Ye Chen agreed and promised to properly protect these younger generation members.
Only then did the chieftain reveal a genuine smile and speak: "Young friend, you can rest assured. Our Guardian Clan will not have you provide shelter for nothing. This is a key diagram of the Imperial City. If you encounter a crisis in the future, you can use it to control the Central Imperial City to face the enemy. Even when confronting a Sovereign, you need not fear, as it can be defended using the Emperor-level ancient array left by Tai Sheng Huang. However, it is primarily defensive. Once activated, it is difficult to completely breach unless one is an Emperor."
He handed over a Memory Jade, which recorded various details about the Central Imperial City.
Their Guardian Clan had been bestowed a corresponding mission by Tai Sheng Huang and had also been left the entire Central Imperial City. Once revived, it could be considered indestructible, the greatest defensive location, impregnable.
Naturally, fully activating all Emperor-level arrays required power at or above the Sovereign level, but even a portion was enough to make the entire Central Imperial City as solid as a fortress.
In fact, this was also the greatest reason why the myriad forces of the heavens had always been wary of the Guardian Clan. With an impregnable Imperial City, who would be willing to provoke them?
Ye Chen was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected the other party to present such a generous gift, truly making him feel overwhelmed by the favor.
The Central Imperial City was Tai Sheng Huang's Imperial City. During the Mythical Era, he often resided there. It contained his Emperor and Sovereign majesty and was engraved with corresponding Emperor and Sovereign array patterns. Once revived, who in the world could breach it? It would undoubtedly be the greatest defensive fortress.
Others, including the Five Divine Kings, were envious. After all, such an Imperial City was a place that even ancient Great Sages greatly feared, offering absolute defense.
However, after pondering for a moment, Ye Chen shook his head and refused, leaving everyone stunned and puzzled.
They only heard Ye Chen say: "Several seniors, this junior cannot accept such a great gift. You are heading to the Emperor's Pass to battle the alien race, heroes of our realm. Protecting your clan's younger generation is my duty. How could I accept a gift? Moreover, if you take the Central Imperial City to the Tenth Emperor's Pass, it will undoubtedly better safeguard the pass's security. You should take it with you. In a few days, I will move the Holy Domain away from the Imperial City."
These words caused the Guardian Clan to regard him with deep respect. They hadn't expected Ye Chen to resist such a great temptation and make such a concession.
Even Xia Zhidi and the Five Divine Kings secretly sighed, viewing Ye Chen in a new light.
The Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord nodded, revealing a gratified expression.
"Young friend, you should still accept this gift. If the Imperial City could be moved, we naturally wouldn't leave it behind. In fact, the Imperial City is difficult to relocate. Only an existence at the Emperor level can move it, as it possesses the majesty of an Emperor. It can only remain in the Ancient Emperor Realm," the Guardian Clan chieftain explained.
The Imperial City was once the place from which an Emperor ruled the myriad heavens, representing an Emperor's majesty. How could it be easily moved?
So that was the case. Ye Chen understood, his eyes also revealing fervor. Since the Imperial City had completely fallen into his hands, he no longer feared any force in the Ancient Emperor Realm that could truly threaten the Holy Domain's safety.
Finally, the Guardian Clan departed en masse, leaving through the spatial ancient gate of the Central Imperial City, which had passages leading to the myriad realms.
In fact, when Great Powers from the myriad realms departed, they mostly left through this ancient gate.
During the Mythical Era, experts often came to pay homage to Tai Sheng Huang. They could all use spatial teleportation gates to reach the Imperial City, hence the related passages remained.
Of course, the Imperial City's spatial gate had only truly opened recently because the Emperor Realm was previously sealed, preventing passage. Now it was different; one could traverse the vast skies.
This matter was temporarily concluded.
As time passed, according to news received by the Holy Domain, those Immortal True Kings had left the Ancient Emperor Realm one after another, returning to the myriad realms.
Even an Imperial Son like Shen Rong did so.
Ye Chen also began preparing various matters. In the not-too-distant future, he too would leave the Ancient Emperor Realm.
On this day, a powerful Immortal True King arrived—Ye Gucheng. Perhaps more accurately now, he could be called a Supreme One of the young generation, as he had also achieved the Tenth Heaven, a young generation's supreme. He strode forth and entered the Central Heavenly Palace.
Accompanying him was a Great Power from the Ye Family on this trip, a powerful one. Great Powers from imperial clans were generally quite strong.
Ye Chen seemed to have anticipated this and had been waiting in the Central Heavenly Palace, inviting the two to sit.
Seeing Ye Chen, who now remained calm and composed even in the face of ancient Great Sages, Ye Gucheng couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. After all, their first meeting was at the Purple Mansion Sacred Land when both were merely insignificant Demigod-level cultivators. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, both had grown to this level.
Especially Ye Chen, who had reached a level where he could stand as an equal to the Great Powers of the myriad heavens. Even the Ye Family's Great Power had to sigh in admiration. This was indeed an extraordinary young generation's supreme, forcing others to view him with new respect.
Naturally, the more one understood, the more one was shocked and wary of Ye Chen. This youth who had reincarnated and cultivated anew was truly terrifying, excessively and astonishingly powerful, and had even established an immortal force.
If they could bring him back to the family, it would surely make the entire Ye Family powerful once again.
The Ye Family's Great Power harbored different thoughts.
Ye Gucheng got straight to the point, stating directly that seven months later, the Ye Family would hold its long-overdue family competition in the center of the Myriad Domains.
His appearance was to inform Ye Chen of this matter because he understood that Ye Chen was very concerned about this family competition—no, he was concerned about his family members, hence his attention.
Ye Chen said: "Good. Seven months from now, I will definitely rush to the Ye Family and participate in the competition."
Thereafter, Ye Gucheng and the Ye Family's Great Power left one after another. Everything in the Ancient Emperor Realm was nearing its end.
It was just a pity that Yaya, Ruoxi, and Will had entered the Ancient Emperor Realm, but over the years, Ye Chen had never given up searching. He had mobilized the Holy Domain's vast influence, yet there was still no trace.
He wondered, where exactly had these three gone?
Moreover, they were particularly difficult to divine. Will was special, enveloped in a unique aura. Yaya's true form was the World Tree, which could affect others' divinations. Ruoxi, being with Yaya, was the same.
Precisely because of this, Ye Chen had attempted divination more than once, but in the end, he found nothing.
The Three Immortal Maidens were worried that something might have happened to them.
Finally, Ye Chen invited the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord, Xia Zhidi, the Five Divine Kings, and others—a total of eight ancient Great Sage-level figures—to perform a joint divination.
Boom—
The heavens and earth trembled, and strange phenomena descended.
A glimpse of Heavenly Secrets was divined, appearing in their minds.
During this, Ye Chen saw Yaya, also saw Ruoxi, and even saw Will. All three were in a special place.
When he saw clearly, it was unmistakably—the Imperial Clan's Ancient Realm!