Having received directions, Ye Chen entered the City Lord's Mansion. Led by one of the guards, he arrived before a magnificent great hall—the City Lord's Hall.
Here was where the City Lord, also the Guardian Great Power, was stationed to oversee matters.
Ye Chen's arrival was promptly received. Upon entering the hall, he saw a middle-aged man seated upon the central divine throne. He was dignified in appearance, with a stalwart build and flowing white hair. His brow held a majestic authority that commanded the submission of all living beings, and an intangible, terrifying pressure emanated from him.
Without a doubt, this was the Guardian Great Power of the 49th Pass, known as City Lord Jing Tian. He was a truly world-shaking Great Power who had dominated the Star Sky for many years. His cultivation was profound and miraculous, with many astonishing battle achievements that had forged his current invincible reputation.
Even a Chaos Great Power as powerful as Ye Chen felt a dreadful pressure when facing an existence like City Lord Jing Tian, his expression turning grave.
For City Lord Jing Tian was far beyond comparison with ordinary Great Powers. At the very least, he was a Super Great Power, perhaps even stronger—his depths were difficult to fathom.
"City Lord, a distinguished guest bearing the Xue Lan Ancient Sovereign Token requests an audience!" the guard announced respectfully.
Upon the divine throne, City Lord Jing Tian, who had been meditating with closed eyes, slowly opened them. No dazzling or brilliant beams of light shot forth; instead, they appeared profound. Yet, precisely this was what made him truly terrifying.
An intangible, fearsome phenomenon manifested around him. One world after another appeared, each a scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—shattered ancient worlds, blood-stained starry skies, collapsed cosmic secret realms...
Yet, without exception, the supreme figure of City Lord Jing Tian stood towering upon each one, like an invincible war god who had shattered the heavens.
Undoubtedly, these were the terrifying battlefields he had fought upon in the past, the visions of a peerless Great Power who had survived a hundred battles without dying. They manifested imperceptibly, striking awe into the hearts of all. Even Ye Chen's pupils instantly contracted.
So strong!
This was his mental evaluation of Great Power Jing Tian!
It was high praise, but well-deserved.
He hadn't expected the Great Power stationed at the 49th Pass to be such a terrifying, peerless Great Power.
Upon careful thought, a crucial ancient pass like the 49th indeed required such a powerful figure to guard it.
"Battle Saint King!"
City Lord Jing Tian spoke. Ye Chen could conceal his identity from ordinary people, but he could not hide it from a peerless Great Power like City Lord Jing Tian, who saw through it.
The guard who had brought Ye Chen was instantly shocked.
Being on the Ultimate Ancient Path, how could he not know the illustrious reputation of the Battle Saint King? It was far too resplendent. He had blocked the five alien Emperors with his Great Power Tribulation and had connections, deep or shallow, with several of the Nine Ancient Path Overlords. He was even the husband of several Hall Masters of the Moon Palace, a Chaos Young Supreme One. Such an identity was enough to shock the entire Ancient Path. Who would have thought the Ancient Path Heaven's Pride arriving with a Sovereign Ancient Token was him?
"Senior Jing Tian." Ye Chen nodded slightly, his bearing naturally extraordinary. He was neither servile nor overbearing even when facing a peerless Great Power like City Lord Jing Tian, making others sigh at the Battle Saint King's mental fortitude.
City Lord Jing Tian harbored no anger. On the contrary, he also admired Ye Chen.
Not just because of the Ultimate Ancient Path's recognition, but also because a Heaven's Pride emerging from a shattered Sealed World Universe had reached this point today—undoubtedly far exceeding countless people's expectations. Moreover, he had blocked the crossing of the five alien Emperors with his Great Power Tribulation.
Although it was due to the Heavenly Tribulation, one still had to admire his courage at the time, daring to resist even Eternal Great Emperors—supreme existences that even Ancient Sovereigns facing them would undoubtedly perish.
And only upon truly meeting him did one understand the Battle Saint King's strength. Facing him, Ye Chen was not only neither servile nor overbearing, but City Lord Jing Tian could fully sense how profound his cultivation was. Though he appeared to be only at the second heaven of the Great Power realm—something City Lord Jing Tian could suppress with a raise of his hand—his true combat power was far beyond that.
Yet, he had heard that even Gong Xuan, one of the minor Overlords of the Ancient Path, had been slain by him, and Gong Shenxue had taken Gong Nanshan and left. All these things were enough to indicate his strength, surpassing that of ordinary Great Powers by who knew how many times.
The guard had long since departed. Within the hall, Ye Chen was invited to take a seat, sitting opposite this top-tier Great Power renowned throughout the Star Sky.
"Battle Saint King, for what matter have you come?" City Lord Jing Tian got straight to the point, his words direct yet not feeling abrupt in the slightest.
"I wish to seek Senior Jing Tian's guidance on some matters." Ye Chen also did not beat around the bush. "Within the Emperor-Birth Star, does there truly exist a Great Emperor Reincarnation Body?"
A Great Emperor Reincarnation Body!?
The moment this question was asked, it was as if the Star Sky itself trembled.
Yes, a Great Emperor Reincarnation Body.
For a long time, many people liked to refer to certain exceptionally powerful Supreme Heaven's Prides as Great Emperor Reincarnation Bodies. In truth, this was mostly to highlight the invincible emperor-like bearing of such Supreme Heaven's Prides, possessing the potential to vie for the Emperor's Path, but they were not truly Great Emperor Reincarnation Bodies.
However, this time, coming to the 49th Pass, Ye Chen had also learned some information from various sources. Within the Emperor-Birth Star where the 49th Pass was located, there might exist a true Great Emperor Reincarnation Body—the reincarnated rebirth body of an ancient Great Emperor, not merely a simple metaphor.
One must know that a true Great Emperor Reincarnation Body was completely different from what people imagined. An ancient Great Emperor reincarnating and being reborn was an existence that had once firmly stepped into the true supreme domain, even possessing an Emperor's Path Imperial Foundation. As long as no accidents occurred and given sufficient time, they would inevitably become an Emperor or Sovereign again in the future.
In a sense, such a Great Emperor Reincarnation Body was even more powerful than Emperor Sons or Emperor Daughters. Because they had once ascended to that supreme domain, they possessed the experience of the Emperor's Path and knew the road to becoming an Emperor, unlike others who needed to explore it themselves—even Emperor Sons and Daughters were the same.
However, generally speaking, those who achieved Great Emperor status and ascended to the supreme domain basically never reincarnated and were reborn. The risks were too great, and the benefits were minimal. Thus, many people did not believe it, considering it merely a rumor not worth believing.
But sometimes, rumors were not without basis. Although Ye Chen had his doubts, he was also curious whether a being like a Great Emperor Reincarnation Body truly existed.
For others, they might not know, but the Ultimate Ancient Path was one of the most powerful forces in the entire Chaos Ancient Universe, possessing a sufficiently powerful intelligence network. Perhaps they could obtain some information.
Ye Chen was also quite curious. If he encountered such a Great Emperor Reincarnation Body, he very much hoped to engage in a direct, same-realm battle.
After all, a Great Emperor Reincarnation Body was not a Great Emperor but someone who had started cultivating anew after rebirth.
"It should be true."
City Lord Jing Tian did not conceal it, for the Battle Saint King before him was no ordinary Ancient Path Heaven's Pride. Not to mention his potential qualifying him to rank among the Ultimate Ancient Path's strongest Overlords, he had also achieved glorious merits. Otherwise, Sovereign Xue Lan would not have bestowed the Sovereign Ancient Token—a token that even the Nine Ancient Path Overlords had not received. How precious it was! It essentially allowed one to roam the entire Ultimate Ancient Path freely without violating the rules.
"Truly?" Ye Chen was startled.
"Eight or nine out of ten, it's not wrong." City Lord Jing Tian nodded. Having said there was an eighty to ninety percent certainty, coming from the mouth of the City Lord of the 49th Pass, it was basically true.
"A Great Emperor Reincarnation Body... does such a person truly exist?" Even Ye Chen himself found it somewhat hard to believe. Which ancient Great Emperor would reincarnate and be reborn? That was not rebirth in the ordinary sense, nor was it reincarnation where one could return upon awakening. It was severing all one's Dao and techniques, reincarnating and being reborn, starting from scratch.
How arrogant were Supreme Great Emperors? Why would they be willing to start over?
"Actually, there have been such examples before; one appeared in history." City Lord Jing Tian said.
Hearing this, Ye Chen also recalled some ancient secrets.
Indeed, although a Great Emperor Reincarnation Body was inconceivable, it was not without precedent. On the contrary, there had truly been one case, appearing during the Mythological Era.
According to authentic ancient records, there was once a Supreme Great Emperor who encountered a terrifying Emperor-level enemy, leading to a dreadful Emperor-level battle.
In the end, this Great Emperor successfully slew a Supreme Emperor-level enemy, but he also suffered the most terrifying Dao injuries in that battle. His fleshly body crumbled and could not endure long; his Emperor Soul shattered into formlessness, teetering on the brink of death, about to perish with his Dao extinguished, both form and spirit on the verge of collapse, with no one able to save him.
Whether viewed by ordinary people, Emperors, or supreme Immortals, it was an undoubtedly fatal situation.
However, this Eternal Great Emperor possessed immense willpower. He verified a supreme Dao technique, sparing no cost, burning his Sovereign Path fleshly body, dissolving his Emperor Soul, entering a nirvana that could almost be described as ten deaths with no life. In the end, relying on himself, he made the ultimate leap, transcending the death calamity, reincarnated and was reborn, forcefully living out a Second Life.
It must be said, the entire Mythological Era was shaken. No one believed it, including the various Emperors and supreme Immortals, finding it hard to believe that someone could break and then establish anew, living out a Second Life.
Moreover, that Great Emperor discarded his former Dao and techniques, cultivated himself anew, created another supreme great technique, and re-ascended to the Emperor's Path domain.
In the end, he even defied the heavens to achieve the strongest Emperor-Sovereign realm, renowned throughout the Chaos Sea.
"I have indeed heard of such a Great Emperor. I thought it was just a rumor; I didn't expect it to be true." Ye Chen sighed softly. Thinking of it now, such a fact was indeed earth-shattering and dazzling through the ages.
However, upon reflection, it was likely a last resort. Because every Great Emperor was supreme and unparalleled, existences on par with the Heavenly Dao. Who would undergo nirvana and live out a Second Life? That was merely a choice born of helplessness.
But one still had to admire that Supreme Great Emperor, actually succeeding in nirvana within a certain-death situation, living out a Second Life, and even defying the heavens to achieve the strongest Emperor-Sovereign realm. He was among the most powerful figures throughout history, on par with the Heavenly Emperor, the Space-Time Great Emperor, the Great Saint Sovereign, and the Battle Saint Ancestor.
"Actually, this Eternal Great Emperor is someone you know. In a sense, you are quite familiar with him." City Lord Jing Tian suddenly said this.
"Hmm?"
Ye Chen was stunned. An Eternal Great Emperor I'm familiar with?
"His name—"
City Lord Jing Tian spoke word by word. The moment his words fell, Ye Chen felt as if struck by lightning—
"Battle Saint Emperor!"