Within Zhuxia Star, prosperity and bustle reigned. Great Power legacies stood eternal, flourishing to an extreme degree, making it easy to learn of all kinds of news from the depths of the starry sky, including that of the Ultimate Ancient Path.
Ye Chen, having concealed his identity, paid a high price to learn about the current situation on the Ultimate Ancient Path.
During the initial three years he spent slumbering within the Six-Layered Reincarnation Coffin, there were Ancient Monarchs who attempted to threaten his wives, including the Goddess, to extract information about his whereabouts. However, his wives remained resolute, especially the Goddess, who issued a vow that enraged even the Ancient Monarchs.
Yet, the profound depth of the Ultimate Ancient Path's foundation was evidently beyond imagination. Other Ancient Monarchs and even Emperor Clans were unwilling to provoke it excessively.
Ye Chen was even more surprised to learn that Cang Xiong, that old undying from the Mythical Era who once rivaled the Formless Sovereign, had emerged, shaking the ancient cosmos and forcing even Ancient Monarchs to avoid his might.
Thus, Ye Chen's inner respect for this Cang Xiong grew even more sincere.
Back at the Void Divine Hall, Cang Xiong had said that if an irreversible crisis ever arose, Ye Chen need only utter "Cang Xiong" three times, and he would personally appear to resolve all troubles.
Although over the years, Ye Chen had been unwilling to rely on others or call upon Cang Xiong and incur a debt of gratitude, Cang Xiong had ultimately appeared anyway, proactively shielding them from all calamities, ensuring the safety of his wives, children, and the Moon Hall. This was a tremendous favor that he must repay one day.
Although to Cang Xiong, the current Ye Chen was merely a young junior, Ye Chen firmly believed he would inevitably achieve the status of a supreme Emperor, even surpassing fate, surpassing immortality, to attain eternity.
When that time came, he could repay the kindness of that day.
He also learned that nearly thirty years had passed, and the competition on the Ultimate Ancient Path had grown even more intense. The Nine Ancient Path Overlords, who previously avoided direct conflict upon meeting, had finally cast aside their former restrictions and begun true competition and rivalry.
They had dragged the entire latter segment of the Ancient Path into a battlefield.
Among them, figures like Taiyi, the Chaos Overlord, the Heaven-Defying Combatant, the Goddess, Huangdi, and Heaven's Secret Master had truly begun their contest for supremacy. Various prodigies from the Ancient Path were gradually being drawn into the camps of the Nine Ancient Path Overlords.
Furthermore, essentially all Nine Overlords had entered a mysterious realm known as the Eight Desolates Realm to compete. Other supreme prodigies from the Ultimate Ancient Path were also entering it one after another.
Legend had it that the final checkpoint lay within the Eight Desolates Realm, and the final "Ultimate" was also there. The competition on the Ultimate Ancient Path would erupt completely within that place.
Ye Chen's gaze sharpened. He hadn't expected the competition on the Ultimate Ancient Path to develop to this stage in the nearly thirty years since his departure. It was indeed somewhat unexpected.
However, according to the information obtained, although the Nine Ancient Path Overlords had begun fighting, it was more a matter of probing each other's methods rather than truly engaging in life-and-death battles. It was a contest of probing between their respective subordinate forces.
That place gathered supreme prodigies from various universes, and numerous powerful bloodlines had emerged there. It was a land of ultimate battle.
Moreover, the Eight Desolates Realm was extremely mysterious. It had buried Emperors and Sovereigns, been stained with supreme immortal blood, leaving behind endless legends. It was suspected that there were even Emperors who still existed within the Eight Desolates Realm.
It was also said that in the boundless past, it was the ultimate battlefield of the myriad Emperors and Sovereigns, where everything was buried, holding the ultimate secret.
To yearn for the ultimate land and contend for the final "Ultimate," one must emerge victorious from the Eight Desolates Realm.
Ye Chen sighed softly. Was the contest for the final "Ultimate" finally about to arrive?
However, one piece of news that emerged greatly surprised even Ye Chen. Three years ago at the Fiftieth Checkpoint, Heaven's Secret Master had actually managed to seize a portion of the Emperor's body. Though not as much as Ye Chen's share, he obtained a section of arm and hand, becoming one of the final victors of that event.
There were even rumors that from the very beginning, the appearance of the Five Elements Continent had been within Heaven's Secret Master's calculations, only concealed to mislead the world.
If Heaven's Secret Master hadn't finally utilized the power of the Five Elements Continent to seize a portion of the Emperor's body, everyone might still be kept in the dark.
Heaven's Secret Master, the most fearsome existence among the Nine Ancient Path Overlords, for he could deduce everything under the heavens.
Ye Chen's expression turned gloomy. So it was Heaven's Secret Master, with his excessive scheming. Even he hadn't detected it and had been played.
Yet, he also fell silent.
Now, having achieved the fifth level of Great Power with heaven-defying combat power comparable to the mid-to-late eighth level, Ye Chen believed his current self was sufficient to face any enemy below the level of the Nine Ancient Path Overlords.
However, when facing Overlords like Taiyi, the Chaos Overlord, the Heaven-Defying Combatant, or Huangdi, he still dared not be careless, nor could he claim his current self could duel such peerless figures.
Because he knew that such Ancient Path Overlords were likely all peerless, invincible beings at the Nine Tribulations realm.
Back then, a single Eternal Sword God had been enough to put him in such a sorry state. Those Ancient Path Overlords were destined to be no weaker than the Eternal Sword God in terms of talent and other aspects, if not stronger.
Who could even say that none had taken that step to become an invincible Sovereign body?
If he encountered such Ancient Path Overlords, Ye Chen would have no choice but to flee.
Ultimately, his cultivation was still insufficient.
It wasn't that his talent was lacking. On the contrary, as a Chaos Young Supreme, he was nearly peerless across ancient and modern times, and his cultivation speed was extremely fast. To reach this level in less than a century after ascending to the Great Power realm was enough to stand proudly above the world.
Even other Emperor sons and daughters wouldn't dare claim a faster cultivation speed than his.
It was simply that time was still insufficient. He must improve even faster, otherwise he wouldn't be able to participate in the final contest for the "Ultimate" in the deepest parts.
Moreover, his wives, children, and the Moon Hall faced the covetous gaze of terrifying Ancient Path Overlord-level figures further in. He needed an invincible body to sweep away all obstacles and turn the tide.
It was time to set off for the final Eight Desolates Realm.
Perhaps the previous parts of the Ultimate Ancient Path couldn't offer him much training effect, but the Eight Desolates Realm gathered all trial-takers from the Ancient Path and was connected to Emperors, Sovereigns, or supreme immortals, filled with endless legends. There, he could undoubtedly improve his cultivation and grow stronger more rapidly.
Zhuxia Star was also near the Universe Border Wasteland, not too distant. With Ye Chen's current speed, it would only take about ten days. Therefore, Ye Chen chose to head for the Universe Border Wasteland.
The reason for not heading directly to the Ultimate Ancient Path but to the Universe Border Wasteland was that he had once sensed a peculiar aura there, similar to the Ancient Path. Perhaps there was some secret passage leading to the Ultimate Ancient Path. Otherwise, with his current cultivation, even relying on the Chaos Great Cauldron to travel to the Ultimate Ancient Path located at the center of the universe would likely take a year or more.
That was also why he hadn't acted against that Border Wasteland Great Power, the Divine Desolation Venerable.
He had A'benu release the Border Wasteland Great Power, the Divine Desolation Venerable, who had been captured in the Universe Border Wasteland back then. Now was the perfect time for a thorough interrogation.