentle smile curved his lips. "I never expected you to still be alive. Your few good friends are burning with worry..."

Ye Chen replied calmly, "Just lucky, I suppose."

The golden-haired man's smile deepened. "To face this Earth Blood Beast in the flesh while possessing only the physical might of a Divine Emperor—that isn't mere luck. You carry quite a few secrets, it seems..."

Ye Chen’s brow furrowed as he stared up at the man.

Their gazes collided in the air like lightning, neither yielding an inch.

The golden-haired man narrowed his eyes, the smile fading, and turned to look at the mountain-sized, crimson tongue looming in the distance. "It is almost awake. Once it is fully roused, even I will find it difficult to resist. How about we join forces and put an end to it?"

Ye Chen glanced up at the black spacecraft, his brow tightening. "If I’m not mistaken, there should be one more person inside. Why not have them assist as well?"

"Oh, that one..." The golden-haired man chuckled, casting Ye Chen a knowing look. "It’s best if you never meet that individual."

Ye Chen frowned, falling silent for a moment before discreetly sending a mental message to the Sky Illusion Mirror's AI system: Can you detect the power level of the person inside that ship?

The silver frame of the Sky Illusion Mirror in his hand pulsed with a mercury-like sheen as it probed the black vessel. A short while later, the Mirror’s AI responded: "This black spacecraft is a vessel of the peak Reverse Heaven realm. However, my detection system is superior and can penetrate further. There are no humans inside, but... there is a monster."

The Sky Illusion Mirror's primary function was replication, making its sensory capabilities top-tier among Reverse Heaven realm weaponry.

"A monster?" Ye Chen was startled.

The Sky Illusion Mirror continued: "Within the core system of this spacecraft, there is a massive sealing barrier that my sensors cannot fully breach. However, I can perceive what lies within that barrier. If I recall correctly, that is definitively not human."

Ye Chen’s eyes flashed. Watching the golden-haired man’s back, he frowned, then took a few steps forward. "Let’s go."

The golden-haired man smiled slightly and turned his head to look at him. "I hear you are a new recruit to the Ancient God Temple. With your strength, you should qualify to be one of the 36 Divine Generals. Coincidentally, the Gu Bing Divine General recently died during a mission. Upon our return, you can take his throne and become a General of the Temple."

Ye Chen’s eyes flickered. "Are you the Supreme Divine General of the Ancient God Temple?"

From watching Bai Long’s memories, he knew the 36 Divine Generals occupied the 36 thrones in the main hall of the Ancient God Temple, with the highest throne reserved for the Supreme Divine General. Since the Temple’s founding, the Supreme General rarely appeared, meaning many later-promoted Generals had never seen his face.

"Indeed," the golden-haired man replied, his smile mysterious. "You may call me General Jins."

Yesterday there were some complications, so I couldn't update. I’ve been quite troubled lately, my apologies to everyone for causing trouble so close to the conclusion.