In the mysterious deepest reaches of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, a figure clad in black robes suddenly appeared. His stature was tall and straight, but his face was concealed within the hood of his robes, further obscured by secret arts that prevented anyone from seeing through to what lay within.
The black-robed figure's arrival was forceful and direct. The moment he appeared, he unleashed a vast and majestic pressure of the Great Dao, as if a supreme deity had descended upon the mortal world. The Silver Ape King, an existence at the Heavenly God Realm, was sent flying before he could even react, utterly defenseless!
A deity!
No matter how foolish the Silver Ape King was, he understood that this black-robed figure before him was undoubtedly a supreme deity. Otherwise, he could not possibly possess such invincible might.
Such an existence was truly lofty and aloof, standing at the very pinnacle of the entire Tian Du Continent, overlooking the vast earth, proudly surveying the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—who could contend with him, who could match him?
Across the entire Tian Du Continent, such figures who dictated the rise and fall of eras were absolutely few and far between. Yet now, one had appeared in the deepest part of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range without anyone noticing, a thought that made one's heart race with fear.
Instantly, the Silver Ape King became extremely vigilant. Even though he knew the other party was an enemy he could not hope to defeat, his master was within the ancient hall, and he could not leave.
The black-robed figure did not even glance at the Silver Ape King, not placing him in his eyes at all. Only his gaze solidified into substance, actually erupting like lightning. The entire mountain range rumbled and exploded, nearly collapsing as he issued a forceful demand: "Great Sage Hong Tian, what is 'Slaying the Heavens'?"
What is Slaying the Heavens!
Silence reigned within the ancient hall, lasting for a long time without a word. Even the endless points of spiritual power light drifting from all directions and the trickling streams of blood flowing from the earth were frozen, unable to flow into the ancient hall. Everything slowed to a halt.
Within this stretch of heaven and earth, only the divine pressure of the black-robed figure rippled, freezing this space.
"Could it be that you dare not speak?"
Beneath the black robes, Ye Chen questioned sternly. After borrowing Old Yan's power, he possessed strength comparable to the Divine Spirit Realm. While marveling at Old Yan's might, he was also pressing Great Sage Hong Tian for answers.
What is Slaying the Heavens?
He sensed that this world seemed to be part of a terrifying deception, and even he was caught within it. He needed to know the true truth.
"You are not allowed to harm my master!" the Silver Ape King hurriedly shielded the front of the ancient hall.
"Noisy!"
Ye Chen uttered a light shout. Those two simple words exploded like thunder, accompanied by endless pressure rolling forth. Though invisible, the entire Hong Tian Divine Mountain Range trembled, nearly shattering. The Silver Ape King was blasted away by the pressure, crashing into the divine mountain range, causing it to tremble violently as he coughed up large mouthfuls of blood.
The might of a deity cannot be blasphemed!
Boom—
Ye Chen was about to strike again to teach the Silver Ape King a lesson, but at that moment, another terrifying surge of power erupted from within the ancient hall, blocking Ye Chen. A voice transmitted out, saying, "Fellow Daoist, hold on. Everything you wish to know, this seat can tell you."
Ye Chen nodded indifferently, retracting all his pressure. Releasing such pressure also consumed Old Yan's energy. His goal was merely to intimidate.
"Fellow Daoist, please enter for a discussion," Great Sage Hong Tian transmitted, issuing an invitation. The Silver Ape King, worried that Ye Chen meant harm, urgently said, "Master, you must not! This person is too dangerous—"
"Little Ape, say no more. Whether he enters or not, the divine hall cannot stop him, and neither can you," Great Sage Hong Tian said, mercilessly exposing the cruel truth.
The Silver Ape King opened his mouth, but for a long while, no words came out. The facts were indeed so.
The mysterious ancient hall stood eternally at the foot of the divine mountain range, a complex of interconnected palaces, each one empty, serene, and silent, with simple, ancient doors left ajar. Shrouded in black robes, Ye Chen stepped inside, his skill making him bold. The sound of his footsteps echoed clearly within the halls.
Finally, after passing through numerous halls and walking down a long corridor, Ye Chen arrived at a tall inner hall constructed from massive stones.
The inner hall was empty and silent, but upon reaching this place, a supreme divine pressure permeated the air. When Ye Chen looked toward the very center of the hall, he saw a figure seated cross-legged upon a divine platform, sealed within a massive block of crystal ice.
However, upon seeing this crystal ice, Ye Chen couldn't help but change his expression slightly, slowly saying, "A fragment of a World's Heart!?"
Within the vast, endless universe, the Tian Du Continent was not the only vast land. The myriad realms, the countless worlds, coexisted within heaven and earth.
Some were even small worlds opened up by heaven-piercing, earth-shattering existences. However, once such small worlds withered and were destroyed, their World's Heart at the very core would shatter, dispersing into fragments that would scatter across various places.
These World's Heart fragments contained mysterious world power and had incredible, wondrous uses. They could be used to forge powerful magical treasures, and could even seal living beings, preventing the loss of life force.
Clearly, Great Sage Hong Tian possessed one such fragment and had sealed himself within it. This was also the first time Ye Chen had seen a World's Heart fragment in this life.
But when Ye Chen saw Great Sage Hong Tian, his pupils contracted slightly, and he couldn't help but frown. Because the appearance of Great Sage Hong Tian sealed within the World's Heart fragment was horrifying. He could hardly be called a person. His entire body was withered, almost reduced to skin and bones, his flesh and blood dried up, his frame gaunt. Even his eye sockets were deeply sunken, appearing incredibly sinister and terrifying.
At this moment, this deity was clearly nothing more than an ancient recluse on his last legs, one foot already in the coffin.
He hadn't expected Great Sage Hong Tian's Dao injuries to have reached such a severe degree. Two beams of brilliant divine light shot from Ye Chen's eyes as he carefully examined Great Sage Hong Tian from head to toe, then couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
Not only his body, but even his Primordial Spirit had begun to decay. Terrifying Dao mark power intertwined, constantly eroding his body, including his Primordial Spirit, causing his life force to diminish.
Now, although sealed within the World's Heart fragment and devouring the blood and spiritual power light points of countless living beings to nourish himself, suppress the Dao injuries within his body, and recover a portion of his life force...
It was merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause. It could only temporarily suppress them. Once the suppression failed, the backlash could instantly claim Great Sage Hong Tian's life, causing him to perish completely, his Dao extinguished.
Ye Chen did not know what kind of battle Great Sage Hong Tian had experienced to leave behind such terrifying Dao injuries that even a deity was being eroded and decayed—it was utterly dreadful.
Within the ancient hall, he also sensed another terrifying aura, originating from deep within the earth, not the least bit weaker than Great Sage Hong Tian's. That should be the Heavenly Demon from Beyond that Great Sage Hong Tian had suppressed.
Great Sage Hong Tian smiled slightly, though the smile within the World's Heart fragment was rather ugly. "Fellow Daoist, you should also understand my current situation now."
"Primordial Spirit decaying, Dao injuries intertwined, physical body's blood energy dried up. If not for the nourishment from the blood and spiritual power of countless living beings, and the suppression of your own Great Dao, you truly would be at the end of your rope," Ye Chen said without mercy.
"At the end of my rope?" Great Sage Hong Tian laughed heartily. "What a good phrase, 'at the end of my rope.' It expresses it very well."
But the next moment, Ye Chen's pressure rolled forth once more. The ancient hall trembled, nearly on the verge of disintegration. He said coldly, "But you are guilty. To be so utterly devoid of conscience, to incite turmoil, devouring countless lives merely for your own selfish desire to suppress Dao injuries—you deserve death!"
"This matter has nothing to do with my master. It was all my planning alone," the Silver Ape King hurriedly said. But the next moment, an invisible, terrifying force blasted him away, collapsing a section of the hall complex, raising clouds of dust. Ye Chen said coldly, "You also deserve death!"
"Fellow Daoist, please show mercy," Great Sage Hong Tian spoke to stop him, then smiled bitterly. "Regarding this, I am very sorry. The fault is mainly mine. If not for me, Little Ape would not have done such things. Fellow Daoist, do as you wish. After all, I am no match for you now. I only hope you will show Little Ape some mercy."
"Master—"
The Silver Ape King urgently spoke, but Great Sage Hong Tian stopped his words. "Fellow Daoist, whatever you wish to do, go ahead."
"Rest assured, I will not let you off. But before dealing with you, there are some things I must know!" Ye Chen said directly. "What is Slaying the Heavens?"
His purpose in coming here was to know the answer about Slaying the Heavens.
Great Sage Hong Tian was surprised. "Fellow Daoist is a deity, yet you do not know about the matter of Slaying the Heavens?"
"Is that strange?" Ye Chen frowned.
"It is strange," Great Sage Hong Tian nodded. "Once one's cultivation reaches the Heavenly God Realm, they are preliminarily confirmed on the list of combatants for the Slaying the Heavens War. Once they reach the Divine Spirit Realm, they are among the strongest. Fellow Daoist, being a deity, it is impossible for you not to know about the Slaying the Heavens matter."
Ye Chen had already prepared a line of reasoning. "I have been in secluded cultivation, never wandering the mortal world, focusing solely on studying the Dao. I only recently emerged into the world. Passing through the Xia Feng Kingdom, I learned of the demonic beast turmoil. I was merely curious about the affairs in the deepest part of the Demonic Beast Mountain Range. Since I heard about the Slaying the Heavens War, naturally I wished to inquire."
"So that's how it is. No wonder Fellow Daoist is unclear about what Slaying the Heavens is," Great Sage Hong Tian suddenly understood, then abruptly asked a question. "Fellow Daoist, may I ask, do you know what lies beyond the Tian Du Continent?"
"Beyond the continent, isn't it an even vaster, broader world? The myriad worlds, the realms of the heavens," Ye Chen said. He wasn't very familiar with the situation of the Tian Du Continent, but the Tian Du Continent was definitely not the only continent. Between heaven and earth existed the myriad realms, infinite worlds, endless wonders.
The seemingly powerful and vast Tian Du Continent, compared to the truly immense universe, was nothing more than a grain of sand, insignificant.
On this point, he had more authority to speak than any other living being on the Tian Du Continent, because he himself came from beyond the Tian Du Continent.
However, Great Sage Hong Tian's next words caused Ye Chen's expression to change drastically: "Beyond the Tian Du Continent, there is nothing!"
"Nothing!?" Ye Chen's entire body shook. He urgently inquired, sensing that this must involve some truly ancient secrets concerning the entire Tian Du Continent.
"Yes, precisely nothing," Great Sage Hong Tian's face revealed a trace of helplessness and self-mockery. "In the past, I, and the sages of previous generations, all believed that although the Tian Du Continent was vast, it could not possibly be the only land. Within the immense universe, there must be broader worlds, other races and living beings, worlds of infinite wonders."
"But it is a great pity. In the end, when we came into contact with the true truth, we discovered a terrifying scene."
"Because the Tian Du Continent itself is a prison! A prison that confines endless living beings!"