"Why?" Ye Chen was greatly shocked.
Were the Human Race's Imperial Sons and Daughters about to perish?
Just what was going to happen?
"Half a year from now, a grand feast at the Imperial Son level will be held. The Imperial Sons and Daughters of all heavens, the descendants of Immortal Dao, will all attend. It is said the alien races will specifically target the Human Race's Imperial Sons and Daughters. It will be a feast of treachery. All Human Race Imperial Sons and Daughters will be targeted and attacked to be eliminated," Jian Tian answered truthfully.
Hearing this, Ye Chen's expression darkened. The alien races were already so impatient to deal with the Human Race's Imperial Sons and Daughters.
However, he believed that even if the alien races wanted to act, it wouldn't be that easy. The Imperial Sons and Daughters from the Sealed Boundary Universe wouldn't be just a handful, and killing them wouldn't be simple either.
Most importantly, if Ye Chen hadn't known, that would be one thing. But now that he knew, he naturally wouldn't let the alien races' sinister plot succeed.
Now that he had advanced to the seventh heaven, all his aspects had improved, surpassing his previous self. He was confident he now possessed sufficient strength to slay opponents of the same level, even those of Imperial Son caliber.
This was the confidence of a Chaos Young Supreme.
The Chaos Sanctuary was vast, suspected to be a shattered Emperor Realm, yet it still surpassed even the Ancient King Realms, being incredibly expansive and seemingly boundless.
Even with their strength, it took them a full day of pure travel to finally arrive at the deepest part of the Chaos Sanctuary.
In the deepest part of the Chaos Sanctuary, within sight, nine towering, sky-high pillars rose from the ground, piercing the clouds. Their immense size was unimaginable, as if they were holding up the entire firmament, majestic and colossal.
The nine sky-supporting pillars stood erect. Aside from one located in the center, the other eight were arranged neatly according to the Eight Trigrams formation.
And atop these nine sky-supporting pillars was a magnificent, enormous divine city, held aloft by the pillars, standing at the highest point of the heavens, obscuring half the sky. Its size was beyond imagination.
Without a doubt, this was an Imperial City, perhaps the Azure Heaven Imperial City left behind by the master of the Emperor Ring.
The Imperial City was incomplete, perhaps having experienced the most terrifying Emperor-level battles and having drifted through endless ages. It had partially collapsed, appearing dilapidated, with many sections of its walls fallen. Even large parts of the ancient city had crumbled, scattered and floating in the sky, turning into ruins, evoking sighs and regret.
Yet even so, it still appeared incomparably majestic. One grand star after another revolved around it, starlight diffusing, slowly spreading an Emperor's majesty, as if an ancient Great Emperor still sat in the center of the Imperial City, suppressing all ages, compelling submission.
However, there were no figures upon the Imperial City. On the contrary, beneath the nine sky-supporting pillars under the Imperial City, a multitude of figures had gathered, including the five Nine Tribulation Divine Kings who had entered first, the Imperial Clans, and the various King Clan forces. Basically, all the powerful individuals present at this moment were gathered here, making it quite lively.
Beneath each of the nine sky-supporting pillars, there was a living being. Some had human faces and horse bodies, some were shaped like lions with dragon-like feet, others were plump and round with four wings and six legs... Each of these beings was extremely ancient, and their auras varied—some demonic and evil, some blazing hot, some holy and sacred, and so on.
Facing these nine strange beings beneath the sky-supporting pillars, everyone, including the five Divine Kings like Qinghuang Divine King and Tianya Divine King, wore grave expressions.
"Taotie, Bifang, Qiongqi, Bifang... these mythical holy spirits."
Seeing the nine beings, Ye Chen was startled. These nine beings were precisely the Chaos Holy Spirits recorded in the Mythological Era, each with a heaven-shaking origin, famous throughout ancient and modern times. And now, they had all manifested here.
This made Ye Chen and the others somewhat suspicious and wary. They quickly rushed over to investigate.
Soon, they learned that there truly was an Imperial Dao Inheritance within the Chaos Sanctuary, and that inheritance was located within the shattered Imperial City supported by the nine Trial Imperial Pillars.
The Trial Imperial Pillars were the sky-supporting columns.
However, reaching the Imperial City was not that easy. Even though the Imperial City was shattered and crumbling, there were still methods left behind by the ancient Great Emperor here. To reach it, even a supreme powerhouse like a Nine Tribulation Divine King could not do so directly. One must pass the challenge of the nine Trial Beasts beneath the nine Trial Imperial Pillars. Successfully challenging any one of them would grant qualification to enter the Imperial City.
Moreover, once the challenge succeeded, one could enter the Secret Hall left behind by the ancient Great Emperor.
There, one could find the secret manuals and even inheritances of all the powerful individuals who once served under the ancient Great Emperor's command in his Emperor Realm. Among them were Nine Tribulation Divine Kings, Ancient Sovereigns... the opportunities were countless, unimaginable.
Naturally, all of this required success against the Trial Beasts beneath the Trial Imperial Pillars. Furthermore, these Trial Beasts were methods left by the ancient Great Emperor. They would battle challengers at the same cultivation level. Only by passing the trial would one qualify to enter the Secret Hall.
Moreover, there were nine Secret Halls, also of nine grades, from one to nine. The level of the various inheritances within the Secret Halls also ranged from low to high. The central Trial Imperial Pillar corresponded to the highest, ninth-grade Secret Hall. Only there did one have a certain chance of encountering the true Imperial Dao Inheritance.
However, it wasn't guaranteed. The trial for the Imperial Dao Inheritance was extraordinary. Even the other Secret Halls offered a chance to obtain it, but compared to the ninth-grade Secret Hall, the hope was much smaller.
And it was only a certain probability. The greater likelihood of the Imperial Dao Inheritance appearing was upon the Imperial City itself.
"So that's how it is."
Ye Chen nodded. So, to obtain the Imperial Dao Inheritance, one must first pass the challenge of the Trial Beasts beneath the nine Trial Imperial Pillars to qualify to enter and proceed to the ancient Great Emperor's nine-grade Secret Halls to compete for the elusive Imperial Dao Inheritance.
However, everyone had stopped there, their gazes undoubtedly fixed on the Trial Beast at the very center—that was Bai Ze. It resembled a white goat, its body snow-white, yet it possessed a pair of snow-white holy wings. Its gaze was wise. It was a Chaos Holy Spirit representing auspiciousness and holiness.
Bai Ze, in legend, though not comparable to the most powerful Chaos Holy Spirits like the Azure Dragon or White Tiger, was second only to them. It was a mount of Sovereign Emperors, possessing immense majesty.
To reach the ninth-grade Secret Hall, anyone must pass Bai Ze's trial.
Naturally, the trial for the ninth-grade Secret Hall was not something just anyone could participate in. There was an extremely powerful pressure there, varying from person to person, but always at the strongest level for one's cultivation tier. To challenge it, one must first withstand this pressure before being able to proceed with the challenge.
It had been over ten days since entering the Chaos Sanctuary. The trial challenges had long since begun, and many had already participated. Naturally, countless people also wanted to try their luck with the ninth-grade Secret Hall trial, striving for the Imperial Dao Inheritance.
Unfortunately, no one had succeeded.
Because they couldn't even get close to the ninth Trial Imperial Pillar. The pressure emanating from Bai Ze was too powerful, constantly preventing others from approaching.
While no one had succeeded with the ninth Trial Imperial Pillar, many had successfully entered the other Trial Imperial Pillars.
Especially the first to the fourth Trial Imperial Pillars. The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth showed a decreasing number of successes in a step-like fashion. Even the seventh Trial Imperial Pillar had only a handful of people who had set foot within it. The eighth Trial Imperial Pillar was similar to the ninth—no one had passed it.
During this time, the five Divine Kings had not moved, remaining seated cross-legged in the void, always overlooking everything.
Seeing this, Ye Chen also understood. The five Divine Kings most likely also wanted to see who could withstand the pressure and participate in the ninth-grade Secret Hall trial.
Ye Chen realized that even the five Nine Tribulation Divine Kings likely couldn't pass the ninth-grade trial. Although their cultivation was the highest, they had no confidence at the same cultivation level. Perhaps some wanted to wait for the rabbit by the tree stump—whoever passed the ninth-grade Secret Hall trial, they would be ready to strike the moment that person emerged, intending to directly seize that Imperial Dao Inheritance.
The Imperial Dao Inheritance was related to becoming an Emperor or Sovereign. Even a Nine Tribulation Divine King couldn't remain indifferent; their hearts would still pound with desire.
The others present seemed to have also discerned the thoughts of the five Nine Tribulation Divine Kings and had not made a move.
Ye Chen also instructed his people to hold their positions and not attempt the ninth Trial Imperial Pillar for now.
Roar—
Suddenly, a series of resounding dragon roars echoed, rising and falling, reverberating between heaven and earth. Immediately after, a slender figure with an Emperor's bearing appeared here like lightning, descending to stand as if an ancient Great Emperor had been reborn, attracting the attention of all.
Imperial Son Hua Chengdao!
He had appeared. Ten Sovereign Dao Dragon Auras manifested around him, clearly indicating he had successfully and perfectly re-cultivated during this period. At this moment, he was like an Emperor descending to the mortal world, transcending the ordinary and entering the sacred.
"Imperial Son Ancestor!"
Below, there were also powerful individuals from the Hua Imperial Dynasty. Seeing Imperial Son Hua Chengdao's appearance, they were all quite excited.
Imperial Son Hua Chengdao merely nodded upon seeing the five Nine Tribulation Divine Kings, not offering a salute. Yet no one said he lacked manners, not even the Nine Tribulation Divine Kings. This was because any Imperial Son, Imperial Maiden, or Immortal Dao descendant was the most revered figure of their entire Imperial Clan or Immortal Clan. Who would dare say anything?
Imperial Son Hua Chengdao's gaze went directly to Bai Ze beneath the ninth Trial Imperial Pillar. Having long understood all the information through Imperial Clan transmissions, he now smiled arrogantly, "Although this Imperial Son already possesses an Imperial Dao Inheritance, obtaining another one wouldn't hurt. Let's see what this Trial Beast can do to stop me."
Boom—
Imperial Son Hua Chengdao charged straight over.
Rumble—
Almost the moment he charged over, Bai Ze also slowly stood up. Its body shone with holy, resplendent divine radiance, accompanied by supreme pressure that surged forth mightily, like raging waves, impacting the challenging Imperial Son Hua Chengdao.
"Hmph, mere pressure dares to block this Imperial Son?" Imperial Son Hua Chengdao sneered coldly. The ten Sovereign Dao Dragon Auras around him roared, accompanied by intense pressure. The pressure of a Supreme Young Supreme bloomed, forcefully clashing with Bai Ze's pressure.
BoomBoom—
The two terrifying Supreme Young Supreme pressures collided, like two ancient divine mountains crashing together. Annihilating power surged mightily, tearing apart heaven and earth, creating terrifying, chilling spatial cracks that seemed capable of devouring everything.
Such a scene was shocking.
The five Nine Tribulation Divine Kings watched this scene deeply.