The Imperial Clan's Ancient Realm was the location revealed by the divination to be where Ruoxi, Yaya, and Will were.
Their whereabouts had always been a mystery, impossible to trace. Even Ye Chen, as the master of the Holy Domain, had found no clues.
Who would have thought that their true location was actually within the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan.
When the divination revealed this, Ye Chen's initial shock was quickly followed by towering rage. Surging blood energy erupted from the crown of his head like golden holy flames sweeping across the sky, burning the heavens, creating a special phenomenon that shook the entire Central Imperial City.
The Tai Sheng Emperor held great righteousness for all living beings, and Ye Chen respected him. However, due to past conflicts, he was hostile to the Emperor's clan, standing on opposing sides.
Therefore, upon learning the divination result, his first thought was that the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan had acted, capturing the three and hiding them away, preventing him from ever finding their true location.
If not for today's sudden inspiration and the joint divination with several other ancient Great Sages, he might not have discovered their true whereabouts for a long time.
"Qian Yue, what's wrong?" The Three Immortal Maidens approached, seeing Ye Chen's grim expression and growing concerned.
"It's the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan. Yaya, Ruoxi, and Will are all in the ancient realm where that clan resides," Ye Chen said calmly, yet his words caused the Three Immortal Maidens to pale, for they knew of the enmity between Ye Chen and the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan.
Now that Yaya, Ruoxi, and Will were all within the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan, it was undoubtedly terrible news.
"What do you intend to do?" the goddess asked.
"Simple. Go to the Imperial Clan and demand Yaya and the others back," Ye Chen's words were concise yet forceful, drawing everyone's attention.
He turned to the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord and the other ancient Great Sages, cupping his fists. "Seniors, I hope you will lend me your aid."
"Of course."
The Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord naturally agreed, as did Xia Zhidi. After a slight hesitation, the Five Divine Kings also consented.
"We will go too," the Three Immortal Maidens volunteered. Ye Chen agreed. With so many ancient Great Sages accompanying them, what could possibly block their path?
However, Ye Chen did not head there immediately. First, he mastered the operational methods of the Central Imperial City and, three days later, announced the city's temporary lockdown to avoid it being affected.
Boom—
On this day, Ye Chen, along with the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord, Xia Zhidi, the Five Divine Kings, and a group of ancient Great Sage-level existences, entered the starry void. The Three Immortal Maidens also followed by Ye Chen's side.
Ye Chen once again arrived at the location from his previous visit to the Imperial Clan. This time, without the guidance of a Great Sage's letter to open the ancient realm, Ye Chen took forceful action, directly collapsing that region of the starry void, obliterating everything to find the ancient realm where the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan resided.
"Who goes there?!"
An ancient pass materialized within the Imperial Clan's ancient realm, imposing and majestic, bearing the mottled marks of battles from the Age of Gods. Numerous powerful experts guarded the pass, including figures at the Saint Treasury Realm level and even several super-powerful beings at the Reincarnation level.
However, upon seeing the visitors, their expressions immediately changed. They even sounded the alarm—the highest-level alarm—to summon the true high-ranking figures of the Imperial Clan.
Ye Chen and the others did not stop them, merely watching coldly.
Boom, boom, boom—
From the depths of the Imperial Clan's ancient realm, one terrifying aura after another erupted. Even ancient Great Sages appeared—Di Yan, along with the two Imperial Sons, Di Wushuang and Di Wuming, emerged one after another. Seeing this scene, their expressions also changed.
"Battle Saint King, Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord, what brings you here?" Di Yan spoke.
"Open the ancient realm. We are here to find someone," Ye Chen said succinctly.
"Find whom?" Di Yan asked.
"Them." Ye Chen performed a divine ability, projecting images of Yaya, Ruoxi, and Will into the starry void.
Seeing this, Di Yan's expression shifted slightly, but he said, "Battle Saint King, our Imperial Clan does not have the people you seek. You should leave. For today's matter, our Tai Sheng Imperial Clan can let bygones be bygones."
Boom—
Ye Chen acted indifferently and directly, merging several powers to rival the might of a Great Sage, shaking heaven and earth. The starry void collapsed, and the Imperial Clan's ancient realm trembled violently, as if about to be pierced.
Forceful!
The various experts were shocked. No one expected Ye Chen to resort to force at the slightest disagreement—he was too domineering.
The actions of Ye Chen and the several ancient Great Sage-level figures naturally alarmed the other supreme experts on the Ancient Emperor Continent, such as the Ancient Demon God and the Beast God, who were also stunned upon witnessing this.
"Battle Saint King, are you seeking death? Do you know what place this is?" Di Yan's face darkened as he shouted, standing within the ancient pass. Moreover, imperial might spread from within the Imperial Clan's ancient realm. The Qiankun Bagua Mirror revived, hovering over the ancient pass, overflowing with countless threads of immortal light containing the most terrifying supreme Emperor's laws, an immeasurable terror.
This caused the various Great Sages to pale. A single strike from it would reduce even a Great Sage to ashes, leaving nothing behind.
The Tai Sheng Imperial Clan intended to use this to intimidate Ye Chen, warning him not to go too far.
"Hmph, summoning the Emperor's Mirror—is it to display the Imperial Clan's lofty status or to threaten me for lacking a corresponding Emperor's weapon?" Ye Chen sneered coldly, unafraid. Two beams of immortal light shot from his body—the Human Emperor Tower and Tianhuang. He poured divine power into them, causing both supreme Emperor's weapons to revive.
Moreover, behind him, the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord, Xia Zhidi, the Five Divine Kings, and one ancient Great Sage after another stepped forward, their divine might vast, wielding the two supreme Emperor's weapons.
Boom, rumble, rumble—
The entire starry void seemed about to sink, and the Imperial Clan's ancient realm trembled even more, intimidated by the Emperor's weapons, as if on the verge of being torn apart.
"Open the gate and let them out. Otherwise, I don't mind starting a war with your Tai Sheng Imperial Clan!"
Ye Chen's words remained concise but forceful. He directly pressed forward, issuing a threat. The two supreme ancient weapons released ten thousand layers of immortal light as he strode forward, nearly piercing the Imperial Clan's ancient realm.
The various forces watching secretly from the shadows were dumbfounded. Even ancient Great Sages like the Ancient Demon God and the Beast God were shocked, for the Battle Saint King was truly too domineering, actually threatening an Imperial Clan like this.
One must know that this was a genuine Imperial Clan, the strongest employer with a true Emperor's heritage, its foundation unfathomably deep. Who in the world would dare such a thing?
"You—"
This caused Di Yan and the two Imperial Sons to tense up.
How many people in the world today would dare cause such a ruckus at a dignified Imperial Clan?
After all, the heritage of an Imperial Clan was terrifyingly profound, surpassing even supreme holy lands. It possessed the terrifying foundation left by an Emperor, the reason for its everlasting prosperity. Emperor's weapons were the most terrifying foundation that awed the heavens.
But Ye Chen was unafraid. He did not lack Great Sages, and he also possessed supreme Emperor's weapons. He even had the terrifying corpse of the Formless Sovereign, which, once released, would be incomparably fearsome. This was his confidence.
By now, he possessed the Ancient Orchid World, the Holy Domain, and other immortal holy lands. The Heavenly Gate would also support him. What force did he have to fear?
"Battle Saint King, do you truly intend to threaten our Tai Sheng Imperial Clan and force our clan's ancestor to emerge?" Di Yan snorted coldly, subtly releasing a threatening implication. The Imperial Clan still hid true ancient fossils, terrifyingly powerful, likely a Sovereign-level supreme existence.
Once such an existence emerged, even several more ancient Great Sages would be useless, for Sovereigns stood above Great Sages, with an even greater gap than between Great Sages and Heavenly Kings. They were truly pinnacle existences standing between heaven and earth.
If such a great terror were truly provoked, how many in the world could withstand it?
This shocked the experts of the heavens. Was the Imperial Clan's foundation truly so deep that it still had a supreme ancient fossil like a Sovereign alive?
Even the various Great Sages paled. However, the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord remained calm, as did Ye Chen.
He wasted no words, simply opening his internal space and pushing out a divine stone coffin. This immediately caused everyone's expressions to change, including those of the Imperial Clan. Some nearly cursed aloud—this guy was simply insane.
Who in the world did not know who was buried within the divine stone coffin? It was the world's most powerful Sovereign—the Formless Sovereign, an existence infinitely close to the Emperor realm.
No matter how forceful the Imperial Clan was, it had to compromise. The barefooted fear not the shod. No matter how powerful, they feared such a madman. Once such an existence was unleashed, it could very well annihilate the entire Imperial Clan.
"I ask you, do you still dare to wage war with me? I, barefooted, fear not the shod. At worst, I'll abandon the Holy Domain. My foundation lies in the Myriad Domains of the Heavens," Ye Chen said coldly.
"You win," even Di Wushuang's expression darkened, yet he had no recourse.
In a direct confrontation, as an Imperial Son, he feared no one of his generation. But the other party was someone who truly did not play by the rules.
He truly felt a sense of powerlessness.
"Let them out," Di Yan said with a dark expression.
In the end, they agreed to have Ruoxi, Yaya, and Will appear.
"Daddy—"
Not long after, two graceful figures appeared on the distant horizon. One of them was seen bouncing and jumping, appearing lively and spirited, her dark green hair fluttering as she swiftly crossed the sky and threw herself into Ye Chen's arms. Her exquisite, moving little face was filled with a lively smile as she giggled sweetly. "You finally came to find your most, most adorable precious daughter—Yaya."
It was Yaya. Decades apart, yet she remained the same girl in her sweet sixteen years, youthful and lively, exceptionally endearing.
Ye Chen patted Yaya's head, his eyes filled with doting affection. "Sorry, Daddy only came now. But don't worry, I'm taking you home."
Yaya nodded vigorously, then looked at the Three Immortal Maidens beside her. Cheerfully spreading her slender arms, she threw herself into the arms of the three women, saying crisply, "Mommy Jingruo, Mommy Yiwu, Mommy Chen'er, Yaya missed you."
The Three Immortal Maidens doted on Yaya immensely, surrounding her. Two little beasts also appeared—Yiyi and the Golden Little Divine Dragon.
Yaya happily hugged the two little beasts, rubbing her beautiful little face against them, causing the two little beasts to squeal.
Finally, Yaya obediently called out, "Grandpa Gate Lord," making the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord beam with joy. She then called each of the ancient Great Sages "Grandpa" in turn, delighting them.
After all, Yaya was innocent, lovely, lively, and pure. Coupled with her connection to Ye Chen, she was quite beloved by the several ancient Great Sages.
When these Great Sages learned Yaya's true identity as the World Tree, each was stunned for a long time before recovering. They never expected such a supreme-level being, existing only in the Mythological Era, to still be in the world. Their fondness for Yaya grew even stronger.
Ye Chen pulled Yaya over, looking her up and down for a long while before saying, "Yaya, they didn't do anything to you, did they?"
Yaya shook her head, giggling. "Don't worry, Dad. These guys wouldn't dare do anything to me. It's been all good food and drink here. Look, Dad, this is a gift from Yaya."
Yaya flipped her hand and presented several heavenly treasures, shimmering with radiant colors and emitting a fragrant aroma—they were several ten-thousand-year medicinal treasures, along with several exquisite pill bottles.
Ye Chen opened one to look. The bottles contained rare precious pills with a rich medicinal fragrance, astonishing him. Where had Yaya obtained these precious pills?
Seeing this, the Imperial Clan experts immediately paled, especially several elders, who quickly ordered some people, "Go back and check the herb garden immediately to see what spirit herbs are missing. Also, check the Alchemy Hall."
Not long after, several messages came back. The Imperial Clan experts' faces immediately darkened. Whether it was the heavily guarded herb garden or the Alchemy Hall, many treasures were missing, and all were from quite precious sequences.
But no related individuals were caught. No one even knew how they entered the heavily defended herb garden and Alchemy Hall—it was as if they came and went without a trace.
Ye Chen smiled. Yaya was the World Tree, innately proficient in the Dao of Time and Space. Ordinary formations could not stop her from coming and going.
The Imperial Clan elders wanted to rebuke Yaya, but catching a glimpse of Ye Chen's dark, unfriendly expression from the corner of their eyes, they all wisely shut their mouths. Otherwise, who knew what this extremely protective Battle Saint King might do?
After all, this guy dared to speak of attacking even an Imperial Clan.
"Brother."
Ruoxi arrived, her hair like a waterfall, skin like congealed fat, her gaze sparkling. She had grown even more stunningly beautiful, able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Three Immortal Maidens.
Having been separated from her brother for decades, Ruoxi was overjoyed to see him again.
"Sorry, Xier, for making you wait so long."
Ye Chen dotingly patted her head, pulling her close to examine her carefully. Only after confirming she was unharmed did he sigh in relief.
Finally, a man appeared, his skin a healthy wheat color, appearing robust and masculine, yet somehow giving off a lecherous vibe. It was Will. It was unclear how he had arrived on the Ancient Emperor Continent.
Before Ye Chen could even speak, the guy, upon reaching his side, couldn't help but chatter incessantly. "I say, Qian Yue, why did you have to show up now and ruin my great plan? You need to know I waited a long time for this perfect opportunity, and you had to come and mess it up. Compensate me immediately."
"Plan? What plan?" Faced with Will's sudden barrage of gibberish, Ye Chen was dumbfounded.
Yaya on the side curled her lip disdainfully. "Dad, this Black Uncle is very lecherous. He often sneaks over to peep at the women of the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan bathing. Sometimes he even puts a few poisonous snakes into the hot springs while others are bathing to scare them, making those women fly up naked so he can peep. He even calls it 'letting these women return to nature's embrace without a stitch.'"
"..."
Ye Chen and the others were speechless. This guy...
A group within the Imperial Clan immediately darkened their faces, veins bulging on their foreheads.
Because that area was mostly where their family members and descendants resided. This damned bastard.
"Nonsense!" Will denied righteously, his face solemn. "These women soaking in pools all day is bad for their skin. And they wear bras—oh, chest wraps—all the time, which is terrible for breast development. Taking them off is better, beneficial for their healthy growth. I'm doing them a favor, and checking their physical development. What's wrong with that?"
"I spit—"
Everyone present secretly spat. They had seen shameless people, but never one this shameless. This person was truly a model of shamelessness.
Boom—
At that moment, a large group of women rushed out from the Imperial Clan, their faces flushed and unpleasant. Most were quite beautiful, first-class great beauties in the mortal world. But at this moment, these people were furious and humiliated, arriving in a flurry.
This left the group at the ancient pass dumbfounded, for among them were figures of considerable status and position, including a little princess who was a direct descendant of a Great Sage like Di Yan. They all rushed out, and judging by their attire, they had come in a hurry, clearly having rushed out anxiously.
These women glared angrily at Will beside Ye Chen. Among them, a beautiful young girl shouted, "Will, you bastard, we're going to kill you!"
Everyone looked at Will. What great trouble had this guy caused now?
Will didn't blush at all, curling his lip. "It's just accidentally entering the wrong place and accidentally seeing you bathe. A glance won't make you lose a pound of flesh. If you feel that way, at worst find a place where I'll strip naked for you to see. I promise not to shout or scream, and I'll even let you touch me, and letting you see what true greatness is."
"..."
Not to mention the Imperial Clan, even Ye Chen himself found it hard to watch. This kid really had the nerve to say such things.
"You—"
The beauties of the Imperial Clan gnashed their teeth in hatred. Several of them charged out, attacking Will, including heroic women at the Saint Treasury Realm level who struck at him.
Ye Chen automatically stepped aside, clearing the area, acting as if he couldn't be bothered.
Will humphed repeatedly, saying to those women, "I'm telling you, don't make me speak, or you know what the consequences will be."
Hearing this, the women immediately froze, hesitating.
Some were confused, but Ye Chen and others familiar with Will knew he mastered the Divine Language Law, possessing an effect akin to 'words become law'—whatever he said would be accomplished.
In the end, even Great Sages like Di Yan and the Heavenly Gate's Gate Lord could no longer stand this farce and stepped in to stop it. Otherwise, who knew how many blush-inducing words would be spoken.
The farce finally came to an end. Ye Chen inquired about what had happened during this time—whether the Imperial and Emperor's Clan had done anything excessive to the three of them and how they had entered the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan.
Yaya replied that initially, she and Ruoxi had entered the Ancient Emperor Realm from the Dragon Phoenix Academy and directly arrived on the Ancient Emperor Continent. Learning of the Three Immortal Maidens' existence, they were naturally overjoyed and wanted to find them.
However, on the way, they encountered a peerless expert from the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan. Seeing how stunningly beautiful the two women were, he took a liking to them and hoped to bring them back to the clan.
Yaya and Ruoxi naturally refused, resisting. Unintentionally, Yaya exposed her true identity as the World Tree, which tempted the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan. They spared no effort to dispatch important experts to capture the two women.
However, along the way, they treated Yaya, the sapling grown from the World Tree, quite well, without abuse, intending to cultivate her into a super expert of the Tai Sheng Imperial Clan to accompany the Imperial Son, even hoping she would become the Imperial Son's Dao companion.
Ruoxi was similar. Although her aptitude was not as great as Yaya's World Tree, she was stunningly beautiful and ethereal, delicate and moving, quite liked by many in the Imperial Clan, who also intended for her to become one of the Imperial Son's Dao companions.
As for Will, he had stepped in to help when he saw the two women being pursued. Unfortunately, the final result was that all three were captured—a clean sweep.
Although the Imperial Clan had always hoped for the two women to become the Imperial Son's Dao companions, upon hearing that Ye Chen had spread word throughout the world to find them, they had strictly concealed it, yet were somewhat apprehensive. Because Ye Chen possessed special power, they were unwilling to conflict with him.
Even if the Imperial Clan feared nothing, they did not wish to become enemies with Ye Chen. They had kept the three hidden all along to avoid Ye Chen finding them.
Thus, everything came to light.
"So that's how it is. You still wanted my sister and daughter to become Dao companions for your clan's Imperial Son? I recall earlier, Di Wushuang also wanted my wife to become your Dao companion. I must say, your Tai Sheng Imperial Clan's schemes are quite clever, haha."
Ye Chen's smile suddenly became many times more dangerous as he swept his gaze over the Imperial Clan, especially at Di Wushuang, flashing with extremely dangerous light.
Everyone's expressions changed slightly, for at this moment, all could feel that Ye Chen had stirred with true killing intent. The world turned solemn, murderous aura spreading, utterly terrifying.
"Battle Saint King, what do you intend to do?" Di Yan shouted in a low voice. Di Wushuang's expression changed drastically, and a terrifying fluctuation began to emanate from his body.
"Battle Saint King, do you wish to make a move? In a battle of the same generation, I will make you understand what true, peerless supremacy is."
He licked his crimson lips, appearing both dangerous and fearsome. Especially after receiving the aid of the Tai Sheng Emperor's imprint, which allowed his Imperial bloodline to awaken, he had grown even stronger. He was now a standout among Heavenly Kings, astonishingly powerful.
"Since you dared to lay hands on those close to me, no matter who you are, you must pay the corresponding price."
Ye Chen's icy voice echoed throughout this ancient realm of the Imperial Clan. In the next moment, Ye Chen was seen taking a great stride forward. His entire being broke through the ordinary and the rational, reaching a state of extreme immortal speed as he charged towards Di Wushuang.
Di Yan was just about to intervene, but Di Wushuang stopped him, speaking up, "There's no need for you to act. Let me handle this. I just happen to want to see exactly how strong I've become."
"You will regret this," Ye Chen's voice came through.