"Who are you? How do you know the Battle God Seal!"
The War King was shocked, his eyes shining with endless divine radiance as he stared intently at the unfamiliar, handsome youth before him. The brilliance emanating from between his brows made him realize this was the aura of the Battle God Seal.
How could he not be familiar with the Battle God Seal? It was the divine ability of a forbidden lineage's Ten Heavens Supreme Prodigy who should have perished between heaven and earth. In the past, he had sensed this aura, making his heart tremble—it was peerless and unmatched.
This Supreme Prodigy should have been a heroic figure, renowned throughout the myriad realms since his youth, establishing a mighty reputation, undefeated among his generation. He had broken through the shackles of the Nine Heavens and entered the Ten Heavens Great Perfection realm, a level that belonged to the untraceable Mythical Era, earning the title of Supreme.
His existence had provoked the most powerful supreme forces across the myriad realms to take action, seeking to slay him.
Unfortunately, such a forbidden Supreme, who should have aspired to the path of the Human Sovereign, capable of contending with the most terrifying True Kings and Supremes, sweeping away all enemies on the imperial road, had perished helplessly because of that incident. It was a great regret.
This person was also his friend. They had begun contending with each other from low cultivation realms. Upon learning of his fall, the War King had roared in anger at the time and wandered far across heaven and earth. He just never expected this supreme secret art to appear in this realm.
Looking at the youth before him, he felt a sense of déjà vu that grew increasingly intense, as if thinking of a seemingly impossible possibility. He couldn't help but tremble inwardly as he asked, "You... how do you recognize the Battle God Seal?"
Ye Chen smiled. There was none of the aloof indifference he showed toward enemies, only a rare gentleness, like a spring breeze, radiant and bright: "War King, have you truly forgotten me?"
"Could you really be..." The War King's heart trembled. He stared at him unblinkingly, as if trying to see through everything about him.
At the same time, the aura around him suddenly intensified countless times. His entire being was like an invincible Demon Lord, his battle might surging and shaking the eight directions, severing the connection between the two realms, preventing the powerful experts from the other realm from probing their divine senses into this one.
He was taking action, isolating everything. He had a premonition that this youth Ye Chen was the reincarnation of that person. He did not want Ye Chen's true identity to be known by those from the other realm. If word got out, it would cause unpredictable consequences.
The impact caused by that forbidden Supreme in the past was too great. In this realm, Divine Spirits—those hailed as gods—had died at the hands of that forbidden Supreme, not just one or two, but more than the number of fingers on both hands, staining heaven and earth with blood.
He had even taken action to suppress and slay existences at even higher levels, making countless forces across the myriad realms wary of him, especially since he was the inheritor of that forbidden lineage.
Once news that he was still alive spread, this realm would become the focus of the myriad realms, and countless terrifying experts would come rushing. This was beyond doubt, because the influence of that forbidden Supreme was just that immense.
Could this youth before him truly be the reincarnation and rebirth of that forbidden Supreme?
"War King, what's wrong? Have you encountered an opponent in that realm as well?"
The alien Divine Spirits were astonished. The sudden surge in the aura of the strongest War King surprised them, making them worry he had encountered danger.
But the War King did not answer, nor did he cross realms further. He simply stood firm in the middle of the cross-realm spatial channel, gazing at Ye Chen who stood before the channel.
The Supreme Old Academy Head and Great Sage Hong Tian, the two Supreme Divine Spirits, watched all this nervously, also filled with shock. The most terrifying War King seemed to have some connection with Ye Chen. What was going on?
The wind howled, black hair danced wildly. The War King clearly saw a faint Moon Mark appearing within the seal between the youth's brows. It was so familiar. Steadfast as he was, invincible as he was, his battle physique—which could withstand the attacks of this realm's two Supreme Divine Spirits without flinching—now couldn't help but tremble.
Not because he was under attack, but because of the youth before him.
It really was him. This mark was too similar, identical. Only that friend possessed it.
But he saw through the youth's aura, which did not match his friend's, making him somewhat doubtful.
Ye Chen had long known it would be so. The War King had always been an extremely cautious invincible king. He smiled slightly, not blaming him. With a flick of his hand, the Heavenly God Spear appeared. He took a large step forward, and a supreme battle dao aura began to spread.
"Lone smoke rises straight over the vast desert, the long river's setting sun is round!"
In that void, a vast, boundless desert suddenly appeared. Within it, waves rolled, turbulent and surging. Moreover, a mighty, majestic long river traversed the desert—it was a river of blood, startling and eye-catching.
Ye Chen, holding the Heavenly God Spear, stood firm in the desert. From the crown of his head burst forth a strand of dazzling golden blood energy that shot into the depths of the heavens, connecting the sky above and the earth below, rumbling and resonating, as if he were the only one in the world, peerless and unmatched.
Without a doubt, this was an incredibly powerful battle dao divine art. Anyone who encountered it would change expression.
The War King's eyes shone even more brightly. At this moment, he truly confirmed the youth's identity. It really was him. Because this move, "Lone smoke rises straight over the vast desert, the long river's setting sun is round," was the strongest divine art he and that person had once displayed during a great confrontation.
Later, he had imparted it to that forbidden Supreme. Without grasping its true essence, it was impossible to execute.
All of this indicated that Ye Chen was that forbidden Supreme.
"Hahaha..."
The War King laughed, for the first time laughing so genuinely from the heart, so brilliantly, so joyfully.
He knew that person wouldn't die so easily. Even after experiencing such a world-shaking calamity, even after being jointly attacked and buried in that mysterious Emperor's Pass by so many supreme existences—where he should have been utterly annihilated in body and soul—he had still been reincarnated and reborn.
It had to be said, this was a miracle.
Some time ago, while in the eternal void, he had sensed a familiar aura. Now, descending into this realm, part of his purpose was indeed to search for that person. Now everything was confirmed.
Boom—
The War King suddenly took action. A giant hand spanned the spatial channel, enduring attacks from endless law power, his battle physique shining with invincible radiance. Then, in an instant, he grabbed Ye Chen, who was at the edge of the channel, and brought him to the middle of the channel.
"How dare you!"
"Release Young Friend Ye Chen at once!"
The two Divine Spirits reacted immediately and attacked the War King. For a moment, endless law power descended, piercing through the spatial channel.
However, the War King's combat power was peerless, and not just empty words. With a shudder of his body, he directly expanded a hazy, terrifying domain, transforming it into a battle domain of "I exist, thus I am invincible," enveloping this area as an absolute defense. All attacks were blocked, all probing was isolated. He forcibly carved out a vacuum region within this extremely dangerous cross-realm spatial channel.
This was his heaven-reaching method. Even if the Supreme Old Academy Head and Great Sage Hong Tian attacked, they could not breach this battle domain for the time being.
Then he released Ye Chen, even retracting the radiance around his body and reining in his dao might. From the void, he grasped two strands of essence energy, transforming them into two meditation cushions. He and Ye Chen sat cross-legged facing each other, exchanging a smile.
This was to converse with Ye Chen more conveniently, without arousing suspicion from the aliens in the other realm or the experts in this realm about Ye Chen.
"Long time no see, War King!" Ye Chen smiled slightly, offering a greeting.
"It really is you. You're alive... that's good. I think they would be very happy to know." The War King opened his mouth, only managing to utter these words.
He was never one skilled with emotions, but seeing Ye Chen's existence still filled him with pleasant surprise. His eyes grew much more restrained, as if something crystalline was swirling within.
But a true man does not shed tears lightly. With a shift of his gaze, all moisture evaporated directly, and he then calmed down.
Ye Chen nodded, smiling slightly. There was no fear, no trembling, no caution—only a calm, natural smile. Clearly, it was a young junior facing the most terrifying existence from an alien realm, yet it was unmistakably a reunion of old friends.
"Qian Yue, forty years have passed. I never thought I'd see you again. It truly is a miracle." The War King sighed with emotion. They should have been separated by life and death, yet they could meet again after forty years. It really was a miracle.
"Forty years have passed..." Ye Chen sighed softly. He had thought only seventeen years had passed, never expecting it to be forty. So his subconscious had slept for twenty-three years in the void before finding a home.
"Not seeing you for forty years, you've truly become a Sage, and even stepped through the Nine Heavens, reaching the Great Perfection level. Your cultivation speed is truly astonishing." Ye Chen sighed. This wasn't the Martial God realm or the Heavenly God realm. To spend only forty years in the Divine Spirit realm to truly reach the peak level... one had to admit, the War King's aptitude was monstrous.
It must be known that the later one's cultivation, the slower the growth rate. Take the Divine Spirits on the Tian Du Continent, for example. Forget advancing one heavenly tier in ten years; even several decades or a century might not be enough. It required constant accumulation over time, not simply amassing enough power. This proved just how world-shaking the War King's potential was.
"How are... they?"
After a moment of silence, Ye Chen finally asked. He was always worried about hearing bad news.
The War King shook his head and sighed lightly, making Ye Chen's heart tremble: "What's wrong?"
"It's both good and not good, but don't worry, no one has come to harm. Your great enemies from back then, like the Yuan Yao Divine King, the Primordial Demon God, and the Sun God, haven't caused us trouble. The same goes for those supreme forces, partly due to the protection of the Myriad Realms Academy." The War King spoke slowly, recounting some situations over the years. "Your beloved women are also fine, though they were saddened for several years upon hearing the news, cried bitterly, and often looked up at the bright moon in the night sky, motionless."
Ye Chen's heart ached. He could imagine the desolate state of mind of those beloved women as they gazed at the moon, making him sorrowful and filled with guilt.
The War King sighed: "You don't need to be like this. It's enough that you're alive. If they knew, they would be very happy."
But Ye Chen shook his head: "No, you must not spread the news that I'm still alive. I'm worried that if certain interested parties find out, it will bring you all immense trouble."
At this moment, his aura surged violently as he gazed into the spatial channel, as if he could see those terrifying great enemies from the past, filling him with worry.