"Explode!"
A soft utterance escaped Ye Chen's lips. Immediately after, a thunderous explosion erupted from within the Divine Nation's Lord's body. A brilliant column of light shot into the sky, illuminating the heavens and earth.
Even the Divine Nation's Lord himself was unclear about what had just transpired. In the next moment, he could only watch as his body began to detonate uncontrollably. The Dao power within him ran wild, exploding incessantly and releasing dazzling columns of light that scattered across the firmament. A massive amount of his power was rapidly draining away.
What in the world was happening?
Not only were the Blood Desolation Eight Riders, the Blood Robe Tower Master, and the others bewildered, but even the Divine Nation's Lord himself was utterly confused, his face a mask of stupefaction.
However, how could he have known that Ye Chen was not only peerless in cultivation but also a master of Formation Arrays, having reached the level of a grandmaster?
At the higher levels, Formation Arrays simplified the Great Dao, allowing one to command the heavens and earth, harnessing the power of the world for one's own use.
Ultimately, the Divine Nation's Lord was a sentient being born from a divine spirit source. And what was a divine spirit source if not a power nurtured by heaven and earth itself? Ironically, this very power became the means for Ye Chen to restrain him. Using a special method, Ye Chen manipulated the divine spirit source power within the Divine Nation's Lord's body, forming numerous miniature internal formation arrays that then self-destructed, forcing the Divine Nation's Lord to suppress himself.
Even at this point, the Divine Nation's Lord never imagined he would be defeated by a mere figure at the third level of the Heavenly King realm.
Yet, how could he know that the 'mere figure' in his eyes was a true colossus, a Great Power capable of slaying ancient Great Sages? If not for the chaos origin light cluster, how could he have fallen to such a state?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From across the void, Ye Chen triggered the continuous detonation of the miniature formation arrays within the Divine Nation's Lord's body. One after another, they exploded, releasing streams of pure, flawless divine spirit source power imbued with a special divinity, offering immense benefits for cultivation.
Simultaneously, the Divine Nation's Lord's power was rapidly depleting.
"Enough is enough. It's time to send you on your way!"
Ye Chen, the Blood Desolation Eight Riders, the Blood Robe Tower Master, the Nine Swords King, the Ancient Stone King, and the other Strongest Prodigies all took action. They launched a joint assault on the Divine Nation's Lord, a series of violent attacks raining down upon him.
"No—!"
The Divine Nation's Lord roared, filled with unwillingness. The Divine Nation's Ancestor also bellowed, attempting to charge forward, but it was all too late. With his power suppressed, even though the Divine Nation's Lord remained at the peak of the Heavenly King realm, he was utterly incapable of resisting the combined assault of so many Strongest Prodigies.
In less than a moment, his entire body exploded. From within, numerous clusters of divine radiance shot out, scattering across the sky.
These were genuine divine spirit sources, and from one that had gained sentience and achieved the peak Heavenly King realm at that. Their divine efficacy was naturally extraordinary, inscribed with the trajectories of various Great Daos, their effects enhanced by at least tenfold.
However, at this moment, almost all the Strongest Prodigies paid them no heed. Instead, they immediately charged towards the fifth-level Platform where the Divine Nation's Lord had been, hoping to be the first to devour it.
With the enemy dealt with, it was naturally time to vie for the greatest benefits.
Ye Chen did not rush to devour the Platform. Instead, piloting his own fifth-level Platform, he swiftly snatched up the clusters of divine spirit sources. The Dao essence contained within them was far beyond imagination, greatly beneficial for his continued cultivation breakthroughs.
Although the other experts were also scrambling to seize them, how could they possibly compete with Ye Chen, who possessed a fifth-level Platform and was a young Supreme One?
Employing various divine abilities and secret techniques, he instantly seized over half of the divine spirit sources, storing them all within his body.
At the same time, he saw the Divine Nation's Ancestor, who had been seizing others' Platforms, now charging back. The Ancestor was plunged into a state of absolute fury, having witnessed the Divine Nation's Lord being slain before his very eyes while he was unable to return in time to prevent it.
He was enraged, his aura vastly more powerful than the Divine Nation's Lord's had been, billowing out majestically. Reaching out a massive hand that bypassed the pursuit of the other Strongest Prodigies, he seized the Divine Nation's Lord's fifth-level Platform and pulled it down.
Simultaneously, he looked down coldly upon the Strongest Prodigies, his gaze icy. "You lot are truly seeking death, daring to kill my Divine Nation's Lord!"
Crack!
The fifth-level Platform directly fused with the fifth-level Platform beneath the Divine Nation's Ancestor, merging and enlarging to become the sole sixth-level Platform. It became even more agile and swift, causing the expressions of many Strongest Prodigies to change slightly.
Yet, they were undaunted. At worst, they would simply join forces and attack as before. They refused to believe they couldn't kill this Divine Nation's Ancestor.
Repeating the previous battle plan, the Blood Desolation Eight Riders took the lead once more, with the other Strongest Prodigies providing supporting attacks and maneuvering Ye Chen closer.
For everyone could see that Ye Chen's close-quarters combat prowess was undoubtedly the strongest among them, so they intentionally had him continue with the supporting assaults.
The great battle continued. However, the Divine Nation's Ancestor's power was a significant notch above the Divine Nation's Lord's. He unleashed a truly majestic and overwhelming might that surged through the nine heavens, making the battle many times more intense.
Nevertheless, the several Strongest Prodigies coordinated their offense and defense well, working together seamlessly. Moreover, Ye Chen's close-quarters combat prowess was second to none, overpowering all.
It could be said this was a chaotic melee, but for the time being, neither side could gain the upper hand over the other.
Yet, none could truly break through to the divine throne in the heavens above, resulting in a stalemate.
"Hmph, I originally had no intention of using this, but you forced my hand."
Boom!
Suddenly, the Divine Nation's Ancestor's aura erupted, becoming many times more potent, nearly reaching the level of an ancient Great Sage. Many were stunned and shocked, never expecting the Divine Nation's Ancestor to erupt with the power of an ancient Great Sage at this moment.
Instantly, the Divine Nation's Ancestor grew many times stronger. Both his divine body and dao techniques revived to a great extent. Although he couldn't fully wield the true combat power of an ancient Great Sage within this realm, at the very least, a significant portion of his dao techniques had been restored. This made him equivalent to a Super Heavenly King at his peak, while the others could only utilize a fraction of their dao techniques. How could they possibly compare?
"Retreat, now!"
Everyone immediately sought to evade. Who would dare to clash head-on with the Divine Nation's Ancestor now?
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
They piloted their Platforms, rapidly pulling back.
"Do you think you can still retreat now?" The Divine Nation's Ancestor sneered coldly and immediately took action. The overwhelmingly powerful cultivation of a Great Power was displayed, akin to a Super Heavenly King facing a group of newly-ascended Heavenly Kings—a complete and utter suppression in terms of strength.
A full twelve Divine Light Chains shot forth from the Divine Nation's Ancestor's body, targeting the Blood Desolation Eight Riders, the Blood Robe Tower Master, the Ancient Stone King, the Nine Swords King, and Ye Chen—twelve individuals in total.
While the other Strongest Prodigies struggled to resist, Ye Chen was instantly ensnared by the Divine Light Chains. He was dragged through the air and landed right before the Divine Nation's Ancestor.
"Brat, you were the mastermind behind Divine Source's death. Today, this venerable one will ensure you never know reincarnation," the Divine Nation's Ancestor declared, his words dripping with killing intent.
"Is that so?"
Yet, at this moment, the corner of Ye Chen's mouth lifted into a faint, mocking smile. "Thank you. You've saved me the trouble of getting close to you."