Heavenly Kings from all sides advanced to press upon the Imperial City.
In this world, there were not many who wished for the Battle Saint King to succeed in his breakthrough.
Even without being a Heavenly King, he could already slay Heavenly Kings and was invincible in the mortal world. If he were to achieve the Heavenly King realm, what then?
He would press down upon all the Heavenly Kings of the heavens, making it hard for them to breathe, especially since the Ancient Divine Palace and the imperial clans held deep grudges against the Battle Saint King, having once faced off in life-and-death confrontations. How could such enmity be easily resolved?
It was absolutely a fight to the death.
The other Immortal True Kings were also somewhat hostile to the Battle Saint King, as they were all competitors on the path of the Human Sovereign.
Yet they stood in the distant sky, unmoving, only their auras fluctuating, submerging themselves.
It was because of their own pride. All being at the Tenth Heaven, they wanted to know how they compared in strength to the Battle Saint King, the first supreme genius since the Mythical Era to break into the Tenth Heaven domain.
They disdained attacking the Battle Saint King during his breakthrough. By reason and propriety, it felt like an unearned victory, a great insult to themselves.
But they would not lend a hand either. This was a tribulation for the Battle Saint King.
"Kill!"
A great melee erupted outside the Imperial City. The nine Heavenly Kings of the great imperial dynasties formed battle arrays to confront the powerhouses of the Ancient Divine Palace, doing their utmost to restrain them, giving birth to myriad strange phenomena.
Celestial dragons, Black Tortoises, Kunpengs, and other supreme creatures appeared one after another. Worlds rose and fell, starry skies descended, all manifesting within the battle formation, suppressing the eight Heavenly Kings of the Ancient Divine Palace, preventing them from breaking out for a time.
This was the terrifying aspect of the Nine Stars Battle Formation, perfectly integrating the combat power of the nine Heavenly Kings of the imperial dynasties, unleashing extraordinary force.
Even with a terrifying figure like the Palace Master of the Ancient Divine Palace, aided by the other seven Heavenly Kings, they were trapped, unable to break free.
But that was all. They had no strength to spare. The powerhouses of the Ancient Divine Palace were all formidable, especially the Palace Master, who was excessively powerful, a top-tier expert even among Heavenly Kings. Ordinary Heavenly Kings were no match for him, not even lasting a single exchange.
Were it not for the formation, the nine Heavenly Kings of the imperial dynasties would have been utterly unable to stop such a peerless figure.
What remained was for the Three Immortal Maidens to protect the Imperial City.
*Hum—*
The Three Immortal Maidens all took action, radiating a hazy brilliance that protected the entire Imperial City. They even summoned boundless, vast Faith Power, surging and swelling, mighty enough to strike the heavens.
Ye Chen was in the midst of his breakthrough; no mishap could be allowed.
The three of them were responsible for guarding.
Above the Imperial City, aside from the eight Heavenly Kings of the Ancient Divine Palace, more than seven other Heavenly Kings arrived. There were those from imperial clans, from the three Sacred Lands, and also Heavenly Kings from the Ancient Emperor Continent, all eyeing the Imperial City covetously, also sensing the increasingly oppressive, terrifying aura emanating from within.
Everyone knew that Ye Chen's accumulation was unprecedentedly terrifying. Once he achieved Heavenly King status, he would be unprecedentedly fearsome.
None of them wished for Ye Chen to truly succeed in his breakthrough. Knowing Ye Chen's strength—a peerless monstrous talent not inferior to an Emperor's son—if they could obtain his Dao fruit and Saint Body essence blood, it would be a great temptation for them.
The Goddess, Yi Wu, and Chen'er, the Three Immortal Maidens, guarded the Imperial City. The Central Heavenly Palace also manifested a massive, ancient formation that Ye Chen had laid down over the years.
Within, Saint-level experts appeared one after another, stationed at each eye of the defensive ancient formation, covering the Central Heavenly Palace of the Imperial City.
Moreover, the Great Power-level ancient divine ship appeared, repaired by Ye Chen and inscribed with numerous array patterns. A host of experts from the Saint Realm piloted it, unleashing astonishing divine might through the various magic formations, firing beams of divine light that actually intercepted two Heavenly Kings, isolating them.
From the Central Heavenly Palace, a thick pillar of purple qi shot forth, permeating the heavens, dyeing the sky purple. It was vast and majestic fortune descending upon him.
It was not a tangible force, but possessed a mysterious power. Strands of fortune power fell upon the nine Heavenly Kings of the imperial dynasties, the Three Immortal Maidens, the Great Power-level divine ship, and the experts within the defensive ancient formation, allowing them to wield their strength with even greater ease.
In the Divine Realm, the old knight riding a lame horse suddenly turned, seeing this scene, and sighed softly: "What a successor of the Battle Saint lineage. Since we parted that year, he has actually grown to this extent, dabbling in Faith Power, wish power, and even fortune power. He is a fearsome junior. I'm afraid this breakthrough to Heavenly King will reach at least the Fifth Heaven, perhaps even higher."
Then he looked toward the starry sky, at the light gate being attacked by the Great Powers of the Myriad Domains, and whispered: "You need to hurry. Otherwise, trouble will arise if you're late."
"Kill!"
The two Heavenly Kings were blocked by the Great Power-level divine ship. The remaining five Heavenly Kings attacked, striking toward the Central Heavenly Palace of the Imperial City. They summoned great magical power, light shining for millions of zhang, flooding the Imperial City as they assaulted the Central Heavenly Palace.
One summoned stars from the starry sky, another uprooted a mountain range from the Ancient Emperor Continent, another drew down a meteor shower, while another displayed world-destroying divine abilities. Everything poured down upon the location of the Central Heavenly Palace of the Imperial City, clashing most terribly with the defensive ancient formation and the Three Immortal Maidens.
Even the powerful defensive ancient formation shook violently. Vast amounts of Faith Power scattered. The thirty-six Saint-level experts stationed at the thirty-six formation eyes of the defensive formation all coughed blood simultaneously, among them not a few overlords and even Saint Lords, yet they still suffered greatly.
All because the five Heavenly Kings were veteran Heavenly Kings, having achieved the realm for many years, and were extremely powerful.
The Goddess let out a light shout, attacking forcefully, clashing head-on with a veteran Heavenly King from the Sun God Dynasty, exploding with boundless radiance, not retreating a single step.
She even turned and slapped a palm toward another part of the sky, where a sneaking Heavenly King was charging over. They collided, shattered, and drowned each other out.
Yi Wu's temperament changed greatly, transforming into a Divine Maiden. She raised her hand in a flower-pinching gesture, and one flower after another appeared, blooming, their light sparkling.
Petals of myriad flowers danced, crystalline and jade-like, carrying a fragrant aura, spinning, shimmering with light, radiant.
Yet each petal contained the power of Dao marks. As they danced out, they shattered the firmament, annihilating everything.
She blocked a veteran Heavenly King. Her methods were beautiful, yet she fought until flowers rained down and light flashed.
Chen'er sat cross-legged on a twelve-grade lotus throne. Divine lotuses bloomed in the void, one green lotus after another blossoming around her.
Innocent and close to immortal, she communicated with the origin of the Ancient Emperor World, drawing in the essence of the great world, summoning the Great Dao of the heavens, providing buffs to the Goddess and Yi Wu, and also to the nine Heavenly Kings of the imperial dynasties, helping them recover their rapidly depleting divine power.
It must be said, she was truly extraordinary, arousing the wariness of others. Hers was an envious Xiantian physique, naturally in harmony with the Great Dao of the heavens.
Fierce battles raged outside, yet within the Central Heavenly Palace, Ye Chen, who had sat on the divine throne all day, finally moved. He raised his head to gaze at the sky and whispered softly: "Forty years have passed. Has it finally been accomplished?"