"Well then, will you choose to come at me together, or one after another?"
Ye Chen's voice resounded throughout the heavens and earth, rumbling like spring thunder, deafening to the ears of everyone present and stunning them all.
Arrogant!
That was the evaluation of Ye Chen by the vast majority. Previously, he had been toyed with like a mouse by the four Ancient Prodigies, yet now he was being so insolent, declaring that he would let all the Ancient Prodigies come at him together. Wasn't that a bit too arrogant? Did he truly think himself invincible under the heavens?
However, at this very moment, dazzling radiance erupted from Ye Chen's forehead, shimmering with seven colors. An even more majestic pillar of light surged from the crown of his head. It wasn't a pillar of blood energy, yet it was far more powerful and overwhelming. A terrifying aura suppressed the clouds and sky, as if a deity from the Nine Heavens was descending, inspiring awe and fear in all who beheld it.
What exactly had happened? Why had Ye Chen's aura suddenly become so many times stronger?
This was the doubt in everyone's hearts. Ye Chen's current state was very strange.
At this moment, even the powerful four Ancient Prodigies felt a sense of threat. They sensed that this youth before them was now not much weaker than themselves, perhaps even slightly stronger.
"Hmph, putting on a mysterious act!" Long Gu'ao snorted coldly, refusing to acknowledge Ye Chen's newfound strength. His true form moved, instantly piercing through the void to appear before Ye Chen. The Fangtian Halberd slashed down directly, accompanied by the manifestation of a river of stars, cleaving through the air.
This was an extremely fearsome strike. Even a super Martial God would have to avoid its edge.
Yet, in response, Ye Chen didn't even use the Heavenly God Spear. He merely threw a punch forward. His fist was as brilliant and translucent as a blood diamond, meeting the attack head-on.
Many sneered. Ye Chen was too arrogant. Did he truly think his physical body was invincible? That was a genuine Heavenly God Dao Weapon. No one could truly clash with it head-on without injury, unless they were a Supreme Divine Spirit.
Boom—
Heaven and earth trembled. Divine light erupted, so blinding that everyone had to shut their eyes. That spot seemed to be experiencing the separation of heaven and earth, with supreme fluctuations erupting.
But what stunned everyone was that in this collision, Ye Chen stood rooted in place, like an Ancient Divine Mountain spanning the heavens and earth, unmoving and steady as a mountain. In contrast, Long Gu'ao, who had launched the attack, was forced back three steps. Each step left a clear footprint in the void beneath his feet, a sight that inspired shock.
Moreover, that fist showed not a single trace of damage, not a single drop of blood flowing from it. It was simply unbelievable.
Had Ye Chen truly become so much stronger all of a sudden?
Everyone stared dumbfounded at Ye Chen. Even an Ancient Prodigy like Long Gu'ao was at a disadvantage. How was this possible?
"That is... Destiny!?"
Everyone saw a shocking scene within the pillar of light shooting from the crown of his head. High above in the Nine Heavens, a lofty, supreme divine throne was suspended—the throne upon which the highest Divine Spirits sat.
Upon it sat a figure of extraordinary heroism and splendor. It was none other than Ye Chen himself, seated upon the divine throne, overlooking the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths as if a deity gazing down upon the mortal world.
This vision was shocking. Was it foretelling that Ye Chen was this invincible deity, unmatched and unrivaled?
Ye Chen stood tall in the void, his black hair cascading like a waterfall, divine light radiating from him. Rings of light even began to manifest around him, setting him apart as transcendent and extraordinary. He swept his gaze over the four Ancient Prodigies, looking down from a superior position, confident and unrivaled.
This attitude caused the four Ancient Prodigies to snort coldly. They would not believe that vision, firmly convinced of their own invincibility.
Yang Wushuang looked thoughtfully at Ye Chen, then his eyes blazed with light. "His aura is very powerful, far stronger than before. Hmm... could it be a power-boosting secret art!?"
"Power-boosting secret art!?"
Everyone focused their gazes tightly on Ye Chen. This was the only answer that could explain his current state—suddenly becoming so much stronger. Only a power-boosting secret art could do that.
So-called power-boosting secret arts, as the name implied, were arts that could temporarily enhance one's own strength. On the Tian Du Continent, while not abundant, they were not rare either. Basically, any first-rate power would possess such secret arts.
However, many frowned. Even some who believed Ye Chen possessed transcendent talent shook their heads. Because while power-boosting secret arts could grant formidable strength in a short time, the price was often staggering—either a loss of lifespan or a severe drop in cultivation base. It simply wasn't worth the cost.
And for Ye Chen to gain such a massive boost in combat power made people shake their heads and sigh softly. The greater the power gained, the greater the price. The cost Ye Chen would likely have to pay was probably not small at all.
To match these Ancient Prodigies, Ye Chen had undoubtedly paid a heavy price.
Understanding this point, Long Gu'ao sneered. "You are indeed very powerful now, far stronger than before. But the price you must pay is likely quite significant. I just wonder how much lifespan or cultivation you've sacrificed as the cost? I simply don't believe it's less than a hundred years or fifty years of cultivation."
The other three Ancient Prodigies shook their heads, looking at Ye Chen with a hint of pity. Regardless, in this era, Ye Chen could be considered a young genius barely capable of contending with them. To pay such a price was truly somewhat regrettable.
Yet, Ye Chen looked at the four of them in the same manner, which left them both quite baffled and furious. What right did he have to look at them like that?
"Who said boosting one's strength must come with such a price? Ridiculous." Ye Chen scoffed derisively. Who was he? In his previous life, he was a generation's supreme ruler. The supreme divine arts and secret techniques he had obtained far exceeded the imagination of these people. One could say that the so-called divine arts mastered by these Ancient Prodigies before him were little different from a beggar's possessions in his eyes.
How could he be foolish enough to use arts that boosted strength at the cost of vitality and cultivation?
"Perhaps you haven't heard of it yet, but I can tell you, this secret art is called—the Battle God Seal!"
This was an ancient secret art Ye Chen had obtained in his previous life after slaying the king of a certain ancient race.
One could say that the Battle God Seal was a supreme, invincible power-boosting secret art, or it could be called a true supreme secret technique. It was not much inferior to the Battle Saint Technique within the Battle Saint Art. It fundamentally did not require lifespan or cultivation as a price; at most, it resulted in a period of weakness afterward.
But this was a sign of the divine art's imperfection. The Battle God Seal Ye Chen obtained in his previous life was not the complete version. Otherwise, it would have been flawless, with no side effects.
"Battle God Seal?" Yang Wushuang shook his head. The other three Ancient Prodigies frowned. None of them had heard of this secret art, but it was clearly extraordinary.
However, Ye Chen's lofty, cold, and arrogant attitude greatly displeased them. It was like an emperor possessing boundless wealth looking down upon beggars.
"I don't know where you found this power-boosting secret art. Perhaps it is extraordinary. But secret arts are still external aids. They can last for a period, but not permanently. And do you truly believe that in your current state, you can be peerlessly invincible?"
Wu Yunyan's voice was ethereal yet carried a chill as she walked forward. Clad in fitting female battle armor, she possessed an undeniable heroic aura.
"Perhaps. But dealing with you all shouldn't be a problem," Ye Chen said indifferently.
Boom—
As his words fell, Ye Chen suddenly attacked. Under the effects of the Battle God Seal, his aura was countless times stronger than before. The flaws in his Dao techniques were completely remedied. The entire person was like a war god on the offensive, emanating an unparalleled sense of pressure.
He stepped upon the void, operating the Reverse Void Eight Steps, displaying extreme speed under heaven. In an instant, he arrived before Wu Yunyan. His powerful aura assailed their faces as he executed a supreme battle technique, his entire body like dark golden glass, piercing through the clouds and sky to strike.
Wu Yunyan faced a great enemy. As an Ancient Prodigy, her perception was terrifying. She could fully sense the extreme fearsomeness of this youth before her. No longer holding back in the slightest, she let out a light shout. Divine radiance manifested in streaks as she operated a divine art to strike, colliding with Ye Chen who had arrived before her.
Boom! Boom! Boom!—
In the blink of an eye, the two sides collided dozens, even hundreds of times. All were fearsome offensive tactics. The void was even torn open, revealing thin, dark cracks. Such a fearsome collision was indeed heart-stopping, having reached such a terrifying degree.
One must know that only upon reaching the Heavenly God realm could one...
But Wu Yunyan was even more alarmed. Because as powerful as she was, at this moment she felt she could not overpower Ye Chen. On the contrary, she even felt she might not be a match for him.
Ye Chen had become far too strong now. One must know she had been peerless in her era. But now, in these collisions, her palms and fingers ached with pain, and even thin streams of blood flowed out. This was a situation she had never encountered before.
This youth before her not only possessed boundless, powerful magic power, but his physical body was even stronger. Both form and spirit were supreme, practically invincible.
Swish—
A figure arrived silently behind him. It was the mysterious Li Taixu. He was as taciturn as ever, but clearly Ye Chen's earlier arrogant words had provoked him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly attacked; it didn't suit his style.
Another Void Palm Seal.
For a young supreme expert who had mastered the Dao of Space, he was the most unpredictable and difficult-to-defend-against Ancient Prodigy.
But this time, Ye Chen said coldly, "Do you think I'll let you succeed again and again?"
Intense spatial fluctuations rippled. Ye Chen's palm and fingers shone with a brilliant blood-red light as he repelled Wu Yunyan. Then, turning with lightning speed, he directly unraveled Li Taixu's spatial fluctuations and also sent out a Void Palm Seal of his own.
This shocked people's hearts. Could it be that Ye Chen was also a king who had mastered the Dao of Space?
The two spatial palm seals collided. The void twisted and shattered in that area, but Ye Chen remained unharmed. Moreover, he displayed even more astonishing mastery of the Dao of Space, actively attacking Li Taixu.
Li Taixu hurriedly operated the Dao of Space to defend, but his fluctuations were quickly dismantled by Ye Chen. Arriving before him, Ye Chen's golden body was indestructible as he threw a divine punch.
This punch could collapse the void. Li Taixu wanted to tear through the void to escape.
But he suddenly discovered the Dao of Space was beyond his control. Moreover, this punch was accompanied by terrifying pressure, causing the surrounding void to surge and press violently against Li Taixu's body.
What was going on?
Li Taixu's face changed dramatically. For the first time, he felt the familiar Dao of Space was not under his control and was actively attacking him.
"Using the Dao of Space before me? Hmph, showing off one's meager skill before an expert!"
Ye Chen sneered. This punch directly struck Li Taixu, sending his entire body flying backward, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.