The Heavenly Emperor Realm, though hailed as a great world, did not possess particularly sturdy world barriers. In fact, entering it was quite easy. It contained a complete aura of the myriad Daos, making cultivation straightforward.
"How strange. Even if the barriers of an Emperor World couldn't hinder us much, it shouldn't be this effortless. It feels like even a Heavenly King could easily pass through," the powerhouses were somewhat taken aback. The barriers of the Heavenly Emperor Realm were far more fragile than imagined, which was surprising.
After crossing the world barrier, they found themselves in a vast expanse of wilderness and forests, dotted with numerous majestic mountains that soared tens of thousands of feet high, each one towering straight into the clouds, presenting a magnificent sight.
Moreover, the powerhouses could sense that this realm's cultivation environment was exceptionally favorable and rich. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth was quite dense, allowing for twice the result with half the effort in cultivation here.
As the powerhouses traversed the boundless land, they discovered many cave heavens and blessed lands along the way. The earth was imbued with divine springs, and numerous spirit veins spread out like eyes, quite extraordinary, creating an unprecedented cultivation ground.
The powerhouses marveled; this realm was truly heaven-defying, transformed into something quite remarkable. Even compared to an Origin Imperial World, there was a noticeable gap.
"Could this really be the Origin Imperial World of that supreme Heavenly Emperor from legend who resisted the First Emperor?" another Heaven's Pride prodigy exclaimed in awe. Such a favorable environment between heaven and earth might only be possessed by the Heavenly Emperor's Origin Imperial World, revered throughout the ages.
"No, this realm is called the Heavenly Emperor Realm, but it is not the Heavenly Emperor's Origin Imperial World," Ye Chen shook his head. After careful exploration, a trace of surprise appeared on his face. "Hmm? Why do I sense several types of Imperial Dao auras?"
This Imperial Dao aura was not the usual kind but a special kind of energy originating from between heaven and earth. To be more precise, it was an issue with this realm's origin—it actually contained several different Imperial Dao energies simultaneously, which was unusual and somewhat suspicious.
However, upon closer investigation, one would encounter immense resistance, blocked by the world's origin, which would not allow outsiders to probe freely.
At that moment, Ye Chen reached out and grabbed several spirit veins from deep within the earth, each stretching for thousands of miles and containing over a million catties of spirit stones, all of superior quality. To put it bluntly, this was a rather astonishing discovery.
"With such a uniquely favorable cultivation environment, this realm is likely far more powerful than imagined, teeming with countless experts. Everyone must be cautious."
The deeper they delved, the more they realized the fearsome nature of this realm. The more favorable the environment between heaven and earth, the easier it was for experts to emerge. Even mediocrities here could become geniuses.
The group did not leave immediately but instead cultivated on the spot, seizing many spirit veins to absorb, transforming them into vast amounts of spiritual energy, effectively replenishing their reserves.
Of course, for the more powerful individuals, these spirit stones were of little use, especially for Divine Kings. At their level, spirit stones were nearly ineffective. They had already begun absorbing the essence of the great universe, breathing it in and out to aid their cultivation.
Many also seized spirit veins from deep within the earth. These were rare cultivation resources. While they might not be of much use to the individuals themselves, they were quite valuable for cultivators below the Great Power level. They could even be used to nurture the next generation, strengthening the development of imperial clans and other factions, offering unimaginable benefits.
"Be careful! Don't absorb this spiritual energy from heaven and earth!"
Suddenly, a Great Power Heaven's Pride spoke up. Blazing Dao flames burned in his palm as he refined several spirit veins into pure spiritual liquid, forming a lake-sized pool. However, within it, faint traces of eerie black substances could be seen—several ferocious black worms, exceptionally sinister and terrifying, sending shivers down one's spine.
"What in the world are these things?!"
Someone paled, for these eerie black worms looked so sinister that even a Great Power would tremble!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, several black worms shot fiercely through the air, arriving in the blink of an eye at the space between the eyebrows of that Great Power Heaven's Pride.
"Seeking death!"
The Great Power Heaven's Pride belonged to the Radiant Emperor Domain and had reached the first level of Great Power. Achieving such cultivation at his age was quite remarkable. He directly pointed with his index and middle fingers, attempting to pinch and crush the black worms.
Pfft—
To everyone's shock, the Great Power Heaven's Pride's fingers, as hard as metal and stone, failed to pinch the worms. Instead, they were torn open, leaving a bloody gash. The black worms headed straight for the space between his eyebrows.
The Great Power Heaven's Pride's expression changed drastically. If these black worms burrowed into the space between his eyebrows, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Clang!
At the critical moment, a hand blocked the way. The three black worms, capable of piercing metal and shattering stone, were fiercely blocked and even repelled by the counterforce, their skin torn and flesh rent—a truly astonishing sight.
The one who acted was none other than Ye Chen.
He reached out and grabbed the three black worms in his hand. No matter how fiercely they struggled, even baring their ferocious teeth that could easily tear apart a Great Power's Dao weapon, it was useless. They could not break free from that hand, which was as hard and indestructible as Chaos Immortal Gold, impossible to pierce.
Ye Chen restrained these black worms, then his gaze, sharp as blazing lightning, fell upon them. After staring intently for a long time, he suddenly exerted force and crushed them.
The black worms transformed into extremely fine black symbols, scattering with the wind, leaving everyone stunned.
Ye Chen said gravely, "These are not true living beings but a type of Dao symbol. To be more precise, they are a form of Curse Power."
"Curse Power?!"
The crowd paled. Curses were a notoriously tricky type of Dao law, incredibly eerie. Moreover, the fact that they could condense into such black worms, which even a Great Power nearly failed to block, showed just how terrifying this Curse Power was.
Those who had refined spirit veins into their bodies turned even paler, deeply worried that such cursed black worms had entered their bodies. It would be like planting a bomb, posing a life-threatening danger at any moment, a cause for serious concern.
Ye Chen said, "You don't need to worry too much. Although these cursed black worms exist within spirit veins, they can't be too numerous. This time, we just happened to encounter spirit veins containing them. Just be more careful next time."
Despite his words, after this incident, many dared not rashly refine spirit veins anymore, avoiding a repeat of what had just happened.
However, at this moment, Ye Chen communicated via divine sense with the other Imperial Sons and Daughters, the strongest young supremes, and the human Divine Kings: "Seniors, everyone, this Curse Power can threaten cultivators who have just stepped into the Great Power realm. For now, it might not be very strong against us, but it's likely that this is only one of the discovered spirit veins in the Heavenly Emperor Realm. Presumably, there are many more in the Heavenly Emperor Realm."
"If I'm not mistaken, perhaps the entire Heavenly Emperor Realm is under some kind of curse. It's just that the curse has spread too widely, so the Curse Power in one area isn't very strong. But we can't guarantee that some places have powerful curses. We still need to be careful!"
Hearing this, everyone's expressions turned grave.
If the Heavenly Emperor Realm was under a curse, it might be related to the Chaos Burial Ground.
And similarly, it often indicated one thing—it was usually related to a Sovereign-level existence, the most fearsome of Emperor Curses!