"Explode!"
Hua Chengdao let out a great shout, and then they saw that Dragon God Pearl suddenly shine with a terrifying radiance. A fearsome destructive force, one that even those outside the Sealing Gate could sense and be shocked by, began to surge forth.
One could imagine that if this Dragon God Pearl were to detonate completely, it would certainly cause the entire Sealing Gate to explode utterly. Ye Chen, being the first to bear the brunt, would meet a miserable end of death and Dao dissipation even if he didn't perish outright.
Yet Ye Chen merely uttered softly: "Divine Demon Seal!"
The next moment, that Divine Demon Lotus bloomed open, its entire body flowing with dazzling divine splendor, so magnificent and beautiful, as if it were the most perfect object between heaven and earth, without a single flaw.
It was only the size of a palm, yet it was precisely this Divine Demon Lotus that fully blossomed, then completely enveloped that Dragon God Pearl which was about to explode. Its crystalline petals swiftly wrapped back together.
Hua Chengdao revealed a trace of a cold smile. "Seeking death!"
That was a fearsome Dragon God Pearl, founded upon a wisp of dragon origin, containing intense Imperial Dragon Qi. Its power was naturally terrifying beyond imagination. To think of suppressing and sealing it with a mere so-called Divine Demon Lotus was simply wishful thinking.
He was eagerly anticipating the scene of the Dragon God Pearl's explosion, wondering what kind of terrible damage it would inflict upon this strongest young Supreme One.
However, his expression soon changed drastically, because the imagined world-destroying, boundless might did not erupt. That Divine Demon Lotus remained in a peculiar state, as if it contained within it a boundless, limitless space. The destructive power the Dragon God Pearl was about to unleash was actually completely suppressed and sealed, not a single iota leaking out.
"How can this be?"
At this point, even he, the Imperial Son of the Hua Imperial Dynasty, changed color.
Only Ye Chen understood what this Divine Demon Lotus truly represented.
Throughout his journey, he had slain and obtained many Emperor Techniques and divine abilities from various Emperors, even including those of the strongest Emperors. Among them, the Alchemy Emperor was the most unique, for he was the only Emperor in all of history to attain the Dao through alchemy. There were even some rumors suggesting he was the strongest Emperor.
But what race the Alchemy Emperor belonged to was rarely known. Aside from his Imperial Daughter, his descendants were basically not of the same pure race as the Alchemy Emperor.
Having received teachings from the Alchemy Emperor, Ye Chen knew that the Alchemy Emperor's true form was a Divine Demon Lotus, identical to this one.
The Divine Demon Lotus, born from chaos, was peerless throughout the ages, the only one of its kind. It was countless times rarer than a pure-blooded True Dragon, not inferior to those Chaos Holy Spirits.
Legends said it once took root and grew in a piece of Chaos Divine Soil, a place filled with heavenly treasures, ten-thousand-year medicinal treasures, and numerous medicinal spirits.
After countless years of nurturing, the Divine Demon Lotus also gave birth to spiritual awareness. And because of its companionship with the other medicinal materials over those countless years, it became exceptionally familiar with their properties. Later, by a stroke of fate, it embarked on the path of alchemy.
This was what led to it becoming the later Alchemy Emperor.
Therefore, the Alchemy Emperor also created a supreme Emperor Technique. Although it wasn't the most dreadful forbidden divine ability, it was developed based on the prototype of his true form, combined with alchemy holy arts. The name of this Emperor Technique was the same as his true form: Divine Demon Lotus.
However, the Divine Demon Lotus was like a special alchemy cauldron, capable of refining everything in the world. Everything would be refined, even a fearsome destructive pearl like the Dragon God Pearl. All its destructive force would be forcibly refined.
Back then, when the Alchemy Emperor defied the heavens and returned, he imparted some of his legacy to Ye Chen, which included this Emperor Technique, the Divine Demon Lotus.
Now, he was unleashing it.
Naturally, such an Emperor Technique divine ability, bordering on the forbidden, was not something he could employ lightly. Even Ye Chen felt strained, requiring an immense amount of Chaos Divine Power.
At this moment, Ye Chen smiled slightly at Hua Chengdao. Yet, no matter how one looked at it, that smile seemed filled with ruthlessness and killing intent. He said softly, "This Dragon God Pearl, I return it to you!"
"Go!" Whoosh—
Visible to the naked eye, this Divine Demon Lotus shot towards Hua Chengdao with astonishing, lightning-like speed. And in the instant it charged over, the Divine Demon Lotus bloomed open once more. It appeared magnificent and beautiful, like the most perfect divine object, without the slightest flaw. But just as it blossomed, a terrifyingly extreme destructive force began to surge forth.
Boom—
The Divine Demon Lotus bloomed, and the refined Dragon God Pearl completely exploded at this very moment. Boundless destructive force abruptly erupted, overwhelming heaven and earth, exploding in all directions.
Everything happened too fast, so fast that Hua Chengdao couldn't react, leaving him no time to evade.
He never expected that the Dragon God Pearl he had launched would return to his side for a massive explosion.
Facing that incomparably terrifying destructive force, even he had to change expression drastically. He hurriedly summoned an ancient great cauldron. Ten dragons coiled around it, Emperor characters were carved upon it, and images of worlds also appeared, making it appear extremely extraordinary. An immortal aura flowed within it as he shot into it like lightning.
Boom—
In the instant he rushed into the Ten Dragon Great Cauldron, the Dragon God Pearl completely exploded.
A light countless times more dazzling than the sun flashed forth, immediately followed by the abrupt eruption of boundless destructive force. The next moment, it completely inundated the entire inner world space of the Sealing Gate.
Wherever it passed, whether void or all things tangible and intangible, everything fell into annihilation.
Although Ye Chen wasn't at the epicenter of the explosion, he wasn't far either. He also summoned his Chaos Great Cauldron and submerged himself within it.
Boom boom boom—
The destructive force from the Dragon God Pearl's explosion was truly too terrifying, like a pure-blooded True Dragon self-destructing. It spread out in all directions like lightning, layer upon layer, also landing on every inch of the Sealing Gate's world within a thousand li radius, utterly annihilating everything into nothingness.
Finally, the entire Sealing Gate world was completely annihilated. The Sealing Gate itself could no longer withstand that destructive force and, under the horrified gazes of the many people outside, completely exploded.
Although the Sealing Gate had withstood over half of the destructive force, that remaining force was still terrifyingly boundless. It forcibly caused the void within a hundred li radius to completely collapse and the explosion to resound across tens of thousands of li.
The terrifying roar could be clearly heard even from tens of thousands of li away, attracting many shocked gazes. Countless people looked towards this area from afar.
Finally, as the boundless, dazzling fiery light gradually receded, the collapsed void automatically began to repair itself. However, the thousand-li area of the explosion had completely become a land of deathly silence.
Half of it was within the Crimson Blood Lake, the other half on land. Who knew how many mountains had been pulverized into nothingness.
Visible to the naked eye, two ancient, simple great cauldrons hovered in mid-air. Both had shot out the moment the Sealing Gate exploded and had been violently blasted far into the distant sky, yet they hadn't shattered amidst the destructive light.
One was the Ten Dragon Great Cauldron, the other the Chaos Great Cauldron.
Whether it was A Beinu and the others or Hua Yuntian and Prince Hua Yu, they all recognized the identities of the cauldrons' owners and their expressions changed.
Because these two ancient cauldrons weren't in very good condition at the moment; both showed signs of cracking. The Ten Dragon Great Cauldron even had several holes, with scorched black bloodstains distinctly imprinted within them.
"Imperial Son Ancestor!"
"Master!"
Both sides cried out in alarm, wanting to rush over. However, two figures shot out from the two cauldrons, precisely Ye Chen and Hua Chengdao.
Ye Chen was fine; he hadn't been at the epicenter of destruction and had the protection of the Chaos Great Cauldron, plus his supreme Chaos Holy Body. Aside from a few traces of blood at the corner of his mouth caused by the terrifying shockwave, he was basically unharmed.
Hua Chengdao, however, appeared far more disheveled. His body was covered in scorched black bloodstains, his magnificent robes long since shattered, revealing extraordinary inner armor. Yet even so, he had suffered terrible wounds, with several fearsome bloody holes on his body. His complexion was pale, and the seven strands of Imperial Dragon Qi around him appeared much more illusory.
If not for the protection of this Ten Dragon Great Cauldron, his injuries would likely have been far more severe. Although seriously wounded now, at least his foundation wasn't damaged. For a supreme talent of his level, an Imperial Son, this wasn't considered a particularly serious injury.
Rumble—
Hua Chengdao circulated the healing holy art from his Emperor Scripture, rapidly repairing his injuries. All superficial wounds were quickly restored.
He looked gloomily at Ye Chen, not expecting that Ye Chen could still catch him off guard like this, making him so disheveled. The killing intent in his gaze was boundless.
Within Ye Chen's body, his Holy Body Regeneration Technique automatically operated, healing his injuries. Then he looked at Hua Chengdao, naturally able to discern Hua Chengdao's current condition. It made him frown slightly. Truly worthy of being an Imperial Son, he was indeed extraordinarily powerful. Resolving an Imperial Son wouldn't be something achievable in a short time.
He retrieved the Heaven-Suppressing Seal, which was also within the Chaos Great Cauldron, and also suppressed the three strands of Imperial Dragon Qi he had seized from Hua Chengdao within his body. This Imperial Dragon Art could be said to be an offensive holy art completely on par with the Battle Saint Technique, extremely fearsome.
If not for encountering Ye Chen, who also possessed dragon origin and could suppress it with his origin dragon might, Ye Chen would have found it quite difficult to counter-suppress it.
If he could delve into it deeply, he might even be able to comprehend seventy to eighty percent of the profound meanings of this offensive holy art, the Imperial Dragon Art. Even if not, he could combine it with the Battle Saint Technique to greatly enhance his combat power.
Hua Chengdao immediately narrowed his eyes and coldly shouted, "Return my three strands of Imperial Dragon Qi to me."
The others hadn't been able to see clearly the intense battle within the Sealing Gate, but they never expected Ye Chen to have taken three strands of Imperial Dragon Qi from Imperial Son Hua Chengdao. This shook their hearts.
Clearly, in this series of intense clashes, although a victor hadn't been decided, Ye Chen was slightly gaining the upper hand.
To gain the upper hand against an Imperial Son was enough to indicate that this person was very likely also an Imperial Son or a son of an Immortal Dao, a strongest young Supreme One.
Ye Chen raised a sword-like eyebrow. "And if I don't return them?"