Whoosh—
Divine Desolation Venerable One appeared amidst the barren mountains. Seeing Ye Chen and Abenue before him, he felt a wave of disorientation.
Having been sealed for nearly thirty years, he was indeed somewhat dazed. However, he was ultimately a Great Power and quickly regained his composure. Recognizing the person before him as the invincible one who had emerged from the Sixfold Reincarnation Coffin in the past, and recalling the world-shaking combat power that had slain a Super Great Power, he immediately and without hesitation cupped his fists and bowed. "This humble one, Divine Desolation, pays his respects to the Battle Saint King, Your Excellency!"
Although Divine Desolation Venerable One had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, those who achieve more are the teachers. Moreover, under the Battle Saint King's heaven-defying combat power, even Super Great Powers could fall. He dared not be presumptuous.
Ye Chen gave a slight nod, not denying it. "There's no need for excessive nervousness. I merely wish to ask you a few things."
Divine Desolation Venerable One inwardly smiled bitterly. How could he not be nervous? If this Battle Saint King before him were angered, he could easily suppress and kill him.
"Your Excellency, please speak. This humble one will tell all I know and hold nothing back."
"Do you know how to reach the Ultimate Ancient Path?" Ye Chen asked.
"Your Excellency, I know of a place that might allow one to return to the Ancient Path more quickly." After a moment's hesitation, Divine Desolation Venerable One still spoke up.
Indeed!
Ye Chen had already suspected as much in his heart, but hearing confirmation still pleased him. "Fellow Daoist, please tell me. I am willing to offer a certain reward."
Divine Desolation Venerable One hurriedly waved his hands. "Your Excellency, please do not humble me. I am not certain if it truly leads to the Ultimate Ancient Path. However, when I was still weak, I heard from my ancestors that within our border wastelands, there once existed a mysterious ancient road. By following this road all the way through, one could ultimately reach the supreme Ancient Path."
"Good! Please lead the way, Fellow Daoist!"
The three of them plunged into the depths of the starry sky. However, they did not head towards any life-bearing ancient star in this starfield. Instead, they moved towards the outermost border wasteland of the universe. There, frenzied and mottled primordial Chaos Qi surged and roiled, carrying with it various heaven and earth anomalies that continuously tore through the starry sky. Countless stars were shredded into fragments, drifting in this place.
Once one left the border wasteland, on the other side lay the legendary, boundless and vast Chaos Sea.
Even a Great Power of the third heaven like Divine Desolation Venerable One could easily encounter danger if slightly careless, for the universe's border wastelands were filled with all sorts of unknown perils. In the distant past, it was even rumored that Emperor-level Supremes had battled in the border wastelands, and there were also various secret realms left behind from the creation of the world.
Ye Chen, however, was as calm as a breeze. Primordial Chaos Qi flowed over the surface of his body, easily warding off all dangers and keeping them at bay.
Abenue was also a Super Great Power now. Her golden hair cascaded down, her figure enchantingly graceful, yet her expression remained aloof and emotionless. Master and servant followed behind Divine Desolation Venerable One.
The legendary mysterious ancient road was very far away. After delving deep into the universe's border wastelands for a full half-day, they witnessed many perilous places along the way. Some areas even revealed, in the far distance, several colossal black holes devouring each other, containing destructive power sufficient to annihilate an entire starfield in an instant, something even Super Great Powers would regard with extreme caution.
Finally, after half a day, Divine Desolation Venerable One brought Ye Chen to a primordial land. There lay a massive primordial continent, spanning a million li in radius, drifting within the universe's border wastelands. Endless spatial fissures accompanied it, and seven-colored divine energy churned and roiled, disturbing heaven and earth.
They also saw one shattered great world after another rising and falling, fragments of the All Heavens' stars accompanying them. Everything was enough to prove the danger of this place.
Divine Desolation Venerable One pointed into the distance at the primordial continent. "Your Excellency, the ancient road lies upon the Primordial Continent, at its center point. There is a Black Hole there. One need only enter it to reach the mysterious Ancient Path."
Ye Chen frowned slightly. His gaze instantly pierced through, looking across hundreds of millions of li to see the center of the Primordial Continent. There indeed was a Black Hole, slowly rotating and continuously devouring the All Heavens, swallowing countless fragments of worlds and star fragments.
However, at regular intervals, the Black Hole would transform into a White Hole, and all the stars and world fragments previously swallowed would be expelled one by one, only to be devoured again later.
This cycle repeated endlessly, accompanied by terrifying hurricane-like disasters, making the path to this mysterious Black Hole fraught with all sorts of dangers.
Moreover, the mysterious Black Hole at the center of the Primordial Continent possessed a sinister, devouring power. Ye Chen's Heaven's Eye pierced through, able to see bizarre and kaleidoscopic scenes within, as if it connected to the myriad realms of the All Heavens, or perhaps led to the mysterious Chaos Sea. There was no precise target, but from its deepest depths emanated an unprecedented primordial aura, permeated with the vicissitudes of time, as if it had existed for countless billions of years.
"Let's go—"
Without hesitation, Ye Chen took a step. Beneath his feet, a resplendent golden great road instantly manifested, extending straight towards the Primordial Continent. Primordial Chaos Qi flowed upon it, and wherever it passed, all disasters of the border wasteland were pushed aside, unable to touch it.
Ye Chen seemed like a sovereign lord of the All Heavens descending to the mortal world, striding upon the golden great road towards the Primordial Continent.
Behind him, Divine Desolation Venerable One felt even greater awe and reverence towards Ye Chen. After all, such methods could be called world-shaking. At the very least, he himself could not master them, could not be so composed and at ease. Even traversing this frenzied zone would leave him somewhat disheveled.
Indeed, this mysterious young Supreme One of the Ancient Path was supremely powerful and invincible.
Whoosh—
In the span of a few breaths, the trio arrived one after another upon the Primordial Continent.
The continent was quite desolate, with not many barren mountains and devoid of life. Only a single towering mountain peak stood at the center—a special volcano, its crater being that mysterious Black Hole.
At this moment, it had already transformed into a Black Hole. Everything around became utterly dark, and the stars of the All Heavens became visible.
A brilliant pillar of light descended from the heavens, plunging into the volcano's crater. Along with it, fragments of the All Heavens' stars and remnants of worlds surged mightily into the volcano's mouth, vanishing without a trace.
And with each devouring act, it was accompanied by a sky-high storm of divine energy that swept across the Primordial Continent, wantonly tearing through the void.
The ferocity of such a storm was such that even a Heavenly King present would undoubtedly be easily torn apart, with no chance of survival.
"This place is indeed quite perilous!"
Ye Chen nodded, uttering these words, but that was all.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the volcano's crater, looking down from above at the Black Hole within. He watched as all things, tangible and intangible, were devoured, accompanied by boundless dark storms that could wantonly tear apart everything, a sight that made one's heart race with fear.