Indeed, Ye Chen's current realm had fallen to the third level of the Heavenly King realm.
He was no longer in the Chaos domain between Heavenly King and Great Power; his cultivation had plummeted drastically.
All of this was because of the Chaos Origin Power Sphere. The continuous refinement over the past three months had consumed too much of his power, with the vast majority of his strength being channeled into it for the refining process.
While it had indeed neutralized a great deal of the killing intent, it was now in a state of equilibrium, constantly requiring most of Ye Chen's power to suppress the remaining, unrefined killing intent. This left him unable to utilize much of his strength.
Therefore, the power he could currently wield was only at the third level of the Heavenly King realm. Once he truly refines the Chaos Origin Power Sphere, his cultivation will not only recover but advance even further.
Naturally, Ye Chen could release the power used for suppression to restore his original Great Dao cultivation, but he would then suffer backlash from the Chaos Origin Power Sphere. He was unwilling to do so unless absolutely forced.
Moreover, Ye Chen had an even more astonishing plan. He intended to use the majority of his power to suppress the Chaos Origin Power Sphere over a long period. Simultaneously, he would re-cultivate within the Heavenly King realm, developing another powerful force. He would then use both forces to refine the Chaos Origin Power Sphere, ultimately merging the three powers. At that time, he would perform a sacred sacrifice using the divine souls of the Killing Venerable and the Primordial Beast God to completely break through into the Great Power realm.
He had a premonition. As a Chaos Saint Body and a cultivator of the Chaos Great Dao, the power required for him to break into the Great Power realm would be far greater than for others. Therefore, he had to make the most thorough preparations.
However, this time was not without gains. At the very least, his Chaos origin had grown stronger.
What weighed heavily on Ye Chen's mind was the sheer power of that Chaos Deity. It was far more formidable than imagined. Just a single avatar left behind here for transformation had severely wounded him, nearly crippling his cultivation. The true body would undoubtedly be even more powerful, terrifyingly so, perhaps not quite at the level of a Primordial Monarch, but certainly approaching it.
If they were to meet in the future, without a doubt, this would be an unimaginably formidable enemy, perhaps even one of the supreme overlords dominating the entire Ultimate Ancient Path.
Of course, all of this was beyond Ye Chen's current reach. The urgent task at hand was to recover his cultivation as quickly as possible and rush to the other trial passes of the Ultimate Ancient Path.
Boom—
On this day, Ye Chen emerged from seclusion, locked onto a direction, and shot forward like lightning, charging towards the Second Pass of the Ultimate Ancient Path.
The Ultimate Ancient Path, a final trial road spanning this Ancient Universe's starry sky, had distances between each pass that were absurdly vast. Even Ye Chen, having deduced the correct direction, still spent three days and three nights to finally arrive. From afar, he spotted an ancient city no less imposing than the First Pass, emblazoned with the large characters "Second Pass," swirling with unfathomable Great Dao aura.
Ye Chen gazed into the distance. He had finally arrived at the Second Pass of the Ultimate Ancient Path.
He rushed towards the city gate of the Second Pass. As expected, a line of powerful soldiers blocked the way. The trial passes of the Ultimate Ancient Path were heavily guarded, naturally not allowing just anyone to enter the city.
After some questioning, they learned Ye Chen was an Ancient Path Trial-Taker. They also learned that several months ago, a group of trial-takers had been blocked and attacked by starry sky pirates, scattering into the cosmos. They hadn't expected any survivors to return after several months, leaving the two gate guards somewhat incredulous that anyone could have survived.
The place where they scattered was too far from the Second Pass, and many of that group had been attacked by terrifying starry sky creatures or trapped in starry sky secret realms on their way back, never to leave.
Ye Chen entered the Second Pass of the Ultimate Ancient Path. It was similar to the First Pass, but there were more trial-takers here. Starting from the Second Pass, not only did young prodigies from various Ancient Universes gather, but even the young elites from the various races of the mysterious Ancient Universe where the Ultimate Ancient Path was located would gradually arrive from all directions to participate in the ultimate trial.
Among them were truly powerful prodigies, no weaker than the Strongest Prodigies, and even young generation's supremes existed.
This was because many were descendants left behind by the Strongest Prodigies of past ultimate trials, possessing powerful bloodlines. Rumors even spoke of descendants of Emperor's sons participating, making the Second Pass ancient city far more prosperous and bustling than the First Pass, brimming with activity.
Within the Second Pass ancient city, powerful figures crisscrossed everywhere. No matter the location, the strong always reigned supreme—this principle never changed, especially on the Ultimate Ancient Path, a trial road prepared solely for the strongest.
Whoever possessed sufficient strength was the true master.
Ye Chen kept a low profile. Appearing in the Second Pass ancient city, he seemed ordinary and inconspicuous, though he appropriately released his Heavenly King realm aura, making many wary.
After all, in the initial few passes of the Ultimate Ancient Path, Heavenly Kings among the Ancient Path Trial-Takers were relatively scarce, all being true elites who commanded respect.
Rumble—
At this moment, at the horizon's edge, eight majestic figures appeared. Each was towering and imposing, riding beast kings of savage bloodlines. Both the riders and their mounts were genuine Heavenly Kings, excessively powerful. All eight released a bloody aura, causing immense wariness and eliciting exclamations from the city.
For these were the Blood Desolation Eight Riders, outstanding figures among the many Ancient Path Trial-Takers, akin to past figures like the Wind King and the Solitary King—formidable individuals not to be underestimated in the slightest.
They had just returned from the starry sky, each brimming with a bloody aura. Clearly, their hands were stained with blood, having slain some powerful beings to possess such a distinct sanguine presence.
Their return naturally drew attention from all sides. Many Ancient Path Trial-Takers in the city watched the Blood Desolation Eight Riders warily, stepping aside one after another, not daring to provoke conflict.
For the Blood Desolation Eight Riders were not only powerful but also tyrannical and vengeful. Anyone who offended them would inevitably face retaliation, often on the same day.
They swept through the city without restraint, their massive Primordial iron steeds charging through, startling many trial-takers into quick retreat.
Ye Chen's gaze sharpened slightly, yet he did not act. Instead, he followed the others in moving to the sides. He then heard a series of mocking laughs from the Blood Desolation Eight Riders, filling many present with both anger and helplessness.
The strong reigned supreme; it was an inescapable truth everywhere.
Without a word, Ye Chen casually arrived at a mansion within the ancient city. As in the First Pass, one could freely choose a mansion to rest in, replenishing essence, energy, and spirit to prepare for the trials of the Second Pass.
Within the Second Pass ancient city, there were a full thousand Ancient Path Trial-Takers. Among them, quite a few were not young prodigies but older generation powerhouses who had also taken to the path, hoping to reach the final pass and attain the true supreme Dao fruit.