Everyone was astonished. Although they all knew that Ye Chen was virtually unmatched below the Divine King realm, for an Imperial Son to acknowledge this with such a bitter smile gave them an idea of just how profound his cultivation had become.
Ye Chen smiled but did not deny it. He patted the other's shoulder and said, "Being unmatched below the Divine King realm is nothing. We should set our sights on the Divine King realm itself. If you have time, let's discuss the Dao together and help each other grow stronger."
"Brother Ye, you—"
The other Emperor Sons and Imperial Maidens were stunned. Usually, someone who had mastered the means to defeat peers like Emperor Sons, Imperial Maidens, or Immortal Dao descendants would keep such methods hidden, especially someone like Ye Chen who was clearly and absolutely invincible. He shouldn't be spreading such knowledge widely.
But his meaning was clear: he intended to share it, at the very least to make them stronger.
Ye Chen sighed. "Our human race is in decline in this era. Although many heaven-defying talents have risen among the younger generation, like Divine King Yuan Yao, Zhao Chen, and also brothers like Shen Rong, Cang Qiong, and Wuming, along with other Emperor Sons and Imperial Maidens from past generations emerging one after another, they are still only the younger generation. They haven't truly matured yet."
"Do not forget how terrifying the great enemy that destroyed our Sealed Realm Universe was. That was an alien ancient universe. That Primordial Ancestor was peerless throughout the ages, and there were other alien Emperors and Sovereigns."
"Although I am strong, even if I attain the Dao and become an Emperor in the future, or even become the strongest Emperor, what then? I cannot reverse the situation alone. Otherwise, when the Heavenly Emperor, the Space-Time Emperor, the Great Saint Sovereign, and the Battle Saint Ancestor were present, they would not have allowed the Sealed Realm Universe to end up in such a state."
"I was once fortunate enough to glimpse a corner of a blood-soaked future. All ages fall silent, everything vanishes, leaving only a limited number of living beings. Even the Chaos Ancient Universe grows silent and is destroyed. I do not wish to see that scene come to pass."
"Therefore, I hope to witness the complete resurgence of the human race, the birth of many Emperor and Supreme One-level figures, to reverse that blood-soaked future!"
Everyone's hearts were shaken. Moreover, their parents' generation were Emperors and Sovereigns, their achievements profound and earth-shaking, who had also glimpsed corners of the future and deduced some great secrets that shook the endless ages, similar to what Ye Chen described.
The future was blood-soaked, the most terrifying of great eras.
The Battle Saint King was now considering not just himself, but the entire human race, the entire Sealed Realm Universe, to face that blood-soaked future together.
One could imagine that his vision had long since moved beyond the younger generation, gazing instead toward the myriad ancient enemies across the heavens.
Regarding this, everyone felt a sense of respect.
To some extent, he was subtly becoming the leader of the human race's younger generation.
Recognized by all humans, and possessing the qualifications for it.
The news of Ye Chen's emergence from seclusion quickly spread, causing quite a stir.
However, very few outside the human race knew about his battle against Shen Rong. It was deliberately suppressed, perhaps to conceal Ye Chen's true strength.
Powerful figures from the various imperial clans, immortal clans, and Mythical Emperor Domains were very curious: what level had the Battle Saint King's cultivation reached now?
The Emperor Sons, Imperial Maidens, and Immortal Dao descendants were the most concerned.
Thunder Imperial Son, one of the top Divine King-level Emperor Sons, would occasionally gaze toward the human race's location from afar.
However, as the Battle Saint King did not leave the divine hall where the humans resided, others could not easily go there to investigate.
This year was the eighth year since entering the Golden Crow Emperor Realm. With just over two years remaining, they could leave the Golden Crow Emperor Realm.
Two years was not a long time. The various imperial clans and immortal clans waited silently, all secretly cultivating arduously, hoping to raise their cultivation another level within those two years.
During these two years, the human powerhouses also did not leave the Golden Crow Emperor Realm. Moreover, Ye Chen truly invited the human Emperor Sons, Imperial Maidens, and Strongest Young Supremes to sit and discuss the Dao together. He shared many of his insights from over the years, even explaining key principles from various Emperor Scriptures and Immortal Scriptures he had obtained.
His status now was extraordinary. Ordinary Divine Kings were no match for him. When he gave lectures, countless human geniuses and talents came to listen, even Divine Kings among them.
Many from the Golden Crow imperial clan also attended his lectures.
Now, it was subtly implied that the Battle Saint King held the title akin to a direct disciple of the Golden Crow Great Emperor.
After all, over the years, he had received far too much guidance from the Golden Crow Great Emperor. Many believed he was the Golden Crow Great Emperor's disciple, and Ye Chen had never denied this point.
Ye Chen's Dao lectures were in no way inferior to those given by profound Divine Kings who had undergone multiple Godking Tribulations. During them, divine lotuses bloomed in the void, golden springs surged from the earth, Zen sounds echoed, and extraordinary phenomena manifested.
Each time, many people rushed to hear him lecture, to listen to the Great Dao. The wondrous principles were endless, and the benefits were great.
Many young generation geniuses made breakthroughs, feeling delighted and excited.
As for the older generation Divine Kings, they gained much experience. For example, the four Divine Kings of the Bright Emperor Domain—Tianya Divine King, Qinghuang Divine King, and others—were now preparing to contend for higher-level Godking Tribulations. In the twenty years since entering the Emperor War Battlefield, their cultivation had increased tremendously, beyond what was previously imaginable.
For instance, Qinghuang Divine King had even reached the Fifth Godking Tribulation, a true powerhouse among Divine Kings, having comprehended Intent for many years and being extremely powerful.
The other three had also successively reached the Fourth Godking Tribulation realm, stepping onto the path of Intent.
The five Divine Kings Ye Chen had subdued—the other three who were originally Second Tribulation Divine Kings—had stepped into the Third Tribulation Divine King level, becoming even stronger. Having received guidance from Ye Chen and other human Divine Kings, they were not far from the Fourth Godking Tribulation.
The two Four Tribulation Divine Kings had also improved significantly. Moreover, they had received personal guidance from the Golden Crow Great Emperor once or twice—the gains from which were naturally indescribable.
One of them, the Divine King from an imperial clan, had even taken that step, becoming a Five Tribulation Divine King like Qinghuang Divine King. His powerful cultivation made him a standout even among the myriad Divine Kings across the heavens.
It could be said that the nearly thirty years since setting foot in the Emperor War Battlefield and the Golden Crow Emperor Realm had been a great leap forward for everyone. Basically, every individual had made substantial progress.
The only regret was that among the Emperor Sons, Imperial Maidens, and Strongest Young Supremes, no one had yet taken that final step to become a Divine King.
Occasionally, the other human Emperor Sons, Imperial Maidens, and Strongest Young Supremes would seek opportunities to spar with Ye Chen.
However, Ye Chen mostly refused. Unless it was a life-and-death battle, ordinary sparring offered little chance for breakthrough-level improvement.
Of course, on one hand, the other human Emperor Sons, Imperial Maidens, and Strongest Young Supremes sought sparring; on the other hand, they also wanted to understand the gap between themselves and Ye Chen, and to learn the limits of his strength.
Not long ago, in Shen Rong's challenge against Ye Chen, the latter, from start to finish, had only displayed one type of power—related to the Immortal—completely suppressing the combination of Shen Rong's Divine King-level Immortal-Slaying Great Dao essence and Intent.
Even that final finger strike was profoundly mysterious. Not only did it defeat Shen Rong's strongest attack, but it also left a terrifying, mysterious power within his body, causing his hand bones to shatter beyond repair.
From beginning to end, everything Ye Chen displayed was so unfathomable, making it difficult to gauge the true limits of his strength, and even more astonishing was the question of what exactly that power was.