"What?!"
Ye Chen's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. How could this be? They might not even have displayed one-third of their true strength? Why?
He was deeply puzzled and confused. After all, that was a struggle for the Emperor Body, a matter concerning the foundation of the Emperor's Path and Imperial Throne. Several Ancient Monarchs had gone mad for it, with some even perishing and their Dao dissipating. Under such circumstances, those Ancient Monarchs couldn't possibly have been holding back their strength.
"I know you must find it very strange, wondering why they didn't display their full power, perhaps only one-third. It is indeed unusual," Mystic Dao Elder said, then looked upward—or perhaps more accurately, toward the unreachable heights of the heavens—with profound meaning. "Actually, it's not that they didn't want to, but that they couldn't. The Heavenly Dao does not permit it. The universe does not permit it."
"The Heavenly Dao does not permit it? The universe does not permit it?" Ye Chen grew even more curious. Why wouldn't it be permitted?
Instead of answering directly, Mystic Dao Elder asked a question in return: "Little friend, do you know the rules of dimensional worlds?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen felt as if he had been enlightened. He immediately understood why Ancient Monarchs couldn't display their full strength.
The very reason the universe's Heavenly Dao forbade it was precisely because Ancient Monarchs were too powerful.
Just like in dimensional worlds—which belong to the lower realms—a Saint is almost equivalent to the strongest being there, capable of easily destroying the world. Even Saints from the outside world who try to enter a dimensional world face severe restrictions and suppression from the world itself.
Similarly, because Ancient Monarchs are too powerful, even a Primordial Chaos Ancient Universe could be easily destroyed, along with the myriad Dao rules. Therefore, the universe's heavens and earth do not allow them to display their complete, supreme combat power, suppressing a large portion of it.
If they were to fully unleash their power, an Ancient Monarch's strength would increase severalfold. Even the nine Overlords of the ancient paths would stand no chance in a direct confrontation.
Only now did Ye Chen truly comprehend the absolute might of Ancient Monarchs. He did not doubt the truth of Mystic Dao Elder's words. This peerless supreme being, trapped at the Great Power bottleneck for seventy thousand years, understood the invincibility of Ancient Monarchs better than anyone else in the world.
However, Ye Chen soon grew puzzled again. "Senior Mystic Dao, as you said, even if Ancient Monarchs are stronger than imagined, under the suppression of the universe's Heavenly Dao, they can only exert one-third of their power. I, your junior, believe I have nothing to fear and can retreat unscathed. You telling me this now doesn't really change much. The biggest difference is merely that I now know the true strength of Ancient Monarchs."
Mystic Dao Elder sighed. "Little friend, do you think this old man would speak of such matters to you for no reason?"
Ye Chen's pupils immediately contracted. Indeed, why would Mystic Dao Elder bring this up without cause? A vague suspicion arose in his heart, accompanied by a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, Mystic Dao Elder soon continued: "You should also know that in the past, even though the Ultimate Ancient Path opened once every ten thousand years, there were very few supreme prodigies from the various Ancient Universes. However, this era is surprisingly abundant, with terrifying Emperor Sons, Emperor Daughters, and other descendants of Emperors or supreme Immortals gathering here. What does all this indicate?"
He posed the question instead of answering.
"This era is the most extraordinary," Ye Chen said, a monstrous wave of shock surging within his heart.
Yes, just look at the prosperity of the Ultimate Ancient Path, with supreme prodigies from various Ancient Universes emerging one after another, and even previously reclusive, sealed Emperor Sons and Daughters appearing.
Moreover, in the Sealed Boundary Universe, hasn't a Golden Age begun? Various bloodlines have erupted like a geyser. The Tenth Heavenly Layer, unseen since the Mythical Era, was first broken through by him, followed by Sun God, Primordial Demon God, Yuan Yao Divine King, Feng Wu, and other former True King prodigies successively breaking through.
Everything, everything pointed to the uniqueness of this era.
And it wasn't just the Sealed Boundary Universe. Even looking across other Primordial Chaos Ancient Universes, and indeed the entire Chaos Sea, this era had undergone unprecedented changes.
Amidst these changes, the original suppression by the universe's Heavenly Dao would likely gradually disappear. The suppressed power of Ancient Monarchs would also slowly recover.
Once recovered, how terrifying would Ancient Monarchs be? Even Ye Chen couldn't imagine. At the very least, he believed that even those invincible below the Sovereign level, like the nine Overlords of the ancient paths, would find it difficult to face them in direct combat.
Mystic Dao Elder knew Ye Chen understood. He sighed softly, "So you must be careful. Originally, the Heavenly Dao suppression was fading slowly, but in recent years, the speed has accelerated greatly, especially in the last three years. Although current Ancient Monarchs are still far from possessing their full power, they are much stronger than before. Even the nine Overlords of the Ultimate Ancient Path would have to avoid their sharp edge and find it difficult to engage them in battle."
Ye Chen nodded, his expression grave. He also asked Mystic Dao Elder to give an assessment of the Ancient Monarchs' absolute strength.
The elder's reply sent a violent tremor through Ye Chen's heart—
"An Ancient Monarch, even one who has just stepped into this realm, possessing absolute strength, in a duel against a peak ninth-layer Great Power, the outcome would be like this—" He raised his hand, showing five fingers. "In no more than five exchanges, the peak Great Power would undoubtedly be defeated. And this certain defeat would very likely be accompanied by the heavy price of perishing."
Ye Chen was shocked. The gap between them was actually this vast!
That was a peak Great Power, just one step away from becoming an Ancient Monarch. Yet that single step made such an immense difference, a gap so huge it was almost unbelievable. Unable to last five exchanges, and likely facing the cost of death?
Mystic Dao Elder sighed softly. "You must believe this old man's words. Ancient Monarchs are only stronger than you imagine, never weaker. If you ever truly encounter an Ancient Monarch in the future, immediately fleeing will be your best choice."
Hearing this, Ye Chen could only nod.
Indeed, facing an Ancient Monarch no longer suppressed by the universe's Heavenly Dao, what else could Ye Chen do besides flee?
Would he dare to charge recklessly forward and duel the supreme Universe Overlord?
He was indeed strong and firmly believed in his own invincibility, but his cultivation realm was ultimately too low. He hadn't fully matured yet. If he forcibly clashed with an Ancient Monarch, it would be a near-certain death.
Without being a Sovereign, one ultimately cannot oppose a Sovereign.
The title of Universe Overlord was not merely spoken lightly.
"However, you need not worry too much. For now, those Ancient Monarchs still cannot easily take action. You saw how determined those Ancient Monarchs were to obtain the Emperor Body, yet recently they haven't appeared. Otherwise, escaping under their watchful eyes would have been countless times more difficult for you." Afterwards, Mystic Dao Elder added, not waiting for Ye Chen's confusion before answering: "That's because of that Invincible One of the Ultimate Ancient Path, Cang Xiong. Just a few days ago, he spoke up. Under his call, a new rule appeared throughout the great universe—the No Monarch Decree!"
"The No Monarch Decree?!" Ye Chen was astonished.
"Yes, precisely the No Monarch Decree!" Mystic Dao Elder nodded. "As the name implies, it is an intangible rule forbidding Ancient Monarchs from taking action. Currently, with the emergence of the great era, even the entire universe is beginning to undergo astonishing changes. The myriad Daos are gradually drawing nearer, which will have a huge impact on the entire universe's cultivation environment, accelerating cultivation speed, making cultivation easier for all living beings across the heavens and myriad realms, and elevating the overall strength of the Ancient Universe. The power of Ancient Monarchs is too great, and in recent years, it has been recovering rapidly, easily affecting the changes in the great universe. Therefore, during this period, Universe Overlords at the Ancient Monarch level cannot take action to avoid influencing the universe's transformation. Moreover, it was Cang Xiong, that Invincible One, who personally spoke. So, unless absolutely necessary, Ancient Monarchs cannot easily act."
"And even peerless war weapons at the level of Supreme Emperor Weapons are the same."
Ye Chen understood. The universe was undergoing great changes, making cultivation increasingly easier. Furthermore, it was an Invincible One from the past, who once rivaled Formless Sovereign, who personally spoke. Who would dare disobey?
Even Ancient Monarchs held Cang Xiong in extreme awe. Even though Cang Xiong belonged to legend, hadn't taken action for many tens of thousands of years, and was even rumored to be nearing the end of his lifespan, he remained an Invincible One that could not be ignored in the universe.
Moreover, the Ultimate Ancient Path possessed supreme foundation. For all these reasons, the various Ancient Monarchs had to abide by the agreement, not acting against the mortal world and unable to personally pursue Ye Chen. This reduced the factors threatening Ye Chen by over ninety percent.
After all, given Ye Chen's current powerful cultivation, as long as Ancient Monarchs didn't act, he could basically roam freely through the Ancient Universe, fearing nothing.
While Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief, he also felt a faint sense of regret. Because he was of the Battle Saint lineage, there was ultimately a madness in his bones. Even if facing pursuit from Ancient Monarchs in the future, he still hoped to truly cross blows with them, to personally experience the true terror of Ancient Monarchs and the peerless invincibility of this Universe Overlord realm!
Not being able to personally engage in battle naturally brought some regret.
Suddenly, a startling plan surfaced in Ye Chen's mind. When he told Mystic Dao Elder about it, this peak Great Power renowned throughout the Ancient Universe was left dumbfounded: "Little friend, you are too crazy. Doing this would truly be a near-certain death, especially since you cannot currently wield the Heaven-Wastage Great Halberd. You simply aren't strong enough to resist. You should act cautiously."
"Moreover, if you do this, even Ancient Monarchs might be able to briefly ignore the restraint of the No Monarch Decree and act against you. You must think thrice before acting."
Ye Chen smiled, looking toward the depths of the starry sky. "Senior Mystic Dao, although I deliberately let most of the Ancient Universe's powerhouses pursue me as a form of trial, being constantly chased eventually becomes somewhat tiresome. Carrying out this plan now will also let them see who is not to be provoked, and allow me to collect some interest."
"If others do not offend me, I will not offend them."
"If others offend me, I will repay them tenfold!"
Ye Chen's voice shook the starry sky!