The Wushi Monarch sighed lightly. Originally, the nine imperial clans and Immortal Clans had joined forces together, and there was fundamentally no need to fear the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground that had been severely wounded in the Emperor War. However, people's hearts were not united; they were hostile towards each other, and information was sealed off and isolated. Each imperial clan and Immortal Clan, precisely because of such negligence, arrogance, and overconfidence, ultimately paid the price of being annihilated.
After capturing the eight Heavenly Passes, the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground also went into hiding. The Qin family imperial clan guarded the final line of defense. Moreover, the Origin Ancient Path was too vast; they dared not conduct large-scale searches. They also suspected that the great terror might have perished in the battle at the Eighth Heavenly Pass. Therefore, they had not taken any action, instead focusing on defense behind closed doors.
It was only when the Wushi Monarch awakened from his deepest slumber and also obtained a crystal placed beside him, which stored many important pieces of information from the countless millennia during his slumber, that he learned of all this.
"Although in that battle back then, the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground suffered extremely terrifying injuries, after experiencing nearly an entire epoch and successively devouring the lives of all the clansmen and the world's origin of the eight imperial clans and Immortal Clans ahead, I'm afraid that even if it hasn't completely recovered, it has definitely recovered to an unimaginable level."
This point, the Wushi Monarch also secretly speculated, but currently, he had no absolute certainty. He sighed somewhat, his expression filled with gravity.
Ye Chen suddenly remembered the pair of giant green eyes of the watcher in that deep, dark ancient path before the Origin Ancient Path. Could they also be related to the existence of the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground?
Ye Chen told all this to the Wushi Monarch.
The Wushi Monarch's expression turned grave. "The giant green eyes should belong to the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground. The one that escaped possesses such a pair of enormous eyes."
Ye Chen was startled. He hadn't expected that upon just entering the Origin Ancient Path, he had encountered the great terror that had escaped from the Chaos Burial Ground. It made his heart palpitate with lingering fear. Yet, he was also surprised. After so many tens of thousands of years, had the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground only recovered to this extent? He, with merely his Great Emperor Reincarnation Body, was unafraid. If combined with the Wushi Monarch's presence here, working together, they would be more than enough to annihilate the other party.
He voiced this thought to his Patriarch.
However, the Wushi Monarch shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Little one, you are underestimating that great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground too much. The reason you were able to walk out alive from that deep ancient path was most likely because the other party had not yet fully awakened."
"Fully awakened?" Ye Chen was somewhat taken aback.
"Yes, fully awakened," the Wushi Monarch said, then continued gravely, "If my guess is correct, although the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground has devoured the clansmen and world origin of the eight imperial clans and Immortal Clans over these years, and even consumed much of the divinity from the eight Heavenly Passes, for an existence of the ancient Great Emperor level to fully recover is not that simple. It requires an extremely long period of time. At this moment, the other party is most likely in slumber, undergoing a transformation of some sort."
"Transformation!?" Ye Chen was shocked.
"Correct, it is in the midst of transformation. Moreover, this transformation might be one leading to complete, perfect recovery. It is precisely this that has left the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground with no spare attention; its main consciousness is basically in slumber, with only a wisp of consciousness remaining vigilant of the outside world to avoid unnecessary incidents. That pair of eyes in the deep ancient path was exactly that."
After hearing the Wushi Monarch's many explanations, Ye Chen felt a wave of retrospective fear. If that were truly the case, Ye Chen could be considered to have narrowly escaped a calamity. Because if the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground had awakened, even with his Great Emperor Reincarnation Body, Ye Chen likely would not have escaped disaster.
Yet, once this great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground completes its transformation and returns to its peak realm, wouldn't it be invincible under heaven? Even the Wushi Monarch and the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body would be unable to stop it. The Qin family imperial clan would be utterly annihilated, and the seals left by the Emperors and Supreme Immortals of old would also be torn apart.
He looked at the Wushi Monarch; evidently, the latter had also thought of this layer, his expression extremely grave.
A great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground at its perfect peak, comparable to an ancient Great Emperor—within the entire Qin family imperial clan, aside from the peerless Emperor Qin Shi Huang of antiquity, only the Wuxiang Monarch could contend with it. However, neither was present. Even with a supreme Emperor weapon, they could not contend.
Yet, Ye Chen also had a thought. He said, "Patriarch Wushi, since the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground is currently in slumber, isn't this a great opportunity? We could take advantage of this chance to strike, delivering a ruthless blow while it is undergoing transformation. Perhaps we could inflict a fatal strike, causing the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground to fail during the critical state of its transformation. It might even cause an extremely severe backlash, leading to its reverse demise."
The Wushi Monarch nodded slightly. "That is indeed not a bad method. However, since the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground is undergoing transformation, it naturally wouldn't be defenseless. Its transformation is also not a matter of a short while. Therefore, we must plan carefully and devise the best approach."
The Origin Ancient Path had no distinction between day and night; it was forever bathed in eternal daylight.
In the sky, there were ten suns—they were the glorious great suns left behind by the ten Emperors and Supreme Immortals of old, corresponding to the ten Heavens. Each great sun also contained the Emperor Dao and Immortal Dao aura of the ten Emperors and Supreme Immortals, which also served as a suppression against the great terror of the Chaos Burial Ground.
The Wushi Monarch mentioned that the ten Emperor Dao and Immortal Dao great suns were also a crucial part of the seals on the Chaos Burial Ground left by the ten Emperors and Supreme Immortals of old. They could continuously draw boundless power from the outside world, eternally sealing it.
On this day, the high-level members of the Qin family imperial clan set up a grand feast in the Emperor City. Many high-level experts from the various branches of the imperial clan came one after another.
This feast was personally hosted by the Monarch Ancient Ancestor; no one could refuse, and they all felt boundless honor.
After all, not just anyone had the qualification to participate in such a feast.
At the feast, the Wushi Monarch sat on the central main seat, high above—this was beyond doubt. However, what shocked everyone was that right beside the Wushi Monarch, Ye Chen, who looked like a seven-year-old boy, was also seated at the lower left corner beside him.
In terms of status, the left side took precedence. One could imagine how highly the Wushi Monarch regarded Ye Chen, even placing him above the other Qin family Divine Kings.
Yet, regarding this point, no one refuted it, especially those who had personally witnessed Ye Chen shaking the Immortal Heavenly Pass with his Great Emperor Reincarnation Body and even battling the Wushi Monarch. Everyone knew this little boy absolutely had the qualification to sit there.
However, the countless experts who came to attend the feast looked at Ye Chen with curiosity. Many had heard the rumors and knew how monstrous this little boy was. Today, being invited as a true honored guest and having a feast held in his honor showed how highly the Wushi Monarch regarded him.
Moreover, many vaguely speculated: who exactly was this little boy? Why was he so terrifying, yet granted the opening of the Heavenly Pass by the Wushi Monarch and personally brought back?
Regarding all this, the Wushi Monarch did not mention that Ye Chen was the inheritor of the Battle Saint lineage. That matter was known only to the Wushi Monarch and Ye Chen. Furthermore, the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body was not a true Battle Saint Body. The Qin family imperial clan had produced more than one Battle Saint Emperor; they were obviously more familiar with it.
The Wushi Monarch also knew that Ye Chen's true body was at the Mythical Ruins outside the Origin Ancient Path, waiting for the true body's arrival before making a formal announcement.
After the feast, the Wushi Monarch left with Ye Chen's Great Emperor Reincarnation Body. Everything remained as before.
Although the Qin family imperial clan was curious about the Wushi Monarch's actions, they dared not inquire.
On this day, the Wushi Monarch led Ye Chen to ascend the Tenth Heavenly Pass, which was also under the control of the Qin family imperial clan.
Standing atop the towering, unreachable Tenth Heavenly Pass, the large and small figures gazed into the infinite distance. Ye Chen could see that there lay a vast expanse of starry land, even larger than the Emperor Realm, boundless and immense, as if it were a shattered ancient universe, like the Eight Desolates Ancient Universe. Countless stars were broken and extinguished, a scene of deathly stillness, yet also filled with a mournful, brilliant bloody aura that never dissipated.
However, for many years, nine glorious great suns stood guard, shining infinite radiance, illuminating the entire shattered starry land, piercing through all darkness.
The Wushi Monarch extended a finger and pointed into the distance. "That is the Chaos Burial Ground that buried an entire epoch. It was once an ancient universe, long since shattered and extinguished. Back then, the ten Emperors and Supreme Immortals left behind their respective Emperor Dao and Immortal Dao methods, transforming into glorious great suns to suppress the Chaos Burial Ground."
The ten Emperor Dao and Immortal Dao great suns took turns. Each day, only one sun illuminated the Origin Ancient Path, while the other nine heavenly suns illuminated the shattered ancient universe, releasing infinite Emperor Dao and Immortal Dao might, day and night, year-round, suppressing the Chaos Burial Ground, preventing its emergence.
The Wushi Monarch sighed lightly. "You must know, to suppress this Chaos Burial Ground, the ten Emperors and Supreme Immortals expended boundless effort and heart."
Ye Chen gazed into the distance. Even though separated by infinite distance, merely looking there evoked a heartfelt palpitation, and even his Great Emperor Reincarnation Body was not exempt.
One could imagine how terrifying the Chaos Burial Ground was, where five Emperors and Supreme Immortals had fallen.
"Patriarch, among the ancient Great Emperors who fell back then, were any from our Sealed Universe?" Ye Chen suddenly asked.
The Wushi Monarch nodded heavily. "Yes!"
"Which Emperor Ancestor?"
"Emperor Yantao!"
Emperor Yantao, a venerable ancient Great Emperor from the Sealed Universe. Although not as renowned as the Heavenly Emperor, Tai Sheng Huang, Battle Saint Ancestor, Space-Time Emperor, or Angel Emperor, he was still a generation of ancient Great Emperor recorded in history, illustrious and famous.
Yet, it was a great pity that such an ancient Great Emperor, under the circumstances of sealing the Chaos Burial Ground, had no choice but to fall. Regardless, he was a respected ancient Great Emperor, virtuous and esteemed, worthy of the reverence of all.