The world-shattering power, like energy drifting across the sky, flashed with white light before recomposing itself into the handsome man.

Becoming a World Supreme made dying an exceptionally difficult feat, especially within a world one had personally anchored—it was practically impossible.

Thus, even though Ye Chen had just disintegrated his body, he quickly reassembled, yet his heart remained deeply shaken. The sheer might of that momentary spark of flame felt like an ant facing a meteor—utterly irresistible. He knew that outside the confines of the Dark World, without the endless supply of world power, Ye Chen would eventually kill him.

They were opponents on entirely different planes.

"Who is this?"

"That sharp, noble aura emanating from him… it's familiar. It resembles the Blade Emperor from the Primordial Era, just like him. However, the Blade Emperor was shattered and destroyed by the Ancient Gods back then; how can he still exist?"

"He is wielding the power of flame. Could he be the reincarnation of the Fire God?"

The Nine Supremes harbored different suspicions, their gazes toward Ye Chen now laced with apprehension. In countless years, the only beings capable of confronting a World Supreme with such oppressive force were the supreme Nine Heavenly Gods!

Those were the nine enigmatic titans who stood at the apex of the entire world!

They had been born when heaven and earth first took shape.

These nine titans had all perished in the earth-shattering war that erupted in the Primordial Era; only the Dark Heavenly God survived, claiming the largest fragmented landmass of the shattered ancient world and establishing the Dark World.

Now, the flame power Ye Chen displayed could effortlessly annihilate a World Supreme. Such terrifying power, such horrifying fire—only the Fire Heavenly God and his mount, the Fire-Blooded Phoenix, could manifest it. However, if the Fire Heavenly God had truly reawakened, that single strike just now could have instantly erased the handsome man!

When a Heavenly God wishes to kill, even if an entire world attempts to obstruct, it is futile.

As the Nine Supremes pondered their doubts, Ye Chen flicked his fingers in succession. Streaks of black flame shot out like sharp arrows, splitting into nine beams of light that hurtled toward each of the Nine Supremes separately.

Swift as light!

The handsome man watched the black flames appear at his brow in the blink of an eye, his eyes flickering with intense fear. Those who have lived the longest cherish life the most, because those who do not value life rarely survive for long.

They all treasured their lives dearly. When death stood before them, how were they to face it?

Despite the infusion of the Dark World’s immense power surging into their bodies—endless and constant—combined with the trace of soul power anchored during their contract signing that granted them near-immortality, facing this unstoppable black flame was like watching an axe fall from above with no way to stop it.

They would not die, but their bodies could not resist being torn apart.

Even if death was averted, the pain inflicted was surely no lesser than death itself.

The bodies of the Nine World Supremes were pierced by the firelight, exploding and shattering instantly like balloons, disintegrating into countless crystalline fragments drifting in the sky. Then, a surge of world power welled up from the void of the Dark World, pouring into these fragments. Nine clusters of white light immediately ignited, transforming once more into the faces of the Nine World Supremes.

Yet, the moment their bodies reformed, they were instantly pierced and pulverized by the black flames.

Shattered, reformed, then shattered again.

As the Asura Supreme and the others watched, dumbfounded and horrified, their awe toward Ye Chen deepened. They knew the power of flame was not Ye Chen's strongest ability, yet even this aspect alone rendered the Nine World Supremes utterly incapable of resistance, forcing them into a cycle of constant reorganization and destruction.

Ye Chen casually pointed a finger, his gaze fixed on the massive black palm in the distance, his expression cold. "Dark Heavenly God, you betrayed the Goddess of Light back then, earning the protection of the Ancient War Venerable so you wouldn't be killed by the Ancient Gods—only half your body was destroyed. Now you dare to swagger before me? You are courting death!"

Through the process of eliminating the World Supremes, his control over the black flame grew increasingly precise. Now, he raised both hands: the left hand held black flame, while the right manifested a sharp streak of blade energy that sliced the void into fragments.

The moment this blade energy appeared, the boundless territory of the entire Dark World seemed to instantly lose its color. Every living creature felt a sharp, chilling cold sweep over their bodies, inducing an instant shudder.

Flame in the left hand, blade energy in the right.

"Merge!"

Ye Chen’s two hands slowly moved toward the center, bringing the black flame and the Emperor’s Blade Qi into gradual convergence. The sharpness of the Emperor’s Blade Qi was like ice and snow, actually slicing the black flame into countless raw forms of energy, nearly consuming and annihilating it entirely.

Ye Chen frowned slightly. He hadn't expected his Emperor’s Blade Qi to be so dominant and formidable that even the black flame could not blend with it. He suspected that even if the black flame’s intensity were raised to the level of the Fire Heavenly God, becoming a unique flame in heaven and earth, it might still fail to fuse with the Emperor’s Blade Qi.

The fusion failed. Ye Chen waved his hand, drawing the black flame back into his body. He raised his hand and pointed, and the Emperor’s Blade Qi, like a sharp blade slicing through the firmament, cut the boundless void through which the black palm had fled. This massive section of space was instantly pulverized, causing the distance to the black palm to instantly shrink toward Asura Supreme and the others.

On the other side, he swung out a wisp of blade energy, coiling like a soaring dragon, forcibly seizing the shattered remains of the Nine World Supremes. With a flash of blade light, they were drawn into the blade itself. Time was critical; he couldn't afford to inscribe the Slave Seal upon each of them individually, so he sealed them all within the blade energy.

As this ray of shimmering blade energy retracted along his finger back into his body, Ye Chen immediately felt the energy contained within that wisp of blade qi grow significantly stronger.

Inside the blade energy was a balanced space, a dark, chaotic expanse where the Nine Supremes were imprisoned, feeling dizzy and unable to discern up from down. When they mobilized the world power within their bodies, preparing to breach this space, they immediately saw that the confinement resembled a piece of perfectly transparent crystal. The world power they unleashed hammered against the crystal barrier, reflecting back upon their bodies like mirrored impacts.

"What is this!"

The Nine Supremes exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts shaken. They had never witnessed anything so bizarre.

"Not good!" Suddenly, a tall, graceful girl in a red dress gasped, her expression changing drastically. "This is a different dimension! We have been sealed inside!"

"Impossible!" The handsome man, whose body had been pierced by Ye Chen earlier, was stunned. "Are you saying that person could instantly create a different dimension and seal all of us within it? What is his strength? Could he be a Heavenly God?"

"It’s a shame that when our bodies were shattered, our consciousness experienced a 0.00001-second lag; we couldn't clearly see the technique he used," sighed a white-haired elder, his back severely hunched, weighed down by some mysterious force—the passage of time.

The nine fell silent, and then, they all recalled a grave issue they had previously overlooked.

Thinking of this issue, their faces all changed color.

"If he seals us here, we lose contact with the Dark World. Without the continuous supply of world power, how many times can our bodies endure shattering using only our inherent world power?"

"If he can seal us, he naturally has the power to kill us."

Considering this, the expressions of all nine turned grim.

...

The Dark World, the Forbidden Zone.

The black palm unleashed heaven-shaking power, stirring the energies of the entire Dark World into a vortex, acting as a barrier against the entanglement of Asura Supreme and the others. Although the techniques employed by these Supreme experts posed little genuine threat to the black palm, eleven World Supremes combined, mobilizing their respective Supreme Treasures, could unleash attacks capable of instantly destroying half a great world!

Most importantly, Ye Chen loomed menacingly in the rear.

Soon, the black palm flew back above the core Forbidden Zone of the Dark World. This was the heart of the Dark World, deep within the inner sector, a place no one had ever dared to penetrate. It was a desolate wilderness populated by countless powerful dark creatures.

Every dark creature here was an ancestor to the zombies on Earth.

For instance, the Ancient Dark Giant Ant Beast, the Bumpy Beast, and the Earth Blaze Dragon possessed powers that chilled the soul, and they were all pack hunters. Even experts at the Void Heaven Realm dared not venture too deeply, lest they become food for these monsters.

As Ye Chen and the others battled their way here, the countless ferocious monsters inhabiting the vast territory surrounding the Forbidden Zone felt the rolling, surging aura in the sky. This aura was so powerful it made heaven and earth weep; any living being witnessing it felt utterly insignificant, like an ant, completely unable to resist.

Ye Chen watched as Asura Supreme and the others unleashed their Supreme Treasures—the Naihe Bridge, the Dragon God Dharma Idol—continuously bombarding the black palm. He made no move himself, following quietly behind. Only when they reached the edge of the Forbidden Zone did he beckon with his hand and say coldly, "All of you, return."

Hearing his command, Asura Supreme and the others, who were engaged in fierce combat, were forced to withdraw immediately, baffled by Ye Chen’s intentions.

They did not ask questions, merely looked to Ye Chen, conveying their query through their eyes.

Ye Chen stared ahead as the black palm descended into the Forbidden Zone under his gaze. Immediately following, an earth-shattering black aura erupted, as if the vast sky itself was instantly obscured by this rolling demonic energy.

"You all stand back." Ye Chen swept his hand, opening his Internal World.

Asura Supreme and the others, witnessing the energy fluctuations emanating from that immense black qi, were inwardly shocked. This mysterious, familiar aura was one they knew too well—who else could it be but the Dark Heavenly God?

When a Heavenly God appears, who dares to contend!

Without a second thought, they obediently followed Ye Chen's instruction, entering his Internal World. Each of them activated their world power, pouring it into Ye Chen’s Inner World, striving to lend him strength.