Although the invasion of the alien race's experts had been repelled, the people of the world felt no joy, for they had learned a cruel reality—
The Tian Du Continent was merely a world sealed off and monitored by the alien race.
This was difficult for the world to accept. Since ancient times, generation after generation of ancestors had lived on the Tian Du Continent, long regarding it as their homeland, filled with deep affection. But now they knew this cruel truth: they were merely creatures living within this vast "prison."
Countless cultivators were filled with anger and unwillingness, finding it hard to accept this fact, yet they were powerless. Even the lofty Supreme Divine Spirits remained silent, hidden within the void, watching all this unfold.
"Could it be that the Supreme Divine Spirits who left the Tian Du Continent throughout history did not ascend by breaking through the void, but were instead killed by the alien race?"
Someone exclaimed, recalling the ancient Supreme Divine Spirits who had left the Tian Du Continent one after another to explore the broader world. It was originally thought their disappearance meant not death, but ascension, merely leaving this realm.
But now, such thoughts seemed laughable. It was likely those ancient Divine Spirits had been killed one by one.
"I don't believe this fact! I want to demand a clear explanation from the alien race!"
A fierce Martial God expert charged out of the Tian Du Continent toward that broader world, but was instantly annihilated by spatial storms. Leaving was impossible.
Yet no one was willing to stop. They would rather die than accept this cruel reality, rushing toward the world beyond the continent one after another.
Heavenly Gods and Divine Spirits could no longer remain calm. These people were destined to be important figures in the upcoming war and could not be lost. They intervened to stop them.
Several Supreme Divine Spirits descended in the endless ocean beyond the Tian Du Continent, standing before the dangerous spatial storms. These were important natural defenses protecting them from the alien race's harm, yet ironically, they were also death zones preventing them from leaving this prison world.
Unless one reached the Divine Spirit realm, passage was impossible.
With several Divine Spirits blocking the way, the many experts could not break into the spatial storms. After a long time, they could only helplessly accept this lamentable and pitiful fact.
Sensing their sorrowful state of mind, reminiscent of their own past, the several Divine Spirits had no choice but to announce an important message to the world: in the near future, the life of being sealed and imprisoned would end. For they had planned for ten thousand years, preparing a grand Slaying the Heavens war. At that time, they would engage in a decisive battle with the alien race to liberate the entire Tian Du Continent, hoping the people of the world would lend their aid.
This announcement unexpectedly won the strong approval of the entire world. Countless cultivators eagerly volunteered, expressing their willingness to fight.
This was an excellent momentum, which pleased the several Divine Spirits greatly. It seemed the invasion of the alien race's experts had instead united the Tian Du Continent's powerhouses even more.
The Trial Path ended early. All trial-takers returned to the final fortress, but Ye Chen had disappeared. He arrived at the Divine Spirit's small world within the twelfth checkpoint, where the Dao principles left behind by the Iceflame Heavenly King Xia Zhidi had already dissipated.
The moment he stepped out, a powerful aura began to revive. Ye Chen smiled and entered. At this moment, Crown Prince Xia Yang was rising to his full height on the Dao platform, his entire body radiating a powerful aura.
He had officially stepped into the Martial God realm, becoming a rare young Martial God of the current era, qualified to stand among the very top of the current younger generation.
Of course, compared to those Ancient Talents, there was still a gap, but he was far stronger than Li Sheng, Yang Shaoqi, and the others.
As soon as Xia Yang awoke, he saw his opponent, Ye Chen. His gaze turned blazing, battle intent boiling, clearly eager to spar with Ye Chen, and he immediately acted on it.
He directly unleashed the might of the Martial God realm, charging forward and launching a fierce attack. A series of tremendous collisions ensued, shaking the Divine Spirit's small world.
Ye Chen smiled. His palms and fingers flowed with brilliant golden radiance, indestructible like diamond, directly clashing and producing a series of dazzling sparks of divine light.
The two fought rapidly, like lightning and flint, exchanging dozens of moves in the blink of an eye. Xia Yang's moves were grand and sweeping, summoning the power of heaven and earth to aid his attacks, displaying the true divine might of a possessor of divine qualification. He was truly powerful, even surpassing some early-stage Martial Gods. His aura surged and swelled, piercing the heavens.
Ye Chen, on the other hand, appeared simple and unadorned, possessing a charm of returning to simplicity. He did not employ any divine techniques, yet he was not much inferior to Xia Yang. At the very least, they seemed evenly matched, engaging in peak-level collisions of divine techniques.
This battle was such that the Thirteenth Prince, Princess Hong Rong, and Vivian could only watch from afar, unable to participate, as it was beyond their level of strength.
Finally, after a hundred exchanges, the two separated after a clash and stood apart, neither gaining the upper hand. But Xia Yang understood that Ye Chen was actually stronger than him. Ye Chen handled his attacks with calm and composure, showing not a hint of strain, making Xia Yang feel the pressure.
He had been constantly progressing, and Ye Chen had also been progressing. Moreover, the extent of Ye Chen's progress was terrifyingly astonishing. The current Ye Chen stood before him like an endless abyss, giving a feeling of unfathomable depth, as if his true limits could never be fully explored.
"Ye Chen, you're here. What happened outside just now?" Princess Hong Rong inquired. Even within the Divine Spirit's small world, they could sense the earth-shattering, terrifying fluctuations that had occurred outside.
"The alien race descended..." Ye Chen did not hide it. At this point, it couldn't be concealed anyway; people would find out sooner or later.
Upon hearing this, their expressions changed drastically. Even Crown Prince Xia Yang was shocked. They looked at each other, momentarily unable to react.
They never imagined that the Tian Du Continent they lived on was merely a prison world monitored and sealed by the alien race, under surveillance since ancient times. And the ancient Divine Spirits who had left the Tian Du Continent to explore the outer world had actually been killed by the alien race, not ascended by breaking through the void as the world had imagined.
This made them shudder. Just how powerful were these alien race beings?
No one had an answer to that.
Even Ye Chen could not know the full details, but he understood one thing: the Tian Du Continent was far from comparable to the Myriad Domains; they were not on the same level. Unless the Myriad Domains did not send existences surpassing Divine Spirits to intervene, this Slaying the Heavens war was destined to be a tragedy.
Not long after, they also left the Divine Spirit's small world, riding the demonic flood dragon toward the final fortress. For now, the trials of the Trial Path had long become less important. War was erupting, the Slaying the Heavens plan needed to be implemented ahead of schedule, and the Slaying the Heavens war might break out at any moment.
Fortunately, the Tian Du Continent had not yet mobilized all its hidden reserves this time; a portion remained concealed. Otherwise, the situation would truly be perilous.
For the Slaying the Heavens war, the Tian Du Continent had prepared for ten thousand years. How could they use everything at once? There were even more powerful reserves yet to be deployed.
When their group returned to the final fortress, the great Dao barrier that had spanned heaven and earth had long disappeared. But the vast majority of people were still there, merely waiting to withdraw. Several Ancient Talents stood within the fortress, each occupying their own position, surrounded and strictly protected by experts from their respective superpowers.
Heavenly Gods and some Martial Gods from the major superpowers were stationed here, responsible for guarding the trial world.
Although they understood the alien race would likely not descend again, it was better to be safe than sorry. The powerhouses of this world knew very little about the alien race's methods and had to take precautions.
The appearance of Ye Chen and his group naturally attracted great attention, especially Ye Chen as the focal point. Not only was there the previous targeting by several superpowers and the joint petition from various major forces of the Tian Du Continent to condemn him, but this time, Ye Chen's active request to be taken by Great Sage Hong Tian to the spatial channel had also become a focal matter.
Many were puzzled and curious about why Ye Chen had gone there at that time and what exactly had happened. It was all a mystery!
Originally, seeing the old Academy Head leave without Ye Chen, many thought he had overestimated his strength, forced his way over, and ultimately turned to ashes. But now he appeared safe and sound, naturally causing shock and speculation among many.
What had happened when Ye Chen went to that place? Why was he able to return unharmed? This was thought-provoking.
But the Great Dao Blood within him remained the focus for everyone. The Great Dao Blood was of utmost importance; it could not be taken lightly. It might be the hope and key for the various Ancient Talents to surpass Divine Spirits in this lifetime.
"Ye Chen, hand over the Great Dao Blood on you. We won't make things difficult for you."
"As long as you hand over the Great Dao Blood, we can ensure all past matters are not pursued."
"Indeed. After all, you are a peerless genius of this world with boundless potential. Your path ahead is long. There's no need to oppose us over the Great Dao Blood and invite unnecessary trouble."
Several Heavenly Gods released their oppressive auras. Once the external war stopped, they immediately set their sights on the Great Dao Blood, coercing and tempting Ye Chen to hand it over.
At the same time, the four Ancient Talents watched covetously, determined to obtain the Great Dao Blood. This might be the key for them to surpass Divine Spirits in this lifetime, so they had to treat it with the utmost seriousness.
"And if I say no?" Ye Chen faced the several Heavenly Gods without fear. Even though the great Dao barrier was gone, he remained unafraid of everything, causing many to frown. Where did he get the confidence to be so fearless?
The Heavenly God of the Tenglong Empire, surrounded by streams of golden dragon qi, his imposing might rumbling through the sky, pressed forward: "If you are unwilling, don't blame us for being ruthless. We will capture you alive and then take it. Why must you suffer unnecessary pain?"
"You also understand that when we strike, it's difficult to control our power. Once we attack, if we accidentally cause you to lose limbs or injure your Primordial Spirit, leaving Dao injuries, it might ruin your Dao foundation, leaving you with lifelong, hard-to-heal Dao injuries." The Heavenly God of the Tianqi Empire smiled, but the curve of his lips was cruel and coldly ruthless.
The Tianqi Empire had long held an irreconcilable grudge against Ye Chen. Although his potential was immense and he would undoubtedly become a peerless existence in the future, this also made them worried. They felt it necessary to act, even if they couldn't kill him, to leave him with lifelong, hard-to-heal Dao injuries, preventing him from fully growing into a great enemy of the Tianqi Empire.
The Heavenly Gods of the Martial God Hall and the Jiuhua Empire also pressed forward, subtly forming an encirclement with the other two Heavenly Gods, sealing off Ye Chen's escape routes, leaving him nowhere to flee, completely like a rat in a trap.
Ye Chen watched all this indifferently, his expression unchanged. He simply flipped his hand, and an identity token appeared, displayed for all to see. He said, "I wonder if you still remember what this is?"
"The Slaying the Heavens Alliance leader's token!"
The faces of the several Heavenly Gods changed color, paling in horror. They could no longer maintain their composure!