An unprecedented surge of Great Dao fluctuations erupted from the distance like lightning, causing the mountains and valleys to tremble.
This was no ordinary Martial God's might—it was the might of a Heavenly God, terrifying beyond measure, causing almost everyone present to change their expressions drastically.
"Heavenly God!"
The crowd was astonished, clearly not expecting that a peerless powerhouse of this level would be stirred into action.
From the distant horizon, an aged figure was swiftly approaching, bringing with it a sky full of fierce winds as he appeared within this stretch of heaven and earth.
This person wore black-and-white robes and was a rather gentle-looking elder. Yet, an earth-shaking divine might radiated from his body, far surpassing anyone present, causing the entire world to tremble.
Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged, but his pupils contracted slightly. He held his spear horizontally before him, clearly showing considerable wariness toward this sudden appearance of a Heavenly God. He remained silent, simply watching the elder without moving.
"Supreme Elder!"
The three checkpoint masters exclaimed, their joy immediately overflowing onto their faces. This was a Supreme Elder of the Heavenly God realm. If these old-timers were willing to act, the entire Trial Path would be invincible.
Checkpoint Master Nalan of the twelfth checkpoint also cried out in surprise, never expecting that a Supreme Elder would ultimately be roused to appear.
Roar—
At this moment, the demonic flood dragon also separated from the thirteenth checkpoint master and arrived behind Ye Chen, staring intently at the elder without letting up. Naturally, it also knew how fearsome this old man was.
The thirteenth checkpoint master was covered in wounds, clearly no match for the demonic flood dragon, but he had held on. Now, he hurried forward to perform a deep bow of respect, for this was a Supreme Elder.
The Supreme Elder in black-and-white robes gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. Then, looking at the demonic flood dragon behind Ye Chen, he nodded. "Indeed, it is a demonic flood dragon flowing with True Dragon bloodline. Such creatures have been rare since ancient times. Today, one has finally appeared."
Hearing this, the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and thirteenth checkpoint masters looked delighted. Seeing that the Supreme Elder also seemed interested in the demonic flood dragon, they quickly urged, "Supreme Elder, this demonic flood dragon is of great importance. If nurtured, it could become our Tian Du Academy's guardian divine beast, protecting the safety of an entire generation. We implore the Supreme Elder to take action and subdue this demonic flood dragon."
"We beseech the Supreme Elder to act. Moreover, we hope to severely punish this youth Ye Chen. Not only is he unwilling to hand over the demonic flood dragon, he also opposes our Tian Du Academy. His audacity knows no bounds and is unforgivable. We ask you to act and punish this boy severely."
"The demonic flood dragon was born within our trial world and should belong to our Tian Du Academy. Yet, this boy wants to claim it for himself."
Several checkpoint masters took turns persuading the Supreme Elder to subdue the demonic flood dragon.
"Supreme Elder..." Checkpoint Master Twelve felt somewhat reluctant, but her red lips parted slightly. In the end, she only let out a soft sigh, unable to speak out. She knew she simply couldn't change certain things.
Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged throughout, but the blood and qi within his entire body quietly began to boil. Moreover, a large amount of golden yuan power flowed into the Heavenly God Spear, ready to awaken at any moment and display its peerless sharpness.
Even if a Heavenly God made a move, he was unafraid. At worst, they would fight. Furthermore, when he took out the Slaying the Heavens Alliance leader's token, he didn't know if this Supreme Elder would still dare to act. However, that supreme old Academy Head residing in the highest position likely wouldn't sit idly by, as this was an alliance leader's token only a supreme Divine Spirit was qualified to possess.
The Supreme Elder in black-and-white robes raised a hand, gesturing for the checkpoint masters to quiet down. Then, looking gently at Ye Chen, he nodded. "You must be Ye Chen. Truly remarkable. 'Heroes emerge from among the youth since ancient times'—this saying holds true. After your dantian was crippled back then, you should have fallen from the divine altar, lost all your cultivation, and been unable to cultivate ever again. Yet, you broke and then stood anew. Not only did you not fall behind, but after these years, you have leapt up once more, reaching this level. It can be called unprecedented."
"You are strong, enough to rival the heirs of those super forces. This old man's visit here today is not to trouble you. It's just that the old Academy Head asked me to convey his greetings on his behalf. As long as you are willing, the gates of Tian Du Academy's Heaven-tier Academy are always open to you."
Stunned!
Everyone was utterly stunned!
What was this supposed to be? Originally, everyone thought this Heavenly God realm Supreme Elder had come to hold Ye Chen accountable, punish this boy severely, and conveniently take the demonic flood dragon away. Yet now, he was being so gentle and was even willing to let Ye Chen join Tian Du Academy, and at the highest level—the Heaven-tier Academy at that.
Moreover, from his meaning, it was clearly related to the legendary supreme old Academy Head. This visit was also at the old Academy Head's indication.
The four checkpoint masters' expressions changed drastically. The tenth checkpoint master exclaimed in shock, "Supreme Elder, why is this? This boy is cunning and scheming, constantly opposing our Tian Du Academy at every turn. He cannot be kept. We should act and punish him severely."
"Noisy!"
The Supreme Elder said mildly, but his words carried Heavenly God might, causing the tenth checkpoint master's face to pale as the blood and qi within his body churned. He dared not speak again, for this was the Supreme Elder's minor punishment. If he continued speaking, it wouldn't be just a reprimand like this.
At the same time, his heart was filled with dread. The Supreme Elder's meaning was very clear—he obviously did not want to antagonize Ye Chen. Just who was this boy, to make even the higher-ups of Tian Du Academy show such forbearance, to the extent that the supreme old Academy Head had personally indicated his stance?
Ye Chen looked up at the sun high in the sky, then gave a slight nod toward the Supreme Elder. Pointing at the demonic flood dragon, he asked, "What about it?"
The Supreme Elder smiled slightly. "Don't worry. Since the demonic flood dragon has submitted to you, our Tian Du Academy will not interfere further. You may deal with the demonic flood dragon as you wish."
"Elder!"
Several checkpoint masters couldn't help but cry out. The demonic flood dragon's existence was too important, its potential extraordinary. In the future, it would at least become a Heavenly God-level great demon, capable of serving as a guardian divine beast. To give it up just like that seemed far too magnanimous.
The Supreme Elder merely gave them a faint glance, and immediately, no one dared to speak again.
Ye Chen was quite satisfied with this arrangement. Nodding with a smile, he said, "Since the Supreme Elder has spoken, this junior offers his thanks here first. However, regarding today's matter, this junior hopes for an explanation."
Pushing his luck!
Several checkpoint masters clenched their fists, glaring hatefully at Ye Chen.
The Supreme Elder frowned slightly, then looked at the four checkpoint masters. "Today, all of you went too far. Bullying a trial participant like this—is this the behavior befitting checkpoint masters? It's excessive. Now, you are stripped of your duties as checkpoint masters, and you must apologize to Young Friend Ye Chen."
The several checkpoint masters' expressions changed. Obtaining the position of checkpoint master on the Trial Path had cost them a considerable price, because within this world, it was easier to sense the Dao principles of supreme powerhouses, beneficial for future cultivation. Now, they were to be stripped of everything in an instant, leaving them extremely unwilling.
But what made them even more furious was having to apologize to this brat. It felt even harder to accept than death.
Yet, at this moment, threads of Heavenly God might rippled from the Supreme Elder's body, pressing down on their shoulders like great mountains. Forced to swallow their humiliation, they bowed deeply before him. "Young Friend Ye Chen, we apologize."
"Although there's not much sincerity, for the Supreme Elder's sake, I'll let you off this once," Ye Chen said indifferently, further filling the four checkpoint masters with humiliation as they glared at him with intense resentment, yet were powerless.
The Supreme Elder paid no further attention to the four checkpoint masters. Then, his tone grew slightly more solemn. "Young Friend Ye Chen, your strength is quite extraordinary. This time, the King's Ancient Path is opening once more. I wonder if you, young friend, would be willing to enter the ancient path again?"
King's Ancient Path!?
Hearing this, Ye Chen's pupils contracted slightly. Last time, it was on the King's Ancient Path that his dantian was crippled and he was expelled from the path, overnight falling from genius to waste.
Although these were memories from before his awakening, with the memories fused and feeling as if he had experienced it himself, Ye Chen could sense all the feelings of the former "Ye Chen" back then.
Last time on the King's Ancient Path, he hadn't been able to travel far. He never expected that after three years, the King's Ancient Path would open once more.
Ye Chen slowly drew a breath, looking at the Supreme Elder. "May I ask, who will be participating in this King's Ancient Path?"
The Supreme Elder said, "This time, only the strongest group of young talents will participate in the King's Ancient Path. They must at least have reached the threshold of the Martial God realm, because the ancient path is nearly at its end. Only sufficiently powerful young talents are qualified to reach the final point of the ancient path. The young generation heirs of several super forces will all participate."
A light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. Suddenly, he asked about a specific person. "Then what about Huang Tianqin?"
Huang Tianqin—that was the young talent who had crippled his dantian back then, a peerless talent from Tian Du Academy.