The Great Dao Barrier shimmered with dazzling radiance, runes flickering upon it, resonating with the Dao Talisman held by the Supreme Elder of Tian Du Academy. A passageway was about to open, allowing them to enter the Trial Path.
Everyone grew tense. It was foreseeable that Ye Chen was about to face a great calamity.
Soon, a passageway appeared, piercing through the two realms.
"Enter!"
The five Heavenly God realm elders moved. Even before truly passing through the channel, their invincible Heavenly God might, belonging to the Heavenly God realm, descended like a tidal wave. The heavens and earth changed color, clouds scattered, and the thousand-mile expanse of red sand trembled, all pressing down towards Ye Chen.
"Brat, let's see where you can escape to this time!"
A Heavenly God coldly snorted, his voice carrying boundless authority. Yang Shaoqi and the others looked at Ye Chen with cruelty, as if already witnessing his suppression, a sense of pleasure gushing from their hearts.
Hai Qingxue and the others were filled with complex emotions. Some were terrified, while others wished to intervene but were powerless.
Facing all this, Ye Chen's face turned cold. The Slaying the Heavens Alliance leader's token hidden in his palm flickered with an eerie glow, ready to be summoned.
Boom—
At that moment, the radiant passageway suddenly closed. The Great Dao Barrier smoothed out as if it had never been disturbed. The five Heavenly Gods were once again isolated in the other realm, unable to cross over, as if the passageway had never existed.
It was all so abrupt, catching everyone off guard.
"What happened?"
"Fellow Daoist Qi Min, why did you suddenly close the passage?"
The four Heavenly God powerhouses urgently inquired. The closure was so sudden that if a Heavenly God powerhouse had been within the passage, even one as strong as a Heavenly God would likely have been instantly annihilated, flesh and blood obliterated, for the Great Dao Barrier contained supreme Divine Spirit Dao principles.
The Tian Du Academy's Elder Qi Min shook his head, revealing a trace of confusion as he looked at the Dao Talisman. "It was not my doing. The Great Dao Barrier closed on its own."
"Closed on its own?" The Jiuhua Empire elder shook his head. "Impossible. Aren't you holding the Dao Talisman, able to enter the Trial Path at any time? The Great Dao Barrier couldn't possibly close without reason."
"No, it's possible!" Elder Qi Min stated firmly, then looked up at the lofty, indistinct heavens and slowly said, "Because the Academy Head is taking action."
"The Academy Head!?"
Upon hearing this, the several Heavenly Gods all looked towards the nine-layered heavens above, as if they could see that lofty, majestic Divine Spirit figure seated at the highest point, filled with awe and bewilderment.
Was it truly the Supreme Old Academy Head taking action?
Why would he intervene to block this?
"I understand," Elder Qi Min said. "It must be the Academy Head's warning. We cannot cross over to deal with the younger generation. As long as they are still on the Trial Path, older generation cultivators are not allowed to take action against them. This is a rule that cannot be broken, otherwise one might face severe punishment from the Old Academy Head."
"Is that truly the case?" Even powerhouses as strong as the several Heavenly Gods felt a tremor in their hearts. If so, did that mean they could only watch helplessly, unable to act?
Ye Chen sat cross-legged in the void, glancing up at the highest point of the heavens. He guessed that this Old Academy Head might know about the Slaying the Heavens Alliance leader's token in his possession, hence causing the Great Dao Barrier to close and preventing the Heavenly God powerhouses from crossing over. It was a small favor.
Other than that, he didn't believe the Old Academy Head would help him for no reason.
However, just because the four Heavenly Gods couldn't cross over didn't mean he would be safe once he went over. On the contrary, he deeply understood that the moment he crossed, he would immediately be slain by them.
Although he had the Slaying the Heavens Alliance leader's token and was unafraid, it was ultimately an external object. In critical moments, the only one he could truly rely on was himself.
The four Heavenly Gods were furious but helpless. Yet, they had no intention of leaving. Regardless of other grievances, the Great Dao Blood within Ye Chen alone was a priceless treasure that could stir even Divine Spirits. They could not leave. All they could do was wait for their prey.
They didn't believe Ye Chen would never leave. When the time came, the Trial Path would close, and whether Ye Chen was willing or not, he would have to exit.
Moreover, they wouldn't let Ye Chen live peacefully. When it came to dealing with someone, as superpowers with millennia-old legacies, they had countless methods to make their target crumble.
Next, they sent the powerhouses from various forces back and secretly spread rumors throughout the land, proclaiming that Ye Chen had transformed into a young great demon king, bloodily slaughtering hundreds of trialists, staining the mountains and rivers with blood, leaving none alive.
Once the news spread, the entire Tian Du Continent was thrown into an uproar. A single stone stirred a thousand waves, causing an unprecedented uproar with far-reaching implications. Over ninety percent of the people on the Tian Du Continent were shocked.
Hundreds of trialists—each one a true elite and outstanding talent of their respective forces, every one a Xiantian realm powerhouse, almost guaranteed to achieve the Martial God realm in the future. Some of the Hundred Strong Trialists were even entrusted with great hopes, potentially growing to the Heavenly God realm and shouldering the responsibilities of an entire major force.
But now, they were all gone, bloodily slaughtered clean by a young great demon king, staining the Divine Spirit's small world with blood. Even the princes and princesses of the three great empires could not escape.
Initially, people across the land did not believe this rumor. No matter how arrogant Ye Chen was, he wouldn't dare to make an enemy of all the major forces in the world alone—it would be tantamount to suicide.
They deeply believed that no one would dare such a thing, not even the most powerful young prodigy.
However, powerhouses from the three great empires and even the mysterious Martial God Hall secretly came forward to confirm it. Moreover, various forces immediately checked their Soul Lamps, which hadn't been observed for a long time, and discovered that the Soul Lamps of all trialists who had gathered in the Divine Spirit's small world had extinguished. Dozens to hundreds of forces saw hundreds of lamps go out, forcing them to believe the rumor.
Furthermore, the princes and princesses of the four superpowers had been slaughtered. The four prodigies had even suffered Ye Chen's relentless pursuit across thousands of miles, left in utter disarray, with their cultivation levels severely diminished. All of this pointed to Ye Chen.
The whole world was shocked!
Ye Chen was too audacious, daring to transform into a young great demon king alone and slaughter so many trialists. His courage truly defied the heavens. Did he truly fear nothing, wanting to make enemies of the entire world?
"What a Ye Chen! Does he really think he's someone, invincible under the heavens?"
"It's said that a Supreme Divine Spirit stands behind Ye Chen. Could his boldness stem from this Divine Spirit?"
"Hmph! Even a Supreme Divine Spirit cannot act like this. The other Divine Spirit Lords will not let this rest."
"That's just a rumor. Whether a Supreme Divine Spirit truly stands behind the youth Ye Chen remains unconfirmed. At least, it has only been hearsay, never verified."
"Such arrogant behavior must be severely punished, otherwise we will not rest!"
The various major forces could not possibly let this go. Those were truly seed-level descendants. They couldn't just stand by knowing they were killed and remain at peace. One or two might be overlooked, but with so many, it would inevitably become a torrent, driving over half the forces in the world to launch a crusade.
Even a lofty Supreme Divine Spirit could not act so recklessly.
In just one night, over a hundred forces vowed to crusade against Ye Chen, to severely punish his evil deeds, and would not rest until justice was served.
Moreover, more and more forces joined, each a first-rate power. Many were adding fuel to the fire, or the several superpowers were secretly manipulating things, making Ye Chen the target of public condemnation.
Thus, the crusade against Ye Chen swept across the entire Tian Du Continent. Many felt Ye Chen's actions were far too brutal and worried that the young prodigies of their own forces might fall victim to Ye Chen's schemes. They joined the crusade and collectively petitioned, pressuring the cultivation holy land, Tian Du Academy, to dispatch true powerhouses to hunt down Ye Chen, vowing to seek justice for the wrongly slain young talents.
Even the Xia Feng Kingdom in the western part of the continent became a target of public condemnation, especially from surrounding forces that had long coveted its vast territory. Now, they wanted to send troops to attack this dynasty and occupy its borders.
Therefore, the higher-ups of Xia Feng Kingdom were extremely tense, immediately deploying over a million troops to the border, ready for battle at any moment. Although the other three kingdoms bordering it had, intentionally or not, mobilized armies exceeding seven hundred thousand, totaling over two million troops eyeing Xia Feng Kingdom from three sides.
Furthermore, powerhouses from some major forces prepared to enter Xia Feng Kingdom and head to Luo Feng City. Based on various intelligence, Ye Chen's parents were in Luo Feng City. Among them were powerhouses from the three great empires and the Martial God Hall, for they all knew Ye Chen possessed the most precious Great Dao Blood. They hoped to capture his clansmen to threaten Ye Chen into surrendering the Great Dao Blood.
The Heavenly God ancestor of Xia Feng Kingdom and the Heavenly God Academy Head of Xia Feng Academy sensed all this, their expressions drastically changing. But in the end, they could only feel powerless, for the three great empires and the Martial God Hall were too powerful, possessing the heaven-defying ability to sweep away a great dynasty overnight.
Now, in these troubled times, they were powerless to intervene and rescue, only able to sigh helplessly. They felt ashamed towards Ye Chen.
However, just as those powerhouses approached Luo Feng City, suddenly everyone changed color. For above Luo Feng City appeared a tall figure. It was not a person, but an ape, covered in silvery, radiant fur, sitting cross-legged in the void, facing the superpower powerhouses from afar.
"Silver Ape King, what is the meaning of this?"
The Silver Ape King's face was expressionless as he said, "I am here under my master's orders to guard Luo Feng City."
Upon hearing this, everyone changed color. Could it be that the Great Sage Hong Tian himself had intervened in this matter?
But they were unwilling to leave just like that. "Silver Ape King, are you shielding Ye Chen? You must know he slaughtered so many trialists on the Trial Path, incurring the public wrath of the world. We are here to capture his clansmen to make an example."
The Silver Ape King's voice was calm, yet carried a threatening force. "You people, dare to harm the youth my master has taken a liking to?"