Within the nine-layered sea of tribulation light and thunder, a gate of light formed by thunder suddenly appeared!
No one knew where it came from or where it led, as if it had existed since time immemorial, carrying an immortal and weathered aura that had endured the sinking of one epoch after another. The aura here was vast and earth-shattering, far beyond imagination.
"What is this?"
Everyone immediately focused their attention, looking at that gate of light formed by thunder with deep shock.
Outside, peak Great Powers like Dan Chen, Qin Jiuyou, and the ancient recluse all revealed expressions of disbelief. Even the Ancient Monarch hidden in the shadows was the same, and with a whoosh, he broke into the Danxu Ancient Realm, moving far away from the Sea of Fallen Monarchs to gaze at the gate of light formed by thunder standing atop the highest point of the nine-layered sea of tribulation light and thunder.
Though formed from tribulation light and thunder, it seemed as real and enduring as if it were tangible.
Because it was too real—every pattern, every line, every ancient character on it was so clear yet so unfathomable, as if it had imprinted everything of the entire primordial chaos universe, or as if it bore the accumulation of one ancient epoch after another.
"A mysterious gate of light formed by thunder. What does this represent? Why do I feel as if it holds the greatest secret between heaven and earth?"
The Ancient Monarch spoke softly, seemingly lost in thought. His voice was not loud, but everyone present caught it, only sensing his presence upon careful perception, which was chilling.
Because the one who spoke must be an Ancient Monarch; otherwise, he could not have appeared here without their notice. Yet what was even more shocking were his words.
The gate of light formed by thunder held the greatest secret between heaven and earth!?
What did this mean? Wasn't this just a gate of light manifested within the heavenly tribulation? How could it involve so many ancient secrets?
At this moment, Great Powers from outside like Dan Chen, the ancient recluse Great Power, Qin Jiuyou, and others could not help but appear one after another. They also heard the Ancient Monarch's words. Among them, Dan Chen could not help but clasp his fists and ask, "Ancestor, may I ask why you say this?"
The Great Powers of the heavens also looked at the Ancient Monarch with reverence, not daring to look directly but still listening intently.
The Ancient Monarch's figure was hazy, enveloped by the Great Dao, making it impossible to see his true appearance. He carried a supreme and unparalleled majesty of the Great Dao. Yet at this moment, he did not remain silent. "The heavenly tribulation has always been one of the greatest secrets between heaven and earth. No one knows where it comes from or where it goes. It always appears abruptly, only manifesting when mortals break through major realms. It also occasionally appears when some peerless beings or heaven-defying divine treasures emerge, or when one touches upon ancient taboos."
"However, no one can escape the interrogation of the heavenly tribulation, nor can they evade it. Even the most powerful of those supreme Emperors and Immortal Kings are no exception."
"The origin of the heavenly tribulation is too ancient, unknown to anyone. But there is also a saying that it comes from the Land of Origin, bearing the ultimate origin of all things."
"And precisely because of this, the heavenly tribulation is the most ancient and also contains the greatest secrets between heaven and earth."
"There was once an Emperor who said that whoever masters the heavenly tribulation might learn all the secrets of the world, such as the Land of Origin, eternal immortality, transcending fate, the mysteries of the initial birth of the Chaos Sea and the Land of Origin, and so on."
"Because of this, I sense that if this is true, entering that gate of light formed by thunder might reveal some of the greatest secrets. Even if not the greatest secrets between heaven and earth, they would still be ancient mysteries unknown to the world."
Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished. The gate of light formed by thunder actually contained such earth-shattering secrets—it was truly unbelievable.
Naturally, even so, no one dared to charge forward, because this was the tribulation of the Battle Saint King, still only a Great Power Tribulation. Those of the same level simply could not contend with it. If a Great Power forcefully barged in, the tribulation would inevitably escalate to the corresponding level. Its power would not just increase by one or two times but would be comprehensively elevated, placing the Great Power in a far more terrifying tribulation than what the Battle Saint King faced. Anyone who came would be reduced to ashes.
Because of this, even an Ancient Monarch of a generation absolutely dared not charge over. If he provoked heaven and earth, bringing down a Sovereign-level world-ending tribulation, who knows how many times more terrifying it would be than the Battle Saint King's.
At the very least, the Ancient Monarch admitted he could not withstand it. This Danxu Ancient Realm would inevitably collapse, even affecting the entire Dan Realm. Thus, it would not be worth the loss.
"Now we can only wait for the Battle Saint King to charge. I believe that if it were him, he would also very much want to learn the various great secrets within the gate of light formed by thunder." The Ancient Monarch gazed at the Battle Saint King undergoing tribulation and spoke softly.
Boom—
At the same time, Ye Chen forcefully charged into the sea of tribulation light and thunder.
A full five layers of the sea of tribulation light and thunder, each layer more blazing and vast than the last, completely covering the entire sky. The void had long since completely shattered, and the starry sky was covered. The surviving remnant stars had already completely disintegrated within the sea of tribulation light and thunder, leaving nothing behind.
Ye Chen alone charged upward, so domineering and peerless. The blood energy from the crown of his head exploded and spread, completely annihilating large swathes of the oncoming tribulation light and thunder.
At the same time, he had the Chaos Great Cauldron pave the way ahead, breaking through layer after layer of the sea of tribulation light and thunder. He wanted to charge up to the ninth layer of the sea of tribulation light and thunder, so he would not have to face the simultaneous bombardment of five layers.
Though it sounded simple, it was actually extremely difficult and filled with endless dangers.
Because the dangers of this sea of tribulation light and thunder far exceeded anyone's imagination. With five layers bombarding down simultaneously, even someone as strong as Ye Chen began to suffer torn skin and flesh. The Chaos Saint Body was not completely invincible, after all, as it had not yet reached full maturity and was still far from it. Under the violent bombardment of this tribulation light and thunder, a Great Power-level immortal ancient weapon would directly explode into dust.
Ye Chen had once killed several Great Powers and obtained corresponding Great Power-level armor. Not long ago, he wore it, hoping to reduce some damage. However, it simply could not hold out for long. Under the forceful bombardment of the five-layered sea of tribulation light and thunder, it directly disintegrated into dust.
Puff, puff, puff—
Soon after, wounds appeared all over Ye Chen's body, deep and numerous, with blood spurting out, continuously dyeing the sea of tribulation light and thunder red. But he mastered the Saint Body Regeneration Technique, which could instantly restore everything. Moreover, his Chaos origin was sufficiently powerful, so he feared nothing.
However, it was too difficult for him to charge up to the ninth layer of the sea of tribulation light and thunder. The higher he went, the more terrifying the tribulation light and thunder he had to endure. Later, even real living beings appeared.
Such as Kun Peng, True Dragons, Immortal Death Phoenixes, Qiong Qi, Zhu Yan, and so on—all extremely terrifying, manifested within the heavenly tribulation. Each one was so real, possessing power surpassing ordinary Great Powers, as if the holy spirits of the Mythical Era had returned to the world.
Moreover, great worlds also appeared one after another, cyclically being born and destroyed. But each great destruction inflicted the most terrible wounds on Ye Chen, making him cough blood continuously, covered in injuries, even splitting his flesh, with bones and tendons constantly breaking.
On one hand, Ye Chen battled the holy spirits of the heavens; on the other, he charged through the sea of tribulation light and thunder while enduring the terrifying crisis of great worlds being annihilated. He continuously charged, bearing the most dreadful dangers.
This was not all, because within the heavenly tribulation, various legendary tribulations appeared continuously. The Emperor Weapon Tribulation also appeared, such as the Heaven-Burying Stele, the Eight Trigrams Mirror, the Desolate Heaven Great Halberd, the Human Emperor Pagoda, the Heavenly Feather Holy Sword, the Universe Cauldron... all were Emperor Weapons of ancient Emperors, Sovereigns, or supreme Immortals, now manifested. Combined with the previous Chaos holy spirits and the destruction of great worlds, how terrifying and perilous it was! It made everyone's scalps tingle.
Even the Ancient Monarch, seeing all this, took a deep, long breath, feeling shaken.
This tribulation was too immortal and extraordinary, far beyond imagination. At the very least, when the Ancient Monarch underwent his Great Power Tribulation back then, it was far from this terrifying, vastly different, even like the difference between clouds and mud.
Though his Great Power Tribulation back then was also extremely dreadful, compared to this, it was simply not on the same level.
Everyone marveled, yet also felt a chill, as if their entire hearts were about to leap out.
At this moment, another peerless figure appeared in the Danxu Ancient Realm—graceful and outstanding, with an immortal bearing so transcendent, wreathed in strands of immortal mist, like a Mystic Maiden Immortal from the Ninth Heaven, awe-inspiring and unapproachable.
Though a woman, she was also a female Great Power. More importantly, her aura was incredibly terrifying. Within her body, there was the sound of a vast bloodline surging like a tsunami and mountain collapse—that was the power of a Supreme One's bloodline, powerful beyond imagination.
Upon her appearance, all the experts of the Dan Emperor Clan bowed in respect. Even Dan Xu and Dan Chen did the same. Even the Ancient Monarch, whose status was lofty and exalted, nodded in salute.
That's right—she was precisely the Imperial Maiden of the Dan Emperor Clan, the generation's Imperial Maiden with the highest status in the entire imperial clan.
Her status was even higher than that of the Ancient Monarch by a notch.
Her appearance obviously drew attention from all sides.
The Imperial Maiden, the person of most revered status, with the most powerful Emperor bloodline flowing within her, innate holy treasury, peerlessly powerful—who could contend with her? She was also hailed as the next-generation successor qualified to inherit her ancestors' will and charge into the Emperor domain once more.
The strength of her aura was so abundant that even the young generation's supreme of the Dwarf Race nearby felt a sense of pressure, making him change color. This was the gap.
Both were young generation's supremes, both Great Powers, but the strength between them differed greatly.
This gap was also displayed in Dan Yang. Even though he was also a young generation's supreme and the leader of the Dan Emperor Clan's younger generation, he was only of this era. The Imperial Maiden was the highest leader of the entire imperial clan—not on the same level.
However, Dan Yang's gaze toward the Imperial Maiden held much admiration.
As the clan's unique Imperial Maiden, the most ancient prodigy, she was naturally adored by all the young prodigies within the clan. Countless prodigies hoped to become the Imperial Maiden's Dao companion and walk the pinnacle of the Great Dao together.