"Forty years have passed, and it's finally all complete?" Ye Chen raised his head to gaze at the sky, murmuring softly to himself.
Far beyond the Ancient Emperor Realm, at the extreme distance of the endless void.
There lay an ancient and vast world, billions of li in size, emanating a majestic and abundant worldly aura, yet also carrying a sense of new life.
This was the Ancient Orchid Great World, or more accurately, the brand-new Ancient Orchid Great World. At this moment, it had completely fused with the Tian Du Continent, perfectly merging into one, becoming even more vast and immense.
It could be seen that the Tian Du Continent, though distant from the Ancient Orchid Continent, had its origin unified with it.
Outside the Ancient Orchid Great World, an incarnation of Ye Chen had remained there all along, observing the fusion of the two great heavens and earths. When the two worlds completely and perfectly merged into one, an even more boundless comprehension of the Great Dao surged within his mind.
With a soft *poof*, this incarnation dissipated, vanishing completely.
But Ye Chen within the Central Heavenly Palace paid it no mind; he was immersed in sensing these Great Dao insights.
At the instant the two worlds fully merged, some light and shadow appeared in Ye Chen's mind. Among them were scenes of the Ancient Orchid Monarch opening up the great world, and also scenes of September Great Power opening up the Tian Du Continent. All of them surfaced in his mind at this moment, allowing him to feel those Great Dao realizations even more profoundly.
Simultaneously, his cultivation also increased to a startling degree, rising a significant step beyond its original foundation.
Moreover, with the merging of the two worlds, Ye Chen, as the master of their origin, directly received a massive surge of origin power from the World Gate, which poured into his body, causing his divine power to instantly grow much stronger.
A long time later, after all comprehension had thoroughly concluded, Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes. Dazzling radiance erupted from them, shattering the void and shaking the heavens.
*Boom!*
Suddenly, a dull, thunderous roar exploded between heaven and earth, as if the Great Dao itself was wailing in sorrow. It alarmed all the powerful experts on both sides, who all looked toward the Central Heavenly Palace of the Imperial City with surprise and suspicion.
Especially the experts of the Ancient Divine Palace, the other hostile Heavenly Kings, and the distant Immortal True Kings—their expressions changed in an instant. For they could sense that an extremely terrifying, world-shaking aura of the Great Dao had appeared there in a flash, spreading out like lightning, inundating heaven and earth, making it seem as if all the Great Daos of the heavens were about to submit and wail.
It was as if a peerless great evil had awakened, about to emerge into the world.
Even far away in the Divine Realm, the Five Divine Kings and the old knight sensed it. They immediately looked toward the Imperial City, shooting forth brilliant rays of light, staring intently without blinking, their faces showing astonishment.
Deep within the Imperial City, hidden away, was another mysterious space. Since ancient times, no one had been able to perceive its exact location, nor had anyone been able to enter it—not even the ancient Great Powers.
That was the territory occupied by the most mysterious and ancient Guardian Clan. They had never emerged into the world, yet even during the Age of Gods, this clan appeared so transcendent that even powerful beings like Great Powers were unwilling to provoke them.
Within this mysterious space at this moment, several hazy yet powerful figures all opened their eyes. Their gazes seemed capable of piercing through this space to see the outside world.
"So strong. This era has produced a young genius who is excessively powerful, actually possessing such peerless Dao majesty."
One of them murmured softly, revealing a tone of shock.
"Indeed, very young, yet so powerful, surpassing all the geniuses throughout the ages of this epoch."
"This era is different. It will be the time within this epoch that can give birth to Emperors and Sovereigns. The supreme offspring of Emperors and Sovereigns will all choose to emerge into the world one after another in this era. The geniuses of all ages will gather in this era. So it's not strange for such a powerful genius to appear. Because the fortune of this epoch is basically concentrated in this era." Someone from the Guardian Clan spoke.
Another person spoke, "Let's not mention that for now. The Eternal Chessboard has arrived, and the Profound Ancient Gate will inevitably be opened. Our Guardian Clan must make the necessary preparations to face the impact."
"Correct. The Guardian Clan exists to protect the Ancient Emperor Realm. On the other side of the Profound Ancient Gate lies heaven-defying opportunities, but there might also exist the most dangerous great evils. According to the fragmentary records left by the Supreme Saint Emperor, at the farthest end of the Divine Realm lies a great evil. It might be on the other side of the gate, or perhaps on the other side of the Immortal Heavenly Pass. But regardless, we must prepare as soon as possible to face any impact."
"Having slumbered for eternity, we must choose to emerge!"
At this moment, the Guardian Clan chose to emerge into the world.
Simultaneously, the terrifying Dao majesty within the Imperial City quickly dissipated, as if it had never appeared.
Upon the Divine Throne, Ye Chen stood up tall, his black hair cascading down, his Dao majesty restrained. Yet his cultivation and divine power had increased by an unknown amount, lying dormant within his body, giving his entire person a feeling of unfathomable depth.
He instinctively looked toward the deepest part of the Imperial City, sensing an obscure and special fluctuation there. He soon understood, murmuring softly, "So the Guardian Clan is hidden there. If not for that slight fluctuation, even I would have had difficulty detecting them."
Previously, although the Guardian Clan was within the Imperial City, even someone as powerful as Ye Chen found it hard to perceive them, because this clan hid too secretly.
Now, his spiritual sense was excessively powerful; not the slightest, most subtle fluctuation in this world could escape his perception, hence he detected that slight fluctuation.
"He has discovered our clan? He truly is strong." A powerful expert from the Guardian Clan exclaimed in admiration, sensing Ye Chen's gaze.
Ye Chen withdrew his gaze, no longer looking over. He did not wish to make an enemy of the Guardian Clan.
"Yiyiyaya—"
"Aoao—"
Beside the Divine Throne were two adorable little beasts—Yiyi and the Golden Little Divine Dragon. They had not participated in the battle, but had remained guarding Ye Chen's side all along to prevent any accidents.
"Let's go, go outside and take a look."
He smiled slightly at the two little beasts, reached out to grab them, and placed them on his shoulders to be with him.
*Swish!*
Ye Chen stepped out from the Central Heavenly Palace in a single stride, arriving high above the Imperial City. This immediately caused the fiercely battling sides to cease fighting, all looking toward Ye Chen.
"Qian Yue—"
"Your Highness—"
The former was called by the Three Immortal Maidens, the latter by the nine Heavenly Kings of the Imperial Dynasties and the experts of the Holy Domain.
Ye Chen smiled and nodded at them, his black hair draped over his shoulders, his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes appearing very calm and composed. There wasn't even the slightest hint of Great Dao pressure leaking out, no different from an ordinary person.
But the more he appeared like this, the more it made people change expression. Because the current Battle Saint King was strange—seemingly calm, yet giving people a heart-palpitating feeling.
It was as if beneath that human-shaped body was not a person, but an invincible True Dragon.
Ye Chen stood firm in the sky, letting the two little beasts on his shoulders fly toward the Three Immortal Maidens, and said, "Jingruo, Wu'er, Chen'er, you and the others rest. Leave this place to me to handle."
"Qian Yue, but—" The Three Immortal Maidens were worried, because the Heavenly Kings who had come were not just two or three, but a full dozen or more.
And most fearsome was the Ancient Divine Palace, far stronger than ordinary Heavenly Kings.
Ye Chen showed them a confident smile: "Don't worry, leave it all to me. If it truly comes to battle, I can suppress all enemies."