Gong Xuan was both perplexed and unwilling. Not only had they failed to achieve the desired effect, but they had also been forced to apologize publicly before everyone in the entire Trial Ancient Pass. This left him feeling deeply stifled.
If possible, he would rather have fought to the death than endure such humiliation. It truly damaged the prestige of their status as Minor Overlords of the Ancient Path. What would others think of the three Gong brothers once word spread?
"Eldest Brother, I must ask," said Gong Nanshan, the second of the three brothers, also puzzled. "Even if we three brothers don't join forces, surely you alone could have slain that detestable Battle Saint King. He's merely at the First Heaven of the Great Power realm, a significant gap in cultivation. Why did we have to damage our own prestige and apologize to him?"
The three brothers, as Minor Overlords of the Ancient Path, were no empty titles. While this Battle Saint King's combat power was indeed abnormally strong, capable of clashing head-on, they were formidable figures in their own right. If a real fight had broken out, they might not necessarily have feared this Battle Saint King.
In fact, once they made a move, they were confident of having over a ninety percent chance of killing the Battle Saint King.
Gong Nanshan deeply believed in the strength of his eldest brother, Gong Shenxue. His cultivation was not only superior to the other two Minor Overlords, but even if the other two joined forces, they wouldn't dare claim they could defeat their eldest brother. His power was beyond doubt!
Seated upon the central throne of the residence, Gong Shenxue was enveloped in immortal radiance, his bearing elegant like jade, his skin glowing with a divine light. He was undoubtedly a handsome, transcendent man, possessing an immortal aura untouched by worldly dust, even more beautiful than many women, with strands of brilliant light accompanying his hair.
He spoke: "He is very powerful. Do not underestimate him."
Though it was just a simple sentence, it caused the expressions of the other two Minor Overlords, Gong Nanshan and Gong Xuan, to change drastically, as if they had witnessed something terrifying. They were greatly shocked.
One must know that although Gong Shenxue appeared gentle and amiable, his two brothers, familiar with him, knew that deep down, their eldest brother was an extremely proud Supreme Heavenly Pride who would not easily acknowledge others, let alone peers. Very few could earn his recognition.
Even they themselves, stronger than ordinary young Supremes, had only barely earned his acknowledgment. Only the offspring of Supremes like Emperor's sons and daughters were truly recognized by him.
And Gong Shenxue indeed had the qualification to be so. Even the supreme immortal offspring in the Primordial Immortal Realm were quite wary of their eldest brother, acknowledging his combat power.
It was precisely because of this that the two brothers found it hard to believe that the Battle Saint King, merely at the First Heaven of Great Power, would be so acknowledged by Gong Shenxue.
Gong Shenxue's gaze was calm yet unfathomable as it swept over his two brothers, causing Gong Nanshan and Gong Xuan to involuntarily lower their heads. He continued, "Although he is only at the First Heaven of Great Power, do not forget he is not merely a Supreme Heavenly Pride. He is also a young Supreme of the Battle Saint lineage, a Chaos cultivator. It is said he is the first Supreme Heavenly Pride in this era of the Sealed Universe to achieve the Tenth Heaven by breaking through the Tenfold Heavenly Confinement. He is in no way inferior to an Emperor's offspring; in fact, he might be even stronger."
"First Heaven of Great Power? From what I understand, even before becoming a Great Power, he could contend against a Fifth Heaven Great Power. Now that he has advanced, he can be called a Chaos Great Power. His combat power is immeasurable. I dare not claim to have a hundred percent certainty of defeating him. Today, if I hadn't also come and stepped in to stop it, given the Battle Saint King's temperament, you two likely wouldn't have returned."
Suddenly, a chill ran down the spines of Gong Nanshan and Gong Xuan. Previously, they had always believed that the Battle Saint King's ability to challenge higher realms and contend against a Fifth Heaven Great Power while at the peak of the Heavenly King realm was solely due to relying on a Supreme Emperor Weapon. But according to their eldest brother Gong Shenxue's words, the Battle Saint King had clearly achieved this through his own cultivation. Now, having become a Great Power, he was not inferior to their eldest brother. How terrifyingly powerful must that be?
Just the thought was enough to make one's heart palpitate.
"You two really went too far," Gong Shenxue spoke again, his expression still calm yet exerting great pressure on the two. "While I was in secluded cultivation, you actually sent Chi Heavenly King and the others to summon the Battle Saint King to pay homage to us. If he had been a bit more forceful, the situation wouldn't have been resolved so easily."
"Eldest Brother, but if our three brothers join forces, no matter how strong he is, he will be captured. I don't believe he could kill the two of us in front of you," Gong Xuan stubbornly insisted.
His eldest brother Gong Shenxue, though not an Emperor's offspring, was not much weaker, belonging to the ranks of the top-tier Supreme Heavenly Prides. Having entered the Great Power realm a century ago, his cultivation was profound and refined. Once he made a move, even if the Battle Saint King was powerful, he would find it difficult to resist. Moreover, with the three brothers joining forces, they could surely sweep through everything.
Gong Shenxue remained as calm as ever, his smile carrying a unique charm. "It's fine. It's inconvenient to act within the city. Moreover, he has performed great meritorious service for this ancient universe. If we were to act, we would inevitably face condemnation."
The three brothers were naturally aware of how Ye Chen had used the heavenly tribulation to obstruct the five alien Emperors from crossing over and successfully destroyed the cosmic passage.
"Hmph, that was just him relying on the heavenly tribulation. His tribulation was indeed terrifying, but it only escalated to that level because it sensed the Emperor aura of the five alien Emperors, allowing it to collapse the alien ancient universe's passage," Gong Xuan snorted discontentedly.
Even so, they had to admit that the Battle Saint King had indeed performed a great service. They couldn't act against him casually, or they would become targets of criticism.
"Alright, we'll listen to Eldest Brother. When the Trial World opens, it will be part of the Ancient Path trials. Even if we act against the Battle Saint King then, no one will dare say anything. Let's see how he withstands the attacks of our three brothers," Gong Xuan said.
Gong Shenxue's eyes opened and closed, sparkling brilliantly. He closed his eyes, silent, yet carrying a different meaning.
Thus, the thirty-ninth pass remained peaceful for three days.
Soon, three days later, the Guardian Great Ability returned. Upon learning of the Battle Saint King's arrival and the previous Guardian Great Ability's message, he immediately opened the Trial World.
The Trial World of the thirty-ninth pass was located in the starry sky—a cosmic secret realm filled with various asteroid belts, one after another fragmented star continents, and a terrifying expanse of dead sea stretching across the cosmos, vast and expansive. Many stellar remnants floated within the dead sea.
Naturally, it was also a main battlefield of the divine war of old. Generally, Trial Ancient Passes were chosen in such places, as they provided a more challenging trial nature for the Ancient Path's Heavenly Prides.
Accompanied by the Guardian Great Ability's loud shout, numerous Ancient Path Heavenly Prides soared into the sky, entering that vast Trial World one after another.
Whoosh—
Ye Chen also descended within, followed by Nine Snake.
The three Gong brothers, Minor Overlords of the Ancient Path, were not far away. Gong Xuan and Gong Nanshan gazed over with eyes filled with icy coldness. However, their leader, Gong Shenxue, nodded and smiled warmly at Ye Chen, his expression gentle and brilliant, drawing sidelong glances.
Even Ye Chen had to admit that this was indeed a remarkable figure. Such a demeanor naturally inspired goodwill. Yet, what lay beneath the surface was hard to know. Ye Chen remained quite wary of Gong Shenxue.