Within the space of the Hong Tian Divine Mountain Range, an ancient altar measuring three zhang square lay horizontally in the void.
Upon the altar, a terrifying divine being lay supine, humanoid in shape and similar in stature to a human, yet its body was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to discern its true race.
Its limbs and even the area over its heart were each pierced by a three-foot-long divine sword of a different color, deeply embedded in the altar, rendering it completely immobile.
These five divine swords were respectively golden, azure, blue, crimson, and yellow—precisely the colors of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, representing the Five Elements of heaven and earth.
The Five Elements Divine Swords, piercing the limbs and heart, sealed the Five Elements of heaven and earth, ensuring this humanoid creature could not move.
Moreover, the hilt of each divine sword was connected to a thick chain, which was also extraordinary, woven from the power of Dao marks at the divine realm. One end connected to the Five Elements Divine Hall, while the other end was completely embedded in the cave wall.
It was this ancient altar and the Five Elements Divine Swords that had completely sealed this Heavenly Demon from Beyond at the divine realm.
The mist shrouding the Heavenly Demon from Beyond could not obstruct Ye Chen's vision. His gaze was sharp, instantly seeing through it. At this moment, both Ye Chen and Old Yan's expressions turned grave.
Indeed, it was so.
The truth was almost identical to the speculation in their hearts.
However, he did not voice his thoughts, for this matter could not be revealed to others.
Great Sage Hong Tian pointed at the Heavenly Demon from Beyond and said, "Eighteen hundred years ago, while traveling the continent, I accidentally encountered this Heavenly Demon from Beyond invading the Tian Du Continent in the Southern Wilderness Ancient Forest. At the time, it seemed to be monitoring Tian Du from above the clouds. After I discovered it, it attacked me, forcing me into battle."
"Although I had attained the divine throne, I must admit that this Heavenly Demon from Beyond was unprecedentedly powerful. Not only did it possess combat strength rivaling a divine being, but the Dao techniques and divine abilities it commanded were terrifyingly formidable, truly dreadful!"
"During that battle, I gradually became unable to match it, falling into a disadvantage and sustaining injuries. Later, another divine powerhouse came to assist, ultimately suppressing this Heavenly Demon from Beyond."
"Although the great demon was suppressed, I bore the brunt of that battle. My Primordial Spirit was injured by it, and I was afflicted by a curse power, leaving me with quite severe Dao injuries."
"I originally wanted to fully heal the Dao injuries, but in the end, I was powerless. I even summoned the most powerful alchemist on the continent to treat me, but it was impossible to completely recover. They could only delay the progression of my injuries and gifted me a fragment of the World's Heart, allowing me to seal myself within it to slow the onset of the Dao injuries."
"However, I was responsible for suppressing this Heavenly Demon from Beyond. Over the subsequent millennia, at regular intervals, this Heavenly Demon from Beyond would rampage, preventing my Dao injuries from healing. Moreover, due to the rampages, the curse power on my body would flare up, triggering violent outbreaks of the Dao injuries. This led to Little Ape forcibly instigating disturbances and chaos later, using hundreds of thousands of lives to delay the progression of my Dao injuries."
Great Sage Hong Tian briefly recounted the cause and effect; otherwise, detailing it would not be a matter of a few simple words.
Yet, the peril of that battle could be felt by anyone; otherwise, it would not have left a divine being of his stature bearing severe Dao injuries for over a thousand years, ultimately reduced to such a state.
On the ancient altar, the Heavenly Demon from Beyond, pierced and sealed by the Five Elements Divine Swords, sensed the entry of others. Its eyes suddenly opened, like cold lightning flashing, illuminating the entire dark cave as it coldly swept its gaze over Great Sage Hong Tian and Ye Chen.
An extremely terrifying might erupted from its body, wantonly radiating and releasing. The entire Hong Tian Divine Mountain Range trembled violently. The Five Elements Divine Swords and even the Five Elements order chains clattered loudly, pulled taut as if they might snap at any moment.
"Hmph, a prisoner dares to struggle? Seeking death!"
Great Sage Hong Tian snorted coldly, striking out with five streams of divine power that shimmered with five-colored divine light, each entering one of the Five Elements Divine Swords. Immediately, they clanged loudly, sword energy surging to the heavens. The power of Dao marks intertwined, causing the five pierced locations on the Heavenly Demon from Beyond to bleed profusely, staining the ancient altar red.
Upon sensing the unprecedented, powerful fluctuations from Great Sage Hong Tian's body, the Heavenly Demon from Beyond was slightly taken aback. "Great Sage Hong Tian, have your Dao injuries healed?"
Great Sage Hong Tian chuckled coldly. "Sorry to disappoint you. Thanks to the help of this Fellow Daoist, the Dao injuries you inflicted on me have been suppressed. I have now recovered my original divine realm cultivation. Unfortunately, you are still suppressed by me."
Suddenly, a pair of icy cold eyes fell upon Ye Chen. However, Ye Chen also looked back at him with equal coldness. Four solidified gazes collided in the void, trembling the space until it nearly tore apart.
The Heavenly Demon from Beyond showed neither surprise nor anger. After a brief moment of astonishment, it regained its composure. A divine sense spread out. "So that's how it is. Although the Dao injuries on you, Great Sage Hong Tian, are not yet healed, they are suppressed by a special Dao and method, temporarily harmless. No wonder you can appear before This Seat. This person is indeed extraordinary. Congratulations to your Tian Du Continent for giving birth to another divine being."
Though it said congratulations, it sounded tinged with a hint of mockery.
Great Sage Hong Tian's expression suddenly turned cold. He snorted, "You'd better worry about yourself."
The Heavenly Demon from Beyond shook its head, showing no awareness of being a prisoner. On the contrary, it advised, "Great Sage Hong Tian, respecting you all as sages of your generation, reaching this step on this imprisoned continent is quite remarkable. Therefore, I advise you not to struggle desperately. So-called 'Slaying the Heavens' is useless because you will never know our true power."
"Whether that is so depends on human effort," Ye Chen suddenly interjected.
"Another ignorant fool," the Heavenly Demon from Beyond shook its head, finding it laughable. "Does so-called divinity represent the supreme? You must know this is merely your foolish notion. The Great Dao is infinite; the divine realm, the Saint Treasury realm, are merely one of its realms. I advise you not to struggle. Stay obediently on the Tian Du Continent; we will not harm you."
"Obediently wait for you to monitor and study us?" Ye Chen said, then inexplicably added, "Let me ask you: in the myriad realms, on the Human Sovereign's path, has a true Human Sovereign been determined in recent years?"
Hearing this, the Heavenly Demon from Beyond suddenly showed shock, staring at Ye Chen in astonishment. "You... how do you know?"
Ye Chen only smiled mysteriously. "Actually, I know far more than you imagine. If one day you manage to escape back alive, help me pass on a message. Tell those people—Yuan Yao Divine King, Sun God, Primordial Demon God—that a dead man misses them and will seek them out one day."
The Heavenly Demon from Beyond trembled all over, utterly shocked. It looked at Ye Chen in horror, more astonished than if it were facing its own death, to an incomparable degree.
After leaving the Hong Tian Divine Mountain Range, Great Sage Hong Tian suddenly looked at Ye Chen with extreme wariness. Threads of divine might radiated and released, directed at Ye Chen, as he stood ready, saying, "Fellow Daoist, I need an explanation!"
The so-called explanation was to understand the meaning behind the dialogue between Ye Chen and the Heavenly Demon from Beyond.
What did the myriad realms and the Human Sovereign's path refer to?
Who were Yuan Yao Divine King, Sun God, and Primordial Demon God?
Why did the Heavenly Demon from Beyond's expression change so drastically upon hearing these?
Now, he suddenly harbored a suspicion: the Ye Chen before him might not be a creature of the Tian Du Continent but possibly one from beyond the continent.
This speculation was like a seed; once rooted, it became difficult to uproot. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
Ye Chen naturally understood what Great Sage Hong Tian was thinking. "Regarding this secret, it is a personal secret of mine, not to be revealed to others. However, one thing I can do is swear a Heavenly Dao oath that I absolutely have no intention of harming the Tian Du Continent. You can rest assured on this point."
Great Sage Hong Tian's expression eased slightly. After all, every divine powerhouse was proud and had their own secrets, impossible to share with others.
Moreover, for him, as long as Ye Chen did not intend to harm the Tian Du Continent, that was enough.
"My apologies, Fellow Daoist. I was rash just now," Great Sage Hong Tian apologized.
Ye Chen shook his head. "No need to apologize. I understand your feelings. Since your injuries have also been suppressed, let the demonic beast disturbances end. There's no need to let more innocent lives be sacrificed in vain for this chaos."
"That is only right," Great Sage Hong Tian said. "I will shortly transmit a message to Little Ape, telling him to end the disturbances."
After a pause, Great Sage Hong Tian suddenly said, "Fellow Daoist, may I ask where you plan to go after leaving? The Slaying the Heavens War is imminent, a layout spanning generations of ancient sages. I hope a top-tier powerhouse like you, Fellow Daoist, can join, adding a sliver of hope for our Tian Du Continent's victory."
He was full of expectation. Such divine-level combat strength was indispensable for the Slaying the Heavens War. The more divine beings, the greater the hope of victory. Thus, he hoped Ye Chen would participate in this battle.
"We'll see when the time comes," Ye Chen said vaguely, neither refusing nor agreeing. Regarding this, Great Sage Hong Tian dared not force him to participate. If the other party became angry and stood on the opposing side, it would instead become a great harm to the Tian Du Continent.
Finally, before Ye Chen departed, Great Sage Hong Tian handed him an ancient token. On both sides was a character: 'Slaying the Heavens.' It also exuded a faint divine Dao charm.
He said, "Fellow Daoist, perhaps you may not participate in the Slaying the Heavens War, but please accept this token. It is the alliance leader's token of the Slaying the Heavens Alliance. Only divine existences are qualified to hold it. As long as you hold this token, you can go anywhere on the Tian Du Continent. No one would dare offend you. It should bring you considerable convenience."
Ye Chen accepted it without a second thought. Reflecting on these past days, he had received Martial God An Yang's token from the Martial God Hall, Li Yun's token from the Alchemist Heart Palace, and now the alliance leader's token of the Slaying the Heavens Alliance. It seemed many were willing to look after him.
Moreover, this Slaying the Heavens Alliance leader token would indeed be of great use. Once presented, who would dare not show respect?
Finally, Great Sage Hong Tian suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, Fellow Daoist?"
Yet at this moment, Ye Chen's figure had already drifted away, disappearing into the distance. Only a voice came from afar: "I am—Qian!"