The entire assembly fell silent, all eyes involuntarily turning toward Ye Chen. Even Bai Tian frowned, his gaze towards Ye Chen laced with a hint of doubt. Only the woman in white beside him remained perfectly composed, leaning gently against his side, her expression utterly devoid of surprise, soft as flowing water, elegant as a pristine white lotus, as if nothing could possibly stir her.
Simply because...
She had such a warm shoulder to lean upon.
Sensing the faint, delicate fragrance beside him, Ye Chen’s heart cleared entirely. The momentary shock he felt upon hearing the Cycle Saint King’s question vanished without a trace, as if melted away by a gentle current. Facing the scrutiny of so many paramount figures, the unease and tension in his chest gradually subsided. He spoke calmly, “Though I do not know why the Senior Saint King asks this, there is no doubt that I am human!”
The Cycle Saint King stared at him, his brow slowly furrowing. “You appear to be flesh and bone, yet within your body, there is a dense surge of dark power. I do not know the reason, or perhaps, you are the reincarnation of a creature of darkness!” His eyes sharpened.
A jolt ran through the crowd. Fear crept into their gazes as they looked at Ye Chen. If Ye Chen was indeed the reincarnation of a dark creature, and he controlled the Heavenly Dao Scripture, he would become another Heavenly Dao should he grow strong in the future!
Such a terrifying figure being a dark reincarnation would undoubtedly spell immense disaster for the entire Ancient Continent!
Ye Chen frowned, replying coldly, “Who one is reincarnated from is impossible to verify. Based on your authority, everyone will naturally believe you.”
The Cycle Saint King nodded. “That is true. However, the dark power within your body is impossible to conceal. Moreover, using my Cycle Heavenly Art, I cannot deduce all your information. In my history, the only two beings whose totality I could not ascertain were the Heavenly Dao and that person! Furthermore, there were the powerhouses from the primeval era, but those individuals have long since crumbled to dust in the annals of time; no reincarnated form would remain.”
The crowd gasped. They knew the Cycle Saint King never lied. In the past, many Divine Emperor powerhouses had asked him to locate the Heavenly Dao, yet he failed. In the last tens of millions of years, among the fallen great figures, it seemed only the Heavenly Dao was an existence beyond the Cycle Saint King’s divination.
Ye Chen paused, knitting his brows, and stated coldly, “I am not the reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao. I am who I am, no one else!”
“That is hard to say…” the Cycle Saint King mused. “How about this: hand over the Heavenly Dao Scripture. If, in the future, you recover your past life's memories and become a creature of darkness, the threat level to the Ancient World will be somewhat reduced.”
Ye Chen stared at him for a moment, then said coldly, “If the Saint King requires the Heavenly Dao Scripture, you should just say so directly, without all this beating around the bush. This Heavenly Dao Scripture, when contribution is needed, I will naturally provide it. Now? Absolutely impossible!”
The Cycle Saint King sighed. “Although you are merely a junior, the prime threat to the Ancient Continent in a million years approaches—the greatest calamity in its history. If mishandled, the entire continent could be annihilated. In the face of the life and death of this entire realm, personal interests should be set aside. I hope you can share it with everyone.”
Ye Chen replied indifferently, “I may be just a junior, but I don't possess such noble sentiment. When the great calamity is nigh, I will provide it to everyone a month in advance. Given your aptitudes, cultivating the Heavenly Dao Scripture within a month should not be difficult. As for now, it’s out of the question!”
Hearing this, anger flared across the faces of those around him again.
“Boy, you think too highly of yourself, don’t you?”
“It is an honor for Senior Saint King to ask you; do you really think you can leave here today if you refuse to hand over the secret manual?”
“What a selfish brat! A person like this is scum even when alive!”
Hearing the surrounding murmurs, a flash of cold lightning crossed Ye Chen’s eyes. In ordinary circumstances, he could face this with utter composure, but at this moment, thinking of the beautiful figure beside him, a wave of killing intent surged through his heart!
“It’s alright…” Bai Yijun seemed to sense Ye Chen’s mood, speaking softly against his shoulder, “No matter what, I will advance and retreat with you, face everything together!”
Ye Chen turned his head to look at her. He saw this peerless beauty gazing at him with clear, bright eyes that perfectly mirrored the contour of his face. His heart warmed, and he nodded slightly. “As long as you are by my side, we can go anywhere. Let’s leave!”
Bai Yijun murmured tenderly, “Mm!”
Ye Chen asked, “Where shall we go?”
Bai Yijun replied softly, “Wherever you go, I can follow.”
Ye Chen was deeply moved. He immediately nodded, taking her delicate, boneless little hand, preparing to leave directly. Just then, Bai Tian’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind: “Son-in-law, give me the Heavenly Dao Scripture. I will stall for time. Once I master it, no one present will be my match, and I will ensure you two leave safely!”
Ye Chen chuckled inwardly, thinking the fox’s tail had finally shown itself. He shook his head slightly. “Thank you, Clan Leader Bai. Your son-in-law has his own way to leave. Today, I originally intended to annihilate all the old enemies of Master Heavenly Dao, but considering that the Heavenly Saint Battle in a million years concerns the very survival of the Ancient Continent, I shall let it go for now. However, as for keeping me here, with everyone present, I fear it will prove somewhat difficult!”
Upon hearing his calm words, everyone present froze, almost suspecting their ears had deceived them.
He was letting them go?
What a joke!!
Everyone who snapped back to reality felt the urge to hack this scoundrel to pieces. He was too infuriating! Didn't he understand the situation? With over two hundred Divine Emperor powerhouses present, the leaders of the Six Palaces and Four Kingdoms, he, a mere Pseudo-God, dared to speak of letting them go? This was absolutely preposterous!
The Cycle Saint King and others were also stunned, looking at Ye Chen with strange expressions, unsure why he dared to utter such grand pronouncements. Was it the Heavenly Dao Scripture? But no matter how powerful the scripture, it was still just a manual; it ultimately couldn't bridge two entire realms of difference!
Could it be the Heavenly Dao Divine Ark? But even when the Heavenly Dao wielded the Divine Ark back then, he was beaten until his soul scattered by the assembled forces, although there were far more people present then...
Bai Tian’s face darkened. He looked at Ye Chen and said, “Don’t be foolish and court death. Do you wish to leave my daughter a lonely widow?”
Ye Chen glanced at him and shook his head. “Clan Leader Bai, rest assured. As long as I live, I will never allow any harm to come to Jun’er.” Saying this, he tightened the hand he held, turned to the beautiful woman beside him, and smiled. “Let’s go!”
“Mm!” Bai Yijun nodded firmly, walking alongside him as they strolled away.
The two slowly turned and walked towards the distance under the gaze of countless Divine Emperors and unparalleled powerhouses filling the sky. With the tenth step, those watching from the periphery saw that the Cycle Saint King and the others remained motionless. Unable to hold back, someone finally shouted loudly and stepped across to block Ye Chen.
“Stop!” A short, sturdy man stood in Ye Chen’s path. His dark skin was crisscrossed with muscles like coiled dragons. He glared furiously at Ye Chen and roared, “I am the Great Elder of the Dwarf Civilization. I just want to see how you intend to spare me!”
Ye Chen stopped, his brow furrowing slightly, and said coldly, “Move aside!”
“Die!” The stout dwarf could endure no more, roaring as he lunged forward. Though small, the momentum of his charge was like a surging, roaring river, causing fierce winds to howl across the heaven and earth, like a vast piece of cloth being violently torn apart. The sheer force caused many onlookers to secretly pale.
Seeing the dwarf powerhouse exerting his full strength, Ye Chen felt Bai Yijun preparing to act beside him. He immediately squeezed her small hand, then took a step forward, placing himself in front of her. Facing this ferocious, top-tier powerhouse, he showed no fear. His white hair moved without wind, and the vast life force within his body surged through strange meridians, countless blood vessels, and sinews, roaring and burning into full boil!
“10 Trillion!”
Ye Chen’s bones cracked audibly. His eyes turned blood-red, his skin radiating a crimson aura of slaughter. His white hair shifted to a vibrant, bloody red, as if he were an Asura risen from a sea of blood, permeating the air with a fiercely malevolent killing intent.
As the Blood God Mode activated, violent energy erupted wildly from within his body. Even Bai Yijun, standing behind Ye Chen, looked astonished. She never imagined that in the century they were apart, the man from before had become so terrifying. The earth-shattering aura emanating from him alone was enough to instantly kill a peak Divine Emperor!
Of course, this assumed the peak Divine Emperor had not activated any amplification secret techniques.
The other people nearby were utterly shocked by the terrifying aura Ye Chen suddenly unleashed. They couldn't believe this Pseudo-God junior could erupt with such terrifying power. Even with a billionfold amplification from the Heavenly Dao Scripture, he should at most fight a peak Divine Spirit to a standstill.
But now, forget Divine Spirits—even a peak Divine Emperor could be instantly slain!
If this were a simulated battle in the War God Tower, he could clear the highest levels and even climb onto the Emperor’s Dais! The virtual characters there did not utilize secret technique augmentations.
The stout dwarf paused, then sneered coldly. “No matter how peerless your talent, you shall perish here today!” He reached out, tearing space itself, and pulled forth a completely black hammer. Seven mysterious runes coiled around the hammer's body, each rune displaying a different color, spreading irregularly across the war hammer like earthworms, emitting bursts of arcane light.
As this iron hammer appeared, the atmosphere of the surrounding heaven and earth instantly grew heavy and dim, punctuated by flashes of purple lightning. The dwarf’s small stature seemed to grow immense at that moment, like an ancient Thunder God, his hair standing on end, glaring fiercely at Ye Chen, his divine might awe-inspiring.
Ye Chen’s eyes were cold. Raising both hands, he instantly unfurled the Mysterious Canon of Blazing Flames. A ripple materialized out of thin air beneath his feet, and a magnificent palace emerged from the void.