The Tian Du Continent was vast and immense, dotted with countless large and small dynasties, sects, and factions. There were one hundred and eight kingdoms, and other powers were as numerous as the stars, uncountable.
On this vast continent, almost every year, dynasties and sects would fall, moving from glory to decline. New dynasties and sects would also be born, writing new legends.
Here, the law of the jungle was played out to its extreme; only those with the biggest fists could survive.
However, no matter how these dynasties and factions fought, no matter how chaotic the continent became, with blood flowing for thousands of miles, the vast and fertile central region located at the heart of the continent remained perpetually prosperous and stable. The people lived and worked in peace and contentment, surrounded by beautiful, spiritual mountains and rivers, like a paradise on earth.
No other force dared to openly invade and occupy this territory; they even kept their distance, not daring to let war appear within its borders.
Because occupying this vast domain were the superpowers with legacies spanning tens of thousands of years: the three great empires and one great academy.
The world knew just how terrifying the power of these superpowers was. The one hundred and eight kingdoms were considered strong, but in the face of these behemoths, they could be wiped out in the blink of an eye, becoming mere history on the Tian Du Continent.
Currently, located in the eastern part of the central region was the Tianqi Empire, one of the three great empires.
Deep within the Tianqi Empire's imperial palace stood a towering, ancient hall. It couldn't compare to the surrounding pavilions and buildings in terms of golden splendor and opulence, but it appeared simple, grand, and weathered by time, with a faint, supreme pressure flowing from it.
Even the current emperor, who stood high above and controlled the fate of the realm, would show a look of reverence upon arriving here, not daring in the slightest to disturb the existence within.
For within this ancient hall was the secluded cultivation ground of the Tianqi Empire's, and indeed the entire Tian Du Continent's, most supreme Divine Spirit ancestor. No one dared to offend this place.
At this moment, in the deepest part of the ancient hall, it was empty. In the center sat a blurry figure, seemingly in harmony with the Heavenly Dao, its body concealed by Dao marks, as if it did not exist in this world.
Even more astonishing was that this person was sealed within a massive piece of ice crystal. If Ye Chen were here, he would definitely recognize it as a World's Heart fragment. This supreme Divine Spirit ancestor of the Tianqi Empire was actually sealed within a World's Heart fragment, preventing the traces of time from acting upon him.
For years, this Divine Spirit ancestor had slumbered within the World's Heart fragment to maintain his peak state, awaiting the future battle of Slaying the Heavens.
Having now learned the news from the Trial Path, he couldn't help but let out a surprised sound. "A seventeen-year-old Martial God? This Ye Chen is truly an extraordinary youth. Broken and then rebuilt, reaching this step within a single year. Such fortune is truly unbelievable. Even I back in the day didn't seem to reach this level at that age."
"Hmm, and intercepting entry into the Trial Path midway... aside from another Divine Spirit, no one should be able to do that. I heard Hong Tian seems to have a decent relationship with this youth. Could it be his doing?"
"Regardless, this youth already possesses all the conditions to walk the King's Ancient Path. Perhaps this time he has a chance to reach the end of the path alongside the peerless geniuses from other continents and explore its deepest mysteries."
"That ancient path is very mysterious. Legend says reaching the end allows one to leave this world, but it's unconfirmed. Moreover, the King's Ancient Path is extraordinary; those over thirty cannot enter. Even if we wanted to enter, we would have to pay a considerable price. This time, let's watch these young geniuses closely to see if any can reach the end. Otherwise, even if we have to pay the price, we must see the end of that road."
As the voice of the Tianqi Empire's supreme ancestor faded, a shocking secret was revealed.
Simultaneously, within the ancient halls enshrining the Divine Spirit ancestors of the Jiuhua Empire, the Tenglong Empire, and the Martial God Hall, ripples of fluctuation also appeared, expressing similar surprise at Ye Chen's emergence.
Far away in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range of the Xia Feng Kingdom, beneath the Hong Tian Divine Mountain Range, within an ancient hall.
Great Sage Hong Tian sat upon a divine throne. Having learned of the various rumors from the outside world and the news about Ye Chen, he waved his hand through the void. With a tearing sound, space was ripped open as if it were fragile paper.
His gaze seemed distant, piercing through endless void, seeing through the barriers of space, and landing upon that drifting world of the Trial Path. After gazing for a long while, he smiled faintly. "As expected of Sir Qian's disciple, truly remarkable. If he weren't his disciple, with such fine talent and quality, I would have wanted to take him as my own disciple. As expected, becoming a Heavenly God is inevitable, and there's a great possibility of even surpassing Heavenly God. He has greater potential than the so-called possessors of divine qualification."
After a brief moment of contemplation, he added, "A pity he is Sir Qian's disciple. This Sir Qian is quite mysterious; his true identity remains elusive to this day. He might be from beyond the continent. However, the fact that he could swear a Heavenly Dao oath indicates he means no harm to the Tian Du Continent. If he could participate in the battle of Slaying the Heavens, it would certainly increase the chances considerably. It's just a shame Sir Qian might not be willing."
"Forget it, forget it. It's fine if he doesn't intervene. Everything still depends on fate. However, I do hope this Ye Chen can enter the King's Ancient Path. I heard he entered it before but had his dantian crippled and thus withdrew. This time, I hope he can enter again and explore the deepest mysteries of that path."
Within the trial world, at the highest point of the sky, there was a blazing sun, but it was not a real celestial star; it was the origin of this world.
A blurry figure merged with this origin, its aura of the Great Dao overwhelming and pervasive. Even a Heavenly God here would tremble and prostrate themselves.
For this aura was too astonishing, something ordinary people could not withstand—supreme and unparalleled.
At this moment, this figure's gaze fell upon the Trial Path before closing once more, though a faint sigh escaped. "Another extraordinary young genius has appeared. I just don't know if there's enough time this time, if they can all grow up and fight side by side. I hope it's not too late."
"That King's Ancient Path needs to be reopened. Three years ago, no one reached the end because it was too difficult. This time, I hope among these young geniuses, someone can reach the endpoint. Perhaps they can use the path left by the ancients to leave this prison world..."
"The Tian Du Continent's future is vast and uncertain..."
Just as the outside world was shaken, the Trial Path was also greatly stirred. The news of the young Martial God's appearance spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, propagating throughout the entire Trial Path at an astonishing speed.
Many trial-takers paled, realizing that the true king of the Trial Path had likely appeared: this young Martial God named Ye Chen, a Martial God powerhouse of an unbelievably young age.
I'm afraid those super-powerful individuals with the qualification to delay claiming kingship would lose all their brilliance before this youth.
At this time, starting from the eighth checkpoint of the Trial Path, people along the way witnessed a shocking scene.
A demonic flood dragon, its body as massive as a small mountain, was swiftly flying through the sky, attracting the attention of many along its path. Its rumbling roar caused numerous trial-takers to flee in panic.
For it was clearly a terrifying flood dragon beast, covered in dark scales, appearing exceptionally fearsome and startling. Everyone feared this demonic flood dragon would kill them.
However, this demonic flood dragon seemed not in the mood to hunt trial-takers. Many only saw it pass by from a distance. Even more shocking was that many clearly saw numerous fragmented scales on the flood dragon's body, as if it had suffered significant injuries.
This was clearly a Martial God realm demonic beast, showing signs of transforming into a dragon, indicating it possessed True Dragon bloodline within. Yet it had been wounded. Who could have injured it?
This confusion did not last long. Not long after the demonic flood dragon left, along the same route, a streak of golden light shot across the sky like lightning, chasing in the direction the flood dragon had fled.
The onlookers were stunned. In that fleeting glimpse, it seemed they saw a youth.
This youth was actually pursuing the demonic flood dragon, and from his body emanated a supremely powerful fluctuation—clearly that of a Martial God realm or above, a peerless powerhouse.
When did such a peerless powerhouse appear on the Trial Path?
The path was in an uproar!
The news from the eighth checkpoint obviously hadn't spread to the later checkpoints that quickly, because Ye Chen's pursuit of the demonic flood dragon was too fast.
But Ye Chen was unaware of what others were thinking. At this moment, he was in hot pursuit of the demonic flood dragon, engaging in an unprecedented chase spanning thousands of miles.
The demonic flood dragon was extraordinary, seemingly possessing some extreme speed movement technique inherited from its bloodline. Its speed was not much slower than Ye Chen's at all. Its mountain-like demonic body rode the clouds and mist, moving with astonishing speed. Even other Martial Gods would be left in the dust, unable to catch up.
Ordinary demonic beasts far surpassed humans in physical constitution, let alone an exotic beast like this demonic flood dragon with the bloodline of the mythical True Dragon, which expanded this advantage infinitely.
Unfortunately, Ye Chen was no ordinary person. He executed the Reverse Void Eight Steps, an otherworldly footwork from his past life. Each step covered several dozen to over a hundred zhang. Moreover, the later steps were even faster. His entire person was like a bolt of lightning streaking across the world, stirring up fierce winds and rumbling thunder as he closely pursued the demonic flood dragon.
One demon, one human, chased each other on the Trial Path, swift as the wind, startling many trial-takers along the way, who watched the scene in awe.