"And what if I don't return them?"
The words sounded somewhat provocative, yet they carried an undeniable confidence and dominance.
I simply won't return them. What will you do about it?
If spoken by anyone else, everyone would have considered it sheer audacity. But coming from Ye Chen's mouth, all felt it was only natural.
Because he simply had no fear of an Imperial Son, having even reduced a generation's Imperial Son, Hua Chengdao, to such a sorry state.
Hua Chengdao's eyes narrowed as he snorted coldly. "In that case, I shall personally take action to reclaim those three strands of Imperial Dragon Qi."
"Come then. Let me see what other methods you, this Imperial Son of the Hua Imperial Dynasty, have yet to display. But don't assume I've exhausted all my own means."
As he spoke, Ye Chen stretched his limbs, producing a series of thunderous crackles. A terrifying aura unfurled, accompanied by a fierce battle intent blooming forth. "If you wish to fight, then let us fight!"
A threat from an Imperial Son?
He truly was unafraid.
Hua Chengdao frowned. Frankly, he had already witnessed Ye Chen's capabilities—a Strongest Young Supreme not inferior to an Imperial Son, immensely powerful. Even he had failed to gain any significant advantage over the other, instead suffering some hidden losses. He truly was reluctant to engage in battle.
But he could not allow his three strands of Imperial Dragon Qi to remain in the other's hands. Not only would it damage his Imperial Dragon Scripture, but the Imperial Dragon Qi was also cultivated from that scripture. If studied by others, they might uncover some of his secrets.
"Since that is the case, I have no choice but to resort to force," Hua Chengdao declared, his aura surging even more powerfully than before, becoming far more terrifying. The seven strands of Imperial Dragon Qi roared, shaking heaven and earth. The Ten Dragon Great Cauldron, which had autonomously repaired itself, hovered in the air.
Without a doubt, his main weapon was also a great cauldron, similar to Ye Chen's. Ten vigorous True Dragons coiled around the cauldron, containing a vast radiance within, as if it had buried entire great worlds—truly fearsome.
Boom—
He initiated a terrifying offensive, traversing the sky as he grasped the Ten Dragon Great Cauldron and smashed it directly towards Ye Chen. His most dreadful combat power erupted abruptly, not the least bit inferior to the explosive force of the Dragon God Pearl from before.
The onlookers paled. Perhaps this was the true manifestation of Imperial Son Hua Chengdao's combat power, many times more terrifying than before. Even an ordinary Great Power at the Ninth Heaven would likely have to avoid his sharp edge now.
Yet Ye Chen showed not a trace of fear. He strode forward, also raising his cauldron aloft. The Chaos Great Cauldron descended with a waterfall-like torrent of ancient Chaos Qi, inundating all directions and shaking the fabric of space-time. It too seemed to have buried an ancient Chaos universe within, immeasurably heavy. A single wisp was enough to crush mountains and rivers; billions of strands pouring down could truly suppress everything.
Boom—
The two fearsome great cauldrons collided in the vast heavens. Simultaneously, the two combatants clashed directly. In an instant, terrifying Daos and divine abilities evolved, transforming into dreadful offensive holy arts that collided against each other.
The Imperial Son was peerless, his body like a True Dragon, his blood energy boundless. The power of his Emperor's bloodline within him was overwhelmingly strong, as if a supreme Emperor slumbered within his body, awaiting awakening. At all times, vast and matchless supreme power surged forth. Every movement and expression could tear apart the fabric of heaven and earth. He resembled a great Emperor reincarnated, invincible in the present age, overwhelming all.
Ye Chen was matchless in Chaos, his Saint Body immeasurable. It could almost be called the foremost physical body of the era—a Chaos Saint Body even stronger and more perfect than the Battle Saint Body. Imperial Sons, Imperial Daughters, and even progeny of the Immortal Dao could not compare, falling slightly short. His blood energy was like a prison, his divine might endless.
His thick, waterfall-like black hair cascaded down, resembling roaring black dragons. His eyes were like boundless Chaos seas, so profound they seemed to have buried entire epochal eras. He operated all the supreme divine abilities he had learned. At this level, even martial techniques learned in weaker realms like the Postnatal or Innate stages could, in his hands, transform decay into magic, displaying astonishing, resplendent power.
He engaged in fierce battle with Imperial Son Hua Chengdao.
At first, it was manageable. Hua Chengdao unleashed the terrifying offensive divine abilities from the Imperial Dragon Scripture, as if transforming into a pure-blooded True Dragon, a dragon battling in the wild, causing the surroundings to collapse in all directions.
Simultaneously, he fully revealed his cultivation realm: he was a Strongest Young Supreme at the initial stage of the Seventh Heaven of the Great Power realm.
In terms of combat power, such a Strongest Young Supreme was probably more terrifying than an ordinary Great Power at the peak of the Ninth Heaven. This was because Strongest Young Supremes cultivated every major realm to Great Perfection, each major realm being one Heaven higher than ordinary cultivators. With such layer upon layer of stacking, by the time they reached this step, they could at minimum cross three Heavens in combat power.
Thus, they were extremely fearsome.
Yet Ye Chen was not the least bit weaker. He was practically more of a True Dragon than a True Dragon himself. His limbs and bones contained unparalleled explosive power; every inch of his physique seemed to harbor a pure-blooded True Dragon. At the peak of the Sixfold Heaven of the Great Power realm, he was not the least bit inferior to Hua Chengdao in their collisions. Despite being a minor step lower, he could still engage in a closely contested battle—truly astonishing.
From Hua Chengdao's Ten Dragon Great Cauldron, ten True Dragons also flew forth, no weaker than the Imperial Dragon Qi he had cultivated.
Yet Ye Chen's Chaos Great Cauldron was no weaker either. It had always slain numerous supreme experts, engraving their life imprints from the Heavenly Gate and refining the essence of many supreme Dao weapons. It had even fused within it several Chaos Immortal Metals like Sacred White Gold, Abyssal Black Gold, and Vast Azure Gold. It still possessed the potential to become a supreme Emperor's weapon. In their collision, it showed no weakness.
Moreover, the many supreme expert imprints upon it underwent a strange transformation. They all revived, appearing and transforming into a supreme army that charged forth, engaging in a fearsome, intense battle with the ten True Dragons. They shattered the entire expanse of heaven and earth, blasted apart the vast heavens—the ferocity and terror were beyond measure.
In an instant, both sides unleashed their peak confrontation, extremely intense.
"So strong! Although he's at the peak of the Sixfold Heaven, he's a minor step lower than the Imperial Son, Young Ancestor. Moreover, the Sixfold Heaven and Seventh Heaven represent an important dividing line within the major realms, with a significant gap. Yet this person can defy the heavens and slay immortals to such an extent, confronting the Imperial Son, Young Ancestor to this degree without falling behind. Incredible!"
The shock in Hua Yuntian and Prince Hua Yu's hearts was immense. They never expected that the Imperial Son, Young Ancestor, at the super Great Power realm of the Seventh Heaven, would be unable to overpower that mysterious young man. Even if the other was an Imperial Son, it shouldn't be like this.
After all, even in collisions between Strongest Young Supremes, generally being a minor step lower, even if the strength disparity isn't huge, would result in a slight disadvantage. But Ye Chen clearly managed to achieve a state of standing as an equal with Imperial Son Hua Chengdao—simply unbelievable.