Ye Chen paid no mind to her thoughts, musing inwardly, "The terrain of White Spirit Mountain is treacherous, easy to defend yet difficult to attack. Master Bai Ya, who helped me escape danger back then, was swept into another era by a temporal storm. At White Spirit Mountain, I once discovered an array formation centered around half a Go board. Furthermore, Bai Tian’s surname is Bai. It’s highly probable that Master Bai Ya traveled there and became Bai Tian’s ancestor. Quite a few human powerhouses must have gathered there by now."

With that thought, his figure suddenly accelerated, whistling across the continent like a streak of light, arriving before White Spirit Mountain mere minutes later.

The young girl naturally recognized White Spirit Mountain, horror dawning in her eyes. She had clearly been countless light-years away just moments ago; how could they have arrived here in just a few minutes?

She turned her head to look at Ye Chen, her mind slightly numb, realizing her estimation of his power had been far too low—this level of strength utterly surpassed her imagination.

As the two appeared, the soldiers at the entrance of White Spirit Mountain immediately spotted them and shouted sternly, "This is a restricted area! Without a passage token, retreat to the camp one light-year away, or you will be instantly executed!"

"Execute?" Ye Chen glanced at the high-pressure light-particle guns in their hands. Through his supremely powerful mental energy, he instantly analyzed the weapons' structure and potency—they could indeed kill peak Divine Emperors!

Ignoring the soldiers' shouts, Ye Chen took the lead and walked toward the River of Heavenly Passage. Although the Ancient Void Bridge was gone, his body did not sink when his feet touched the riverbank.

This River of Heavenly Passage, incapable of suspending any matter, held absolutely no sway over Ye Chen. It was called the River of Heavenly Passage precisely because only Heaven could traverse it.

Heaven naturally referred to the celestial expanse, countless light-years above, a distance that even the River of Heavenly Passage's gravity could not reach. It simply couldn't pull anything down from there.

Intense gravity, like countless tentacles, coiled around Ye Chen's feet, desperately pulling him down, but such force was utterly insignificant to him. A slight struggle was enough to shatter it.

Behind him, the young girl was supported by a piece of energy crystal Ye Chen had condensed beneath her feet, cradling her body like a lotus leaf as they swept toward the opposite shore.

Seeing the pair somehow crossing the River of Heavenly Passage, the soldiers at the mountain gate on the far bank were greatly alarmed and immediately pulled their triggers.

Bang bang bang bang...

The projectiles poured down like a violent rainstorm. Each one, imbued with destructive power far exceeding that of a nuclear bomb, shot toward Ye Chen’s head and face.

The girl standing behind him couldn't help but cry out.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

These bullets, having raced to the very front of Ye Chen, were suspended in place by an invisible force, then slowly crushed into dust by the power of the void, vanishing without a trace.

Ye Chen walked slowly to the shore, his eyes seemingly never registering the presence of the soldiers, and proceeded directly up the mountain path.

The soldiers stared, eyes wide, watching him in disbelief. Only when Ye Chen’s silhouette was about to disappear from sight did one of them suddenly remember and hurriedly activate his communicator to call headquarters.

White Spirit Peak.

On the steep and expansive summit stood a magnificent, luxurious, and revered Golden Palace. Row upon row of structures—main halls, side halls, and rear halls—were meticulously aligned.

Ye Chen and the girl appeared above the divine palace like afterimages, looking down. Many guards were stationed around the palace; each one possessed the cultivation of a Divine Emperor.

"Who goes there!" A furious roar erupted as a figure burst forth from the divine hall. His powerful physique, wild golden hair standing up like a lion's mane, and strange, circulating energy were reminiscent of the Golden Saint Seiya energy from the Fighting Saint civilization.

"It's you!" The imposing man’s face was filled with rage, but it vanished instantly upon seeing Ye Chen. His mouth gaped in shock, then he abruptly snapped to awareness, quickly kneeling halfway in the air, "Golden Dragon pays respects to Your Highness, the Blade Emperor."

"Hmm," Ye Chen nodded indifferently. "Lead the way."

Fine beads of cold sweat dotted Golden Dragon's forehead. He quickly stood up and stepped aside, taking the lead to guide Ye Chen. As one of the Seventy-Two Ancestor Generals under the command of the Ancient War Venerable, he knew Ye Chen’s identity intimately. He never expected him to appear here so suddenly; no wonder his divine sense sweep earlier had failed to clearly discern Ye Chen's appearance.

Others might not know the supreme majesty of the Blade Emperor, but he knew it too well. He dared not delay in escorting Ye Chen to the entrance of the divine hall, shouting toward the interior, "Everyone stand clear!"

Inside the great hall stood many figures, the lowest being at the Epoch realm, with more than a dozen possessing auras reaching the Void Heaven realm. At the very top of the hall stood three individuals—two men and one woman—their faces expressionless, standing there like ancient pine trees, revealing no discernible energy fluctuations. Yet, Ye Chen recognized at a glance that they were all experts at the Heaven-Defying realm.

As for the golden, curly-haired woman at the absolute highest point of the hall, she was Jin Huan, the personal maid attending the Ancient War Venerable!

Seeing Ye Chen, Jin Huan paused momentarily, then a smile bloomed on her exquisitely beautiful face as she personally stepped forward. Amidst the stares of surprise and astonishment from the many in the hall, she bowed gracefully to Ye Chen and said softly and respectfully, "Jin Huan pays respects to Your Highness, the Blade Emperor."

The Blade Emperor!

A peerless figure who once shook countless lords throughout the Primordial Era!

Even the Ancient War Venerable treated Ye Chen with utmost courtesy, like a friend, never demanding that Ye Chen bow to him. This alone indicated how lofty Ye Chen’s status was.

Most of the people in the hall had advanced in recent eras. This assembly included figures like the Heavenly Thunder Hall Master, the Samsara Saint King, and older generations such as the former Hall Masters of the Ten Great Sacred Halls, or their relatives like nephews and uncles—all hidden powerhouses of immense cultivation who usually roamed the four directions during peacetime, rarely known to the public, yet all gathered here now.

Upon seeing Ye Chen enter, the Samsara Saint King and the Heavenly Thunder Hall Master were greatly shocked. They were about to call out to him to take a side path when they witnessed this astonishing scene.

Jin Huan was like a goddess in their minds; they hadn't even known her name until this moment. To see such a mysterious and powerful woman bow and pay respects to Ye Chen was staggering!

The Samsara Saint King and the others felt their jaws drop.

"When Your Highness the Blade Emperor appears, you do not kneel and pay respects?" Golden Dragon sneered from the side, his icy gaze sweeping over them.

Shock reverberated through everyone. Those unfamiliar with Ye Chen lowered their heads and knelt with immense reverence. Although they were all super-strong experts whose status was usually supreme and arrogant to the heavens, in this era of the world's end, with monsters everywhere, aligning with the Ancient Divine Palace was the only path to survival. Thus, they had no choice but to cast aside their pride.

Overwhelming martial force always compelled submission.

Seeing everyone kneeling in the hall, Ye Chen remained placid, showing no reaction. He merely turned to Golden Dragon beside him and said, "You will take care of this girl from now on. Do not let anything happen to her."

Golden Dragon looked at the girl behind Ye Chen. He could immediately tell her cultivation was only that of a Divine Emperor, yet he wondered why she was associated with Ye Chen. Filled with surprise, he swiftly nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."

Ye Chen gave a slight nod and walked directly toward the highest point of the main hall, as if ignoring those kneeling on either side. Only after stepping onto the highest dais did he turn around, facing the entire hall, and calmly stated, "You may rise."

Everyone slowly stood up, finally daring to lift their heads to look at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s gaze swept over the crowd, past the Samsara Saint King and the others, showing no change in expression, as if they were mere strangers. Only when Jin Huan approached did he slowly speak, "What is the current situation of humanity?"

Jin Huan replied respectfully, "Humanity currently occupies four-tenths of the territory of the Ancient Continent. The remaining six-tenths have fallen into the hands of the Ancient God army."

Ye Chen frowned slightly and fell silent.

During his silence, not a single sound echoed in the hall. Everyone felt an intangible pressure, their breathing seemingly growing difficult, cold sweat seeping out across their bodies.

"Gather all surviving humans on the continent into one centralized camp," Ye Chen looked up at Jin Huan. "There is no need to hold the rest of the areas. Do not waste innocent lives."

Jin Huan froze, her gaze flickering for a moment before she replied, "I understand."

"Also, prepare yourselves. The personal armies of the Ancient Gods are about to appear on the Ancient Continent. Instruct the Seventy-Two Ancestor Generals and the remaining Martial God Guards to be mentally prepared. This coming battle will be extraordinary. Evacuate ordinary life forms to the fringe desolate worlds so they won't be caught in the crossfire," Ye Chen commanded, governing the world as if he were an Emperor.

Golden Dragon’s expression changed upon hearing this. "The personal armies of the Ancient Gods are coming out this soon?"

Ye Chen glanced sideways at him, then looked at Jin Huan, "I leave this place to you. I have other matters." Having said that, he didn't spare another look at the others before his figure flashed, vanishing into thin air.

Golden Dragon seemed long accustomed to this, showing no anger, and hurriedly turned to Jin Huan, asking, "Is it true?"

Jin Huan looked at him, but instead of answering, she countered, "Has anything that came from his mouth ever been false?"

Golden Dragon was stunned into silence.

...

In the boundless, dark void.

A massive body, stretching the length of a galaxy, forged as if cast from steel, hung suspended in the solitary emptiness.

How could such a colossal corpse exist in this vast expanse of stars?

Judging by the shape of the body, it vaguely resembled a human form. At the position of its chest, a thread of golden light flickered on and off. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a giant golden heart.

This golden heart, like a luminous night pearl, was embedded in the cavity of the chest. Many rigid, dead blood vessels, nourished by the soft energy emanating from the golden heart, seemed to come alive, wriggling automatically to connect like suction cups onto the heart. Golden energy was drawn from the heart and gradually circulated throughout the entire body along the meridians and vessels.

"The Eternal War has begun..."

A rumbling sound, like a great bell, slowly issued from the mouth of the colossal body. Immediately after, two beams of light, like white pillars, shot out fiercely, piercing the dark void—they were unexpectedly the radiance emanating from the giant's eyes.

...

Sleepiness is really catching up. I’m so tired. Lately, I don’t know what’s going on, but I get drowsy around this time. By the time I reached eight hundred characters for this chapter, I was almost asleep, typing with my eyes mostly closed. I had to splash water on my face to stimulate myself. Chapter three really isn't doable tonight, otherwise the quality will be too poor and unacceptable. I’ll manage two updates today and postpone the third chapter. Ugh, I feel so oppressed myself.

I was confidently preparing to release three chapters, but now I’m finished. Ugh. No, I need to sleep; I’m exhausted.

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