Today is the 20th. I was supposed to launch my new book, the title even settled, but after some thought, I felt the preparation was still insufficient, a bit rushed. That previous period was so dark with updates that they were disastrous, let alone preparing a new book. So, after discussing with the editor, the new book launch is postponed to the 5th of next month. Darkness is entering its final stages, expected to conclude at the end of this month if fast, or next month at the latest. Ah, this ancient flying ship is naturally the Heaven-Defying Divine Ark.

Its hull was pitch black, its guardrails immense. After floating out from Ye Chen's inner world, it didn't expand to its true size, looking instead like an exquisite miniature model. From it, a sphere of white light emerged, drifting toward the Ancient Battle Venerable.

This white orb enveloped something like wisps of silk. Ye Chen focused his gaze; a silhouette familiar to the very marrow of his bones flickered within the sphere—

Bai Yijun!

Ye Chen's heart jolted, an unparalleled wave of blade energy surging through him. Every strand of his long black hair stood on end, his thick black brows flared like fire. He roared in fury, "Let her go!"

His body lunged toward the Ancient Battle Venerable.

With a single step, endless streaks of blade light manifested out of thin air throughout the great hall. Every single streak possessed the power to shred a peak Heaven-Defying Realm expert into ash; three converging streaks were enough to claim the life of a World Sovereign. Yet here, billions of blade lights roared toward the Ancient Battle Venerable like a furious dragon.

The Ancient Battle Venerable's expression was composed, utterly devoid of panic. He sat quietly on the golden dragon throne, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the oncoming billions of blade strikes. All these streaks halted abruptly just before the high stone steps leading to his dais, as if frozen in place. The blade light trembled but could not advance a single inch.

The Ancient Battle Venerable gently lifted a hand and drew the white orb toward his chest. With a flick of his finger, the white light shattered, and Bai Yijun’s form materialized within it.

The current Bai Yijun was vastly different from before. Her snow-white robes seemed to flow with a soft radiance, her jet-black hair like jade cascaded down her back, and her delicate, spiritual eyes were like a clear lake. Her entire being radiated an ethereal, devastating, and perfect aura.

As Bai Yijun emerged from the light, she released a formidable aura, sharp and cold like an acute blade edge. She swept out a near-tangible arc of blade light with both hands, shooting it toward the Ancient Battle Venerable before instantly retreating by leveraging the recoil.

Ye Chen noticed her transformation but wasn't overly surprised. Since fully awakening his memories, he knew the entire cause and reason behind everything.

He, as the foremost Primordial Divine Weapon, had once charged alongside the Ancient Battle Venerable, conquering all experts under heaven; one strike from him could shock gods and ghosts alike!

And Bai Yijun was his Blade Heart, his Blade Soul, his Blade Spirit!

That was why he had given his heart to Bai Yijun to reshape her body. Afterward, Bai Yijun instantly transformed from a mere Demigod Realm cultivator into an expert comparable to the Epoch Realm. This leap was unimaginable, the reason being that she was the Blade Spirit, and upon receiving his heart, she had awakened a fraction of his power.

Facing Bai Yijun’s retreat, Ye Chen immediately moved to intercept her. Only when the blade body and the blade spirit became one could they manifest the peerless divine might that once awed the ancient heroes!

However, just as Ye Chen moved, the Ancient Battle Venerable suddenly let out a cold snort. The very space of the great hall seemed to shudder violently, a powerful shockwave surging outward. Even the blonde woman standing nearby frowned, her face turning slightly pale.

The sharp, unparalleled blade light Bai Yijun had shot out wavered under the force of that snort. It reached the Ancient Battle Venerable but was caught mid-strike by his large hand, which pinched the very tip of the blade.

His palm seemed to possess an authority capable of containing everything.

This fierce attack launched by Bai Yijun contained ninety percent of her power. As the Blade Spirit of the foremost Primordial Blade, she was versed in the techniques of every weapon under the heavens, from the most rudimentary martial arts manuals to the highest echelon of combat arts; all were etched into her memory.

She had long since surpassed even the pinnacle realm of "Formlessness Overcoming Form."

Every attack she currently executed was no longer a mere technique, nor was it 'formlessness'; it was a fundamental power, a concept, a Law!

Her movements followed the path dictated by the Heavenly Dao!

Therefore, where the blade’s edge pointed, none could stand against it!

Yet, before the authority that commanded all things, such an attack was easily neutralized.

The Ancient Battle Venerable gazed indifferently at Bai Yijun. With a grab of his hand, the surrounding heaven and earth shifted for him. Endless spatial power rapidly twisted, tightly binding Bai Yijun’s body and dragging her toward him.

"Give up. Although you have grown stronger in this incarnation, without merging, you still cannot overcome me. Even if you manage to merge, you are still ultimately my weapon. As long as you obey, once I complete my great endeavor, I will naturally allow you to reunite privately for countless epochs, never interfering again." The Ancient Battle Venerable tapped a finger, enveloping Bai Yijun’s body in the white orb. He looked at the charging Ye Chen and spoke with detachment.

Ye Chen stared intently at him, his black hair dancing wildly like a peerless God of Slaughter, "Are you serious?"

The Ancient Battle Venerable raised an eyelid. "Have you ever seen me break my word?"

Ye Chen’s face darkened. He gazed at Bai Yijun held in the Venerable's grasp, clenched his fists, and remained silent for a long moment before suppressing his aura. Slowly, he turned and looked out over the vast, sprawling hall, his heart filled with bleakness, and began walking toward the exit.

"Don't you dare touch a single hair on her," Ye Chen's voice remained in place as his body vanished into thin air, as if spoken word by word.

The Ancient Battle Venerable watched his departing figure, his expression placid. He clenched his hand, and the white orb enveloping Bai Yijun instantly shrank into a speck of dust, which he tucked into his palm.

"Venerable War Lord, after he completes his mission and merges with the Blade Spirit, will he pose a threat to us?" the blonde woman asked the Ancient Battle Venerable.

"He will not," the Ancient Battle Venerable sat back down on the golden dragon throne with calm composure. "I understand Xiao Dao’s temperament very well. Moreover, if he truly tries to cause trouble, he won't escape the palm of my hand. Our focus is not him, but the Nine Great Heavenly Gods about to emerge, and those two people..."

The blonde woman paused, then nodded. "I understand."

Leaving the core origin of the Ancient World, Ye Chen’s body flashed, reappearing above the Ancient Continent. The fierce wind blew like chaotic blades, whipping his clothes into a frenzy.

Seeing the Ancient World again, Ye Chen’s perception was different. This time, his gaze no longer saw mere landscapes or devastated lands, but fine, interwoven threads running through all things—threads of Law, threads of Fate... Book Fan Tower fastest text update.

All these threads emanated from the Origin Core of the Ancient World.

The entire World Origin Core was like a massive, intricate instrument, manipulating every person in this world, including their fate, actions, and every single thought, grasping it all as if one held a string. It was like a master maneuvering chess pieces to deduce the state of the realm, only the World Origin was far more domineering, directly using the world's inhabitants as pawns to deduce the Great Dao that transcends heaven and earth!

Ye Chen sighed inwardly. If the people on this continent knew that every fortuitous encounter, every joy, every sorrow, and every breakthrough achieved through effort was merely orchestrated by the World Origin, what would their reaction be?

They were nothing more than pawns, to be discarded once they were no longer needed.

Discard usually meant death.

Ye Chen looked no further. A sharp blade light erupted from above his head, as if his entire being had transformed into an invincible divine blade, piercing through heaven and earth, slicing open the void above, carving out a massive rift that breached the spatial barrier of the Ancient World.

In truth, tearing through the spatial barrier of the Ancient World required little effort. Being within the Ancient World, every move he made was under the Ancient Battle Venerable's observation. Knowing he intended to attack the other eight realms, the Ancient Battle Venerable would naturally assist from the shadows, opening the door to the Ancient World for him.

Ye Chen's intense blade aura struck directly upon the spatial barrier of the Ghost Realm, shattering it to create a huge opening.

Swish!

His body flickered and plunged through.

The Ghost Realm.

One of the Eight Great Worlds.

Among the Eight Great Worlds, the Ghost Realm decidedly ranked among the top three, not based on the strength of its Three Great Sovereigns, but on the overall power of the realm itself.

Beneath the Three Great Sovereigns, the Ghost Realm was divided into nine tiers. The Ninth Tier was the [World Sovereign]; the Eighth Tier was the [Ghost God]; and the Seventh Tier was the [Ghost Emperor].

Ghost Gods possessed the strength of the Heaven-Defying Realm, while Ghost Emperors were at the Void Heaven Realm.

There were nearly a hundred Ghost God experts in the Ghost Realm. Every spirit of the deceased would be guided to reincarnate into the Ghost Realm. The Ghost Realm possessed three supreme treasures, each managed by one of the Three Great Ghost Kings: the River of Forgetfulness (Naihe Bridge), which could suppress souls and was an immensely powerful weapon!

There was also the Sea of Bitterness, capable of penetrating the physical body to directly assault the soul, possessing a severely corrosive effect on spirits.

Finally, there was the Stone of Three Lives.

The Stone of Three Lives in the Ancient World was merely an imitation of the supreme treasure in the Ghost Realm. The true Stone of Three Lives could draw a person’s soul into the past, present, and future timelines, and could even directly annihilate the soul.

These three supreme treasures made countless experts envious.

Furthermore, the population of the Ghost Realm was the densest, second only to the Ancient World. Any soul whose body died in any world would be guided by the power of the void to the Ghost Realm. Only those who passed through the Sea of Bitterness without perishing were qualified to exist in the Ghost Realm, where they would stabilize their souls upon reaching the River of Forgetfulness.

The Ghost Realm's territory was limited while its population was too vast, hence this population control plan.

As for the Gate of Six Paths of Reincarnation, it served as a crucial transmission platform leading to the Ancient World. There were ninety-nine such gates throughout the Ghost Realm. At this moment, in one of these reincarnation gates, a streak of white light suddenly tore open, instantly obliterating the ghost guards stationed there.