Yang Wushuang of the Tianqi Empire, Li Taixu of the Jiuhua Empire, and Wu Yunyan of the Martial God Hall.
Following behind Long Gu'ao, the ancient geniuses from the other three super forces made their appearances, leaving only the ancient genius from Tian Du Academy yet to arrive.
The four ancient geniuses descended upon this void space, drawing the attention of all.
Yang Wushuang of the Tianqi Empire had already appeared earlier via an avatar, so his presence wasn't particularly surprising to the world.
Li Taixu, the ancient genius of the Jiuhua Empire, was something else entirely. He was a young supreme powerhouse worthy of everyone's wariness, not just because of his stunning identity as an ancient genius, but also because it was rumored he cultivated the Dao of Space.
Space is king, time is supreme.
These two Great Daos have always been among the most powerful throughout history, whether on the Tian Du Continent or the vaster, boundless myriad realms. A young king specializing in the Dao of Space was absolutely a formidable opponent. Moreover, such individuals grew increasingly terrifying as they advanced. When their cultivation reached a truly horrifying level, they could casually open up vast worlds one after another—that was true heaven-defying ability.
As for the genius from the Martial God Hall, when everyone saw the newcomer, they were stunned. Clearly, no one had expected the genius from the force famed for martial prowess to be a young woman, which didn't match the world's imagination.
After all, Wu Yunyan was sealed during the ancient era, separated by far too long a time. Too many records had been eroded by the years, making everything untraceable.
But undoubtedly, Wu Yunyan appeared remarkably heroic and imposing. She wore a fitting suit of female battle armor that fully displayed her beautiful feminine figure, further accentuating her aura like a female war goddess, inspiring awe and reverence.
Everyone believed that once this unique female genius revealed her true form, it would be a sight of unimaginable terror.
The four ancient geniuses had arrived. Each was like a dazzling sun, surrounded by powerful, turbulent auras that caused the void to twist. Even Heavenly God experts had become their followers.
They kept a certain distance from each other because their Daos were incompatible, their Dao auras repelling one another, causing the void to distort, capable of shattering mountains. The fortress trembled under unimaginable, terrifying pressure.
It was hard to imagine just how powerful these young supreme powerhouses were.
"Except for Tian Du Academy, the ancient geniuses from all the super forces have arrived. It's hard to imagine that the most dazzling geniuses from each super force across history are gathered in the same era. If a contest were to unfold, it would be the strongest collision."
The crowd exclaimed repeatedly, gazing at these gathered prodigies in a daze.
Each was hailed as the most dazzling genius in their super force's history, prophesied by the Great Seer to have the hope of surpassing Divine Spirits in this era, each having once dominated their own age.
It was difficult to imagine these ancient geniuses from different eras all gathering and emerging in this same era. All of this stirred people's blood, making them eager to see who was stronger, hoping to witness their collisions, which promised to be incredibly intense.
"Hahaha, I never thought we ancient geniuses would all emerge in the same era. What a rarity. I really want to see who's stronger and who's weaker," Yang Wushuang laughed heartily. Clad in golden armor, compared to the aloofness of the other ancient geniuses, he carried a more forthright demeanor, his gaze blazing as he looked at the other three.
Similarly, the other three ancient geniuses also had blazing gazes. They were all ancient geniuses from major super forces, each having dominated and dazzled in their own era. Though they weren't born in the same era, now that they had chosen to emerge together in this era, they too wanted to see who was truly the strongest, who was the true number one of their generation.
This point was crucial to them, of great significance. Each firmly believed in their own invincibility, yet also sensed the absolute strength of the others, not inferior to themselves.
In such a situation, only a real battle could decide.
Not to mention the four of them, even the four super forces were closely watching. In a way, this could also be seen as a covert contest among the super forces, realized through the competition of their ancient geniuses.
Long Gu'ao's gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the three young kings. He licked his lips, a hint of cruelty flashing: "Wanting to know who's stronger is simple. Whoever seizes the Great Dao Blood will be the strongest. What do you say?"
His words were utterly unvarnished, shocking the experts of the various forces on the fortress. Great Dao Blood! Ye Chen actually possessed such a supreme divine treasure? That was a priceless treasure even Supreme Divine Spirits would covet. No wonder the four super forces were so fixated on Ye Chen. So that was it.
In an instant, the various forces understood much. Many felt bitter. They had thought they and the super forces shared a common enemy, but it turned out they had been used by these super forces all along. Everything was to obtain the Great Dao Blood on Ye Chen.
"Agreed." As the only female among the ancient geniuses, Wu Yunyan's words were concise, directly agreeing.
Li Taixu's expression remained as cold and ruthless as ever, but he also nodded in agreement.
At this moment, this method was the best.
Yang Wushuang looked at Ye Chen, offering a slightly apologetic smile: "Sorry. Although I said before I'd wait for you on the King's Ancient Path, it seems that won't be possible now. The Great Dao Blood is crucial, possibly the key for us to surpass Divine Spirits in this era."
The gazes of the four ancient geniuses, now solidified into tangible pressure, all fell upon Ye Chen, looking at him like prey, filled with greed.
Ye Chen sighed softly. When had he fallen to such a state, being viewed as prey? If his great enemies from his past life knew, they would surely mock him.
Old Yan seemed somewhat gleeful: "Little Chen, how do you plan to deal with them? I think it'll be quite difficult for you alone to handle all four."
Ye Chen slightly stretched his limbs, causing a series of thunderous cracking sounds from his bones. He responded: "What's the big deal? Don't tell me you, this iron-feathered rooster, expect me to hand over the Great Dao Blood? Since they treat me as prey, I'll just beat them until they regret it."
Old Yan frowned: "It's just that with your current strength, dealing with even one of them might be tough. Against four, you'd probably only have the option to flee."
The four ancient geniuses weren't just talk; their true combat power was terrifyingly formidable. Even with Old Yan's understanding of Ye Chen, he wasn't optimistic.
A cold smile tugged at Ye Chen's lips. Not necessarily.
"I heard Tian Du Academy also sealed an ancient genius named Yuan Jiu, not much inferior to us. It's even said he received the true teachings of that Great Seer from ancient times. It's a pity he's not here today; otherwise, this competition for first place would be many times more exciting."
Yang Wushuang sighed lightly, somewhat regretful, then his gaze blazed again: "Although he's not here, that's one less competitor. Who the Great Dao Blood falls to depends on our own efforts. Enough talk. Let's begin."
"Good!"
Boom—
As soon as the four ancient geniuses finished speaking, they struck simultaneously like lightning.
A deafening roar shook the void, nearly tearing it apart. Hazy divine radiance bloomed, and waves of destructive power spread, shattering the already glassified ground into dust.
They all charged towards Ye Chen at the first moment, their target naturally being the Great Dao Blood on him.
Swish—
One figure, though starting later, arrived first. It was Long Gu'ao. Six golden dragon auras surged and roared. He directly swung his halberd in a great slash, aiming to cleave Ye Chen in two from the start, killing intent permeating the air. He had no intention of sparing Ye Chen's life.
This halberd strike was like an angry Heavenly God's blow, capable of severing the sky. A dazzling golden light flashed, as if the entire world was about to be cut off by this strike.
Ye Chen naturally wouldn't wait for death. Sensing the terror of this attack, he snorted coldly. Not intending to block with his fleshly body, his hand flickered, and the Heavenly God Spear appeared. He directly activated it. Thunder light flashed, shaking the Nine Heavens as he met the attack head-on.
Clang— Boom—
Heaven and earth trembled. Surging golden light and thunder light exploded, terrifyingly boundless, striking straight into the clouds above, transforming into two giant dragons roaring and clashing, sweeping away the surrounding mist and clouds.
A figure was sent flying backward—it was Ye Chen. Resisting hastily, he was no match, blasted away. Even someone as strong as him coughed up a few drops of golden blood from the corner of his mouth, a stark sight.
In truth, it wasn't just due to the hasty defense; Long Gu'ao's strength was indeed unexpectedly formidable. Worthy of being the most dazzling genius in Tenglong Empire's history, his combat power was peerless, his divine power boundless. Even if Ye Chen had prepared fully to resist, he likely still wouldn't have been a match.
Because Ye Chen's awakening in this era had ultimately been too short. His Human Yuan Golden Body wasn't truly at Great Perfection yet; he had only refined a portion of crimson true blood. In terms of true strength, he was still a step behind.
And these ancient geniuses were truly powerful in Dao techniques. Even if their fleshly bodies couldn't compare to his, the gap wasn't large, far stronger than other Martial Gods.
Ye Chen even suspected these ancient geniuses had reached the level of Super Martial Gods. They were formidable.
"Hmm? You could actually block this strike of mine. Not bad, somewhat beyond my expectations." Long Gu'ao showed slight surprise at Ye Chen's strength.
After being intercepted in the spatial passage earlier, his evaluation of Ye Chen was already high, but that was when he was unprepared. Now, at his peak state, he was invincible among his peers. Yet this Ye Chen could still withstand his strike without dying, only coughing up a little blood. This was indeed beyond his expectations.
Ye Chen wiped the blood from his mouth, unsurprised by this outcome. His expression also carried a trace of gravity. The ancient geniuses were indeed sufficiently powerful.
Suddenly, his expression changed. His spiritual sense heightened comprehensively at this moment, and he threw a punch backward, like a war god striking. His fist was no longer glazed gold; instead, a vivid crimson hue appeared on it, crystal clear like a blood diamond, sweeping out.
At that moment, a delicate, jade-white palm suddenly struck from behind. It seemed plain and unremarkable, but it made Ye Chen's sword-like brows furrow deeply. He knew well the terror of this palm strike; even the void was invisibly pressed down and collapsed, terrifyingly boundless.
Fist and palm collided. The void twisted, divine light exploded, and droplets of bright blood splattered and fell.
A patch of skin was scraped off Ye Chen's fist, nearly drawing blood. It must be known that he had concentrated true blood into his fist now, making it much stronger than before. Yet it was still scraped. One could imagine how powerful the opponent's attack was.
As for Wu Yunyan, who had struck, her jade-like fingers were torn and bleeding, droplets of blood splattering and flowing. A look of surprise appeared on her peerlessly cold and beautiful face. She hadn't expected the other party to actually be able to injure her, which rather astonished her.
"You are strong, able to injure me. Among the younger generation, you can be considered number one."
Wu Yunyan's voice was ethereal and transcendent. This was praise for Ye Chen. It must be known that even in the ancient era, searching across the entire Tian Du Continent, the strongest of the younger generation from other super forces of that time could hardly harm a single hair on her head. That Ye Chen could injure her was enough to illustrate his strength.
Naturally, this wasn't to say the other ancient geniuses couldn't injure her. It was just that they were born in different eras. This was their first meeting in this era. In a real fight, they could absolutely injure each other.
Wu Yunyan retreated after delivering one strike, not continuing the attack. The several of them had a tacit understanding: each would take a turn attacking, to see who could subdue Ye Chen the fastest.
The next moment, it was Yang Wushuang's turn. Clad in golden armor, he approached, his entire body erupting with surging golden light, far stronger than when his avatar had come.
"Ye Chen, you are strong. Although I'm breaking my word, for the Great Dao Blood, it must be done. To show respect, I will not hold back."
He scattered beans to form soldiers, pointing out clusters of golden light. These clusters then transformed into powerful Golden Crows that spread their wings across the sky, slashing at Ye Chen.
Naturally, the Golden Crows weren't true living beings; this was merely a powerful divine technique, wielded by Yang Wushuang with incredible might.
Ye Chen's body erupted with surging golden blood yuan, transforming into layers of blood yuan waves that crashed against the Golden Crows, hindering them, preventing them from reaching him immediately.
Then Ye Chen struck out furiously. He manifested his Glazed Golden Body, his entire body turning into glazed gold, his golden body indestructible. Amidst the crisscrossing golden light, although the Heavenly God Spear wasn't fully activated, under his swings it still swept through a thousand troops, easily scattering and annihilating Golden Crows one after another in the void.
At this moment, Yang Wushuang had already closed in. He lived up to his name 'Peerless'. His hands traced trajectories, manifesting a supreme divine technique. A millstone materialized, actually interweaving strands of Dao marks, pressing down towards Ye Chen.
Ye Chen's heart shook. Dao marks were divine traces of the Great Dao that only Heavenly God experts could condense, possessing unfathomable divine abilities, capable of easily slaying Super Martial Gods, terrifyingly boundless.
He hadn't expected Yang Wushuang to also grasp Dao marks.
But he was no weakling either. He directly activated the Heavenly God Spear. Thunder light intertwined, even faintly revealing Dao marks as he forcefully met the stone millstone. A thunderous explosion rang out.
Pfft—
Ye Chen opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood, injured for the first time.
Immediately after, Ye Chen suddenly felt a terrifying crisis descend. The void behind him twisted, and a slender figure appeared—it was the most mysterious Li Taixu. He had traversed the void to arrive, not shattering the void, but more skillfully borrowing the power of space itself.
He came face-to-face with a Void Palm Seal, heavily striking Ye Chen on the back. A metallic clang sounded. Even with the robust Human Yuan Golden Body, his blood energy churned violently. Several divine bones within his body developed cracks, nearly breaking. He couldn't help but cough up blood.
Too mysterious and unfathomable. Worthy of being the King of Space, impossibly fast, and so sudden.
It wasn't that Ye Chen couldn't detect it; it was just that in terms of mana, he was always a step behind, unable to keep up. This was his biggest gap at present.
The four ancient geniuses, though all attacking Ye Chen, did so one after another, not truly joining forces.
Although they could cooperate, each held pride in their hearts. They were the strongest geniuses of ancient times, peerless prodigies, invincible among their peers. Facing Ye Chen, they were unwilling to join forces. To them, that would be a disgrace, not wanting to gang up, wishing to rely on their own strength to stand out, to look down upon all heroes.
Moreover, they also wanted to know who was truly the strongest.
Ye Chen continuously endured the fierce attacks of the four ancient geniuses, simply struggling to cope. Because each of these individuals was so ferociously powerful, putting him in an unprecedented difficult situation.
If it were close combat, it would be one thing; he could rely on his Human Yuan Golden Body to fear nothing. But at a distance, he was at a great disadvantage. The Dao techniques of these ancient geniuses were peerless, at the Super Martial God level, fundamentally unbeatable.
Fortunately, the powerhouses attacked separately. Otherwise, if they all attacked together, even a peak Martial God would be instantly killed.
But even so, Ye Chen still suffered terrible wounds one after another, coughing up blood repeatedly, making him understand a cruel fact.
For now, he was still not a match for the ancient geniuses, even one-on-one.
"I have no choice but to use that move. Although I really don't want to, and the consequences aren't great, there's no other way."
Ye Chen sighed softly, somewhat helpless. Facing these ancient geniuses, if he didn't use this move, he might have to ask Old Yan to intervene, as it wasn't certain these ancient geniuses would be wary of the Slaying the Heavens alliance leader's token.
Ye Chen's hands rapidly formed one mysterious and profound Great Dao seal after another, dozens to hundreds in an instant.
Boom—
Heaven and earth trembled. From the crown of his head, an extremely terrifying beam of light suddenly shot out, piercing through heaven and earth, standing between them as if it had become the only thing in the world.
At this moment, his aura rapidly surged, instantly breaking into the Martial God realm, and climbing steadily to a terrifying level.
His entire body erupted with vast divine radiance. His overwhelmingly powerful aura spread boundlessly, as if an invincible ancient war god had descended from the Nine Heavens, peerless and matchless. Heaven and earth rumbled, and all were compelled to submit.
Ye Chen's gaze swept over the four ancient geniuses, sharp and ringing like tangible blades, making people dare not look directly. He spoke lightly: "Alright. Do you choose to come together, or one by one?"