A woman's sense of smell is truly terrifying—she could even detect that.
Ye Chen was somewhat dumbfounded. Then, looking at the girl's somewhat dim and sorrowful gaze, which stirred pity in his heart, he sighed softly, "Vivian, you've misunderstood. She's not someone I like."
"Really?" The girl's eyes suddenly shone with astonishing brilliance.
Ye Chen could only nod.
Half a day later, Ye Chen set off. He was heading to the mysterious realm where those with the qualification to delay claiming kingship had disappeared, to see what exactly those people were trapped there doing.
Roar—
After bidding farewell to his friend, the demonic flood dragon let out a long, piercing roar and carried Ye Chen charging toward the mysterious realm.
The Trial Path had a total of fifteen checkpoints, each one quite vast, no smaller than any kingdom, and some even larger.
However, riding the demonic flood dragon, Ye Chen reached the region where the mysterious realm was located in just one hour. Along the way, he could sense many dangers, including perilous areas and terrifying demonic beasts lying in ambush. The path was fraught with hazards.
The further one progressed on the Trial Path, the greater the dangers. Even Hundred Strong Trialists dared not claim they could definitely pass through, as there were truly fearsome Xiantian demonic beasts. Ye Chen also saw many trialists being eliminated along the way, and some unlucky ones fell into perilous situations where even the ghostly light of their spirit talismans could not save their lives, disappearing forever from this world.
However, all these so-called trial dangers were completely ignored by Ye Chen.
The Trial Path had no trial effect on him whatsoever, because his strength far exceeded this scope.
Along the way, no one dared to cause trouble for Ye Chen. Even if they didn't recognize his appearance, just seeing this massive demonic flood dragon made it clear that this was Ye Chen, the recent uncrowned king who had shaken the Trial Path.
The location of the mysterious realm was in a desolate desert a thousand miles away from the twelfth checkpoint.
The desert stretched continuously, with crimson sand for thousands of miles, sparse in vitality, perpetually shrouded in scorching high temperatures. Even a Xiantian cultivator would be roasted dry and turned into a mummy within half a month here, showing that the heat of this place was not somewhere ordinary people could set foot.
However, the desert did not represent true barren emptiness. It was also rich in resources, with some special Heaven and Earth Treasures that could only be born in such scorching deserts, as well as special minerals like crimson sand iron.
Even some unique creatures relied on the desert for survival, with the famous crimson sand scorpion being one of them.
The crimson sand scorpion typically lived in the desert. Although generally only ordinary Houtian-level small demonic beasts, they were fond of gathering in groups, often numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands. Even a Martial God would frown upon encountering them.
In the center of the crimson sand desert, towering sand dunes stretched in clusters. The climate was dry, but at the central location, there was a patch of space that was constantly distorting, standing out distinctly. This was the entrance portal to the mysterious realm.
To enter the mysterious realm, one had to pass through this portal; there was no other way.
Dozens of miles away from the mysterious realm portal, there was an oasis, one of the few in the desert and the closest to the mysterious realm portal. It was lush with vegetation, verdant and green, and even had a clear, azure lake, standing out like a paradise on earth.
This place was the gathering camp for the main force of trialists. Tall tents stood erected on the ground within the oasis, with many figures moving about. Numerous trialists, drawn by rumors of Heaven and Earth Treasures, spirit stones, spirit pearls, and even legendary Divine Spirit inheritances appearing in the mysterious realm, had flocked here from all over, gathering in this place.
Here, it was exceptionally forbidden to kill each other or seize identity tokens. Everything was focused on the main goal of advancing into the mysterious realm. Anyone who violated this rule, even princes or princesses from super forces, would be attacked by the crowd.
The many rumors filled the vast majority with curiosity about the mysterious realm. Could it be filled with Heaven and Earth Treasures, spirit stones everywhere, powerful divine beasts lurking, and even the supreme Dao inheritance of a Divine Spirit?
Everything was so alluring, captivating the mind and stirring longing.
What made people even more curious was that several super experts with the qualification to delay claiming kingship had entered for a full month without reappearing, leaving everyone quite puzzled. Many even believed these super experts might have met with disaster.
However, several Checkpoint Masters had come from afar, and even powerful Supreme Elders had come to investigate. Although they hadn't entered, they said only trialists of the younger generation could enter this mysterious realm.
When asked about the current status of those super experts with the qualification to delay claiming kingship—the point of greatest concern for everyone—several high-ranking academy officials stated that they were still alive, merely trapped inside, and no major problems would arise.
Now, hundreds of people were stationed here, waiting. Tents stood erected one after another, with many trialists gathered here. Quite a few had the idea of assembling a large force to enter this mysterious realm.
Naturally, they didn't dare to enter alone, as it was filled with unknown dangers. Many trialists had attempted to charge in alone before. Although the distorted void concealed all sights, agonized screams could be heard, sending chills down the spine and confirming that there must be terrifying dangers inside.
"When exactly will we attack into the mysterious realm?"
Many trialists were waiting for the right moment, waiting for more trialists to join. Now, over three hundred trialists were stationed here, waiting, yet no action had been taken.
"Let's wait a bit longer. Several Hundred Strong Trialists will come, and even princes and princesses from the Jiuhua Empire and Tenglong Empire will appear. They will bring heavy artifacts, adding greater hope."
"With these Hundred Strong Trialists leading the way, it will undoubtedly add a bit more safety."
"It's rumored that the uncrowned king, Lord Ye Chen, seems interested in entering the mysterious realm. Is that true?"
"Lord Ye Chen seems to have a close relationship with Xia Yang. He should come."
Hearing about Ye Chen's possible arrival, many were quite expectant. A young Martial God, the uncrowned king, stronger than anyone on the Trial Path, stood like an unshakable divine mountain, filling all trialists with a sense of security.
However, several days after the news spread, there was still no sign of Ye Chen, leaving many trialists both puzzled and somewhat disappointed. Could it be that Lord Ye Chen didn't plan to come?
In the oasis, a figure clad entirely in a wide black robe, concealing their whole form, climbed onto a hill. Beneath the black robe, only a pair of deep, distant eyes gazed toward the mysterious realm spatial portal dozens of miles away.
As a gentle breeze blew, the black robe faintly revealed a delicate and handsome face—none other than the eagerly awaited Ye Chen.
He had arrived long ago but hadn't made a grand entrance, instead hiding himself. Due to the wind and sand, most trialists were wrapped up tightly, so no one suspected Ye Chen.
"This desert is extraordinary; it wasn't naturally born," Ye Chen murmured to himself. His perception was sharp, vaguely sensing the extraordinary nature of this desert—it actually emanated a faint aura of Dao.
Although very weak, he had captured it.
Dao—only Martial God experts could truly touch the Dao of heaven and earth. Upon reaching this realm, what one cultivated was no longer inner strength or True Yuan, but contact with the Dao of heaven and earth, becoming true cultivators of the Dao.
The concept of Dao was vague because there were too many Daos in heaven and earth. What the world knew as metal, wood, water, fire, and earth were merely one manifestation of Dao. Sword Dao, spear Dao, martial Dao, blade Dao, and so on were but a drop in the ocean among the myriad Daos.
However, once one cultivated Dao, its power became incredibly formidable, varying with the cultivator's comprehension of Dao.
The Dao cultivated at the Martial God realm was only the initial, most basic Dao—just the surface. As one's realm gradually deepened, their understanding of Dao would also become more profound.
A Martial God could destroy mountains—no difficult task.
A Heavenly God, at full power, could destroy mountains and rivers spanning dozens to hundreds of miles.
A Divine Spirit could likely obliterate mountains and rivers spanning hundreds of miles with just a raise of their hand. The full power of a Heavenly God was nothing more than a casual gesture to a Divine Spirit.
This was the profound manifestation of Dao. The deeper the Dao, the more terrifying its power.
Ye Chen came from the myriad realms. In his previous life, he had witnessed the boundless might of some peerless great powers, capable of shaking entire vast heavens and earth, obliterating planes and worlds, trembling regions spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, and shattering massive stars.
That level of power was the ultimate manifestation of the Great Dao, unmatched.
And this crimson sand desert contained a faint strand of Dao. The reason it was faint was simply because it had existed for too long, worn away by time until only a weak trace remained, yet it was still enough to astonish the world.
It was this remnant Dao that kept this desert barren and scorching to this day, with sand stretching for thousands of miles, making it difficult even for Xiantian cultivators to endure. Only in the oasis or at night could it become temperate and cool.
One could imagine what kind of existence the person who once mastered this Dao was—definitely a peerless expert. This desert was also created by this person's Dao, likely at least a supreme Divine Spirit.
The twelfth Checkpoint Master had once said that the trial world was merely a broken world that had once given birth to a glorious and prosperous civilization, even not inferior to the Tian Du Continent. All this was sufficient proof.
However, how this civilization declined was a question worth pondering deeply.
Ye Chen didn't ponder this point too much. Probably the supreme old Academy Head, the Martial God Hall Master, Great Sage Hong Tian, and the Divine Spirit ancestors of several super empires had all researched it and knew more than he did. He mostly just silently sensed the remnant Dao in this desert.
Although his cultivation in this life was still weak, his true realm of Dao comprehension was unmatched across the entire Tian Du Continent. However, his divine sense wasn't strong enough yet, only able to vaguely perceive this Dao, then study and analyze it. He could even trace back and reconstruct how that person from back then had struck, creating this thousand-mile crimson sand wilderness desert.
Old Yan seemed to know Ye Chen's current state and didn't disturb him, but he also intentionally sensed the remnants of this Dao.
Half a day later, Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes, having discovered a startling fact.
The person who left this Dao back then... was not yet dead!