Above the Ye Family, three thousand Divine Islands floated, scattered like stars across the sky, enveloped in a special immortal aura. The spiritual energy was surging and dense, seemingly eternal, inspiring awe.
Each Divine Island was unique, flowing with different Dao Rhymes and accompanied by shimmering spiritual light, resembling sanctuaries where Divine Spirits might dwell, bringing peace and tranquility to the mind.
The Ancient Emperor Realm's Demon God Hall also had three thousand Divine Islands, but in truth, they paled in comparison to the Ye Family's, for the Ye Family's three thousand Divine Islands were far too extraordinary.
"It is said that each of the three thousand Divine Islands once had a Heavenly King meditate upon it, with the heavens and earth imprinting the Heavenly King's Imprint within. They are quite special and can be considered precious cultivation sites," Zhao Jingruo spoke, revealing some ancient secrets.
However, strictly speaking, this was impossible. Even an imperial clan could not have produced three thousand Heavenly Kings over so many years.
Individuals of such a realm were not numerous across the myriad realms; it was even debatable whether there were three thousand Heavenly Kings in the world today. Many great domains lacked corresponding Heavenly Kings, as it was difficult to transcend Samsara.
The true legend came from the Mythical Era, that supremely glorious and prosperous epoch when Emperors stood side by side, powerful figures emerged in great numbers, and the Heavenly Heart Sword Emperor had three thousand Heavenly Kings following him.
These Divine Islands were all said to be left behind by those Heavenly King powerhouses. Some islands even recorded their Dao and techniques, imprinted upon the world, making them rare cultivation treasures.
Deep within the Ye Family, immortal mountains towered into the Nine Heavens, majestic and soaring. Within, an eternal divine city floated at the very core—the clan's Imperial City, left behind by the Heavenly Heart Sword Emperor, similar to the Central Imperial City in the Ancient Emperor Realm.
It could be said that this was the unparalleled grandeur of a peerless imperial clan, far surpassing other major powers, supported by boundless heritage—one of the fundamental reasons for their dominance over the myriad realms.
"Truly worthy of being one of the most powerful forces between heaven and earth, a family inheriting the legacies of Emperors and Sovereigns. They are indeed immensely powerful," Ruoxi softly praised.
Ye Chen nodded. Even though he harbored some resentment towards the Ye Family for forcibly taking his parents and clansmen, he had to admit that these imperial clans indeed possessed extraordinary aspects.
At the very least, their heritage was far beyond what ordinary forces could compare to. Even though Ye Chen had founded the Holy Domain Great Sect and even had the Ancient Lan Sacred Sect within the Ancient Lan World, superficially they might seem similar, but in truth, they fell far short of an imperial clan.
Because such imperial clans possessed heritage beyond imagination, with methods left behind by Emperors and Sovereigns. If not for Ye Chen having the divine stone coffin that buried the Formless Monarch, he truly would have found it difficult to challenge an imperial clan.
However, Ye Chen firmly believed he would eventually reach this level, even to the point where he alone could reign supreme over the myriad realms.
Entering the Ye Family's ancient realm, someone approached them early on, even sending a luxurious carriage pulled by five flood dragon beasts—a very high standard, typically reserved only for receiving sufficiently distinguished guests. They invited Ye Chen and the others inside, and the carriage soared into the sky.
However, they did not head towards the Ye Family's Imperial City. Instead, they descended upon one of the three thousand Divine Islands, relatively close to the center. A palace stood upon it, grand and solemn in style, traditionally opened to receive distinguished great figures.
The great hall was magnificent. Spirit attendants had already presented precious tea and delicacies, brewed from rare heavenly spiritual essences and made from precious spiritual beasts—not something ordinary people could enjoy, and very beneficial for cultivation.
The Ye Family's grand clan competition was about to begin tomorrow. The Ye Family arranged for the numerous honored guests to rest in the hall for a while before officially commencing the clan competition.
However, Ye Chen naturally would not wait silently. Since he had come to the Ye Family, he naturally wanted to find his parents and clansmen.
He temporarily left. The others wanted to follow, but Ye Chen politely declined.
He did not want to alert others yet. If necessary tomorrow, they could go themselves, and he would reunite with them in the Imperial City then.
The others nodded, not refusing Ye Chen.
Ye Chen left the Divine Island he was on and descended to the ground. Because of the sword jade given by Ye Gucheng, his journey was unimpeded.
Whenever he encountered obstacles, revealing the sword jade in his hand resolved everything. Many people even showed great respect, not daring to slight him in the slightest.
He also took the opportunity to inquire indirectly about some situations, learning the location of the external branch's residence and heading there.
Along the way, he passed by the back mountain and saw a vast training ground, incredibly spacious—the cultivation area for the Ye Family's younger generation.
Within were numerous precious cultivation sites, abundant with spiritual energy. Dozens of spirit veins were arrayed underground, continuously releasing heaven and earth spiritual energy. There were also spirit pools, enough to make anyone envious.
Truly worthy of a peerless imperial clan; their methods were extraordinary. The resources provided for the younger generation's cultivation were so plentiful.
One could see many young disciples cultivating there, both male and female, numbering in the hundreds—a considerable number.
It must be known that these were all genuine disciples of the imperial Ye Family, not external disciples recruited by other Sacred Lands. For a single generation to produce so many rising talents naturally seemed extraordinary.
Moreover, due to being an imperial clan, most of these younger generation disciples had decent talent and bone structure, with more or less a trace of imperial blood flowing within them. This was why their natural endowments far surpassed ordinary people's and the fundamental reason for the imperial clan's strength.
Ye Chen even saw a particularly powerful figure at the center of the training ground. This was a handsome and elegant young man, sitting alone on a Dao platform at the training ground's center, appearing youthful and divine, imposing and exceptionally extraordinary.
Without a doubt, this was a quite powerful young junior, far stronger than the other Ye Family disciples, capable of ranking among the Young Kings.
It could be known that this was undoubtedly an outstanding figure among the Ye Family's younger generation, heaven-defyingly extraordinary, with a bright future and a great chance of stepping into the realm of ancient Great Sages.
Naturally, individuals like Ye Gucheng, a former True King prodigy, were difficult for even a peerless imperial clan to produce, as such people were only slightly inferior to the young generation's supreme ones and could not be born easily.
This Ye Family Young King sat cross-legged on the Dao platform at the training ground's center, precisely at the convergence point of numerous spirit veins, where the spiritual energy was exceptionally rich and dense.
His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, his physique crystalline, with divine radiance flowing around him. Streams of pure heaven and earth spiritual energy continuously poured into his body from the Dao platform, causing his entire person to radiate a powerful aura, like an eternal Divine Spirit, particularly eye-catching.
His presence made the other Ye Family disciples on the training ground feel an oppressive pressure, not daring to get too close.
Ye Chen nodded slightly; this Ye Family King was, in a way, sufficiently powerful.
"Stop that kid!"
Just as Ye Chen was observing, a shout came from not far ahead. Immediately, a commotion broke out on the training ground as a large crowd gathered, pointing and murmuring.
Ye Chen's gaze swept past, unconcerned. He walked forward, intending to pull aside one or two Ye Family disciples to inquire about the situation. However, a cold shout from the crowd suddenly made him stop in his tracks.
"Ye Zhengyang, quickly tell me everything you know about her."