Facing the boundless, overwhelming divine pressure from Great Sage Hong Tian that surged like a tidal wave, Ye Chen merely smiled faintly. His black robe fluttered without wind as he released a divine pressure that was not the least bit inferior to the other's, confronting it head-on.
Crack—
The collision of two boundless, majestic divine pressures caused even the stable void to tear apart with a cacophony of sounds at this moment. Massive, pitch-black spatial fissures appeared, terrifyingly huge like gaping, ferocious black maws ready to devour flesh and blood.
This was the true might of a Divine Spirit Realm existence. Merely the clash of their pressures was enough to tear and shatter a void that even a Martial God could not budge.
If they were to truly fight, one could only imagine how terrifyingly powerful it would be.
Feeling the vast pressure emanating from the other party, which was in no way inferior to his own, Great Sage Hong Tian shuddered violently. He finally calmed down somewhat from the joy of recovering his formidable power, looking deeply at the black-robed figure.
This mysterious black-robed man had remained unfathomably profound from beginning to end. Even when he, Great Sage Hong Tian, had regained his peak Divine Spirit-level power, the other remained as calm and unperturbed as a deep, still well, showing not the slightest ripple of emotion.
Either he was so terrified he had lost his senses, or he possessed absolute strength and absolute confidence, fearing nothing.
Undoubtedly, the black-robed man before him belonged to the latter category.
Scenes of his encounters with the black-robed man flashed through his mind, and a profound sense of wariness arose within him.
This mysterious black-robed man had an extraordinary origin. He knew absolutely nothing about him, yet the other seemed to have a rather deep understanding of him. Moreover, the peerless methods he had displayed earlier, his current composure—everything about him made him impossible to see through, shrouded in a mysterious fog.
The astonishing divine pressure receded like a tide, as if it had never appeared. Great Sage Hong Tian rose to his full height, landing on the ground to stand eye-to-eye with Ye Chen.
His expression finally softened into a smile. "Fellow Daoist, I believe you have misunderstood. It's just that I had just recovered and hadn't fully controlled my aura yet. My apologies for the earlier offense; please forgive me."
"Is that so? What a pity," Ye Chen said, his tone tinged with regret. "I was also planning to experience the power of another Divine Spirit besides myself. But it seems there isn't much opportunity now."
As he spoke, he even sighed lightly twice, as if genuinely regretful, making one's heart skip a beat.
Great Sage Hong Tian's brow twitched twice. Looking at Ye Chen's nonchalant demeanor, he could only force a chuckle, though the wariness in his heart deepened even further.
He believed this mysterious black-robed man would not say such words without reason.
Then, Ye Chen seemed to casually remind him: "Great Sage Hong Tian, although you have regained your Divine Spirit Realm cultivation and can be considered to dominate the entire Tian Du Continent, there is one point I hope you will remember. For now, I have only temporarily suppressed your Dao injuries. But without that specific divine pill, your injuries will inevitably erupt within five years."
"Moreover, this eruption will likely be even more violent than before. Because they have been overly suppressed, once they rebound, I'm afraid even a Divine Spirit like yourself, Fellow Daoist, would be instantly annihilated."
Hearing Ye Chen's calm words made Great Sage Hong Tian's heart skip several beats, filling him with shock.
Because he knew deeply that this was likely Ye Chen's warning to him: do not harbor any ulterior motives towards me. Without his intervention to suppress the injuries, he had only five years to live.
This was also a form of restraint and control the other had over him. If he wanted to survive, without the other's help, it was impossible.
After a pause, Great Sage Hong Tian immediately put on a full smile. "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist. I will keep it in mind."
Ye Chen merely chuckled in response. If he didn't give this Great Sage Hong Tian some threat and intimidation, the latter might have tried to crush him the moment he recovered his power. The reason was likely because he, Ye Chen, dared to set conditions for a Divine Spirit like him, provoking his anger.
Although he had Old Yan's protection and was not afraid of the other, he always prepared for the worst. The Saint King Sealing Heaven Technique was a forbidden art he himself had created. In this world, no one understood this secret technique better than he did.
If Great Sage Hong Tian truly harbored ill intentions, he wouldn't mind letting this seal unravel, making this person regret ever crossing him.
This was also one of his assets against Great Sage Hong Tian, merely a hidden trump card. Unless absolutely forced, he did not intend to use it.
Finally, Ye Chen flicked his finger, sending out a streak of light. Great Sage Hong Tian casually caught it—it was a Memory Jade. Ye Chen said, "This contains the formula for the divine pill that can cure your Dao injuries. Once you gather all the required ingredients, I will refine the divine pill for you, completely healing your Dao injuries and restoring your full Divine Spirit combat power."
"I will certainly do my utmost to find all the ingredients, Fellow Daoist."
Great Sage Hong Tian naturally agreed. Then, his divine sense quickly scanned the contents of the Memory Jade: "Six-thousand-year Netherworld Grass, five-thousand-five-hundred-year Earth Soul Fruit, eight-thousand-year Heavenly Blood Lotus, nine-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-nine-year Sky-Supporting Flower..."
The names of various ingredients rapidly appeared in his mind. However, with each ingredient he saw, Great Sage Hong Tian couldn't help but be astonished. By the time he finished reading, even as a supreme Divine Spirit, he couldn't help but change expression.
Because every single herb recorded on the Memory Jade was truly precious, worth a fortune.
While these ingredients were indeed rare and could be called Heaven and Earth Treasures, they were not exactly scarce across the vast continent. What truly made him frown were their ages—each was several thousand years old.
It must be known that Heaven and Earth Treasures were highly coveted for their various wondrous effects. Any single one could fetch an astronomical price. Often, they were harvested by humans or demonic beasts before reaching a thousand years of age. It was rare for them to reach several thousand years, let alone eight or nine thousand. Even Divine Spirit experts couldn't live that long.
Therefore, the older the age, the more priceless such Heaven and Earth Treasures became.
Finally, he even saw the name of a Heaven and Earth Treasure with a ten-thousand-year age. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. This was no longer just a Heaven and Earth Treasure; it was a Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasure. Merely consuming it could extend one's lifespan by over three hundred years. It was absolutely priceless, something even Divine Spirits would covet madly.
Such a Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasure was beyond the reach of ordinary people; even Divine Spirits might not possess one.
This mysterious black-robed man had really given him a difficult task. It seemed curing his Dao injuries would indeed be challenging.
Great Sage Hong Tian couldn't help but raise this issue. "Fellow Daoist, is there really no other Heaven and Earth Treasure that can replace this Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasure?"
Ye Chen smiled indifferently. Although the pill formula contained Heaven and Earth Treasures that could cure Great Sage Hong Tian's Dao injuries, this Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasure was not among them. It was merely an additional condition he had attached because he needed it himself.
Of course, he couldn't tell Great Sage Hong Tian this. He said lightly, "That has nothing to do with me. I am only responsible for providing the formula and refining the pill. Whether you want your Dao injuries completely healed is your business."
Seeing this, Great Sage Hong Tian could only sigh helplessly.
Ye Chen said, "Alright. Now that your Dao injuries have been suppressed, Great Sage Hong Tian, I would like to know how you originally sustained such injuries. I can tell these are not ordinary Dao injuries. At the very least, a Divine Spirit must have struck you and inflicted a vicious curse power, which ultimately led you to this state."
"This power is quite strange, unlike anything from the Tian Du Continent. Moreover, from my perspective, during the Slaying the Heavens plan, the various Divine Spirits shouldn't have attacked you. If my guess is correct, it must have been caused by that Heavenly Demon from Beyond that you suppressed beneath the Hong Tian Divine Mountain Range."
Great Sage Hong Tian's pupils contracted slightly. He looked deeply at Ye Chen, ultimately forced to smile bitterly. "Fellow Daoist is truly extraordinary. You saw right through it. Impressive, impressive!"
Then, for the first time, a complex expression appeared on his face. He nodded. "If Fellow Daoist doesn't mind, let me show you the culprit behind my Dao injuries—the Heavenly Demon from Beyond!"
Heavenly Demon from Beyond referred to the races monitoring the Tian Du Continent.
Both Ye Chen and Old Yan were curious about these Heavenly Demons from Beyond. More importantly, when Ye Chen heard about these races monitoring the Tian Du Continent, he already had some suspicions.
Now was the time to verify them.
Boom—
Great Sage Hong Tian waved his hand, opening the divine platform he had previously meditated upon, revealing an empty, mysterious passage. This was the passage leading to the core of the Hong Tian Divine Mountain Range. Great Sage Hong Tian also used it to suppress the Heavenly Demon from Beyond beneath the mountains.
After the two entered the passage, in just an instant, they arrived in a vast, spacious cavern.
The cavern was about a hundred zhang high, but its interior was quite empty. Only in the center lay an ancient altar about three zhang in diameter, covered in dense marks of time.
Naturally, this was not the main point. What most attracted Ye Chen's gaze was the being on the ancient altar, radiating terrifying pressure—a peerless Divine Spirit pinned motionless by five divine swords—the Heavenly Demon from Beyond!
Upon seeing this Heavenly Demon from Beyond, Ye Chen slowly drew a sharp breath, finally verifying his suspicions.
So it was indeed the case!