Ye Chen was enraged, his expression darkening. At this moment, an unprecedented and terrifying aura of peerless power erupted from his body, piercing through the heavens.
With a deafening roar, endless golden Blood Yuan suddenly exploded, flooding the dilapidated ancient hall. A vast expanse of brilliant gold shook heaven and earth, with wave after wave of golden Blood Yuan surging and churning, as if overturning the nine heavens themselves.
Ye Chen's body was like a furnace, bathed in supreme golden radiance, resembling an invincible war god descending upon the mortal world, shocking all who witnessed it.
The terrifying peerless aura made every trial-taker feel as if a great mountain were pressing down on their hearts, unbearably heavy, making it difficult to even breathe. It was utterly horrifying, far too dreadful.
The six young Martial Gods instantly changed expressions. This powerful aura was so intense that even they felt their breathing grow heavy and suppressed. They were shocked beyond words—how could Ye Chen be this powerful?
The Silver-Horned White Tiger roared, its silver horn erupting with a dazzling beam of light that shot toward Ye Chen. However, the latter's fingers and palms flowed with vast, brilliant light, his flesh taking on a crystalline golden hue, as hard as diamond. Without even employing any laws or divine abilities, he simply raised his hand and casually swatted away the silver beam, simple and direct, displaying his peerless divine might and astonishing everyone. He was far too powerful.
One must remember that when Yang Shaoqi had previously unleashed the Heavenly Snow Clear River, even with the support of the divine hammer, he was still sent flying. Yet now, it seemed utterly insignificant.
All of this could only prove Ye Chen's true, world-shaking strength.
Then Ye Chen took the initiative to attack, like a great demon emerging into the world. Golden Blood Yuan power surged and erupted, shaking heaven and earth.
He soared into the air, confronting the Silver-Horned White Tiger head-on. His combat power was heaven-defying and peerless. With a single punch, he struck the white tiger, sending it flying completely and crashing into a distant mountain peak, raising a cloud of dust and a rumbling roar.
His divine fists did not stop there. He clashed head-on with the divine hammer that Yang Shaoqi had sent rushing toward him. Dazzling golden light suddenly exploded, scattering the radiance emanating from the divine hammer. Then, a golden hand stretched out, grasping the hammer. The reviving divine energy within it was completely extinguished, and it lay peacefully in his palm, calm and subdued.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye, yet Ye Chen had truly displayed the peerless divine might of a world-shaking powerhouse, deeply shaking the hearts of everyone present.
Too powerful! Was this the true manifestation of Ye Chen's combat power? Truly peerless and unrivaled. The uncrowned king of the younger generation was not just an empty title.
Even the six young Martial Gods were awestruck. This level of combat power was simply not something one should possess upon first stepping into the Martial God realm. It was far too formidable. After sending the Martial God-level demonic beast flying, he could still shatter a super Martial God Dao Weapon with his bare fists. All of this seemed almost unbelievable.
But such was the reality.
If they had known that in the twelfth checkpoint, Ye Chen had single-handedly suppressed three Martial God-level Checkpoint Masters, they would probably understand just how formidable a person Ye Chen was.
"Ye Chen, you—"
The six young Martial Gods were shocked. At this moment, the strength Ye Chen displayed seemed far greater than theirs, making their hearts race with intense threat.
Especially Xia Yang. It had only been half a year, yet he had comprehended the Dao of Heaven and Earth on the Dao Platform, leaping forward to possess Martial God-level combat power. He had thought he had surpassed Ye Chen, but now it seemed Ye Chen was still ahead of him. Such peerless, terrifying combat power was simply not something an ordinary person could possess.
Yang Shaoqi was even more astonished. Due to his connection with the divine hammer, he coughed up blood from the corner of his mouth. But none of this compared to the shock in his heart.
He had once thought Ye Chen was merely comparable to the superpower who had previously delayed claiming the title of king. Now, he had been confident he could suppress him. But all of that seemed illusory. The other party's strength was far more terrifying than he had imagined, almost like a human-shaped True Dragon.
But the divine hammer was still in Ye Chen's palm. He urgently called for it to return, but it was futile. Ye Chen's palm flowed with a vast, brilliant, and misty radiance, completely suppressing the divine hammer, making it unresponsive to his summons.
"Ye Chen, how dare you! This is a heavy artifact of my Tianqi Empire!" Yang Shaoqi coldly shouted, yet he dared not step forward to attack, as the intimidation Ye Chen exuded was far too strong.
"Noisy." Ye Chen coldly retorted, not placing Yang Shaoqi in his eyes at all. His golden hand clenched tightly. Although the divine hammer was not crushed, the wisp of Primordial Spirit imprint within it was completely extinguished, replaced by his own. From this moment on, it was his to command. He opened the dantian space within his body and stored it inside.
After achieving the Human Yuan Golden Body, Ye Chen's control over his physical body had grown stronger. Moreover, he had unlocked the treasures of the human body, enabling him to open an internal space. It wasn't very large, only about three cubic zhang, but it could store items. The Heavenly God Spear and the medicinal herbs for refining the "Spirit Refining Pill" were all inside.
This ability was possessed by all Martial God-level powerhouses—a minor, wonderful application of unlocking the body's treasures. As cultivation increased, this internal space would grow larger and more expansive.
Some truly supreme experts could even open up a vast world within their bodies, even giving birth to a true great world.
Yang Shaoqi sensed the destruction of the divine hammer's imprint. The injury caused him to cough up blood again, his face pale. He never expected Ye Chen to be so bold as to actually seize his heavy weapon. Unable to contain his fury, he shouted, "Ye Chen, how dare you! Return my weapon at once!"
"Return it to you!"
Ye Chen indeed sent the divine hammer flying toward Yang Shaoqi, leaving everyone stunned. Was he really going to return it?
But Yang Shaoqi's expression changed drastically. He unleashed his full power, swiftly striking out with six palm seals that connected to form a terrifying ring of light, crashing into the divine hammer with a thunderous boom, blocking it. He also shouted, "Ye Chen, you are despicable!"
Many trial-takers were puzzled. Wasn't Ye Chen returning his weapon? Why was he cursing Ye Chen like this? But they soon understood when someone pointed it out: Ye Chen had attached his own Primordial Spirit imprint to the divine hammer, claiming it as his own. He had just been attacking Yang Shaoqi with it.
Ye Chen gave a cold smile. "Did you really think I would give it back to you? You think too much."
"You—" Yang Shaoqi was furious. Since his birth, he had never been insulted like this. The other party completely disregarded him.
Boom—
The Silver-Horned White Tiger charged out from the cloud of dust. After being sent flying, it had suffered terrible injuries. That punch had been a true manifestation of Ye Chen's combat power, possessing peerless, terrifying force. Several of its demonic bones had fractured, and its internal organs were damaged. But its demonic majesty had been provoked, and it attacked Ye Chen once more.
Ye Chen struck out. A golden hand, large enough to blot out the sky and cover the earth, swept forward. The Silver-Horned White Tiger was sent flying again, coughing up blood continuously.
Then, a black shadow flashed from within his sleeve, transforming into a massive demonic flood dragon, thirty zhang long, coiling through the void. It released the most terrifying demonic majesty, attacking with lightning speed. Its long, flexible body swiftly entangled the Silver-Horned White Tiger, leaving it unable to struggle free.
"A demonic flood dragon!?"
The six young Martial Gods were shocked, recognizing the identity of this giant beast. It was actually a legendary demonic flood dragon, flowing with a trace of True Dragon blood. Moreover, it had emerged from Ye Chen, clearly indicating a close relationship between the two. It might even be a great demon subdued by Ye Chen.
Wu Han, the prodigy from the Martial God Hall, gazed intently at the demonic flood dragon, deep in thought before finally realizing, "There are nine Martial God-level demonic beasts in this world, but two have died. Only six have appeared so far, and the ninth has never been found, its bones missing. I thought it had been devoured by the other six, but now it seems it might be this demonic flood dragon, subdued by Ye Chen. This person is far from simple."
Under her veil, Fairy Caiyun's eyes shimmered like flowing water. She was the most mysterious of them all, her eyes like stars, brilliant yet profoundly deep.
At the same time, the Golden Crimson Sand Scorpion King let out a long hiss, roaring at the demonic flood dragon. There was great enmity between the two.
Ye Chen's gaze turned cold, sweeping over the young Martial Gods of the three empires. He said coldly, "Now it's your turn."
The three young Martial Gods understood. Ye Chen intended to hold them accountable and attack them.
All three were quite wary. This person was extremely fearsome; likely no one present could match him one-on-one.
Yang Shaoqi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said coldly, "Ye Chen, who do you think you are? Do you really dare attack the three of us? Brother Long, Brother Li, let's join forces to suppress this brat and make him understand that one shouldn't be too arrogant. Brother Wu, Fairy Caiyun, please join us as well. You should all realize that perhaps no one here can be his match alone. If we want to seize the final Divine Spirit treasure, this brat is the greatest obstacle. If the three of us are dealt with, none of you will fare well either."
"Good, I agree," Long Tenghua said.
Li Sheng naturally agreed as well, since he was also targeted by Ye Chen. Wu Han also agreed. Finally, Fairy Caiyun agreed as well, because everyone felt the threat Ye Chen posed.
Only Xia Yang, whose relationship with Ye Chen was the most complex—both friend and foe—chose not to take action. But he also did not oppose the five, remaining neutral. He only focused on battling the Golden Crimson Sand Scorpion King he was assigned to.
Ye Chen had been coldly observing all of this, not even attempting to stop them. This somewhat contemptuous attitude angered the five young Martial Gods. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't act like this. Did he truly think he was invincible?
"Ye Chen, today we will make you understand that no matter how powerful you are, you will not remain invincible," Li Sheng said.
"Since you are all prepared, then I shall make my move. Let me show you what true invincibility is—it is not something a mere rabble can overcome by banding together." Ye Chen moved. In an instant, golden Blood Yuan blotted out the sky and earth. He stepped on the void, soaring upward, launching his strongest attack.