The Trial Heaven and Earth where the Trial Path was located was a broken, ancient world. From the various traces, one could see that this world had once been glorious and powerful for a period, in no way inferior to the present-day Tian Du Continent.
Heavenly Gods stood side by side, Divine Spirits dominated the world; it could be said to have been incomparably powerful.
Yet, it was precisely such a powerful civilization that, for unknown reasons ten thousand years ago, suddenly vanished into the river of history. Moreover, the vast heaven and earth had been shattered by someone, becoming incomplete and greatly diminished.
Ye Chen had long suspected that some peerless powerhouse must have taken action, directly collapsing the Trial Heaven and Earth, causing its incompleteness. But he had never known who, nor could he guess just how powerful the person who destroyed the Trial Heaven and Earth could be. Even if they weren't an ancient Great Sage, a supreme figure revered across the myriad realms, they couldn't be far off.
Now it seemed, it was highly likely caused by Xia Zhidi, the Iceflame Heavenly King who was just one step away from stepping into the realm of Great Sages.
Hearing this, Xia Zhidi's expression turned somewhat awkward, but he did not deny it: "That's right, it was indeed destroyed by me and those enemies. In the past, this world could almost be considered a minor world, inhabited by powerful beings, even so-called Divine Spirit powerhouses. It was no worse than the other sealed prison world, the Tian Du Continent. However, I was forced to confront my enemies within this ancient world. We both employed our ultimate means, and in the end, it was shattered and broken."
The truth of the Trial Heaven and Earth being broken was finally revealed. So, it truly was the place where the Iceflame Heavenly King Xia Zhidi had once battled his enemies.
No wonder such a powerful civilization had been annihilated. How powerful was the Iceflame Heavenly King? He was titled a Heavenly King, even just one step away from becoming an ancient Great Sage—a truly supreme existence standing tall across the myriad realms, countless times more powerful than so-called Divine Spirits.
Although the supreme Divine Spirits of the Tian Du Continent were powerful, and could even be considered significant figures within the myriad realms, the myriad realms were ultimately too vast. Divine Spirits were not lacking in every major domain.
But Heavenly Kings stood far above them. It was said a single strand of their hair falling could crush a thousand miles of rivers and mountains, let alone the Iceflame Heavenly King who stood at the pinnacle of the great realm, and those enemies who dared to pursue him—they must also be Heavenly Kings surpassing Divine Spirits.
A great confrontation at this level was simply not something beings below the Heavenly King realm could withstand, nor could a world lacking complete laws endure it. Therefore, after a fierce battle, the Trial Heaven and Earth shattered and disintegrated, was pierced through, and the countless living beings inhabiting it suffered immense casualties.
Thus, a once powerful and glorious civilization vanished, annihilated under the supreme divine abilities of the Heavenly Kings.
Ye Chen fell silent. He could imagine just how terrifying that battle ten thousand years ago must have been; it was almost unimaginable. The appearance of a thousand-mile desert was likely just a casual strike from such an existence.
But he was even more shocked by Xia Zhidi's enemies. Who exactly were they, to dare pursue even such a peerless Heavenly King? They must be one of the most terrifying supreme powers within the myriad realms.
"Back then, pursued relentlessly and with no other choice, I was already at a disadvantage during the confrontation because the other side dispatched five powerful Heavenly Kings to deal with me. No matter how strong I was, I couldn't contend against so many Heavenly Kings."
"Moreover, the prolonged pursuit severely depleted my divine energy, making it difficult to replenish my Yuan Power. The other side even wielded supreme ancient weapons in the pursuit; I simply couldn't face them head-on. In this world, I evaded them for a long time, even resorting to desperate measures that inflicted varying degrees of injury on my enemies. I nearly managed to slay one of their Heavenly Kings, which made them quite wary and finally gave me a month's opportunity to recuperate."
"During this month, I secretly opened up a minor world. Even at the cost of paying a corresponding price, I separated a wisp of my true spirit and soul, and even extracted several precious drops of my heart's blood that I had refined. All of this was merely a contingency plan I prepared to save myself."
"Although I haven't been captured by my enemies now, I am trapped in an extremely perilous region. I've been trapped there for ten thousand years, unable to leave. Only the Ancient Ancestor Great Sage himself can personally come forth to rescue me."
"I need someone to deliver a token back to my clan. But I worry my clan might be under surveillance by that power, and any communication would be monitored. Only the younger generation isn't taken seriously by those people. That's why I set the restriction here, allowing only the younger generation to enter. One day, they will carry my token back to the sect and then rescue me."
All of this was merely a plan laid out ten thousand years ago. There was no so-called Divine Spirit inheritance, but the true treasure was far more valuable than any Divine Spirit inheritance. Moreover, it was the Great Dao Blood of the Iceflame Heavenly King, a supreme Heavenly King, containing fragments of the supreme Great Dao's Dao marks. All of this was enough to drive even Divine Spirits mad.
After understanding all this, Ye Chen was also amazed. He truly hadn't expected the Iceflame Heavenly King Xia Zhidi to pay such a tremendous price just to send a message. He also pondered deeply about who exactly his enemies were.
Now he truly understood what the task he had accepted was: to escort an item back to the Ice God Hall and call for reinforcements to come rescue him. This was the Iceflame Heavenly King's main objective.
Although the reward was precious—the Great Dao Blood of a peak Heavenly King—it was also extremely dangerous. After all, the other side dared to pursue a peak Heavenly King; they were likely supreme figures, probably backed by an extremely powerful supreme holy land. Otherwise, how would they dare act so brazenly?
Helping to deliver the message meant standing on the same side as Xia Zhidi, becoming enemies with that supreme holy land.
But there was no choice in this matter. Because from the moment he obtained the Great Dao Blood, a Heavenly Dao oath transformed into a contract, binding his Primordial Spirit. It could not be violated; otherwise, he would suffer the terrifying punishment of the Heavenly Dao, and his Primordial Spirit would surely perish—unless he reached a level where even the Heavenly Dao could do nothing to him.
But the current Ye Chen was far from reaching that step.
"When the time comes, little friend, you only need to deliver the Dao-mark divine bottle to my clan's Ancient Ancestor. He will naturally understand everything and can use it to deduce my location and rescue me," Xia Zhidi said.
Ye Chen nodded, accepting the task, immediately feeling a wave of pressure.
Xia Zhidi sighed softly: "Little friend, you can rest assured. The moment you deliver the Dao-mark divine bottle into the hands of my clan's Ancient Ancestor, the Heavenly Dao oath will automatically dissipate and vanish. I'm troubling you."
"It's no trouble," Ye Chen shook his head with a slight smile. "I have accepted a commission. Since I have received your Great Dao Blood, I naturally have the obligation to fulfill the corresponding duty. This is what I should do."
"Little friend, what is your name?" Xia Zhidi suddenly asked.
"Ye Chen," Ye Chen replied with a smile. It was not his past name, but his name in this life, for he had cast off his past and undergone a rebirth.
Xia Zhidi smiled, appearing very gentle. His illusory figure began to scatter into a rain of light, rapidly dissipating, turning into specks of starlight dancing in the air, dreamlike and illusory.
"This wisp of soul has completed its task and will now dissipate. Little friend Ye Chen, I hope we meet again if fate allows..."
His voice still lingered by the ear, but his figure had completely vanished. That dreamlike rain of light drifted towards the Dao-mark divine bottle, merging into it.
Boom—
The Great Dao Blood seemed to have its seal lifted. Vast waves of blood energy erupted. Each drop of blood was as crystalline and beautiful as a blood diamond, emanating oceanic, immense fluctuations. Strands of Great Dao divine chains intertwined, clattering as they interpreted the Great Dao law power of a supreme Heavenly King.
Xia Zhidi's Great Dao Blood had another layer of seal, which was now completely released.
Ye Chen's Primordial Spirit regained control of his body. Feeling the surging fluctuations of the Great Dao Blood, his eyes burned with fervor, desiring to completely devour it. If he did, he would surely recover a portion of his past life's peak strength, possibly even becoming stronger than the Divine Spirits of this life.
But he restrained his desire, tossing the Great Dao Blood to Old Yan for safekeeping. If he rashly devoured this Great Dao Blood, it would surely cause his entire body to explode from the overwhelming energy; it was simply not something his current self could withstand.
However, he possessed sufficient willpower to suppress his desire, so he did not devour the Great Dao Blood.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, everyone saw Ye Chen suddenly freeze in mid-air, motionless as if he had lost his soul, yet he remained suspended for a long time.
"Lord Ye Chen—"
Someone called out softly, but Ye Chen did not respond.
Some people immediately understood and sneered on the spot. Several individuals approached. The Thirteenth Prince and others immediately stepped forward to stop them: "What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't misunderstand, sirs. I merely saw Lord Ye Chen frozen there as if under a curse. I'm very worried and wanted to see what exactly happened," a Hundred Strong Trialist explained, though his eyes flickered with a cold light, clearly indicating his intentions were not so simple.
The Thirteenth Prince said, "There's no need for you to worry about that. We will find a way ourselves."
But this Hundred Strong Trialist shook his head, wearing a concerned expression: "That won't do. Lord Ye Chen is the Young King born on the Trial Path, peerless in the world, unmatched in the mortal realm. How can we let anything happen to him? We are all uneasy in our hearts. Please do not stop us; we wish to awaken Lord Ye Chen."
The Thirteenth Prince's face darkened. Did they really think they were fools who couldn't see their malicious intentions? They clearly wanted to take advantage of the situation to deal with Ye Chen.
However, with their presence, it was naturally impossible to let these people's schemes succeed.
"Apologies. Ye Chen will awaken naturally. There's no need for everyone to worry excessively. Please disperse," Xia Teng said.
Another Hundred Strong Trialist named Kang Jiu, from the Xiwei Kingdom, a vassal state of the Jiuhua Empire, spoke up with a hint of mockery: "Xia Teng, Lord Ye Chen is clearly in an unstable state now, possibly possessed by evil demons. We are merely acting out of concern. Yet you repeatedly prevent us from helping. What do you mean by this? Do you truly want us to stand by and watch Lord Ye Chen possibly perish in a state of Primordial Spirit silence, refusing to save him? Step aside. We cannot stand by and do nothing."
Beneath his words, murderous intent was clearly hidden!