As the two argued, a strange, questioning voice suddenly rang out, laced with a touch of surprise. "Quite the commotion. Aren't you fighting over the Heavenly Dao Scripture?"

Startled by the unexpected sound, everyone looked up and immediately saw a figure appear high in the sky, as if they had been standing there all along. It was a man in brown robes with black hair, powerfully built, his muscles robust. Thick brows framed large eyes, and his bronze skin radiated a powerful beauty. A giant axe was embroidered upon his chest!

"Hall Master of Earth!"

A collective gasp rose from the surrounding crowd as they gazed upon the man who had suddenly materialized. It was none other than the legendary Earth Hall Master, rumored to possess the most enduring fighting stamina among the Ten Halls!

The Earth Hall Master lived by a formidable maxim: as long as his feet touched the earth, he could never be defeated!

The girl in purple flicked her cerulean eyes up, glanced at him with a cold snort, and then lowered her gaze to Ye Chen, declaring loftily, "Kid, I don't want the Heavenly Dao Scripture. Just hand over that Heavenly Dao Divine Ark to me. Since you are a disciple of the Heavenly Dao, I am your Master's wife. Call me 'Shiniang' quickly!"

Ye Chen arched an eyebrow, nearly rolling his eyes.

Just then, Hei Xue, standing beside him, let out a cold snort. "Such arrogance, you have no shame! I should be the one he calls 'Shiniang.' Kid, call me that now!"

Shen Shuang, beside her, lightly bit her lower lip. Her slender fingers clenched into a fist as she looked at Ye Chen, anticipation flickering in her eyes, though she remained silent. In terms of strength, Hei Xue, the Thunder Hall Master, and the Light Hall Master present were no pushovers. She was filled with grievances, yet all she could do was curse the deceased Heavenly Dao.

Curses aside, hearing Ye Chen utter a single word—'Shiniang'—would still bring her immense joy. The thoughts of women were complex; trying to decipher them was undoubtedly a foolish endeavor.

Before Ye Chen could reply, the purple-clad girl’s face flushed crimson, and a chilling flash of lightning sparked in her eyes. "Say one more word, and I dare you!"

Hei Xue met the gaze fearlessly. "Want to fight? I'll show you the terrifying might of the Six Layers of the Heavenly Dao Scripture my master taught me!"

"Nonsense!" the purple-clad girl spat out angrily. "You little tramp! You must have seduced the Heavenly Dao outside. Those sluts who try to seduce him—if I haven't killed ten thousand, I've killed eight thousand. I won't spare you today!" With that, she raised her hand, preparing to lunge at Hei Xue.

At that very moment, several powerful auras suddenly materialized out of thin air. These suppressive presences startled everyone present, causing their hairs to stand on end. An intense sense of danger permeated their hearts, like ordinary people who had stumbled into a tiger's den, terrified and trembling.

Looking up, everyone saw clouds parting in the sky to reveal several figures. To the left stood a man in golden robes, slender in stature, with a cold, stern expression. A small single horn adorned his forehead, and a slight stubble dusted his chin, adding a touch of masculine allure. His eyes were calm and collected as he indifferently surveyed the entire scene below.

To his right was a woman dressed in white and blue. Her long, flowing robes were adorned with a few white snowflakes. Her skin was like polished snow, so bright one could almost glimpse the muscle fibers beneath. Her lips were red and her teeth white, while her water-blue eyes radiated tender affection—clear and bright, capable of melting a man’s very bones. Anyone who met her gaze felt immersed in a gentle ocean, losing all self-control.

She was a woman imbued with profound gentleness, elegance, and a luminous maternal glow. The way she looked at everyone was soft, as if regarding her own children, preventing any thought of profanity from arising.

In the center was a woman in crimson, possessing a breathtakingly sultry figure. Her skin was as fair as fine porcelain, and her eyes held a natural, soul-stealing charm—eyes laced with visible electricity. A single glance from them made hearts race; looking too long would result not just in a nosebleed, but perhaps bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Golden Mountain Emperor!"

"Ice Snow Emperor!"

"Crimson Lotus Hall Master!"

Seeing these three figures, everyone present gasped in shock, their hearts pounding with indescribable terror. These were figures one rarely saw even a glimpse of on a normal day, yet here they were, gathered all at once!

"Hahahaha," the Earth Hall Master nearby chuckled with a wicked glint in his eyes. "What a lively day this is. The Heavenly Dao truly was capable. Back then, he provoked nine-tenths of the Divine Emperor powerhouses across the realms to jointly hunt him down. All ten Halls and ten Kingdoms have gathered. I never expected that with the appearance of his disciple today, we would all be drawn out, too, hahahaha…" His tone was ambiguous, containing neither self-mockery nor genuine ease.

The cold, stern man in gold stated plainly, "It wasn't the Heavenly Dao’s prowess; it was the Heavenly Dao Scripture’s power. Without that ancient sacred text, who else could draw us all here? If the Heavenly Dao loses that scripture, I could crush him in an instant!"

Anger flashed in the purple-clad girl's eyes as she sneered coldly, "Great Emperor Golden Mountain, you certainly have an imposing presence. But tell me, how many layers of skill do you retain now that you’ve lost the Golden Mountain Divine Tome?"

The Golden Mountain Emperor’s expression shifted slightly, his brow furrowing. He said coldly, "Thunder Hall Master, don't be insubordinate. I heard the secret information back then—that you and that Heavenly Dao brat had something going on. It seems it was true. However, among the armies that hunted the Heavenly Dao back then, you seemed to be quite fierce." The purple-clad girl laughed coldly. "It's none of your business. The Heavenly Dao is my man. Whether I curse him or scrape him is my decision. I can scold him, but you cannot, because you are not qualified!"

The Golden Mountain Emperor's eyes turned icy. "Are you looking to die?"

The purple-clad girl showed no fear, standing tall. "Can you kill me?"

The Golden Mountain Emperor clenched his fists, staring at her coldly. After a moment, he let out a cold laugh.

"I don't argue with widows!" With that, he turned his head away, choosing to ignore the purple-clad girl entirely. He knew that even if he deployed the foundational Void Artifact of the Golden Mountain Empire and managed to defeat the purple-clad girl, killing her would be difficult. Furthermore, deploying that Void Artifact would leave him weakened, giving the others from the major empires an immediate opportunity to attack, turning him into the mantis preying on the oriole.

The purple-clad girl became furious, roaring, "Who are you calling a widow! Say that to my face one more time!!"

The Golden Mountain Emperor frowned slightly and said indifferently, "Aren't you?"

"I am your mother's sinner times ten thousand…" The purple-clad girl erupted into a torrent of curses, her face flushed, gritting her teeth in fury. If she hadn't feared the Golden Mountain Emperor's Void Artifact, she would have attacked long ago.

Just then, several more groups of figures swept in from the distance. As time passed, more and more arrivals converged. In total, over a hundred figures flew in, sweeping in from all directions—some in organized groups, others as solitary wanderers. Among them were hereditary enemies, but to stand a chance of obtaining the Heavenly Dao Scripture in the coming moments, they had to suppress the killing intent boiling within.

These newcomers stopped within one-tenth of a light-year of Genius Peak and felt several terrifying auras. Their expressions changed instantly. After a brief pause—perhaps only 0.001 seconds—they hardened their resolve and hurtled forward, speculating that if a few major figures were present, the situation probably wouldn't be too dire, as the major players would likely keep each other in check.

When these people reached within a few hundred kilometers of Genius Peak, they saw the Light Hall Master and the others, causing them to choke momentarily. They hadn't expected five or six top figures from the Ten Halls and Ten Kingdoms to be present, along with three patriarchs from the three great ancient families!

Their gazes paused briefly before sweeping around the area, finally landing on Ye Chen and the person behind him (Bai Tian), eyes flickering with avarice or chilling murderous intent.

Not long after this group arrived, another batch swept in. These people rushed close and quickly confirmed that the successor of the Heavenly Dao was Ye Chen. With their eyesight, they could immediately sense the unusual False God power signature emanating from Ye Chen's body.

"Little thief, get out here for this old man!" Suddenly, a furious roar erupted. From the throng of Divine Emperor powerhouses, a burly, disheveled man emerged. His chest was covered in thick black hair, and he wielded a three-zhang-long bronze ancient saber, its blade wrapped in surging divine power. He stared at Ye Chen with imposing might and roared, "Seeing all the great lords gathered here, haven't you quickly handed over the Heavenly Dao Scripture and presented yourself to be beheaded by this old man to avenge my deceased son!"

Ye Chen glanced at him. "My master killed your son?"

The burly man assumed Ye Chen was begging for mercy and boomed back, "That’s right!"

Ye Chen nodded. "Good riddance that he died."

The burly man froze momentarily, then flew into a rage, his face turning ashen. "You, you, you are asking for death!!!" He roared, preparing to attack.

"Scram!" Hei Xue glanced at him and uttered the word coldly.

Bang!

The advancing body of the burly man slammed violently backward. His chest shook violently as he was repelled tens of thousands of kilometers by an overwhelming force. The bones in his chest were nearly pulverized to dust, and the primal divine power within his body trembled uncontrollably.

Everyone present was stunned, and a measure of apprehension entered their gazes toward Hei Xue.

Ye Chen surveyed the entire scene, noting that nearly two hundred Divine Emperor powerhouses had gathered—most of whom were the elite among the Divine Emperors.

Rumble—

A fissure ripped open in the sky, and from within, an ancient, towering tree suddenly appeared. The tree was immensely thick, a thousand zhang wide, reaching up to the heavens. Its canopy bore lush, glistening green leaves, and the entire structure was wreathed in luminous treasure light. To the horror of the onlookers, the colossal tree rapidly shrunk from its thousand-zhang height, transforming into an old man dressed in green robes, whose hair was composed of green vines. His aged skin was wrinkled, and he exuded an aura of profound antiquity as he stood there.

"Withered Wood Great Emperor!"

Everyone’s heart lurched in shock. Even the Thunder Hall Master and the others looked grave. They all knew that on the entire Ancient Continent, this Withered Wood Great Emperor possessed the longest lifespan.

No one knew precisely how many years he had existed, nor how terrifying his power truly was!

Ye Chen observed that as soon as the Withered Wood Great Emperor appeared, his gaze fixed on him. Though there was no overt greed in his eyes, there was a far more terrifying desire.

"Everyone is here," the Withered Wood Great Emperor said quietly, casting an almost imperceptible glance at Ye Chen before looking up at the assembled crowd. His expression was benign, and he smiled gently.